A grand-pa and a grand-son can be very good friends.

I will be a grand-pa in October. How exciting it is. It is appropriate for me to tell you about a story about my son, Victor, who had made good friend with my dad when my dad was in his 70-80s.

My dad visited us in New Jersey in 1983. My son, Victor was 6 years old at the time while my dad was in the 70s. In his 70s' my dad was energetic and was as healthy as a 50-years-old man. Since my wife and I were working during the day; my dad was 'babysitting my two kids, Victor who was 6 years old; and Leo, 3 years old.

I later had learned that grand-pa was teaching Taiwanese to two kids while he was learning English from Victor. My dad would learn how to write 'Barbara St' which was the street we lived in New Jersey at that time. The English word that my dad loved most was 'Grand-Pa'; because if you read this word quickly in English, it has a very funny meaning in Taiwanese. Every time, my dad say 'grand-pa', he chuckled. Victor had no idea why grand-pa was chuckling.

My dad lived with us for about 2 weeks. Before he left, he and my family including my two small helpers, Victor and Leo, to plant a tree slightly shorter than Victor who was 6 years old and was about 2 1/2 ft. tall.

Taiwan lifted off the martial law in 1987. I took my family to visit Taiwan in 1987. Before we went back to Taiwan, Meeilei took two kids to the mall and made a computer-made banner with two kids and a phrase 'We love grand-pa.' on the banner.

When we arrived my dad's place, Victor and Leo gave grand-pa the banner and gave grand-pa a big hug. My dad then took us to my mom's grave site to tell my mom that I was well and came back to pay our respect.

My dad was a chain smoker. At the time of our visit, he was smoking one cigarette after another. Victor did not like it. (We all did not like it at all.) Victor then said,

"Grand-pa, smoking is not good". Victor said that in Taiwanese.

"What did you say?" my dad pretended that he did not understand the question and asked Victor again in Taiwanese.

"Grand-pa, smoking is not good". Victor said again in Taiwanese.

" Hah; Let's go shopping." my dad quickly changed the subject.

We came back to the US after three weeks of visit in Taiwan in 1987. I had never thought that Victor's words would mean anything to my dad's smoking habit.

Well, I was wrong. I received a letter from my dad. The letter said that,

"I felt very embarrassed with my smoking habit and had my grand son to comment about my smoking habit....As a result, I now quit my smoking."

Yes, my dad did quit his smoking and he lived up to 94 years old.

My dad died in 1999. I went back to Taiwan for his funeral. My dad is a Buddhist. Surrounding his body and his coffin were Buddha's pictures and flowers. But besides those flowers and images, there was a banner hung above the wall. The banner was my two son's picture with a phrase, "Grand-pa, we love you." To my dad, his friendship with the grandsons is a treasure as valuable as Buddha.

I had a chance to visit New Jersey again in 2000. I went back to my old residence to see the tree we planted with my dad and Victor. The tree was almost 6 ft tall as tall as Victor in 2000, the year when Victor was 23 years old.

Meeilei and I are expecting our first grand-kid.

This is a very happy news that came from our son, Leo. He told us that he and his wife, Peggy, are expecting their first child on October, 2009.

Here is the story from Leo.

Peggy and I have some news. We are expecting the next Cheneration! Peggy is pregnant with a due date of October 2nd. We are excited and nervous at the same time, but we thank God that so far the baby's health looks good: the blood test and ultrasound look normal. I've been taking video at the hospitals (when they give me permission to) and plan to make this whole process an epic documentary.Meanwhile: Peggy has been wanting to leave her job and enter the early education field. This meant that I would probably have to go to work again as a teacher, as my videography business only keeps me busy some of the time (and we need insurance somehow). I've been open to the idea of teaching again, but found that I was delinquent in some credits to get my teaching certificate (required in public schools). Even though I taught for 3 years in the teaching fellows program, that was only with a temporary certificate, and I still need...say 6 credits of history and 6 credits of science to get the real thing. Ugh. That means lots of studying in order to teach again. On top of that, there was a threat to the NYC school system due to the economy where newer teachers were likely to be cut. That made me worry about getting hired since I only have 3 years experience.

So Peggy goes in for an interview at this private school that goes from Pre-K to 8th Grade. She's worked with one of their board members at her current job, and the board member highly recommended her to this school. So they interviewed her even though they didn't have a job opening for her. She asked some questions about the school, comparing it to the middle school that I worked at. She pointed out that the parents in this school are a lot more involved than the parents at the school I worked at.I will reenact this encounter from the way it was told to me"Your husband was a teacher? What did he teach?" said the school director."7th and 8th grade math," said Peggy"Really.""Yeah, he has a masters in math education.""Really. Is he looking to teach again?""As a matter of fact, he is. He took a few years off to pursue videography, but he's looking to go back into teaching again.""Make sure he sends me his resume."So Peggy tells me to work on my resume. I do. I send it in. They like it. They get me an interview for a Tuesday. I go in on Tuesday. They like me and want to schedule a demonstration lesson.That was Tuesday. On Friday, Peggy finds the little plus sign on the pregnancy stick. BAM. We be pregnant.So things went on and I was offered the job. I took it. And that's where we are now. Now Peggy can quit her job in the fall, take her sick days until December (40 sick days...isn't that crazy?), and stay home with the baby while I work as a teacher for a job that sort of was just handed to me. We're very blessed with how things are working out.I am currently brainstorming names for the baby. We don't know the sex yet, but that doesn't stop me. Peggy is responding to some of my suggestions with a smile and a shake of the head. But some of the names are growing on her! I must persist. =)We will keep you all in the loop.

What is this?

What is this for the attached photo? an artifact? a decoration? or something useful? If it is useful, what do you think this was for?

The object shown in the lower photo is called the Ti-Ka-Teh, literally translated as Iron-made-scissors. The spring-like iron-rings on both sides were used to hold wood beams perpendicular to the wall-plane in place. The vertical 'nail-like' object at the front and another 'nail-like' object, (not seen on the lower photo, but shown in the illustration) were used so that the wood beams are anchored to the brick wall. (See the illustration on top photo.)

This object was seen in the Anping Fort. It is a remain of the Dutch architecture of the fort built in 1624.

Red Hair Soil 紅毛土 was a Dutch concoction for concrete in Taiwan

Taiwanese called 'concrete' as An-Mun-Tou. I called it a lot when I was a child and have not given it a second thought that 'An-Mun-Tou' was actually the 'Red-Hair-Soil' 紅毛土, the Dutch concoction of the concrete. A few month ago, I had mentioned that Taiwanese called the Dutch, the Red-Hair. The Dutch occupied Taiwan from 1624 to 1662 for 38 years. They built the fort Zeelandin (It is called the Anping Fort today.) The word 'Zeelandin' consists of 'Zee' which means 'the sea' and 'land' which means the same meaning of the English word, 'land'. In 1662, the Koxingya drove the Dutch out of Taiwan. This Dutch group then colonized an island closed to today's Australia and then called the new place as 'New Zeeland'.

What is the Red-Hair-Soil 紅毛土 made of? Believe it or not, they are made of sweet rice, sugar, and ashes of burned oyster shells. Those ashes are actually CaCO3, or calcium carbonate. So while the concrete has the sugar component, they actually repeled ants very well. I have seen the left-over the castle that was originally built by the Dutch. The concrete actually worked and has endured several hundred years.

Photo shows the remain of the Zeelandin fort that was built by the Dutch using bricks and the 'Red-Hair-Soil' 紅毛土.

The name of the township Chau-Tun (草屯鎮) tells her story

The following story was told by our bus tour guide during our church group trip to Ping-Tong few weeks ago. The guide told the story before we arrived Chau-Tun township 草屯鎮 for a nice dinner.

The name Chau-Tun township 草屯鎮 literally translates as a township of 'straw shoe piles'. You may wonder why would 'piles of straw shoes be thrown away here.

Chau-Tun township草屯鎮 locates almost in the middle of the road between Pu-Li township 埔里鎮(the center of Taiwan) and Lu-Kan harbor鹿港鎮. At Lu-Kan, Taiwanese exported deer's hide to Japan in the 18th century. But Han-Taiwanese got their deer hides from the aborigines-Taiwanese in Pu-Li. Those business men would hike long distance from Lu-Kan 鹿港鎮 to Pu-Li 埔里鎮; and would hike from Pu-Li to Lu-Kan day and night. In those time, Taiwanese wore straw shoes. By the time they arrived Chau-Tun from either way, their straw shoes were worn out and were ready to be thrown away.

Thus, this place is called the township of straw-shoe-throw-away-pile, or the Chau-Tun-township 草屯鎮.

Photo shows the map of Chau-Tun township.

A Hakka's village in southern Taiwan, the Six-Twei,六堆 villages

I went to a Haaka's village called 'Liu-Twei (六堆) or Six-Groups' in the Ping-Tong(屏東) county with Wu-Feng church group on March 7. It was an opportunity to learn about Hakka Taiwanese heritage and history. I am fascinated with the Hakka's culture.

First, I was surprised to find Hakka's villages in the Kaohsiung and Ping-Tong area. In the past, I thought Hakka's villages are only located in the northern Taiwan, or in the Hsing-Ju or Tau-Oeng (桃園) areas. I was wrong. the Hakka lives across all geographic areas of Taiwan. In fact, it is estimated that 1 in 4 Taiwanese has a Hakka's heritage.

During early days of Taiwanese history, the Hakka faced the Hok-Lok福佬 on one side and the aborigines on the other side. Hakka's villages were usually 'militarized' to better defend their villages. Hakka's 'Twei, 堆, was actually a military unit. Liu-Twei means 'Six military units.' What are they? They are: the 'middle unit', or 中堆, that included Ju-Tein Village or竹田鄉、the 'spear-head' unit that included Wan-Rein village or 先鋒隊﹝萬巒﹞、the 'rear unit that included Nei-Pu village, or 後堆﹝內埔鄉﹞、the 'front unit' that included Lin-Lok and Chang-Zu villages or 前堆﹝麟洛、長治﹞、the 'left unit' that include Jau-Tong and Hsin-Pi villages, or 左堆﹝佳冬、新埤﹞, the 'right unit' that included Mei-Long and Kau-Su villages, or 右堆﹝美濃、高樹). (The maps of the area are shown in the top.) In the past, the three major ethnic groups of Taiwan, or the Hok-Lok, the Hakka, and the Aborigines were constantly in conflicts; in fact, the external colonial powers often took advantage of such conflicts for their 'divide-and-conquer' tactics.

Being a smaller and weaker ethnic group compared to the Hok-Lok, Hakka usually allied with the external colonial power, especially during the Ching 清 dynasty. It was said that this Six-Twei or the Six military units were set up to help the Ching army suppress Chu I-Kwei 朱一貴 rebellion in 1721. The rebellion was triggered by the corruption and oppression of Ching officials against common Taiwanese peasants.

It must be mentioned that all three ethnic groups did work together for the rebellion against the Japanese during the I-Wei 乙未 Taiwanese-Japanese war in 1895. Additionally, all these three ethnic groups were targeted at the same time during the 2-28 incidence in 1947, and during the 'white-terror' period between 1949 and 1987 by the nationalist Chinese colonial power. Today, every Taiwanese is facing the same threat of annexation of Taiwan by the communist Chinese power in China, and by the betrayal of Taiwan by the nationalist Chinese in Taiwan.

I was in tears when a poem was read during the 2-28 rally in Taipei.

A post published in this blog a few days ago, I described to you that 1000 people sat for nearly 2 hours at the Freedom Square to commemorate 62 anniversary of the 2-28 incidence. During this two hour, we had breathing exercise. We also read poems. When the following poem (written by Su Jen-Ming, 蘇振明) was read, I was in tears. I translate the poem as follows:

子孫若問起 (When my grandson asked me,)

咱仔阿公是到位去? (Where was grand-pa ?)

過去攏騙孫”阿公死在南洋作生利” (In the past, I lied. I said, "Grand-pa died in the South East Asia doing business.")

也會罵孫仔”囝仔郎有耳無嘴，惦惦卡抹出代誌” (Sometimes, I even complained, "Kids only listen, never talk.")
阿嬤今仔日照實講 (Today, grand-ma tells you the truth:)
阿公死在228的槍子 (Your grand-pa was killed by a bullet of 2-28. )
但是，咱仔阿公並無做歹代誌 (But, he did not do any bad thing.)
學生若問起 (If a student asked,)
228到底是什麼日子? (What is the day of 2-28 ?)
過去瞞騙學生”228只是一個普通的假日” (In the past, I lied, "2-28 is just an ordinary holiday,")
這個問題不比是數學或是物理 ("This question is nothing more important than those of mathematics and physics, ")
無需要「打破沙鍋問到底」("You do not need to get to the bottom of the answer by all means.")
老師今日要照實給你講 (Today, I am going to tell you the truth.)
228是台灣人被外來統治者屠殺受難的紀念日 ("2-28 is the day of remembrance when the Taiwanese was massacred by a foreign colonial power.")
為什麼屠殺? (Why did they kill us?)
因為統治者想要確保統治權 (Because they want to maintain their colonial privilege in Taiwan.)
那誰人是兇手?誰人是「壞東西」? (Then who are the murderers? And who are the bad guys?)
這個好問題 (That is a good question.)
老師願意陪你繼續調查下去 (I will work with you to search for the truth.)
若有人問起你 (If someone ask you)
[紀念228」目的是為什麼? ("What is the purpose of commemorating 2-28?")
咱就愛大聲講： (We shall loudly proclaim,)
1947年的228屠殺 是政黨暴力欺壓善良百姓的事件 ("The massacre of 2-28 in 1947 was an institutional violence sanctioned by Kuo-Ming-Tah against ordinary citizens.")
這個事件是違反國際人權的公案 (The killing was in violation international human right.)
阮佇在靜坐 佇在祈禱 (We sit and pray here.)
阮愛知影真相 阮也愛知影元兇 (We want the truth and want to know who were the war criminals behind.)
阮要求加害者道歉 (We demand apology from the institution, the Kuo-Ming-Tan.)
阮主張人權治國 (We demand that our nation is governed by the human right principles.)
阮希望台灣永遠脫離暴力甲怨恨 (We want Taiwan to be free of violence and hatred forever.)

(阮也希望 台灣正做一個尊重民主、自由的新國家 (We also want Taiwan to be a new nation that respect democracy and freedom.)

Photo shows a scan of part of the poem.