"Five Day Ryan"

Let's try this again...

Right, so it's been a while since the last update, but that's not because I haven't tried. A couple days ago I had a couple beautiful posts lined up for you ready to go, and then they somehow got deleted so I got all moody and put-off. Now, however, I'm back in a good mood, and ready to have another go!

I have been adjusting quite well to life in Taiwan. A little too well actually. Within a ten minute walk of my home, there is a Starbucks, McDonald's, Subway, KFC, TGI Fridays, Chillies, NY Bagel, and a pancake house.

They even have In-&-Out!

So anyway, a lot has happened since last week, so let's start with what I did last weekend…

I slept in until 10am Saturday morning, waking up only briefly during a random thunderstorm in the middle of the night. I was invited out to lunch with Brandon and his friend Hunter, who had attended Friday Night Live with us the night before. Friday Night Live is a bible study, with an opportunity for students to use English, where all of the ORTV teachers are group leaders. It happens every Friday night, and it is a great opportunity for the students to get to know their teachers, and vice versa. Hunter is one of many students that I will have the opportunity to get to know through this program.

After lunch, I was invited to go on a hike to a waterfall. It sounded epic enough, so I obliged!

I went to Neihu and met up with Hunter, Gabe, Kayla, and Rachel. Here I also met Aidan, who is a really cool guy, and his friend Cindy. The seven of us headed out of the city and up the trail into the jungle.

It's amazing here. You can find yourself standing in the middle of a bustling city metropolis, but walk 5 minutes away and suddenly you're in an Indiana Jones movie!

It's even better when you have the theme song stuck in your head.

The path, which consisted of more stairs (again?), was covered in moss and looked like it had been there for a thousand years. It wound and twisted it's way through the jungle until it came to an abrupt halt at a sheer rock face that dropped down quite a distance on one side into the jungle below. 

We crossed the gap easily… or at least, we would have if the log bridge that was there before wasn't destroyed in a recent typhoon. All that remained was a single vine, bravely clinging for dear life to the side of the rock like some kind of makeshift tightrope.

Some of us got scared at this point

Hunter, our friend from Friday Night Live, got the willies and ran away. 

Literally… we stood there watching him run back down the trail. Poor guy. 

The rest of us pushed on, making a short climb up another rock face. It was a dangerous climb to be sure, but once I reached the top I no longer cared about my safety; I was too wrapped up in the view.

Off to the right, the valley poured into an endless sea of green broken only by distant city buildings which seemed to float on the hills as they spilled and rippled into the ocean below.

Then I turned and saw the waterfall. 

How can you not praise God after seeing such beauty?

After meeting some native Taiwanese people who were just leaving the falls, we got busy swimming, catching frogs, rope swinging, cliff diving, taking snap shots, and dancing for the curious locals who were watching from below.

After the hike, I went to an all English fellowship group called Impact which was meeting for the first time. At the time, I had only been in Taiwan for five days, so after introducing myself to so many new people, it somehow became a bit of a nickname. We'll see if it sticks, but if anything, at least I've got some good stories with which to remember my fifth day!