Friday was move call day, as we neared the very end of the transfer. Everyone was all a flutter wondering where and who would get moved. I had predicted to Sister Li that I felt like one of us would be moved from Taoyuan, she was very much not wanting it to be her. Senior companions tend to stay in the Taoyuan area for a very long time though. Usually Sister's don't get moved too often so we were told that it was possible neither of us would be moved. But, I still had that feeling.
Friday night rolled around, that magical call could come anytime between 9pm and 12pm. I retreated to my dressing room (yes, I had my own room to dress, but not to sleep because we must sleep in the same room as our companions.) and caught up on journal writing planted firmly in front of the heater. One of those tall tower-esque ones because the Chinese do not believe in central heating. When the call came I listened though the door as Sister Li spoke rapid Chinese to our district leader, punctuated by laughs and "zhende ma?" (really?). As soon as she was off the phone I was questioning her.
I was moving! To Danshui! A city in the farthest northern point of the Island that a sister may go! Also the coldest point on the island, at the coldest time of the year. My new companion is the other Sister Li. (two sister Li's my first two transfers...a little odd me thinks.) I am only the second missionary in a very long time to be transferred from Taoyuan to Danshui, so the members tell me.
I spent all of my very short free time packing over the weekend. New years passed without too much celebration for us. However on Saturday, actual new years day Sister Li (the first) and I went to a steak house about a block from our house. Why did we discover this steak house so late I have no idea! It was great! All the steak houses here have enormous buffets that are included in the price of the meal. I paid a total of 250 Taiwanese Dollars, that's about 6 or 7 dollars US for a 6oz steak, noodles (the often serve noodles with their steaks here, weird right?) and the buffet, which was sizable. Mmm... I then went home to call my parents, since I could not call them last week due to an Egyptian excursion. But! Disaster! The phone cards I had been planning on using from my mother wouldn't work because the toll free number was out of the US! Not international! So we ran downstairs to the 7-11 and bought me a phone card then ran back up to the 16th floor (via elevator of course) to try to figure it out. But! Alas, every number I had, which were all of two (My mom's cell and Monti's cell) were not being answered, even after 50 calls. So I left a message and hung up the phone, rejected.
Fortunately, I tried again yesterday and got through, my mom finally picked up her phone, but! My father was at church, it being Sunday and all. So I talked with her briefly and have organized a call back tonight when my Dad is in residence.
This morning Sister Li (the first) helped me organize all my stuff and clean the room...Her situation is somewhat of a pickle. She doesn't have a companion! Somehow there was a shortage of sisters and she got the short end of the stick. They do this thing here where members can volunteer to be missionaries for a certain period of time and act as official missionaries, living and working as regular missionaries. But they didn't have one of those set up either!! Not yet anyway, so fortunately one of the members has a daughter that just returned from graduating at BYU and is putting in mission papers and volunteered for the next three days. Poor sister Li.
One of the members kindly volunteered her service to shuttle me, and my ton of baggage up to Danshui, but we got lost because it is apparently way up here. Danshui is right on the ocean, it is a harbor city north east of Taipei. I think we can see the ocean from our apartment, which is pretty nice really. Sister Li (the second) tells me that all the sisters say Danshui sisters live in luxury. Danshui at first appearance, through the rainy haze, looks pretty green and it is surrounded by mountains. I hope to b eable the make friends quickly with Sister Li (the second) through the language barrier. Her English is not fantastic, and my Chinese is not either, so hopefully we will find a system. I will hopefully learn really fast with her.
I've been out three whole transfers already! I only have 10 left. People tell me they will go even faster. Hmm...Well Danshui, here I come!
Love Sister Melissa Thiessen
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