Pot Lucks, Olympics and Bowling Leagues!

There is much to fill you in on and I shall do my utmost to make everything clearly understood.

After training was over last week and I stopped working 12 hour days, I decided that it was time for my specialty dinner...a potluck. Before I tell you about that, let me tell you where this idea surfaced.

It has been cooling down a bit but for my California beach weathered body, it is still hot and sticky. After probing my co-workers about things to do in this city, they implanted a jewel of an idea that has recently been my favorite thing to do in this city. There is a place here that I could best compare to a water park for adults. It is a massive spa/pool/park where jets and jacuzzis massage your every need (take that as you may). Intense shots to your shoulders, a nice massage for you head, your buns, your back, hot, cold, mineral, normal....and it can all be done as long as you wear ...a swim cap. That's right. True story.Now I mean real business when I put on my water proof do rag. See photo below for a reference of a do rag.



So there we were, Sandra, my co-worker and I, relaxing under the jets next to a lovely group of old Taiwanese women, getting hungrier and hungrier when thoughts of food overtook every other sensation and we thought, what better way to get a lot of food for little money....ah yes, so it was then that we set a date for a real time Taiwanese pot luck at the Babbaganoush. We were to invite anyone and everyone we knew.
Here is the list and you judge our success rate for yourself on a level of 1-10
Here was the List:
Sandra: Spaghetti
Me: Sweet Potato fries and salad
My Chinese Co-teacher Ivy: Pea Soup
Courtney and Ben: Chips and Dip
Danielle: Drinks
Anthony:Drinks
Erin:Deviled eggs and Drinks
Sabrina:Drinks
Luke:Cheesecake and Drinks
Cecilia: Lemon Pie and Drinks.
Sandra's Co-worker Clint: Drinks and his own fold up chair

So....what do you think?
I think we sounded like we were pretty thirsty and then the personal fold-up chair just bumped it up a notch.

But all in all, everything turned out better than ever planned and we laughed and cried and passed out early to be well prepared for what lay ahead of us the next day! dun Dun Dun!!!

Please out your hands together to welcome for the first time ever, team Armenia to the 2009 Charity Olympics, Kaohsiung!!!


No one introduced us in such a manner, we just walked up to registration, however, we did get to see the lighting of the torch...or shall I say robot,nay, a man wearing aluminum being lit on fire in the 100 weather and 100% humidity in the middle of the park. It was pretty awesome.


Our competition games ranged from the Limbo (which Sandra and I rocked!)



...to twister, to the human ring toss (see photo in which I portray "human" and the ring is tossed upon me) and even a well organized pillow fight.


Who knew…who could ever know? But everyone had a pretty fantastic time and though we did not get beautiful medals around our neck with the Armenian national anthem in the background, we all got frozen yogurt gift certificates and the pride of knowing that we were the coolest team there! And that’s a fact!

Moving on...

I am not sure if it was some crazy dream or if it was real, but I am pretty sure on Monday, I joined a bowling league, in Taiwan, called the Smokin’ Shoes. Yep, I am pretty sure it was real. So real in fact, that I managed to bowl a 36 in the first game which included a strike. Don’t act like you’re not impressed. But don’t you worry, I came back in the second game with an astounding 80 and if I keep up this inflation rate, by next game, I should be in the 3 digits! But from now on, every Monday at 10:30 at night, I will suit up in my jersey uniform, put on some funky colored shoes, and bowl my heart out. And this is my life.
Thank you for tuning in.
Stay tuned for what is to come next….