My husband has really been on a new adventure. He hasn't shared. Let me explain.
When we came to Dallas for Christmas, we only expected to stay for two weeks. Our apartment in Taipei was clean but both of us expected to go home. The cupboards were fairly bare and the refrigerator empty.

Well Mark went home and I stayed in Texas for cancer treatments. I can now join the fairly exclusive club of people who are cancer survivors from TWO different cancers. Yes indeed, my kidney cancer and breast cancer are unrelated (mostly) and I get to join that small but growing club.

It has been a real education for Mark. It isn't that he is incompetent because he is very competent. What it has been is a challenge in the differences between how a man's mind works and how a women's mind works. He doesn't actually admit defeat ever. Of course not, He knows how to do every task. He just doesn't understand how I have organized things.

The phone call goes something like this:

M: So, did you say that there might be some dishwasher detergent somewhere?
K: Well, yes. There was some under the sink, in a white Calgon container. Did you use that all up?
M: Yes, I did the dishes (I swoon here) and I used it up. Do you have more or should I buy some?
K: Well you cannot find it in a marked container. Look for the pasta container that is clear plastic under the kitchen sink.
M: (sometime later) There is nothing fitting that description under the sink.
K: Well okay then look in the bathroom, on the floor. (Not as easy as you think; we have four bathrooms)
M: I found it!
K: Pour some into the Calgon container. I told you we had some.

He's astonished that he decoded my system. I won't admit that it was as hard as it was for FEAR OF GIVING AWAY SOME WOMEN SECRETS.

So silly. Me not Mark. No wonder that after 30 years of marriage, I love him more than ever.

Sometimes, life’s adventures take you to some really strange and unexpected places, places you didn’t even think you wanted to go. So it was with our Christmas vacation. We were coming off a fabulous trip to Israel, Jordan and Dubai so Christmas was to be low key. We went back to Texas to see our daughters. It started off so great. We got home to discover that our daughters and the wonderful men in their lives had set up and decorated the family Christmas tree for us and put our Christmas decorations in the front yard. It was just about the best Christmas gift I had ever received. We had a great Christmas. We saw all our family and everyone was doing pretty good or better and things were looking up.

Of course there was the pesky business of getting all our medical exams and tests run before we returned to Taipei, but no big deal…we were in great shape, not really dieting but definitely in the best shape we have been in for several years.

So on the last day before we were to return to Taipei, I had the last scheduled test, the dreaded mammogram. Well I guess I dreaded it every year for a reason. This time there was a spot. It looked like about 12 grains of salt on a patterned piece of fabric, but it was a show stopper. I couldn’t even see it until it was pointed out to me but fortunately, a really sharp radiologist did.

So diagnosis, cancer. Now I know most people would be devastated by a breast cancer diagnosis but we were actually relieved. Since I had kidney cancer about 4 ½ years ago, breast cancer actually sounded pretty good to me. (Well at least better than metastasized kidney cancer) But I couldn’t return to Taipei for now.

So Mark flew back to Dallas to see me through the surgery then he flew to Korea and Shanghai, China (neither exactly desirable spots to visit in the winter) while I pressed on.

So now I think that I look like an old K car. The front end wasn’t garnering any second looks when it was new, but it performed as designed. Now the front end is 20+ (Okay so I’m generous to myself) years old and looking worse for the wear. I have a big spot just right of center. It looks like I hit a bird, a little dented and reddened. That was the biopsy. Then, there was the collision with the surgeon. Now the left headlight points straight ahead but the right one is looking off to the right and downward. Plus there is some tape holding the trim strips on and a couple of purple x’s to mark the spot just for fun.

But there are some good things too. My daughters and mother are here as are the wonderful men in our daughters’ lives. Mark is halfway around the world but he came straight away when I needed him too. I have friends all around the world who have been praying for me and holding me in their thoughts. That is an amazing feeling.

I am anxious to return to Taipei but I’m sure this strange journey I’m on now is for some reason whether or not I get a stamp in my passport.

As we all know, Jordan and United Arab Emirates (Dubai) are primarily Muslim countries. Israel is, of course, a Jewish state and home to the whole Palestinian mess. So the most frequent question we get when we tell people we just returned from a trip there, "Did you feel safe?" The answer is, yes, we felt safe. There was an obvious military presence in Israel because of the Annapolis meetings happening simultaneous with our trip, but it made us feel more safe, not less.

Now for the real unasked question to be answered; Yes, where-ever we went people knew that we were from the United States and still they were very friendly. In fact, several places in Jordan preferred American currency over local currency. About 90% of the residents of Dubai in the UAE are foreign born. They may not be Christian but religious tolerance still is a pragmatic response to, "who's going to do that job." Our Indian driver proudly pointed out his place of worship, a Hindu Temple. It was close to a mosque, in downtown Dubai. There was also a church near by.

Since we went during December, signs of Christmas were everywhere. We saw our first Christmas tree of the season in Amman, Jordan...even bought a few Christmas ornaments in Amman. We also bought Christmas ornaments in Israel, from a shop run by a Turkish family (98% chance they were not Christian, but the ornaments were handmade and the prices were fair.) In Dubai, we saw even more elaborately decorate trees and saw Merry Christmas signs everywhere. Oddly enough though, the only place we saw any sign of Santa Claus was in Israel. Most places, the religious aspect of Christmas was respected.

While we were in Jordan, our Jordanian tour guide, Adnan, pointed out the spring where Moses threw his staff to the ground to find water during the Exodus. He also pointed our the mountain where Moses first saw the Promised Land and another peak where Moses' brother Aaron died. There is a memorial to Aaron at the top of the mountain. He told of the Exodus proudly, explaining that it is a part of his heritage too. The Jordanians are pleased to have these and other more famous historical sites in their country. They are pleased to have Americans experience their hospitality.

In Israel, I toured the area around the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, the Jordan River and of course Jerusalem, with two different Jewish guides. Both were respectful of my beliefs and I learned a lot about my own Savior's life from them. The Kibbutz on the Jordan River, Jewish run, has a concession for baptisms. The local Christians perform the actual baptisms, but it is tasteful and respectful. We were allowed into Palestinian territory as we were permitted onto the Temple Mount. There we were, two Christians and a Jew. They didn't invite us into the mosque but everyone we encountered was pleasant and polite.

The lesson is that we all have a shared heritage and need to respect that. God's presence is there in the Middle East; it is up to us to reconcile our differences and feel his presence everywhere.

Merry Christmas ya'll, with love.

From Mark
OK here goes, every Texan knows that BBQ is life and life is BBQ. I’m a Texan who was born in Iowa and has lived the world.

Now, I live in Taiwan with my soul mate (BBQ loving Kathleen). So, with all these influences and in full appreciation of whom I’m striving to please. I decided to BBQ, so far, so good. Of course we live in a high rise appt building so my grill is no longer the outdoor kitchen we left in Plano. Instead it is a small Webber grill which I set on top of our clothes dryer on our back porch.

Well, tonight we decided to have lamb chops grilled. Kathleen and I worked together (she worked I was together) for the non meat part of the meal while I focused on the meat.

As I plated the meat a cacophony of sirens hit our ears. Kathleen announced “I have never heard so many sirens”. I said in jest “I hope it is not over our BBQ”.

Well, it was! First 6 firemen barged into our apartment flooding out of the two fire trucks they brought. Then they inspected my BBQ. We looked out over the street to see the fire hoses laid over the street to put out the clear and present danger. The firemen left so we settled back to our dinner.

Then, the aggressive knock at the door. It is the police this time. Along with the fire Marshall. Honestly, in Taiwan, when someone who has access to legal guns shows up to your door it is not a good thing. Since the Copper asked for and noted my green card I’m expecting that I’ll be expected to pay for the field trip of our local fire brigade.

Lesson learned:

Next time BBQ out by the appt. pool.

She Said, from Kathleen:

She (Kathleen) Says: Oops, here we go again, Anyone who knows me well knows that I’d rather eat Mark’s BBQ than anything else in the whole wide world. So today was a perfect day and how would you top off the perfect day other than by barbequing something. We were able to locate the perfect Christmas gifts for Mark’s parents today by 1:00 in the afternoon and we didn’t even start until 10:00. Plus the sun shined the whole day and it didn’t even rain. We got to take a long walk and ride our bikes to Costco. Really when you are fifty, traveled all over the world and been married for 30 years, it was an amazing day. Mark grilled lamb chops and I made the rest of the dinner. We drank some nice wine. Then we heard the sirens. I said to Mark, “Gosh, I haven’t heard so many sirens in a long time. I hope nothing bad happened.” We sat down at the dinner table and prayed. Is that a knock on the door? Mark said. Sure enough. I retreated into the kitchen, laughing. No fewer that 6 firemen in full firefighting regalia burst through our front door. Where’s the fire? Well actually, it was pretty much over by then. The lamb chops had already been served and prayed over. “Oh BBQ” the firemen all said as they paraded back out to the door. We sat down, still laughing and started to eat…another knock. This time the police were at our door. They wanted our ID and how long we lived in Taipei. I think that the police weren’t humored. We’ll probably be fined. Mark’s BBQ is always worth it. There is none better, excitement and all.

pps: from Mark, Got to say it was a great day. I'll leave you with some wise words from my favorite (and only) mother in law Donna Mae Whitaker "Be good, and if you can't, be careful"

Our most recent trip was to Israel, Jordan and Dubai, UAE. Mark needed to go to Israel for work and I wanted to go to Dubai out of curiosity so we combined the trips into one lovely ten day trip.

We started out flying EL AL airlines to Israel under code sharing with Thai Airlines. It was a direct flight to Israel from Bangkok, Thailand, but the route was anything but direct. There is a lot of the Middle East that an Israel-based airline is simply not allowed to fly over so we flew south until we were past Saudi Arabia and then our route followed the Red Sea north over Israel into Tel Aviv.

From Tel Aviv, we drove south through the Negev Desert to Eliat, a resort town on the Red Sea. The area is called the Gulf of Eliat by the Israelis but the Jordanians and the Egyptians who share the same chunk of real estate, call it by two additional names. From our hotel, we walked to Egypt but were discouraged from crossing the border by Israel's border patrol. The drive through the desert is beautiful thanks to the abundance of interesting geological formations. We only stopped at one set of Roman ruins on the way down. It was impressive and just lying out there for anyone to walk around in unsupervised. On our way back north, we visited copper mines and smelters dating back over 3000 years. When you are out walking in one of the harshest environments imaginable, you really have to stop and wonder what these ancient people were thinking, not just being there but living there and operating mines so far from little things...like WATER! The we saw Masada. It was a city built on a mountain top near the Dead Sea. Well in the US, we would call it a butte. The city was originally built by good ole King Herod but the zealots from the second rebellion moved there to escape Roman capture and slavery or death. The Romans persisted and the Israelites eventually chose death, becoming martyrs for freedom. The immense size of the city ruins really told the story better than words. Entire families watched as the Romans built a siege hill, knowing for certain what the eventual outcome would be and yet they persisted in living their lives until the final assault occurred. Anyone who thinks the Israelites are being stubborn now, should seriously consider Masada and then they will know what stubborn is. The Dead Sea is devoid of any living creatures and of course beautiful. The water is a perfect color of azure. Isn't it something how life seems to muck-up perfection.

From there we traveled to Hertzliya, a lovely coastal town just north of Tel Aviv and about 50 km from Jerusalem. It was named for the father of the movement of the Jews back to their Promised Land. It was probably the most Jewish place we visited in Israel. If you like the sea shore, I highly recommend Hertzliya. It is quiet and the beaches are the cleanest I have even seen.

Mark worked, but I took the "Jesus" tour. I visited Nazareth, Cana, and Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. These places are largely untouched by the Christian churches so I could really get a sense of what it must have been like to be a follower of Jesus and see him where he began his ministry. I saw the spring where the water came from that Jesus turned to wine at the wedding, his first miracle. I saw the Mount of Transfiguration and where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. I saw where he multiplied the loaves and fish and the ruins where he might have worshiped as a young adult. I saw caves similar to the one he grew up in (About 80% of the residents of Nazareth lived in caves during that time according to our guide.) I saw the ruins of the village where Mary Magdalene came from and walked along the Sea of Galilee where Jesus himself might have walked. I saw the Jordan river but political realities being what they are, we only saw the first seven miles. After that it forms the border with Jordan and tourists are forbidden to visit it. Also, since about 90% of the water is diverted for human consumption, I wouldn't exactly describe it as deep and wide, but a lovely, calm, serene stream.

Jerusalem was another story. The various churches have so cluttered the place up with monuments, statues, mosaics, candles, etc that I had no sense of what the topography was even like. The hills and valleys were obliterated in the clutter. Many pilgrims were genuinely moved but I just mostly felt pushed along by the crowd. As a historic location though, there is probably no place that even comes close. So much of what we all are today throughout the world has been effected by the events happening in Jerusalem over the past 3000 years. It ids no wonder that the collective Jerusalem is anxious and weary. No place else can be held responsible for how the world has turned out and where it will go in the future.

So now we get to the Muslim part, the West Bank and the Palestinians. We were very lucky when we went to Jerusalem because we hired a private tour guide and he was able to take us to the Temple Mount which is controlled by the Palestinians. I really liked what they had done to the place, mostly because it wasn't covered over. The Temple Mount is the largest man made platform in the world and has been since it was built. With only two major structures on it. one got a sense of the size and there was enough room to feel closer to God. So there we were, two Christians and a Jew, wandering, breathing in the sense of our history, looking out over the Mount of Olives and seeing what people saw during Jesus' time. Then it was prayer time for the Muslims and we had to leave. But no one was rude or unfriendly. We were just asked to leave.

This entry is long enough so Jordan and Dubai willl wait until tomorrow. Too many impressions for one time.

When we moved to Taipei, Mark and I made a conscious decision to live without a car. We committed to live without a car for the two years we plan to live in Taipei so I thought after one year, it might be interesting to know how we are faring.

We still don't have a car and do not plan to own one while we live in Taipei. Taipei has a safe, clean excellent subway system and an extensive bus system. There are taxi's every where, but still it really isn't as easy as one would think.

The main difference is that you really have to think about your transportation everyday. Some places are convenient by MRT (subway) and others by bus. Some places can only be reached by taxi and for other places, you really need to walk. Most of the time, the best way is to combine one or more mass transportation methods with walking. Also, time is required.

Mark usually takes a taxi to work. There are not any viable MRT or bus lines between where we live and where he works. Fortunately, we live near his office so a cab fare is about $3 to $5 USD. This is much cheaper than driving since no where in this city is parking free. He recently purchased a folding bicycle so he will be riding his bike to work soon (next time he is in town)

Where I go is a different matter. We live in the financial district of Taipei. It is like living in Manhattan. Most of my friends and therefore most of my activities are in the suburbs. (think Long Island or Plano from Dallas) Usually I go to Tien Mu four days each week for various activities. If, for example, I have a 10:00 a.m. Bible study class, I will leave the apartment at about 8:30, or 8:40. It takes me 20 to 30 minutes to walk to the MRT station because there are stop lights. Actually, the one mile walk is very pleasant because about 1/2 of it is on an elevated, covered walkway. Then I arrive at the Blue line. I take the blue line 6 stops to the Taipei Main Station and there transfer to the Red Line. The trip on the blue line takes about 20 minutes but I usually can sit down. Then I transfer to the Red Line. There are eight stops before I get off. Four are underground and four are elevated. I really prefer the elevated portion in the winter, but it gets really hot in the cars in the summer. Again, I usually can score a seat on the way north, nice since it takes about 25 minutes. When I arrive at Zhishan Station, it is another 15 to 30 minute walk depending in my destination. I could take a taxi, from the station but since I have already consumed more than an hour, it never seems like the thing to do at that point.

Of course, when it is time to return home, I reverse the process. So commuting for me consumes at least three hours every day.

Grocery shopping is a special pleasure. There are three grocery stores within a half mile of our apartment. There is no parking associated with these stores. Whatever I purchase, goes into my backpack and I walk home with it. On days when I plan to purchase something heavy ( like milk for example) I talk my rolling backpack otherwise I must carry it. I would never consider purchasing a half gallon of milk and laundry detergent on the same day any more. The weight could easily exceed 20 pounds and that is a lot to carry for 1/2 mile. Things become even more tricky when it is raining. (which is most of the time) I only carry an umbrella when it is too warm to wear a rain jacket because you cannot wrestle with an umbrella and 20 pounds of groceries and make it home with your sense of humor intact. Also, plastic bags are surcharged in Taiwan because they aren't biodegradable. Unfortunately, paper bags tend to biodegrade before I can walk the 1/2 mile in the rain. Grocery stores do deliver with large purchases but that requires you to be home during a window of time that is too large for convenience.

There are some place besides the grocery store, that I cannot take public transportation. For example, I cannot take public transportation to the National Palace Museum or the American Club. So we do not belong to the American Club. I don't go to the Palace Museum very often. Costco is only accessible by taxi or by bicycle. You can actually get quite a bit into bike saddle bags but forget buying a case of bottled water or cokes. Then there was the time I got a flat tire about 1/2 way home and Mark carried my bike for 5 miles to our home. Sunday mornings are a treat for me because I always take a taxi to church; not always home.

Buses present a special case. Taipei has an extensive bus system. The buses are clean, cheap and travel at regular intervals. Unfortunately, all published schedules are written in Mandarin only so I can only take the bus when someone tells me what to do or when we take a tour bus to a specific location. As my Mandarin skills (character recognition) improve, we take the bus more.

We will not get a car. We walk a lot. We haven't lost any weight from all the walking, but we are in better shape. I hate most of my shoes because American shoes are not made for serious walking. When we return to the US, I plan to return to driving everywhere and I promise you, I don't care how much gas costs.

We'll see how I feel next year.

Yesterday I was on my way to a concert at the National Concert Hall, and I encountered a traffic jam. The taxi driver thought it was an accident but it was actually a demonstration or rally. We couldn't quite get to where we were going, so I got out of the taxi and walked through the rally. The people were chanting "UN for Taiwan. Peace forever." It doesn't seem to be much to ask for does it?

Taiwan was pushed out of the United Nations while it was still under martial law imposed by Chang Kai Shiek. CKS was the legal premier of the Republic of China when the communist movement started gaining strength in China. So CKS moved the Republic of China to Taiwan which had been under Japanese control and took over the country. When the United States decided to recognize the Peoples Republic of China, CKS's government felt pushed out of the UN and resigned under protest. Taiwan has had no representation in this world body since. China has fooled and bullied most countries into believing that Taiwan is a rogue, run away province of China but this isn't exactly so.

Whether you want to call Taiwan, Taiwan or Republic of China, this island nation was given by the Chinese to Japan in exchange for the Japanese promise to leave Manchuria. China didn't mind giving Taiwan away because it was a rather minor outpost that they had invaded and sort of had governed for about 400 years. It was poor and backward and the indigenous peoples didn't like being under Chinese rule. So when Stalin and Roosevelt in their division of the world had to deal with Taiwan, they just gave Taiwan back, but didn't specify to whom. The only real stipulation was that Japan couldn't regain the island as part of their country. So under CKS, the island became a nation.

In the last 20 years following CKS's death and the repeal of martial law, Taiwan has become a vibrant democracy. It has a modern economy and a fully functioning national government including a banking system, military and police, a postal system, a health care system, educational system, and departments in the government rivaling the United States,. Incidentally, Taiwan has a free press. By some measures, the press is freer than in the United States.

Taiwan in other words, does not resemble the Peoples Republic of China. These is no shared value system, no shared system of government. Currently, of the 26 million residents of Taiwan, only about 4% were born in mainland China. Many people do have Chinese blood because of the waves of immigration during the 400 years before the Japanese occupation and the wave that came with CKS. The indigenous people, according to recent genetic studies are more closely related to the Australasia peoples. These are the ocean faring peoples who moved to settle Polynesia and even Hawaii.

None of the means much to the United Nations though, so Taiwan's future is cloudy. I have trouble believing that the world would allow China to absorb Taiwan, just because they want to but that is actually the position of the Secretary General of the United Nations. The United States, who should look at their allies in the Pacific and value Taiwan more, just doesn't want the apple cart upset. It might happen anyway.

Taiwan holds their national elections in a couple of months. They will hold a referendum on whether Taiwan wants to join the UN as an independent country. The last time Taiwan was this cheeky, China tried to intimidate the Taiwanese by shelling some of the outer islands. Well it backfired and pro-independence candidates won. We'll see what happens this time.

The rally was peaceful. There was a crowd of over 1000 people, men, women and children. They were chanting and waving glow sticks and torches and marching. It was peaceful and there was a wistfulness about it that moved me to tears.

As they marched off I went into the concert hall and enjoyed the concert. The march created a more lasting memory though.