Last Sunday was quite special. We usually don't go anywhere (except for church) on Sundays, but this time was different.
Zozo left home very early to go to Foguang Shan 佛光山, the largest Buddist monastry in Taiwan. And the rest of us stayed in Xindian 新店. We went to places, that I didn't even know existed.
We first went to the Xindian History Museum. There were many artifacts and photos about the history of this city. The most interesting thing were the old money - banknotes and coins.
In the museum I asked Mom if there are any aborigines living in Xindian. Mom was surprised I did not know and she took me to the settlement by the river where aborigines live.
(photo by Mom)
(photo by Mom)
(photo by Mom)
After that we went to the airforce cemetery. There were many graves of pilots who died in action, in training or were shot down by Chinese. The oldest graves were from the 1940th and the newest from just a fey years ago. We were the only visitors at the cemetery, Taiwanese people don't like going to cemeteries. I think it was very interesting .
(photo by Mom)
It was a very interesting Sunday.
All the photos are by me (unless other specified).
Last Saturday was Play for Change Day (around the world people play music and the money from the tickets goes to buy instruments for poor kids around the world that have talent but can't afford to buy instruments or have music teachers).
The OJ Band a.k.a. Orange Juice Band (me on keyboard and my best friend Owen on the electric guitar) went to Red Room for a Stage Time and Juice gig for kids.
The OJ Band played 不能說的秘密 by 周杰倫 & Whistle by Flo Rida. I also played two pieces on sax Take the A Train by Duke Ellington & The Girl from Ipanema by Antônio Carlos Jobim.
I was sooo busy this summer, that I haven't spent much time at home.
After the aviation camp I went for two more camps and also for filming of one TV program.
At the end of July I had another GRRRREAT camp - Camp Taiwan. It was an adventure camp and 3 of my friends, Owen, John and Ben, went with me. We spent most time outdoors doing all kinds of crazy things. You can see me in this "Happy" video at 1:26 !!!
After Camp Taiwan I spent some time at home and later went for a 3 day soccer camp. I also had great time there. Beside kicking the ball we also went hiking and visited a zoo and glass factory, where I made a really cool glass.
This summer we also made good use of the swimming pool on our mountain. Whenever I was at home and not at a camp I went swimming with my sisters and my parents.
Unfortunately the pool will be closing on September 14 so we have only two weeks left to enjoy it.
There are two swimming pools: one is a small one for kiddos and the other one is a 1.5m to 2.5m deep pool (I go only to the bigger pool). Me and my Big Sis like jumping in to the 2.5m place so I am only in that pool area.
You can watch a video of Zosia and my Dad in the pool (she filmed it with GoPro). Too bad I wasn't there that time.
Last week I've spent at an aviation camp at Aviation School of China University of Science and Technology in Hsinchu
中華科技大學 航空學院 (it is in Taiwan, not in China, although there is 'China' in the name).
The camp was 5 days long, each day was full of fun activities:
We went to Hsinchu Air Base 新竹空軍基地 where we could see pilots flying Mirage 2000.
Mirage 2000
It was super loud
We learned how to fly A320 in a real simulator and after that we flew the simulator （the school has an Airbus 320 simulator same that Taiwanese pilots use for their practice).
Before we could fly the simulator we had a briefing on how to use it.
We also made a DIY water-air rocket. It could fly really fast.
I also learned how to design a model plane and use a 3D printer to print it. (picture will come later)
On the last day (night) we had some nightime activities:
This was the last time for me to go for a summer camp organised by Juming Museum 朱銘美術館 , next year I will be too old. This was third time for me to go to this camp and every year I looked forward to spending a few days at this big sculpture park museum.
Every year the camp has a different theme. This time it was "presents". We were talking about the presents that we received (I talked about my skateboard). Here is a video that my sister Zosia made after I received the skateboard for my birthday last year:
Throughout the camp we were gathering things that people think could be a present (we went to Jinshan 金山 to do that). Our team gathered some really strange things.
We've found this ruined plastic display food at a beach.
For Saturday when all the parents came, we prepared a game with long, long tubes joined together. The idea was not mine, but I built it almost by myself. We painted many small buoys that we found on the beach and later people were throwing them into the tube from top.
At the bottom a colored rock with a smiley face would come out. People were surprised that they throw a buoy in and rock came out. That was a mystery... and that was their present.
Tomorrow I will write something about my other camp.
