April 2018 Newsletter Volume 3 Issue 7

A Word from our President

Hello Everyone,

Spring is coming! Flowers are blooming! What great weather to join activities! IWAT was very busy in March with different activities: biking, movies, an oil-tasting workshop, and more! Right now is great time to enjoy outdoor activities in Taiwan before the heat wave arrives.

April is also a major fundraising event month for IWAT. The Spring Fling Gala on April 21 is our formal dinner event. All proceeds received from the event will go to the designated charity organization, which will be voted for by our IWAT members. Morrison Flea Market is on April 28. You can donate any pre-loved clothes, toys, books, or home goods that are in good condition. Maybe sign up to work a shift as well!

Every month, we see new faces at the luncheon or coffee morning. We are so excited IWAT’s growth. Friendship flows through the chatting, laughing, and having fun together. We are really touched by all of your support. IWAT has a great mission to love each other and help each other. Let us pull together and make a great success of our two major events in April, so IWAT will have the ability to share this love to even more needed places in our community.

Hope you all enjoy your spring break holidays. Happy Easter!

Cheers,

Jessica Wang

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

CLICK LINKS (if available) ON THIS NEWSLETTER TO JOIN IN or JUST EMAIL iwatpresident@gmail.com

April April 4 10am-12pm Museum Fine Art Walk and Picnic

April 11 11am-1pm Casual Lunch

April 21 6pm-9pm Spring Fling

April 25 10am-2pm Coffee Morning, Hostess: Kathy

April 28 Morrison Flea Market Booth

May May 2 10am-12pm TBA

May 9 11am-2pm Casual Lunch

May 16 2pm-4pm Tour/Workshop TBA

May 23 10am-12pm Coffee Morning

Hospitality Committee Notes

Casual Luncheon

Date: April 11

Time: 11am-2pm

Place: Lanna Thai Restaurant

Address: No. 298 Chaofu Road, Xitun District

Join in for our April Casual Lunch to make new friends and connect with old ones!

Spring Fling Gala

Date: April 21

Time: 6pm-9pm

Place: Polygram Restaurant

Address: 15 Shizheng N. 1st Rd.

Cost: NT$1400 per ticket

Join IWAT for dinner, dancing, and silent auction as we raise money for charity! We also welcome donations from you businesses or others you may know of in the form of items or gift vouchers.

Morrison Flea Market Booth

Date: April 28

Time: 8am-4pm

Place: Morrison Christian Academy

Address:

Please contact Jessica to sign up to work a shift. We are also looking for gently used items for donation to our booth: clothing, household goods, books, etc.

BOOK CLUB NOTES

Our traditional book club day has been shifting over the past few years in order to find what works best for our members. This year we have not had very much interest.

As you may know, IWAT is a member-driven organization. We want our activities to reflect the interests of our current members. Please reach out if you have ideas for great activities that you would like monthly. There are surely other ladies who would love to join in!

For now, I'll post the last book of our IWAT season here to give you inspiration if you are looking for a book to dive into!

May Selection

The Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale is not only a radical and brilliant departure for Margaret Atwood, it is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men of its population. The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment's calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid's Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.