2012-07-13 returning to the US

The all-time best thing that happened on this trip came on the last day quite by accident. Aileen and I had gotten up early to go exploring, and we found a huge library and a fire station to explore. My father is a retired firefighter, so the fire station held particular interest. I told the man working at the front desk that my father was a firefighter, and he got up and got the station to come out and take photos with us. I saw on the wall a scroll with characters and asked what it meant. One firefighter said, "We never forget!" It was for 9/11.
He went on to say, "We are all brothers, firemen all brothers." My eyes welled up, just as my father's did when I told him.

I met my ride in the lobby early in the day. One of the companies my husband represents treated me so special, and it was a great opportunity to visit their offices and meet the people that he deals with daily. Returning to the hotel was much easier then leaving the hotel, as the rush hour had faded some, but the experience was one of those that I will always remember. Cant wait to return.
edited by lsheridan on 8/15/2012

As Robin mentioned, we had an incredible morning. Wandering around the city, we explored the various places we stumbled across. There was a massive library complete with a book sanitizer (like a microwave) and a book vending machine. We also had fun in the grocery store, where I was once again struck by how many of the items were from Japan. It was eye opening to see how much better the relationship between Taiwan and Japan is than are the ones between Japan and its other East Asian neighbors.

The fire station was one of the best moments of the trip. Robin and I passed by, and we decided to say hello. I'd recently had the opportunity to visit the big fire station that serves LAX, so I was feeling very excited about the opportunity to make new friends here, too. We chatted with one fireman, but soon more and more came out of the building to talk to us. They showed us their equipment and trucks, and they happily posed for photos. Once again, we had an incredible, unplanned moment where we could truly talk to and connect with people we met. I'll try to upload a picture.

Finally, we said goodbye to Jeremy, our incredible host from MOFA. He had spent a week away from his family, guiding us through the most extraordinary experiences. We were all grateful to him for everything he did to make our trip a meaningful and amazing one.