MY LAST WEEK IN TOUCHENG LEISURE FARM

WAU, the time runs soo fast! Im now sitting in the office and thinking about all weeks I´ve spent here! Hundreds of flashbacks and experiences cross my mind! :) Uf, where to start?

Working and relaxing in the same time :) 

My job in the farm is very pleasant. I´m in charge of posting news and pictures on Toucheng Leisure Farm´s Facebook, writing official articles in Environmental Education section and comunicating with english speaking customers! :) These three activities differ, which is very important for me! I spend half time in the office and half time outside in the farm. I like staying in the office because I can see asians working in their natural conditions, which let me get more into their culture! And being outside is simply amazing. Farm is surrounded by hills and jungle! So my dream to stay in real rich nature came true! :) Every week I´ve got more impressed with possibilities that are possible to do here! I am never bored here. Farm provides a lot of funny activities and I could be part of them quite often! For example making my own sky lantern or doing a big jump from a tall tree! For me it were an unforgettable experiences! :) Sometimes I just walk in the farm, enjoy greennessy and jungle voices, feed animals, do excercises in the riverside or relax in wooden hammocks! :)

 Doing exercises in nature is more than perfect!

 Sky lantern made by Katerina :)

 Love it!

Bite of adrenaline!

 Preparing for rice cultivation! Uff, what all is uder the water? :D

Like a child! :)

I learn a lot of new, interesting information due to my work in Environmenal Education section! Everytime I write about different topic connected with maintaining the environment, which really interests me! :)

Making my own mud oven to prepare delicious sweet potatoes!

I live in a clean, small room with own bathroom and view on the ocean..I call it „lovely room on the roof“..because it is situated „on the roof“! I must admit that during typhoon days I was little bit scared there! :D I am happy for this accommodation. I had a possibility to meet other europeans here in Taiwan and I´ve got a feeling that I´m very lucky to live in such a nice place! 

O:-) Sorry for the mess! 

I went out to travel around the island every weekend! I appreciate a lot that farm´s staff  and owners were very nice to me and drove me/ pick me up at the train station everytime I needed!

Waiting in Guishan train station with my favorite moon cakes! :) Yummy! 

I went to explore North of Taiwan during my first weekend. Unfortunately it was raining all the time, but I visited Taipei, Tamsui, Baisha Bay and amazing Jiufen city! Aieseckers took care of me and made me a company!

 My first time in the coast while raining! :)

 Taiwan, Czech Republic, Germany

 Jiufen city

 We tried a loooot of traditional meals! 

First time I touched real golden cube in Museum of Gold Mining in Jiufen

I spent my second weekend in the farm, relaxing, playing games with owner´s son who has really good sense of humour and is very smart young man! I love doing excercises so he took me up the high hill..I could see the seacoast from there! It was amazing, he was also my guide and introduced me some kinds of trees or insect! :)

 Top of the hill! 

We made many funny moon cakes with Basco! :)

Third weekend I travelled to the South with one czech girl! We visited Taichung city, Kaohsiung city and Kenting city with its national park! We were driving a motorcycle the whole day around South coast, so we got burnt pretty a lot! :D I must say that I enjoyed it a lot and that, in my opinion, it is worth to see the South in every case! For me it is the most beautiful seacoast part of Taiwan!

 Taichung city and taiwaneese style!

 Kaohsiung Lotus Lake! :)

Kenting National Park! Highly Recommended! :)

Next weekend I went to visit one slovakian girl to Hsinchu, which was recommended to me! I was shocked about her accomodation! Horrible is really a weak word for its description! Cockroaches, spiders, stink, disorder,bed= wooden boards….but! It was a great time there, we went to Beipu village with other czech boy, this village is charming! Completely different meals, smells, architecture! We made a very special soup just by ourselves and also spent about 2 hours in a beautiful Teahouse by tasting teas! I was so surprised, all tastes were very soft so I had to buy one big case of Hakka tea to bring it home! :)

 Enjoying typhoon wind from the highest building in Hsinchu city! :)

 Especially those black cubes taste weird! :D

 Tea tasting in Beipu

 Home made soup! :)

Yeah! Finally we understand each other! :)

As you can see, I had a lot to do every day! :) I write my personal diary that has already about 60 pages! :D There are sooo many things and situations I want to remember for the rest of my life! :)

 Excellent Toucheng Leisure Farm´s wines!!!

I also visited beach in Toucheng! :)

I´m now waiting for my last weekend! I invited my european friends to visit Toucheng Leisure Farm and connect it with a trip to Hualien and Taroko National Park! J Hope, that it will be a very nice end of my stay in Taiwan! I would like to thank Tina and all other people working in the farm for all their willingness and help! :) 

Katerina

04.09.2013

Yesterday was my off day and I take this opportunity to go out with my colleagues and the new intern student, Kate. In the early morning, we drive to Mr Brown Coffee Castle and it located at 262 Taiwan Yilan County Jiaosi Township. It is a nice place for side seeing because the coffee shop was built on the top of King Car Toucheng Park Mountain at Toucheng, Yilan.

 The view from the coffee shop

 Mr Brown Coffee Castle logo and entrance

After came down from the hill, we went to Jiao xi to have our lunch and shopping around the area. Kate was suggested that we can pay a visit at Suao cold spring since we are going to Suao Port. Su Ao is famous for cold spring and seafood because it has two large harbors which are Suao Port and Nanfang ao port, a multi-function seaport that also houses a naval base.

Suao Port

While on the way back to Toucheng Township, we have stop by a candy shop which can handmade the candy by ourselves, and we spent few hours in new moon shopping complex (新月廣場).

And….Dinner time! Stinky tofu and pork bone soup.

My First Impressions

Hello, it´s me, Katerina! It´s been 2 days since I came to Toucheng Farm. I got up very late the first morning, with mixed feelings. I had no idea about what to expect so I just got dressed, said hello to a becoming day and went down to meet Tina at the reception. I must say that a big stone fell down from my heart when she started to talk to me! She looks very nice, communicative and experienced and I was really happy about the first conversation. I was introduced to her husband and father who are both very sympathetic, I´m just looking forward to meeting their daughter Angel and son Pascal. I calmed down and was in a very possitive temper about my stay in Toucheng Farm.

I would like to express some points I found interesting/different.

I would start with the very first night here. J I definitely couldn´t sleep first few hours..I left the window open to hear the environment and to „enjoy“ new climate! I think it was the first and last night I did that! :D I was hot, sweating, feeling sticky and then the noises comming from the wood (garden) were unusually noisy for me. I am really not accostumed to it, but I love it, because I can nearly touch the nature and rich life here!  That is one of the reason why I came here. I miss that juicy life in Czech Republic!

As I have already said the weather is very hot and humid, completely different than at home. I reckoned it. But what I didn´t are sudden and heavy rains! I found it pleasant with the time, because it makes the air more fresh!

During the lunch/dinner time I saw quite a lot if people sucking what is very impolite in Czech, but I don´t mind, I understand that it is a part of Asian culture.

Yesterday Cooper and 2 other taiwaneese girls took me to Yilan city to play bowling and do some other activities (funny park, hot springs). I was surprised about the quality of the roads, which is mostly better than in Czech. J The city is pretty big and looks qiute poor for the first sight.. what I saw was obsolete, but I have to check it more times to say if that is really true or not! J Guys, I was out with, are very calm, funny, they walk slowly, talk a lot so I was little bit nervous because Prague is full of rush, stress, individuals. For example: we go to the shop, we buy what we need as fast as possible, because we cannot waste time and Syndy, Lynn, Cooper spent a loooong time there in the shop by choosing what to buy for dinner! :D I think I will be well relaxed after some weeks here! They can enjoy their free time! And to sum it up- also I did! Thank you guys! J

What is very strange for me is that nearly everyone here have smartphone and especially girls always make selfpictures! If not, people are still playing with their phones! Still! I don´t know what they are still searching inside! :D To the selfpictures…in Czech we do it, but just at home (secretly) or we took pictures of us with friends, but not selfpictures in public…we would say about these girls  that they are arrogant, big-headed, embarrasing, stupid…:P yes, cultural differences. I know that they are not, they are smiling and acting very nice! J I just want you to know the difference, nothing negative! J

Everybody say that I can feel save, that nearly no criminality is among taiwaneese people. And I believe it, because all the people I met gave me the impression of good people! And that is the most important for me!

I will need some more days to adapt to new environment, but I feel really comfortable and satisfied! Looking forward to new days! J

Trami Typhoon

Trami typhoon was reached Taiwan yesterday after causing floods and landslides in other places. Early this week, Trami typhoon has hit Philippine and cause 15 dead, 41 injured and more than 1 million residents were suffering floodwater and landslide. I woke up at 8:30am and finish my work at 9:30am due to the raining is getting heavy. This is the first time that I experiencing Typhoon, non-stop raining, strong wind that enough to blow me up. After keeping all the stuff into the store room, I was hiding in my room the whole day and reading news about the typhoon.

Taipei + Jiao Xi

I went to Taipei again on last Sunday. I drop down at Guishan train station and took a train to Jiao Xi. There is a bus station in Jiao Xi and from the station to Taipei is more nearer than using railway. Toucheng farm à Guishan station à Jiao Xi station à KAMALAN Bus à Taipei main station. My supervisor told me that I should go to Taipei first instead of stop at Jiao Xi because the traffic will be worst after 2pm, especially on Sunday. Around 6pm, I back to Jiao Xi station and went to try the famous hot spring in town. The hot spring called Chun He (春和日式溫泉浴池). It only cost 50TWD for public bathhouse, towel and shower gel are not included. My next off day plan, 西門町 (Xi men Ding).

Little story of animals in the farm

Our farm has offer pets boarding service to allow the pets more conduct with nature. This pet boarding service is depends on the customer situation such as the customer unable to keep the pet for a short time period.

Not too long ago, a married couple has boarding their two rabbits in the farm because the owner is pregnant. The owner told us that the rabbits are never conduct with grassland because the rabbits are born in the city. With this opportunity, we are trying to let them living without the cage.

The both rabbits are feeling uncomfortable and not used to the living style without their owner to feed them or even play with them. They have no idea of how to looking for food and water, and they just remain at the same area. The reason is they has been adapted the life in the city and have never experience the animal basic lifestyle. We do understand that they need some adaptation period just get used to the new environment.

A week after, one of the rabbits are starting to learn searching for food in the farm and begin to play with other animals while jumping around the farm. It has successfully to adapt the new environment and giving itself a chance to try a whole different life.

Unfortunately, another rabbit are unable to use to the environment and need to be feed by our staff as before. It looks like quite suffer to the rabbit and we had to make it back to the life in cage.

The values we could learn from the story above:
- learn to be patience
- Acceptance
- living outside the box
- give yourself a chance
- learn to adapt new things

By Cooper

2013夏令營

Taking part in the Toucheng Leisure Farm’s Summer Camp 2013 was the first time in my entire life to spend days with kids with the eldest 13 years old.  In the first time I came here, I have been told that in the 3^rd week of July (7/15-7/20) I had to taking care more than 20 kids and teaching some Indonesia culture to the kids.  To be honest, I felt nervous.  What I am to do with that some stuffs?

In the first day, 阿孟哥 (a meng) and I introduced ourself as their guide in front of children and their parents.  阿孟 is a coordinator summer camp also a guardian who took care and slept with 10 boy kids for that 1 week.  While me, I was as a guardian who took care and slept with 17 girl kids for that 1 week.  I also have been told by Principal’s staff that the language I used to talked with them is English, even though my Chinese is very good.  At that time I understood.  Challenge unlocked!

But their levels of English was so different and everyone was so silent since the first day when I was accompanied them settling up the room.  For the sake of closeness and adapting between me and children, I used Chinese language talked with them.  Beyond my expectations.  They were very friendly and considered me as their sister and also I considered them as my little sister or brother.  After all, I’m really grateful for that oppurtinity.  Love them so much!

I knew that my role was to entertain kids, make them stay at the farm feels like their home.  I spend my internship work with have fun, what an unexpected activities.

Our activities began from 7.30 AM.  I waking them up, after that breakfast then the rest of time we are filled up with activities until 20.00-21.00 PM.  Many activities we did, no more wasting time in our summer camp’s agenda.  Such a upstream, klining in mud hut, baking pizza, climbing, introduced Phiphines and Japanese culture, and many more.  When I asked them, “are you tired?” Simultaneously they answer: “Noooooo!!!” How superb they were!! XD

In the 4^th and 5^th day of summer camp, I and my friend from Malaysia introduced Indonesia culture and Malaysia culture.  He introduced and taught Layang-layang (kite) as represented Malaysia culture.  While me, introduced Indonesia in powerpoint slide and dance, Tari Piring dance, also introduced to them an Indonesia traditional games for kids: Lompat tali.

Many memories that I will never forget!  I was really happy and this is not so difficult that I thought.  If I have a chance I want do it again such this activity. 

Thanks people! :)

for furthermore photos, please visit this FB page : https://www.facebook.com/Ilantcfarm
we have many more


Nova