Final Semester

Well, the title says it all - I'm wrapping up my final semester in South Korea as part of the Fulbright Program. The past three years have been a life-changing experience, and living in this country has been filled with ups, downs, and plenty of personal growth. I don't really feel like getting super sappy about all of this right now, because I'm sure that will come later (like once I'm back in America and facing reverse culture shock and reminiscing a lot more). But I will always look back on this experience with fond memories and an appreciation for all of the friendships I've made and will maintain as I move forward.

To roughly transition, this semester has been the busiest four months of my life. Period! From maintaining my personal health, excelling at work, and endeavoring in plenty of extracurriculars, this semester is one for the books. I would like to briefly share some highlights and achievements with you all (in no specific order):

- Finally filling up my second diary and starting my third one
- Demetria's visit to Korea (and trying to win at those damn crane games everyday, lol)
- Participating and completing 6 running/marathon events
- Hiking to the summit of South Korea's tallest mountain, Hallasan
- Eating a tub of ice cream (alone) in a single day while binge watching the newest season of House of Cards (this might be a low for some people, but not in my books)
- Planning, acquiring approval, and executing a Seoul-wide scavenger hunt with my after school class
- Fulbright third year soccer jerseys = the most badass investment ever
- Japan! (part two) Okinawa and Disney
- Keeping up my resolution of posting two blog entries per month
- Drinking beer at 9:00 a.m. before a long flight
- Meeting new friends, getting closer with old ones, and making amazing memories
- Spongebob references, everywhere (shout out to Anna)
- I found Oreo O's and tried them for the first time
- Coming in 1st place in the 100m dash at my school's "Sports Day" (sorry-not-sorry kids, I'm ultra competitive)
- Dancing with a fun-loving old guy at Seoul's Rose Festival
- The assist I tallied when I crossed the ball into the box and our school's Vice Principal headed it into the back of the net (glory moment)
- Supporting my talented and beautiful friend EJ as a model in the Seoul Africa Festival
- That ONE time when a bunch of the older, male teachers at my school talked to me at lunch
- Changing the billboard in my classroom to something meaningful for the students
- (Accidentally) going to an indoor baseball game with Anna and Annaliese
- Becoming addicted to Magikarp Jump! (app)
- Seeing my childhood favorite, Britney Spears, perform live in Seoul
- Watching matches at the FIFA U-20 World Cup
- Becoming involved in a D&D campaign with a group of amazing friends
- Finally getting my students to stop feeling shy about taking selfies with me
- Wearing a different dress to Fulbright's final dinner event (I still love you, green dress)
- Consuming way too much Monster Pizza, but never feeling bad about it
- Hanging out on Haeundae Beach in Busan and later dancing the night away with friends
- Feeling thankful for all the amazing friendships I have both here, at home, and elsewhere in the world

Those are just fragments of what I've been up to the past few months. I'll be back Stateside on August 5, and I have no idea what comes next for me.

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Tokyo Disney!

Cinderella's Castle

Hello everyone! It's time to share my AWESOME experience at Tokyo Disneyland~! I treated myself and booked a hotel resort for three nights, along with a three-day pass to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. I have to admit, I had no idea what Disney Sea was before I arrived, but it was so fun (and actually better than Disneyland, to be honest). 

With my best buddy, Goofy

"Critter Sundae"

On the first day, I headed to Disneyland, which I hear is very similar to the one in L.A. Space Mountain, Cinderella's Castle, Splash Mountain, etc. This park is a bit older than Disney Sea, but was still full of fun and adventure. There was a theme for Easter, and an Easter Parade with all of the characters. Unfortunately, there was also an extremely loud and catchy made-up tune that was looping non-stop throughout the entirety of the 45-minute parade, and I was singing it for the rest of my trip. It was called "Usatama on the Run!". I think that is something about eggs, but I'm not sure. There were plenty of eggs everywhere. Haha!

Tokyo Disney Resort

Hispanic Goofy?

The second and third days I decided to spend at Disney Sea, which was SO FREAKING COOL. As can be expected by the name, this park was centered around nautical exploration. It had different themes such as "Mermaid Lagoon" where I watched an Under the Sea musical adventure (all in Japanese), but still sang along with all my favorite Little Mermaid tunes. There was a new Finding Nemo exhibit opening up, but I came just one week too early to be able to go on the attraction. There was a huge "American Waterfront" section which had a bunch of American-style food like reuben sandwiches, fried cod, beer, and more. So yummy! AND a new Toy Story virtual ride based on classic carnival games. There are shooters on the vehicles and you shoot targets in those 3-D games like "egg toss" and "balloon pop".

Mermaid Lagoon

Sunset

The Tower of Terror was also worth checking out, as the story line for Tokyo Disney is totally different than the normal story back in the States. It was super neat. AND the guides even provided an English translation for me as I went through. Very cool and fun ride. My favorite was the Indiana Jones attraction. The props, setting, and overall ride itself were totally awesome. I rode it two or three times, I think.

Overall, it was a very exciting trip to Disneyland and Disney Sea. And so much cheaper than in America! I paid $160 for a three-day pass. That would be the cost of a one-day entry back in the States. Crazy.

Usatama on the Run!

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Okinawa, Japan

Well, I lived up to my promise! If you remember, I traveled to Japan during my winter break (in February) for ten days. I had an amazing trip, met some awesome people, and knew that I had to go back one day.

That time came sooner than I expected. I had a two-week "spring break" because of my school's midterm examinations and class field trip, which I did not attend. I decided to make a short trip back to Japan, this time visiting Okinawa and Tokyo Disney Resort. I stayed in Okinawa for three days, and Tokyo Disney for four days.

The beach

Okinawa is a southern island of Japan, and it was extremely humid and a bit rainy during my trip. Another solo trip, I was looking forward to meeting new people and enjoying some alone time (as if I don't get enough of that already... lol!). On the first day, I didn't get to Okinawa until late afternoon, so I checked in and just did what I usually do - walk around the city and get lost a little bit while exploring. While exploring, I came across a beach and stopped to relax for a bit. I made it back to the hostel and hung out in the lounge. While there, I met a Canadian and an American, and we spent the evening chatting awhile. I crashed early because the next day was prepped with my Japanese friend, Mai!

Donkatsu (pork cutlet) and miso soup

I had a restless sleep due to the humidity and woke up with even more BRUTAL weather - sunny, humid, disgusting. I put on my lightest set of clothes and headed to meet Mai. Unfortunately, after she picked me up, her car stalled and the battery died. So we were stuck for awhile and our initial plans fell through for the day. We decided to walk and get lunch while the repairman came and took a look at the car. We ate pork cutlet (donkatsu), which was absolutely amazing. One of my favorite Japanese dishes. While at lunch, Mai and I met up with her friend/co-worker, and they decided to take me to their dessert restaurant by the beach! Mai is the manager at a souflet pancake shop. OH. MY. GOD. I have never tasted pancakes so delicious in my life. They melted in my mouth, so fluffy, so sugary, so buttery, so good. I have GOT to get that recipe. After we felt sufficiently full from lunch and dessert, we walked around the beach and rested for awhile. Mai's friend had to leave to take care of her baby, so Mai and I decided to take a drive around Okinawa for awhile. After that, we enjoyed an insane amount of Japanese appetizers as our dinner whilst consuming Okinawa's finest beer, Orion. It was SO GOOD, but I soon found out that they don't export it ANYWHERE. Not even on mainland Japan. Ugh. So I used that as an excuse to drink as much as I wanted. YOLO. Vacation. Mai and I departed ways after an extremely fun day spent together. I wish we had more time!

Hanging out inside a seashell

The most delicious pancakes EVER

Reunited with Mai and her friend!

The next day, I made plans with the two friends I met at the hostel, and we headed to a famous ramen shop. We had to get there an hour before opening just to guarantee ourselves a spot. So we waited from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for some delicious ramen. And it was spectacular! After that, we headed to Shuri Castle, a popular tourist site of Okinawa. The weather was SO RAINY and cool, the complete opposite of the day before. Island life, man. I couldn't get used to it. While at the castle, I was trying to take a picture when suddenly, a cute, older, Japanese woman completely photobombed the picture. I decided that the picture looked better with her in it. She came up to us and started talking to us in a friendly manner, and then her husband dragged her away, LOL.


Amazing ramen

The cute lady who photobombed my picture

Okinawa scenery

We headed back to the hostel as the rain kept pouring down. I didn't feel like doing much else after that, so I rested awhile. Eventually the rain let up and I went to the market to buy some souvenirs. The next day I was headed to Tokyo for my expected trip to Disney Land! Stay tuned!

Orion beer at 10:00 a.m. while waiting for the plane

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Osaka, Japan

Hi everyone! This is the third post from my travel blog series about my solo trip to Japan during my winter vacation. If you missed my posts about Tokyo and Kyoto, check those out first! This post will focus on my last leg of the trip - my wonderful experiences in Osaka.

Osaka's landscape

Pokemon Center!

Unfortunately, I only had about a day and a half to spend on this part of the trip, but I made the most of it. I arrived in Osaka in the early morning via a short train ride from Kyoto, so I decided to head to a landmark with a good view of Osaka's landscape, and after that I headed to an official Pokemon Center (aka a place with an insane amount of Pokemon merchandise). Because it was such a short trip, I wanted to get most of the famous sites out of the way during the first day so that I could enjoy my last day at Universal Studios Japan.

Osaka Castle

In front of Osaka Castle

I headed straight for Osaka Castle, one of the most famous landmarks throughout Japan. It was extremely large and beautiful, both outside and inside. I didn't have much time as I would liked to have had there, though. I'll just have to go back one day! In the evening, I walked around a few night markets, ate traditional Japanese foods, did some souvenir shopping, and went back to the hostel to prep for my big day at Universal!

Takoyaki

Glico man 

Okonomiyaki and beer

Universal was an absolute blast! I was a bit worried about going to a theme park alone, but my fear faded quickly. In fact, I enjoyed going to the theme park alone more than I might have with other people. I got to move faster through waiting lines as a single rider, and I could go to different attractions at my own convenience.

Universal Studios!

Making hearts with Charlie Brown

I ended up meeting a fellow solo traveler, although he didn't travel as far as me. His name is Mohammed, and he is a graduate student in Japan! He has a season pass to Universal and was just hanging out for the day. I met him while waiting in line for the Jurassic Park ride, and we hit it off quickly. I was actually somewhat relieved because I thought I was the only non-Asian in the park that day, haha (no offense meant by any means in that statement, just an observation). We decided to hang out the rest of the day and rode rides together.

My new friend Mohammed and I enjoying butterbeer

We ended up at Harry Potter world where we spent a huge chunk of time exploring. We had butterbeer, which tastes FANTASTIC by the way, took a tour of Hogwarts castle, snuck in line for the Harry Potter virtual ride (didn't want to wait 3 hours), and watched a magic wands performance. During the performance, I was selected as the chosen wand-bearer. I failed miserably. BUT the good part was that I was offered a discount on any of the wands in the shop, so I took that offer up and decided to buy one. The cool thing is that with my wand I could maneuver around the park, cast different spells from the series, and different things would happen! For example, I made some kind of object levitate, lit a chimney, and make clocks turn. So fun! I'll have to try it again at the Universal in Florida.

Testing out the wands

Hogwarts Express!

After a loooooong day at the park, Mohammed and I headed back towards the center of Osaka, ate some Turkish food, and called it a day. I was so happy to meet a new friend in my travels - thanks for a great day, Mohammed!

The next morning was time to go back to Korea, but of course, not without some unexpected events taking place. I woke up early and realized that my bunkmate (whose name I later found out is Mai) was also heading towards the airport. We didn't speak because she is Japanese and doesn't know English, and I am American and don't know Japanese. Mai's bag was huge, so I offered to help her carry it down the stairs through gesturing. She agreed and immediately a bond was formed. Upon completing our task, she offered up a ton of her Japanese snacks and goodies, at which I reluctantly accepted (but was secretly excited about). We headed to the airport together, and I figured out that she was traveling to Okinawa in order to move and start a new job! No wonder she had such a large suitcase. We communicated along our journey via Google Translator, which up until that point I had not been very fond of. My opinion has changed since then! We connected quickly, snapped a selfie, exchanged contact information, and before I knew it, we were departing separate ways. I felt a pang in my stomach because of how quickly we had shared personal information about ourselves, and just as quickly it was gone and the possibility of never meeting again was right in front of us. Travel is an amazing thing, but bittersweet. I made a pact that I would return to Japan again and brush up on my basic Japanese conversation skills until then.

My new friend Mai and I

I said a momentary goodbye to Japan, but made a promise both to myself and to my new friends that I would be back again.

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Kyoto, Japan

Hi everyone! This is the second post in my travel blog series about my solo trip to Japan during my winter vacation. This post will focus on my experiences in Kyoto, famous for its beautiful and historic gardens, temples, and shrines, among many other things. If you missed my post about Tokyo, check that out first. Let's dive in!

After my busy first three days in Tokyo, I headed out to one of Japan's more nature-y cities, Kyoto. Unfortunately, I was only there for two and a half days, which wasn't nearly enough time, so I hope to go back again when I get the chance.

Hanging out along the river in Kyoto

I woke up and took the express train (Sinkansen) from Tokyo to Kyoto, which was an expensive ticket, but worth it. Instead of heading straight to my hostel upon arrival, I decided to do some exploring near the train station. I visited a few parks and temples along my way towards the guesthouse, and the weather was beautiful! After dropping my bags off, I grabbed a beer and some snacks, walked along a river, and sat down on some rocks and enjoyed the sunset.

The encouraging worker and my Pikachu plush!

Later that night, I went towards the shopping market area, ate street food, and tried my luck at Japanese crane games, at which I failed horribly. I got sucked into one game because of a friendly, young worker who kept encouraging me and gave me free chances to play every now and then. I still ended up blowing about $35 and walked away with nothing... or so I thought! The worker must have felt really bad for me because she walked to the back of the store and whipped out a special edition Pikachu plush doll that I had been trying to win the entire time (about 30-40 minutes). I was so happy that I gave her a hug and made her take a picture with me, haha! A memory that I'll always remember.

The Golden Pavilion

The next day, I visited Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), a zen garden, a historic castle, and a lot of shrines. There is so much sightseeing to do in Kyoto! Even though the weather was horribly cold and rainy all day, I still had fun learning about Japan's "old capital". I'll let the pictures do the talking!

Naji Castle

That evening, I met up with another Fulbrighter (Brittany!) and her boyfriend, who were also visiting Kyoto at the same time. We went to a revolving sushi bar, explored Japan's "one dollar" stores, and discussed anime and manga for a looooong time, haha! It was a blast and I was happy to have some company for once during my trip.

Revolving sushi... we did some damage

As I mentioned earlier, I didn't spend nearly enough time in Kyoto as I should have. It's on my bucket list to return again in the future! Stay tuned for my next post about Osaka.

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Tokyo, Japan

Senso-ji Temple

Hi everyone! I know it's been long since my last update, and I am finally getting around to writing about my winter break trip to Japan (back in February).

This is the first of three posts about my solo trip to Japan during my winter vacation. This post will focus on my first leg of the trip, where I spent three days in the nation's capital, Tokyo. It was unbelievably different than what I expected (in a positive way), and I am looking forward to going back one day.

           

On my first day of the trip, I arrived in Tokyo, purchased a subway ticket for my stay, and headed out to my hostel. Transportation was by far the most expensive thing in all of Japan! Traveling from place to place ate up the majority of my expenses during my one-week trip. I checked in, set my bags down, and just started wandering around the area. I stumbled into the Asakusa area, where I explored Senso-ji Temple, which is Tokyo's oldest. There was plenty of shopping and street food to be eaten, so I dove right in. I tried Japanese style ice cream, takoyaki (savory ball-shaped pancakes with octopus at the center topped with mayonnaise, ginger pickles and fermented fish flakes), and ikayaki (grilled squid). All were extremely delicious! I wound down the day by sitting in Ueno Park, reading a book, and drinking Japanese beer. Great first day!

          

The second day, I met my Japanese friend whom I met during my study abroad in Spain! Ayano and I took some of the same classes at Universidad de Granada, and we have stayed in contact for five years. I can't believe it had been that long since we last met. Ayano took me to Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and Shibuya Crossing. We caught up, got our fortunes for 2017 read to us, ate sushi off of a revolving cart, and consumed way too many sweets. No regrets! We also went to a CD store where we recommended music to each other and bought CDs in commemoration of our awesome day together. Thanks for your hospitality, Ayano! Nos vemos otra vez muy pronto!

          

On the third day in Tokyo, I took a day trip to Hakone, where I saw marvelous sights of Mt. Fuji and Japan's natural beauty. It was an early start, where I took a "romance car" to the outskirts of Hakone, explored a few gardens, and took a cable car up to the base of Fuji. While at the base, I ate Japanese pork cutlet and enjoyed the view. It was so beautiful that I made it my future goal to hike to the top of Mt. Fuji one day! From there, I took a ropeway back to ground level, and then finished the tour with an exploratory cruise around the Hakone area with various sights of Mt. Fuji. In the evening, I met another friend, Arisa, who I first met in Korea through a mutual friend. She took me out for Japanese style ramen, which was absolutely AMAZING! We finished the night with a few beers and I headed back to my hostel.

          

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking - it was a full three days, and wish I had a bit more leisure time, but now I know I'll just have to come back in the future.

          

Next leg of the trip, Kyoto - stay tuned!

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A Glimpse Inside Korean Educational Administration

A Native English Teacher's Experience Interviewing Selected Candidates for Hire at a Korean High School

I had the opportunity to be a part of the interviewing process for hiring new teachers at a Korean high school in Seoul. It is a unique experience that the majority of other Native English Teachers in the country are not usually a part of, for various reasons (I'll let you ponder those on your own). Following the day of interviews, I took some time to reflect upon the experience and thought I would share with you all a brief overview. I've refrained from posting personal comments [on this blog] on the matter, but those interested in learning more, feel free to contact me. Although I have had this post written and saved for a few months now, I am choosing to post it now because the official interviewing process has concluded, and the new school year has safely started. Even though the likelihood of this post having any effect on the entire process, I did not want to take any chances by posting this publicly ahead of time. For privacy concerns, I've refrained from including any names of candidates, interviewers (besides myself), and the school.

Where:

• A private, vocational, co-educational high school in Seoul, South Korea
• Inside of a large conference room; the four interviewers seated on one side of a table, the solo interviewee seated opposite

When:

• Tuesday, January 24, 2017, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Why:

• The final process in selecting and hiring new teachers for the 2017-18 academic school year
• The school already conducted sample lessons with a larger group and narrowed down the selection to the top candidates in each subject

Interviewers:

• School Principal
• School Vice Principal (VP)
• Retired Korean Supreme Court Justice (SCJ)
• English Native Teacher (ENT)

Interviewees:

• 3 English Teacher Candidates
• 3 Math Teacher Candidates
• 6 Business/Commercial Teacher Candidates
• Breakdown: 2 Male, 10 Female Candidates

Format:

• 30-minute structured interviews
• 4-panel interviewers seated across from the candidate
• 5 minutes: Ice-breaker and Resume-related questions asked by SCJ
• 10 minutes: School/Teaching-related questions asked by VP
• 10 minutes: Potpourri/Trivia-esque questions asked by Principal
• 5 minutes: Test of English Proficiency conducted by ENT

Types of Questions and Statements:

• (In Korean): How well can you hold your alcohol? How will that affect your teaching? 
• School dinners/outings are a common occurrence in Korea, often including large amounts of alcohol. These types of questions were regarded towards the male candidates.
• (In Korean): You're so young... when do you expect to get married (/ have a baby)? Why aren't you married yet? 
• These types of questions were regarded towards the female candidates.
• (In Korean): You look so ________ (young, old, nervous, timid, insert numerous other adjectives here). 
• (In Korean): Why haven't you been considered as a permanent candidate before now? What caused a delay between ______ and ______? 
• In Korea, many professions contract their employees on a year-by-year basis. It is difficult to obtain a permanent position within a school system.
• (In Korean): How well do you know Greek and Roman mythology? Who is Pythagorus? What can you tell me about ____________ (time period)? 
• These questions were asked regardless of the subject content they were being interviewed for.
• (In Korean): Questions related to education and prior work experience; Why was your GPA ____? What factors accounted for that? How does your experience at ______ relate to the position for consideration?
• (In English): Tell me about your classroom management strategies. How do you prevent students from sleeping in your class? 
• (In English): What has been the most rewarding/challenging aspect in your teaching career thus far?
• (In English): What makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates today?
• (In English): Please read the first two paragraphs from the article laid beside you.
• The article was written in English.

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Hualien, Taiwan

Ticket to Hualien

Hi everyone! This is part three (of three) in my Taiwan travel series blog posts. To read parts one and two, click the attached links. For the last leg of my trip to Taiwan, my friend Nikki and I headed to the central-eastern side of the country to visit the "countryside". We wanted to explore a more nature-filled part of Taiwan, so we headed to Hualien, expecting to go hiking at one of the country's most renowned national parks.

The trip from Taipei to Hualien was about three hours, but the train ride was beautiful! Riding along the coast, we saw the East China Sea, mountainous landscapes, and pure country. I met a few nice older Taiwanese ladies who had moved to Canada and California, respectively, and they chatted with me and told me all about the beautiful things to see and do in Hualien.

Taroko National Park

Upon arrival, we checked into Big Bear Hostel, which seemed to be popular with the Europeans. We set our bags down and set out to wander around the small town. Funny story: as Nikki and I were exploring the street markets later that day, we stumbled into a tea shop, where we saw two Western-looking women struggling to speak with the shop owner. The shop owner was sampling different teas for them, and she seemed adamant about having Nikki and I sit down too. We booked it out of there immediately (LOL). Later that evening when we were back at the hostel, the very same two women walked into our room and that's when we realized they were our roommates for the night! Haha. We were laughing about the situation for quite some time.

Anyway, after we wandered around awhile, we decided to crash early so that we would be ready for our big day the next morning! Nikki and I were heading to Taroko National Park, where we would spend the day hiking and exploring natural landmarks. Unfortunately, the transportation system of getting around the park was not as easy as described to us at the hostel. We bought a day-pass for public buses where we could get off and on as we please throughout different areas of the park. Unfortunately, the bus times listed were not accurate with when the buses actually showed up to different stops, so Nikki and I ended up walking from hike-to-hike at some points throughout the day, which cut back on our plans for the day and where we wanted to end up at.

Our monkey friend

Transportation aside, the park itself was beautiful! Nikki and I explored four different areas of the park, completing two major hikes and spending time at areas with various landmarks to see. The park is very vast and open, so we never felt rushed or annoyed by people around us (hooray). The only scary part was when we met a [domesticated] monkey friend who came too close to our lunch and tried to swipe it away from us.

I'll describe a little bit about where we went and what we saw. Some descriptions are courtesy of the Taroko National Park website.

Baiyang Trail
The Baiyang Waterfall Trail is characterized by the number of tunnels. Some of the tunnels are as straight as a pencil and we could see the light at the end, but other tunnels were curved so we were enveloped in pitch-black darkness for a short time. The trail was originally built by Taiwan Power Company in 1984 during the early stages of their plans to develop hydroelectric power in the area, plans that included damming many parts of the gorge. The hydroelectric project for this area was eventually cancelled. At the end of the 5km trek is a series of three waterfalls, making the winding and blinding path along the way worth the view at the end!

Baiyang Waterfalls

Changchun Shrine

Nikki and I were actually on a bus when we passed by this shrine because we didn't have enough time to do the trail itself (transportation issues). The Changchun (Eternal Spring) Shine commemorates the 226 military veterans who died during the construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway (1956~1960). The spring water adjacent by the Eternal Spring Shine flows all year round, and the Highway Bureau named it after "Changchun Falls."

Changchun Shrine

Tunnel of Nine Turns

This is the most magnificent part of Taroko Gorge, where the sheer cliffs face each other. During the exploration stage, it is the especially difficult and dangerous part to explore. When the wind comes from the broad river valley to the narrow valley it is forced upwards when it hits the cliff face.

Tunnel of Nine Turns

Cimu Bridge

An H-Shape hanging bridge with marble stone lions on each end and with marble lotus stones on two sides. The rock beneath the bridge looks like a frog. The frog-like rock is composed of black layer of schist at the top and white marble at the bottom. A pavilion was built on this frog rock, becoming the crown on the frog.

Cimu Bridge

Xiangde Temple

Xiangde temple is a Buddhist Linzizong temple. After the Central Cross-Island Highway opened, the main temple was completed in December of 1968. The Daxiong Boudian temple-the main temple, Tianfeng Pagoda, and the White Robed Guanyin were then successively built.

Tianfeng Pagoda

Xiangde Temple

Overall, my time in Hualien was a blast. It was definitely more mellowed out than Taipei, which I enjoyed for the second leg of my trip. I wish I had planned another day to spend in Hualien to explore even more of its natural beauty, but I will just have to put that on the to-do list for the next time I visit!

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