Marriage

Marriage

Property

"The property we live on now, was given to me by my parents. All the other properties I bought have been sold."

Travels

"When I was younger, I liked to go out, to travel. Trip after trip, I loved to move around. Now, my waist hurts. My feet hurt. I’m too old. I liked to go to Japan and actually went there often. I’ve been to Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. I also went to Singapore at one point. Though, I’ve been to Japan the most. China - been there too."

Japan

"Although, with Japan food, we’re comfortable with it. Plus, it’s really clean. It’s full of good people. However, with other countries, sanitation is a problem. On one hand, Singapore was fairly clean, but on the other, there’s nothing to see. Now, Japan. There are mountains, rivers… it’s all beautiful. All very well. So I went there often, some good ten or more times. Grandpa went with me too."

Teacher

"There was one elementary-school teacher that I remember. He used to be a good teacher; he even published his own math textbook. But, he was tricked out of his money. He was left indebted to another man. He was poor. Back then, I had a son in the fourth grade, so I asked that teacher to come and teach my son. I thought that I’d help him out and help him earn a little more. It went on like that for a while, but then the teacher’s son died. At that time, his family wasn’t well. He - I think - was extremely kind to us. And, it may have been because we were really kind to him. He told us something very special: he would never forget us. But, after a year, he left us. He had Alzheimer's."

Art

"I began botanical art with my daughter, later in my life. We went together to learn. There was a teacher from Japan who gained notoriety by winning some award. He came to Taiwan to teach, and we heard about it. We went to learn from him. When my daughter left for Canada 15 years ago, around 2000, I did less and less of it. I had to buy all the materials, and the process is fairly complicated to do alone. I still have some dried flowers, but I have to seal it and buy additional materials and it's just a pain. So, I don't make it anymore."

English

"Now, in my free time, I learn English. Ever day, I spend time on Facebook. Everyday, there are lines of English, and sometimes I respond. This month, we're on break, but otherwise, I take classes every Tuesday and Thursday."

Friends

"I had close friends in middle school, but that was too long ago. College, marriage, everyone got busy, and now we aren't in contact anymore. But, my high school friends, we still see each other. Every year, we have a reunion of sorts. We go out to eat sometimes. Previous years, we traveled together, but now, everyone is a little older. So, we just eat out."