A visit to the Ah-Mei Tribe!

Today we visited another aboriginal tribe of Taiwan. It took a little while for us to start interacting with the kids who came. We started by playing tag, then we introduced freeze tag. I had a great time - there is almost no language barrier in playing tag!

Once all the kids arrived, we began a photo scavenger hunt through the village. We all split into 5 groups, and village kids were dispersed to join each team as well. We found a dog, leaves, some leftover food, a rock shaped like Taiwan, and a police officer. Later after lunch we looked at all the pictures that each team had taken. We all laughed when each team had a picture taken with the same policeman!

The hunt ended where we had lunch. The food was very good! The way they prepared the squid was the best tasting I've had yet!

After reviewing the scavenger hunt we played a little. Some played Ninja, and a few teachers (us) played Zip-Bong. A few girls taught me how to link one leg onto another, and hop in a circle while clapping. We didn't do it very long, but I sure had fun!

Once we were finished with our activities in that building, we walked back to the first building we met at. A large shed-like building, with a concrete floor, open sides, and a metal roof. On the way there, Katie. P. and I raced with 2 of the village kids. It wasn't too far away, so it was a short sprint!

There we watched the kids do a few traditional dances. They looked like so much fun! After we watched them, they asked us to join in! We need lots of practice!! It took several tries to get the proper linking of hands & arms accomplished. After we danced together, we sang them a song to show our gratefulness.

Eventually our time with the Ah-Mei Tribe had to shift locations. We got into our van and left to have our Wisdom Search at a local restaurant. TRIED to leave, that is. David turned the key -RRRrrrrrrr.... RRRRrrrrrr = Dead Battery. Perfect. Davina jumped out to ask for a jumpstart. Since our van was a stick-shift, we all jumped out & gave it a push start down their long road! It worked! Hooray! Thank you Lord for manual transmissions!

During Wisdom Search, we divided into accountability groups, and discussed different passages and how they related to different parts of the Temple. We had some really good discussions!

We had traditional Ah-Mei food at this restaurant, which was fantastic! Sticky rice, and a dish with many different beans & grains. It was scrumptious! Everyone did really well in eating up all the food they had made for us! After several courses, the owner came out and explained the different dishes we had eaten, and some of the traditions of the Ah-Mei tribe. The food tasted even better when I found out some of the background behind the dishes.

It made for a great day to experience the hospitality of the Ah-Mei tribe.

Mary Thompson