Hi All,

I left Taiwan on the 30th and as of now, miss the folks there very much! My last week in Taiwan went by very fast. So much has happened: from the hurricane/storm effect- to the trip to Danshui - Taipei Zoo - and even a Puppet Museum. Let's not forget tea time with Chen Chen and friends and the day I made an afternoon snack for the people at the shelter.

The trip to Danshui (a beautiful beach-side in Northwest of Taiwan) was on the 25th, followed by the trip to Taipei Zoo on the 26th. During these two days, I bonded even closer with the women. One began telling me how this was the first time she went anywhere since working in Taiwan. Her last two years was nothing but work. Another woman added that she worked 6 consecutive years for a family and never once set foot outside the gates of the house. It was pretty depressing to hear such stories - but I'm glad they are NOW able to enjoy the outdoors!

Cha Hung left for a religious retreat to Penghu (my birthplace) on the 28th and on that same day, I cooked for the women. It was hard to find what I needed (the ingredients that is), but in the end - I managed to whip up some potato salad, a different form of "taco", and some regular salad with thousand islands dressing (the women here LOVE that dressing)!!! Thanks Chen Chen for your help!!!

The day I left the shelter was very hard. I remember walking out of the office, heading down the stairs, being trailed by 30+ people. Some helped with the luggages, some held me tightly, others wanted to take a final picture, etc. It went by so fast. Three women got permission to personally escort me to the airport. It was an even harder goodbye later on... I've made some special friends here at the shelter. I hope to reunite with them all one day ... hopefully in Vietnam when they reunite with their OWN family!

I thought A LOT about my experience in Taiwan while heading back to the U.S. Although the duration in time was short, that moment in time has changed my life forever. I'm fortunate to have had the opportunity to help at the shelter. I managed to learn a lot about human trafficking, about Vietnam/Taiwan, about the situation, about others, and about ME!

Til this very day, the women will call me at very wierd hours. One would call at 3am, 5am, etc. They have no idea what the time difference is - so they call whenever they are free. Luckily, due to my jet lag problem, I am able to answer their call. Once I'm back to normal with the sleeping cycle I hope the early morning phone calls will be post poned until 9am or something. Haha!

I've been receiving emails from the women daily! I keep in touch with all of them as though they were my own sisters. My Vietnamese (in terms of reading and writing) is not as proficient - so its really hard to read and reply, but I'm doing my best.

Alright. More updates later!