Mahjong, Dumplings, & Pottery

During my break from school for the Chinese New Year, I have engaged in three traditonal Taiwanese activities - Mahjong, dumpling making, and pottery.  I spent two days learning how to play the game of Chinese Mahjong. Many in Taiwan play this game over the break celebrating the Chinese New Year as well as throughout the year. Mahjong is is a game of  four people sitting at a table, and is a game of strategy, a bit of skill, and luck. Learning the game was difficult, but I  have the hang of it now. My fellow exchange students also engaged in this fun day with me. The next day, we had actual competitions. I don't have too much luck with this game and didn't win one game, but am glad I had a chance to learn it.  We all laughed alot while learning and playing Mahjong!

Dumpling making! Yes, it is about time that I learn how to make these.  I smell dumplings every day as I move around the city, and eat them at least once a week. I learned and made all different kinds of dumplings, and different ways to design them. The Taiwanese take their dumplings serious.  I was learning from a few host moms, who seemed like professional dumpling makers. I have not quite mastered the twisting and stuffing.  However, they looked good and tasted like a dumpling. I will surely cook a batch when I am back in the US!   

One day during break, all of the RYE students traveled to a little village outside of Taipei called Yinghe - which is known for it's pottery. We created and designed our own bowls and vases out of chunks of clay. We learned different techniques on the machines to create these pieces of art. It is a lot harder than it looks. We visited the famous pottery street in the village as well. The street is full of beautiful pottery that the Taiwanese enjoy having in their homes.

All of these activities were a fun way to spend time with my fellow RYE friends over the break and learn more about the culture.  Stay tuned for my next blog with more about how I spent my month long break!