We arrived in Tainan and checked into our hotel there, Hotel Tainan (fitting). On our flight to Taiwan from LA I sat bye a nice lady named Margaret. She had been a local in Tainan and grew up there but moved to California with her husband and two daughters (now, 33 and 28) when she was 24 years old (she was not 54 years old). She flies home twice a year to stay with her mother (her father passed away almost two years ago) to visit family and friends. When she goes home she stays a month at a time. She was so excited for us to be coming to Taiwan for the first time and I shared our adoption journey with her on the flight as to what brought us to Taiwan. She wanted us to call her when we arrived in Tainan so she could show us around and take us to see the best that Tainan had to offer.
It was an amazing and fun two days. Her cousin and sister in-law drove us everywhere for two days (never had to hail a taxi). They had us going from one place to another, buying local food and treats here and there. They would not let us pay for anything, it was nuts! We tried to buy their dinner and a gift of thanks but they wouldn't have it. Margaret told us that when people come to visit their country this is how they treat them. We were there guests and they were to show us the town and take care of us. She said that if they were ever to come to Utah then we would do the same for them. They were happy to have us and totally refused every time we tried to pay or get them something. IT WAS WAY TO NICE OF THEM and drove me crazy the whole time to have them do this.
I called her when we checked in for the day and she said her mother, their nanny, and cousin would like to go to the Lantern Festival. They celebrate each year at this time with lanterns, food, crafts, displays, lights, music and big displays of the animal of the year. This was the year of the Pig.
She wanted to show us her home and where she grew up so she arranged to have someone pick us up at our hotel and take us to her home. On the flight over she explained that her dad was a wealthy man. He was a doctor and they owned a clinic where he worked, next to the clinic was a big movie theater, which they owned and ran and then her home was just above them. It was a five story home both their businesses blow. She loved growing up there and told me all kinds of stories. We arrived at her home, she met us and showed us in and introduced us to the maid, those who worked in the office of the theater, her brother and sister in-law and nephew, mother and their nanny. Sense her father passed they have had nannies who help and assist their mother. It seems most families live in the same dwelling and there for her parents, her brothers and sisters, their kids and so forth all lived in the same home. It was five levels though and she took us to each one (bye elevator) and on each level once family would live so it was some what separate but she and her mother were on the top two levels. Very open spaces and lots of windows. It was so neat. She said at one time they were a very wealthy family and always had many people over for entertaining. Her parents were very social and they had everything they wanted in life. Shortly before her father passed the economy changed in Taiwan and the cost of property dropped and everything become very inexpensive and it seemed to cause a slight decrease in the way they lived (she can explain it better then I) but now they seem to be more middle class. Having a nanny and maid would be nice though if you call that middle class.
Posted are a few pictures taken at Margarets home and the view or things around her home. She lived only a few blocks from our hotel.
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