Ni Hao from Nicki: Life Abroad in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Summer days in Indiana

2011-06-17T12:06:00.000+08:00

As part of the daily lab exercises in the CLI program, we're having our students design blogs. They are required to type a few things in Chinese each day about what they've learned and encouraged to upload videos and pictures of cultural practices that they've learned/experienced, the goal being that they have something to mark their time in the program and a way to inform their family and friends of all that they're learning here (they can include English translations). I helped a few students create names for their blogs today and it got me thinking about my own.

It's not too often that I go back and re-read posts, but I do every now and then, and each time it brings me right back to life in Taiwan. I'm approaching the one-year mark of my departure from Taiwan, and it's one of those periods of time when I find myself daydreaming about my life there.

Noah's just left for an internship in the Philippines, an exciting opportunity that didn't seem real until the day he was actually leaving, and his return to Asia has sort of stirred my own longing to go back.

I'm required to use Chinese with the students as much as possible and while it's been getting a bit easier now that I'm speaking quite a bit every day, it has been challenging. I notice that I'm slower, that I don't seem to be as articulate, and although I'd like to think that my severe lack of sleep over the course of this program (we're only on day 8) is the main contributing factor, I'm starting to get that nagging feeling I have when I feel my skills starting to slip away.

I have been pretty honest about my confusion over the past year about what I really want as I started with research proposals, moved into the pedagogical aspect of my studies, and began teaching, and while I'm enjoying working with 22 high-schoolers who have traveled from around the country to attend a three-week intensive Chinese class, I still think that that happiest I've felt was teaching English while really being immersed in what I love. These students are hard-working and I'm happy to share what I know with them, but I really excel when I rely on my own language skills to communicate and complete tasks.

I've been pretty honest about the confusion I've felt over the past year as I began my first semester with research proposals, moved into pedagogy and my first formal teaching experiences in the U.S., and tried to figure out what comes next, but from where I stand now it seems that this was all part of the process. I've been able to narrow my search for the type of career I want, and I guess I'm realizing that knowing what you probably don't want is half the battle (although it's hard to see it that way when you've just discovered you need a new plan). Maybe I wasn't ever really that lost after all.

A little spring in my step

2011-03-06T00:27:00.002+08:00

I opened my computer this morning and had a message from Julianna. When I first returned to the States last summer and began grad school in the fall, I was "homesick" for Taiwan. As I got more comfortable with my life in Bloomington that feeling gradually went away, but I've found myself occupied with thoughts of Taiwan for the past month or so. I realized that it probably had to do with the fact that it was once again Chinese New Year and one year since my friend Jenni had come to visit me in Taiwan. I had also received an earlier message from Peiwen and we finally found time to Skype just as the lunar new year was about to begin. I looked into flights to Taiwan, but tickets for the weeks I thought I might be able to go were outrageously expensive. So I turned to my trusty method of browsing a hungry girl's guide to taipei to ease my sadness of missing dear friends and some of my favorite spots.

Back to this morning. For some reason or another I started thinking about my blog and remembered that the last post I wrote was a bit negative and not really reflective of my current thoughts and feelings. Last semester was difficult just because it was all new, but I also realized that I was taking a number of basic classes that I was interested in, but weren't really helping me figure out my exact niche in my studies. This semester's classes mostly focus on Chinese linguistics and pedagogy, so I'm starting to delve into the heart of what I wanted to do. I feel like I'm really starting to define who I want to be as an academic and my classes are giving me the information I feel like I need to set me in the right direction.

In other good news, I had begun looking for a part-time job late last semester as I realized that I'd really need to supplement my income to get through the holidays. As anyone who knows me well already knows, I've dreamed about working as a florist since middle school. The closest I got to the action was the summer I interned at The Carter Center and worked part-time for an ice cream shop that shared space with a florist and a cupcake shop. It was pretty much my favorite place in the world. Then in Taiwan, I met Sonia, a self-taught floral designer. I went to the flower market with her and watched her and her partner arrange beautiful bouquets of dark red roses interspersed with little bright red flowers that looked like prickly mini strawberries. A few months ago I had contacted the owner of a local florist with really stunning creative, contemporary designs. She wasn't hiring at the time but did recently contact me for an interview and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll finally get the opportunity to be a part of something so inspired.

By this time next week I'll be home, having just begun my spring break. I am so excited to have another spring break at home-- it's been three years since spring break of my senior year at Lawrence. My brother Phillip and I also have the same break, which would never have happened while I was at Lawrence, so it's really great to know that we'll be at home together.

Well, that's all for now. It's time for a little brunch!

Back in America

2010-12-02T12:01:00.000+08:00

I realize that I have yet to finish my entries about Jenni's visit to Taiwan and the second part of my weekend in Hong Kong, but I'm feeling the need to start a new topic.

Quite a few people have asked me if I have a blog about my life in the States now and I think "why would I?" Life has gone back to "normal", except it's not really normal at all because everything about my life is new. Time seemed to fly by in Taiwan, but I found that when back home and thinking about the last time I had been in America, it seemed as if it had been so long ago. The last time I was in the States I was graduating from college! And now, here I am, a grad student in yet another new place trying to figure out what exactly it is that I'm supposed to do with my life.

It's important to note that as I'm writing this we're reaching the end of week 14, and week 16 is finals. That means that I'm at the height of the most stressful part of the term. So I suppose this could be a little biased. Still, throughout the term I've been wondering if this is for me. I have wonderful professors and my classes are interesting, but I'm not super excited about devoting my entire life to research at this point. I'm finding that good grades are no longer a strong motivating factor for me in the sense that, while I care about doing my best work, I'm not all amped up to start/complete a particular assignment because in the end I'll have the personal satisfaction of getting an A. The problem with grad school is that there's always work to be done, so even if you've "finished" the work you have to turn in or present on for one day, you're never EVER done. And then there's knowing that it only gets more difficult from here on out.

Here's what I know about myself: I'm a people person. I'm curious. I learn quickly. I'm thoughtful and I like to reflect on things. I do not like picturing myself as a person of authority (intellectually that is). I'm happy to simply be a sponge. Success and feeling good about myself comes in many different forms. Having a really great conversation with someone new, using Chinese to speak with someone I may not otherwise be able to communicate with, doing something nice for someone else, these things bring me a lot of joy. And so does getting comfy, turning on my chili pepper lights, and watching a movie as I fall asleep on the couch at 10pm on any given night when I just feel that that's what I need to do. So you can see why I'm having doubts about my potential to be a great researching mind. I simply enjoy life too much.

I miss Taiwan. It's not quite as heartbreaking as it first was when I had no idea what the hell was going on here (at least now I have a routine), but I still really miss the things I did. I taught kids every day. There were definitely some days when I did not feel like teaching, but I loved that that could all change as soon as I walked in the school that day. I loved feeling invested in them, knowing their strengths and weakness, and feeling like I was making an impact. I loved meeting new friends and practicing Chinese just because I love to. And I even loved my classes that I took just for my own benefit, not even for a degree. I loved having the chance to travel back to Kaohsiung and see my dear friends, or take a weekend and explore another part of the island. I just felt that I was always learning and discovering more.

And the advantages of being in the US? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't like it here. I finally experienced fall again. And being able to drive to the grocery store and get whatever I want to make whatever I want. I was able to make turkey for Thanksgiving (my first time making one ever!) and see snow for the first time in two years. But what has meant the most to me is being able to pick up the phone and call my friends and family whenever I'm thinking about them, whenever I have something to say. I'm so thrilled that I'll be home for Christmas this year and I'll actually get to spend it with my loved ones instead of talking about what we're doing for the holidays on the phone.

But my everyday life? Well, that's a toss up. And I know that life in Taiwan was easier, but I don't think that's why I miss it. Would I want to do exactly the same thing I was doing forever? Well, no. But what if I switched directions and taught ESL at a university there. What if I explored something more permanent?

Well, these are all just thoughts, and I will finish my MA before I move on to anything else. It's still early in the game. I've just been thinking more about what I'm capable of doing/should be doing and what I want to be doing. I have a process: I ask advice from every single person I can think of before I deciding that my own instincts were right all along. So, any advice?

Hong Kong Part I

2010-08-07T08:37:00.006+08:00

Most of you must know that I'm back in the States now, but there's more to say about my time in Taiwan. I haven't even covered Jenni's visit, which was one of the best memories I have, but for now I'll skip ahead and write about Hong Kong. I had to make the trip at the beginning of June when my student visa expired to get an entry permit that would allow me to stay for another month. Again, I was originally not crazy about the idea since the ticket came out of my pocket and I would be traveling alone. Since I had spent the money, however, and I had just finished my classes, I was determined to have a wonderful time. I took my journal so I could write about the experience as it happened, and now I'm going to transcribe what I wrote on my trip.

6/5/10

Things seemed to be off to a rocky start when I first got to Hong Kong. With no checked bags I was able to move to the HSR equivalent quickly and figured out how to get the ticket easily enough. Once I got to Central on Hong Kong Island though, things became more difficult. I knew the MTR lines only by color, not by name, but thankfully the woman in me stopped to ask for directions. It was quite a trek to the platform, and I made it with just four minutes to spare before the last train for the night left.

I had written down directions from the Mongkok MTR station to the hotel, but it hadn't given me a clear exit number. I headed toward the one that listed a street in my directions and then the fun began. Somehow I got turned around so that I was actually walking in the opposite direction from the hotel. I was hot and thirsty, but I wasn't quite sure if I should stop since I seemed to be lost, and didn't quite know who to ask since it was about 1am and I wasn't sure about the crowd. My instincts were right, and I used Mandarin to speak to the food vendors and clerks. The 7-11 woman only spoke Cantonese, and since I had been going in the wrong direction, most people didn't know how to direct me. Eventually I got so thirsty that I found one of the nicer tea stands with clerks who seemed like they could point me in the right direction and ordered a drink (ironically, it was a Taiwanese chain). The guy was incredibly helpful and spoke excellent Mandarin, and the milk tea was delicious. It turned out that all I had to do was go completely back the way I had come and then I got my bearings. I was really proud of myself for not panicking and simply jumping in a cab. I finally go to the hotel around 2am and got settled in.

I was a little disappointed that the concierge didn't seem more friendly. I found out I'd have to pay for internet, and computers were only available from 8am-4pm. I took the "lift" to my tinnier-than-expected room on the 7th floor, and quickly showered off the day's grime. When I finally got reception, which I originally thought could only be achieved by sticking my arm out the window (which is how I discovered my excellent view), I called Noah to let him know I was safe. I looked over the places I wanted to go on Day 1 and then settled in to bed.

It was late by the time I got to bed, nearly 3 or later even, so I thought I'd be exhausted when my alarm rang at 9. Turns out I was wrong. I think I was still a little nervous about finding my way around a brand new city in a foreign place for a whole day, so I ended up having strange dreams. I woke up first at 7:30 and then at 8:30. I didn't feel very tired either time, but when my alarm went off at 9, it suddenly hit me.

I took a shower and got ready for the day, planning to stop in the cafe to cash in my breakfast voucher and get nourished up while giving myself a bit of time to build up courage. It wasn't phenomenal, but I was full after the hard-boiled egg, banana, and toast, and I was ready to get out of the tiny hotel.

I was so excited about shopping that I had to do that first. Since I was staying in the area with the markets (Ladies' Street, the goldfish market, and Flower Market Street), I decided I'd take it easy by getting to know my neighborhood first. I stopped at the ATM to got money and solved one problem after another when I realized that I hadn't informed my bank that I was traveling, and they did, indeed, lock my card. I got turned around just a bit, but figured it out very quickly, and thought that I was at least getting better.

I got to the streets that supposedly had the markets but saw nothing but empty tents. Ladies' Street was just getting set up, and it turned out that there were two flower streets (how silly!). The one with the market was actually farther away. I thought this might be the case, and the empty hunt--and the 7-11 woman who spoke enough Mandarin for me to understand "very far"--confirmed it. I did see part of a cool traditional market, and then just decided to move on to the real shopping.

H&M was my first stop since it happened to be at Central, the transfer station. As soon as I got out of the platform area and into the station, I saw a Mrs. Fields. I squealed with delight and said a bit of thanks when I saw the glorious bakery. I passed on the cookies, having eaten nothing that I could say was legitimate Hong Kong food, but seeing the shop that I often cross in Montgomery Mall and White Flint was treat enough. I felt like the day was looking up.

I wasn't quite sure how to get to the store, but I let my instincts about the position of certain types of stores guide me, and turns out I'm not too bad =). I first went to HMV, another store I had found online that was a popular spot for music. I'd recently discovered what seems to be some new jazzy, French, English sort of covers by Asian singers that I really liked, and since it was hard for me to download Chinese music online, I took the opportunity to get a few CDs. I got to test a few great new ones, and left feeling happy to have made my first purchase in a way that seemed somewhat intellectually stimulating.

Confident, I walked down the street a bit further and saw the big H&M sign. I immediately started looking for clothes suited for me and was surprised to find some new styles that I hadn't tried or hadn't been able to find before. I finally got one of those dresses that is sort of like an army surplus sort of jumper. I had wanted a dark grey/green one, but they only had a black one in my size, and it turns out to have been a better pick (way more versatile). I got a cute pair of earrings for Emily (she got me an amazing necklace in Bali and great earrings in Thailand), and finally got out after numerous trips to the fitting room.

With my CDs and my new clothes in tote, I thought I'd head to another mall a few stops aways that was supposed to be good for its food court fare, especially dim sum. Since I was in Hong Kong I felt it only proper to have the traditional dim sum, but on my way there, I figured I'd better stop at Admiralty since I could get to The Peak for sunset.

It was around 3pm and I hadn't eaten, plus my feet were killing me, so I stopped to relax for a bit. I couldn't find the restaurants at the huge station, and walked around and around, finally choosing a small "restaurant" that turned out to be called Satay City or something. I wanted to have something that was as authentic as possible, so I finally chose a pork and leek dumpling soup. I was a bit skeptical as soon as I entered the restaurant since it smelled of paint and there was only a woman with her young son there, but the soup turned out to be quite good. Feeling a bit more energetic, I began my walk back to the MTR.

I headed to another exit so that I could catch the bus/tram to The Peak. I thought I'd be taking both, but it turned out that the bus took us all the way up. The view was stunning, and it was super cool to be sitting toward the front on the top of a double-decker bus. Driving the hilly roads reminded me of California, but the store fronts didn't quite fit. The area seemed a lot more antique than what I'd seen in Taiwan, and although I'd been in clean areas, Hong Kong in general seemed a bit more shabby in central locations. I think more people tend to smoke in Hong Kong as well. I was really impressed with all of the people who were so patient and willing to help, even when they didn't speak English (and only Cantonese).

Back to the ride. Going over the hills was amazing, and I was happy to be sitting next to a girl close to my age who seemed to be traveling with her friends/sisters/cousins who were taking their family around. They spoke Mandarin together, but they were also speaking another dialect--it sounded like there was a bit of mainland retroflex going on. It was fun to listen to, and the view really was great, but all of the walking around had left me exhausted and I dozed off.

When my bag of CDs fell to the floor, I woke up startled and stayed alert for the rest of the ride. I couldn't believe that we had already gotten so high up and were still climbing. I realized that there would be no tram, but I did come upon the trail Helen had told me about. It was much cooler on the path that wound around the mountain and into the trees. I got to the waterfall that she had mentioned and took a few shots along the way. By the time I made it back, the sun had started to sink in the sky, and I got some great shots of the skyline.

Inside the looking tower I forgot that I wasn't working in NT anymore, and bought a small hand-woven picture for 240HKD, about 30USD. It is quite beautiful, even if more expensive than I originally thought. I waited for the sun to completely set, and then I got in line for the tram. I did make sure to get one picture of me first though, the only one taken on the trip.

The tram was...scary. I wanted to see the view, but I didn't have a seat and the car had filled up when they motioned me on, so I was facing downhill. We were moving quite quickly and I was doing everything I could---twisting my thumb and forefinger backward to clutch the rail behind me--not to just go catapulting forward. The woman in front of me seemed pissed off by the presence of people and was certainly not in the mood to realize that I desperately needed to brace myself against that bottom panel behind her. I was looking at possibly falling straight down the aisle, and at some points that was a 24 degree fall! All I could think was that if the thongs on my flip-flops broke, I was done for. It was a beautiful ride, but I was so glad when I stepped off.

I made my way towards the MTR, and it was quite a walk. I think I took the long way despite thinking it was a shortcut. Even so, I got to take a beautiful downhill walk and pass Hong Kong Park, the zoological/botanical gardens, and see some pretty cool buildings.

I was in need of some serious rest and re-hydration, so I finally made my way to Causeway Bay for dim sum. Too bad it's only served at lunch. At night the restaurant becomes a rather expensive family-style meal setting. Everything looked like it would be unaffordable and way too much for one person. I saw a Thai restaurant, and when I took a look, the prices were very reasonable. I still didn't know if these kinds of restaurants did tables for one, but I sat right down and ordered a delicious char-grilled steak with green curry. I devoured it and then ordered the sticky purple rice with fresh mango and coconut milk for dessert. It was the perfect meal after a long, eventful day. And it gave me just enough energy to get back to the hotel.

I saw another Mrs. Fields, and I felt like it was OK to give in this time. I bought two soft, semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies, a bottle of water and ventured home.

It's spring again...

2010-03-18T14:19:00.010+08:00

I haven't written in a very long time, and I apologize to anyone who was using the blog as a main source of finding out what I was up to. I always try to respond to emails that I get, but I don't send out as many emails as I should given the number of people I think about everyday.

The pasts four months have flown by. Almost immediately after I wrote my last post I decided that I was, in fact, going to fly to Japan to take the GRE so that I could apply to graduate school for the 2010 year. I crammed all my prep into the month of November, and flew to Japan in the second weekend of December hoping that the last minute $300 purchase (plus a $180 registration fee) would be worthwhile.

I was lucky enough to stay in Tokyo with Rie, a good friend from college, and her family. I hadn't seen her since my trip to Japan in 2009, and it was a really cool feeling to be gong back to Japan for the second time. I flew in on a Saturday evening and Rie picked me up at the airport. Her birthday was that Monday, so we had a wonderful dinner with her family and her fiance at the Tokyo Disney Resort. The meal was traditional Japanese and very delicious (there were about 7 perfectly portioned courses), and at the end the waitress brought out a beautiful strawberry and cream cake that had two pieces of white chocolate with "Happy Birthday Rie!" and "Welcome to Tokyo Nicki" on it.

After dinner we snuggled in their very comfy car and drove home to settle in for the night. I had to be at the testing center by 8am and Rie's mom suggested that we leave the house around 6:30, which meant having a feast of a breakfast which she prepared at 6am. Rie's dad drove us to the center and we arrived so early that we had to wait for them to unlock the doors. I appreciated the extra caution used in planning the morning--it would have been horrible if after all that I missed the test. I took the advice in the prep book and wore layers and it turned out to be a good decision; it was freezing outside but the testing room felt like a furnace. I put on my game face and started plugging away. Just when I thought I was going to have to ask for a bathroom break I realized I was done. I was so relieved when I saw my score and realized that it would be enough to get me through. One of the happiest moments of my life so far. Huh...guess I hadn't really thought about that. I suppose it seems a little silly now, but at that moment I was ecstatic.

Rie was wedding planning, but her mom (who looks like a Japanese version of Angelica Huston) had the afternoon free, so she picked me up from the test center and we went for a nice lunch and an afternoon of shopping around Tokyo. I saw that there were tons of boots on sale and decided it would be a good time to buy a pair should I happen across some. Unfortunately, it's probably even more difficult for me to find my size in Japan than in Taiwan, and we tried dozens of stores. After the first batch of tries, I told Rie's mom that it was okay, it probably wasn't meant to be, but the woman was on a mission. Of course the ones that fit the best were about 20,000 yen, which is $200 and it was just out of the question. Soon after Rie and her fiance came to join us at the mall, and we just wandered around browsing the shops. As I was looking at an accessory stand (I had clearly given up the search), Rie's mom called me over, excited that she had found black AND brown boots in my size. She even insisted on buying them as an early birthday present/souvenir of the trip, and Rie got a pair too.

After we left the mall we walked down some of the alleys, all decorated with Christmas lights. It was quite cold and it was the perfect holiday atmosphere. When I saw a GAP, I just had to enter, and I asked if it would be okay, promising that it would be the last stop. I found a great sweater that I thought would be a perfect Christmas gift for Noah, and it was even cooler that I got to buy it in Japan! Having made the purchase, we took the subway/train for about an hour or so until we reached a district near Rie's house that had a good sushi restaurant. Rie's mom ordered enough food for an army, and I tried to eat as much as I could, but Rie's fiance was a good sport and took what I couldn't eat. With my test out of the way I could enjoy all the plum wine I wanted, and we all had cocktails with dinner (the family had encouraged me to drink the night before--beer is a favorite for both men and women--but I opted for a celebratory Sprite instead given my big test).

Back at home we got into our warm PJs and huddled around the couches to watch T.V. In the living room there was a short table that had blankets attached to it. The table itself has a heater under it, so you can put your feet/legs under the blankets and get toasty warm. It seems that most homes don't have central heating, so as soon as you come home you turn on the heater for the room you want to occupy and then close the door to let it warm. They put me in my own room in one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in. It looked to be an air mattress or something of the sort, but it was really a wonderfully padded mattress of sorts with layers and layers of blankets. In the evening you turn off the heater before you go to bed, so each morning I woke feeling incredibly warm and snuggly. I dressed very quickly since the air outside of the nest of blankets was quite cold. It was really nice to warm up inside the house instead of walking into a temperate room. And although I was a little afraid of the icy chill each morning when I left the covers, I also felt very refreshed and awake.

Rie had to work on Monday, the day I left, but her mom made me a HUGE traditional Japanese breakfast. It was traditional in the sense that everything was common Japanese food, but no one would ever have such a spread for an ordinary breakfast. She made fish, chilled tofu with soy sauce, spinach, salad with a sesame dressing, rice with dried seaweed (a common everyday breakfast), sweet black beans, miso soup, and nato. Rie's mom asked me if I'd be daring enough to try nato, warning me that many Japanese do not like it. It's fermented beans that are incredibly smelly, slimy, and sticky. When you take a bite, silk-like threads form strings from the nato to the chopsticks, making it hard to swallow quickly, unfortunately. I made a face, Rie's mom laughed, and said she'd have it for breakfast. She ate it quite gracefully, moving her chopsticks in a quick whisking motion to break the stringy threads. We watched T.V. for a bit and drank tea, and then she packed me a bag of Japanese snacks and sent me to the bus station.

I had such a wonderful time in Japan with Rie's family. I've never been treated so well and yet felt entirely comfortable with my host. I had not been thrilled at the idea of leaving for a weekend just to take a test in a place I was unfamiliar with, but it turned out to be a wonderful trip and a really relaxing mini vacation, especially after the test was over! It was also nice to have people wishing me luck before and congratulating me after.

The weeks leading up to my trip to Japan were a bit stressful just because I was studying Chinese, working, applying to grad schools, and using whatever spare time to prep for the test, but there were also a lot of great times, too.

Noah and I had been planning a "Thanksgiving dinner" since January, and we never actually got around do doing it until it was actually Thanksgiving, which made it a huge deal. Thanksgiving came on a Thursday and we both had to work late, so we decided to celebrate on Saturday. We got up and spent the morning shopping for fresh bread, cheese, and Ikea meatballs (to serve as the main course). My aunt had sent me a casserole dish along with the ingredients for green been casserole (which I tried last year for the first time and absolutely loved!), and I had picked up a pumpkin pie and a bottle of wine from Costco. We got back around 4 in the afternoon and immediately started dinner prep. I've discovered that once Noah gets cooking he likes to do things a certain way, so I was on bread/cheese and green bean casserole duty and he made the sour cream mashed potatoes. It was a feast fit for a king and a queen. We seemed to achieve food comas even without the help of turkey, and took a walk down to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial.

A few weeks after Thanksgiving Noah's dad came to visit. There were things in Taipei that he had to see, so I got to spend some time with them on their Taipei part of the trip. The first day we went for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant near National Taiwan University, not too far from my house, and eventually ended up at the biggest night market in Taiwan. We pointed out some foods and snacks that we thought were worth trying, but our favorite was the almond milk shaved ice right across the street from the market. On our second trip around Taipei we had dinner at Din Tai Fung, a famous soup dumpling restaurant, and tried to make it to Taipei 101. They had already closed the observatory deck and it had started to rain, so we walked around for a bit and headed back to my apartment. We turned in early; I left for Japan the next morning and Noah and his dad headed to Hualien.

In the following weeks of December we celebrated my birthday, Christmas and New Years. Noah had a week off for Christmas break, so he stayed with me for the week. On the 22nd my gifts from home arrived, and I unpacked all THREE boxes and placed them under my little Christmas tree. Noah and I were both working on our computers, but we stopped at 12:00 am sharp to exchange gifts. My main gift was a hot pink cashmere scarf/wrap, which I love and wore all through the winter, but I was really impressed by the bouquet of dried lavender that he gave me. We were at a coffee shop in Kaoshiung once and saw lavender milk tea on the menu. We both like the scent, so we decided to give it a try. Just a few months before my birthday we were walking around a department store on a rainy day and came across a really cute shop with dried flowers and tea. We saw a barrel of dried lavender, and it reminded me of our lavender tea. I was so surprised that he had remembered the store and went back especially for that. Noah loved the sweater I had gotten in Japan, and I was so happy that it was a successful gift (the first thing that I ever gave him was a shirt that I bought so that he would have something clean to wear when he came to visit me...it's only made 2 or 3 appearances).

My birthday was even better than I expected. My Chinese professor from Lawrence had contacted me a few days before to say that she had arrived in Taiwan and wanted to have tea. It happened that the 23rd worked best for both of us, so we met at a nice little German bakery/coffee house near National Taiwan University. It was so good to see her again--I hadn't seen her since graduation. Coincidentally, a few days before I had run into her on the street, and I couldn't have been happier to actually run into someone from back home. We said a quick hello--I was off to class and she to another part of the island--and agreed on a proper meeting. I filled her in on what life had been like for me since I moved to Taipei, and we talked about grad school applications and programs since she had been writing recommendations for me. We talked about Lawrence and the changes that have happened since I left. After a while her daughter came to join us with her friend who is studying at National Taiwan Normal University's M.A. program for teaching Chinese as a foreign language. It was so nice to chat with people who are interested in exactly the same things I are and from whom I can learn a lot, so I stayed as long as I could, not wanting to leave, and rushed off just in time to get to work.

When I got to work everyone complemented me on my outfit and wished me happy birthday right away. I was very touched when two of my students gave me hand-wrapped gifts with cards they wrote. In the middle of my first class, the director of our program and the other staff and teachers rushed in with a small birthday cake lit with sparklers and sang "Happy Birthday." I split the cake with my students and we read a great Christmas story to end the class.

After work we all headed to Gordon Biersch, a popular restaurant/brewery from the States, for a late dinner and drinks. Emily bought a bottle of wine to celebrate, and we sat out on the heated porch overlooking the tremendously large Christmas tree and the rest of the shopping complex. Noah joined us a little later, and we all sat around talking and laughing. Back at home I opened the birthday gifts my family sent me. It was a great birthday.

The next day I went to class and then came home to get a little more rest. I had only one class to teach that night, and Noah and I met at the department store with the best supermarket in it to buy ingredients for a birthday/Christmas Eve dinner. We had planned on making chicken marsala, my absolute favorite, but when we couldn't find the proper wine, we decided to head out for dinner that night and bought groceries to make Christmas bruschetta. We ended up at New York Pizza kitchen, a restaurant that we had just discovered a few days before as we happened to walk by. Many other people must have had the same idea to go out for Christmas Eve, because there was a group of 6 Taiwanese girls doing a gift exchange on our left, and a table of 4 Japanese/Taiwanese/American friends on our right. It was very cozy and cheery inside, and it just felt like a special night. We had the meal for 2, which included a really good Caesar salad and cream of crab soup, followed by a pizza with chicken, beef, and seafood (not so good), and a chocolate lava cake a la mode (super good) for dessert. Back at home I played Christmas music and got ready for the holiday.

On Christmas morning I refused to go to class, choosing to wake up the way I wanted instead. I Skyped my family around 9:30 am to open all my presents. I had a lot of great gifts, but I have to say that the grey suede slouchy boots that I got took the cake! They fit perfectly! I had talked with my aunt about different kinds of boots I liked this year, but knew from reviews that the sizes differ drastically depending on cut and brand. She happened to get just the right size and the style was exactly what I wanted. I also got a great smoky grey sweater that is an excellent match for the boots.

There was a minor mishap, however. When I thanked my family for all of the presents I got, my aunt was confused as to why I hadn't finished opening all of them. I didn't have any left and then I looked around the room to double check. There was nothing left under my little tree and all of the boxes had been unpacked and broken down, so there was nowhere else for me to look. We came to the conclusion that when she was packing them at the post office (she had a big box packed just to fit but it was just a bit over the size requirements and she ended up having to buy three separate boxes and repack everything at the post office) a few of them had been swiped. After I had looked everywhere I could think of we accepted the loss and she told me what had been in them, which made me even sadder. I felt bad for her having bought them in vain, and I just felt sad that someone would do that. After I hung up with her I told Noah that someone had stolen my Christmas (I guess I was being a bit dramatic). As I leaned over to his side of the bed I saw that a few packages had fallen between the bed and the wall. I then realized that I had piled all of my presents on the bed, some on top of Noah as he was still reading under the covers. He must have kicked them off at some point and neither of us took notice. I called my aunt back and opened up the last two gifts or so. I hadn't known the specifics of them, so there was even a surprise element to it. I felt kind of bad for assuming that they had been stolen after that....

Noah and I made the bruschetta soon after and had kind of a lazy Christmas afternoon together. He had to fly out that night to Thailand for his visa run, so I took him to the main station, and then decided that I should make sure that the rest of my Christmas was special. I went for dinner at one of my favorite Thai restaurants (not a traditional Christmas dinner, but I found it fitting given the circumstances), and ordered three of my favorite dishes, knowing I'd have plenty of leftovers for the weekend. I then browsed the area which is full of side alleys with tons of cute shops, and went into my favorite store. In the store a beautiful dress just caught my eye and I decided I had to at least try it on. I wasn't sure that it would actually work on me, but when I got it on I fell in love with it. I decided it would be my Christmas gift to myself. I took the MRT back home and stopped at the Dunkin Donuts in the station for a little dessert. I came home and realized it my family would just be opening their presents back in Maryland, so I Skyped them and this time my video chat worked quite well. They took a little break in the middle as always to take out the cinnamon rolls and coffee, and it was only fitting that I make a cup of the spiced hot chocolate that my aunt sent in my stocking and have my donuts. I called Peiwen and Julianna and their families to let them know I was thinking of them and chatted with some friends. I went to bed with the feeling that I couldn't have had a better Christmas.

Noah came back from Thailand that Sunday, and we had that week together too. Peiwen called me early that week to say that she and Shenrong had decide to rent a room at the Grand Hyatt right across from Taipei 101 and invited us over to watch the fireworks. I was so excited that I'd get to see them in Taipei, and even more excited that we would be spending the new year together.

On New Year's Eve Noah and I met at main station after I got off work. We were both craving ice cream and I happened to have a buy 1 get 1 free coupon at Coldstone, so we decided we'd have ice cream first and a proper dinner after. We decided to head over to the hotel right away to avoid a mad rush as the hour got closer. As we came out of the station we saw a quaint little restaurant on the corner called Soup & Bread. It seemed like the perfect light dinner to follow our ice cream appetizer. The yummy new find got us even more excited, and we rushed over to the hotel around 10 to meet Peiwen, Shenrong, and Yuki.

When I rang the doorbell Yuki and Peiwen had just washed up and were in their comfy clothes. Yuki was SO excited and started dancing around the room. I pulled out my camera and she took a lot of pictures--I've always been amazed at how well she handles the camera, especially given its size and the fact that she's 4 years old. Shenrong was out getting snacks and a new outfit for Yuki, which she put on immediately after he got back. It was really cute to see how good he was at picking out an outfit for her. It was absolutely 100% Yuki. He also happened to buy a brand of crackers called Yuki as well, which made her even more excited.

The five of us stayed in the hotel room, watching the various celebrations around Taiwan on the T.V. and moving to the hotel window every now and then to check out the action below. Taipei has the biggest celebration in Taiwan--I think they reported that about 1 million people would attend--and it was really cool to be right next to everything as it was all unfolding on T.V. It was quite a chilly night, but we wanted to be right up front for the fireworks, so at a quarter to midnight we hurried downstairs and found a spot right underneath the building.

We counted down in Chinese (I'm glad I practiced last year) and then the fireworks began. It was one of the most stunning things I've ever seen. They lasted for a good 2 or 3 minutes and then the side of the building lit up with the words "Taiwan Up." The phrase is endearingly Taiwanese English, up here being a verb and the whole phrase sort of meaning "Let's go, Taiwan!" It was an amazing thing to see, and we were still talking about it as we huddled back inside the lobby and took pictures in front of one of the biggest Christmas trees I've ever seen.

Back at the room we said our goodnights and then Noah and I headed down to the hotel restaurant as we tried to wait out the crowd of people heading back on the MRT. We stayed for an hour or so, listening to mellow live music and drinking our tea.

When we finally left the hotel, the streets were pretty clear, but there was a pileup of people at the MRT station. The train was so full from the stops before our's that we finally just decided to take the train in the opposite direction, away from the center of the city, all the way to where I work (a good 30 minutes away), and then take a taxi back. The cold I had had over my birthday returned with a vengeance that night, so I used Noah and his jacket for a bed and pillow, and slept all the way home. By the time we got back and washed up for bed it was just before 4 am.

January is mostly a blur. I had most of the month off from work, but I spent all of my time working on graduate school applications. I was also getting ready for Jenni, one of my best friends from Lawrence, to visit me at the beginning of February.

At the end of January on a random Thursday, Noah surprised me by working extra earlier in the week so that he could have that night and all day Friday off. When I got back from class on Friday, the sun was out and the weather was beautiful. We were both in the mood to get out, and we started playing around with the idea of going on a short trip. We considered Kaohsiung, but the tickets alone would be quite expensive, and I knew that we'd be going with Jenni just a few weeks later. Noah took his dad to Taroko Gorge when he was visiting and had mentioned that it was a place he'd like for us to go together. I had been asking him about it since I had never been and wanted to take Jenni for sure. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to have a little vacation for the two of us and get myself familiar with the area. We searched online and called a few hotels/B&Bs to see if anything was available. I was really impressed by how polite and friendly one woman had been when I called, and so we decided to take that room. We hurriedly packed our things, hardly believing that we were taking a last-minute trip, and stopped at one our favorite restaurants for dinner before we left town.

We were lucky enough to catch a fast train, so the ride was only 2 hours. When we got there we rented a scooter and drove to the B&B. It turned out to be even cuter than we imagined and the staff was ridiculously nice. Right away it was a sort of make-yourself-at-home feel--we were given our key and no one said a word about paying for the room.

We actually ended up in the room I had seen online that made me want to stay there in the first place. It was the first time I had ever stayed in a canopy bed and I was so excited! We went out for a late night snack and then turned in.

When we woke up we had missed the normal breakfast hour by just a bit, but when we got downstairs the owner was there to greet us and asked if we'd like some breakfast. I asked her if that would be okay and she acted like it was silly for me to think that she'd let us go without being fed. She fixed delicious Taiwanese-style hamburgers for breakfast (and they think Americans eat hamburgers all the time) with some sort of potato/corn salad and some mixed fruit, and then packed a bag of wax apples and dates for us to take to the gorge. We met Niu-niu, the pet parrot and Money, the pet sugar glider. Niu-niu is a sweetie (and a talker) who loves attention and licks fingers with his tongue (it's a very odd sensation)! She gave us a map and told us about some extra trails we could take in the park and on our way back. They suggested we leave all our heavy bags and come back to pick them up before we headed to the train station.

On our way to Taroko we came across a big field of giant flowers. I got so excited that Noah made a u-turn and we stopped to check out the field. It seemed to be quite a photo opp. for many, and I couldn't resist either--when do you ever come across a field full of 4-foot tall wild flowers?! I thought that if I was already this delighted with the drive on the way to the gorge, then the gorge itself must be totally surreal.

It was breathtaking. It is Taiwan's equivalent of The Great Wall. The weather was perfect and we arrived ahead of all the large tour buses. Driving a scooter we were able to park on any leg of the road with even a small bit of a shoulder and do a little bit of hiking. I became quite good at snapping shots from the back of the scooter while in motion, anxious to capture everything I saw.

Our timing was perfect and we made it out of the park just as the sky turned a strange grey tinged with green. We stopped at the 7-11 for a snack to hold us over until we got back in the city for dinner and decided that we should by rain gear. It hadn't actually started raining so we were thinking about waiting to put it on, but as we were putting on our helmets, a truck coming from the direction parked in front of us; it was covered with rain. We put our rain gear on and started the drive back. At first it was just a sprinkle and then 10 minutes or so in it was pouring. Since I was sitting on the back of the scooter, the poncho wouldn't cover my lower legs, and my jeans were soaked. It was perfect then that we drove past a Japanese barbecue restaurant and decided to stop for dinner. The fire from the barbecue had us mostly dry by the end of the meal. Warm, full, and happy, we headed back to the hotel to chat for a bit with the owner and her staff before we caught the train back. It was a perfect day.

Happy October Days

2009-10-15T22:56:00.006+08:00

October started out just as it should, with Mid-Autumn Festival and a typhoon. Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three most important holidays in Chinese culture, the other two being Chinese New Year and Dragon Boat Festival. It's the most important holiday for family reunions, and people all over the island take trains back to their hometowns to meet with their extended families. Traditionally, little round cakes that resemble a full moon are eaten to symbolize togetherness, and gatherings take place outside so that everyone can admire the moon. In recent years, thanks to a barbecue sauce TV commercial that came out around the time of the holiday, it's become popular to barbecue as well.

I celebrated the holiday with Dajie (literally 'older sister' in Chinese), Peiwen's sister-in-law and family who live in Taipei. The last time I went to stay with Peiwen in Kaohsiung I met Dajie very briefly as we were dropping Yuki off at her grandparents'. They took down my number and called the day before the festival to invite me to celebrate with them. Peiwen and her family were still in Kaohsiung, and although I didn't really know Dajie, I was still super-excited to visit with them.

They picked Noah and me up the next afternoon at the MRT station and drove us to their home which faces a mountain. They had a small grill set up outside where they prepared thick strips of beef and scallops for the kids (I definitely snuck a scallop or two...they were so delicious!). They had also bought a mandarin orange and shrimp salad from Costco, as well as a Japanese seaweed salad with something untasty in it. Noah warned me not to eat whatever this slimy vegetable/fruit thing was, but I thought of my try-everything-once-policy and ate it anyway. It was not pleasant. Dajie prepared a variety of fresh mushrooms, scallions, and garlic, and we made vegetable pockets with aluminum foil that could also be grilled. The kids loved it. I made many a pocket with the youngest one, and I don't think he ate any of them; the fun is all in the making.

Dajie has three young boys, ages 5, 7, and 9. I think I have their Chinese names memorized but I tend to forget who is who. They are all very cute, but quite naughty from the stories she told me. We were playing tag in the back of the apartment patio where there is a pool without water (all year round), but it soon switched to sword fighting. Possibly my favorite part of the night was when the littlest came up to me as I was eating and said in Chinese "in a little while, I will beat you continuously." Dajie is a supermom, always planning activities for the three of them in attempt to keep them semi-quiet. That night's activity was a musical performance involving a few violins, a cello, a xylophone, maracas, and a recorder. My ears were ringing after, but it was precious. The boys also have a "laboratory" zone where they are allowed to keep an assortment of exotic animals (mini turtles, and insect that resemble a dung beetle, other beetles, etc.). As long as they stay in the little enclosed outside bubble that is off the living room, Dajie lets them do what they please with them. She's a very brave woman.

It had begun raining mid-way throughout the evening, and when we got back to the area around my apartment just around 8 pm, it was a cool, misty night. We stopped at McDonald's for Happy Meal dinners, and then at 85 to buy some jasmine green tea to go with the moon cakes Dajie had sent us home with. We watched Milo & Otis, a favorite childhood movie of mine that I bought over this summer for $5 at Target, and had a very lazy evening. Around 2am there was an earthquake that lasted for about 30 seconds or so. It was apparently a 6 or so, but the epicenter was in the ocean, so it didn't feel quite that strong. It was much stronger than the baby one that lasted for about 10 seconds last year when I was in Kaohsiung. I had been asleep and when I realized what was going on, my first thought was "I hope Leo doesn't fall into the floor."

The next day was also a bit dreary, so we got some coffee and headed for the park near Shida. It's a pretty large park for being located in the middle of the city, and it was nice to experience something that reminded me of my time spent near the Cultural Center last year. The winding paths and layout of the trees also reminded me a bit of the Botanical Gardens that Shana and I visited in Sydney. The dress rehearsal of an elderly choir that struggled to dance in unison as they sang traditional Chinese songs and the light drizzle made it a perfect park experience.

I've been in need of a haircut and a retouch of the curls since I came back to Taiwan, and this week I finally found a place. I noticed that the bus stop near my work has quite a few surrounding hair salons, some that look more legit than others. I chose the trendiest looking one with the black marble staircase and different colored lights. I noticed there were TVs attached to each styling mirror, so I figured it was a higher-end salon. The price, however, is exactly the same as what I was paying in Kaohsiung, and although I love New Art near the Cultural Center in Kaohsiung, Mentor, my new find, was quite impressive. They use the latest curling technology which is just so bizarre looking that I had to ask them to take pictures. Well, actually, I mentioned that I wish I had brought my camera and they volunteered to take pictures for me. Taiwan is photograph-happy, so it worked out nicely. The quality of the curls is better, and my hair is overall not so curly as it was before. They suggested that I keep some length (I had always just accepted whatever the stylist wanted to do before, and all of them chose to cute it quite short), and I really like it. I had a really nice time chatting with the stylist and her assistant, and it was a really relaxing experience. I always love getting my hair done!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Halloween!

It's been a couple of weeks since I first began working on this entry, and Halloween has now passed. We had a costume contest at American Eagle, the school where I teach English, and all the teachers were required to wear costumes as well. I've always loved dressing up, but this year was even better because all of the teachers wanted to rent costumes! Kaohsiung didn't have much in the way of costumes, so I bought blank cat and butterfly masks, and painted them to my liking. I had brought my cat ears from home and made my own tail for the cat costume--it was really cute. In Taipei, however, there is an area called Ximen, often frequented by the teenage crowd, that has tons of costume shops. Connie, Ben, Emily and I drove there one night after work in search of the perfect costumes. Ben already had his heart set on being a Japanese samurai, and found exactly what he was looking for. I though I might be a princess although I wasn't sure which one. I had tried on a peacock dress with a matching headdress that was absolutely awesome, but it looked more suitable for a Halloween ball than an elementary school party. I turned out to be a perfect fit for the Alice in Wonderland costume. Emily was the sexiest Little Red Riding Hood I've ever seen, and Connie was the students' favorite, wearing a long black velvet gown, a black veil, and a lot of scary makeup. She remained silent for the whole night, lurking in corners, and walking around with her thin arms outstretched. The kids loved it! The director of our school wore a beautiful mermaid costume and covered her face and neck in aqua colored gems. I asked her how she had done her makeup, and found out that she used to do couture makeup in Canada! How cool! The kids also had their midterms that week, so when they were finished they went downstairs and watched the Disney movie Haunted Mansion. I took my class down since all of my students finished early, and it was so fun to watch! It reminded me of all the days I spent on my aunt's bed watching Casper and Prancer. Hocus Pocus was also a big favorite of mine--all of my roommate's watched it last year for Gered's birthday which also happens to be on Halloween. I missed Hocus Pocus this year, but it was still a great Halloween nevertheless!

"What do you do in Taiwan?" "I stud..well, I tea...I do both!"

2009-09-17T20:45:00.005+08:00

This is the first chance I've had to write since work and classes began three weeks ago. Things have been a little more hectic than I thought, but I finally have a routine down. That routine will need to change, however, because my plans for the next few months have as well.

Where to begin? I was placed in a class that's actually quite perfect for me. The content of the textbook is mostly what I've learned at some other point, so many of the things I already know how to say. I have forgotten how to write a great deal, however, and anything I remembered from before was simplified, so it's great review in terms of writing. I'm also learning more specialized vocabulary and brushing up on those more formal grammar patterns. I am the only American in my class; most of the students are from other Asian countries. There are two boys from Indonesia, a girl from Thailand, two girls and one boy from Japan, a nun from Vietnam (she's probably my best friend in the class), and a married Mormon couple from England. I had no idea they were from England until I heard them speak English...their Chinese accents are pretty good, and any hint of a foreign accent sounded American to me. In addition to discussing the text we talk about our experiences in our own countries, and it makes for a really interesting 2 hours. We all have very different reasons for studying Chinese and goals for what to do with it, and studying together has been quite a good experience so far.

My standard class is from Monday-Friday from 8:10-10am, which is about 10 hours a week. Because I have a student visa, however, I need to take an additional 5 hours of class to be selected from a list of lecture-style classes. These were the supplementary classes that I was so excited about taking, but, unfortunately, the most interesting ones all take place from 2-4pm when I have to be on my way to/at work. I won't be able to take those Taiwanese classes or the singing and cooking classes. The only classes offered in the first two weeks were ridiculously simple and not incredibly well-organized, so I sat through a few of them and then made up the rest of the hours in the library doing individual study. They do show quite a few movies each week, so I'm looking forward to going to those.

When I applied for my visa to Taiwan I applied as a student, which is what I thought you had to do if you wanted to formally be enrolled in a university here. I should have known that they'd be willing to take my money regardless of the type of visa I had, in which case I could have applied for a visitor or working visa and saved myself the extra 5 hours of class per week. There are also some strict requirements about how often I can miss class (not very often), and getting above an 80% on each assignment. All of this seemed doable until I got to the part about extending my student visa. In order to be granted an extension, I have to pay next semester's full tuition a week before the expiration date. This semester doesn't even finish until the end of November, but if I want to get the extension, I have to pay tuition by the second week of October. Not happening. I work Monday-Friday from 4-8 on three days, and 4-6:30 on the other two. It's not too many working hours, but it takes me an hour just to get there (and an hour to get back). My class ends early enough, so sometimes I come home right away, but other times I need to stay to get those 5 hours in. It would be really difficult for me to pick up another job, which is what I'd need to do if I wanted to keep this up. In addition, I have to apply to grad school this term, and I simply won't have time if I continue with my schedule now. It would be incredibly futile to keep attending classes to brush up on my Chinese if I can't even complete my applications on time.

So. All of this has led me to decide that after November, I won't be taking classes. And I feel good about this. Most of my deadlines are between January and March (with a few in early December), and this gives me plenty of time to prepare. It also gives me the chance to pick up more hours at my current teaching job if they are available and hopefully I'll be able to save a little money instead of merely covering my living expenses. If I have the time and finances to go back in the spring, then I certainly have that choice, but for now I think this is what I have to do. I've been sort of dreading the application process just because it's so much more important than anything else I've done, and I think I can better prepare if I treat it like a full-time job.

On to another topic. I moved into my new room a month ago this Saturday. It's a very nice room with a big, comfy bed. I hung little white lights around the wooden bookshelf that Andy left when he moved back to Canada, and I've hung pictures of my trips to Japan and Australia all over the room. The painting I bought last year in Kaohsiung when I was really missing the colors, smells, and sounds of fall made the journey with me, as did all of the gifts I received from friends last year and the engraved ceramic vase given to me by Wenfu. I made an ikea run on Sunday, the day after I moved in, and bought a really cool lamp and new sheets now that my bed is big. This year I also have a whole drying rack to myself! I remembered how the four of us used to fight over it last year (not really fight, but you know...), and decided that it was worth buying one for myself. There are many things that I will do Taiwanese style, but drying my clothes outside in the humidity and pollution is not one of them.

This past weekend Noah and I went back to Kaohsiung to retrieve Leo. We took the bus down on Saturday afternoon and got there around dinner time. We went to all of our favorite places, starting with the department store near my old apartment where we'd go for late lunches and Baskin Robbins. We headed down the street to walk around the Cultural Center, and watched as people set up their stands for the weekly craft fair. Julianna and her family came to pick us up at the Cultural Center and took us to this great restaurant for dinner. We ordered many family-style dishes along with sushi and sashimi, Steven's favorite, and shared them. We sat around enjoying the food and chatting, and then Frank, Julianna's husband, reserved a room for us at a nearby hotel and dropped us off there. We ended up staying very close to the train station in central Kaohsiung, so it was really easy to continue making stops at all of our favorite places. We walked to the MRT and went back to the Cultural Center to have a midnight "snack" at our favorite late-night restaurant. We said hi to all of the workers there, our favorite being a young-middle aged woman who absolutely loves AJ Burnett of the Yankees. If the Yankees are playing, they've always got the game on. After the customers are served, they'll sit down and watch it too. After dinner, we walked back toward the park in the middle of the Cultural Center, stopping at McDonald's for cappuccino and cake (both of which are surprisingly delicious). We said goodbye to the Cultural Center, and walked to Central Park, which is about 20 minutes away. We used to walk there and back on the weekends if we went to get dim sum or wanted to go to the night market. We had discovered a maze there one day, but every time we went back it had always been freshly chopped. We checked this time, too, and were very sad to see that it's still in hedge form. It was quite late by then, and Kaohsiung, is indeed, hotter and more humid than Taipei, so we caught a cab and headed back to the hotel.

The next morning I met Dr. Chiu at the animal clinic to pick up Leo. He was a little spiky from the move, but he seemed to recognize me. The clinic isn't far from Central Park, so we walked back in that direction to have a dim sum lunch. After the usual meal of steamed pork buns, dumplings, spring rolls, and tea, we went to the bus station to head back to Taipei. It was a Sunday and traffic was crazy, so it took us way longer to get back than expected. By the time I got home it was already after 9pm, so I got to work setting up Leo's home. I took him out of his little travel cage and held him for a while, and he didn't seem to mind at all. He didn't try to bite me, which means he absolutely recognized me. I let him wander around on my bed, one of his favorite activities, and introduced him to my three very curious roommates. Yumi got some great pictures of him.

It was great to go back to Kaohsiung, especially with Noah, but I'm looking forward to staying here this weekend. It's always nice to travel, but I feel like I miss out a little on relaxation time. I'd really like to plan another weekend there when I can leave on Friday night instead of Saturday, and do some day activities like going to the beach and the old British Consulate. There's a great Thai restaurant there that we didn't have time for, which is too bad because I have been craving Thai food! Better start planning my next visit...

I should probably wrap this up and get to bed (even though it's only 9:55...see what's become of me?), but there's one thing that's been on my mind lately. I really am enjoying class and I know that just a few weeks of writing practice has already helped me improve, but I miss feeling live I'm living here. That was probably the most valuable part of my experience in Kaohsiung, and between classes, studying, and work, I'm not finding the time to explore and meet friends. Last week I was running late for a meeting so I hopped in a cab and realized that it was the first time in a while that I'd had a great conversation with a stranger. Classroom learning is always valuable, and it's certainly what I need to focus on at this stage, but I'm sad to see that other part slipping away. Maybe I can change that next term after I finish my classes, because I really don't feel like Taipei is my city right now. And I know that I've been biased, but I would hope that with the chance to really get to know the city, I could learn to find the same sort of things that I love about Kaohsiung.

"I'm a traveling man and I've made a lot of stops all over the world..."

2009-08-27T18:57:00.004+08:00

So maybe I haven't made a lot of stops all over the world as Ricky Nelson did, but I sure have been all over Taiwan! I'll start with my trip to Kaohsiung, which is where I left off last time.

On Saturday afternoon I headed to Taipei Main Station to catch a bus to Kaohsiung. The HSR gets you from the top of the island to the bottom in an hour and a half, but in my attempt to spend as little money as possible, I decided to take the bus. It's a five-hour ride, but it can actually be quite enjoyable if I make sure to bring my iPod and a book. I'm not a very experienced bus rider, so when I got to the bus station and I heard someone yell "Kaohsiung!", I jumped in the line. She told me I would be on the 12:30 bus and I naturally said that would be fine without stopping to check my watch. I hadn't eaten lunch so I wandered around the station looking for something to take with me, deciding on chicken curry from the Ok-mart since there wasn't much else available. It occurred to me as I was waiting for my curry to be heated that I should check my watch, at which point I discovered it was already 12:34. I ran up to the 4th floor but knew I was already too late, but because I still have my Lawrence student ID with me it was only 40NTD (just a little over 1USD) to reserve a spot on the next bus leaving 20 minutes later. It didn't turn out so bad since I didn't have to pay a huge extra fee and I had time to eat my lunch, but I was a little upset at myself for being so careless with the time. I had paid more for this particular bus than others, which also made me think that I should have shopped around a bit, but as soon as I got on the bus I realized it was worth it. The seats were extra comfy, reclining farther back than most with an extra cushion for your feet, and they even came complete with about 8 different massage settings! There was actually an attendant on the bus who provided us with blankets, snacks, and hot tea and coffee. She also came back to personally notify each passenger when their stop was coming up. Ever since living in Kaohsiung where I took the bus for about a half an hour each way to and from work, I really like taking the bus. I think I like it for the same reason I love driving back home: it gives me time to be alone with my thoughts. I read for a bit, then put on my iPod and drifted off to sleep. When I woke up it seemed that we were fairly close to Kaohsiung, and I kept peeking out the window, eager to see familiar signs that let me know we'd soon be in the city.

As soon as we were downtown, I started to feel an ache. The last time I felt that way was around last October/November when I realized that while all the students had gone back to Lawrence, I would never have another fall there as a student. I suddenly wanted very much to be back in last year, in the same apartment, about to start a new semester of teaching at Wenfu. I wasn't thinking about all the things I'll experience this year in Taipei, only that I was heart-broken to be away from my home in Taiwan.

As soon as I got to the train station, Peiwen and Shenrong were there to pick me up (along with a sleeping Yuki), and they already had a spot picked out for dinner. As I got in the car and we started chatting, it felt like I hadn't been gone that long. We got to the restaurant and ordered noodles, sweet potato rice, and scallop and turnip soup, the specialty. (If you're thinking that the soup sounds disgusting, I would agree, but I must also add that this "turnip" is not at all bitter, and tastes more like a very subtle flavored melon or squash...sound any better?) Yuki had woken up to eat dinner, but she was incredibly shy, just as if she were meeting me again for the first time. She started to talk to me a little more throughout dinner, although she still seemed to be deciding, but by the time we walked next door to have shaved ice for dessert, everything was back to normal.

We were all feeling pretty tired, so we went home after dinner and Peiwen showed me to my room. Yuki came along, climbing onto my bed to show me how comfy it was, and insisted on being the one to hand me the towel that Peiwen had grabbed for me. It was just about 10 o'clock or so, but I was exhausted, and we all went to bed after washing up.

The next morning I got up just as Shengrong and Yuki were bringing breakfast in. After we ate our saobing, a flaky kind of pancake stuffed with egg, tofu, meat, and vegetables, and drank our soybean milk, Peiwen suggested we call Julianna. I hadn't told her I would be coming, hoping to surprise her and avoid making her usually busy weekends even more hectic. She had just woken up right before I called and was shocked to hear from me, especially when I told her I was just down the street at Peiwen's. Steven, her 10-year old son, heard that she was talking to me and rushed over to say hi. He had only a half day of school on Wednesdays and Fridays as a 3rd grade student, so he'd stay in the office with me while Julianna was in class, and we'd play games or talk. Julianna said he had really missed me and was already saying how boring it'd be this year without me there in the office. Julianna and I talked a little bit more and agreed to meet later, after she had helped Steven with his homework. For the rest of the morning Yuki played her MoMo DVD (I believe MoMo is a human-sized caterpillar with 6 human friends who dance and sing with him? her?), showing me all her favorite songs and dances. When she got bored with that, she pulled out books, and Peiwen read to her. Yuki is one of my favorite subjects to photograph and she absolutely loves having her picture taken, so I pulled out my camera and started snapping away. Yuki realized what I was doing and wanted to see them all, so I surprised her by filming her instead. She thought the clip was really cool and asked to watch it again and again.

Shenrong went out to wash the car, and Yuki wandered out after him, giving Peiwen and me a chance to talk--Yuki gets upset when she can't be a part of our conversation, which happens whenever we talk about teaching, even if it's in Chinese. I was really happy to hear that the Fulbright program is going very smoothly this year, and that Peiwen is participating as a co-teacher this year. I was also very happy and equally shocked to hear that the Foundation was using the video of me teaching with Julianna during our mid-year evaluation as a model for co-teaching. There are quite a few logistical changes this year--despite the competitive interviewing process the applicant schools went through, the Bureau decided to have all 20 of them participate in the program. Since there are only 12 ETAs, participant schools have been separated into blocks, with 1 ETA assigned to each block. Therefore, instead of teaching at one school for the entire year, each ETA will work at 1 school for the first semester (or split their time between two schools), and at the partner school for the second semester. This year Wenfu will have an ETA second semester as it is already familiar with the co-teaching program. I also enjoyed hearing a little about each of the ETAs since I will be meeting them next week at the general Fulbright Orientation to be held in Taipei. Last year the Foundation asked ETAs and other grantees who were still in Taiwan to provide any helpful advice they could offer on getting around the island, settling in, and what they could expect in their year teaching in Taiwan. I now have the pleasure of being on the other side this year as a former grantee, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of the others from last year.

When we had all finished up our activities for the morning, we got ready to go to dim sum for lunch. Dim sum is becoming really popular in the States, probably because it's always an experience as snack-style dishes originating from Hong Kong whiz by your table in small carts that you flag down if you see something that you'd like. Common dishes include steamed and fried dumplings, many of which are stuffed with shrimp and leeks, shrimp rolls, steamed buns stuffed with sweet barbeque pork, sticky rice cakes stuffed with sesame paste, and larger dishes of vegetables, roasted duck, etc. For dessert you're likely to eat pudding, cold soups made with coconut and tapioca, and cakes made with red bean and green beans (nothing like the vegetable we eat in the States). It's been a while since I tried something that I thought twice about eating, so I figured it was time I gave in and tried chicken feet. I took the easy way out, taking a piece of the ankle instead of the claw. The flavor was good, but I have never really been a huge fan of eating things off the bone, and the chewy skin and lack of meat was hard to get past. At least I can say I've tried it, and I felt a bit better when Shenrong told me that he doesn't really like to eat them either.

After lunch we went back home and all laid down for an afternoon nap. I was still trying to overcome the time difference, and having woken up in the middle of the night, I was exhausted by that afternoon. I slept for a few hours and when I woke up it was time to eat again! Just as we were finshing dinner, Julianna called to say she'd be over soon. I was happy to see that Steven came with her, and he even gave me a hug, something that is unusual for many Taiwanese children. Julianna had brought me a surprise and wanted me to guess what it was, but Steven was too excited, and blurted out that it was eggplant. Julianna often took me to get my lunch in the last few months of school when the weather was extremely hot, and I would always, always get eggplant. She also brought a delicious vanilla cake with white chocolate and strawberries, and the three of us girls sat around talking about the program this year and my summer at home. We only had a couple of hours together before Julianna had to get home, but we arranged for me to go into Wenfu the next morning before I left to pack my things, and made plans for the next time I visit in a week or two to move Leo to his new home in Taipei.

After Julianna left, Peiwen, Shenrong, Yuki, and I took a walk down the street to the park near their house. Yuki had a great time sliding on the large stone slide, and it gave Peiwen and me more time to talk one-on-one. It had been so nice to spend time with her and Julianna again, and I was incredibly happy to know that things were going so well this year, but it all reminded me of what I would be missing this year. I always knew how special last year was, but I feel 10 times more lucky to have been a part of it now that it's ended. I absolutely loved living in Kaohsiung, but I specifically chose not to stay there so that I would learn to do new things on my own. I knew that it would be impossible to keep the exact same life, so why not push myself the extra distance. I was having a hard time dealing with it at the time, and it was nice to be able to talk to Peiwen about it since she is one of my closest friends from last year. I remember one day last year she called me during the school day and I couldn't return her call until later. I had asked if anything was the matter, if anything needed to be done for school, and she said it was just that she had been having a bad day at school and she always felt better after talking to me. Sunday night was kind of like that for me, and I'm so glad she was there.

We did get to talk for a while, but we had to be careful to let Yuki know we hadn't forgotten about her. At the young age of 3, Yuki is already a great performer; she'd stick her arm straight up and wave when she got to the top of the slide as if to signal to us that she was ready to begin. When she got to the bottom she'd run over and shake our hands like we were fans whom she'd never met before and thank us for coming to support her. She always went to Peiwen first, telling her how pretty she was and that she hoped they could become very good friends, and then she'd turn shyly to me. She'd look back and forth between Peiwen and me and finally ask Peiwen who her friend was. Yuki likes to change her name to match the main characters of her favorite TV shows, and she accordingly calls Peiwen and Shenrong by the names of her character's friends. Although I have spent quite a bit of time with their family, I'm not a routine presence, so Yuki struggled to find a name for me all weekend. That night she told me I could be Keke. It's one of the best nicknames I've ever been given.

When we got home that night Yuki asked when I would be back to Kaohsiung. I told her I wasn't sure but it would be very soon, and she asked if I could live with them again. Peiwen was surprised that she was so direct about telling me that she wanted me to stay; Yuki is always very affectionate, but she often gets shy around anyone other than her parents. I went upstairs to use the computer and she came into the room, pretending to write homework and take tests while I wrote emails and did some budgeting. Peiwen told me I would always be welcome to stay in their home, even if I had my own plans for when I came. Again, it's hard to express how touched I was, and very lucky that not only did I have an invitation to stay, but an invitation to be part of the family while I was there.

I went in to school with Peiwen on Monday morning and it was wonderful. I said hello to the directors and even saw some of my students who were there for summer camps. The principal walked by with one of the Bureau of Education board members, who was more stunned tha the rest to see me there. I hope my presence there in the office that morning on the day the school was preparing to welcome the new ETAs spoke to how important the program is for all parties who participate. Very few of the Bureau members got to see us in action at our schools since the Bureau's focus last year was on English Village, and as a result I think they sometimes doubted our commitment to the program. And while it's true that we were less excited about teaching at English Village, it was only because we saw what an impact we could have at our individual schools because we had the time to foster relationships with our students and the other staff (as opposed to having all 5th graders in the city go to EV where they spend a total of maybe 10 minutes with a foreign teacher who they'll never see again). Principal Huang reminded me to give him a call if I ever needed a ride from the HSR station when I came to Kaohsiung and come back whenever I wanted. Many of them asked if I could stay through the afternoon when the ETAS would visit, but I had to meet Nini to finish boxing up the things I had stored at her house to prepare for the move this weekend.

Peiwen dropped me off at the MRT station so I could meet Nini for lunch and packing. Her mom made delicious curry for lunch, and then supervised our packing. I guess it turns out you always need a mom for these things--she reminded us to write numbers on all of the boxes so that none would go missing during the move. Since my things were already organized, they just needed to be placed in boxes, it was a fairly quick process, and Nini and I went to meet her friends at the Chinese doctor in the afternoon. The doctor listened to their pulse on each of their wrists, asked them questions about how any trouble they might have been having lately based on what he heard, and then wrote a prescription with many different dried flowers, roots, vegetables, etc. that would be measured out and wrapped as large paper packages. Each day they would need to boil the entire contents of one until it produced a certain amount of liquid that they could drink. I tried Chinese medicine last year and struggled with the taste and the texture of the powder that I had to dissolve on my tongue, so I don't go often. (I do really like acupuncture, though--no yucky tastes involved). The consultation with the doctor is free, you only pay for the medicine, so Nini and her friends encouraged me to give it a try. I expected he would tell me that I was in shambles since I was still struggling to find a normal sleep pattern, but he said I'm pretty healthy. He did tell me that it would be better for my body not to eat or drink icy/cold things, but there's no way I'm giving that up.

Nini took me to run a few errands afterward, and we headed to the Cultural Center since I'm most familiar with that area and know exactly where to go. I stopped by 7-11 to use the ATM there since I know it works, and said hi to the clerks who I came to know very well there. While I was talking to one of them, a guard from my old apartment building walked past, and stopped in his tracks when he saw me. I jumped up and down and started waving, and I swear his smile was just as big as mine. He was the guard on duty when I left for the airport, so he welcomed me back and brought me next door. Rebekah, one of this years ETAs, was sitting outside in the courtyard and he insisted on introducing me. She recognized me right away from the teaching video they watched (I couldn't believe it!), and I had heard about her as well since she is the most experienced Chinese learner in the group. We discovered that we have a common acquaintance from Lawrence, and I learned that she's living in my old room! She invited me up to check it out and meet the other 3 roommates who were at home. She was on her way out with Grace, another ETA, and Fonda, who assumed Amanda's position from last year as life coordinator/angel, but it was so nice to meet them that I couldn't help but go up to meet the others. As soon as Kevin answered the door he, too, recognized me, as did Carol and Kelly when they came out from their rooms. It was so nice to meet them--it's hard to explain, but it's sort of like meeting someone who you've never met before but somehow how have a lot in common with. I only talked with Carol for a few minutes before she went to go meet some of the others, but she hugged me when she left, and though it may seem silly, it meant a lot. I told them I'd see them in about a week when we all go to Taipei for the orientation, and I really can't wait to meet the rest of them. Kevin told me I was always welcome to stay and I was incredibly touched.

By the time I left the apartment, the guards had changed shifts and I was able to say hello to my absolute favorite guard from last year (he always teased me about Noah). I realized that I didn't have to be sad about not living in Kaohsiung anymore. I'll always have last year's memories, but even if I had stayed in Kaohsiung, it just wouldn't be the same. It's time for this year's group to experience everything that I loved about being in the program. And I get to look forward to the next time when I'm able to go back to visit some of my favorite people and places.

I was so excited from my time with the ETAs that when I ran around the corner to buy dinner at one of my favorite places, I immediately started blabbing to the two foreigners in front of me. They seemed to fit the descriptions I'd heard of a few others and so I was certain they were ETAs. When I said "You must be two of the new ETAs!" they smiled and the girl laughed, so I just assumed they recognized me too and couldn't believe I just appeared out of nowhere. Well, turns out they are not ETAs (although they were from Milwaukee--it really is a small world), which I learned when I blabbered on and they told me they weren't here with a program. I then had to explain why I was acting so spastic, which probably only made me seem more spastic, and although the guy invited me to have dinner with them, I'm pretty sure the girl was at least a little relieved that I said I couldn't stay. I was still too happy to be embarassed, so I wished them a good year (after telling them what to eat, ha), and then jumped on Nini's scooter so we could head back to catch my bus.

The company with a stop around the corner from Nini's house was running some sort of special, and the ticket was ridiculously cheap. I took my seat, Nini helped cram my overnight bag, dinner, and the fall painting I bought last year that I was taking back to Taipei all around me in the little space that I had, and reminded the bus driver where I was to get off (she always worries). I didn't get back to Taipei until 1am, and I had to go to NTNU the next morning at 8 for registration.

There's still more to tell, but my eyes are starting to blur, and I'm already wearing my glasses, so I know I must be really tried. Tomorrow's the last day of training and it ends a bit earlier, so I'll plan on writing more then.

1: Movin' on up!

2009-08-27T00:03:00.003+08:00

After a short summer visit to the States I am back in Taiwan. I arrived at 6:30am this past Tuesday, and thankfully Noah was there to lug my significantly overweight 70-lb bag up and down the steps of the train station (I got away with carrying the 30-lb one!). I managed to haul it backward up the stairs of his apartment building and immediately headed for the shower. I had slept pretty well on the plane, and I was a little disappointed to find that despite feeling exhausted, I wasn’t really ready to sleep. I was very excited to be in Taiwan again, but the unfamiliarity of my first trip from the airport to the train station to the apartment left me feeling a little nervous. I tried to remind myself that although “I’m back”, things will be different for me this year. I no longer have 11 awesome people to share in the experience, and the people and places that I’m most familiar with--the main reason why I was so excited to be back again--are mostly in Kaohsiung. Beginnings always excite me more than they scare me, but the in-between stage is always the most difficult. I hate the in between.

I got right to work planning the details of this coming week; I had nothing scheduled until registration for classes on Tuesday, but my plans to spend the weekend with Noah changed when his visa trip was moved up to Thursday. It turned out to be a great thing, because I called Nini, my host sister from last year, and made plans to go to Kaohsiung this weekend. We have some more packing to do before the movers can take everything on Tuesday (Nini was kind enough to help me move all of my things to her house for storage this summer and has been working with the movers to arrange all the details of the move), and I thought a trip back to Kaohsiung might be a good way to reintroduce myself to Taiwan. I called Peiwen, a co-worker from Wenfu and one of my best friends, to let her know that I would be coming this weekend and would love to see her and Yuki, her adorable little girl. It was so good to hear her voice, and when she asked me to stay with her for the weekend I was thrilled!

By the time Noah came home from work I felt better about knowing what I needed to do and when, and I was more relaxed. We went to a little shop around the corner for a late dinner (one thing that hasn’t changed--it’s nice to have those little bits of consistency), and ate three of my Taiwanese "comfort foods". Of course we needed a little adventure, so Noah looked up the way into the city where my training would be and wanted to take me that night on his scooter so I’d know where to go. We made it about halfway and then realized that the highway we needed to take is closed to scooters, so we drove around the city and gave me a little tour of a few of the more scenic spots. Having had a good first day and feeling better about my plans for the weekend, I worked on tackling the question of getting to Taipei for registration.

Just before I left Taiwan in July, I spent a day in Taipei looking for a new apartment. I immediately loved both the room and the roommates of the first apartment I looked at, and I came back that night to take the room. The dates for registration and training preceded my official move-in date, but my roommates all welcomed me to move some of my things in and crash in the living room if I needed a place to stay. Since I had the invitation, I decided that before I left for Kaohsiung I’d take the HSR (High Speed Rail) to Taipei to drop off my biggest/heaviest piece of luggage, and then pack what I’d need for the other days I would be traveling around. I would come back to Taipei for a day after my visit to Kaohsiung so that I could register for my classes, but then I’d have to go back to Hsinchu (the major city outside of which Noah lives) for my three days of teacher training. So with separate piles for Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Hsinchu, I headed off to Taipei.

I first got to Taipei on Thursday night and was welcomed by Andy, Fanfan, and Yumi, my new roommates. Yumi had plans to say goodbye to some friends who were leaving Taiwan this past weekend and invited me along. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep for a while and thought dancing for a few hours might help, so I decided to go. I met a few of her close friends, and even found a good friend in another girl who, like me, was brought along by her friends. The music got better throughout the night and we were having a great time dancing, so we stayed out longer we planned. I thought for sure I would sleep well into the morning, but when I woke up and saw it was only 6am, I realized it would take a few days to shake off the 2-6am sleep schedule. I figured that it was late enough to start the day around 8, so I pulled out a little map of Taipei with a few suggestions of places to see. I found the section located near my neighborhood and decided on an alley with shops selling home goods and decorative pieces that would take me past NTNU (National Taiwan Normal University) where I’ll be studying.

Most of my roommates were at work when I came out from Yumi’s room, but Fanfan’s new teaching position doesn’t start until next week, so we got to know each other a little. She made a great breakfast/early lunch of sautéed beef with onions, carrots, garlic and white rice, and we talked about books and movies that we thought the other might like (she had asked me to bring her back a book by Paulo Coelho who is also one of my favorite authors). After the meal, Fanfan left to accompany her movie-critic friend to a review, and after doing the dishes, I was out of excuses to stay in. I grabbed my little map and headed out to explore my new neighborhood.

The little shortcut Andy showed me to get to the main road is easy enough, and as soon I came out from the ally I saw that there was a MyPhone just across the street. I took it as a good sign since one of the first things on my list to do was pay my phone bill. Having crossed one thing off my list just 5 minutes out the door, I had a little swing in my step and I felt a little more excited. I stopped at the ATM to take out money since I had been unable to do so at another ATM the night before, only to find that my U.S. card still wasn’t working. I’d made sure to let my bank know overseas transactions should be expected, had even called again before I left the apartment that morning, and had never had this problem in Kaohsiung, so I started to get a little nervous. I went to a few more banks with no luck, so I finally went in and asked the very helpful staff about the problem. They all did their very best to refer me to other more international banks, telling me to come back if I still couldn’t manage, and on my way to one of those banks, I found one a few blocks away from my house that can read my card. Relieved that I could pay my tuition and realizing I wasn’t too out of practice, I set out on the wandering part of my day. I passed the Wellcome (yes, with two l's), which Fanfan had told me was the closest grocery store, so I went in to take a look and was very impressed. It has a ton of fresh produce and meat, something that was a little more difficult to find nearby in Kaohsiung. I can also shop for everything else there as well, and it felt so nice to know that I would have a reliable go-to store for the year.

I continued on my way, stopping at the university next to find the building where I’d need to go on Tuesday. I looked for the street I had read about in my map book, but I was having a little trouble finding. I asked for directions a few times, making sure I was heading in the right direction since I seemed to be wandering into neighborhoods, and I stopped to cool off at a small park. It turned out the street wasn’t too far away at all, it just wasn’t the main road that it appeared to be on the map. I found a quaint-looking shop with windows filled with stained-glass lamps, silky-looking pillow covers and other pretty pieces, so I wandered in to have a look. The store owner was very friendly and helped me look through her very interesting collection of teacups and coffee mugs. I decided to buy one each for Yumi and Fanfan since they had been so welcoming and helpful. It was also nice to make my first addition to the apartment’s dinnerware collection.

When I came home, Fanfan came out to ask me about my day and offered to pick up some dinner for us on her way back from an errand. I offered to go with her so that I could see the area for myself and had a couple of hours together to talk about teaching, my time in China, and cultural differences. I had dumplings for dinner, something I was very happy to taste again, and on the walk back she showed me the other Wellcome that’s even closer to home.

When Fanfan and I got back Andy was rocking out to Celine Dion while packing his things, Yumi came back shortly after with her friend who was visiting from Malaysia, and I finally got to meet Danny, the fourth roommate who is coincidentally from Maryland. It was nice to have the kitchen traffic that naturally happens since all rooms branch off from that central room. Andy wanted to go out for a drink, and with half of my things still at Noah’s (including my makeup and most of my going-out outfits), Andy did his best to fix me up. He tried out a Cleopatra look that was a little too much for significantly pale me, and I tried my best to stand still as he attacked me with a mascara wand which he used both to apply my mascara and my “eyeliner”, a very painful process involving scraping the brush against my eyelids and then pulling the mom-move of removing what he didn’t like by licking his thumb and smearing it across my face. When he was satisfied with the final result and I was happy that my eyelids were still intact, we went to Ximen, a favorite outdoor hangout for the city’s young gay population. We chatted with his friends for a while and then headed to Fresh, Andy’s favorite bar. It was pretty empty for a Friday night, but it gave me a chance to talk more with Andy and Vincent, the adorable bartender who happened to be from Kaohsiung! I’m telling you…Kaohsiung is just that great. After my second drink and Andy’s fifth (or something like that), we headed home. On the way to the taxi we stopped at Yoshinoya, the 24-hour fast food Japanese restaurant to get Andy a midnight snack, which he insisted on feeding me in the back of the taxi. Bumpy taxi plus drunken roommate handling chopsticks equals an incredibly fun eating experience!

The long day plus the two-hour chat that followed in Yumi’s room as we settled into our beds helped me sleep a little longer than usual despite the jetlag. As soon as I woke up I got started on this right away, eager to tell you all about what is just the beginning of the second half of my adventures in Taiwan. I was in the middle of writing when I had to leave for Kaohsiung, and since Monday night when I left to go back to Taipei, everything has been a whirlwind. I still have plenty more to tell, but I just finished my first day of teachers' training. I have another long day tomorrow and again on Friday, but now that I am almost completely adjusted to Taiwan time, I am hoping that a good night’s sleep will give me enough energy to finish writing tomorrow. For now I’ll stop here. I’ve added a few of the pictures from my last few days in Taiwan before I left Kaohsiung at the beginning of July until I find my first big photo op!

晚安！Goodnight!

10

2009-05-23T22:23:00.004+08:00

It's always startling when someone asks me how long I've been in Taiwan so far and I realize that I have to add another month to my count. Somewhere around 7 months I understood just how long I'd been gone from home. Another month passed and I changed my response to 8, but I seemed to have skipped over nine altogether and just realized today that I'm in my 10th month. In fact, I'm almost done with my 10th month.

On Friday Julianna drove me to get a lunchbox (rice and whatever meat and veggies you choose from the many dishes they have prepared that day) and then treated Yating, another teacher, and me to bubble tea. Yating was napping in our shared office when we got back to school, so Julianna and I went to the English classroom to have lunch and chat. She pushed two desks together so that they were facing each other--it was our own little table for two. Julianna is so much fun to talk to because she's a co-worker, a friend, and a mom all rolled into one. She went to grad school in the States so it's very easy to compare American and Taiwanese culture with her, and we find that we usually have very similar opinions on things. I always look forward to lunch time when I get to chat with her, but I especially look forward to the extra hour after school when we grade together or just chat without the interruption of the many things that happen during school hours. Friday's lunch wasn't anything too out of the ordinary, but I think it was just one of those days after a really long week when I felt really glad to have Julianna/Nicki time. As we were driving to get lunch we were talking about her children and she suddenly said "I really hope I get to see your children!" She added that it would probably be another 10 years or so, but still, she'd really like to know them. I was incredibly touched--it was probably one of the sweetest things I've heard.

Tonight I went on what has become a pretty routine Saturday night stroll around the Cultural Center. Shana's grandma came down from Taipei to visit her before she goes back to the States in a few weeks, and she took us out to the Korean restaurant for dinner. Shana and I along with the rest of the ETAs spent the whole day (9am-5:30pm) filming our year-end project, and it was nice to relax for a while.

On the way to the restaurant we passed the shop where my friend Kinki works, and it happened that she was working tonight! I used to see her all the time when I passed by, but it's been months since we've seen one another. She was really surprised to see me, and it just so happened that our friend Jessi, who studies in Tainan, was back in Kaohsiung for the weekend. Jessi had run out to get dinner and I was afraid I was going to miss her, but it turned out that we had a 20 minute wait at the restaurant, and I was able to chat while we waited. Jessi told me that she has a pet hedgehog now too! Hers was born this February, one year after Leo, so he's just a baby. I gave her some friendly mommy hedgehog advice, and we made plans to have one big get together with everyone after their final exams before I head back to the States.

Dinner was delicious, especially since we hadn't been there since December, but we were so full after! We took a walk around the Cultural Center, stopping to buy gifts to take back home. A nice man selling interestingly oval-shaped flute-like instruments taught me how to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." I had quite a crowd going. We continued on, stopping to peek at the jewelry, trying on rings, bracelets, and necklaces. We finally stopped and special ordered the bracelet that Shana's been wanting ever since I first showed her the stand. About half-way around, Shana and her grandma headed home, but I continued on to say hello to some friends I've made from my frequent visits. I also just like the atmosphere. White lights fill the sidewalks, families with their babies and mini dogs stroll along the tables, and there's almost always a cool breeze even though I am inevitably sticky by the time I make it back home. Tonight I stopped to say hello to Emma, a girl just a few years older than me, who makes intricate leather bookmarks, bracelets, wallets, etc. with etches of various colors and designs. Last time I stopped by to say hi I met her brother Steven, a little guy of just 8 (almost 9, he told me tonight) years. As I was about to say goodbye tonight, he came over looking kind of down. I could tell right away that he's definitely a personality--a good talker, quick with a sense of humor. He's willing to talk to me a bit in English, but tonight we used mostly Chinese. He's very curious, asking me many insightful questions about what I think of America and Taiwan. He's surprisingly very well-informed about life in America, and knows a lot about religion. We talked about differences in Christianity, Catholicism, and Buddhism tonight. We also talked about pets, and he told me about a special kind of gray crab that he bought at a store. He was also very interested in my experience as frog and hedgehog owner. We were getting pretty technical, and I found myself struggling for the correct words in Chinese, but he was patient and filled them in for me as I went along. We talked until his sister packed up her table and was ready to go home. I told him I wanted to bring my holiday Snoopy videos and my computer next weekend so we could watch together. Steven stays with Emma from about 4:40-10pm on Saturdays while she sells her crafts, and he tells me the problem is not getting tired, but fighting the boredom. Spending time with him was so much fun--it reminded me a lot of my cousin Jaq, who at the age of 10 (he's now maybe 13), had become one of my absolute favorite people to spend time with. Steven was really disappointed when Emma said that they wouldn't be there next weekend because she has a performance on Sunday to prepare for, but he seemed to perk up a bit when she invited me to come watch. I left her my number so she could tell me when she had a ticket for me.

One of the things Julianna asked me on Friday was whether or not I would write a book to share my experience in Taiwan with others who might not understand it as well. I was a little surprised by the question, but soon remembered that I originally started my now neglected blog for this purpose. As I mentioned before, I started writing much less after I felt that my life had become routine; my day-to-day activities in Taiwan are not that far from what I might do if I were home. I told Julianna I wouldn't really know what to write about anymore--when she asked me what things my American friends and family might find most shocking about Taiwan I had to think for a while. I felt a little disappointed that I could no longer write captivating accounts of my life here. But my encounters over the past few days have made me see how amazing it is that I do live a standard life in Taiwan. As a foreigner it's easy to spot all the things that seem odd or even plain wrong. It's not necessarily easy to find life-long friends or to find that by going back to one home, you're leaving another.

I've decided to come back to Taiwan in the fall, although I will be living in Taipei and not Kaohsiung. It makes me incredibly excited to think about all the reasons I'll have for visiting Kaohsiung--my friends and family away from home, my students who will be graduating 6th graders, having a meal at my favorite restaurant and browsing my favorite stores, the owners of which all know me well. I'll be happy to be back home for a short summer visit, but I'm equally happy to know that I get to come back for another year.

what's goin' on?

2009-04-06T22:34:00.006+08:00

It's been a while since I've written and I think it's about time...

I suppose things became more routine after the start of the new semester. Things got crazy busy at school, and I found myself participating in the 50 million competitions that Wenfu is involved in (ok, ok, only 3...but still). I think I also became a little bit more ambitious, and have started to plan more exciting activities that involve a bit more preparation. I have a few new students this semester, one of whom is an American. She happens to be in one of the homeroom classes that I teach, so I've gotten to know her quite well. We usually work on Chinese math together, which is actually incredibly fun since I get to practice Chinese and tutor in a subject other than English. I've also gotten to know her mother since she comes to school often, and a few weeks ago I was invited to their house for dinner. They have a family of 10 counting all kids and parents, and 8 of them are here in Taiwan, so it was a very cozy dinner. It was really nice to be with an American family eating something you could easily eat on any day of the week in the States--bread, salad, veggies, and chicken parmesan. I have also started tutoring a very cute 5 year-old boy who is in kindergarten at the Kaohsiung American School. Last semester I was taking Chinese, but it was really just 2 hours or so of class a week with no homework. I am now meeting once a week for 2-3 hours with a local professor who has her PhD in Chinese literature. I do a lot more work on my own, which is a really good thing. It's almost exactly how I took Chinese tutorials in my last year or so at Lawrence.

The biggest news I have recently is my decision to apply for a Taiwan Ministry of Education scholarship to study Chinese in Taiwan for one year. The deadline just passed on March 31 so I will have to wait for a bit before I know. If I do get the scholarship, I will hopefully be studying at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei. They have a Mandarin Training Center with a lot of great courses including traditional language classes and cultural classes like tea ceremony, Taiwanese cooking, and maybe the class that I'm most excited to take: Taiwanese. I'd be starting in the fall, and would have about a month and a half or so at home in the States before I had to come back. I'm hoping that if I do stay, I'm able to pack up my things quickly, find a place to keep them for the time that I'm gone, and have an apartment all lined up. That way, I can be home for as long as possible. I have a lot of people to visit in a short period of time!

I've gone on some cool trips recently to southern Taiwan, and I'd like to write about them soon, but for now I'll leave this as word of what I've been up to. Send emails if you need to procrastinate for a few minutes throughout the day! I'd love to hear from you all!

Winter Vacation Part 1: Australia!

2009-02-17T22:32:00.012+08:00

I've uploaded pictures from my trip to both Australia and Japan onto Facebook. I've included the links below for your viewing pleasure.

Australia:

Around Sydney
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022710&id=49200032&l=33549

Blue Mountains Tour
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022709&id=49200032&l=6ddd7

Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022711&id=49200032&l=0b039

Japan:

Tokyo
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022712&id=49200032&l=71958

Imperial Gardens, Nijo Castle, Fushimi-Inari Shrine
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022713&id=49200032&l=fa35d

Ginkakuji Temple and Kiyomizu Temple
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022715&id=49200032&l=201fd

Tenryuji Temple and The Golden Pavilion
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022714&id=49200032&l=3f3e5

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I’m in Australia! I am currently under the covers of my very comfy twin bed in the very cute twin room that Shana and I are sharing. We are in the small town of Cairns, having just arrived late yesterday evening from Sydney. Today was so amazing that I was totally inspired to start on this blog entry, despite the fact that I am weeks (by now about a month) behind
on my usual entries.

Let’s start from Day 1. We left on Tuesday, January 21 around 4 am to make our early morning flight first to Hong Kong and then to Sydney. The flight to Hong Kong was a short hour and a half, but it was 9 hours before we got to Sydney. The first flight wasn’t bad at all, except I was sitting next to a woman with morning breath (understandably so, I suppose, it being 6:30 am and all) who kept hitting me. She was a very petite woman so I didn’t quite understand what the problem was (it clearly wasn’t space), but it was a little frustrating. AND THEN on the long flight I was next to a lanky tall Swedish guy who couldn’t keep his body parts to himself. Not only was his arm on the arm rest, it was also over it and in my space for a great deal of the trip. Once I got an elbow in my armpit. The funny thing is, he never once said anything to me. Huh. I had also woken up that morning with a killer sore throat, one which I feared would turn into a full blown cold, and it did. The sore throat went away in a few days, but I stayed a runny, coughy mess for the rest of our time in Sydney.

I was really frazzled when we got to Australia. We were riding in a car driving on the wrong side of the road, people were speaking English, and there were good-looking guys everywhere. I felt really idiotic, and I would like to blame it on the fact that my ears were clogged (they were, but it wasn’t the only source of the problem), but I was having a hard time understanding people. I had to ask the cute concierges to repeat their questions, and usually I think I ended up with a defeated look on my face, shaking my head, and saying “I’m sorry, I can’t understand you.” Not only is inflection different in Australian English, but many phrases are unique and more British styled. Shana seemed to understand everything, which only made me feel like a bigger idiot. I was happy to hear this week when being interviewed for private tutoring that the employer had talked to a few other people, but found that it was hard to understand them, especially the Australian! Hah! Ok, back to the first night…We found a convenient store right away and stocked up and water and cold medicine for me. We started planning our agenda for our first three days in Sydney, and found ourselves quite hungry, so we ordered midnight room service. We sat on the bench at the end of our beds, our legs dangling in front of the lovely little white-clothed cart complete with a single daisy, watching I Love Lucy and eating our huge plates of pasta.

We decided to get a little bit of a later start on our second day to make sure we were well-rested. We went downstairs to book our tours, walked a few blocks to the Botanical Gardens, and spent a few hours there. It was absolutely beautiful in the gardens, but it was incredibly hot, and we both felt worn out pretty quickly. After we looped around the water edge to take a few pictures with the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge in the background, we went back to the hotel for some air conditioning and a nap. I had fallen asleep before the Inauguration was broadcasted the night before, so we watched the rerun of President Obama’s speech as we dozed off. After we woke up from our 20-minute-turned-2-hour nap we took the bus to Bondi Beach on the other side of town. The weather had started to cool off, but it was only because rain clouds were rolling in, and we had about 20 minutes on the beach before it started to rain. We headed up to the shops and found a cute little pizza place where we ordered Margarita pizzas. We ordered a Fanta and a Coke, and Shana introduced me to Spezi (a mixture of the two sodas), which she drank quite often during her year abroad in Italy. We asked for a third glass and carefully mixed the sodas together until we felt the proportion was just right.

After we polished off our pizzas we browsed the stores, stopping in a sort of hippie beach store to try on sun dresses, and The Sunglass Hut. I had left my cheap, scratched sunglasses in Taiwan, and decided that our special trip to sunny Australia called for my first serious sunglasses purchase (funny that it was raining that afternoon). The store was about to close to so I thought it might be used best as a preview to what I might be looking for, but we asked the saleswoman for her opinion and she picked out a cute pair of dark red Ralph Lauren frames. I tried on a few other pairs that weren’t bad, but they were all boring brown, and it was clear that the red pair was it. Unfortunately, we discovered that everything in and around Sydney closes before 7pm, and so after stopping by the Harbor for some night shots, we returned to the hotel. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Sydney had great TV, something we’ve been missing in Taiwan, and were just in time for a mini House marathon.

On Day 3 we took our official tour. We had to be downstairs at the ungodly hour of 8 am to be picked up for our trip to the Blue Mountains. We started with a small wildlife park, home to many koalas, kangaroos, a very large crocodile, and my new favorite, wombats! All I could think about was getting to “cuddle up to a koala,” the phrase used in just about every brochure that offered a “koala encounter.” The wildlife park was great, but I was a little scared to get too close to the animals. The koalas were incredibly cute, but very sleepy and not as cuddly as you might think. Apparently they sometimes kick with their back legs and/or pee on you, so I tried to keep a bit of a distance when taking my picture with them. As for the kangaroos, we'd been told that we could scratch the kangaroo under the chin and near their armpits while we were feeding them, but be sure not to touch their ears unless we wanted to be punched or kicked into unconsciousness. As you can see from the pictures, I was a little hesitant at first about the whole feeding thing, but it turned out to be quite fun (until the emus came over and started pecking with their ginormous beaks).

After lunch we took took the world's steepest rail car down into the rain forest to get a view of the Blue Mountains. We walked for about an hour or so along the paths, and then took a tram back up the mountain. We drove up the mountain a little further for a closer view of the three stone peaks, and then went on a bush walk. There were a few different path options, but I think we all opted for the one that would not have any snakes--our tour guide assured us that we were quite likely to encounter quite a few on other routes.

On the way down the mountain we stopped at Alleuria, a very quaint town with a Christmas shop, an old-fashioned candy store, and a few cute shops. Shana and I made stops at the first two places, and then wandered into an antique store hidden a bit back on a stone alley. I found a cute tie-dyed dress that I used for a cover-up in Cairns, and a very unique ring that I have been wearing since I bought it. I seldom buy rings because the desire to wear them passes quickly, but this one is different. I've gotten a lot of compliments on it too. The metal seems to be having some sort of reaction, and it's turning my finger green, but I still love it!

Shana and I were pooped when we got back from our tour, and we flopped down on our beds and immediately scoped out the TV situation. We got hooked on Don't Forget the Lyrics, and finally dragged ourselves off our beds when we decided that we were hungry and soon would be too lazy to move at all for the rest of the night. We decided on a fast food dinner of Hungry Jack's (that's Burger King in Australia), and returned for some more quality TV watching. Later that night after I had showered I went into the bathroom to throw something away. I wasn't going to be in there for long, so I didn't bother to turn on the lights. Big mistake. Water always leaked under the shower door, and the marble floor was still quite wet from when I had showered. I walked in with purpose, hit the puddle, and wiped out. I mean totally wiped out. My right foot flew up in the air, followed by my left, and then all of my limbs flailed as I started falling. There was nothing to grab on to and I knew I was going down hard. Luckily, my butt broke my fall. Shana heard a thud, but was kind enough to ask if I wanted her to come in or not. I needed a few seconds to regain myself, so I tried my best to play it off, and brush it off. My pjs were soaked, but I decided to stay on the floor for a bit while I uttered "oww, owww, ohhh, owww." And then I broke into laughter, which didn't help with the bruised tailbone.

I anticipated the Bridge Climb the next day to be more than unbearable given my wipe out, but it wasn't so bad at all. We scheduled our climb for 9:50 am, and as we walked over to the bridge, it seemed like the relatively early morning hour hadn't helped. The wind started blowing just as we began our climb up the pylons, saving us from extreme heat. They had advised us to wear only underwear under our protective suits, and we were each equipped with a hat, bands to hold our sunglasses around our necks, and two wet bandannas worn around our wrists to keep us cool. We ended up having a great climb "family," meeting two very cute older couples from Scotland and the UK. We also met a really sweet girl from Germany who had been working in Australia as an au pair (I love that she said "au pair"--totally reminded me of the ABC Family movie), and was soon on her way to New Zealand for more traveling. Our tour guide Michelle was spunky, fun, sweet, and encouraged posing in all of our pictures. She made the trip super fun, not rushing us, and chatting with us the whole way. It was a really memorable way to end our time in Sydney. After the climb we stopped at a cafe across from the hotel for an amazing lunch (I had a chicken sandwich and the most amazing banana smoothie), and then we went to Pitt Street for some shopping. I was so excited to find sales everywhere, which was even more perfect since clothes for the fall and winter were coming out, and I was able to buy some really great summer outfits for my remaining time in Taiwan. I got some really cute Gladiator sandals, as Shana and I call them, peep-toe flats for teaching, and some really nice skirts and tops. We made a quick stop at the Health Club in the hotel to clean up before we headed to the airport for our flight to Cairns.

Just when I was starting to get over my cold, Shana started coming down with one herself. We were both pretty miserable on the plane to Cairns last night, although we tried to make it better by having some fun in the airport while we waited to begin boarding. We bought banana bread and a chocolate croissant, eager to get our fill of baked goods, and browsed a cute shop called Witchery.

The flight did have its ups, namely watching The Duchess and having Indian food for dinner. Apparently Australian airlines aren’t as cheap as those in the U.S. and are still willing to feed you over normal dining hours. The Butter Chicken was quite delicious, actually. When we reached the taxi queue a very funny thing happened: there were absolutely no taxis in sight. It took a little bit, but one company finally caught on and called its men out to pick up the groups of people waiting. We had a really great cabbie who gave us plenty of tips on things to do in Cairns.

When we arrived at the hotel, we met Ian (note his name isn't really Ian, but I forgot it after the first night, never rediscovered it, and will therefore name him after the character mentioned below), the really sweet concierge who looks stunningly similar to the leading guy who plays Amanda Bynes’ love interest in What a Girl Wants. The hotel has kind of a beachy feel with a great view, not quite as upscale as the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Sydney, but one that is quite nice and feels incredibly cozy at the same time. We got cleaned up and spent some time looking at brochures on snorkeling, rafting, dining, tours, etc. We were both ready to drop off, with the long, hot day of climbing, shopping, and traveling, and decided that today would be a day for sleeping in--we wanted to be well-rested for our snorkeling trip, probably the thing we’ve been looking forward to the most. I woke up at 9 feeling pretty good, but Shana was even worse. I went down and met Michael, the other concierge, and booked our snorkeling tour for our last full day in Australia. I had been more excited to go white-water rafting than Shana, so I booked a half-day afternoon trip for myself, and then headed out to the local grocery store to stock up on drinks and cold medicine for Shana, and rafting gear and lunch for myself.

After lunch I left Shana in bed, watching the Aussie teen surf romance marathon that I discovered that morning browsing through the channels in bed. She was a bit delirious; however, she managed a weak but genuine conversation before I left. It went something like “I hope you meet the love of your life...I have to be out of commission for a purpose.”

The rafting trip was wonderful! The Foaming Fury van came to pick me up a little after 2, and I was greeted by Magnus, an incredibly good-looking guy who informed me he would be my guide for the day (I thought Shana might have actually been on to something). The bus was pretty full, so I got to sit up front near the guides and was able to chat with them a bit. They were all very young and tons of fun, and I knew the trip was going to be great. When we got off the bus and suited up, I noticed that four of the people were speaking very clear Mandarin. I got really excited since I’ve felt that I haven’t spoken Chinese in forever (it’s only been 5 days—quite a short period of time, but one that makes me feel excited given that it shows how comfortable I am with speaking the language), and couldn’t help but ask where they were from. It turns out they were from Taiwan, so I got SUPER excited and told them about the Fulbright. We got caught up in talking, and when the guides told us to split into groups of 5, it was obvious that we were a perfect fit. It’s probably a good thing too, because they only understood a little English, and any 5th person might have felt out of the loop. I sat at the front of the raft both for language and maneuvering purposes. Magnus, the first guide whom I met, took us on as his group, and I was excited to actually raft with him. He was very patient, which was much needed considering I was probably the strongest of the passengers and the only one who could really understand what he was saying.

We went over three or four major Class 3 rapids, all of which were a lot of fun. It was ridiculously hot outside, so I welcomed every patch of white water as it meant I was likely to get soaked. After we got over the major rapids at one point, we steered ourselves toward the side of the river to wait for the other rafts to come down. Magnus asked if I could move to the other side and sit at the front of the raft to keep it against the rocks. I scooted over, sat down, and the next thing I know I was sliding over the side of the raft. I felt my butt go first, then my thighs, and then all of a sudden my feet were over my head and I was falling in. It all happened very quickly and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it except laugh. I’m sure it looked hilarious, but when I came up, all of my new friends were gasping and asking if I was okay. Magnus popped up in the water next to me and didn’t make a big deal out of it, except I couldn’t crawl back into the raft, so he had to pull me in. I knew from the swimming we had done earlier that it was common for people to have to be dragged back in, but I felt like a prize idiot that he had to do it again. He’s incredibly strong, so all he had to do was count to 3—I jumped and he hoisted me up by my life jacket. He pulled me up quite a ways, so that when I tried to bend over to get in, it was kind of awkward and my head ended up in his shorts. I ended up sort of flopping into the boat, and he laughed and said, “well, that’s one way to do it.” I think he said something else about the thing about his method being that it worked but wasn’t so graceful. I couldn’t stop laughing, what I do when I’m nervous and/or embarrassed, and then he added “that’s the first time this has happened, especially sitting in calm water.” Again, I kept on with my hysterical laughter and he asked, “are you embarrassed?” I had no choice but to fess up. It was pretty funny though. I had to stifle the rest of my nervous laughter in my life jacket, and shake it off as fast as I could. I never fell off going over rough water, something that others did, but I don’t know if that’s something that should comfort me or make me feel even more idiotic.

On the last leg of our journey we had to keep a slow, but constant paddle, so there was quite a bit of time for talking. Magnus asked me where I learned to speak Chinese (I had been translating some throughout the trip) and I found out where he was from (originally Sweden). My friends asked me about the Dragon Boat Festival, something a little similar to a crew regatta that happens every May in the memory of a Chinese official who demonstrated his loyalty to his state and king by throwing himself into the river, so I was able to share a little piece of Chinese culture with Magnus. At the end we all took pictures together, and he swept the Taiwanese girls off their feet and turned them half vertical before they could even protest. I was wise being the last girl to go, so I stood 5 feet away from him until he promised to just stand next to me.

When I got back Shana thought she felt well enough to go to dinner, so we walked to the other side of the downtown area to the Green Ant Cantina. The restaurant was half in, half outside, and it was a pretty low-key place with great food and yummy cocktails. We took a detour on the way back to walk along the Esplanade along the water and to go in search of ice cream. We had seen tons of commercials for the Australian equivalent of Cold Stone and were on the hunt. We did find a Baskin Robbins, probably my personal favorite, and I have to admit, it felt kind of glorious to have ice cream melting all over my hands. Of course, it's just as hot in Taiwan and something I could certainly experience there...I suppose the scenery just reminded me a little more of summers at home.

The next day was also pretty laid back. Shana and I decided to take a walk around the downtown area and do some shopping. I got a new swim suit for snorkeling (it was on sale too!), and some gifts for friends. We decided to spend the evening swimming, and walked down to The Lagoon. From the way it was described we thought it was a roped-off section of the ocean to be used for jellyfish-free swimming, but when we got there we found a salt-water public swimming pool. It was really crowded and mostly surrounded by pavement, so we took a little walk by the water, and headed back for the private pool at the hotel. Swimming there turned out to be a lot of fun. We met a Vietnamese family with three little girls, Ann, Vicky, and their baby sister. The girls were born in Australia and had adorable accents. They were also incredibly curious and both asked (and volunteered) a lot of information, including home addresses and hotel room numbers. I was thrilled to play with kids who spoke English as a native language. Ann showed me how she could swim and tried to talk to me as I bobbed around with Vicky on my hip and tried to answer her endless "why" questions--"Why do you have so many earrings?" "Because I like earrings." "Why do you like earrings?" "Because I think earrings are pretty." Their dad thanked me for keeping them entertained, but really, I was quite glad they were around.

That night we had a tasty meal at the Bushfire Grill, well-known for its Aussie barbeque. Our waiter Bruno (yes!) came around with a variety of meats that had been cooked over an open flame on long skewers. We told him the cut of meat we wanted and he provided us with all the beef, chicken, sausage, and lamb (mostly beef--we love our beef) we could eat. The meal included veggies, salad, and potatoes, and at the end we were served grilled cinnamon-sugar glazed pineapple. In need of some ridiculously rich chocolate, I ordered the chocolate trio (white chocolate mousse, chocolate caramel brownie, and fudge cake) for dessert.

The next day we woke up early for our 8 am snorkeling departure to the Great Barrier Reef. It was quite choppy on the way out since the rain was moving out with us, but by the second dive, the sun was out. The water was a bit rough in the first location, no good for Shana who was already seasick from the ridiculously rocky ride out. Still, the reef was stunning and I was in awe of everything I saw. A very large fish circled our group quite a few times, cocking his eye each time to check us out. He was pretty cool, and I couldn't help but swim off a few times to follow him around. Shana scored some amazing shots with a big sea turtle who swam toward the surface after being spotted on the floor. The second dive after lunch was even better. The reef was more shallow, and the sun was out, so everything was clear and sparkeling. I realized that we could let go of our noodles that they gave to keep us afloat if we got too tired, and our really sweet photographer managed to have me dive down for some pretty cool shots with coral. Some areas of the reef were only 4 or 5 feet deep, which made me a little nervous since I didn't want to kill any of the coral. I had learned halfway in to the first dive that I would need to break away from the group of snorkelers to avoid bumping into the others and having enough space to maneuver and explore. I got better at using the flippers and really covered a lot of ground the second time around.

After getting cleaned up we went to Barnacle Bill's, a seafood restaurant, for dinner. I had promised myself that I would get a good seafood meal before I left, and when they were out of crab legs (which, by the way, happens to me a lot), I decided on the lobster. Dinner was delicious. There were people out and about for Australia Day, a very big event, and we stopped at Cold Rock (think Cold Stone Creamery) for cups of our specially mixed ice cream complete with mini Australian flags.

Back at the hotel we packed up our things and decided that we'd sleep in a bit before our noon flight. We were surprised to find about 40 of us on the ginormous plane to Hong Kong. Shana and I thought we had it made, and were prepared to take up a whole row each for some quality sleeping when the nosiest tour group ever moved in behind us. Go figure...no one in first class, over half of the other economy seats open and they had to be right behind us. We still had quite a bit of space, but it wasn't nearly as peaceful as we would have hoped. We did, however, get to watch more House!

Back in Taipei I met up with a friend and we spent the day together walking around the city. We wandered around back alleys near Taipei Normal University, trying to find an Indian restuarant that we had once seen in the area, but settling instead on Thai food. After lunch we went to the zoo, saw the koalas (I was kind of disappointed to discover that you could see them in places other than Australia), and then went shopping. I packed for Japan that night, spent the next day with Shana and her relatives, and then it was off to Japan!

Happy Holidays!

2009-01-03T12:47:00.008+08:00

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season. I had what the best holidays I could have asked for considering I'm away from home.

December was packed with tons of activities, some related to the holidays and others just coincidentally in the same month. It sort of felt like a month-long celebration. The first and second weekends of December were filled with my trips to Tainan and Taipei, which I wrote about in my last two entries). The holiday festivities really began with the third weekend in December. Almost all of the ETAs went to the home of AIT's Kaohsiung branch chief for some wonderful holiday baking. As soon as we walked in the door it looked and smelled like Christmas! There was the most beautiful Christmas tree decorated in red and gold, and the house smelled like gingerbread. We headed straight for the kitchen and got to work rolling out the dough for sugar cookies and sneaking balls of chocolate chip cookie dough as we scooped them onto the baking sheets. Chris and Jan had planned a lovely dinner and movie watching for us, so our baking was interrupted by the catering staff who actually made dinner right before our very eyes. We had the most delicious salmon, roast with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed veggies, pasta salad, and real Caesar salad with real thick strips of bacon for dinner. We all crowded around one of the coffee tables in the living room (there were plenty of other tables, we just wanted to be cozy), squeezing onto loveseats and sitting on the floor. We had a Christmas toast, and a visiting student from Iceland who was also celebrating with us lit the advent candles. After seconds (I think we all went back for more!), Chris's mom split us into pairs so that we were each responsible for singing two of the 12 lines in the song "Twelve Days of Christmas." Shana and I were "5 golden rings," easy to remember but more difficult to sing, and "12 drummers drumming." We all laughed and laughed, forgetting when to come in, what our lines were, etc. I think the funniest part was Chris's dad singing "9 women dancing" instead of "ladies." When we decided that Christmas caroling was not our forte, the ETAs moved in to the family room to watch The Polar Express! Dani, Shana, Vicky, and I immediately headed for the heap of floor pillows and curled up next to each other like little babies. The others sprawled out on the couches. After the movie, which was fabulous and put us all in the Christmas mood, we chatted for a while over cups of deliciously rich Ghirardelli hot (dark) chocolate topped off with whip cream and mini marshmallows. When it was time to go home, Jan sent us on our way with goodie bags filled with the cookies we had baked and the rest of the cookies and brownies that she finished while we were all watching the movie. It was such a perfect night.

Late that evening, Jessi, Kinki, and Angie, the first friends I met when I arrived in Taiwan, took me out to a late-night restaurant for some snacks and brought a cake to begin the series of birthday celebrations that would follow. We didn't have any candles, but Angie was adamant that I blow them out, and when I wasn't positioned close enough to the imaginary candles, corrected me until I was. Unfortunately, we lost the rest of the cake (and our appetites) to a trail of ants that came in from the window and down the wall, but it was a lot of fun to sit and chat, especially since Jessi is studying in Tainan and doesn't make it back to Kaohsiung very often.

The next day all of the ETAs woke up early to meet our host families and some of our co-teachers for a day trip to Pingdong organized by the Kaohsiung City Education Bureau. We learned an aboriginal song and dance ourselves, and then went to watch the professionals perform many of their traditional dances.

And then the holidays! I think I had about four birthday parties (and four separate cakes!), and my family at home wrapped up birthday and Christmas presents (cute froggie wrapping paper for birthday and assorted festive paper for Christmas) and sent them to me so that I received them on the 22nd--perfect timing! Some of the teachers at Wenfu planned a birthday party for me after school, and I went along with it being a surprise even though I had talked to Peiwen and Julianna about it beforehand. Sophia was supposed to keep me after class for as long as possible since I teach with her last on Mondays, and she turned out to be quite effective at her task. She simply said something like, "I'm supposed to delay for as long as possible, so don't leave right away after class." Hah. You'd have to meet Sophia to understand, but it is so her. On the night of my birthday the other ETAs and I met at New House, an Italian restaurant right behind our apartment, for my birthday dinner and I got two bouquets of birthday roses (that's right, two!). It was nice to have everyone together, and after we finished the coffee mousse cake that I sort of bought by luck, we went over to Apt. C to watch White Christmas. After that my roommates and I came home to do our final night of Secret Santa, which wasn't so secret but we was carried on in good humor anyway, and I opened my birthday presents.

I didn't have to work on Christmas morning, so I was able to skype home and have them watch me open my presents here. After work we all went over to one of the other apartments to have a fairly traditional Christmas dinner. We ordered a turkey with stuffing, gravy, and a bottle of wine from a nearby hotel, and then each contributed something else. Gered, one of my roommates, made delicious mashed potatoes, a few of us ran out to get rolls, Billy brought dumplings (what would Christmas in Taiwan be without dumplings?), Rebekah brought hot cocoa and Baileys (yum!), and I brought over the gingerbread man kit that I got from home. We chatted while we ate and watched a movie--it was a simple celebration, the way that felt most like home to us.

The Saturday after Christmas I celebrated my birthday with Julianna's family. Her son Steven had his birthday three days after mine, and her husband Frank's had been two weeks prior. We went to Lotus Lake, not too far from Wenfu, and had a picnic lunch by the lake. There was Domino's and fried dumplings, cake, pudding, and we brewed fresh tea. Her entire extended family came, so we sat under the shade of a sort of Weeping Willow tree, chatting, playing with the babies, and napping. The weather was perfect that day, and it was the most relaxing afternoon.

For New Years Eve, one of my students and her family took me to a nearby mall with thousands of other people and we watched popular singers perform until it was time to ring in the new year. There was 3 minutes of amazing fireworks starting at midnight, and it was a pretty awesome feeling--the first time I've ever been in a crowd like that for New Years (normally I watch the ball drop on TV). We are in the midst of a four-day weekend, so I've made lots of plans to have meals with friends and take care of errands, etc. My roommates are all gone, so Leo and I have the whole apartment to ourselves. My friend Chel joked that I should let him run loose. I'm sure everyone would come back to a little trail of presents around their rooms!

It seems 2009 has started off well, and I think it's going to be a very good year. I wish you all a wonderful new year filled with much opportunity and good memories to look back on when we come to the end of another year.

Love,
Nicki

Tainan

2008-12-07T20:25:00.020+08:00

The majority of the following entry was written two weeks ago although I just finished it this evening. Updates about my weekend in Taipei and the holidays are coming soon, I promise!
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This weekend Shana's host family (Tai, Jenny, and their son Nemo) took us to Tainan, their hometown. We left on Saturday around 4 pm to make the hour drive from Kaohsiung to Tainan. Dan, Katie, Dani, Shana, and I piled in the van with Tai, and Jenny drove Nemo. When we got there we checked in at the youth hostel, the four girls staying in a dorm style room, and Dan with his own single.

We started out immediately to explore the city's famous architecture, but ended up taking a detour to try some of the equally famous local specialty dishes. We had something that was a little like fried rice, but is probably better described as shrimp sauce rice, and duck egg soup at the first restaurant. After eating we walked to a nearby temple, and Tai told us about visiting this temple as a child. He got sick often and his grandfather would take him to pray to the five ancestral gods for good health. He goes back whenever he is in Tainan to visit the gods and express his gratitude. It was really cool to be in a place that he has such a strong connection to. Tai and Jenny explained the process of praying to the gods (and believe me, it is a process), and told me to give it a try. On the front table are two wooden half moons that are used to help ask the gods questions. I had to think of a question I wanted answered, and then throw down the pieces. You must do this until you successfully throw the pieces so that one lands face up and the other face down three times in a row. If you throw the pieces so that they both land face up or face down, you start the process again. Each time you must randomly choose a random numbered stick from a stand in front. When you have successfully completed your three times, you know that this number points you in the direction of your answer. You then go to choose a card from the cubby with the number that matches your stick. Each card has a short poem printed on each that is then the answer to your question. The first few times I threw the pieces, they landed face up side by side. I immediately worried that this was bad news, but Tai and Jenny assured me that it was to resemble a smile because the gods thought I was funny and cute (I think they might have been saying this to make me feel better). It took me about seven or so tries until I finally drew the proper stick--lucky no. 12. Tai helped me read the poem first, and then Jenny and I pondered what it could mean in terms of what I asked. We decided that the overall tone and message was quite good, although it's hard to determine just exactly how things will play out.

After I completed my praying, we moved over to the "disappearing turtle." The large stone turtle is filled with water that is believed to cure illnesses and make you more youthful and beautiful. Tai gave us each a bit to put on our faces and we moved on to the next god who deals with matters concerning love. Many engaged couples will go to pray for a happy future together, writing their names and birthdays on a heart-shaped slip of paper that they then hang in front of the god's shrine. You can also make a donation to the temple and take a pink heart keychain that wishes you kinship and love.

After our temple visit, we moved on to find other things to eat, and stumpled upon a very interesting snack shop. We were all very confused because the main picture showed that the shops sold different flavors of corn on the cob--curry, peanut, cocounut, meat, etc.--but also that they somehow made corn on the cob sandwiches. It turns out that was represented on the sign by real corn on the cob topped with meat or fruit and chocolate was actually a sandwich made out of a waffle batter cone in the shape of corn on the cob. Shana and I split a sandwich filled with fresh banana and chocolate.

After our corn on the cob sandwiches we continued our walk around the city. We took a quick peek in a candy shop that had a large Santa Claus outside that shook his hips from side to side and danced to hip hop music when you walked past him. Highly amused, we continued walking down the quaint city streets and found ourselves in the midst of some amazing street art. The first piece was a 3D blueprint of an old house. This particular piece of art was created from one of the many buildings along the street that was cut in half during the expansion of the main avenue. Some beams protruded from the blue painted walls, and white accents highlighted which rooms would have been the bathroom, kitchen, etc. After taking a bunch of pictures, we continued down the street past many murals, one of which was an amazing portrayal of everyday life among the common people. We reached a little ally with beautiful warm glowing lights and green plants standing in front of the clean and elegant doorways of the old houses, many of which had been rented out by university students. The first people we met there were a group of students who advocate animal rights and were showing a documentary they made about stray animals in Taiwan. The next house we entered was an art gallery, a sort of work in progress, which was being renovated by a few students. The front room showcased many smaller paintings that appeared to be painted on something resembling driftwood, while the back served as a workshop. The middle room housed a sink built by one of the students himself, and bohemian style tables with small clear vases and candles. In the back of the house, one woman used thin nails to make sheep's wool into many adorable keychains, while the male students worked on distressing a small wooden chest. The roof of the house was gone, so when I looked up I found the moon above me, I felt that I was standing in the middle of ancient ruins.

We continued walking down the alley as it grew smaller, passing a ridiculously cool gnarled looking tree, a vase of orchids, and eerie abandoned apartments. We crossed the street to see the lightning and thunder temple. I'm pretty sure Tai and Jenny shared some great information with everyone, but I was totally in my own world snapping photos that evening, and I didn't hear a word about it. Cold from hours of walking around in the chilly night air, we made our way to the bus stop and then headed back to the hostel. After we said goodnight to Shana's host parents, we tried to sneak out to make a run for snacks. We felt awful because they had taken us to eat what is translated as eel, but really resembles what Dani wonderful termed "water snake." It's chewy and yucky looking, and it is cooked in this crazy sweet, smokey sauce that is just no good. We tried to eat as much as we could, but I have found that I can't control my facial expressions very well (as most of you know), and we had to give in. Tai and Jenny were very nice about it, and made sure to ask us for the rest of the weekend if we could eat things before they gave it to us. I got hot bubble tea to warm myself up, and then we stopped at 7-11 for oreos and milk. We went back to the hostel, Dan came over to the girls' room and we watched one of the four channels available to us. It turned out to be a crazy Taiwanese game show where one of the contestants had to use English to give indirect clues to another contestant who would then try to say the Chinese idiom. A few of them had really poor English, so the clues were especially funny and unrelated, and we just couldn't stop laughing. We decided to create our own version, thinking of silly English phrases and trying to make one another guess the correct term using indirect clues given in Chinese. It was a great sleepover party, and we all tried to turn in before too long so that we could get up the next morning at 8am for the temple parade.

Tai greeted us with breakfast the next morning, sticking to sandwiches and Taiwanese style hamburgers along with coffee and orange juice after the eel delicacy dinner crashed and burned. We made our way through the crowd to the front of the temple to watch the traditional dances and many offerings made. The male and female god and goddess were presented in front of the opening to the temple and the alter, along with inscents and red sashes tied around them for good luck. Four men peformed a lion dance, and a group of women played instruments and gave an amazing performance heavily influeced by gymnastics. I managed to shoot quite a bit of the parade with my camera, and I will try to upload the video here for you to watch. One of the most interesting things I have found about temple parades here, is the vast difference between what constitues worshipping in Taiwan and in the U.S. Many people in Taiwan are Buddhist. They eat vegetarian for a certain number of days each month, visit temples to pray, etc. Some say they are Buddhist, very much in the same way that many people in the U.S. say they are Christian--by culture if not strict religious observation. Going to church (in my own experience) tends to be more sacred, more solemn. In Taiwan, however, it is not uncommon to see men chewing bettle nuts (similar to chewing tobacco) or smoking while participating in ceremonies here, nor is it uncommon to see people talking on their cell phones and chatting with friends. Anyway, when I get it posted, take a look at the video, and see what you think.

After the parade, we walked over to Confucius Temple, one of the most famous places in Tainan. It was actually established as a school to prepare young boys and men for the imperial examinations, and is not what you would normally envision when you think of a temple. In more modern times it has been used as a place for both the young and elderly to practice Taiwanese, as it is not officially taught in schools. The architecture is beautiful, and the buildings are surrounded by large trees, a pretty pond, and large grassy squares. The architecture and the blue sky with white fluffly cloouds reminded me a little of visting palaces and museums in Beijing. On the roof of one of the traditional style buldings phoenix and dragons, symbols of good luck and prosperity, had been added to hide scholarly works during the Qin Dynasty when the Emperor sought to burn all classical texts. Inside we saw the names of all scholars who had succeesful in the examination and had since passed on. We saw the alters on which offerings were made, and rooms filled with traditional instruments and garb used in the ceremonies. On our way out of that section of the temple, we wrote our wishes related to academic success on little strips of paper and hang them with the many others on a board.

The temple grounds also house a Japanese martial arts studio, and we were able to watch a few of the students spar one another. After taking a few pictures and watching them practice, we headed down to a grassy area, and Nemo demonstrated his karate forms for us. Jenny gave us a demonstration as well--the whole family takes karate lessons together :).

After visiting the temple we crossed the street and ate Danzi Noodles for lunch. The noodles are another local delicacy of Tainan, made popular when a strong stormed wrecked all of the local fishing boats, and fisherman turned to selling these noodles as a way to earn enough money to live. After lunch we walked down the street to Zhai Men (literally, narrow door), a coffee house with an entrance just wide enough for one person to walk through. Once you enter the alley, you walk a few feet to an open doorway that takes you up two flights of steep stone stairs to the coffee shop located on the second floor. There is a rooftop terrace covered in ivy and other plants, and inside old wooden floors and relics and memorabilia from classic American eras. Tables line the windows on the wall facing the main street, and on small table between two windows sat guest books filled with poems, doodles, and artwork from past customers. Tai bought us all delicious iced coffees, and we walked along a small market browsing the stands. Shana found a really adorable coin purse, Dani and Katie bought these amazing slip ons with cute elephants, giraffes, and other animals on them, Jenny bought these handmade, scented mini cupcakes for us each to take home as a little souvenir (I think mine is chocolate banana), and Tai payed money for us each to try our luck at picking a prize from a little tray of covered squares. As we left the market the song "Don't Wanna" from the movie Cape No. 7 was playing, and Shana and I sang along as we strolled down another alley toward our next destination.

We arrived at the most beautiful park near a visitor's center. It was very quiet and peaceful, and it felt miles and miles away from Kaohsiung and our everyday normal routine. Shana and I ventured off to climb through the rock formations, and soon, we had climbed up the front of the rocks and were posing for silly pictures. We popped out of holes, showed off our muscles, jumped off of rocks, and quacked at ducks (ok...I was the only one who actually quacked at them). We sat for a while in front of the pond, watching the water reflect off of the building just across the other side. When we had sat for a while and needed to move on, we stopped in the center to buy sweets to take back as gifts for our co-teachers.

Before we began the drive back home we stopped in at a local temple and took a quick look in the literature museum. We stopped at a famous fruit stand for all kinds of fruit, my favorite of which is fresh sliced tomatoes with a ginger and soy sauce paste, and pudding. Full and happy, we started back for Kaohsiung. It was such a wonderful trip and it really got me excited about exploring other parts of Taiwan. There are many places that I have said I want to go to, but I haven't yet taken the initiative to plan outings to these places. After seeing how beautiful Tainan is, I want to make sure that I have plenty of time to see these places and go back again before my time here is through.

I'm thankful for....

2008-11-30T21:06:00.003+08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all enjoyed wonderful dinners with lots ( A LOT, just for you Ms. Seymour), of turkey, mashed potatoes, and my favorite part--the canned cranberry sauce!

This last week was certainly busy but a great deal of fun. I introduced the history of Thanksgiving to my fifth grade classes and had them make hand turkeys. Inside their turkey they had to write what they were thankful for. One student copied the examples from the board, which were (I am thankful for...) my mom and dad, my friends, my teachers, and then added "my Nicki'. A lot of students said that they were thankful for their moms and dads for raising them and taking care of them. One student was particularly thankful for his dad picking him up from school every day. The hand turkeys also brought out the romantic side of some students--one little boy wrote that he was thankful for Lily, the little girl who he sits next to in class every day.

In some classes I had the students make Thanksgiving trees that they could hang in their homerooms. The students traced their hands on yellow, orange, and red paper to make the leaves, and I cut a large brown tree trunk for them. Since the example I had made was of a turkey on white paper, many of the students also decorated their colored paper as turkeys as well, so we ended up with turkey trees. It was too cute!

On Tuesday night after work Rebekah, Katie, Danni, Shana, and I went to a baking party organized by members of AIT (American Institute in Taiwan). We made chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, an apple pie, and Rice Crispy treats. We were all designated specific positions (with the exception of Shana who filled in wherever she was needed): Danni was cookie girl, Katie was oven girl, Rebekah was given the unfortunate title of lard girl (she was handling the Crisco), and I was Rice Crispy girl since I manned the marshmallows and mixed in the cereal. We tried to sneak bites of things here and there, but she was watching us all very carefully, so I formally asked for permission to eat a spoonful of cookie dough. The branch chief brought home pizza for dinner, which we devoured as we watched American military T.V. in his too-good-to-be-true family room. We ate the chocolate chip cookies while they were still warm, and Jan packed up the peanut butter cookies to take home. We also divided the Rice Crispy treats into hunks to take home. Pretty much the only thing we didn't eat was the apple pie, and we probably would've eaten that too if it had been baked.

On Thursday night all of the ETAs gathered with some of our LETs (local English teachers) and Fulbright advisers to have Thanksgiving dinner at the branch chief's home. As soon as we walked in it smelled like Thanksgiving. There were two turkeys, green bean casserole, orange jello salad, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and rolls. This was my first time ever trying green bean casserole, and I have to say, I was quite impressed! Those French's onions definitely give it a little something extra! The ETAs all squeezed on the couches and pulled up chairs until all of us were gathered around a small coffee table. We decided to keep our home traditions alive and share what we were all thankful for. We had each filled our plates with a little bit of everything and even got the chance to go back for seconds. Jan had made more cookies, so there was a fresh supply of chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies for dessert. She bought delicious pumpkin pies from Costco, and brought out the large apple that we had made and she had freshly baked that morning. It was a really great evening, and we were all thankful to be in the company of one another, finding our own way to be with family on Thanksgiving.

This past Saturday Wen Fu held a school-wide sports day to celebrate it's 6th birthday. Some of the homeroom teachers and student teachers planned a surprise dance to perform when the student cheerleading teams performed, and I was able to join them. It was a really fun hip-hop routine and I got to know a few of the teachers much better. After rehearsing on Friday night, we went out to eat at a popular curry restaurant near the school. It felt really great to be included, and I was even happier when I got my own Wen Fu polo to wear on Saturday at the event. There were vendors selling delicious snacks and it was great to see many of my students so excited to buy their favorite foods and win medals in the races.

The rest of the weekend has been spent inside as I've somehow managed to become sick again. Lots of rest and fluids...and seven pills three times a day! It's crazy how much medicine you can take at once here. Tomorrow there is no school at Wen Fu to make up for sports day, so I will happily stay in bed and read the books I just received in my package from home.

In approximately one hour and twenty minutes it will officially be December here. The month is already filling up with trips with our host families and holiday parties, so I'm sure there will be plenty more to write about soon. Our apartment is planning on having another party to treat our host families and co-teachers, and Maya and I recently discovered that many of the stationary stores nearby carry tons of Christmas decorations which we will purchase soon. Tonight we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas and I played a few songs from my Christmas playlist to get us in the mood. I also just received my fleece pj pants with "Merry" written all over them in red and green in the package and I brought my Christmas toe socks with me, along with a Santa hat and a stocking, so I think we're in business! The guards have been stringing massive amounts of Christmas lights, both white and colored, around the courtyard during their shifts on duty, and I can't wait to see what it looks like all lit up!

I wish you all a very festive December, complete with hot cocoa, gingerbread lattes, candy canes, warm and fuzzy decorations, snow, holiday music, and the joy of shopping in overcrowded malls (this is not sarcasm--I really do love it!). May your days be merry and bright, and may all your December days be white!

Content (v.)

2008-11-18T00:05:00.015+08:00

Last week's weather was amazing--I was really able to dress to match the spirit of fall :) Last Tuesday afternoon Shana and I were both off, so we ate lunch together in the family room and watched the Friends episode where Ross and Joey are napping buddies to get in the mood for our long, lazy afternoon naps. We woke up a couple of hours later and headed out into the cool weather for some strolling and shopping. It had actually been a while since our last visits our favorite stores, so we made the usual rounds. NET is always first on our list since it sits right around the corner from our apartment. There's usually a giant sale table that Shana and I rummage through, tossing about shirts that we think would look good on the other. I scored with a cute royal blue and black flower print dress that I found on the sale rack and Shana found the perfect plaid shirt that she had been looking for. With our new purchases in hand, we had found our way into shopping mode, and stopped over at KoKo to look for signature pieces. I found a great smock blouse that was made out of the softest material, and although I didn't think it would work, Shana insisted that I try it. It turned out to be a great success, and we walked over to Jenny Lee, our go-to store for dresses to match every occasion. I decided I needed a short jacket to pair with my many dress/leggings outfits that are growing in number. They had just gotten a bunch of new dresses in, and before Shana and I could say we weren't really looking for dresses, they had Shana in the most beautiful white baby doll dress, and me in a black and white one. I also found a really cute muted purple high collared jacket in the process of trying on the many things they threw our way, and it was an incredibly successful shopping day. With bags in hand we headed over to Apartment C for some Costco pizza and watched Mulan (I can't help but sing along to "I'll Make a Man out of You" every time). It was the first time we'd all seen each other in a while, and we were introduced to the newest members of Apt. C--Sonic and Milo, two adorable puppies that they adopted.

I might also have an addition to my two-member Leo and Nicki family. I wrote before about a bunny that I pass every morning on my way to work. He was shy at first, but now recognizes me and always starts hopping around when he sees me. He comes to the front of his cage and sticks his nose out for me to pet him. He seems very sweet tempered and it breaks my heart that he sits in his cage which is too small for him anyway. The owners are nice, and keep him clean and well fed, it's just that they have so many other dogs and cats, that they never really take him out to play. The woman saw me stopping to pet him every day and asked if I would like to take him home. I originally said no, but she asked again this past Friday when I stopped to pet him, and now that I see how excited the little guy is to see me, I'm having a hard time saying no. I'm going to look for a suitable cage tomorrow and the setup I would need for him.

On Friday night I went with Julianna and her kids to the rally at the Cultural Center to support last Saturday's referendum to lower class size to 25 students. The average class size in Kaohsiung City elementary schools is about 35. It was exciting to be there, especially since this is the first time in Taiwan's history that a referendum has been brought forth by a non-political organization. A famous Taiwanese singer came to support the cause, and dance teams from a local middle and high school performed. It was great to see teachers from Wen Fu and many other schools there with their children, fighting for something they have such an investment in. They needed over 50% turnout of eligible voters with the support of half these voters for the referendum to pass. The turnout rate was quite low, but at least it put the issue on the map and increased awareness.

After the event, I stopped in to visit my friend Kinki at work, and then met up with Shana on her way out to pick up her cousin who was visiting from Taipei. We stayed in on Friday night, watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with the rest of our roommates, and playing with Leo. On Saturday morning when we got ready for our trip to the beach and the old British Consulate, Shana and I both decided to wear our new dresses. Jennifer, her cousin, liked them and wanted to check out the store where we had bought them. We went for lunch at the dumpling restaurant next store, and then hopped over to take a peek. I picked out a dress for Jennifer and it turned out to be perfect for her. We decided to make one more stop (ok, maybe a few more) at a store where Shana and I bought dresses for a black and white party last minute when we first arrived in Taiwan. I did that really dangerous thing where I try something on thinking it will never work and then it does. For those of you who read my blog and are not interested in the details of my shopping sprees, I apologize for , and I'll leave the rest for pictures. Suffice it to say I bought too many ridiculously cute dresses this month.

When we got to the beach in mid-afternoon, we climbed up to the Consulate and had a mini photo shoot. The Consulate is a popular spot for local tourists too, most of whom are taking their own pictures, so we only felt a little silly staging pictures. In fact, it came in handy to have people watching us because then we could have them take the picture for us. Saves us the trouble of finding the "good arm" in the group--you know, the person who always holds the camera in do-it-yourself photos. We did end up trying that method too, and it turns out that Jennifer is the arm in our posse of three. I've posted them here for your amusement.

After we left the British Consulate we took the MRT over to Rui Feng Night Market for some tasty snacks. We had mini cakes with cream or taro inside, Taiwanese style sandwiches with chicken and lots and lots and LOTS of onions, and assorted drinks. After browsing the market and finishing our snacks, we walked around the corner to Han Shen Department Store to rest for a bit--we had been walking around all day, and despite the cool temperatures last week, the weather was considerably warmer on the weekend--and look at their shoe selection. I walked in, immediately spotted a Baskin Robbins, and my heart skipped a beat. I ordered a scoop of espresso biscotti and Ghost World (something like S'mores), and felt right at home. I asked Jennifer if she wanted to try some, and was very pleased to find that she seemed to enjoy it as much as me. After a little rest we went to check out the boots--every girl's got a pair this season. It's hard for me to find shoes here because I have bigger feet than most Taiwanese girls (not to mention my left foot is significantly bigger than my right), and it's even harder to find boots since they not only have to fit my feet but also my calves. I immediately liked one of the first pairs I tried on, but said they seemed to be a bit too small so that I wouldn't get killed if I decided not to buy them. After a lot of browsing, I came back to the original pair, and although I was a little hesitant because of the price, I gave in when she showed me the final price with the large discount included. We closed out the store, and left for home tired from a long, but very fun day.

On Sunday, Maya, Gered, Shana, Jennifer, and I went to a nearby Japanese restaurant for lunch. We decided to go after Shana's co-teacher recommended it for its good eats and affordable prices. We had some good sushi for lunch and chatted for a while, talking about the funny and frustrating aspects of teaching, and it was "quality apartment time" (inspired by Uncle Joe's infamous "quality family time" line, and of course, we can't forget "in every life, some rain must fall"). On our walk home for lunch we discovered another supermarket that actually sells fresh food! We were incredibly excited as it is the only alternative to the overpriced department store supermarket that is a convenient walking distance from the apartment. We stocked up on a few fresh vegetables and meats to make various kinds of soups and noodles for dinner, and I was even able to buy my favorite "straw" mushrooms as I call them!

On Sunday night I met my new friend Chel for dinner. I met Chel the day that Henry came to take me to his art gallery; she is his business partner. She likes being outside and going to various places around Taiwan, especially where there is great art to be seen, and she offered to take me anywhere I'd like to go. She made me tea the day I was sick and sent me a message last week to check on me and also to remind me that she could take me out whenever I wanted. We agreed on dinner this past weekend, and she took me to a great hot pot restaurant. She ordered for us, and we had quite the spread! She sent me home with two large bags of our leftovers that were so heavy, my forearm was sore the next day from carrying them on the walk home. Chel's very easy to talk to and comfortable to be with, so I'm really looking forward to our first day trip, whatever it happens to be.

Shana turned in early on Sunday night, so Jennifer came into my room and we got to hang out for a while. Originally, I was just keeping her company while Shana got ready for bed, but we continued to find more things to talk about, and before I knew it was pretty late. She gave me some of her favorite Chinese music that she had brought and I lent her the Taiwanese and Korean DVDs I bought a few weeks ago. She was curious about my life in America so I showed her pictures from home with my family and friends, and I told her funny stories and good memories from high school and college. It was really fun to get to know her, especially since she's related to Shana, and I'm hoping the three of us can have another weekend together soon.

I was crazy tired on Monday morning from the eventful weekend and the late night chat, but I found myself really happy by the time I got to school that morning. On my daily walk over from the bus station I saw the street sweepers who always smile at me from under their wide brimmed hats, multiple layers of clothing to protect them from the sun, and their surgical masks and wave very enthusiastically when they see me. They usually say "hello" or "good morning," but this time they also asked if I was a teacher. I was surprised at how well they spoke English and their willingness to use it with me, especially since many people in Taiwan think their English is not good enough to even practice speaking it. That immediately put me in a good mood, and when I turned to continue walking down the street, I saw the usual Monday crossing guard waving hello with his orange baton. I couldn't help but laugh at how excited he was to see me, so I gave him a big wave back. This time he also spoke more English with me than usual, so I spoke a few more sentences in English myself. He startled me a little when he reached out to touch the side of my glasses, but when he gave me a big nod and a thumbs up, I knew he was telling me that he liked them.

It's hard to explain, but it's the little day-to-day things like this that make me incredibly happy to be here. As cheesy as it sounds, it really makes me feel like I'm contributing something to the Fulbright program--that I'm doing what one individual can do to engage with others and show them that I, both as an individual and an American, am interested in sharing my culture and language with them while learning about theirs. Tonight all of the ETAs met with Alex, our program advisor who came down from his office in Taipei, for dinner and discussion about our midterm evaluations that are coming up. When he saw me he said that I looked different than usual, very bright. I thought about it for a second since I was dressed very casually and considered that I probably looked quite tired today, but then I realized--I like my life here and I guess I show it. I absolutely love teaching at Wen Fu and all of the time that I get to spend with Julianna (she's my main co-teacher), both in and outside the classroom. Yesterday was a great day with my students. They worked so hard in class on a worksheet that I made for them. It tested for different levels, so at least some parts were pretty challenging for most of them, but they were so determined to finish it. One of my students, the most darling little girl I've ever met, knows next to know English, but she comes in smiling every day, happy to be in class. She asked for my help on the worksheet, and when she got a little bored when I had to help the others, she stood by my side, playing with my hair. The kids told me about what a great time they had at English Village; they shouted out everything they learned. I've met so many friends who are willing to take me all around Kaohsiung and even the rest of Taiwan. Just today my friend Jessie messaged me to say that she was sorry we hadn't seen each other in a long time, but that she hoped I remembered that we will celebrate my birthday together. I can't say that I never miss home or wish that I was in the U.S. to wear my favorite winter coat or just go to each of my favorite places to go with friends, or even to sleep and wake up in my own bed, but I never miss home because I'm unhappy here, only because it's just not the same. And it seems like that's a good feeling to have.

Tonight was also a great night. After dinner with Alex, Shana and I went to Blockbuster to check out the newest selection of movies, and then made our weekly trip to the fruit stand and to the pet store to buy dinner for Leo. The pet store owner has a really cute white Scottie complete with beard and curly hair on his legs, although the rest of his hair is cut quite short. This was Shana's first time seeing him and she asked me (completely seriously I might add), "Why is he wearing pants but no shirt?" I paused to consider her question and then responded: "Shana, it's his fur." By the time we walked in the door, the dog had wandered off, which is odd since he usually comes to greet me with a sniff or two. I went to find him and found him doing his business in one of the isles. The owner recognizes me since I bought Leo from him and I always stop by to buy worms, so I walked up to him, pointed to his dog, and said, "he just went to the bathroom." He looked at me for a second and then said "bathroom?" and then "him?" When I said yes, he made the funniest disappointed/angry noise and looked at the dog like he was really in for it. This alone was funny since the owner is a tall man of substantial size and masculine characteristics and the dog quite small and cute looking. The dog hung his head and hurried over to the side of the front counter, giving me a look that said "I don't know if you're allowed to pet me since I'm supposed to be in trouble now." After the owner cleaned up the mess, I bought my usual 10NTs worth of worms and then left.

Shana and I stopped by another DVD rental place that we found on our last trip to the fruit stand, which turns out to be considerable cheaper than Blockbuster, and discovered that they have a great collection of TV drama series. A very kind woman saw us eyeing a particular Korean soap and said that not only was it funny and moving, but the main guy was incredibly good looking. She gave Shana and I plenty of recommendations of what to rent, and introduced us to the owner of the shop who then explained how rentals work. Everyone there was incredibly friendly, and as Shana noticed, the woman who introduced us to which dramas had the cutest actors immediately addressed me in Chinese, looking straight at me instead of looking at Shana in that questioning way that many people tend to do when they're wandering if a girl who looks so foreign can really understand Chinese. We thanked everyone for their help and then went to buy a drink before we went back for the night.

At the drink place an incredibly smiley guy with Dragon Ball Z hair and a bit of an underbite welcomed us (with the other five or so workers echoing in unison) and asked us what we wanted to drink. We usually choose to go to the place next door, so I asked if he could recommend something. He told me that their "honey" 绿茶 (green tea) was their specialty, only that's not what he really said. Shana and I were both surprised to hear this, only because we've never heard anyone here say the English word for honey--they just say it in Chinese (蜂蜜 feng1mi4). But we asked what was in it and again we heard "honey" 跟绿茶, which means honey and green tea. I've had this sort of drink at other places, and I had a taste for it tonight, so I said that I'd take one cup. Shana and I noticed that the guy was really giggly, but we thought it was just because he was trying his best to use little English expressions like "ok, ok," "yes," and "thank you" despite the fact that he felt his English wasn't good. We sat down to wait, and I noticed one of the other workers pouring what was clearly beer from a green bottle into one of the drink cups. I looked at Shana, and said "Is that beer?! I hope it's not mine..." First of all, it was incredibly funny to see beer going into drinks at a place where they sell yogurt, milk, and tea drinks. Secondly, I thought it probably wasn't really beer. And third, I thought that even if it was, it couldn't be mine, because I would have heard 啤酒 pi2jiu3 (the word for beer) and not "honey" and "green tea. " I got my drink, took a sip, and sure enough, there was beer in it! I told Shana she had to taste it to confirm, and she did, indeed, concur. I was initially stunned that people would even think to put beer in green tea, and then I wandered how I came to supposedly order it. It suddenly dawned at me that what I had seen was a Heineken bottle, and Heineken here is often called "Heini." He hadn't been saying "honey" at all--he had been saying "Heini"! Even better, when Shana and I heard “honey 跟绿茶," he had really been saying 海尼根(hai3 ni2 gen1), the phonetic translation from the English word Heineken. The Chinese word "gen" can mean "and" as well as "root" (used here for the sound closest to that of the "ken" in Heineken) since both are first tones. The only way to tell the difference is by context and the different characters. Either could work in this case. Shana and I laughed all the way home, even to the point where I was doubled over and trying to breathe. I found it especially funny that when he asked me how much sugar I wanted I had said (in Chinese, all except the word "honey"), "well, if there's honey in it, it will probably already be sweet, so only half sugar." He probably thought I was a crazy American and/or a lush. Ha! Sure enough, when I looked on the label it read Heineken Green Tea. Awesome. It wasn't bad either...

Oh, what a week!

2008-11-08T20:23:00.002+08:00

I apologize for another long delay between posts. The last time I posted I was in the midst of a week-long Halloween celebration at Wen Fu. Friday brought the celebration to a close with more class visits, desk-to-desk trick-or-treating, and orange jack-o-lantern balloons. The kids seemed to have a great time, and it was really nice to visit the students who I do not have an opportunity to teach on a regular basis. Since I normally teach classes on Friday morning, the students in those classes accompanied me to the classrooms of the younger students. Many of them dressed up and were exceptionally great in helping the younger kids use the markers and tie their balloons.

On Friday afternoon I had an extra shift at English Village (EV). I was totally exhausted from working overtime, and I tried to teach the kids the songs and chants that I had done with my own students at Wen Fu, but by the last 15 minute session I had the kids playing "ghost ghost witch"--ha! They had a great time, and technically, they were using English, so that was good enough for me. After EV, all of the ETAs and some of our coworkers met at a nearby all you can eat hot pot restaurant to celebrate Gered's birthday (actually on Halloween!). Shana and I shared one of the pots at our table; she was happy to get an endless supply of beef, and I was happy to have plate after plate of those white, thin, straw-like mushrooms that I love so much. Gered's host mom bought a delicious chocolate cake from Costco that we all devoured before (for all of you present at my 19th birthday) singing "Happy Birthday" in about 5 different languages. All of my apartment mates piled in a cab and headed for home where we watched Hocus Pocus to continue Gered's birthday tradition--what an awesome movie! We had already watched it three times or so since being here, two being that week, and I was totally feeling it the third time around, but I was absolutely exhausted. I went to rest on my bed for a few minutes and passed out...at 9:30 pm! When I woke up it was 6:30 am. A few hours later I went for a much needed massage, and got back just in time to prepare for our apartment Halloween party. We invited over our host families and the children of our co-teachers for some room-to-room trick-or-treating and Halloween games. The kids painted masks, watched Hocus Pocus, and best of all, had a donut eating competition...which I also took part in. It was a close call, but I was able to pull a victory over Isabella, Gered's 12 year old host sister. After our many guests had left and the cleanup was done, Shana and I walked to a nearby night market with her grandmother. We stopped at lots of restaurants for a taste for some of the local favorites, Shana and I got our fill of vegetarian jelly (爱玉), which I promise is way more delicious than it sounds (think of jello in a sweet yet refreshing lemon syrup) and walked around in the fairly cool night air before heading home to let her grandma rest.

The next day I woke up at 7 am (and on a Sunday, too) to meet my host family for hiking at Guanyin Mountain (观音山). The day started out rough when I managed to be late for yet another early morning meeting with them because of an unpredictable MRT schedule, but once we got going, it was great! The scenery was beautiful and it felt good to work my muscles. We hiked for a few hours, I embarrassed the girls by taking lots of pictures, and on the way down, we browsed the traditional organic market that lined the sides of the path. I bought a scallion pancake and vegetarian jelly for the girls and I to share, and we tried samples of tea and herbal remedies that my host mom gave us. We gathered under a tent with classmates of my host sister for a traditional Taiwanese barbecue. Whole chickens, corn cobs, yams, and vegetables were seasoned and wrapped in bags and foil before being buried inside a charcoal stove that had been dug in the ground. After lunch, the girls and I went to nap in the car while our mom chatted outside with other parents.

Soon after we drove back to the city, and I met my friend Claire for a beach cleanup at Zhongshan University. We drove her scooter to the beach and met up with Tim and a good number of his classmates and friends to clean up an area of the beach as much as we could for about two hour. While we were cleaning, about a dozen or so couples came to the beach to have their wedding photographs taken. It was fun to see the variety in dress--some brides to be wore what we would consider more traditional dresses, long and white with sequins, while others wore brightly colored party dresses, one short and hot pink complete with black bows, one long and neon yellow, and another an...interesting shade of green. After the cleanup, a few of us went to get supplies while some of the guys built a fire by the beach. It was one of the few times I've been at the beach at night, and the first time in a while that we actually were able to see some stars. Claire and I stood next to each other side by side leaning against a large rock facing the ocean and letting the waves crash on our legs as we talked. On the scooter ride back we planned our next date together--a pajama party for just the two of us at her apartment complete with cocktails, costumes (she never really got to celebrate Halloween), pizza, dancing/singing, and movies. It was a great day spent outside, and by the time I got home at 10:30 that night, I was both very happy and very tired.

This past week started off well. On Monday afternoon Julianna made me apple cider and gave me a little snack to get me through my last class. She also gave me a wonderful gift--a personalized key chain, embroidered in pink (because she says she likes the color on me) with my name in white letters. It's especially meaningful because she got it at the market right outside of my apartment when she was walking around with her family after our Halloween party. I was incredibly touched by her thoughtfulness, especially since it was a thank you for "everything I've done for the students"--Julianna has done way more for me than I can even hope to do for the kids in the entire time I'm here. I have been trying to think of something really special for her--I want to make sure it will always remind her of me.

Late Monday night I started to get sick. I had to teach at EV the next morning, which meant talking for two hours straight, and it only got worse. Luckily, I did not have class Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday and was able to rest. I had scheduled an appointment for a while ago to meet with the dealer of the painting that I wrote about before, and since he was driving all the way over to take me to his gallery, I felt bad cancelling. I ended up buying the painting, and stayed a while to have tea and chat with his business partner. She suggested that I go see a doctor, even though I told her it was just a cold, so Henry (the art dealer), stopped at a clinic on the way back to drop me off. It did turn out just to be a cold, but I was feeling like death, so I was happy when I saw that I got a whole bunch of medicine just for my cold (I'm used to doctors in the US telling me to wait it out). I made it home just in time to see CNN report that Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States and to watch McCain's succession speech and Obama's victory speech, both which I thought were well done. It was an exciting day in our apartment, and we all wished we could have been in the States celebrating.

I was squeaking and without a voice on Thursday, and after I survived EV, I felt pretty awful. I ended up not teaching on Thursday and Friday, and although the rest really helped, I was going crazy from being confined to my room. Shana kept checking on me to make sure I wasn't dead and brought me cup after cup of hot tea. On Friday night I broke out of my room, figuring going to a movie would be ok. Shana, me, and our friend Kelly went to see High School Musical 3! That's right! It was fabulous. I believe I got chills...more than once. My away message since last night has read "whoever says romance is dead clearly hasn't seen HSM3." It's true.

Today I laid low again, which was pretty fitting for a rainy day, leaving the house only to take Leo back to the vets for another dose of mite medicine and to get dinner. I stopped in to get carry-out, but I realized that the only two other customers in the restaurant were staring at me, so I said hello and waited for their questions. They turned out to be Freda and Carol, English majors at the nearby university. They speak English very well, so well that I was able to use my normal fast pace. I sat down at their table and we chatted for a half hour or so before I left with my luke-warm take out and headed home. Then, I also passed the store where my friend Kinki works, and found that she was working tonight. I went inside to say hello and also saw Angie, another friend. They introduced me to a few of their classmates, and I chatted with them for another 10 minutes before I started home. I was so hungry by the time I got home that I wolfed down my food and got a tummy ache :(. Still, I'd say the two new friends were well worth it.

Tomorrow's likely to prove another r&r day. There's supposed to be a cold front coming in--one that drops the temperature from about 30C to 11C. I can only hope! I hope you are all well and enjoying the four seasons in the States.

With love from Taiwan,

Nicki

Where are you, fall...why can't I find you?

2008-10-29T21:31:00.003+08:00

I'll start with last weekend's activities. On Friday night my roommates and I headed to a nearby night market for some good food and browsing. Shana and I were on a mission to find T-shirts, and that's exactly what I did! One shirt is light pink and features a cute little girl with a stack of hamburgers on her head. The background says "I eat 2 hamburgers every day." I'm a little worried that wearing it will only reaffirm the popular belief that a staple in every American's diet is hamburgers, but oh well. The second is a little yellow shirt with a darling young girl shyly holding an envelope sent from her love with a cute little mailbox in the background. I thought I'd mix it up a bit with the third shirt, a grey T with an uber cute robot. I'm pretty excited about them. I would post pictures but I couldn't wait to wear them this week so they are currently in my hamper :).

On Saturday I couldn't wait for my play date with Claire, my newest friend. Claire and I met on a website where you can find local friends and language partners. She is a cardiovascular nurse and works odd shifts, so it's hard to find time to meet. We've been chatting for a few weeks and we finally agreed to meet for this first time this past Saturday. It was such a great day! We have a lot of similar interests and clicked right away. She held my hand right away, something that would probably seem odd in America. It was unexpected at first), but it was also kind of nice, since hand holding between women here often symbolizes close friendship. We went to see Cape No. 7 since Claire had not seen it (and I clearly didn't mind seeing it again!). After the movie we went to a great Japanese restaurant for dinner and then made our way to a Latin American restaurant where they were having a party with salsa lessons. A lot of the ETAs were also there since the owner of the restaurant teaches one of my roommates Spanish, and we chatted and danced with them for a while. Diego, a native of Columbia, taught us how to move our feet and shake our hips :p. I was doing okay until I got to the turns and then I needed a little one-on-one time. Shiela (with whom I was dancing with for that lesson) and I finally got it, and it seemed like a great victory. Soon after, Claire's friends arrived and we went upstairs for drinks and chatting. I met her friend Tim, who is from Canada and pretty involved in volunteer projects concerning the environment and animals in Taiwan. He passed on information about some of their events, and I'm really looking forward to going sometime when I'm free. It was nice to meet a few other foreigners outside of the ETA group. Even though it was also my first time meeting Claire, it wasn't uncomfortable at all--in fact, they thought we had been friends for much longer since we got along so well :).

On Sunday I went on a biking trip with my host sisters and their aunt, cousin, and grandmother. We met for lunch near their house, and then rode on their bikes over to a store to rent one for me. I rode their grandmother's bike, thinking it would be no problem to carry Kayi on the back. Wrong! It took me a while to ride smoothly, learning how to balance both her weight and my own. She is quite the funny girl--she told me that it seemed she needed to pray to Jesus while she was riding on the bike with me! We had fun saying things like "watch it, dude" and "hey, man" to each other while we rode next to parked cars and scooters drifting dangerously close to us (or maybe I was drifting toward them...). We rode from the Mega Department Store over to Fisherman's Wharf , rode along the Love River and a bike path with the others participating in the trip, and then rode back to the Wharf for some iced tea. We stopped for dinner along the way home, and then I came home to prepare my Halloween costumes for this week.

I stopped at the stationary store and bought a plain cat mask along with some paint and the supplies to make a furry tail. I figured I had better think of another costume so that I 1. didn't get bored dressing as the same thing every day, and 2. didn't run out of clothing, so I also bought light lime green butterfly wings and a butterfly mask to paint for my other costume. I also bought M&Ms and Snickers to give to my students in class, and witch hats for this morning's Halloween performance. Every Wednesday morning Wen Fu has it's school-wide student assembly. I was asked to introduce Halloween and I decided last week that I would enlist the help of one of my trickier (if you have any questions about what this means exactly, send me an email), classes to help plan the program. I taught them the song "Ten Little Witches," derived from "Ten Little Indians," and when more than 10 students wanted to participate, I found roles for the others and asked them for their own suggestions. Julianna translated the history of Halloween at the beginning, and then I spoke simple sentences about how we celebrate Halloween today in the U.S. and had students introduce key words in phrases in both English and Chinese. It was a little stressful to prepare since the students were so excited, and therefore "trickier" than usual, but it was a lot of fun to watch them perform. Lynn filmed the performance and I hope to upload it soon for you all to see.

After the performance, Julianna, Lynn, and I walked around to the 5th and 6th grade classrooms all decked out in our costumes to hand out candy, wish the students Happy Halloween, and teach them the rhyme "Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat..." They all got a big kick out of the "I'll pull down your underwear" line. Ha. On Friday, we'll go around to the 1st-4th grade classrooms and make Jack-o-lanterns using orange balloons and black markers.

Although this week has been a little more stressful than usual, it's been pretty fun. Yesterday in English Village at Wen Fu we sang "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and watched part of The Lion King. It's been forever since I last watched it; I forgot how incredibly funny and witty it is! I was definitely able to appreciate the more advanced humor that went right over my head as a kid, as well as the brilliant lyrics to all of the songs.

This weekend my apartment is planning a Halloween party for all of our host siblings and little kiddie friends. I am really pushing for bobbing for apples, but the others don't seem to be too thrilled, so I think we might opt for eating donuts off a string instead (so much more practical?!). We plan to show Hocus Pocus and play lots and lots of games.

Alright, I must admit...I'm a little homesick. I am having a great time here, but I am really starting to miss fall. My screen saver is currently one of my favorite pictures ever--a picture I took of Main Hall last fall at Lawrence while walking downtown with Justine. I miss all of the smells, sights, and sounds so much that I went online last weekend to see if Yankee Candle would deliver to Taiwan--no such luck. Last fall, Justine and I used to lug all our books to Starbucks and drink gingerbread or pumpkin spice lattes as she read and I attempted my chemistry homework. We both got so excited when they put up their Christmas decorations and started to play the holiday tracks. I heard the other day that it was snowing in Minnesota...we don't even have changing foliage here and it's still 80 degrees! The weather is getting a bit cooler, and I can see a change in the lights and feel it a bit in the air, but it's still not the same. I'm starting to begin preparations for Christmas now that I realize it will take quite a bit of work to carry it off. The other day I bought Home Alone 2. My next stop is Costco for a ridiculously large fake Christmas tree. I have yet to figure out exactly how the presents part will work, but I'm sure I'll think of something.

I will leave you all with something that I can't help but share because it was written so beautifully:

"I fully appreciate you missing the sensuous delights of the changing of the seasons to fall that are so much a part of life here in Maryland. I absolutely love fall, my favorite season, because of those very smells you "miss;" the visual pleasure of watching the the greens change to vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds and then fading; the subtle sounds of the crisp leaves falling to the ground and the distinctive rustle/crackle when a person or creature ventures through them during their travels; the sounds of crows "cawing" more insistently about their "issues;" the smell of fires burning; the display of pumpkins at roadside stands and in the stores, the artsy "indian" corn and turkey displays; the "crispness" of the air. The senses are filled abundantly by all of these changes. I wish I could send these things to you so you would not have to miss them, being on the other side of the world."

October Updates!

2008-10-19T17:01:00.005+08:00

It's been a while since my last entry. Last weekend the ETAs were invited to Taipei by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in a grand celebration for "Double 10" (10/10), Taiwan's National Day. We arrived late on Friday afternoon and the girls gathered in one hotel room to do hair and makeup. We met with the other Fulbright grantees in our hotel, and headed over to the Guest House for the reception. It was by far the fanciest party I have ever been to. Important people from all over the world were dressed in their finest, and some of the best chefs in Taiwan were preparing local specialities. Guests enjoyed treats like Din Tai Fung soup dumplings (小龙包), Haagen Dazs ice cream with topping of their choice, scallion pancakes, mini cakes, mango smoothies, and foods from Taiwan's ethnic minorities. Local artists were invited to perform their special talents--weaving, paper cutting, straw weaving, calligraphy, etc. President Ma was there, making his way around the room and shaking hands with guests. It was fun to dress up and attend such an important event in Taiwanese culture, although it was a little intimidating to be in a room with so many distinguished people.

On Saturday I took the MRT over to Taipei 101 to see it for the first time. The weather was cloudy and the attendant advised me that it wasn't worth the wait or the money to go to the top that day, but I had fun walking around and window shopping. I also learned the valuable lesson of not trying on any shoes unless I know for sure I want to buy them. I tried on a great pair of mid-calf black suede boots with a wedge heel at Nine West, but I just couldn't spend that much on shoes after springing for the discounted spa package this month (also, Shana has informed me that Nine West and a few other American shoe brands are more expensive here compared to the U.S.). As soon as I told the woman I would be interested in ordering them from the store at a later date, her face fell and she looked like she wanted to stab me. I thanked her over and over and then after I finally left the store, made all efforts necessary for avoiding walking past it again. Although, when I actually thought about it, I said I was just looking, she was the one who insisted I try a pair on!

I did come across a very friendly saleswoman in a store that we also have in Kaohsiung, and very close to our apartment too. I didn't bring a winter jacket with me because I won't really need one, but I decided a light-weight jacket would be good to have. I tried on a few different black ones, all cute, but the cut not quite working right. The saleswoman remembered there was one other I had not tried yet, and when I slipped it on, I immediately loved it. Mid-trench length, A-line, European style with double breast buttons, I just love it! There was also a sale on, so I chose an emerald green scarf that was basically included for free and still the price was lower than the original. They also gave a choice of an LED lamp that changes colors and comes in four different animals. Of course, I chose the cute little frog one!

That night I met with Vicky and two of her local friends to go for dinner at a rice soup (粥) restaurant. We were able to choose dishes of our choice to go with an unlimited supply of the soup with chunks of sweet potato. It was delicious and much needed after a long day of walking around. I caught one of the last trains back to Kaohsiung after the meal, and spent that night and Sunday relaxing.

The school week was busy, but a great deal of fun! On Monday I met with a sixth-grade student in one of my classes who is very eager and willing to learn English, but struggles with letters and phonics. Monday was our first meeting together, and we practiced writing the alphabet and saying the sounds of each letter. He asked me if he should come to meet me on Friday as well, which was pretty amazing since he is giving up his naptime to put in extra practice with me. On Friday we went over some letter combinations and I taught time how to sound out words. He's making good progress and he's trying so hard! He's a very smart boy, and he is also willing to talk freely to me, something many students are too shy to do.

On Tuesday I started learning the Chinese traditional flute with Yang, a homeroom teacher at Wen Fu. He is a well-known professional flutist, having played in many orchestras before he decided he wanted to be a teacher. This past week we worked on a traditional Chinese song, which he also taught me how to sing. He gave me my own flute to practice at home in between each lesson. He told me he'd treat me to soup dumplings for dinner, but when we got closer to the restaurant he asked if I would prefer sushi instead. I told him either was just fine, and insisted he pick since I had never been to either restaurant. He said we'd have soup dumplings first and then sushi, so I just assumed he meant next time we'd have sushi. Not the case. He ordered two hot and sour soups and a pan of soup dumplings, saying we couldn't eat too much because we had to leave room for sushi! I was full after the soup and the dumplings, but still we walked down the street to the sushi restaurant and ordered eel, salmon, scallop, and squid sashimi. He had ordered some sort of scallion pancake with meat wrapped inside for me to take home for a midnight snack, but I could fit nothing more in my stomach, and gave it to Shana instead. She was quite happy :)

This week in class we finished "The Owl and the Pussycat," and I played new games with the students. Some of the classes were a challenge, but a lot of the students who were causing trouble before are really starting to engage in class activities and that makes me incredibly happy. Julianna and I announced our Halloween competitions this week: a costume contest, and a scary story contest. I taught the kids jumping jacks during EV time in the sports station, and they giggled like crazy!

On Friday I went to the animal clinic to pick up the big cage I had ordered for Leo. The doctors and receptionists are all incredibly friendly, and let me play with whatever pets they have there at the time. I got to hold two baby sugar gliders, probably one of the cutest things in the world! They climbed onto my hands without fear and began licking the salt on my hands. After I played with them for a bit, I went outside to play with the big black lab who was beginning to look nervous after a big boom of thunder. I scratched her head for a while, and she seemed to be in puppy heaven, making she sure she nudged by hand with her nose if I became preoccupied with someone who talked to me when entering the clinic. The receptionist told me that Dr. Chiu had ordered special food dishes for me and wanted to give them to me as a gift to see how they worked for Leo--I have to use heavy dishes for his food, otherwise he tips them over when he's eating. I got home and set it up, only to find when I got home later that night, that Leo was on the other side of the cage. Although his body looks much too big to fit through the bars, he is much like one of those squishy cylinders filled with water--squeeze it and it'll wiggle out of your hands. I put him back in his cage and watched as he stuck his head through the hole. I thought "ha, ha! Try to get out now!" before I saw him elongate his body and squeeze through the rest of the way while looking directly at me. I have now clipped the towels I put on the floor to the sides of the cage in attempt to keep him. Last night I discovered he had escaped yet again and was curled up in my bag that I bring to school with all of my books. I needed to give him a bath to moisturize his skin and clip his nails, since the trimmer in his wheel doesn't seem to be working too well. He is the biggest baby ever! He hissed and wiggled and crawled up my arm before trying to crawl into the nook next to my neck and around onto my back. Look up "bathing hedgie" on youtube if you want to see some videos of what is pretty much the ritual Leo and I have.

After my stop at the clinic on Friday, I went with two other ETAs to a dinner party for Roger, one of the people who has been helping us run English Village at Ling Zhou. His mom and dad made an amazing meal for us, Selena (another helper in the EV) brought drinks, and Sheila, Billy, and I brought a cake for dessert. After the meal we walked to the nearby Rui Feng night market and browsed for a bit before going to the Hanshin Department Store. Sheila looked for shoes (I decided not to take a chance at having another angry encounter), and went to look at the clothes instead. I came across an uber cute hat, and after going back three times to try it on and looking at other places, I decided it was the one for me (Shana and I have devoted many a time to finding the perfect hat with no luck).

On Saturday I went to yet another wedding banquet with Julianna's family. This time I knew the groom a little, so it was especially fun to see he and his bride together and congratulate them. The decorations were very beautiful, as were the two dresses she wore. At this banquet they had the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk down the aisle with the flower girl and ring bearer before the bride and groom entered. I tried to get some good shots, but everyone was lined up on the side trying to snap photos. There were also many young children at this particular banquet. The table behind us had a little baby boy who communicated through squealing and high-pitched cooing, and the table beside us had a little boy of maybe three, who was being taught how to toast with people. On the way home from the banquet we stopped by Chengching Lake for some fresh air and the view across the water. There was a beautiful traditional-style pagoda that housed an exhibition and a restaurant on the water which I'd love to go back to some time.

Today I met Julianna and her family at a high school to watch Kaohsiung City high school bands perform for their friends and family. Vicky, Julianna's daughter, plays the guitar, and we all went to support her. It was a lot of fun to see a lot of the bands perform English songs by artists like Green Day, The Killers, and Avril Lavigne (who is crazy popular here). The bands' friends and classmates formed a crowd in the front, and jumped up and down and screamed when they performed and worked the audience.

Next week will be another busy weekend. I'll be meeting my new friend Claire for the first time for shopping and quality hanging out, and on Sunday I'll be going on a biking trip with my host family. More to come then!

Saturday Fun

2008-10-05T18:55:00.003+08:00

Yesterday I called my friend Jean on a whim since I had some free time and realized I hadn't seen her in weeks. She happened to be free, so I asked if she wanted to go see Nights in Rodanthe with me. I invited Shana along too, so Jean picked the two of us up in her car and we headed for the movies. When we got there we found that the 3pm movie was no longer playing, so we bought tickets for a later one and then wandered off to kill time.

This weekend the ETAs have been invited to a fancy party in Taipei hosted by the Bureau of Education to celebrate 10/10, Taiwan's Independence Day. The invitation asks women to wear cocktail dresses, so I was in dire need of a dress! Amanda, our wonderful life coach, as Shana and I call her, mentioned a store she found where you can rent a dress, with jewelry and bag for the evening included. I had told Jean about the store, which we found out was located near her house, so she asked if I wanted to go take a look at the dresses before the movie. The shop was beautiful. The women took my measurements and then brought a number of dresses of different styles and colors for me to try. Most of the ones I really really liked weren't in my size, and although the first few dresses I tried were nice, they didn't seem to be right for me. And then they brought me an iridescent light blue dress that reminded me a little bit of the Little Mermaid. I wasn't sure if the color would work for me, but I put it on and fell in love with it. Shana and Jean approved, and then I got to select the jewelry to go with it. The saleswomen originally chose very sparkly pieces that were nice, but seemed a bit too much for me. I saw a pair of dangly starfish earrings with green, pink, and blue stones on them and wanted them right away. They took my measurements one last time to alter the dress, I paid my deposit, and left on cloud nine.

Shana and I were pretty hungry since we hadn't eaten lunch and it was almost 4:30, but most restaurants don't open until 5 for dinner (they close around 2pm after lunch and then rest and prepare for dinner). We decided on eating home style Cantonese Chinese food for dinner, and even though the restaurant was still preparing for dinner, they agree to serve us. Jean asked us what kind of dishes we liked, and I began rattling off all of my favorite dishes that I ate in Beijing on a daily basis. I was more excited than you can imagine and almost cried from excessive happiness when I saw the green pepper and beef (青椒牛肉), sweet and sour pork (糖醋排骨)，iron-plate tofu（铁板豆腐), and stir-fried cabbage (白菜). After the delicious meal, Jean took Shana and I for our first trip to Costco. It immediately smelled like home, and I squealed with delight when I saw the fake Christmas trees and Christmas decorations. We only had about an hour there before we had to get back for the movie, so I agreed to save my Christmas decoration shopping for another day, and Shana and I rushed around looking for the things we decided we needed. I found the most comfy fuzzy fleece throw that's dark grey with a white pattern on it. I love it so much because it reminds me of snowflakes. Even though it's still about 90 degrees here, the air conditioning in my room blows directly on my bed, and I was getting tired of using my robe to cover up when I napped. I broke it in today during my afternoon nap and absolutely loved it! We also bought those ginormous chocolate muffins with chocolate chips--a chocolate lover's heaven!

We rushed back to the movie theater, and even got there with ten minutes to spare. The movie was wonderful, but incredibly sad. As Shana said, we should have known since it's based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. I haven't cried that hard in a movie since I saw the Notebook and it took the whole ride home for my face to look normal again. I had a headache from the crying, but it was a great movie and totally worth it! I'll have to add it to my growing list of movies to buy...

Tonight I went to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner since I had been craving their spicy Thai hot pot. I took my book and got there early so I was one of the only customers. They have decorated for autumn and Halloween since the last time I went, and it was even more cozy inside. They had a cd playing the scores of popular 90s love songs, and I felt incredibly relaxed as I read my book and waited for my meal. When I left I asked about one of the most stunning paintings I've ever seen, one that caught my attention on my first visit there. It's the most beautiful autumn scenery, with vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows creating the foliage. I was delighted to hear that it is a piece done by an art student who is looking to sell it. The owner of the restaurant gave me the contact card and told me it shouldn't be very expensive, which I was even more delighted to hear. It's definitely one more piece to add my four favorite paintings that I bought in Xi'an at a farmer's market for way more than I should have paid. Even so, I ended up paying only $12 for them, and would have gladly paid more for something I thought so beautiful.

I'm now ready to curl up on my bed in my new blanket with my new book and one of those delectable chocolate muffins...

I've fallen in love....with Taiwanese movies!

2008-10-04T12:07:00.006+08:00

Last Sunday, Shana, Lynn (a student teacher at Wen Fu), and I met up with my host mom and sisters for an Italian lunch at New House. The biggest typhoon to hit Taiwan yet was on its way, so we decided that a day spent inside would be best. After we stuffed ourselves with soup, salad, pasta, and dessert, we braved the wind and headed across the street to the Mega Mall. The girls went home to do their homework, and my mom, Shana, Lynn and I settled on seeing Cape No. 7 (海角七号), the latest Taiwanese movie that everyone is seeing. We had all heard how amazing it was from our friends, and I couldn't wait to see it!

The movie was so good! Although it it best classified as romance, there was plenty of hilarious comedy, and a wide array of characters each with their own personality to love. There are sort of two main stories in the movie, one which happens long ago when Taiwan was colonized by Japan. A young man is too cowardly to admit his love for a girl, and even though she's ready to go back to Japan with him, he leaves without saying goodbye. The movie begins with the love letters he wrote to her thereafter, apologizing for not being brave enough to acknowledge their love and expressing his eternal love for her. The other story, needed to lighten the mood, I suppose, is about a group of misfits who try to put a local Taiwanese band together to perform an opening act and prove their city's talent at a big concert put on by a Japanese pop star. One of the band members is a senile old man who can't really play anything but traditional Chinese instruments and is always angry at the others for trying to get rid of him. Some of the funniest lines come from him. Within this rock band story exists the main love story and the way the love story from the past and present are connected, but I'll leave that for you to figure out since I don't want to give everything away. ;)

The actors and actresses in the movie speak Japanese, Mandarin, and the local Taiwanese dialect, and there were both Chinese and English subtitles. The lead actor is actually a Taiwanese pop star who was popular a few years ago but had sort of faded away until this movie. The movie actually makes use of a song he wrote a while ago, and another one that I believe was written for this movie. Immediately after the movie, Shana and I went to the Mega bookstore to see if we could find the soundtrack, but found that it hasn't been released yet. We both agreed that we want to buy the soundtrack and the movie.

Although we couldn't buy the soundtrack that day, I did find a book written by an author whom I just discovered this year. I recently read a book titled Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos, and absolutely loved it. As the title suggests, it is a book about love, but not just romantic love. The chapters alternate between two individual stories of a young girl and a woman in her 30s, whose paths cross during their respective searches for their own kind of love. It's beautifully written, and when I came across another novel, Belong to Me, written by the same author, I had to get it. I'm looking forward to starting it this weekend, now that I finally finished Life and Death in Shanghai, the story of a Chinese woman who was imprisoned for six years during China's Cultural Revolution, and The Alchemist, which is now probably one of my favorite books.

After making my purchase, Shana and I hurried home before the typhoon hit. Restaurants were closing early, so we stopped in to Domino's to get a pizza and watched a movie while we ate. Later that night we found out that there was no school the next day, since all of Taiwan was being hit with heavy winds and rain. In some places I heard that they received up to 30 inches of rain. Kaohsiung fared okay, and I am very lucky to have been placed here, especially since the other location in Yilan has been at the center of many of the typhoons that have come in the past month or so.

After work on Tuesday, Lynn invited me to see a movie with all of the student teachers at Wen Fu. We hurried across town to the Mega Mall and grabbed a quick dinner before seeing Orz Boys. It wasn't what we expected it to be, but it turned out to be great. It told the story of two elementary school boys who are good friends and have a dream of going to this make-believe world called Hyperspace. Both boys have sort of rough family lives, so most of the movie focuses on how they escape to their own world. Although a bit sad, it was also very funny, and beautifully done. It's another movie that I'm looking forward to buying and sharing with my friends back in the States.

On Wednesday, I went to another movie with Shana and Kelly, a mutual friend from work. This time we saw The Fox and Me (狐狸与我), a French film. The scenery was beautiful and Shana and I wondered how they did such an amazing job of filming chase scenes between the animals, but it was way too sad for me. The film is about a young girl who sees a fox on her way home, and devotes all of her spare time to finding this fox again. Eventually, the fox learns to trust her, and waits for to come out every day. The girl is too young to understand the delicate balance between our world and the natural world around us, and oversteps the boundary, trying to domesticate the animal. Shana and Kelly thought it was great, but it just fell into that weird category I have of things that I can't handle because it involves a sad story with either old people or animals. I've heard that a lot of European films tend to be somber and depressing, so for now I think I'll stick to the Taiwanese films!

I've been dying to see the Hollywood movie Nights in Rodanthe with Richard Gere and Diane Lane since I saw the preview this summer, so I might go this weekend. I also fell in love with the song in the preview, "Love Remains the Same" by Gavin Rossdale, and have had it set on repeat on my iTunes, so I think it's about time I see the movie. Maybe I'll take up a job as a movie critic on the side...

Last weekend's outing continued and more...

2008-09-28T00:39:00.004+08:00

To pick up from where I left off, last Sunday I went to Ci Jin with my host family. The day began with our 9 am meeting where they picked me up near a park by their house. We drove to an art museum located not too far from the school where I teach. I found out that the day's events were planned for alumni of Dong Hua University, where my host dad earned his undergraduate degree.

The girls and I were tired from going to bed late and waking up early, and we weren't too thrilled to be at a museum at 9:30 in the morning, but it was a pretty cool place. We explored the gift shop for a half hour or so while we waited for the others, and chatted for a while. Things got even better once we entered the actual museum. The group had a tour guide who explained the significance of each piece and the author's motivation for the design. It was all in Chinese, so I didn't catch everything, but my family helped explain the important parts along the way. The first was this really cool digital screen on the floor with two very art deco-looking chairs at each end. One person sat in each chair and the attendant helped place a band with little monitors on their heads. They had to close their eyes, keep still, and keep their minds focused, and the band would monitor their strength of their brain waves. In the first competition, the screen showed a pond with Water Lilies. The person with the stronger brain waves would create more blooming Water Lilies on their side of the pond. In the next image, fish were swimming in a stream. Bamboo baskets were placed on either side, and more fish would jump into the basket of the person with the stronger waves. It was so cool!

Probably my favorite piece was something that reminded me a great deal of a Neolithic Museum I visited in Xi'an when I studied abroad in China. A few years ago when digging land for the building of a student dormitory, diggers found what turned out to be remains from an ancient civilization. Across the way was a piece of art designed to show highlight the progression of civilization and the tools we use. The artist designed cell phones, credit card machines, calculators etc. to appear as though if discovered in a dig. If someone was to uncover remains of our generation, what would they find left from us?

After the tour we drove to Ci Jin for lunch at a well-known seafood restaurant. My host dad's classmate drove with us, so my mom, sisters and I sat in the back seat together. We all fell asleep on the way there, leaning into each other as we dozed off. We go to the restaurant before the other since we drove, so my sisters took out there MP3 player, and gave me one of the headphones to use as they played their favorite songs for me. I found out that they like Leona Lewis too! Once the others arrived and the food started coming, it didn't stop! We had crabs (which reminded me of home!), shrimp (whole shrimp, shrimp rolls, shrimp with pumpkin and pasta, soup with shrimp), squid, fruit, and delicious sticky rice balls filled with crushed peanuts! After our feast we rode bikes around the island and stopped at the seashell museum. On the way back we stopped for some ice cream lemonade--delicious fresh lemon juice with three small balls of milk flavored ice cream--before heading down another path in the other direction. We rode through a dark tunnel and made our way around a winding path along the ocean, stopping for a view of the skyline and to watch a few men try their luck at fishing. After the last leg of the bike ride my host mom decided she wanted some shaved ice, so we found the last empty table at the ice shop, and the five of us shared a bowl of mango ice and a bowl of red bean with condensed milk ice (about 20 minutes after the ice cream). While my dad was ordering the ice, my mom reminded us not to eat too much since we would be going to my uncle's for dinner (!). I almost died.

After the ice we drove to the house of my uncle (who is actually my dad's dad). My mom had told me he was an amazing cook, and she was telling the truth! He had prepared a delicious meat dish that was incredibly tender, a cold sour cucumber dish (which might sound strange but tasted incredible), stir fried cabbage, and a bamboo and pigtail soup. Now, I know what you're thinking, I did promise to try everything once, but I just couldn't do it. I was already bursting from the seven meals I'd had that day, and I didn't think I could manage. Maybe another time...

After dinner we sat around the table on benches as we watched the news. At some point my mom put a pillow behind my back, and I leaned back and fell asleep. When I awoke, the American movie The Wedding Date was on, and my sisters were turning their heads away as the couple on screen kissed. We watched for a little longer, woke my dad, who had also fallen asleep, and made our way back home.

On Monday morning I was feeling the few hours of sleep I'd had the day before, and sleepily got ready for school. I usually fall asleep on the bus, which isn't a problem since it takes me straight to my stop, the last one on the line. Normally I wake up just before we arrive at the station, but I was totally conked out that morning. I had brought the pillow I bought over the weekend for nap time at school, and fell asleep holding it against my chest. The driver came back to wake me and asked if I wanted to go to the Zuoying station. When I said yes he said, "we're here," and asked me if I was comfortable. I was so embarrassed, but he was very nice so I just answered yes shyly, apologized, and thanked him for waking me.

This week went by pretty fast, with classes running smoothly and late nights from Monday to Wednesday. I agreed to do some tutoring to help out a friend for the first three nights this week, and didn't get home until around 11 or so. Although they were long days, it was fun to mix up my routine. On Tuesday night I went straight to the MRT stop after dancing since the school is much closer to the station than my apartment is, so I had some time to kill while I waited. I stopped in a movie store and browsed the shelves for a few second hand DVDs I could buy. After asking the poor girl working the counter numerous questions and picking movies up and putting them down multiple times, I decided on P.S. I Love You, Priceless (a French movie that she recommended), and The Most Distant Course (a Taiwanese movie). She told me I could choose one more for free, which confused me even more, but I eventually decided on Failure to Launch. The irony? I found out yesterday I can't watch it on my laptop because of the country code. Guess I made the wrong choice... With my movies purchased I stopped into McDonald's since I'd been craving a cheeseburger. It was nice to have some alone time out and about and do something for myself.

That night my mom walked me to the MRT station and we passed by a clothing store having a big sale. It was late so we didn't stop, but I made a mental note. On Wednesday I finished a bit earlier, so I thought I'd just take a quick peek on my way back to the station. I went in and actually found a really cute black cotton jumper with cute buttons and pair of hot pink leggings to make it pop. While I was considering whether or not to buy the metallic purse (and I did), the worker's little girl kept walking past me talking on her mom's cell phone. She was really cute and not shy like many other children who see me, and once she hung up, we started talking. She complimented my Chinese, which was one of the nicest compliments I've gotten yet (it's not often that children think to do so on their own), and told me her English name. She likes the color pink so she chose Tinky, what she thought was a form of the word for pink. I told her I thought it was really creative and cute, but if she wanted, I could help her choose an English name that she could use forever whenever she met a foreigner. She was very willing, something not common, even among kids with names like Chocolate, Boss, and Mars (all boys, I might add), so I asked which English letter she liked best. She told me she likes the letter A, so I suggested the name Ally. She seemed happy that I thought it was a very cute name that was popular but not overused, but I could tell she wasn't 100% sold. I asked her for her Chinese name, and then chose some English names that have similar sounds. Her Chinese name is Ting2 Ya1, which sounds much like Tina, but tons of little girls choose that as their English name. I offered Trini (that's right, the yellow Power Ranger), Tara, Tiffany, and Tammy, and she was sold on Tammy.

While we chatted, her mom had packed my purchases up in a bag and was helping a very pretty woman find a fancy dress. Tammy pulled up stools for us and we sat talking about what I was doing in Taiwan, what I liked to do, etc. She asked if I could come visit her this weekend, and although I really wanted to, I told her I had plans to go to Tainan (the plans have now been moved to next weekend). I promised I would come by after I got back, but she was very concerned that I would go back to America directly from Tainan. I assured her I had about another 10 months here, gave her my cell phone number, and told her I'd teach her how to swim. I stayed until after 11, when her mom pulled down the front gate and locked up. She insisted on taking me to the MRT station, and I tried to refuse, but after she offered repeatedly I agreed. They happen to live by the Zuoying station so she told me she could take me straight there, which meant I wouldn't have to transfer lines. I just assumed they had a car, but when we walked out front I saw that we three would be taking their scooter. With Tammy standing in front and me sitting on back behind her mom, we drove through the empty streets. The night had become cool and I felt very really free and content with the wind blowing my hair. I took one of the last trains home and got home really late, but it was totally worth it. I'm really looking forward to seeing them again.

On Friday after work the ETAs went over to a dinner reception at the home of the branch chief of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) office located in Kaohsiung. His apartment is stunning, and his staff had prepared a wonderful buffet with both American and local dishes. What I remember most: the incredibly rich, cheesy lasagna, and the chocolate chip cookies! We all went crazy over the cookies (ovens are pretty much nonexistent in Taiwan), and I was especially lucky because Shana gave me the chips she picked out of her cookies--she's all about the dough. We talked with Chris, the branch chief, about all the things we want to bake together for Thanksgiving, and are anxiously awaiting the next occasion to eat homemade baked goods!

Today was the most perfect lazy Saturday. I slept in, finished watching the movie I started last night, and got ready for the day. We finally decided to hire a cleaning service, and today was the first day the two women came to clean. They are really sweet and made our apartment so clean! Since it was the first time, Shana and I stuck around to answer questions, and I lounged on my bed, reading a book and listening to music. I wandered out for a late lunch, and came back with just enough time to do some more reading, take a cat nap, and make it on time for my first spa appointment.

Just as I was almost home on Friday, it started pouring. It was also thundering and lightning like crazy, and my umbrella wasn't doing much good, so I looking for a place to stop. I wasn't having much luck, but I when I passed by a spa that I had walked right by before and never noticed, the woman at the desk gave me a really friendly smile. I thought it couldn't hurt to ask about their services, so I went back and she greeted me very warmly. She brought some tea and told me about their massages and facials. Another woman came out and they were both eager to chat--I learned later that it was their first time meeting a foreigner who could speak Chinese. At this spa a massage and a facial costs only 1400NT (about $50 in the U.S.), and lasts three hours. This is much cheaper than the 5000NT the nearby Aveda spa charges for a facial, so I asked if they had a spot for Saturday, deciding I could afford to treat myself.

I arrived today and was greeted by just about everyone who worked there. I was taken into a beautiful serene room with a private bathroom where I showered before the massage (a first for me!). The shower in the apartment isn't bad, but this was great! The woman who I had met yesterday sweetly told me to dry my hair with the hair dryer so that I wouldn't catch a cold, and then started chatting as she gave me the massage. She gave me a really great massage that focused on my shoulder and back muscles, and was just the right blend of relaxation and medicine. She was also a lot of fun to chat with. She asked if I would give her an English name, and when I chose Jessica and explained why I thought it matched her personality, she said she was impressed at how well I seemed to know her from talking to her just a short while. She asked if I would be her friend and go out with her to eat after work.

After the massage and the facial that included an awesome massage that covered my face, my head, and my shoulders; a face mask; and a half hour of relaxing with a warm pillow under my neck, I felt great. They created a special package for me that includes a number of free treatments with a lump sum paid up front, and agreed to let me pay for today's visit with two payments for the package price starting from my next visit. I am so looking forward to treating myself every other week (and taking those amazing showers...).

This weekend my sisters and dad are gone to a science camp in Taipei. My mom spontaneously asked me to go see the new Taiwanese movie Cape No. 7 that everyone is talking about last Wednesday at about 11 at night, but I was way too tired and asked if we could do it this weekend instead. She told me to invite my friends, so tomorrow Shana, Lynn (a student teacher who I work with at Wen Fu), and I are going to meet my mom and her sister for the movie and lunch at a restaurant of our choice. One of the options she mentioned is a buffet that serves all-you-can-eat hot pot, seafood, and Japanese dishes, so I'll let you know about that.

There's a big typhoon scheduled to make landfall in Taiwan tomorrow, and many people have been asking me about it. Please know that we're well-equipped with enough food, water, and candles/flashlights in case the power goes out, and we receive plenty of warnings and tips from the foundation about staying inside and how to keep safe.

More soon!

All Things Chinese

2008-09-20T23:58:00.004+08:00

My second week of teaching flew by, bringing with it many new firsts for me.

I discovered that the girls whom I dance with form one out of nine teams competing in a school-wide cheerleading competition. The director saw me dancing with them and asked if I'd be interested in helping. It's impossible for me to dance with all nine teams, so she asked if I would be the judge. I explained the situation to the girls, and we decided that I will be the judge for the actual competition, but will continue to dance with them for fun now.

On Tuesday night I took Leo to the vet's, just to do a regular check-up. I've been reading a lot about hedgehogs online and knew that I would have to have his nails clipped soon to avoid them curling under and injuring his toe pads. You can clip them yourself, but I wanted to make sure I didn't cut them too short and injure his pads--they can lose a lot of blood if cut. I also noticed his skin was dry, which is also a sign of mites, and since Leo's a new pet, I thought it couldn't hurt just to have him checked out.

I got really lucky and happened to stop in to the animal clinic on a day when the doctor from another location was at the one right down the street from me. Dr. Chiu has worked with hedgehogs before and raises sugargliders (another exotic pet, even more so than hedgehogs) herself) so she is the ideal vet for Leo. She also speaks English well, so between using a little bit of Chinese and a lot of English, we can understand each other perfectly. She took a few skin flakes from Leo's back and found that he does, in fact, have mites. It's easily treatable with Frontline, which I only need to put on his neck once a month. I also have to give him medicine twice a day for about a week to hydrate his skin and the rest of his body. Dr. Chiu tried to make it "yummy" for him so that he'd want to eat it. It didn't work out so well the first time--he took a quick lick and then was done. When I gave her a call and she told me to add a little sugar I thought it was a bit odd, but it seemed to be the secret ingredient! Leo eats enough now to make the froth that he puts on his back. When he turns around and is busy licking his quills, I sneak a big dose in the side of his mouth. He usually makes a face and shakes his head, but it works every time!

I'm taking Leo back to the clinic this week to see how things are going, and Dr. Chiu is going to help me find a bigger cage and a special exercise wheel for him. Since sugargliders are not common in Taiwan at all, she orders a lot of her stuff from the States and said she could show me some things. The wheel would be great because it shaves his nails down as he runs. I did manage to cut his nails a bit last night and felt very accomplished. It was during our nightly bonding time when I put a towel on my lap and let him climb around or snuggle down, whichever he prefers.

On Thursday evening after teaching and dancing, I hurried back to San Min where our office is located, to have my first Chinese class. It was really great to be back in a formal sort of class setting. There are only three of us in the class, but the small size makes it feel a lot like my classes at Lawrence. The professor is great and very easy to work with. He showed us news clips and gave us a weekly news summary in Chinese to practice reading and discussing. It was challenging to use some vocabulary that I haven't used in a while, but together we seemed to communicate our ideas. Shana and Billy know a lot of vocabulary, so I sometimes feel out of their league, but it's great exposure for me. I'm looking forward to next week!

Yesterday afternoon (Friday) was my second big experience of the week--acupuncture! Amanda, who works for the foundation here and works to make all of us as comfortable as possible, took me to a place not too far down the street from the apartment. My lower back had been hurting and my shoulders were in need of some lovin', and with a discounted rate from my Taiwan health insurance card, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I wasn't too sure what to expect, but Amanda gave me a bit of a briefing before I went in. I lied face down on the table and the doctor placed a few needles in my left shoulder and the left side of my lower back. I felt a bit of pressure and a mini prick, but it wasn't painful. After he placed the needle in my skin, he did something that made my muscle feel like it was being twisted. It was a really strange sensation--one that kind of made me squirm but felt good at the same time. After the needles were inserted, a woman hooked them up to a machine that sends little waves of electricity into your body. The pulses felt like someone was gently pounding my skin, and then my arm started jumping. It didn't hurt, although it was strangely involuntary, but I gathered it wasn't supposed to happen when she called Amanda in to translate. They agreed that it might be a little too strong, so she turned it down a bit and the spasming stopped. I thought it was funny (and I suppose I was also a bit nervous too) , so I started laughing uncontrollably. Amanda and the woman both started laughing, while meanwhile I was thinking "I hope I don't lodge the needles into my back!" The electrotherapy went on for 15 minutes, after which I was glad to be done. It wasn't really painful, but I could feel my muscles starting to get a bit sore.

After the electrotherapy, another man came in to give me a sort of "massage." Here, it is crucial to understand that these types of massages (as well as most) are not mean for relaxation and pampering; rather, they are used for medicinal purposes and to increase circulation. They usually involve a lot of hard rubbing. It was pleasant for the most part, but I do feel a bit sore today. Still, this is the good kind of sore, and I feel better overall (I think). He then had me sit up with my back facing him, and before I knew it, he was pulling my arms over my head and bending me back until I heard a loud crack. It was at this time that Amanda said, "now, I think he'll do some cracking. You must be relaxed." He applied some herbal medicinal patches to my shoulders and I was done. For the rest of the night I smelled like herbs and had the feeling you get from using Icy Hot. Reading over my description I'm thinking that many of you might have the impression that it was an unpleasant experience. Actually, I'm looking forward to going back. I want to see what else they can do to me :).

Today I slept in--it was glorious! I got ready in a hurry and headed over to meet Shu-Ting, one of the local English teachers, for lunch. We went to a really nice restaurant that is known for speciality flavored hot pot. I tried the spicy coconut with pork. This specific restaurant puts everything in the soup for you, but normally you place the food into the pot as you like. You most often choose the meat and the soup base that you want, and all types of hot pot will come with cabbage, a variety of mushrooms, tofu, fish balls, and sometimes thin noodles or rice. After lunch we walked next door to a department store and shopped for some skin care products. Shu-Ting also took me to a store that she often goes to which sells more traditional Chinese style clothing with a modern twist. I played dress up for a while, and then came back home to get ready for my first wedding banquet!

This evening Julianna, one of my co-teachers, took me with her family to a friend's wedding banquet. This was my first time going to any sort of wedding event ever, so I was super excited. I got all dressed up in my new bright blue dress, and put my hair up in little twists, which has become a popular demand from all the teachers I work with. I took the bus to the HSR station where Julianna and her family picked me up. We then drove for about one hour to a city called Ping Dong. On the way there her mother, husband, two daughters, one son, and I chatted in Chinese, and I showed them pictures of Leo (Julianna had told them about him).

The banquet was held in a high school gym, which was divided into two sides with about thirty tables each for both the family and friends of the bride and groom. This was apparently an exceptional banquet, as Julianna said it was the first one she had been to that also had an MC/band. Each guest gave the bride and groom a red envelope filled with money, used to cover the cost of the banquet, upon entering and signs their name in the guest book. It's a tradition to offer candy as good luck to symbolize the sweetness of their marriage. Cartons of cold, sweetened tea and bottles of beer and wine were placed on the spinning center of the table (think lazy susan). Most banquets formally start at 6:30pm, at which time waitresses stroll down the aisles with carts filled with the first dish. All in all there are usually about 12 dishes, most of which are found at every banquet. Tonight we had a plate of five different seafood appetizers, most of them containing squid. After the "appetizers," we had shark fin soup with seafood, followed by a whole chicken cooked in a pot, a steamed fish, lobster with sashimi and squid balls, sticky rice with eel and steamed bamboo, steamed shrimp, a taro dish steamed inside a large lotus leaf, broccoli with seafood, fruit with a popular yogurt drink, and a signature soup always served at the end to signal the completion of the banquet. Throughout the banquet, the bride and groom walk around with their parents to toast each table. The bride changes her dress three times to show her beauty. Individuals at each table often offer up toasts to one another as well. We sat with co-workers of Allen, Julianna's husband, and they were all incredibly friendly. One man brought his son who is getting married next month, so they invited me to their banquet as well.

After saying goodbye and congratulating the bride and groom, we went to a nearby department store to allow the wine to wear off before we drove home. Allen, Steven (the son), Vicky (the eldest daughter), and I played arcade games in the basement for a while before we went upstairs to browse the store. I hadn't played arcade games in such long time; it was actually a lot of fun. Vicky and I shot baskets together against the clock, and then we went over to one of the impossible machines to try and grab a really cute frog with a cute watch strapped around his body. Vicky almost had him so many times, and we kept playing until the 25th time when you are guaranteed to catch one. The machine didn't give it up, however, so Allen complained to the attendant who promised to contact the company and have them give it to us. I challenged Steven to air hockey, and then I played the game where you beat down the heads of some animal with a paddle when it comes at you on the screen.

We found out that we all love to window shop, so Vicky, Maddie (the youngest daughter), Julianna and I sorted through a bin of t-shirts on sale. I bought a few more towels since Leo has pretty much taken over my old ones, and a small pillow for naptime at school (I've found that I have no problem falling asleep after lunch, but a pillow would really enhance the experience). About an hour later after we were on our way back to my apartment. We chatted about American movies, Allen made a few great plays on words that sound like my Chinese name (Deng4 Ni2 Qi3), and I gave the kids my new business cards! Steven seemed to think it was pretty cool, and was excited to see that I had MSN.

I had such a wonderful time with Julianna's family; it was like spending time with my best friends and their families from home. I can't wait for our next activity together!

Tomorrow I'm off to Qi Jin, a nearby island famous for its seafood, for my first outing with my host family since meeting them last week. Keyi (my youngest sister) has been texting me all week to keep up with what I'm doing, so I can't wait to see them! I bought the girls two pairs of hair ties with strawberries on them yesterday afternoon, so I really hope they like them. I just got a message saying they want to meet at 9 am instead of 11, so I'd better go to bed!

More about tomorrow along with pictures from today to follow soon!

September Days

2008-09-12T21:53:00.006+08:00

I have just completed my first official week of teaching! I absolutely love Wen Fu and everyone there. The students treat me as if I'm some sort of celebrity, eyes wide, toothless grins, and a big wave as they shout "hello, Teacher Nicki!" Even though I only get to teach a group of them, all of the students say hello and are so excited to speak English with me. After just a few days I have kids running up to me and holding my hand or guiding me through the halls. They peak at me from around the corner and across the courtyard, and the really brave ones approach me to ask questions that I know they have been reciting over and over in their heads.

I work with 14 different classes, so this week's class periods were mainly used for introducing myself and having the students use English to ask me questions. I told the kids that I'm from America's east coast and live in a state very close to Washington D.C. I told them I recently graduated from college and had them guess my age (most guesses were around 25). I told them I have a younger brother who is very tall (I can gesture this easily and they think he's a giant) and plays soccer very well, and said that we have a cat who has blue eyes just like me (this gets them every time). I told them about Leo, and drew a picture so that they could associate the word hedgehog with the Chinese word. When the students got to ask me questions, I was very impressed with many of their English levels. They asked me things like what my life in America is like, how do I like Kaohsiung, what are my favorite foods here, and if I like Wen Fu (which is way too cute). It's especially cute when they ask me if I'm interested in things they like; one little boy asked me I liked hockey and archery. They were all very curious about American houses--they think we're all very rich since we live in houses with two floors--a step up from the high-rise apartments that cover the small island. Some of the questions are a bit more difficult to answer (like "Why do you have such a tall nose?"), but I am so impressed with their curiosity and willingness to take a risk asking a question when they know they may very well not say it one hundred percent correctly. I'm also very glad to see that the better students help translate for the other ones, repeating the question in Chinese, and having the student speak after me to say it in English. So far we've practiced some review sentences like "How old are you?" and "How tall are you?" with the 5th graders, and worked on shapes and introducing the Mid-Autumn Festival with the 6th graders. The next lesson for the 5th graders is called "Can You Swim," and includes other verbs, so I chose a verse from "Part of Your World" for a listening exercise. I sang the verse once and had the students listen carefully for as many words as they could. I repeated it once more and had them right what they heard on the blackboard. The third time I taught them line by line so that they could sing it too. After I sang they burst into applause and said I was a superstar. Even my co-teacher said she was surprised to hear how well I sing and said she loved my sweet-sounding voice (hear that, Aunt Jenny?). It's one of the first activities I've used on my own, so I was glad to see it go over well. It makes me a little less and nervous and more excited to plan other things for them.

Today in between classes I asked if I could play baseball with the boys. I pitched a few balls and then asked if I could try hitting. I ended up hitting a line drive on the first pitch, and got a "home run." They yelled and yelled for me to run, something I wasn't planning to do since the ground was still really muddy from the torrential rain yesterday and I was wearing wedge sandals and a skirt. I ran anyway, almost falling once, and sliding on one foot into home. They got me out but it was still pretty great. When I heard students calling my name, I looked up to find students on all sides of the courtyard leaning over the breezeways waving and watching me play. By the next class the word had spread that I can play baseball. It's a really popular sport in Taiwan, so I'm glad it's something I can share with them.

I've also started dancing after school with a group of about seven or eight 5th grade girls. They take dance lessons with a teacher, and meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the front hallway to practice. They're quite good little dancers, using a modern pop-style song and dance that they will perform in a few weeks for a competition. Every time they see me now they ask if I will join them after school. I have three of them in my classes, and it's sort of like being in on our own little secret. We have our own little smile for each other, and I find myself getting really excited when I see them in the hallways. It's super fun communicating with them--we need about all of them for me to say something to just one of them. There's one girl who acts as the overall interpreter, a few who argue about the meaning in Chinese, and a few who happen to know odd vocabulary words. The other day I showed them how to do a cartwheel, and since I can remember their routine, they seem to think I'm pretty cool. If they only knew...That's the great thing about kids--they think everything you do is amazing.

Sophia or Julianna usually wait until I'm done with dancing and then drive me to the bus station. Sophia has a spunky personality with a short hair cut and stylish clothes to match. Her skin is quite pale for a Taiwanese, and she works hard to keep it that way. Even on her way to the classroom she wears a visor that had a front mask comparable to that of a welding mask. The first time she drove me (Tuesday), I recognized that familiar smell of sunscreen as soon as I opened the car door. I saw that the front passenger window was covered was two sun protectors, but as we pulled out of the parking garage she put two more on her side and then pulled a strip of dark film over the windshield (this was all in addition to the visor/welding mask). I was very concerned about her vision, but she assured me she was a good driver. I made a quit exit from the car since there are traffic guards along the bus station who signal cars to move on when they make a stop at the station, no matter how brief. The second day (yesterday) I tried to be quick, but the guard immediately rushed to the car and began blowing his whistle. I was already halfway out, so I found it very amusing when he yelled "stop, stop!" It had been a long day and I was just seconds away from missing my bus that had already pulled up to the curb so I yelled "ok, ok!" and ran a few feet to hop onto the bus. I recognized the bus driver, a young guy whom I like very much mostly because the first day he saw me he said "Hello, how are you" in a perky, heavy accented voice. This time he gave me a sly smile, said "hello" in English again, and then asked (in Chinese), "Do you understand, Chinese?" I responded with, "Yes, I speak Chinese" and then added "they don't like me very much," pointing to the guards. He kept smiling his sly smile and I collapsed into a seat, thankful to be on my way home.

After finishing up at work around noon today and having lunch at the school, I came home for a short nap before meeting my host family. I packed the jams I bought in the U.S., each made with a local specialty fruit, and headed for the bus stop for the second time today. The first bus to come was the 72, a line I don't usually take but one I know goes to the train station. From the train station I would be able to walk to San Min, a local school where we would have a catered dinner with our host families. As we drove down the main stretch of road, we pulled up next to some sort of street parade. A few groups of men carried long bamboo poles on their shoulders, the poles supporting pagoda temple-like statues. Other men wore large majestic costumes, balancing on either stilts or perhaps the shoulders of other men as they swayed down the street. Groups of young men played classical Chinese instruments, pausing to take a deep drag from their cigarettes or to light a new one. Bubble tea cups were wedged between instruments and statues carried in carts. One man took a call on his cell phone as he participated. The wind started to pick up and the sky began turning darker; a strong typhoon is on its way to Taiwan. When we began crossing the bridge that takes me to Wen Fu, I realized that the 72 was not going to make a stop at the train station and quickly got off to catch a taxi to the school. Although the cool breeze felt amazing, I had to carefully maneuver my skirt, and the darkening sky was looking more and more threatening. I found a nice driver who was fun to chat with and got me to San Min 130NT later (the exact same price it would have taken to take a taxi from my apartment to the school--I hope this doesn't become a trend...).

When I got to San Min I learned that my host family has two daughters, one 10 and the other 12. I had already heard that they are a very nice well-educated family, and I became even more excited to meet them. Although we knew which family we had been matched with, they did not, and we had to keep it a surprise until after dinner. I was so happy when I saw a little family of three walk in wearing matching purple shirts. I tried to discreetly make my way over to them and sit by them at dinner, but I think I must have had a twinkle in my eye, because after spending a few minutes with them the my dad looked at me and said, "I think maybe you are with us." I was pleasantly surprised to find out how well both of the girls speak English, a result of a year or so living in London. They understand American humor very well and are not as shy as many of the young girls who I have met so far. When it came time for me to give clues about my family, and my dad realized that I am, indeed, his third daughter for this year, he yelled out the "we are family!" line very enthusiastically and gave me a hug as some of the local school staff and Bureau of Education members chanted "hug, hug, hug, hug!" It was awkward in the really fun way that many things in Chinese culture are, and we exchanged the gifts that we brought for one another. My family got me a really nice English-Chinese, Chinese-English dictionary from a very large and famous bookstore near their home. My mom had Moon Festival activities tonight and was unable to come, but I had the chance to learn plenty about William (my dad). He graduated from Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung, one of Taiwan's most well-known universities. He is the director of some educational business programs and is based in Shanghai for work. Every Saturday for the next three months he will be taking classes at Kaohsiung Normal University just down the street from my apartment to be certified to teach Chinese to non-native speakers. Many of his classmates from Sun Yat-sen University are also very successful, so he has amazing connections (I really hit the jackpot here). I also learned that my family has two cars, one of which is very large and will be great for trips to places all around the island that may not be so easy to get otherwise. We are already talking about a trip to Kending, a beautiful coastal location in the southern tip of Taiwan.

After the dinner reception was over, William offered to drive all of my roommates and I home since the weather has already started to get a little unpredictable. The seven of us piled into his Mercedes, which was actually very spacious, with 10-year old Keyi sitting on Shana's lap, and 12-year old Ruyi on my lap. We listened to ICRT, an international channel that broadcasts a wide variety of English songs and seems to have really cool tidbits of language information in between. The song "Way Back into Love" from the American movie Music & Lyrics came on, and Shana and I sang along with Keyi and Ruyi who knew all the words. I think at one point, everyone, including my dad, was sort of humming and mumbling some words. It was really great to share such an excitement for the song (which I have not heard on U.S. radio), and I can't wait to hang out with them. My roommates love the girls and want to have them over for a movie and snack night. I could tell from chatting about Ruyi's bond with her host family in London that this is really important to them, and it was really touching to hear my dad say that from now on I will be another daughter. Keyi told me that if I could stay a little longer in July, I can be here for her birthday too (Ruyi's birthday is in January).

I'm now at home preparing for a lazy weekend all snuggled up in the apartment since a typhoon is due to hit Taiwan over the next few days. It's coming at a very inopportune time with the Mid-Autumn Festival falling on Sunday. The typhoon is likely to delay transportation, and the festival is a time when people return home to be with their families, celebrating the full moon by barbecuing beef and eating moon cakes (a round cake commonly filled with sweet red bean paste or egg yolk). It looks like I'll miss out on going home with my friend Su, a native of Kaohsiung, but she's assured me there's plenty of other holidays to celebrate together. If I do get stuck inside, I suppose it wouldn't be so bad eating grilled cheese and watching movies...

Taipei

2008-09-07T23:25:00.008+08:00

This past Thursday we traveled to Taipei, Taiwan to meet the other Fulbright Taiwan grantees. There are 16 other recent college graduates living in Yilan, a rural area about an hour away from Taipei who are also teaching English in local elementary schools. The original Fulbright ETA program in Taiwan was established in Yilan seven years ago, and because the program is so well-established, four junior high schools were added to the mix this year. The four ETAs working on the junior high school project have also encountered some difficulties in establishing this new branch of the teaching program. The most important different is the emphasis on English language capability. Whereas the primary goal with the elementary school students in Yilan is to expose them to as much as possible to English and given them ample opportunity to interact with a native speaker (as it is in Kaohsiung), the junior high school students must diligently study English for their high school entrance exam. The drastically different attitudes toward teaching English at these two levels is creating a large gap between what the students know and what they should know, and is also making it difficult to introduce more advanced concepts to students with very simple, "young" English. It was really interesting to hear them share their experiences so far since many have been teaching for a week, and to brainstorm together about ways to overcome common obstacles.

Even more impressive were all of the graduate students and professors who have come to Taiwan to do research. About half of them are married with young children, so it was very exciting to be around American children again and have new friends to play with. Their interests include teaching subjects such as: contemporary Western music and teaching methods to Taiwanese students, art therapy, globalization, American studies, and conducting research on: quantum effects of plasmonics, explanatory models of Schizophrenia among Taiwanese patients, formation of community among Taiwanese Aborigines, increased religiousness in overseas Asians, manifestations of Daoism in modern Taiwanese society, traditional Chinese medicine, interpretations of Classics and Ancient Greek theater in modern Taiwanese society, etc. They are all extremely down to Earth and fun to talk to, and I'm already excited for December when we get to hear the progress of everyone's work. I had a particularly great time talking to one family who has just moved to Taiwan for the father/husband to do research. He has a ten year-old son who is feeling a little less excited and more apprehensive about their five-month stay in Taiwan. I was able to talk to him during some down time and learned that he is incredibly smart and has both humor and maturity way beyond his age. I asked if they might like to get together for some special trips around Taiwan, and I really hope that we do find some things to do together. It's actually incredibly comforting to meet American families and interact with them--it's the closest cultural connection I've felt to my American roots during my time in Taiwan so far. At dinner I was able to play with the four year-old son of another professor/researcher. I tried to teach him the hand game where you put your hands in the other person's palms and move them away quickly enough before the other person can slap them. He didn't quite get the concept of flipping his hands over to slap mine, so basically I just held my hands out and waited for him to slap them. We then played one of his games where he marched around and I simply followed. It was probably my happiest moment that day.

After dinner Shana, Billy, Shiela, Kate, Maya and I walked back to our hotel, pausing to take pictures at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. I had seen the characters for the name "Freedom Memorial" across the arch of the main gate, but did not learn until last night that the government was using the term as the official name for the monument. The name was changed from the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Shui-Bian took office in 2000. Similarly, Taiwanese passports that once read Republic of China (R.O.C.) were changed to Taiwan under the DPP. The nature of Taiwanese politics is heavily ingrained in such changes that may seem merely logistical and unimportant to outsiders. The two major political parties in Taiwan are the KMT (Guomindang, blue party), and the DPP (green party). For many years after it fled the mainland in 1949, the KMT sought to reunite the governments of mainland China and Taiwan under its own rule. The DPP on the otherhand has stood for a Taiwan identity, and especially during the last four-year term under President Chen Shui-Bian, has pushed for an independent Taiwan. With KMT candidate Ma Ying-Jeou winning the presidential election in March earlier this year, the government is resuming a more moderate stance on the issue of Taiwan identity and independence. I have heard that the new KMT government wil reinstate the name Chiang Kai-Shek (original leader of the KMT party founded in mainland China) to the memorial.

After our nightime photo shoot, we headed to a bookstore in search for birthday presents for Shana's relatives. Right after Shana and I had left the bookstore I felt something funny happen to my foot. I looked down to find that the strap had completely torn out of my flip flop on the left side. Shana immediately tried to rush me to a shoe store, but I could only walk so fast with a broken strap. I had to swing my leg from the outside toward the inside so that the sole would slip under my foot and allow me to take a step. Shana and I laughed all the way to the store, mainly because when I first tried to walk I cried out: "now everyone in going to think I'm a gimp!" It was already getting late and most stores were closed, but we found a woman in a yarn shop who pointed us toward a store. The original store was closed but we did find a hodgepodge sort of store that sold everything. I found a pair of black, blue, and white flip flops that actually fit my feet (probably because they're made for men), and tried to be thankful that I had found shoes at all. I hung my head a little as I handed over my beautiful, sparkly and comfy flip flops for the owner to throw away.

Sunday morning I sported my clunky flipflops and feminine billowy blouse to church with my friend Nick. Nick and I met two years ago during summer at a youth group. I joined to practice Chinese and learned quite a bit about Christian religion in the process. I felt very welcome this morning as people came up to welcome me and ask about my interest in Chinese. I was happy to find that I could follow the basic idea of the sermon and follow along with most of the songs through listening and reading characters. The energy of the room was so positive that I felt myself smiling and having a great time. It felt very much like those weekly Friday night sessions where the rest of the group members took turns picking a scripture and a topic to discuss. It was always the right balance of philosophy and religion--never overbearing, just a group of college students trying to read the Bible and find out what it meant. I was really happy that Nick asked me to go and encouraged to explore different services in Kaohsiung.

After church Nick and I stopped for lunch before heading to the National Palace Museum. The museum has an incredibly large collection of calligraphy, pottery, bronze statues, furniture, etc. that span over thousands of years of history. I saw the most beautiful jewelry box and wanted to take a picture for posting, but there was no photography allowed in any part of the museum. If I remember right, the box was a brown marble with precious stones and gems set as flowers. The petals were made of the most beautiful pearl, turquoise, jade, and coral. The museum has so many artifacts that I've heard there's a new collection on display every time you go. We only stayed a few hours, so I have plenty more to see on another trip.

By the time I caught the HSR (high speed rail) on Sunday afternoon, I was more than ready to be back in Kaohsiung. As fun as this conference was, I realized how much I look forward to the weekend to recoup and reenergize before a busy week at work. When I got of at the HSR stop and headed toward the bus that I take to school every day, I felt relieved to be home.

Transportation = Adventure

2008-09-07T18:32:00.005+08:00

As I mentioned, last Sunday Julianna picked me up to make a practice run to Wen Fu so that I would have no problems finding my way there. The trip was a bit lengthy, but easy enough; we even joked about her "showing me around" since I take public transportation every day and Julianna drives her car (I don't blame her--in the U.S. I do spend a lot of time with Zeek, my silver Escape). After returning from the practice run I figured that I would need to set aside about 2 hours for my commute to school each way, so I was very excited when Shana told me that her co-teacher had introduced her to a bus that would take me directly to the train station about three blocks away from my school. I was pretty confident that I would find the stop with no problem, so I decided to test it out on Tuesday morning when I went for the first time to introduce myself to the staff.

Tuesday morning came and I walked to where I thought the stop was supposed to be. I didn't see a sign for the bus, but I did see all of the other landmarks that had been described to me. I asked a few people on the sidewalk, but none of them were familiar with that particular bus. Passersby saw me asking directions from others and soon gathered around in attempt to determine where I needed to be. An elderly man on his scooter was the last to pull up, and when I explained that I knew I could take other bus lines that would take me to places where I could then transfer, he told me he would take me there. I was wearing a nicely tailored dress that I bought about two weeks ago to make a good impression on my first day. I looked at his scooter, then down at my dress and back to his scooter before I asked how I could ride it. He politiely told me not to worry, just to sit with my legs on the side and assured me that he would drive very slowly. It was getting late and I was worried about making it on time so I accepted the ride and made my way to the other bus station. I have to admit I did feel like a lady riding sidesaddle while trying as best I could to gracefully rest my hand on his shoulder and convince onlookers that I was a well-seasoned rider (even though it was my first time).

I realized when I got to the bus station that unless a bus came right away, I would never make it to the station with enough time to take the MRT and walk the rest of the way to school. I decided to hail a taxi and had to wait another 10 minutes before I was even successful in that. I knew it would be very expensive (by Taiwanese standards for a cab ride), but I had no choice, so I got in and told the driver the name of the school. The driver didn't seem to recognize it, but I was sure that I had told him correctly, so after a little bit of explanation about where it is located, I told him to take me to the Zuo Ying MRT station. He then proceeded to ask me about five times if I wanted to take the MRT, and each time I told him that I didn't want to take the MRT, I just wanted to go to that station so I could walk to school. My heartbeat slowed down just a little bit after I realized that he must of understood that I wanted to go to Zuo Ying when we began making our way over the bridge. By then he had said that he recognized the school, but I still had my doubts so I started saying things like, "Wen Fu is the elementary school located right by Ban Ping Mountain, right?" He always affirmed what I was saying so I thought I might be okay. And then he dropped me off at an American school...near the old Zuo Ying station. I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be but I also knew he wasn't going to get me there, so I thanked him, paid my fair and hopped out to ask the school guards where to go. I was very dismayed to know that I was, in fact, at the old station, and would need to take a transfer bus to the new station before I could walk to Wen Fu. I got to my school at 7:55, 5 minutes early, but I was a sweaty mess. Luckily I had 15 minutes to dab at my face with a tissue in an air conditioned room before I stood before all the teachers and introduced myself in both Chinese and English.

Everyone was extremely friendly and I was able to introduce myself to one of Julianna's classes. Most of the children couldn't ask me questions in English, but we let them use Chinese and Julianna translated them into English to maintain the appearance that I don't understand Chinese (that probably all went out the window the next day when the principal announced to the entire student body that they could try speaking Chinese to me too since I study it). One very eager but very shy girl in the front row asked me if I have ever used binnoculars. When Julianna asked the class if they were curious about binnoculars because they liked to use them to peep in their neighbors' windows, I knew right away it'd be a fun year. The kids were fairly shy, but I could tell they're excited to learn and I can see us getting along just fine.

The next morning I also had to be to school by 8am, this time to introduce myself to the students at the school-wide assembly. I set my alarm for 5:45...and woke up at 7:30. Without any time to get ready, I threw on a dress, clipped back my hair, grabbed my purse and rain downstairs to take another 220NT cab ride. This time the driver was wonderful and knew exactly where I needed to be. He engaged me in conversation, which calmed me down, and when I told him that I was so worried because I had overslept and was supposed to be at school in 15 minutes, he told me he understood and off we were. He was a very safe driver, but he did squeeze his way up to the front of every light so that we were the first to go. We even managed to talk about his family as we raced through town, and when we reached the front entrace as the clock turned 8:01, I had a new friend. I was so grateful for his kindness that I gave him a big tip and he in turn gave me his card and told me to call him whenever I needed to get somewhere.

The day turned out to be a great one. After I introduced myself to all of the children in the morning, I was greeted with "Hello, Teacher!" all day long. The students shyly peered into my office when they walked by, and when I smiled and waved, they broke into ear-to-ear grins and hunched their shoulders as they giggled and waved back. Some students were brave enough to come in and tell me their names and their grades. I won't have the chance to teach many of them, but I love being someone they all want to say hi to.

After cleaning up from a long day of work, I met my friend Su. I asked if she knew where I could buy a few things I needed for school and she offered to give me a ride to a mini department store. I was so excited for a real ride on a scooter that I clapped my hands as I bounced up and down. She thought it very funny to watch, and when I awkwardly climbed onto the bag of her scooter and began giggling like a maniac, she too started laughing uncontrollably. I had a song that I heard the day before on the radio stuck in my head, and when I started to sing as we rode along, she chimed in too. There we were, riding down the street with the wind that comes right before a storm whipping our hair and faces and my hands holding on to her tiny waist. It was so much fun!

After dinner at a place that we both love, I brought her by the apartment to introduce her to Leo before she took him for the weekend. Who is Leo, you might ask? My new pet hedgehog! That's right, I am now the proud parent of a hedgehog! A week ago yesterday I went back to the pet store to see if the bunnies had come in. I had been thinking about Leo ever since meeting him and found myself very excited to see him in the store again. Billy came with me, and when he commented on how in love I seemed to be with Leo, I bought him! The store owner gave me a great deal and with hedgehog in hand, I walked Leo back to his new home. He seemed a bit nervous for the first night, but we had a breakthrough the next morning. After adequate rest (hedgehogs get very grumpy if they're sleepy), I was finally able to bring him out to play on my bed. His little legs carry him pretty far pretty fast, and he's a big fan of wriggling under my comforter. Hedgehogs annoint, which means that whenever they smell something new they often lick before biting to familiarize themselves with the smell/taste. They are then supposed to make a froth from it that they lick onto their quills, but I haven't seen Leo do this step yet. So far he's just a biter. Although his teeth are a bit sharp, he doesn't draw blood, and if I stay still and push my finger toward his mouth, he usually releases. I can usually avoid him biting me if I don't shower right before I play with him and if I wait until he's walking around his cage and anxious to play. We usually have late night playdates so that he's most happy. I was sad to leave him for the weekend, but very thankful Su was really excited to take care of a hedgehog! I was too afraid to send Leo home with her on her scooter, so I called my taxi driver friend to pick them up. When I called to explain the situation and told him that I'd prefer to have Leo ride in a car than a scooter, he very firmly said he agreed with my feelings and was soon waiting down stairs to take Su and Leo back to the apartment.

With Leo in hedgehogcare and my bag packed, I was off to Taipei!

Back to School

2008-09-01T20:10:00.005+08:00

Last Tuesday finally ended the anxiety and apprehension we felt as we worked to get to know all of the local English teachers day by day over the course of two weeks. The first day both the local English teachers (LETs) and English teaching assistants (ETAs) introduced themselves through simple Powerpoints. For the rest of the first week, we spent time with the LETs discussing models for co-teaching in the classroom, and brainstormed lesson plans and activities. Together we talked about our roles in the local elementary schools and the issues that teachers face on a daily basis.

The Taiwan school system is much different from the system that we're all familiar with in the U.S. First off, classes tend to be much bigger here. It is not uncommon for an elementary school to have over 2,000 students, averaging about 30 or so students in each class. Children begin elementary school at the age of six, completing grades first through sixth before they move on to junior high school. The subjects taught here are basically the same, but the education method is incredibly different. Rote memorization and testing play integral roles in the life of school children. Upon completion of junior high school, each student must take a standardized test that determines his or her options for high school; after completing high school, students must test again for university entry. Because of the importance of tests in determing students' educational opportunity, and therefore futures, parents place a great deal of pressure on their children to test well. What does this mean for me as a new teacher?

I am a subject teacher; I teach English only. English class is not part of the standard school curriculum, so there is less pressure on me to ensure that my students perform well in testing. English teachers, however, face a specific set of obstacles. Many students do not see the applicability of English because they have never traveled abroad and may not see leaving Taiwan in their future. Some students are simply not interested in learning English or have given up long ago because it's difficult to practice. Moreover, even as early as elementary school, students become swamped with homework and have to rush to cram school after their regular school day. The LETs know how hard the students must work, and have emphasized the need to make English class fun so that students are excited to learn. A lot of games and physical activities are often used in the classroom. Parents sometimes question whether the students learn anything through games, and want a tangible way of measuring their children's progress. English teachers must then plan school-wide events that in which the administration and parents are invited to watch the students demonstrate their learned knowledge.

I am incredibly lucky to be working with Sophia and Julianna, both very sweet and dedicated teachers. They teach fifth and sixth grades at Wen Fu Elementary School, a fairly new school established just seven years ago with a young staff. They are both very practical and realisitic about teaching goals, although it is very obvious that they both have a great passion for teaching. I will be helping them teach three different levels, since the sixth graders are separated into regular and bilingual English classes. In the bilingual classes, textbooks include less diaolgues and more formally written English. Directions and context for stories and activities are also written in English. I will also be helping in the English Village, the goal of which is to simulate everyday life situations to encourage students to use practical English. At English Village students might encounter buying something from a store, ordering at a restuarant, going to the movie theater and watching clips of film about American life, etc. I might also be teaching English to other staff members or helping out with a project like English club.

Classes started this past Friday at Wen Fu, but I do not begin teaching until next Monday. Julianna met me at my apartment yesterday afternoon to practice my route to school. I am still considering getting a scooter, but for now I need to learn the most basic method of transportation. From my apartment I can walk a few blocks to the bus stop and take the bus to the train station. From the train station I can take the MRT (think Metro) to a stop about three blocks away from Wen Fu. The school sits at the base of beautiful Ban4Ping2 Shan1 (Half Mountain), so it's a very scenic walk to the school. Tomorrow I will go to meet the entire staff. Classes start at 8:30, so I must be there around 8 am. I should probably start my commute around 6:30 to make sure I get there on time.

Today I went to a school supply store with a lot of imported materials from the States to buy some things for my classroom. I got one of the big calendars with the numbered squares and the days of the week that says "today is _____, yesterday was _____, tomorrow is _____." It also has the weather and those cool little pictures for special days like birthdays and holidays. I also got a poster that has the standard classroom rules that we use in the States, one that has cute cartoons doing basic verb actions, and a special one for the sixth graders on advanced phonics and word families (it's a big part of their curriculum). I can't wait to go back for the winter decorations!

I'm really excited to meet all the kids and get settled into class. It's a big help to know that my co-teachers are excited to work with me and the school is incredibly happy to have a native English speaker. I even have my own little desk in the English teachers' office. I have to start thinking how to decorate it!

Fun with New Friends

2008-08-24T23:54:00.007+08:00

Today was the second day I hung out with Jessi, Angie, and Kinki. On Friday night Jessi and Angie took me to Rui Feng night market, which I have been told is the largest in Kaohsiung. The market was lined with rows upon rows of stinky tofu (aptly named), all sorts of fried food, meats, milk tea, and other things much more difficult to identify. Our first stop was at a stand with a large iron pot filled divided into three sections: half was filled with an orange-red soup, and one quarter each was filled with two types of large black chunks. I recognized one of them as the coagulated pig's blood that I had already discovered I didn't like, and I thought the other was kidney, which I had also tried and didn't really like, so I felt alright about politely declining to eat both. I got excited when Jessi said she didn't like the pig's blood and asked the woman not to include it in the soup, but my heart sank a little when she asked if I liked duck's blood. I told her I was a little unsure but I promised to try it. Luckily it's one of those things that absorbs the flavor of whatever it's cooked in, and the spicy Korean soup masked any other flavor, but the consistency was a bit weird. I stuck to eating the glutinous rice spears and the Kimchi out of the soup. I also tried the stinky tofu and liked it for the most part, although the smell began emerging in the taste. I think it's definitely a taste I could aquire and even come to miss after I leave Taiwan. I tried a few pieces of fried milk, very much the consistency of fried soft tofu and with a much sweeter taste.

After we ate all of our...treats, we moved on to drinks. Jessi and I ordered milk tea from a stand that used an exceptionally cool method for making the tea. The man poured some milk and flavoring into one large collander and tea into another. He then held them about three feet apart vertically, and poured the contents from one collander to another while moving from left to right. It was by far one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Usually such drinks come in a soft plastic cup that is placed into a machine that seels a plastic cover on top. A sharp straw is then used to quickly pierce the top, creating a hole just the right size--a great method to prevent leaking. After the mixing, however, our tea was poured into bright yellow bags that were then sealed by tightly looping a strong plastic band around the top. The handles of the bag made it easy to carry, and the unique experience made drinking this sort of milk tea a form of entertainment!

With our milk tea bags in hand we strolled around, stopping to try on oversized sunglasses or take a look at fun toys. I have been very pleased to find that Lilo & Stitch is a big hit here--I see backpacks, purses, phone charms, and everything else in the shape of Stitch or with pictures of Stitch on it. We played a game using a large, plastic Stitch that sat with his mouth wide open, and each person took a turn pressing down one of his teeth. We all shrieked and giggled as we waited for his mouth to clamp down on our fingers each time we pushed one more down. After playing with Stitch we stopped to look at the oh-so-adorable puppies that were for sale and adoption. I was doing great until we came across another stand that had a bunch of teeny tiny puppies, and as I turned the corner, one large 3-month old Bulldog. I pretty much screamed and declared that I had to have her at once. After answering rounds of questions that I fired at him, the friendly stand owner said he would take her out so that I could play with her. He put her on a leash, which she immediately started knawing on, and she was the cutest thing ever! Her pudge moved as I scratched her back, and she put her unbelievable cute face complete with underbite and squishy nose into my cupped hand--she was, in short, the perfect Bulldog! I came home and showed pictures of her to Shana in hopes that she would fall in love too and tell me to get her, but I knew it would be a hard sell. After saying goodbye and taking down the owner's number just to keep my options open, we browsed a bit more. It was a great night, and I was most happy to come home and flop onto my bed after a long long week of orientation.

Today I slept in and started the day with a delicious lunch with Jessi, Angie, Kinki, and their friend Su who also came along. One of the great things about spending time with them is they show me all these great restaurants. For lunch we ate at a small, cozy restaurant that served Italian influenced dishes. The restaurant had a selection magazines to choose from, so we each grabbed one and they filled me in on the Chinese stars they love and the ones they can't stand as we waited for our meals. After lunch we took the bus to the beach near Sun Yat-Sen University. The water was unbelievable warm, a great change from the cold waters of the Atlantic no matter what time of the year, and felt wonderful on such a hot day. We took tons of photos of each other and then turned to shoot the cutest little girl in the world. She was wearing a blue and yellow hamster print once-piece that had a little skirt, and was clearly very happy to be standing in the sand with the approaching waves barely touching her feet. Angie asked her dad if we could take a picture with her, and when she kept smiling even after I approached her, I was relieved. She took Angie's hand and walked closer to the water, giggling like crazy when the waves came, and having so much fun that she asked her dad if she could sit. A few of the waves got a bit too high, and when Angie couldn't pick her up in time she'd look a little startled and wipe her face, but she always wanted more. She was so cute to watch. After we played for a little while, we found Su and Kinki and headed for some shaved ice.

On the way there, Kinki insisted on holding my monkey and banana umbrella over me even though I insisted she take it for herself. Since I'm pretty white by their standards (and let's face it, everyone's), they worry about my skin becoming darker. I try to explain that I don't mind being a bit darker and that hardly anyone carries around umbrellas or parasols to protect them from the sun in America. I also really wanted to have her take it for herself since I am quite a bit taller than she is, and as best as she tried, the tips kept catching in my hair. As Shana later pointed out, she must like me a lot if she's willing to share umbrella space with me! Here, women go to great lengths to shield their skin. It is not uncommon to see tights worn under shorts and a sweat jacket combined with a face mask (think of a doctor) and sunglasses and a hat in the middle of a blistering afternoon. I would die. I therefore welcome tanned skin.

When we arrived at the shop I found that it was much different than what I had envisioned. People crowded the streets and climbed up and down flights of steep stairs, checking all three floors for a spot to sit. The walls were covered with writing and graffiti from years of customers. Groups of people circled around tables, waiting for someone to leave and swooping in at the first empty seat, while one person went down to put in the order. Large bowls of shaved ice covered with ice cream and all sorts of fruits appeared from a dumwaite run by a tiny, elderly woman who also bustled about gathering empty bowls and wiping down tables. Hot and thirsty from the beach, the ice was delicous. The five of us quickly finished our bowl, and then headed toward the bus stop to catch the bus back home.

For dinner we ate a quaint little restaurant located next to Pasadena, a famous Italian bakery. The menu was filled with many different options, but after an Italian lunch, I decided on hot pot, a traditional Chinese meal, for dinner. The waitress brought me a pot filled with spicy and sour Korean soup atop a burner, and a plate of vegetables and meat to cook once it began boiling. It was the most delicious hot pot I've had so far, and it was so much fun to laugh and chat with them. They asked if spending time with them was like being with my friends from home except the part about speaking only Chinese, and when I thought about it, it sort of was. They are the type of girls who are so close to one another that they pool their money together for things, share food even when one of them is sick, and can joke about anything. Kinki saw my ID with my birthday on it today when I opened my wallet, and when Jessi asked me when my birthday was, Kinki proudly announced it. I was touched that she could remember from such a quick glance, and even more so when they asked if I would want to celebrate with them or if I wanted to just be with my American friends.

I'm even more excited than usual for my birthday this year...and that's saying a lot.

Fitting In

2008-08-20T22:34:00.000+08:00

Living four to an apartment and long days spent at orientation has really pushed me to find time for me and explore the city on my own. Tonight I took a walk around the Cultural Center to do some thinking and relax a little bit. The nights are so lively here that if you wandered around Kaohsiung only during the day or early evening you would certainly miss much of the cultural experiences the city has to offer. Nights are balmy, but much cooler in Kaohsiung than the rest of the day. It's a wonderful preview for what I hope the beginning of fall will be like.

The area next door to the apartment building was set up in market form. There was a main stage on one side which was being used by a Shanghai acting troop that performed some short pieces. I caught the end of one piece and stayed for the next. I was happy to find that I understood the plot and the humor as well. I even found myself thinking about different acting techniques and tools the performers were using, evidence of the great influence the acting class I took during my last term at Lawrence had on me. The set was quite simple, but the actors used their bodies to create the rhythm and movement often felt from a more complex set. It reminded me a bit of the style of an acting student (much more advanced than me) at Lawrence.

People came and went throughout the performances, many of them walking with their dogs. A couple with a poof of a Pomeranian walked up beside me and I tried to snap a few discreet pictures. Unfortunately, I am not very skilled with the night mode on my camera yet, and the pictures were all turning out blury. I tried using the flash, and although I did get a picture, I startled the dog with the flash and drew attention to myself.

After the performance I checked out a few of the book stands, found a great gift, and made my way over to the large circlular mall area (think National Mall, not shopping mall). I found a comfy spot on the steps and watched dozens of couples dance in a sync to a recorded tape. The best part is, anyone is really welcome to join, and this sort of group dancing is so common in any park location that just about everyone knows how to do most of them. It's so fun and uplifting to watch because elderly people participate, although the majority of dancers are probably 30-50 or so, and girlfriends invite one another to have a dance. There was one elderly man in particularly who moved in small shuffles and would come to take some of the women out for a spin when their friends alone couldn't convince them. Most of the dances seem to be crosses between commonly known routines like tango and ballroom, with spinning and twirling, and small kicks of the lower leg. I smiled and tried to signal my curiosity by moving my head and shoulders to the beat, hopeing someone would invite me to join. I got a lot of smiles and some bows, but not takers tonight. I could tell I was getting closer, so I'll keep trying. If that doesn't work, I can always move a few feet over to join the section of aerobic dancers or one more section after that to the group of mostly younger women who like to shake their hips.

I did manage to take a few pictures that turned out a bit better after playing around with my camera. I couldn't resist shooting photos when a little girl about 2 years old or so was so excited and happy to hear the music that she ran out towards the circle to dance while her mom sat by beaming at her. I tried to capture a few others of a family of three walking along the steps, and wish I could have gotten one of the mom carrying the boy bucket style as they made their way back. On my way out I also heard a girl giggling and looked over to find her struggling to give her boyfriend a piggyback. It may have been tough, but she defintiely carried him a good ways.

On my way back to the apartment I stopped for a blended ice drink, a very popular snack in Kaohsiung. Last night we tried the mango, so tonight I asked the woman for her opinion and she fixed me the chocolate one. It had pieces of a chocolate bar, Hershey's chocolate syrup, a flavored syrup (which I'm going to say was also chocolate flavored), and some sort of cocoa powder. It was refreshing, and surprisingly not too sweet. I then moved on to what I call "a cutesy store," any store that sells all these different types of hair accessories and other jewerly, purses and cell-phone cases, cute chopsticks and eating utensils, etc. I found a really cute purse for a great price and then chatted with the three girls in the shop. Turns out that young people here also like to have their friends come visit them at work. The three of them do everything together and study at the nearby university. They were really excited to find out that I was the same age as them and agreed to be my friends quickly. They are crazy and fun, and they're such good friends that they just through me into their hilarious banter. We talked about their English names--I had to explain the dangers and strange reactions that would likely be associated with names like Kinki, Jessibettica, and Sorri, and we eventually decided that Zoe, Jessi, and Angie fit their personalities respectively and would go over much better. We have dinner plans tomorrow and I can't wait to see what crazy topics we end up discussing.

This is all I can manage for now, but there's A LOT (just for you, Ms. Seymour) more to write. Don't worry! I am keeping a list of all the things I have to add so that I don't forget!

Getting to Know the City

2008-08-16T11:06:00.000+08:00

When we aren't completely exhausted from our days of training, ETAs get together to explore the Kaohsiung for a bit. Yesterday, Dani from Pennsylvania took Vicky from Ohio, Dan from California, and me to see the cute little cafe that her Taiwanese friend had taken her to the night before. We ordered yummy oreo latte frapps that seemed to be a favorite among the locals too, enjoying the cool breeze brought in by rain clouds. After chatting for some time, we decided to explore the streets nearby to see what we could find. We weren't disappointed.

We first stumbled upon a pet store with the cutest little puppies. The great thing about places selling animals here is that you're free to pet and play with them as you like. I walked in and immediately fell in love with one of the larger dogs, a light chocolate brown female puppy with short, curly hair and floppy ears. Although bigger, she was most certainly still a puppy and almost climbed out of her cage trying to lick and chew me. There was also a little dog right beside her, a male puppy who looked like a chihuahua with a more square snout that made him look almost puggish. He wasn't as vocal as many of the other puppies, but his look said it all, and when I went to put my fingers in his cage he just walked by, making sure I pet all of him. He seemed like he was in heaven, and sat with his back against my hand and his head turned back, slowly blinking his eyes; he was absolutely adorable. If I did happen to stray from petting him he'd give me one substantial bark to let me know it was his turn. I almost bought a puppy that day, thinking that surely my allergy-ridden roommate wouldn't mind all that much. I figure I'll just go back to visit and maybe even ask if they need help caring for the dogs.

Shortly after our puppy play time we found a cong1you2bing3 stand. Congyoubing, which many of you have probably heard of as scallion pancakes, is a delicious snack that many of us ate during our time studying abroad in Beijing and we were most happy to find one more thing that reminded us of all the amazing things we ate there. If you're thinking scallion and pancake don't seem to go together, just know that the pancake part isn't a western style pancake. It's basically like eating a fried flatbread with green onions in the dough. A salt and pepper mix is sprinkled on top to make it even more delicious. Eating our pancakes, we ventured down a smaller road, find a ping pong center and a little girl sitting outside eating dragon eye fruit. She seemed shy, but much less so than many other of the kids I meet here, so when the others stopped to watch the boys play ping pong for a bit, I talked with her. She was 7, still too young for learning English at school, so we used Chinese. She told me that the ping pong instructor was her father and the boys playing were her cousin and brother. She showed me her mom's house just down the street and asked if I'd like some of her fruit when I asked what she was eating. I was very touched by her offer, so I took one and offered her some of my pancake. I chuckled a little bit when she said she had tasted it before, implying that she didn't need to try it again. I didn't tell here that I had eaten dragon eye fruit before. I thanked her for talking with me and caught up to the others who were watching a food and money offering ceremony.

Every year between July and August is ghost month. The gates of hell open and people everywhere lay out an extensive spread of food on tables with incents and pray to the spirits. Alongside the tables they have tins filled with hot coals where they burn special paper money used solely for these kinds of offerings. We had seen many of these ceremonies throughout the week, participating in one ourselves at our base school, but this was the largest one we had seen yet. There must have been about 20 people participating and 10 eight-foot tables piled high with crackers, cookies, fruit, rice, water, and other items. They had cardboard boxes full of paper money, and the tin they used for burning was about 3 feet in diameter and 4 feet tall. It was placed in the center of the intersection, and cars and scooters simply drove around it, navigating through the smoke. Not only did they pray during this ceremony, but they also chanted for about 15 minutes, something we hadn't seen done before. It was very calming and absolutely beautiful to listen to. When they burned the money after they had prayed, they were careful to retrieve every piece of money that slipped through the bottom of the tin or floated out of the top. When Vicky went to pick up two runaway pieces of money, one of the men signaled her over and gave her a red piece of money. He would wait a bit and then signaled the rest of us one by one, each time saying that what he gave us represented good luck and fortune. Soon after we were invited into what we learned was a temple by another man to eat and drink. We chatted with a soft-spoken woman carrying a baby on her hip while they served us a cold, sweet soup filled with tapioca and other jelly-like things. They gave us each a bottle of what they said was the best water, and tried to send us home with a newly-opened tin of shortbread cookies, the kind you get in the blue tin that come in different shapes with the granulated sugar sprinkled on top. We thanked them immensely for welcoming us and assured them we would visit again when they told us to come back sometime.

On our way back home we talked about how we couldn't help but think of the story a Fulbrighter from last year told us just last week. He had been walking home from his school after teaching when he stumbled upon a temple. There were a lot of people outside talking and mingling so he was hesitant to walk up and join them. Finally someone caught his eye and signaled him over. They told them about the temple and talked with him for a long while. He told us how close he had been to missing all of this if he had just continued on his way home instead of sticking around for just a few minutes.

The four of us were certainly glad that we stuck around.

Try Everything

2008-08-12T19:35:00.000+08:00

Almost two years ago exactly when I left to study abroad in Beijing, China, a very wise professor of mine encouraged me to “try everything.” I loved my time in Beijing, but most of it was far from adventurous. I spent most of my time studying, which seemed necessary due to the four hours or so of class everyday and about another four hours of homework, not to mention the daily quizzes and weekly tests. I did go out to tons of restaurants with my friends, find new places to test my bargaining skills, swim a couple of times a week at the nearby gym, and go on the class trips to Shanghai and Xi’an, but I never went anywhere by myself and I never really made any goals for myself. So when I was packing for my year in Taiwan as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) and received a graduation card that ended with “Remember: try everything,” I was amazed. It was as though my professor knew that I had so many more goals for myself this time around and just needed that extra push.

The first night we arrived and had a group dinner with our advisors, my meal came with a soup that appeared to be pork and winter melon soup. When I went to fish out the meat, however, I realized that there was no bone that would normally be in pork, and that the meat actually looked like a soft strip of something with bubble-like circles. I asked what it was and the consensus seemed to be cow stomach. I gave my infamous eye roll, dropping my head for a second, before I took a deep breath, counted 123 and popped it in my mouth. It actually wasn’t all that bad. Since the first plunge I’ve tried smoked plum juice (which I actually thought I’d like and didn’t—it tasted like having a bonfire in my mouth), kidney, barbequed squid (whole) on a stick, and—here comes the real kicker—rice cubes with coagulated pig’s blood. Now I usually ask what I’m eating so that I can prepare myself for the worst and be pleasantly surprised, but in the last case I’m grateful that I didn’t know what I was eating when I tried it. If some of you less adventurous eaters are thinking that people eat horrendous things in Taiwan, it’s certainly not the case, it’s just that I’ve chosen to write about the…less conventional things I’ve tried. Kaohsiung, the city in which I live, is Taiwan’s largest port, so seafood is also really popular. I haven’t really been able to find anything comparable to the food I ate on a regular basis in Beijing with the exception of the amazing dumpling restaurant we found just behind our apartment.

I find myself talking about Beijing a lot. This is only my second time out of the States, but Beijing feels like my home abroad. I met a lot of really wonderful people and saw some amazing things there (it’s also where I learned my everyday Chinese, something I never really considered that important until I came here), and it was really the first place where I began to test myself. Since arriving in Kaohsiung I’ve been trying really hard to push myself out of my comfort zone. I do realize how much I’ve grown from when I first went to Beijing two years ago, but I’ve still got a long way to go. Probably the most difficult aspect is language, something that played a big role in my decision to come to Taiwan. Most ETAs in my group have had only a year or two of Chinese, so we all use English to communicate. I am trying to make the decision to speak Chinese at all times unless English is absolutely essential for communicating with the group. I’ve learned that I’m going to have to look for alternative methods for really improving my Chinese, probably taking individual classes instead of classes with the others, and finding language partners and new friends willing to speak Chinese. The other day I ventured off when we took a trip to the Dream Mall and met my first local friend, Show Show (yes, this is how she spells it). She seems just as excited about being my friend as I am about being hers, and it’s perfect because she’s already got tons of stuff planned for us to do together and I can’t wait to do it! Show Show also speaks a little bit of English but has had trouble learning in the past because her English-speaking friends don’t speak Chinese. I am really excited to have this sort of mutual language exchange since I was only allowed to speak Chinese when studying in Beijing and missed out a bit on sharing my culture and language with the friends I made.

In addition to taking Chinese classes outside of teaching, I’d really like to help out at a local animal shelter while I’m here. Animals are very popular in Taiwan, and dogs and cats roam freely on the streets. Already the other ETAs know that if I disappear from the group when walking down the sidewalk it’s because I’ve wandered off to play with some dog that I’ve spotted. Apartment C has two dogs that are always outside the front gate; they often follow the ETAs who live there around the city. The other day the dogs escorted them to the bus stop, which involves crossing quite a few busy busy streets! We also saw two really cute, fluffy bunnies in a cage sitting beside a street vendor. I have been seeing all these adorable animals and have wanted to take them home even though I know I probably shouldn’t, but when I saw these bunnies and thought they were about to be dinner I immediately stopped and was reaching for my wallet. I was assured by my roommates that they were not, in fact, dinner and were instead pets since they had such a homey cage. I almost wanted to ask just to double check. I’ll have to start taking pictures so you can understand just how cute they are; you’ll want to take them all home too!

I realize that I’ve said very little both in my emails and here about what orientation has been like and the details of teaching, which will start September 1. I’ll save all of that and stories about all of the places I’ve been so far for my next entry. For now I should get to work on my mission statement for teaching. To reflect on what we believe to be the most important aspects of teaching, we must each write a statement that explains our individual views on the role of education in today’s society, how children learn, the way we as teachers can promote their learning, and our personal teaching goals for the upcoming year. I have lots of thoughts that I’m eager to get down on paper, but it’s been a long day so I may put it off until tomorrow. I promise to write more soon about everything else I’ve left out and to add all the pictures that go along with it.

In the mean time I hope you are all enjoying the Olympics and had a chance to watch the spectacular opening ceremony!

Take care!