Toastmasters Friends from Afar

Toastmaster Watanabe Yoshihito was curious why my husband Azen would allow me to study in Kyoto for one year by myself ten years ago. "Sherry doesn't belong to me, she belongs to herself," Azen responded. "Every morning I prepare breakfast for my wife. She works very hard. At home, I do the housework. So my nickname is Yoshiko," Yoshihito introduced himself at dinner. "Me, too, I make breakfast for my wife. I do the housework. Sherry doesn't work, she is busy with charity affairs. She is my QUEEN," Azen saluted me.

Toastmaster Watanabe invited two Japanese toastmasters to join his four days tour in Taipei, Area 33 Governor Kazunori Toyomitsu (also IPP of Musashi-Kosugi Toastmasters Club) and Toastmaster Kiichiro Saito of Akabane Toastmasters Club. Watanabe had visited Taiwan for more than ten times, but it was the first time he took the challenge to speak in Mandarin. In addition to delicious Chinese food, Watanabe seemed interested in Chinese culture and Chinese language. He was thinking about delivering a speech in Mandarin in Taipei in 2010 and he planned to charter a Mandarin-speaking club in Tokyo in 2011.

Friday evening, a big welcome dinner of Peking Duck, Peking hotpot, shrimp dumplings was held at a famous Chinese Restaurant in Ximen District. A second party of coffee and tea was followed at McCafe. It was after midnight when I got home full of excitements. Saturday afternoon, three Toastmasters from Japan joined the last regular meeting of Peace Toastmasters Club in 2009. In the evening, we enjoyed a boisterous Year-end Karaoke party for three hours and called it a night early, because Watanabe and Saito needed to join the half marathon in Taipei early Sunday morning.

Sunday afternoon, we ventured to the hot spring resort in Wulai. Even though all hot spring houses in Wulai were booked with tourists because of the cold front in town, we were satisfied to see the beautiful Wulai waterfall. Toastmaster Toyomitsu admired Wulai Waterfall very much and compared it with the famous Kegon Waterfall in Nikko.

Farewell dinner was served at my brother Jimmy's place. He prepared a full table of dishes, from fried soybean noodles to pork radish soup. We drank a bottle of aborginal millet sake I just bought in Wulai. It was a joyful and cheerful gathering of Toastmasters friends! My family looks forward to Toastmaster Watanabe & Friends' next visit to Taipei in 2010!