what's goin' on?

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!

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!

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

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....

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.)

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!

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