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!
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