Engagement Party (July 2, 2006)

After weeks of preparing, the big day finally arrived. I had never been to an engagement party in Taiwan, so I did not know what to expect. Vivian started the day at the hair salon with my mom and her mom. I was then driven to the hair salon by Vivian's sister. I got my hair styled for about five minutes and then Vivian's mom drove me back. We then went to the Nantou hotel in Uncle Wu's Mercedes to meet my parents. Following the Taiwanese custom, we exchanged gifts. Six gifts we given to me by Vivian's parents and twelve gifts (some were photos because they are too heavy to carry to Taiwan) were given to Vivian from my parents. After that we drove to the reception. Vivian's parents in one car, my parents in one car, and Vivian and I in another car. When we arrived, the guests clapped as we walked by. Two main things happen during the reception. First we went on stage and listened to a few speeches. Later we drank wine with each table. There were over 660 people and more than 60 tables. About two hours after the party started, the guests began to leave. Vivian handed out candy and I handed out cigarettes to the guests as they departed.