During our week in Taiwan we took a day trip out to Yilan County, which is on the Pacific side of the island. It was a great to see the more rural side of Taiwan that you can’t find in Taipei. We visited the brand new Yilan museum, ran around on the beach, hiked through a rainforest (sort of), and painted our wishes on lanterns that we set free to the sky. Hands down one of the coolest things I’ve ever done!
![Yilan museum The brand new Yilan museum](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.yilan-museum-150x150.jpg)
![Michelle in the museum Michelle enjoying the Yilan museum](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.yilan-museum-2-150x150.jpg)
![Arriving at the beach Finally beach time!](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.arrive-at-beach-150x150.jpg)
![IES beach Easily the most fun we had all week! Thanks IES!](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.IES-beach-150x150.jpg)
![Jumping 1 of 200 beach jumping photos we took that day](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.beach-jumping-150x150.jpg)
![Beach cheerleaders The IES cheer squad.](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.beach-cheerleaders-150x150.jpg)
![Joe and Tuan Joe and Tuan having some fun on the beach](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.joe-and-tuan-at-the-beach-150x150.jpg)
![Into the forest The landscape for our hike](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.into-the-forest-150x150.jpg)
![forest bridge Students enjoying the hike despite the mist](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.forest-bridge-150x150.jpg)
![guys in the river Some students pose in the river](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.guys-in-the-river-150x150.jpg)
![lantern town The little town famous for flying lanterns](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.lantern-town-150x150.jpg)
![IES lantern Students pose with their hand-painted lantern on the train tracks](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.lantern-150x150.jpg)
![releasing the lantern Student release their lantern!](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.releasing-the-lantern-150x150.jpg)
![fun with sparklers After setting our lanterns off these sparklers materialized and we had a great time with them](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/duncan.shanghai.fun-with-sparklers-150x150.jpg)
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Sarah Duncan
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">My name is Sarah Duncan and I am a junior at Davidson College pursuing a degree in Political Science with a minor in Chinese Studies. I am a member of the Women's Lacrosse Team, and I also enjoy running, hiking, and skiing. I am originally from Houston, Texas, but I have been lucky enough to travel frequently with my family and experience a variety of cultures. I am very excited to settle down in a new place for a while, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with y'all!</span></p>