A traditional Taiwanese treat--strawberries, tomatoes, and prunes with a hardened sugar shell. Like creme brulee fruit style :). This is my Taiwanese OT friend, Hsin-Hsui.

 Taipei 101 building--tallest building in Taiwan. Consists of offices for world trade and business.

 View of Taipei City from Psychiatric Hospital

 Wheelchair ramp--its not even wide enough to fit a wheelchair, more like a stroller ramp! And steep!

Dan shui is known for this dish. Tofu with green bean noodles in spicy sauce. Also fish ball soup. Both are yummy!

Taipei Psychiatric Hospital

 The occupational therapy department at Taipei Psychiatric Hospital. Taiwan is very supportive of OT working with persons with mental illness. The majority of clients at this hospital voluntarily admit themselves. The idea is to provide holistic care to assist them to manage their symptoms. Many stays are successful and one time only. The average stay is 2 to 6 months.

 Taipei community center where occupational workshop is located

 Vocational workshop created by an OT for high functioning persons with mental illness. Here they learn trade skills, business and money management, and socialization. Jobs include baking cakes and cookies, prepared lunch, flower arrangements and delivery, a second hand shop, computer skills, English classes, disease awareness and prevention (influenza, etc), music, packaging, and more. Members are also provided with the opportunity to teach other members job skills. My tour of the facility was lead by a member who excels in English! She was amazing! The community is very supportive of this center and actively buys products sold by the center. Currently there are 300 members.

Plan for today, pictures to come--http://english.nhri.org.tw/

Resettlement Housing Projects for Displaced Aboriginal Tribes Discription

I am so amazed by the typhoon survivors! They are so generous and hospitable. We were invited to have lunch with our hosts' friends. They have so little but made so much food because they were honored to have us visit. Our host, described his experience of lost. He was there during the typhoon and land slides. He helped rescue people, including his cousin. Due to the trauma his cousin lost both legs and eventually committed suicide. He feels a lot of guilt and distress due to this experience. He explained that by advocating for his tribe and welcoming survivors into the housing project, it has helped him to deal with his survivor's guilt and grief. Many of those who died were older adults and young children. As I walked around the housing project in Shaolin I noticed that most people were between 20 and 45. Also the families are unable to return to their land on the mountain or collect the bodies of relatives because the area is unsafe and/or inaccessible. For those who are buddhist this is very difficult. They believe that to bury a relative without all of the body is to create a broken image of them in their hearts. There are still many survivors who have not been accounted for. Little is known whether they are homeless, living with other relatives, or have returned to unsafe conditions. Its very heart breaking to be here, but filled with hope and inspiration.

Resettlement Housing Projects for Displaced Aboriginal Tribes

Buddhist Temple in Pingtung and the Incredible Egg

One week till lift off

One week till take off! Taiwan here I come December 20-January 6.