chunhuaiBy Grace Mosquera
We cheered! We jumped! We shouted for joy!
The Kapulungan ng Samahang Pilipino (Association of Filipino Workers) organized another KaSaPi day late last month. This time, we spent the day playing badminton.
After scaling the steps of Yuan Shan (“round mountain”) – it is located at the back of the Grand hotel – we reached our designated badminton court. There must have been about a hundred badminton courts in the area. To make our friendly “tournament” much more exciting, we imposed some rules to get our players’ adrenaline pumping.
We played singles and doubles. In no time at all, the badminton court was filled with our laughter. “Ang sarap naman pakinggan ng tawa nyo!” I said. (I love the sound of your laughter!)
Some of our members enjoyed the game so much that they have requested us to organize a similar field trip in the near future. The badminton bug bit them! I was delighted when I heard them say that. It was only our second KaSaPi day but it has obviously become one of the more popular activities initiated by the group. I was thrilled.
One of our members even said, “This day belongs to us.” She was right. Following the Lunar New Year holidays (it was a season marked with relentless chores), it was time that we relaxed, unwind and temporarily set aside our worries. One of our new members said she was glad she joined the group since KaSaPi gave her the opportunity to meet new friends. She felt right at home with us, she added.
Earlier this year, we celebrated KaSaPi Day by organizing an outing in Yangmingshan.
Our adventure took us to one of Yangmingshan’s oldest roads, the Ewe Lo Ku Dtha which means “ancient fish road.” This outing enabled us to bond with our new members and associates. We shared a simple lunch, and explored some of Taipei’s most breathtaking sights together. One of our members even said she would not have had discovered some of Taipei’s majestic spots if not for KaSaPi. Watch this space for future KaSaPi events. We will be holding several field trips, workshops and educational seminars in the coming months.
On behalf of KaSaPi, I would like to thank Ricky Chang, a Taiwan International Workers Association volunteer, for serving as our guide at Yuan Shan and for organizing our badminton tournament.
Next month, the group will be marking KaSaPi Day by visiting the historic Lin Family Mansion and Garden in Banciao.
On March 18 and April 29, KaSaPi will also be holding a “dream” workshop. Professor Bill Stimson will serve as our guest speaker. According to him, analyzing your dream could change your life. If you want to know how to analyze your dreams, sign up for this workshop right away. It is free and open to everybody.
If you want to join KaSaPi, contact this writer at 0954-071-809 or call the Taiwan International Workers Association at (02) 2595-6858.
(Taiwan News Page 17 2007-03-11 12:00 AM)