22.4.07
4.4.07
Konichiwa!
After a tearful flight from Taiwan, I was quickly distracted by a mediocre China Airlines meal and a re-run of `Will and Grace`. Not trying to minimize my emotions about leaving Taiwan, just needed some comic relief and gay people trying to live certain parts of a heterosexual ｌｉｆｅｓｔｙｌｅ, was just what I needed.
We arrived in Osaka and Simon`s friend, Michiyo met us as soon as Simon`s friend, Michiyo met us as soon as Immigration gave us their glowing approval. Michiyo first visited New Zealand when she was a teenager at a homestay with Simon`s family. She has since visited Kiwi-land numerous times and is a good friend of the family. She welcomed us into her home, which was lovely. She teaches English from her home and we stayed in her classroom, which felt just like home, really. Nodding off to sleep, while staring at posters of common phrases like `how are you?` and `don`t worry, be happy` phrases like `how are you?` and `don`t worry, be happy` made me feel like I never left Taichung, or teaching English.
Each morning, Michiyo made us a delicious breakfast of eggs, rice, miso soup, tea and this of and this morning, as a special treat, she made barazushi, which is a rice dish tea and this morning, as a special treat, she made barazushi, which is a rice dish seasonsed with rice vinegar, sugar, sake and all sorts of treats mixed in like veggies, nori (seaweed), eggs, etc. Yum! In addition, she packed us a lunch for our bullet train ride to Tokyo. She is so sweet!
On Monday, we visited the Osaka Castle and it Monday, we visited the Osaka Castle and it was really amazing. 8 floors of artifacts such as swords, armor and decorations dating back over 400 years ago, when Hideyoshi ruled. At the top of the tower, we saw beautiful views of the city. Luckily, we are visiting during cherry blossom season. All through out each town we`ve visited, delicately pink colored trees peek out from behind buildings and hover above you gently while whispering sweet nothings. The cherry blossom tree， or sakura is my most favorite tree and I feel so blessed to experience Japan during this season.
MICHIYO`s son, Kazu, is an adorable, typical, 15-year old boy. an adorable, typical, 15-year old boy. He came with us to the castle, but having seen the museum before, quietly found a bench to sit on each floor and texted his friends. I think teens are the same around the world. Cool, calm, collected and completely bored with our adult lives. He was a great sport, though! I gave him lots of opportunities to practice his English, too.
Later that afternoon, after Kazu left us, we went to Nara and ran right into a campaign effort by a local politician. An olympic ski athlete was helping in the campaign efforts and they marched up the thin streets with the other workers, all wearing bright orange jackets, greeting people along the way, gleeful with the other workers, gleefully shouting out encouragement to vote for this guy. It was sweet to see the candidate shaking hands with the elder citizens and shopowners. Nara has a huge park full with the elder citizens and shopowners. Nara has a huge park full of `wild‘ dï½…ï½…ï½’ that can be fed with crackers for sale. I enjoyed the experience, but felt that the wildlife got a little too close for comfort. The deer literally hang out near the cracker stands waiting to be fed. However, the park department cuts off their antlers so they`re not a danger to people. Of course, I attracted the cute baby deer, who was quickly scared away by the scary, mean, old male deer, not to be confused with the mentally challenged deer who kept bobbing his head around like Ray Charles. Ah, nature..
Yesterday, we ｖｅｎｔｕｒｅｄ into Kyoto. Let me just say that I am in love with the train systems here in Japan. They are complicated with their many intricate, various lines, yet clean, efficient and fast. We puchased a Japan rail pass prior to leaving Taiwan, which gives us unlimited rides on all JR lines for ７ days. The Kyoto station is huge, modern looking and very cool. Michiyo, Simon and I rushed to the station and met up with my Mom. My mother, uncle, aunt and cousin are on a trip through China and Japan and our travel paths aligned, which is great. It`s been so fun to see them!
We spent the rest of the day eating (Japanese food is nummy), touring the Nijo temple and just catching up. They`ve had so much to share with me about our family`s history that they learned of in Hiroshima, the Kubo side and other experiences through out their travels.
This morning, we took the bullet train, Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo. The train is very spacious in travel space, super quiet (both on and off the train), very clean and so fast. We arrived to Tokyo in just 3 hours. Tokyo is massive and it`s been raining lots, so we`ve been spending a few quiet Tokyo is massive and it`s been raining lots, so we`ve been spending a few quiet hours indoors, which is nice. Tomorrow, we`re hitting up all embassies of countries we`d like to visit in the next few months. More soon!
We arrived in Osaka and Simon`s friend, Michiyo met us as soon as Simon`s friend, Michiyo met us as soon as Immigration gave us their glowing approval. Michiyo first visited New Zealand when she was a teenager at a homestay with Simon`s family. She has since visited Kiwi-land numerous times and is a good friend of the family. She welcomed us into her home, which was lovely. She teaches English from her home and we stayed in her classroom, which felt just like home, really. Nodding off to sleep, while staring at posters of common phrases like `how are you?` and `don`t worry, be happy` phrases like `how are you?` and `don`t worry, be happy` made me feel like I never left Taichung, or teaching English.
Each morning, Michiyo made us a delicious breakfast of eggs, rice, miso soup, tea and this of and this morning, as a special treat, she made barazushi, which is a rice dish tea and this morning, as a special treat, she made barazushi, which is a rice dish seasonsed with rice vinegar, sugar, sake and all sorts of treats mixed in like veggies, nori (seaweed), eggs, etc. Yum! In addition, she packed us a lunch for our bullet train ride to Tokyo. She is so sweet!
On Monday, we visited the Osaka Castle and it Monday, we visited the Osaka Castle and it was really amazing. 8 floors of artifacts such as swords, armor and decorations dating back over 400 years ago, when Hideyoshi ruled. At the top of the tower, we saw beautiful views of the city. Luckily, we are visiting during cherry blossom season. All through out each town we`ve visited, delicately pink colored trees peek out from behind buildings and hover above you gently while whispering sweet nothings. The cherry blossom tree， or sakura is my most favorite tree and I feel so blessed to experience Japan during this season.
MICHIYO`s son, Kazu, is an adorable, typical, 15-year old boy. an adorable, typical, 15-year old boy. He came with us to the castle, but having seen the museum before, quietly found a bench to sit on each floor and texted his friends. I think teens are the same around the world. Cool, calm, collected and completely bored with our adult lives. He was a great sport, though! I gave him lots of opportunities to practice his English, too.
Later that afternoon, after Kazu left us, we went to Nara and ran right into a campaign effort by a local politician. An olympic ski athlete was helping in the campaign efforts and they marched up the thin streets with the other workers, all wearing bright orange jackets, greeting people along the way, gleeful with the other workers, gleefully shouting out encouragement to vote for this guy. It was sweet to see the candidate shaking hands with the elder citizens and shopowners. Nara has a huge park full with the elder citizens and shopowners. Nara has a huge park full of `wild‘ dï½…ï½…ï½’ that can be fed with crackers for sale. I enjoyed the experience, but felt that the wildlife got a little too close for comfort. The deer literally hang out near the cracker stands waiting to be fed. However, the park department cuts off their antlers so they`re not a danger to people. Of course, I attracted the cute baby deer, who was quickly scared away by the scary, mean, old male deer, not to be confused with the mentally challenged deer who kept bobbing his head around like Ray Charles. Ah, nature..
Yesterday, we ｖｅｎｔｕｒｅｄ into Kyoto. Let me just say that I am in love with the train systems here in Japan. They are complicated with their many intricate, various lines, yet clean, efficient and fast. We puchased a Japan rail pass prior to leaving Taiwan, which gives us unlimited rides on all JR lines for ７ days. The Kyoto station is huge, modern looking and very cool. Michiyo, Simon and I rushed to the station and met up with my Mom. My mother, uncle, aunt and cousin are on a trip through China and Japan and our travel paths aligned, which is great. It`s been so fun to see them!
We spent the rest of the day eating (Japanese food is nummy), touring the Nijo temple and just catching up. They`ve had so much to share with me about our family`s history that they learned of in Hiroshima, the Kubo side and other experiences through out their travels.
This morning, we took the bullet train, Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo. The train is very spacious in travel space, super quiet (both on and off the train), very clean and so fast. We arrived to Tokyo in just 3 hours. Tokyo is massive and it`s been raining lots, so we`ve been spending a few quiet Tokyo is massive and it`s been raining lots, so we`ve been spending a few quiet hours indoors, which is nice. Tomorrow, we`re hitting up all embassies of countries we`d like to visit in the next few months. More soon!
30.3.07
Zaijian!
With a heavy heart, I write my last post from Taichung. Tomorrow, we leave and packing up our lives and saying goodbye has been tearful, sad, thankful and full of emotion. Never have I lived in a place where so easily you meet friends, bond and share so much, so quickly. Our time in Taiwan has flown by and it's already time to say goodbye.
Both Simon and I stopped working last week and spent these last few days running errands-sorting tickets, dealing with money, buying glasses (they are so cheap here!), shoes, etc. Last Tuesday, we visited our friend in Sarah in Hualien. Hualien is on the largest city in the East Coast of the island. With 300,000 people in a city on the ocean, to be charming, friendly and beautiful. Our friend Sarah lives alone in a gorgeous , hard wood floored apartment over looking the ocean. Waking each morning to the bright blue sky peppered with light white clouds, smells of the sea and sounds of birds was so nice!
Our first day, we walked into town, got a little lost and hopped in a cab to be whisked to a scooter rental store. Si easily rented a scooter, even without a Taiwanese drivers license which I had heard was difficult. However, we visited in a low travel season and there lots of scooters available, so I don't think the shopkeepers were being too picky. Plus, he has is international drivers license and while not all Taiwanese people can ready English, they took his word for it and sent us on our way. We headed south to the coastal line to feel the wind in our faces and occassionally bits of dirt, as huge construction trucks passed us from time to time. The weather was beautiful, warm and the scenery gorgeous. We stopped at a small black sand beach called Cow Mountain Beach and spent the day in a shady cove of a rock, swimming, reading and playing in the sand. The entire day, we saw perhaps 4 people total, which is often a rare occurrence compared to the busier cities of Taiwan. It was nice to have some beautiful surroundings practically all to ourselves.
The next day, we headed north to Taroko Gorge. This park is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever, ever seen. Due to earth plate movements over 4 million years ago, huge rocks jut out of the earth and sometimes block the sky from your view completely forming a long, winding gorge. There were many temples set high in the hills that from the road, didn't look that far up, but an hour later and hundreds of stairs later, yes (puff, puff) were quite a ways up! The views were jaw droppingly magical and we spent the day, exploring waterfalls, hikes, closed footbridges in the mountains and little cafes along the way. The fallen rock formations due to typhoons and landslides have left behind large, smooth boulders of dramatic hues of white, orange, brown and grey. The rock walls have jagged yet melodic striations that I could examine for hours. We visited 3 different sites in a day and there was much, much more to see. Again, there weren't many tourists there, which was a nice way to experience the Gorge!
Now, it's time to say goodbye and I've been thinking about what I'll miss and not miss about this place.
Here's what I won't miss:
*Pollution-air, water, noise
*Some cultural differences, like saving face (i.e. not being truthful to avoid confrontation or uncomfortability)
*A few of the weird and bad smelling foods that line the streets and hijack my nostrils when driving by
*The crazy drivers
Here's what I'll truly miss:
*Amazing friends that welcomed me into their hearts and homes so effortlessly and sweetly
*Beautiful scenery-beaches to mountains
*Kind and friendly ways of the Taiwanese culture-people going out of their way to help you, explain something to you, even though they don't speak any English.
*Endless, cheap shopping
*My scooter-zipping through traffic, taking .02 seconds to find a parking space, going to the markets and knowing that when the scooter trunk is full and the bay between my feet won't hold any more fruit, it's time to go home.
*Learning Mandarin
*Convenience-7-11's, 24-hour teppanyaki restaurants, 24-hour MTV's (where you rent a movie, then get your own viewing room), night markets that go until 2am
*Weather-living in the tropics, while hot and unbearable at times, is quite nice.
Taiwan, thanks for the memories! You've changed my life!
Both Simon and I stopped working last week and spent these last few days running errands-sorting tickets, dealing with money, buying glasses (they are so cheap here!), shoes, etc. Last Tuesday, we visited our friend in Sarah in Hualien. Hualien is on the largest city in the East Coast of the island. With 300,000 people in a city on the ocean, to be charming, friendly and beautiful. Our friend Sarah lives alone in a gorgeous , hard wood floored apartment over looking the ocean. Waking each morning to the bright blue sky peppered with light white clouds, smells of the sea and sounds of birds was so nice!
Our first day, we walked into town, got a little lost and hopped in a cab to be whisked to a scooter rental store. Si easily rented a scooter, even without a Taiwanese drivers license which I had heard was difficult. However, we visited in a low travel season and there lots of scooters available, so I don't think the shopkeepers were being too picky. Plus, he has is international drivers license and while not all Taiwanese people can ready English, they took his word for it and sent us on our way. We headed south to the coastal line to feel the wind in our faces and occassionally bits of dirt, as huge construction trucks passed us from time to time. The weather was beautiful, warm and the scenery gorgeous. We stopped at a small black sand beach called Cow Mountain Beach and spent the day in a shady cove of a rock, swimming, reading and playing in the sand. The entire day, we saw perhaps 4 people total, which is often a rare occurrence compared to the busier cities of Taiwan. It was nice to have some beautiful surroundings practically all to ourselves.
The next day, we headed north to Taroko Gorge. This park is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever, ever seen. Due to earth plate movements over 4 million years ago, huge rocks jut out of the earth and sometimes block the sky from your view completely forming a long, winding gorge. There were many temples set high in the hills that from the road, didn't look that far up, but an hour later and hundreds of stairs later, yes (puff, puff) were quite a ways up! The views were jaw droppingly magical and we spent the day, exploring waterfalls, hikes, closed footbridges in the mountains and little cafes along the way. The fallen rock formations due to typhoons and landslides have left behind large, smooth boulders of dramatic hues of white, orange, brown and grey. The rock walls have jagged yet melodic striations that I could examine for hours. We visited 3 different sites in a day and there was much, much more to see. Again, there weren't many tourists there, which was a nice way to experience the Gorge!
Now, it's time to say goodbye and I've been thinking about what I'll miss and not miss about this place.
Here's what I won't miss:
*Pollution-air, water, noise
*Some cultural differences, like saving face (i.e. not being truthful to avoid confrontation or uncomfortability)
*A few of the weird and bad smelling foods that line the streets and hijack my nostrils when driving by
*The crazy drivers
Here's what I'll truly miss:
*Amazing friends that welcomed me into their hearts and homes so effortlessly and sweetly
*Beautiful scenery-beaches to mountains
*Kind and friendly ways of the Taiwanese culture-people going out of their way to help you, explain something to you, even though they don't speak any English.
*Endless, cheap shopping
*My scooter-zipping through traffic, taking .02 seconds to find a parking space, going to the markets and knowing that when the scooter trunk is full and the bay between my feet won't hold any more fruit, it's time to go home.
*Learning Mandarin
*Convenience-7-11's, 24-hour teppanyaki restaurants, 24-hour MTV's (where you rent a movie, then get your own viewing room), night markets that go until 2am
*Weather-living in the tropics, while hot and unbearable at times, is quite nice.
Taiwan, thanks for the memories! You've changed my life!
24.2.07
Shao Liuchiu and home again...!
After the music event in a little mountain town in southern Taiwan, we decided to journey on, packed up our tent and hitchhiked (yes, my first hitchhiking experiencing to Simon's surprise) into town and caught a bus, then a train to an island called Shao Liuchiu, which is a small, coral island about 9km (or 5.5 miles) around. We rented a motorscooter after some haggling and bargaining. (In addition to some prices being inflated for Chinese New Year, the fact that we are foreigners does not help in keeping prices down.)
The island is quaint, lush with green trees and bush, completely surrounded by coral cliffs and rocks and has more than 10 temples on it. The first night, we skipped pitching a tent and stayed at a small resort in a cozy wooden cabin. The resort looked out over the ocean and was peaceful and serene. The day we arrived, I also celebrated my 31st birthday. It was a quiet and relaxing birthday dinner with a filling hot pot meal, whisky and cokes and some good discussions about turning a year older and if it made me feel older and wiser. The jury is still out on the older and wiser decision...
The town is a fishing town and the local people look different than most Taiwanese people I've encountered in the larger cities like Taichung and Taipei. In the larger cities, it's a cultural fact that lighter skin is better. People spend much time, money and energy into keeping their skin pale with sun parasols, hats, gloves, cremes, etc. In Shao Liuchiu, the people are naturally brown from the sun and the shapes of their faces and eyes was unique and different. I really loved the genuine kindness that we experienced along the way. I often feel sorry for the people who speak to me in Chinese. As I butcher the beautiful language, I am often met with smiles, patience and somehow, a little understanding.
The next day we found an even cozier accomodation in a hotel near the harbor. The room was cheaper, had cable TV (which we don't have at home) and was so close to the ferry dock, that it would have been impossible for us to miss our boat home. (Well, I suppose some major natural catastrophe could have prevented us from getting home, but you get the point.) We spent the day driving around the island, which doesn't take long (at one point, we were looking at a map puzzled that there was part of the island we hadn't explored, but 5 min. later convinced that we had seen everything.), exploring temples, beaches and coral cliffs. As some of you know, I love to rock climb and haven't done much since coming to Taiwan, unfortunately, but Simon's all about getting off the beaten track and encouraging me to follow him, let my fears diminish and take my life into my own hands by following him to some sharp, rock cliff. All in all, we had a good time.
After a few days on the little island, it was time to go home, as we were dirty, smelly and broke. We climbed onto a boat at 10:30am and by 3pm, were home to Taichung. I forget how small Taiwan really is, as we traveled by boat, bus and train and a few hours later, home again home again. This weekend has been spent, taking a short hike to Dakeng, having hot pot with some good friends (yes, it's true, I'm addicted to hot pot and am already thinking about the appliances I need to buy in Seattle to keep up with my addiction for the food), cleaning up and preparing for the week.
May the year of the pig bless you with much joy, happiness, good fortune and fond memories.
The island is quaint, lush with green trees and bush, completely surrounded by coral cliffs and rocks and has more than 10 temples on it. The first night, we skipped pitching a tent and stayed at a small resort in a cozy wooden cabin. The resort looked out over the ocean and was peaceful and serene. The day we arrived, I also celebrated my 31st birthday. It was a quiet and relaxing birthday dinner with a filling hot pot meal, whisky and cokes and some good discussions about turning a year older and if it made me feel older and wiser. The jury is still out on the older and wiser decision...
The town is a fishing town and the local people look different than most Taiwanese people I've encountered in the larger cities like Taichung and Taipei. In the larger cities, it's a cultural fact that lighter skin is better. People spend much time, money and energy into keeping their skin pale with sun parasols, hats, gloves, cremes, etc. In Shao Liuchiu, the people are naturally brown from the sun and the shapes of their faces and eyes was unique and different. I really loved the genuine kindness that we experienced along the way. I often feel sorry for the people who speak to me in Chinese. As I butcher the beautiful language, I am often met with smiles, patience and somehow, a little understanding.
The next day we found an even cozier accomodation in a hotel near the harbor. The room was cheaper, had cable TV (which we don't have at home) and was so close to the ferry dock, that it would have been impossible for us to miss our boat home. (Well, I suppose some major natural catastrophe could have prevented us from getting home, but you get the point.) We spent the day driving around the island, which doesn't take long (at one point, we were looking at a map puzzled that there was part of the island we hadn't explored, but 5 min. later convinced that we had seen everything.), exploring temples, beaches and coral cliffs. As some of you know, I love to rock climb and haven't done much since coming to Taiwan, unfortunately, but Simon's all about getting off the beaten track and encouraging me to follow him, let my fears diminish and take my life into my own hands by following him to some sharp, rock cliff. All in all, we had a good time.
After a few days on the little island, it was time to go home, as we were dirty, smelly and broke. We climbed onto a boat at 10:30am and by 3pm, were home to Taichung. I forget how small Taiwan really is, as we traveled by boat, bus and train and a few hours later, home again home again. This weekend has been spent, taking a short hike to Dakeng, having hot pot with some good friends (yes, it's true, I'm addicted to hot pot and am already thinking about the appliances I need to buy in Seattle to keep up with my addiction for the food), cleaning up and preparing for the week.
May the year of the pig bless you with much joy, happiness, good fortune and fond memories.
23.2.07
10.2.07
Xin Nien Kuaile!
Happy Chinese New Year! It's been so looooong since I've updated my blog, where has time gone? I hope the New Year brings you much joy, happiness and good fortune!
Time has floated by very quickly for me and my days and many evenings are full of teaching English to kindergarten, and school-age children, as well as adults. People love to learn the English language in Taiwan and I really feel lucky to be able to find so much work, teaching others. Also, teaching English is a good lesson for me, too. Often in my adult classes, I will explain how some nouns can also be used as verbs, like "dance". Our language can be extremely confusing!
Along other language fronts, I just finished the last of my Chinese language lessons and have really enjoyed it. My chinese speaking and listening levels are still lower than most of the kindergarten kids that I teach, but I have loved being able to speak to people when I'm out and about on a daily basis at restaurants, banks, shops, etc. Plus, it's the most commonly spoken language in the world, so I hope it comes in handy somewhere else in life. :)
Also, while I haven't tried to learn the written language, I am fascinated by it's intricacies. The Chinese language is thousands of years old and the characters don't have any correlation to each other. Which means, the character for "drink" (he) and "cup" (bei) are completely different. So, when learning the written language, it's all about memorization. There are hundreds of characters to learn and I honestly think people who learn the Chinese written language have a different way of visualizing the language from us English-speaking folks. The minds of Chinese people organize and categorize languages much differently.
What else have I been up to in Taiwan? Let's see...
Girlfriend Party
Last month, I was invited to an all girl sleep over in Longtan, which is in the mountains. My friends have a spacious home and over 20 women were there. There were women from different countries, backgrounds, ethnicities and age-groups. We spent the night, drinking, eating, sharing, dancing and just being women together. I felt truly blessed to be a part of such an amazing event. In many ways, I wish I had come to Taiwan earlier so my friendships with some of these women were even stronger. It seems that whereever I go, in various parts of life, I am blessed with meeting strong, smart, talented, witty women. Life is rich!
Kindergarten
In my kindergarten class, we continue to learn and grow. At my school each semester, we focus on different themes. The last theme was clothes and for our final project, my class made hand-sewn t-shirts with little details, such as buttons and necklaces. For weeks, our classroom looked like a little sweat shop with bits of fabric, beads, thread and buttons all over the place. The children's patience and perseverance was impressive. While most children couldn't thread their own needle, they waiting quietly while I did my best to help each of them. Jeffrey didn't bat an eyelash when he sewed his buttons through both sides of his t-shirt, three times. Wey Wey sat attentively, while I tried to sew her cute pink beaded necklace to the collar of her shirts, after failing twice. Joy didn't seem to mind that she sewed both of her sleeves together and needed to rework them. At the end of the project, we had a fashion show on the playground to show the school our hard work. Keep an eye out for Flower Class fashion designs coming to a store near you this fall.
Now, our theme is transportation and these last few weeks, we have been focusing on ground transportation. I drove my scooter into the school last week and gave the little ones rides on the back. I originally vowed never to allow a child onto my scooter in Taiwan, but made an acception as we were just driving around the playground on the rubber padded ground.
Simon was also a substitute teacher at my school, which was fun. The owner of my school doesn't believe that men can be kindergarten teachers because they lack the patience needed. So, it was refreshing for the children to be with him for a week and experience a different kind of fun. In one of his classes, the children figured out that if they all climbed onto him at once-that's one on each leg, two on the front and two on his back, they could take him down. Every time I looked into his classroom, there was at least on child climbing on him. Good times!
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in Asia. I receive a week's vacation off from my school and many people travel to different parts of the world. Chinese New Year is also based on family time and many Taiwanese people I spoke with, stayed at home with their families. Some of the traditions for the holiday include: cleaning out your home (to get rid of the bad luck, to make room for good luck in the new year), cutting your hair and buying new clothes (which I happily complied with-you don't have to tell me twice to go to the hair salon and shop), hang red chinese decorations and couplets in your home and around your front door (to ward off the angry monster "nien", which by Chinese folklore is how much of the traditions began), give red envelopes to small children, light firecrackers, eat yummy food together and create strong memories together for the new year.
Simon and I are visiting our friend John and his family in Yunlin. They are such lovely people and are outstanding hosts. Their home has been cleaned top to bottom and they are so meticulous about the cleanliness, that when Simon stepped outside in his house slippers, John quickly took off the slippers and cleaned them, so he could wear them inside the house. Yesterday, I made a mistake of letting their cute dog, Mimi outside. I thought she needed to go outside as she was standing by the door looking longingly at me. As soon as I let her out, John called me "crazy" and asked me to bring her back in. She had a bath the day before and couldn't get dirty. Yes, I am crazy for letting a dog outside, just nuts.
We've been spending lots of time with John's family and his grandparents are adorable. Seeing his grandparents make me miss mine even more, when I didn't think it was possible. They are sweet, kind, their smiles light up the room and even though I can't really speak to them, as the grandfather's Chinese is spoken with a very heavy Taiwanese accent and he mostly speaks to Simon, they are still a delight to be with.
Yesterday, we went to Tainan which is the 4th largest city in Taiwan and the oldest city in the country. John's brother, Dylan was getting out of the army for the weekend. In Taiwan, every man must serve in the militairy, it's part of their law. Currently, most men don't serve for more than 2 years, but it's an interesting practice. If you don't serve, you'll need to leave the country every 4 months for a weekend, similar to what foreigners have to do for visa runs. Once men graduate from college, most enter into the army right away, so they can finish their duty and begin their careers and lives.
Also, because there are so many people traveling in Taiwan, during the new year holiday, it's against the law to drive on the highway with less than 3 people in your car. This rule helps minimize single-driver cars plugging up the highways. Smart idea, huh?
Tomorrow, we are headed to Fangliou and a music event in the mountains. We'll camp and enjoy live music from 24 different bands. More soon! XO!
Time has floated by very quickly for me and my days and many evenings are full of teaching English to kindergarten, and school-age children, as well as adults. People love to learn the English language in Taiwan and I really feel lucky to be able to find so much work, teaching others. Also, teaching English is a good lesson for me, too. Often in my adult classes, I will explain how some nouns can also be used as verbs, like "dance". Our language can be extremely confusing!
Along other language fronts, I just finished the last of my Chinese language lessons and have really enjoyed it. My chinese speaking and listening levels are still lower than most of the kindergarten kids that I teach, but I have loved being able to speak to people when I'm out and about on a daily basis at restaurants, banks, shops, etc. Plus, it's the most commonly spoken language in the world, so I hope it comes in handy somewhere else in life. :)
Also, while I haven't tried to learn the written language, I am fascinated by it's intricacies. The Chinese language is thousands of years old and the characters don't have any correlation to each other. Which means, the character for "drink" (he) and "cup" (bei) are completely different. So, when learning the written language, it's all about memorization. There are hundreds of characters to learn and I honestly think people who learn the Chinese written language have a different way of visualizing the language from us English-speaking folks. The minds of Chinese people organize and categorize languages much differently.
What else have I been up to in Taiwan? Let's see...
Girlfriend Party
Last month, I was invited to an all girl sleep over in Longtan, which is in the mountains. My friends have a spacious home and over 20 women were there. There were women from different countries, backgrounds, ethnicities and age-groups. We spent the night, drinking, eating, sharing, dancing and just being women together. I felt truly blessed to be a part of such an amazing event. In many ways, I wish I had come to Taiwan earlier so my friendships with some of these women were even stronger. It seems that whereever I go, in various parts of life, I am blessed with meeting strong, smart, talented, witty women. Life is rich!
Kindergarten
In my kindergarten class, we continue to learn and grow. At my school each semester, we focus on different themes. The last theme was clothes and for our final project, my class made hand-sewn t-shirts with little details, such as buttons and necklaces. For weeks, our classroom looked like a little sweat shop with bits of fabric, beads, thread and buttons all over the place. The children's patience and perseverance was impressive. While most children couldn't thread their own needle, they waiting quietly while I did my best to help each of them. Jeffrey didn't bat an eyelash when he sewed his buttons through both sides of his t-shirt, three times. Wey Wey sat attentively, while I tried to sew her cute pink beaded necklace to the collar of her shirts, after failing twice. Joy didn't seem to mind that she sewed both of her sleeves together and needed to rework them. At the end of the project, we had a fashion show on the playground to show the school our hard work. Keep an eye out for Flower Class fashion designs coming to a store near you this fall.
Now, our theme is transportation and these last few weeks, we have been focusing on ground transportation. I drove my scooter into the school last week and gave the little ones rides on the back. I originally vowed never to allow a child onto my scooter in Taiwan, but made an acception as we were just driving around the playground on the rubber padded ground.
Simon was also a substitute teacher at my school, which was fun. The owner of my school doesn't believe that men can be kindergarten teachers because they lack the patience needed. So, it was refreshing for the children to be with him for a week and experience a different kind of fun. In one of his classes, the children figured out that if they all climbed onto him at once-that's one on each leg, two on the front and two on his back, they could take him down. Every time I looked into his classroom, there was at least on child climbing on him. Good times!
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in Asia. I receive a week's vacation off from my school and many people travel to different parts of the world. Chinese New Year is also based on family time and many Taiwanese people I spoke with, stayed at home with their families. Some of the traditions for the holiday include: cleaning out your home (to get rid of the bad luck, to make room for good luck in the new year), cutting your hair and buying new clothes (which I happily complied with-you don't have to tell me twice to go to the hair salon and shop), hang red chinese decorations and couplets in your home and around your front door (to ward off the angry monster "nien", which by Chinese folklore is how much of the traditions began), give red envelopes to small children, light firecrackers, eat yummy food together and create strong memories together for the new year.
Simon and I are visiting our friend John and his family in Yunlin. They are such lovely people and are outstanding hosts. Their home has been cleaned top to bottom and they are so meticulous about the cleanliness, that when Simon stepped outside in his house slippers, John quickly took off the slippers and cleaned them, so he could wear them inside the house. Yesterday, I made a mistake of letting their cute dog, Mimi outside. I thought she needed to go outside as she was standing by the door looking longingly at me. As soon as I let her out, John called me "crazy" and asked me to bring her back in. She had a bath the day before and couldn't get dirty. Yes, I am crazy for letting a dog outside, just nuts.
We've been spending lots of time with John's family and his grandparents are adorable. Seeing his grandparents make me miss mine even more, when I didn't think it was possible. They are sweet, kind, their smiles light up the room and even though I can't really speak to them, as the grandfather's Chinese is spoken with a very heavy Taiwanese accent and he mostly speaks to Simon, they are still a delight to be with.
Yesterday, we went to Tainan which is the 4th largest city in Taiwan and the oldest city in the country. John's brother, Dylan was getting out of the army for the weekend. In Taiwan, every man must serve in the militairy, it's part of their law. Currently, most men don't serve for more than 2 years, but it's an interesting practice. If you don't serve, you'll need to leave the country every 4 months for a weekend, similar to what foreigners have to do for visa runs. Once men graduate from college, most enter into the army right away, so they can finish their duty and begin their careers and lives.
Also, because there are so many people traveling in Taiwan, during the new year holiday, it's against the law to drive on the highway with less than 3 people in your car. This rule helps minimize single-driver cars plugging up the highways. Smart idea, huh?
Tomorrow, we are headed to Fangliou and a music event in the mountains. We'll camp and enjoy live music from 24 different bands. More soon! XO!
27.12.06
Shake, shake, shake... shake your groove thang...
Yes, there was an earthquake here yesterday. Yes, at first I thought the building shaking was my neighbor on our rooftop moving furniture, or something hectic, until I realized that my neighbor isn't strong enough to shake the entire building for several minutes. Dur. Yes, everyone is fine in Taichung, except for my student Jeffrey's fish, who died due to the earthquake. Yes, I brushed up on my earthquake safety knowledge, just in case... Taiwan is basically a giant fault line.
Hope you are safe and grounded! Happy New Year!
Hope you are safe and grounded! Happy New Year!
26.12.06
Good times...
Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Hanukah! Happy New Year! I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying a fulfilling and relaxing holiday season. Where have I been these last few months? Still in Taiwan, just busy and a bit preoccupied with some hiccups in life. Here are the highlights of what I've been up to:
Wedding/Engagement Party
A few months ago, a manager at my school asked me if I'd like to go to Teacher April's wedding. A Taiwanese wedding? I've been wanting to go to one since I got here. Of course! Teacher April is my afternoon bilingual teacher and I see her for a total of 2 hours a week and we don't talk very much because her English is limited and my Chinese is practically non-existent. Weddings are a big industry in Taiwan and I see so many wedding cafes, which are businesses that usually are a few stories tall and the street side is only full of windows with lots of dresses and people sitting at tables planning their weddings. Once I was approached by a man as Si and I walked by a wedding cafe in Taipei. I was so tempted to act like we were getting married, just so I could see what the deal is, but I refrained.
So, I get the invitation to Teacher April's wedding and realize that her name is Teacher Apple. Oops. I've been calling her the wrong name, for about, uh 4 months. April does sound like Apple and no one had corrected me. O.k., got it. The invitation is very fancy, all pink and all in Chinese, so I can't read it. But, with a little help, I learn that her wedding is on a Sunday at noon and everyone tells me that I can dress casually. I keep thinking that's so strange for a culture with somewhat fancy taste. Many women wear high heels here on a daily basis. I've even see women up near the waterfalls, where I sometimes stumble a bit with my birkenstocks, wearing high heeled shoes. Maybe not the smartest fashion decision, but they always look great. There is a picture of Teacher Apple and her fiance Ming in front of the playground at our school. Their hands are making an arch of a heart together. It's just so cute!
When we arrive to the event, I learn that we have not been invited to her wedding, but the equivalent of an engagement party in the western cultures. The Chinese believe if you have this party before the wedding and invite a lot of people and they come, then more good fortune will come your way. There were about 300 people there and the buffet was delicious. On the 17th floor (that's pretty high, for Taichung) of a hotel, we ate a delicious lunch and sat with the owner of my school and other colleagues. There was a very detailed slideshow video of their actual engagement and I really felt like I was part of the engagement process. The photo documentation was unreal: where they visited, what they ate at various meals, the cake that was presented for the big question, friends who were on the trip with them, the walks in the woods, etc. I felt like I was there...
They did a karaoke song together, which was really special. Little children from our class came out, all dressed up and handed out roses to the women at the event. There were lots of toasts and speeches. Apple asked if all women attending would wear something pink, even if it was just a pair of earrings or a bracelet, because she loves the color so much. I bought some cute and a little blingy pair of pink rhinestone earrings and all of the women wearing pink, made 2 lines and she walked through the center, passing out candy. It was a wonderful event.
Blue Girl
In November, just before Thanksgiving, I struggled with depression, which was a fairly new experience. I've never felt very sad about my life overall, before. Also, being away from family and friends for this long (with a little break this past summer) has started to take a toll on me. Finally, not being able to speak the language bothered me more than I had thought it would. After a few weeks of feeling sorry for myself, the cloud lifted and I am mostly doing just fine.
Learning Chinese: Ni hou ma?
I've been taking Chinese lessons about 4.5 hours a week, during my lunch breaks. I take a private lesson with a friend, so the environment to learn and try a new language is very relaxed and as minimally scary as possible, I think. My friend, Angela, has been living in Taiwan for a few years and her understanding of the knowledge is quite good, but now she is just learning more vocabulary, grammar, etc. I am much more new to the language so struggle a bit more.
The first few weeks, I thought I had made a big mistake. We were only learning pronunciation and tones, which are very specific and of course, all sound very similar to me. I really feel that I repeat sounds and words, just like I am hearing them, but they are in fact, very different.
I recently learned of an interesting study, where children age 10 were tested from tonal based cultures (like Chinese) and non-tonal based cultures (like English). When asked about different tones heard, the children from tonal based cultures heard over 360 different tones. The children from non-tonal based cultures, only heard about 60 different tones. So, if not surrounded by various tones and pronunciations pretty much in the first 10 years of life, learning the sounds later as an adult has a difficult angle. When I learned about the study, I actually felt a little better about my pace in learning Chinese. Phew! I'm not the only one who can't hear the different sounds. :)
In all reality, being able to speak to people around me, has been really wonderful. I can't have very lengthy conversations, but just little bits of communication have been such a big help. I often feel less isolated.
Crash!
Also, in November, I was in a potentially bad scooter accident. It was completely my fault the driver of the other scooter was fine, thankfully. I suffered from a concusion and some aches and pains, but was very lucky. For a few days, I had a sore head, Simon watched me for worry of hematoma developing and I needed a few different x-rays done, just make sure everything was AOK. I also was very fortunate because a good Taiwanese friend accompanied me to a Dr. appointment just to make sure I understood everything. I'm back on the roads now, much more cautious and a bit more timid, which is a good thing, I think.
Merry Ho ho ho!
Taiwan doesn't really celebrate Christmas (or other western holidays) as it's primarily a buddhist country. However, schools often celebrate the holiday and in my kindergarten class, we practiced songs and dances, have read stories, made ornaments, decorations, etc. all for Christmas. Simon dressed up as Santa Clause for the school play/performance, which was fun. I have one American boy, who eyed Simon skeptically from the side, not sure what to make of this thin, younger version of Santa, but he happily received his gift when his name was called.
Because Taiwan doesn't celebrate Christmas, adult views of the holiday differ. For example, in my class are twins Sam and Samuel. Apparently, at home, Sam breaks his toys. I don't know if it's intentional or just by accident, but it's enough that his parents wanted to teach him a lesson. So, they wrapped his broken toys and Santa gave them to him at school. All the while, his twin brother, received a new toy form Santa. I fully understand that children much learn lessons about taking care of their belongings, but dragging an innocent Santa and wonderful holiday like Christmas into the mix, seems a bit mean. Needless to say, Simon wasn't very happy to learn that he had given Sam broken toys. :(
As for our own holiday celebrations, my school gave all english teachers a 5-day weekend, which is really cool. On Saturday, we attended a fun holiday party and caught up with friends. Then on Christmas Eve, attended a potluck dinner party with friends in a more intimate setting. On Christmas day, we had a nice lazy day, then met up with friends for a vigorous walk in the mountains and a nice dinner at a restaurant that serves western food. Yum! Simon and I enjoyed creating some new traditions together, definitely.
I also became an auntie recently. My sister Christine, gave birth to a beautiful boy named Kelan. I'm having my Dad give him lots of kisses and reminders of his Auntie Mari until I can deliver that love in person next year. Welcome Kelan!
May this post find all of you, happy, healthy and in great spirits. Much love to each of you from Taiwan!
Wedding/Engagement Party
A few months ago, a manager at my school asked me if I'd like to go to Teacher April's wedding. A Taiwanese wedding? I've been wanting to go to one since I got here. Of course! Teacher April is my afternoon bilingual teacher and I see her for a total of 2 hours a week and we don't talk very much because her English is limited and my Chinese is practically non-existent. Weddings are a big industry in Taiwan and I see so many wedding cafes, which are businesses that usually are a few stories tall and the street side is only full of windows with lots of dresses and people sitting at tables planning their weddings. Once I was approached by a man as Si and I walked by a wedding cafe in Taipei. I was so tempted to act like we were getting married, just so I could see what the deal is, but I refrained.
So, I get the invitation to Teacher April's wedding and realize that her name is Teacher Apple. Oops. I've been calling her the wrong name, for about, uh 4 months. April does sound like Apple and no one had corrected me. O.k., got it. The invitation is very fancy, all pink and all in Chinese, so I can't read it. But, with a little help, I learn that her wedding is on a Sunday at noon and everyone tells me that I can dress casually. I keep thinking that's so strange for a culture with somewhat fancy taste. Many women wear high heels here on a daily basis. I've even see women up near the waterfalls, where I sometimes stumble a bit with my birkenstocks, wearing high heeled shoes. Maybe not the smartest fashion decision, but they always look great. There is a picture of Teacher Apple and her fiance Ming in front of the playground at our school. Their hands are making an arch of a heart together. It's just so cute!
When we arrive to the event, I learn that we have not been invited to her wedding, but the equivalent of an engagement party in the western cultures. The Chinese believe if you have this party before the wedding and invite a lot of people and they come, then more good fortune will come your way. There were about 300 people there and the buffet was delicious. On the 17th floor (that's pretty high, for Taichung) of a hotel, we ate a delicious lunch and sat with the owner of my school and other colleagues. There was a very detailed slideshow video of their actual engagement and I really felt like I was part of the engagement process. The photo documentation was unreal: where they visited, what they ate at various meals, the cake that was presented for the big question, friends who were on the trip with them, the walks in the woods, etc. I felt like I was there...
They did a karaoke song together, which was really special. Little children from our class came out, all dressed up and handed out roses to the women at the event. There were lots of toasts and speeches. Apple asked if all women attending would wear something pink, even if it was just a pair of earrings or a bracelet, because she loves the color so much. I bought some cute and a little blingy pair of pink rhinestone earrings and all of the women wearing pink, made 2 lines and she walked through the center, passing out candy. It was a wonderful event.
Blue Girl
In November, just before Thanksgiving, I struggled with depression, which was a fairly new experience. I've never felt very sad about my life overall, before. Also, being away from family and friends for this long (with a little break this past summer) has started to take a toll on me. Finally, not being able to speak the language bothered me more than I had thought it would. After a few weeks of feeling sorry for myself, the cloud lifted and I am mostly doing just fine.
Learning Chinese: Ni hou ma?
I've been taking Chinese lessons about 4.5 hours a week, during my lunch breaks. I take a private lesson with a friend, so the environment to learn and try a new language is very relaxed and as minimally scary as possible, I think. My friend, Angela, has been living in Taiwan for a few years and her understanding of the knowledge is quite good, but now she is just learning more vocabulary, grammar, etc. I am much more new to the language so struggle a bit more.
The first few weeks, I thought I had made a big mistake. We were only learning pronunciation and tones, which are very specific and of course, all sound very similar to me. I really feel that I repeat sounds and words, just like I am hearing them, but they are in fact, very different.
I recently learned of an interesting study, where children age 10 were tested from tonal based cultures (like Chinese) and non-tonal based cultures (like English). When asked about different tones heard, the children from tonal based cultures heard over 360 different tones. The children from non-tonal based cultures, only heard about 60 different tones. So, if not surrounded by various tones and pronunciations pretty much in the first 10 years of life, learning the sounds later as an adult has a difficult angle. When I learned about the study, I actually felt a little better about my pace in learning Chinese. Phew! I'm not the only one who can't hear the different sounds. :)
In all reality, being able to speak to people around me, has been really wonderful. I can't have very lengthy conversations, but just little bits of communication have been such a big help. I often feel less isolated.
Crash!
Also, in November, I was in a potentially bad scooter accident. It was completely my fault the driver of the other scooter was fine, thankfully. I suffered from a concusion and some aches and pains, but was very lucky. For a few days, I had a sore head, Simon watched me for worry of hematoma developing and I needed a few different x-rays done, just make sure everything was AOK. I also was very fortunate because a good Taiwanese friend accompanied me to a Dr. appointment just to make sure I understood everything. I'm back on the roads now, much more cautious and a bit more timid, which is a good thing, I think.
Merry Ho ho ho!
Taiwan doesn't really celebrate Christmas (or other western holidays) as it's primarily a buddhist country. However, schools often celebrate the holiday and in my kindergarten class, we practiced songs and dances, have read stories, made ornaments, decorations, etc. all for Christmas. Simon dressed up as Santa Clause for the school play/performance, which was fun. I have one American boy, who eyed Simon skeptically from the side, not sure what to make of this thin, younger version of Santa, but he happily received his gift when his name was called.
Because Taiwan doesn't celebrate Christmas, adult views of the holiday differ. For example, in my class are twins Sam and Samuel. Apparently, at home, Sam breaks his toys. I don't know if it's intentional or just by accident, but it's enough that his parents wanted to teach him a lesson. So, they wrapped his broken toys and Santa gave them to him at school. All the while, his twin brother, received a new toy form Santa. I fully understand that children much learn lessons about taking care of their belongings, but dragging an innocent Santa and wonderful holiday like Christmas into the mix, seems a bit mean. Needless to say, Simon wasn't very happy to learn that he had given Sam broken toys. :(
As for our own holiday celebrations, my school gave all english teachers a 5-day weekend, which is really cool. On Saturday, we attended a fun holiday party and caught up with friends. Then on Christmas Eve, attended a potluck dinner party with friends in a more intimate setting. On Christmas day, we had a nice lazy day, then met up with friends for a vigorous walk in the mountains and a nice dinner at a restaurant that serves western food. Yum! Simon and I enjoyed creating some new traditions together, definitely.
I also became an auntie recently. My sister Christine, gave birth to a beautiful boy named Kelan. I'm having my Dad give him lots of kisses and reminders of his Auntie Mari until I can deliver that love in person next year. Welcome Kelan!
May this post find all of you, happy, healthy and in great spirits. Much love to each of you from Taiwan!
10.10.06
It's all about the culture... and the food.
Taiwan just celebrated the Moon Festival. The holiday is all about eating and giving moon cakes (which I haven't tried, but hear they can be delicious-sweet and savory!), eating pomelo's and making the rinds into hats and barbequing! The story of the Moon Festival comes from a king who wanted to kill 9 of the 10 suns because it was too hot and plants and people were suffering. So his archer killed the suns and as a reward, the king offered him a pill that would make him live forever. The archer's wife took the pill and floated up to the moon where she lives and on a full moon, it's said that you can see her in the moon. It's also a national holiday, so I got the day off. Yay!
The holiday fell on a Friday and then we would work the next Monday and have the next day off for Taiwan's National Day. The Taiwanese government decided to change the holiday schedule a bit and give everyone a 5 day weekend, but that meant that instead of working on Monday, you would work on Saturday of the next weekend. Hello? I don't work on weekends, but had to because of the change in holiday dates. What is even more interesting is that the government made this announcement about 5 days before the long weekend. So, if you wanted to get out of town or the country, most everything was booked. The Taiwanese are thorough and good planners, so many people booked holidays way in advance. My co-worker asked what would happen if the US government tried to change holidays and make people work on the weekend. Hmmm... Maybe rioting in the streets? Lawsuits for the rest of eternity?
On the bright side, I enjoyed a wonderful 5 day weekend holiday with Simon and friends. For the Moon Festival, Si's friend John took us to Yuen Lin, where we met his family and bbq'd with them for hours. There must have been 8 bbq's going and it was deeelicious. I actually didn't know you could bbq so many parts of an animal. The chicken hearts were particularly nummy. Who knew? The bbq took place at his Grandmother's home and she has the biggest house, I have ever seen. It was 4 floors with 6-7 bedrooms on each floor. She owns an orange plantation and they also grow bamboo. Have you ever had fresh bamboo shoots hot off the bbq? I hadn't and before this delicious discovery had only seen bamboo shoots from cans. Oy! I couldn't get enough. His grandmother also made fresh mochi, which is sweet rice cake. (The Chinese pronounce it "moachi") They served it in little balls rolled in peanut powder. Oh my heavenly... My grandmother and family has made mochi through out my life, so this little delicacy was such a treat for me. During this trip, I realized that so much of my own Japanese cultural upbringing was originally influenced by the Chinese. (Yes, I knew about the history of China and Japan, but for some reason not all history lessons equate to a larger knowledge about your own family rituals...) We ate fish, shrimp, several different kinds of meat, corn, rice balls, soup, mushrooms, clams and I'm sure there are many other things I'm forgetting. At any rate, I ate so much yummy food, but after 2 hours started to worry because as soon as you had empty hands, someone would give you more food. The Taiwanese are so thoughtful! So, I started carrying around an empty(ish) bowl of soup, just so my hands and mouth (sort of) looked busy. I thought I was going to burst!
Here are some other interesting things I've learned about the Taiwanese culture:
*English Names
The children in my classes have English and Chinese names. Many of the names are often common names we have in English, but some are more unique and possibly selected by the children. Here are the fun ones: Apple (she was named before Gwyneth Paltrow had her baby, btw)and her sister, Cherry, Shine, Mountain, Lion, Egg, Smile (who I've never seen smile) and one of my personal favorites, Spiderman. Spiderman is a pretty large size kid, who is about 5 or 6. I can actually imagine what he'll look like as an older man, just because of his somewhat mature-looking face and hair. He's not particularly the best student in the class and has a short attention span. I'm constantly hear myself saying "Spiderman, sit down! Spiderman, pay attention! Spiderman, hello?" He is so funny. Some friends of mine have students named Bruce Lee and Handsome Boy. Apparently, Handsome Boy isn't that handsome either.
Also, children don't understand names that can be abbreviated. For example, I have a set of fraternal twins in my class and their names are Sam and Samuel. When I accidentally say "Sam" when I mean "Samuel". I hear "Sam" saying "Teecha, Sam is me!" Sometimes I ask "Sammy" to do something, just for fun. They don't get the joke... at all.
*Children
Being the second most populated place on earth, per density, Taiwan at over 23 million people, have oodles of kids. I'm not saying each family has lots of children, but with so many people, even if they have one or two children, well... there are tons of them. They all start going to school at a fairly early age and most children attend school during the day and school in the evenings and at night. Simon teaches at a buxiban or cram school, so his students are older 9-18 and come to his school after 4pm and stay until 8 or 9pm. They also attend school on the weekends. Some children only get Sundays off and many parents want their children to be so successful that they make their kids study on their day off. It's so different from my own childhood, it sometimes still shocks and surprises me at times.
Also, because children start school at such an early age and are raised in a very controlled environment, it changes their thinking, I feel. I've worked with children from infant age to 5 years most consistently and children at this age in the US are often energetic, rambunctious, imaginative and full of life. Taiwanese children at this same age are energetic, very advanced in their reading and writing, generally quite happy, but don't seem to have the same level of imagination and creativity that I would expect. I teach 4 classes of ESL students, who are in grades 1 and 2 during the day and for "fun", I did the role call and asked each of them "how are you?" I thought I would get a variety of answers (happy, tired, crazy, etc.), but instead I heard 3 "I am happy" responses and the rest all said "I am fine, thank you and you?" (which is a canned and very typical English response that many children can say). Many of them just want to say the correct response or write the correct answer, so don't dare exploring the unchartered territories of their imagination.
In writing excercises, when I write a sentence like "The house is _______." I explain that the students should pick their own word to describe the house, but they often write a sentence exactly like I have with a line and no adjective in the blank space. When I write numerous adjective choices on the board for them to choose from, they will often write all of my choices on their paper, not selecting just one. It's an interesting teaching obstacle, definitely.
*Kind Hearts
In Taiwan one of the big symbols that you see everywhere is a heart. It represents the kindness and love that Taiwanese people have... truly. People are generally very nice here. When you are lost or don't know where the nearest gas station is, most likely someone will drive you there or you can follow them on your scooter. They are also very talkative (even though I don't speak Chinese or Taiwanese) and are full of smiles.
*Saving Face
Saving face is a huge part of the Taiwan culture and it basically boils down to being polite and maintaining a proper facade to everyone, all the time. What this means is that if you stop and ask for directions, if the person doesn't know a location, rather than say "I'm not sure", they might give you totally wrong directions. Also, what this means is that in places like the work place, for example, you might know what your co-worker really means, because they'll just agree with you to be nice. I enjoy the politeness of the Taiwanese people, but sometimes would just like a little more real honesty, especially when there is so much I don't understand about the culture... yet.
*Safety and Crime
Taiwan is super safe. I'm not saying I walk down the street with money hanging out of my pockets just to see what will happen, but for the most part, people leave your stuff alone. The Chinese aren't into second-hand clothing, as they think garments worn by someone will have their spirits on them and shouldn't be worn by others. So, the helmet of my scooter just sits on top of the handlebars at night because no one wants it. At home, that helmet would be stolen fairly quickly if sitting on my bike on the side of the road, I'm fairly certain. On more than one occassion, I've left the keys of my scooter in the seat lock, just dangling there. When I return in a panic, my keys are still there, no one has touched my scooter or the contents in my seat and of course, the bike hasn't been stolen. Amazing!
Also, the crime rates are fairly low. In a recent census study on prisoners, Taiwan has about 250 people incarcerated for every 100,000 people. In the US there are 650 people incarcerated for every 100,000 people. For the tons of people that live here, all in fairly small and tight homes and communities, the crime is quite low, I think. The Taiwanese are quite harmonious in their living.
*Food
And, let's just end this post with another plug about the food. Oh my yummy! The food is fast, convenient and so cheap. It's actually about the same price to buy groceries and cook at home vs. eating out. Here are some of my favorites:
**Deepfried treats- Stalls on the side of the road have a little buffet of veggies, tofu, meats and other delicacies like rice packed in pig's blood. I have not tried the pig's blood yet. I just pick what I want cooked up and a few minutes later have a hot snack in a bag. I cannot get enough of the mushrooms.
**Rice bombs- The Chinese name for them is Mm bow wan and they are basically these rice balls with yummy meats and veggies inside. I have no idea what miracle sauce is drizzled on top of the rice balls, but I eat these weekly.
**Hot pot restaurants-for the low price of $5, you can have your own hot pot and select from a huge variety of meats, veggies, fish cakes, rice balls, eggs and more to make your own soup. Plus, they have beverages, a fresh salad bar, desserts, popcorn, bread, etc. I could spend all day in these restaurants.
Phew! That's it for now, but I just got back from my first Taiwanese engagement party and it was like the reception for a wedding in the US, but different. More soon! Hugs!
The holiday fell on a Friday and then we would work the next Monday and have the next day off for Taiwan's National Day. The Taiwanese government decided to change the holiday schedule a bit and give everyone a 5 day weekend, but that meant that instead of working on Monday, you would work on Saturday of the next weekend. Hello? I don't work on weekends, but had to because of the change in holiday dates. What is even more interesting is that the government made this announcement about 5 days before the long weekend. So, if you wanted to get out of town or the country, most everything was booked. The Taiwanese are thorough and good planners, so many people booked holidays way in advance. My co-worker asked what would happen if the US government tried to change holidays and make people work on the weekend. Hmmm... Maybe rioting in the streets? Lawsuits for the rest of eternity?
On the bright side, I enjoyed a wonderful 5 day weekend holiday with Simon and friends. For the Moon Festival, Si's friend John took us to Yuen Lin, where we met his family and bbq'd with them for hours. There must have been 8 bbq's going and it was deeelicious. I actually didn't know you could bbq so many parts of an animal. The chicken hearts were particularly nummy. Who knew? The bbq took place at his Grandmother's home and she has the biggest house, I have ever seen. It was 4 floors with 6-7 bedrooms on each floor. She owns an orange plantation and they also grow bamboo. Have you ever had fresh bamboo shoots hot off the bbq? I hadn't and before this delicious discovery had only seen bamboo shoots from cans. Oy! I couldn't get enough. His grandmother also made fresh mochi, which is sweet rice cake. (The Chinese pronounce it "moachi") They served it in little balls rolled in peanut powder. Oh my heavenly... My grandmother and family has made mochi through out my life, so this little delicacy was such a treat for me. During this trip, I realized that so much of my own Japanese cultural upbringing was originally influenced by the Chinese. (Yes, I knew about the history of China and Japan, but for some reason not all history lessons equate to a larger knowledge about your own family rituals...) We ate fish, shrimp, several different kinds of meat, corn, rice balls, soup, mushrooms, clams and I'm sure there are many other things I'm forgetting. At any rate, I ate so much yummy food, but after 2 hours started to worry because as soon as you had empty hands, someone would give you more food. The Taiwanese are so thoughtful! So, I started carrying around an empty(ish) bowl of soup, just so my hands and mouth (sort of) looked busy. I thought I was going to burst!
Here are some other interesting things I've learned about the Taiwanese culture:
*English Names
The children in my classes have English and Chinese names. Many of the names are often common names we have in English, but some are more unique and possibly selected by the children. Here are the fun ones: Apple (she was named before Gwyneth Paltrow had her baby, btw)and her sister, Cherry, Shine, Mountain, Lion, Egg, Smile (who I've never seen smile) and one of my personal favorites, Spiderman. Spiderman is a pretty large size kid, who is about 5 or 6. I can actually imagine what he'll look like as an older man, just because of his somewhat mature-looking face and hair. He's not particularly the best student in the class and has a short attention span. I'm constantly hear myself saying "Spiderman, sit down! Spiderman, pay attention! Spiderman, hello?" He is so funny. Some friends of mine have students named Bruce Lee and Handsome Boy. Apparently, Handsome Boy isn't that handsome either.
Also, children don't understand names that can be abbreviated. For example, I have a set of fraternal twins in my class and their names are Sam and Samuel. When I accidentally say "Sam" when I mean "Samuel". I hear "Sam" saying "Teecha, Sam is me!" Sometimes I ask "Sammy" to do something, just for fun. They don't get the joke... at all.
*Children
Being the second most populated place on earth, per density, Taiwan at over 23 million people, have oodles of kids. I'm not saying each family has lots of children, but with so many people, even if they have one or two children, well... there are tons of them. They all start going to school at a fairly early age and most children attend school during the day and school in the evenings and at night. Simon teaches at a buxiban or cram school, so his students are older 9-18 and come to his school after 4pm and stay until 8 or 9pm. They also attend school on the weekends. Some children only get Sundays off and many parents want their children to be so successful that they make their kids study on their day off. It's so different from my own childhood, it sometimes still shocks and surprises me at times.
Also, because children start school at such an early age and are raised in a very controlled environment, it changes their thinking, I feel. I've worked with children from infant age to 5 years most consistently and children at this age in the US are often energetic, rambunctious, imaginative and full of life. Taiwanese children at this same age are energetic, very advanced in their reading and writing, generally quite happy, but don't seem to have the same level of imagination and creativity that I would expect. I teach 4 classes of ESL students, who are in grades 1 and 2 during the day and for "fun", I did the role call and asked each of them "how are you?" I thought I would get a variety of answers (happy, tired, crazy, etc.), but instead I heard 3 "I am happy" responses and the rest all said "I am fine, thank you and you?" (which is a canned and very typical English response that many children can say). Many of them just want to say the correct response or write the correct answer, so don't dare exploring the unchartered territories of their imagination.
In writing excercises, when I write a sentence like "The house is _______." I explain that the students should pick their own word to describe the house, but they often write a sentence exactly like I have with a line and no adjective in the blank space. When I write numerous adjective choices on the board for them to choose from, they will often write all of my choices on their paper, not selecting just one. It's an interesting teaching obstacle, definitely.
*Kind Hearts
In Taiwan one of the big symbols that you see everywhere is a heart. It represents the kindness and love that Taiwanese people have... truly. People are generally very nice here. When you are lost or don't know where the nearest gas station is, most likely someone will drive you there or you can follow them on your scooter. They are also very talkative (even though I don't speak Chinese or Taiwanese) and are full of smiles.
*Saving Face
Saving face is a huge part of the Taiwan culture and it basically boils down to being polite and maintaining a proper facade to everyone, all the time. What this means is that if you stop and ask for directions, if the person doesn't know a location, rather than say "I'm not sure", they might give you totally wrong directions. Also, what this means is that in places like the work place, for example, you might know what your co-worker really means, because they'll just agree with you to be nice. I enjoy the politeness of the Taiwanese people, but sometimes would just like a little more real honesty, especially when there is so much I don't understand about the culture... yet.
*Safety and Crime
Taiwan is super safe. I'm not saying I walk down the street with money hanging out of my pockets just to see what will happen, but for the most part, people leave your stuff alone. The Chinese aren't into second-hand clothing, as they think garments worn by someone will have their spirits on them and shouldn't be worn by others. So, the helmet of my scooter just sits on top of the handlebars at night because no one wants it. At home, that helmet would be stolen fairly quickly if sitting on my bike on the side of the road, I'm fairly certain. On more than one occassion, I've left the keys of my scooter in the seat lock, just dangling there. When I return in a panic, my keys are still there, no one has touched my scooter or the contents in my seat and of course, the bike hasn't been stolen. Amazing!
Also, the crime rates are fairly low. In a recent census study on prisoners, Taiwan has about 250 people incarcerated for every 100,000 people. In the US there are 650 people incarcerated for every 100,000 people. For the tons of people that live here, all in fairly small and tight homes and communities, the crime is quite low, I think. The Taiwanese are quite harmonious in their living.
*Food
And, let's just end this post with another plug about the food. Oh my yummy! The food is fast, convenient and so cheap. It's actually about the same price to buy groceries and cook at home vs. eating out. Here are some of my favorites:
**Deepfried treats- Stalls on the side of the road have a little buffet of veggies, tofu, meats and other delicacies like rice packed in pig's blood. I have not tried the pig's blood yet. I just pick what I want cooked up and a few minutes later have a hot snack in a bag. I cannot get enough of the mushrooms.
**Rice bombs- The Chinese name for them is Mm bow wan and they are basically these rice balls with yummy meats and veggies inside. I have no idea what miracle sauce is drizzled on top of the rice balls, but I eat these weekly.
**Hot pot restaurants-for the low price of $5, you can have your own hot pot and select from a huge variety of meats, veggies, fish cakes, rice balls, eggs and more to make your own soup. Plus, they have beverages, a fresh salad bar, desserts, popcorn, bread, etc. I could spend all day in these restaurants.
Phew! That's it for now, but I just got back from my first Taiwanese engagement party and it was like the reception for a wedding in the US, but different. More soon! Hugs!
30.9.06
Happy Teacher's Day!
Good Morning from Taichung! This past week we celebrated Teacher's Day in Taiwan. I received some fun little gifts from my students. Jeffrey, who is one of my favorites (I know, I know, it's not very American to pick favorites, but everyone does here, so why not?), he gave me the sweetest gift. Jeffrey is a very, very smart student. His English is very good and I often think he is quite advanced for his age group. When I explain this to his parents and also comment on how he always raises his hand and I sometimes don't call on him just to give the other children a chance, they look at me with great surprise "Really? That surprises me." both of his parents have commented to me at different times... Very Taiwanese to take the compliment as a surprise. At any rate, he came to school, gave his Chinese teachers their gifts and then sat by the door, waiting for me to arrive (I come to class a bit later usually). When I walked in with my hearty "Good Morning Flower Class!" hello, he ran up and gave me, six bars of lavendar soap. I think the hand sniffing rule has given me a serious reputation.
Another student, Shine, gave me a sweet soap and lotion set from Crabtree and Evelyn. No other foreign teachers got soap as gifts, so either I don't smell very good in class (which I hardly think is the case) or the hand sniffing rule really is effecting the children's views of me. Either way, I am very thankful for my gifts. I also got lots of sweet cards. The kids are too cute. My friend Faye, who I work with, got a card from one of the smart kids in her class and it said "Teacher Faye, it's to easy for me. Happy Teacher's Day." We laughed so hard. Apparently, the class is too easy for this student, but the fact that she used "to" incorrectly, was hillarious. Faye wanted to jokingly correct it with a red pen, but refrained.
This week, I was sick. Sicker than I have been in years. I think it's a combination of me not getting enough rest, my immune system needing a boost, my body adjusting to the changes in Taiwan's pollution and water and possibly sniffing mostly clean, but sometimes very dirty hands. At any rate, I slept pretty much from Thursday evening until Saturday morning, and am feeling much better now.
Today, a group of us are headed off to the waterfalls. I might jump in this time. Wish me luck! The weather is starting to cool and the cold days aren't that far away, so we have to take advantage of the warm weather while it's here.
Another student, Shine, gave me a sweet soap and lotion set from Crabtree and Evelyn. No other foreign teachers got soap as gifts, so either I don't smell very good in class (which I hardly think is the case) or the hand sniffing rule really is effecting the children's views of me. Either way, I am very thankful for my gifts. I also got lots of sweet cards. The kids are too cute. My friend Faye, who I work with, got a card from one of the smart kids in her class and it said "Teacher Faye, it's to easy for me. Happy Teacher's Day." We laughed so hard. Apparently, the class is too easy for this student, but the fact that she used "to" incorrectly, was hillarious. Faye wanted to jokingly correct it with a red pen, but refrained.
This week, I was sick. Sicker than I have been in years. I think it's a combination of me not getting enough rest, my immune system needing a boost, my body adjusting to the changes in Taiwan's pollution and water and possibly sniffing mostly clean, but sometimes very dirty hands. At any rate, I slept pretty much from Thursday evening until Saturday morning, and am feeling much better now.
Today, a group of us are headed off to the waterfalls. I might jump in this time. Wish me luck! The weather is starting to cool and the cold days aren't that far away, so we have to take advantage of the warm weather while it's here.
23.9.06
Wo shr inguen lao shir! (I am an English Teacher)
Hello from Taichung! We finally have a working computer and Internet access in our home again, so I recently added pictures to the blog. Yay! I hope this message finds each of you happy and healthy.
We are now living in Taichung city, which is much closer to school and our friends. We live in an older building across the street from a bamboo forest. Our building is close to an area filled with various food carts and restaurants, retail shops and fruit stands, as well as bingo parlors, laundry services and much more. It's a very convenient neighborhood. We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. If anyone would like to visit, we would love to have you! There is much to see and do around Taiwan.
My kindergarten class is great and improving all the time. I work with two Chinese teachers and our communication, flow and overall working relationships seem to improve constantly, which is encouraging. They work very hard to take care of the children and manage the classroom, so I appreciate their contributions. Recently, a boy from America joined our class. Max's mother is Chinese and his father is Caucasian. They are from the Boston area of the US. He is adorable and of course, speaks English very well, but is just beginning to learn Chinese. He is also a picky eater, which has been a bit tricky during lunch time. Every day, we have lunch served to us, which usually consists of rice, meat and vegetables, all prepared with Chinese sauces and flavors. It's very good and I love lunch because I sit with the kids and they try to teach me a little Chinese and we talk about the meal and discuss the English names for the foods. When Max first arrived, he only liked bread and chicken nuggets, neither of which is ever served for lunch. After the first week, Max started to like just white rice. He's doing better and quickly assimilating to the classroom and foods. The other girls in the class have taken a strong liking to him, too. Since he doesn't speak any Chinese I try to help him out when needed. He's a good little one. Socially, he's adjusting really well, so that's how I know he's doing great. Children are so adaptable!
Another student, Jane is so funny. She's a younger student in class and her English needs strengthening. I think she's particularly interesting because she reminds me a lot of myself at a young age. She chats in class (when the students should be paying attention to the lesson) and often whines and tattles on the other students. Ah Jane, so cute and a bit of a naughty one. I absolutely identify with her. :)
Simon has been in New Zealand for the last few weeks visiting family and friends. His grandmother just turned 100 and they are having a big party for her. While I have missed him, I've really enjoyed living alone for a bit, as I was very used to this lifestyle in California. I've also bonded with great girlfriends which has been a lot of fun and great comfort.
I now navigate the streets on my scooter with ease and enjoyment. To be honest, I'm a little worried about driving again in the US. There are so many rules that can be broken on the roads here, that it's really easy and fun.
My Chinese is slowing improving as I learn. Currently, I take one class a week, but am hoping to start taking 3 classes a week very soon. I've learned the basic greetings and can understand more of the numbers and bargaining parts of the language, so when I shop, especially at the markets, I can work in some Chinese. My favorite sayings are "Tai guay le la", meaning "that's expensive" and "hou kur ai o", meaning "so cute, isn't it?" Also, when entering my school, I ring the bell and proudly say to the front desk woman "Wo shr inguen lao shir!", which means, "I am English Teacher". The school staff seems to enjoy my attempts at speaking Chinese.
One of the other aspects I love and appreciate is the nurturing environment for music. Simon is a self-taught percussionist and since being in Taiwan, he's cultivated his passion for drumming and has started a band. He practices constantly and his band the "Spybots" perform often at a bar called Grooveyard for their open mic night. Also, a few weeks back, they performed at a restaurant lounge called Bollywood. It was very fun and I am a dedicated "bandaid" attending all performances. Also, a cool, fun and super sweet woman named Faye Blais is my friend and co-worker. She is a very talented musician and I recently bought her CD. She performs through out Taichung often. I've linked her to my blog, so check her out!
That's it for me. I'm hosting a crafternoon today, so need to prepare. Much love to you all!
We are now living in Taichung city, which is much closer to school and our friends. We live in an older building across the street from a bamboo forest. Our building is close to an area filled with various food carts and restaurants, retail shops and fruit stands, as well as bingo parlors, laundry services and much more. It's a very convenient neighborhood. We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. If anyone would like to visit, we would love to have you! There is much to see and do around Taiwan.
My kindergarten class is great and improving all the time. I work with two Chinese teachers and our communication, flow and overall working relationships seem to improve constantly, which is encouraging. They work very hard to take care of the children and manage the classroom, so I appreciate their contributions. Recently, a boy from America joined our class. Max's mother is Chinese and his father is Caucasian. They are from the Boston area of the US. He is adorable and of course, speaks English very well, but is just beginning to learn Chinese. He is also a picky eater, which has been a bit tricky during lunch time. Every day, we have lunch served to us, which usually consists of rice, meat and vegetables, all prepared with Chinese sauces and flavors. It's very good and I love lunch because I sit with the kids and they try to teach me a little Chinese and we talk about the meal and discuss the English names for the foods. When Max first arrived, he only liked bread and chicken nuggets, neither of which is ever served for lunch. After the first week, Max started to like just white rice. He's doing better and quickly assimilating to the classroom and foods. The other girls in the class have taken a strong liking to him, too. Since he doesn't speak any Chinese I try to help him out when needed. He's a good little one. Socially, he's adjusting really well, so that's how I know he's doing great. Children are so adaptable!
Another student, Jane is so funny. She's a younger student in class and her English needs strengthening. I think she's particularly interesting because she reminds me a lot of myself at a young age. She chats in class (when the students should be paying attention to the lesson) and often whines and tattles on the other students. Ah Jane, so cute and a bit of a naughty one. I absolutely identify with her. :)
Simon has been in New Zealand for the last few weeks visiting family and friends. His grandmother just turned 100 and they are having a big party for her. While I have missed him, I've really enjoyed living alone for a bit, as I was very used to this lifestyle in California. I've also bonded with great girlfriends which has been a lot of fun and great comfort.
I now navigate the streets on my scooter with ease and enjoyment. To be honest, I'm a little worried about driving again in the US. There are so many rules that can be broken on the roads here, that it's really easy and fun.
My Chinese is slowing improving as I learn. Currently, I take one class a week, but am hoping to start taking 3 classes a week very soon. I've learned the basic greetings and can understand more of the numbers and bargaining parts of the language, so when I shop, especially at the markets, I can work in some Chinese. My favorite sayings are "Tai guay le la", meaning "that's expensive" and "hou kur ai o", meaning "so cute, isn't it?" Also, when entering my school, I ring the bell and proudly say to the front desk woman "Wo shr inguen lao shir!", which means, "I am English Teacher". The school staff seems to enjoy my attempts at speaking Chinese.
One of the other aspects I love and appreciate is the nurturing environment for music. Simon is a self-taught percussionist and since being in Taiwan, he's cultivated his passion for drumming and has started a band. He practices constantly and his band the "Spybots" perform often at a bar called Grooveyard for their open mic night. Also, a few weeks back, they performed at a restaurant lounge called Bollywood. It was very fun and I am a dedicated "bandaid" attending all performances. Also, a cool, fun and super sweet woman named Faye Blais is my friend and co-worker. She is a very talented musician and I recently bought her CD. She performs through out Taichung often. I've linked her to my blog, so check her out!
That's it for me. I'm hosting a crafternoon today, so need to prepare. Much love to you all!
25.8.06
Tzou an! (Good Morning)!
Ni hou! This week I started Chinese lessons and hopefully soon will be able to communicate a bit more to the locals. I take the class with other foreign teachers and it's a great learning environment.
School continues to be interesting and fun. As you can imagine, with lots of little bodies and immune systems, there are lots of germs. Many students are going home sick with foot and mouth disease and last week some cases of scarlett fever broke out. Scarlett fever, you ask? Yes, I thought it had been eradicated, but apparently not in Taiwan. My voice is nearly lost from singing and roaring like various animals and I'm doing my best to stay healthy, but the pollution in Taiwan is often thick and my body is having a hard time adjusting to it's new environment.
In an effort to keep the classrooms clean, the Chinese teachers are constantly cleaning everything with bleach-floors, windows, doors, etc. However, I have caught numerous children leaving the bathroom without washing their hands. So, I am now the offical "hand sniffer" of the classroom. If supposed clean hands do not smell like soap, they must go back and immediately wash their hands again. Yesterday, I caught one very smart little girl, who washed only one hand with soap, in an effort to dodge the rule. I made her go back 3 times before both hands smelled clean. Sneaky, smart girl...
In my class this week, I also introduced yoga, which has been great fun. Every day, we practice breathing and I introduce new yoga poses. The kids are very obedient and do an excellent job trying all of the poses I put them in. Some of the children that seem to have attention issues during my lessons, do an amazing job concentrating and balancing in a tree pose. It's good practice for their minds and bodies. I've noticed that the Taiwanese children also develop their large motor skills at a different rate from the children I've worked with at home. Yoga will help their muscle development and it's a good brain break from our studies.
We also sing lots of songs. This week we had a mini song fest and I introduced some new songs. The song "Pease Porridge" ("Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold...") was altered to "Peace Porridge", so they all make the peace sign when they sing it. I had to teach them that the peace sign doesn't always mean "victory" as everyone thinks in Chinese culture. However, our number one class rule is to "be kind", so this song is a good fit for us. My little flowers are turning into peace touting yogi's. It's great fun.
During the weekends, we've been driving out of the city past Taiping to waterfalls up in the hills. We'll go for a swim, relax and often meet new people. The areas are surrounded by deep, lush green jungle and the waterfalls and pools are serene and wonderful. Last weekend, we saw a family of macau monkeys near the waterfalls. There is also a very high jump from rocks to a deep pool below. I haven't tried the big jump yet, but maybe someday soon. :)
Have a wonderful weekend! Love to you all!
School continues to be interesting and fun. As you can imagine, with lots of little bodies and immune systems, there are lots of germs. Many students are going home sick with foot and mouth disease and last week some cases of scarlett fever broke out. Scarlett fever, you ask? Yes, I thought it had been eradicated, but apparently not in Taiwan. My voice is nearly lost from singing and roaring like various animals and I'm doing my best to stay healthy, but the pollution in Taiwan is often thick and my body is having a hard time adjusting to it's new environment.
In an effort to keep the classrooms clean, the Chinese teachers are constantly cleaning everything with bleach-floors, windows, doors, etc. However, I have caught numerous children leaving the bathroom without washing their hands. So, I am now the offical "hand sniffer" of the classroom. If supposed clean hands do not smell like soap, they must go back and immediately wash their hands again. Yesterday, I caught one very smart little girl, who washed only one hand with soap, in an effort to dodge the rule. I made her go back 3 times before both hands smelled clean. Sneaky, smart girl...
In my class this week, I also introduced yoga, which has been great fun. Every day, we practice breathing and I introduce new yoga poses. The kids are very obedient and do an excellent job trying all of the poses I put them in. Some of the children that seem to have attention issues during my lessons, do an amazing job concentrating and balancing in a tree pose. It's good practice for their minds and bodies. I've noticed that the Taiwanese children also develop their large motor skills at a different rate from the children I've worked with at home. Yoga will help their muscle development and it's a good brain break from our studies.
We also sing lots of songs. This week we had a mini song fest and I introduced some new songs. The song "Pease Porridge" ("Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold...") was altered to "Peace Porridge", so they all make the peace sign when they sing it. I had to teach them that the peace sign doesn't always mean "victory" as everyone thinks in Chinese culture. However, our number one class rule is to "be kind", so this song is a good fit for us. My little flowers are turning into peace touting yogi's. It's great fun.
During the weekends, we've been driving out of the city past Taiping to waterfalls up in the hills. We'll go for a swim, relax and often meet new people. The areas are surrounded by deep, lush green jungle and the waterfalls and pools are serene and wonderful. Last weekend, we saw a family of macau monkeys near the waterfalls. There is also a very high jump from rocks to a deep pool below. I haven't tried the big jump yet, but maybe someday soon. :)
Have a wonderful weekend! Love to you all!
12.8.06
Ni hou ma?
Hello from hot Taichung! I've been here for over a month and I'm still transitioning into my new life.
However, I have started working, which has been a great blessing. I work at Season Arts kindergarten, which is an arts school for young children. The children at the school are ages 2 and up to 7 or 8, I believe. I work with the Flower Class and my kids are anywhere from 4-6 and they have one year of English completed already. There are about 20 kids in total and they are so cute. When I walk into the classroom in the mornings, they all say "Goood moorning Teecha Maari!" in this cute sing songy way. Our school is very strucutured with defined periods for every subject. For example we do phonics, game/activity and daily conversation for 40 minutes a week. I have lots of paper work, planning and reports to complete, but the resources are immense. An English speaking teacher from Canada directs our group and the school has tons of books, materials, art supplies and resources for us. In my classroom, there are 2 other Chinese teachers and 1 intern, so there is lots of help. I am creating a good, open communicative relationship with the chinese teachers and it's been a good experience, as we are still discovering each other's boundaries.
In addition to teaching the children about the English language, I am teaching them how to think in English, as well. Our school has themes that we follow quarterly. Plants is our current theme and they are surrounded by plants in art, PE, field trips, discussions, hands on experiements, music, etc. The theme is a big deal and apparently has earned the school international awards because of the integrated teaching approach. This week we are going to the Taichung Science Museum because they have a Botanical Garden. I love field trips because nearly all of the places we go to are new for me. Nearly all of the students are very well-behaved, eager to learn and follow the flow of the class.
I write weekly reports home to the parents and sometimes they respond with comments. The chinese teacher will read them to me on Monday. I can't wait. My Chinese teacher, Ruby told me that some of the children have been speaking more English at home. When the parents ask their kids where they learned this, some of them say "Teecha Maari". I was so excited to hear her say that! I nearly jumped out of my chair and hugged her.
I teach my Flower Class in the morning, then have a 2 hour lunch break and return to school to teach the bilingual class. These students are taught primarily in Chinese and get 30 minutes of English a day. Their English is fairly good, but they get bored easily. In my bilingual classes I am an entertainer, keeping their minds engaged for 30 minutes. (In comparison, my morning class understands a higher level of English, so a command like "put your chairs away" is quite simple. All of my commands in my bilingual classes must be interpreted by a Chinese teacher.) I sing lots of songs with them. This week, I nearly lost my voice singing the "hokey pokey" and roaring like various animals. However, the challenge is fun and for many of the children, they like the change in their daily routine, I think.
I've been driving a scooter for over one month. It's been an exhillerating and sometimes frightening experience. The rules to driving are very different here. The first few weeks, I felt road rage begin to creep into my head while on the road. So, I invented my own version of a video game to calm my nerves: Zen Grand Theft Auto. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Grand Theft Auto (or GTA), it's a driving video game where you can car jack people, use weapons, and score points for effectively driving while faced with obstacles. In my zen version of the game, when cars pull out in front of me (which happens on a daily basis) or another scooter turns into my path without looking first, I assess the situation with points, say 200 for example, then when I quickly, safely and sanely avoid them, I get additional points, maybe 500. My Zen GTA game saves me from much unneeded stress.
I also joined a yoga gym. For a good rate, I get unlimited yoga classes (with numerous disciplines), access to the sister gym right next door and we have some nice perks, like a steam room, sauna and 2 spas in the locker room. It's a huge franchise, so there are lots of people and it's quite a scene. They place club hip hop in the locker rooms and gym. But, the people watching is fabulous, the classes pretty good and I'm inspired to do yoga 3 or more times a week because there are so many different classes offered.
As I learn more about the culture of Taiwan, I find many differences quite interesting:
*The Taiwanese believe that you are one year old the day you are born (really it begins at conception), so it's hard to know how old children are sometimes. Also, sometimes ages change depending on Chinese New Year.
*On scooters, children don't have to wear helmets because it's illegal for children to ride scooters. So, if there is no law about children wearing helmets, then the police don't have to bust children on scooters. Lots of children and babies ride around on scooters; sometimes they wear helmets.
*Also on scooters, people enter the roadways, turning right, without even looking at the flow of traffic. Why? If they don't see you while turning, then they don't have to yield for you. It's not a law, just a practice.
*Cars also compete with scooters on the road. The other day, I was driving along in the scooter lane, on the right side of the road and a car sped up past me with his right turn blinker on and then braked very suddenly to turn at the intersection a few feet away. I almost ran right into him and car was so close to me that my instinct didn't even give me time to honk my horn, I just hit the brakes hard and prayed. Yes, my Zen GTA comes into play a lot with this strange notion.
*The wedding culture here is huge! They have lots of wedding cafes where you plan your wedding and a lot of money is involved. The Taiwanese believe that having a huge and impressive wedding, even if that means going bankrupt. Also, the wedding signifies an important part of the beginning of the couplese life culturally.
*This month is Ghost Month and it's a time to pay respect to your ancestors by having huge celebrations, with lots of tables filled with food-rice, beverages, candies, etc., and burning large amounts of paper money and incense. Taiwan is so populated and space is often available at a minimum, so some of these celebrations take place on the roads (leaving a little space for traffic). If you please your ancestors during this holiday, the ones that have gone to hell, will be happier, it is believed.
Life is interesting in Taiwan! Pictures are coming soon.
I have heard about the liquid terrorist attack and hope you aren't all impacted too much by the security backlash. Be well, happy and healthy! Miss you all!
However, I have started working, which has been a great blessing. I work at Season Arts kindergarten, which is an arts school for young children. The children at the school are ages 2 and up to 7 or 8, I believe. I work with the Flower Class and my kids are anywhere from 4-6 and they have one year of English completed already. There are about 20 kids in total and they are so cute. When I walk into the classroom in the mornings, they all say "Goood moorning Teecha Maari!" in this cute sing songy way. Our school is very strucutured with defined periods for every subject. For example we do phonics, game/activity and daily conversation for 40 minutes a week. I have lots of paper work, planning and reports to complete, but the resources are immense. An English speaking teacher from Canada directs our group and the school has tons of books, materials, art supplies and resources for us. In my classroom, there are 2 other Chinese teachers and 1 intern, so there is lots of help. I am creating a good, open communicative relationship with the chinese teachers and it's been a good experience, as we are still discovering each other's boundaries.
In addition to teaching the children about the English language, I am teaching them how to think in English, as well. Our school has themes that we follow quarterly. Plants is our current theme and they are surrounded by plants in art, PE, field trips, discussions, hands on experiements, music, etc. The theme is a big deal and apparently has earned the school international awards because of the integrated teaching approach. This week we are going to the Taichung Science Museum because they have a Botanical Garden. I love field trips because nearly all of the places we go to are new for me. Nearly all of the students are very well-behaved, eager to learn and follow the flow of the class.
I write weekly reports home to the parents and sometimes they respond with comments. The chinese teacher will read them to me on Monday. I can't wait. My Chinese teacher, Ruby told me that some of the children have been speaking more English at home. When the parents ask their kids where they learned this, some of them say "Teecha Maari". I was so excited to hear her say that! I nearly jumped out of my chair and hugged her.
I teach my Flower Class in the morning, then have a 2 hour lunch break and return to school to teach the bilingual class. These students are taught primarily in Chinese and get 30 minutes of English a day. Their English is fairly good, but they get bored easily. In my bilingual classes I am an entertainer, keeping their minds engaged for 30 minutes. (In comparison, my morning class understands a higher level of English, so a command like "put your chairs away" is quite simple. All of my commands in my bilingual classes must be interpreted by a Chinese teacher.) I sing lots of songs with them. This week, I nearly lost my voice singing the "hokey pokey" and roaring like various animals. However, the challenge is fun and for many of the children, they like the change in their daily routine, I think.
I've been driving a scooter for over one month. It's been an exhillerating and sometimes frightening experience. The rules to driving are very different here. The first few weeks, I felt road rage begin to creep into my head while on the road. So, I invented my own version of a video game to calm my nerves: Zen Grand Theft Auto. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Grand Theft Auto (or GTA), it's a driving video game where you can car jack people, use weapons, and score points for effectively driving while faced with obstacles. In my zen version of the game, when cars pull out in front of me (which happens on a daily basis) or another scooter turns into my path without looking first, I assess the situation with points, say 200 for example, then when I quickly, safely and sanely avoid them, I get additional points, maybe 500. My Zen GTA game saves me from much unneeded stress.
I also joined a yoga gym. For a good rate, I get unlimited yoga classes (with numerous disciplines), access to the sister gym right next door and we have some nice perks, like a steam room, sauna and 2 spas in the locker room. It's a huge franchise, so there are lots of people and it's quite a scene. They place club hip hop in the locker rooms and gym. But, the people watching is fabulous, the classes pretty good and I'm inspired to do yoga 3 or more times a week because there are so many different classes offered.
As I learn more about the culture of Taiwan, I find many differences quite interesting:
*The Taiwanese believe that you are one year old the day you are born (really it begins at conception), so it's hard to know how old children are sometimes. Also, sometimes ages change depending on Chinese New Year.
*On scooters, children don't have to wear helmets because it's illegal for children to ride scooters. So, if there is no law about children wearing helmets, then the police don't have to bust children on scooters. Lots of children and babies ride around on scooters; sometimes they wear helmets.
*Also on scooters, people enter the roadways, turning right, without even looking at the flow of traffic. Why? If they don't see you while turning, then they don't have to yield for you. It's not a law, just a practice.
*Cars also compete with scooters on the road. The other day, I was driving along in the scooter lane, on the right side of the road and a car sped up past me with his right turn blinker on and then braked very suddenly to turn at the intersection a few feet away. I almost ran right into him and car was so close to me that my instinct didn't even give me time to honk my horn, I just hit the brakes hard and prayed. Yes, my Zen GTA comes into play a lot with this strange notion.
*The wedding culture here is huge! They have lots of wedding cafes where you plan your wedding and a lot of money is involved. The Taiwanese believe that having a huge and impressive wedding, even if that means going bankrupt. Also, the wedding signifies an important part of the beginning of the couplese life culturally.
*This month is Ghost Month and it's a time to pay respect to your ancestors by having huge celebrations, with lots of tables filled with food-rice, beverages, candies, etc., and burning large amounts of paper money and incense. Taiwan is so populated and space is often available at a minimum, so some of these celebrations take place on the roads (leaving a little space for traffic). If you please your ancestors during this holiday, the ones that have gone to hell, will be happier, it is believed.
Life is interesting in Taiwan! Pictures are coming soon.
I have heard about the liquid terrorist attack and hope you aren't all impacted too much by the security backlash. Be well, happy and healthy! Miss you all!
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