5.5.07
3.5.07
Simon's Chinese Adventure!
While I am in Nepal, Simon is venturing through China. Below is a story of one of his adventures that sounds very lively. I believe this took place in Kanding:
I didn't e-mail yesterday as I met some locals when I was sitting in my hostel's cafe. Over a cup of hot yak butter tea, which incidental tastes like feta milk, we struck up a conversation. They spoke no English so I managed to surprise myself. I'm still annoyed with my inability to adequately express myself in Chinese. It was good practice.
There were 3 guys who lived together. All of whom are the same age as me. One of them, Chou Wan, is married to this spitfire of a woman. After getting to know him better I decided that to deal with her was a sign of strength. Chao Wan is in all respects the alpha male, liking his displays. He said that he was a taxi driver and the one of the other guys was his mechanic. The mechanic had surprisingly long and clean finger nails. Their tattoos and scaring led me to suspect something else. They are all ex army, tough as nails, carrying ak47 bayonet flick knives.
They treated me with nothing but respect. To the point of refusing to accept money during gambling. I was a bit of a novelty.
We ate a dinner that Chou Wan cooked and it was exceptional, drank a lot of beer (thank god for my hedonistic youth) and talked. I find that one on one or in a small group I can make myself understood, to some extent any way. They offered me a place to stay for the evening so Chao Wan and myself went and grabbed my gear. Couch surfing here we come!
Four women arrived in the evening each of whom was louder than the previous. Again we ate. The only English they know is 'I love you'. which one girl in particular thought was a great laugh. I couldn't follow the conversation from then on. The ladies drank like 15 year olds at New Years. Sculling back glass after glass, the volume rose. There was some underlying tension between a couple of them. I was made a deal of, the get together was in my honour if you will. Come see the freak. We finished what alcohol there was in the house and headed out to a bar.
We were asked to leave the first bar after about 5 min. This was a group of people with issues. Chao Wan was smiling at me and shaking his head at what I'd walked in to. Of all of them it was him that I made friends with.
The next bar had karaoke. No English for me though. the table was loaded with bottles of beer. All that sang sang well.
As I said before, I had no idea what was going on. I felt relaxed with it though. the bottles were downed. Every one in the bar drank a glass with every one else which made for a lot of glasses. One lady in particular was trying to drink me under the table so I started sneaking tea. People came and went but the core group stayed the same. I popped out to the loo and then for a quiet smoke on the street. Chao Wan came out and we stood and talked for a bit. Him shaking his head at the behaviour of his friends.
We walked back in and all hell had broken loose. The women were screaming banishes. The guys were doing there darnedest to calm things down but not doing a very good job of it. Several glasses were smashed and the bear went flying. Beer bottles with there condense pouring on the ground were used to threaten. Arms grabbed, pushing and the din creschendoed.
Me, I just stood there watching, waiting to grab someone who was going to brain someone else. I felt comfortable enough sitting on the outside looking in. I couldn't have offended any one as I hadn't said much.
After several attempts we got Chao Wan's screaming wife, who had turned on him and they were having there own argument, and another girl out the door. The yelling continued as we walked down the street, heading for some food.
We got back home at about 1:30am. Not too bad really considering. It felt much later. After a coffee I went to bed to read, to sleep. Fortunately I had been given my own room.
All of this amidst the back drop of shear mountains ascending into the clouds, and it was very cold.
I didn't e-mail yesterday as I met some locals when I was sitting in my hostel's cafe. Over a cup of hot yak butter tea, which incidental tastes like feta milk, we struck up a conversation. They spoke no English so I managed to surprise myself. I'm still annoyed with my inability to adequately express myself in Chinese. It was good practice.
There were 3 guys who lived together. All of whom are the same age as me. One of them, Chou Wan, is married to this spitfire of a woman. After getting to know him better I decided that to deal with her was a sign of strength. Chao Wan is in all respects the alpha male, liking his displays. He said that he was a taxi driver and the one of the other guys was his mechanic. The mechanic had surprisingly long and clean finger nails. Their tattoos and scaring led me to suspect something else. They are all ex army, tough as nails, carrying ak47 bayonet flick knives.
They treated me with nothing but respect. To the point of refusing to accept money during gambling. I was a bit of a novelty.
We ate a dinner that Chou Wan cooked and it was exceptional, drank a lot of beer (thank god for my hedonistic youth) and talked. I find that one on one or in a small group I can make myself understood, to some extent any way. They offered me a place to stay for the evening so Chao Wan and myself went and grabbed my gear. Couch surfing here we come!
Four women arrived in the evening each of whom was louder than the previous. Again we ate. The only English they know is 'I love you'. which one girl in particular thought was a great laugh. I couldn't follow the conversation from then on. The ladies drank like 15 year olds at New Years. Sculling back glass after glass, the volume rose. There was some underlying tension between a couple of them. I was made a deal of, the get together was in my honour if you will. Come see the freak. We finished what alcohol there was in the house and headed out to a bar.
We were asked to leave the first bar after about 5 min. This was a group of people with issues. Chao Wan was smiling at me and shaking his head at what I'd walked in to. Of all of them it was him that I made friends with.
The next bar had karaoke. No English for me though. the table was loaded with bottles of beer. All that sang sang well.
As I said before, I had no idea what was going on. I felt relaxed with it though. the bottles were downed. Every one in the bar drank a glass with every one else which made for a lot of glasses. One lady in particular was trying to drink me under the table so I started sneaking tea. People came and went but the core group stayed the same. I popped out to the loo and then for a quiet smoke on the street. Chao Wan came out and we stood and talked for a bit. Him shaking his head at the behaviour of his friends.
We walked back in and all hell had broken loose. The women were screaming banishes. The guys were doing there darnedest to calm things down but not doing a very good job of it. Several glasses were smashed and the bear went flying. Beer bottles with there condense pouring on the ground were used to threaten. Arms grabbed, pushing and the din creschendoed.
Me, I just stood there watching, waiting to grab someone who was going to brain someone else. I felt comfortable enough sitting on the outside looking in. I couldn't have offended any one as I hadn't said much.
After several attempts we got Chao Wan's screaming wife, who had turned on him and they were having there own argument, and another girl out the door. The yelling continued as we walked down the street, heading for some food.
We got back home at about 1:30am. Not too bad really considering. It felt much later. After a coffee I went to bed to read, to sleep. Fortunately I had been given my own room.
All of this amidst the back drop of shear mountains ascending into the clouds, and it was very cold.
2.5.07
Kathmandu!
Namaste! (Which literally means "I greet the divine within you") Every where I go, this how I am greeted. I am also called "sister" all the time, which is very endearing. Needless to say, Kathmandu is really wonderful.
As some of you may know, there is a strong Indian influence in Nepal, but the people seem different from what I understand. I've been in Kathmandu for about a week and am starting to learn the Nepalese language. I am staying in a fairly touristy area, but enjoying it all the same. The streets are not all paved, the traffic is super crazy (even crazier and more dangerous than Taiwan and China), there is a lot of poverty and sometimes electricity cuts out (sometimes while you are in the middle of typing an e-mail or making an addition to your blog), but the people... oh the amazing people... are a constant display of happiness and kindness.
Over the weekend, I visited the Royal Chitwan National Park for a short safari. It was really beautiful, quiet and I was completely surrounded by nature, some tourists and other indigenous villages. On the safari, I went for a jungle walk, took a lovely canoe ride in a dug out tree trunk, saw gorgeous wild animals such as deer, boar, crocodiles, monkeys, many birds and bugs, elephants and rhinos! I also got to meet some delightful baby elephants at the breeding center there. The baby elephants were curious, hungry (for the cookies that the center sold), and so docile. They knew that cookies were coming and came right up to the fence for some treats. They would climb up on the fences if I bribed them with a cookie. One of my fondest memories is the youngest baby, only 6 months old, who wasn't that coordinated, as she stumbled trying to climb the fence, then the cookie didn't seem to get down her throat so well, so she choked a bit, then trumpeted her horn a bit and ran back to be by her mother's side. So cute! Also, I heard a baby elephant fart, as he tried to climb a little embankment, the sound gave me a bit of a surprise, it was really loud!
However, the highlight of the trip was taking a bath with an elephant. For a small fee, I climbed onto the back of an elephant as it waded through the Rapti River and squirted me with river water, then gently rolled over and I fell into the river, over and over again. I fed it bananas and stroked it's rough and hair prickly skin as I stood eye level with the huge beast. It was a really wonderful experience.
Today is the Buddah's birthday, Buddha Jayanti and I am headed to the one of the largest Buddha stupas in all of Asia to see the celebration. More pictures and stories coming soon... The internet is slow here, so it takes a while.
Hugs!
As some of you may know, there is a strong Indian influence in Nepal, but the people seem different from what I understand. I've been in Kathmandu for about a week and am starting to learn the Nepalese language. I am staying in a fairly touristy area, but enjoying it all the same. The streets are not all paved, the traffic is super crazy (even crazier and more dangerous than Taiwan and China), there is a lot of poverty and sometimes electricity cuts out (sometimes while you are in the middle of typing an e-mail or making an addition to your blog), but the people... oh the amazing people... are a constant display of happiness and kindness.
Over the weekend, I visited the Royal Chitwan National Park for a short safari. It was really beautiful, quiet and I was completely surrounded by nature, some tourists and other indigenous villages. On the safari, I went for a jungle walk, took a lovely canoe ride in a dug out tree trunk, saw gorgeous wild animals such as deer, boar, crocodiles, monkeys, many birds and bugs, elephants and rhinos! I also got to meet some delightful baby elephants at the breeding center there. The baby elephants were curious, hungry (for the cookies that the center sold), and so docile. They knew that cookies were coming and came right up to the fence for some treats. They would climb up on the fences if I bribed them with a cookie. One of my fondest memories is the youngest baby, only 6 months old, who wasn't that coordinated, as she stumbled trying to climb the fence, then the cookie didn't seem to get down her throat so well, so she choked a bit, then trumpeted her horn a bit and ran back to be by her mother's side. So cute! Also, I heard a baby elephant fart, as he tried to climb a little embankment, the sound gave me a bit of a surprise, it was really loud!
However, the highlight of the trip was taking a bath with an elephant. For a small fee, I climbed onto the back of an elephant as it waded through the Rapti River and squirted me with river water, then gently rolled over and I fell into the river, over and over again. I fed it bananas and stroked it's rough and hair prickly skin as I stood eye level with the huge beast. It was a really wonderful experience.
Today is the Buddah's birthday, Buddha Jayanti and I am headed to the one of the largest Buddha stupas in all of Asia to see the celebration. More pictures and stories coming soon... The internet is slow here, so it takes a while.
Hugs!
1.5.07
26.4.07
Fish markets, climbing walls, train trips from hell...
Konichiwa! Ni hou! Namaste!
Tokyo
In Tokyo, we visited the world's largest fish market. I wouldn't say it's designed for tourism at all, as walking through the stalls you are at risk of being run over by mini-forklifts whizzing by the narrow corridors, without horns, which makes you stay on your toes. However, the market is amazingly huge with all kinds of fish and sealife, much of which I didn't recognize. However, we watched 3 men saw through a massive piece of tuna with finesse and perfection using a knife much taller than me. We also dined on the most delicious sushi I have ever tasted. It simply melted in our mouths and was so cheap. What a treat!
Beijing
After a fun visit in Tokyo, we headed to Beijing. Interestingly, while in Tokyo, picking up our Chinese visas we ran into Matthew, a handsome, witty British lad that we knew in Taichung. We briefly exchanged stories and planned to meet up in Beijing. Beijing is a huge city and was a bit overwhelming for me at times. After being mislead at the airport, we ditched the bus plan into town and took an expensive cab rid, instead. However, our hostel was conveniently located next to a huge train and subway stations, and near lots of traffic and hustle and bustle. Our room overlooked all of the action and it felt like being back in Taichung, with loads of horns honking, people yelling and constant noise. Ahhh...
I've been fighting an ongoing cold, so some days not as active as Si. I try to have a few days off here and there to rest up and stay out of the air pollution. As busy as Beijing is, it's a fascinating place. Everywhere you look, the construction, planning and preparation for the Beijing Olympics is in full swing. One tour guide told us that an estimated 10 million people have come to the city from other towns and provinces to help with the construction and building of new hotels, restaurants, statudims and more. Along side each of these major construction sites are makeshift apartment builings, built out of temporary siding, just like the trailers you see at construction sites in the US, but these buildings are 2-3 stories tall, and full of male workers who have temporarily moved to Beijing.
One thing that I have loved is the appearances of people in China. After living in Taiwan, where people are so cautious about their skin aging in the skin and just aging in general, as well as Japan, where appearances are very important (lots of make-up, high fashion, etc.) China is completely different. Yes, people are concerned with their appearances, but you it's very common to see men and women with rich wrinkles in their faces. Each line represents a different experience, memory and lesson. The people here look so interesting and unique. It's really beautiful.
Summer Palace
In Beijing, we took the subway system everywhere, which was easy and fun. Not as quick and organized as Tokyo, but for 3 yuan ($0.38 USD) to any destination, it was a cheap way to travel. We met up with our friend Matt and visited the Summer Palace one day. The Summer Palace was the location at the Emperor's ran away to during the hot summer months. In addition to a beautiful lake, the palace had huge temples, corridors and mazes of smaller buildings, homes, and theaters. We visited in the afternoon and were blessed with witnessing an amazing sunset. We also climbed huge steps to the Temple of Incense (although strangely, no incense was burning) and saw a tall and gorgeous Buddha overlooking the entire palace landscape.
Great Wall
A few days later we climbed the Great Wall! We joined a tour that drove us to the Great Wall site, where we hiked to the actual wall, then walked/climbed/hiked along the wall for a total of 10K. It was amazing. The landscape surrounding the Wall is massive, gorgeous and never-ending, with hills and mountains that go as far as the eye can see with huge cloud covers shadowing the landscapes. Surprisingly, there were many cherry blossom trees growing all over the landscapes as well. So, from the top of the huge guard towers, our views were peppered with delicate puffs of pink. In the first part of our journey, we ventured up parts of the wall that were left in the it's old fashion. The steps reminded me of Angkor Watt, as they were steep, a bit unstable and I didn't bother looking down or stopping until I reached the top. Just keep going, Girl!
As our journey continued, the wall changed and more modern parts became visible where renovations have taken place. Also, along the way we were met with ticket takers and people selling us things. Traveling up that wall each day to sell water, beer and cola is quite a feat! The beverage sellers are truly dedicated business men. Along the way, we also had intersting chats with other tourists on the tour. We finished our journey by having lunch with a guy named Fred from Oakland. He and I had some fun chats about my old neighborhood Fruitvale in Oakland. His dry sense of humor and travel stories were really fun.
Xi'an
Itching to leave the big cit of Beijing, Simon and I booked tickets to Xi'an. We underestimated our travel time to the train station with our packs and rush hour traffic and missed our train. So, we sorted out travel on the next train, but did not have any seats. Climbing on the train, we wedged our backpacks in a little hall way, across from the bathroom and the smoking area on the train... for 11 hours. We sat on our backpacks with another Chinese guy who also didn't have a seat. Quite a few people didn't have seats and dynamics of this experience were somewhat interesting, but overall pretty uncomfortable. This was undoubtedly the worst travel experience I have encountered so far. As the night wore on, with a sore back and cramped legs, we made the best of it all. People without seats layed newspapers on the floor and slept there. (As a side note, China is dirty, more dirty than Taiwan and the ground is pretty disgusting. People spit and blow their noses on the ground all the time and with so many people populating this country, well, it's just pretty gross.) Simon through it all remained upbeat and positive, which was my saving grace. The best part of the journey was not smelling the icky bathroom because of all of the cigarette smoke. Needless to say, I was SO HAPPY to get to Xi'an.
In Xi'an, we stayed at a wonderful hostel, centrally located and with a beautiful view of the Bell Tower, which is a beautiful landmark in the city, surrounded by beautiful flowers in rows of yellow, purple and pink, as well as lots of traffic, as it's a big round-about for cars. Every morning, we woke to the sounds of beeping horns, music playing from the Bell Tower and employees lined up outside stores chanting and practicing their greetings to customers. While in Xi'an, again, we met up with our friend Matt and made some new friends, too.
We also saw the Terracotta Warriors, which was really cool. 2000 years ago, Emperor Xin decided that in addition to building the Great Wall, he wanted an entire army constructed underground so that his soul could live on after he died. The vastness of the entire army is really overwhelming and interesting. The detail that went into planning and building the army is specific, intricate and well-thought out with horse carriages, soldiers of various ranks, etc. Equally impressive are the tourists that flock to see these warriors. I heard languages from all over the world.
After the hustle and bustle of Beijing, Xi'an was wonderfully smaller, less intense and I felt a bit less targeted as a tourist. Well, truth be told, I can get by looking like a local, until I open my mouth, but Simon usually blows my cover. Sometimes I can even get a local price without opening my mouth, but once my attempt at Chinese escapes my lips, the cat is out of the bag. :) Xi'an has a Muslim neighborhood, where the food is delicious, cheap and fast. We dined on delicious hot pot, various bbqs and soups. Yum!
Chengdu
After Xi'an we took a night train (and made the train this time-yay!) to Chengdu. Here we stayed in a really cool, fairly new hostel. It's called The Loft and is modeled after new-old lofts that you would find in New York. We took one night away from the city and ventured to Leshan, where we saw the largest Buddha in the world. He sits at 71 meters (over 232 ft) and is surrounded by a huge park, that over looks a river and is filled with numerous other buddha statues, temples and paths. We spent an entire day there and it was so beautiful.
The food in Chengdu is super duper spicy. Located in the Sichuan province, it's famous for it's spice. I like spicy food, but this level of spice is of a different league. Simon and I were good sports the first few days, but eventually had to have no-spice dishes (bu yao la) just to have a little break. Oy! My travels with Si have temporarily ended until June as I left Chengdu yesterday.
Kathmandu
I've safely landed in Kathmandu, Nepal after a layover in Lhasa, Tibet. The view from my window seat of the plane as we landed was jaw droppingly gorgeous, as the mountain ranges continued for as long as the eye could see. I was very impressed and so were the several Chinese tourists who came in kissing distance to me, to get a good picture. I was a good sport for the first few people, but eventually had to take my personal space back, as I felt a bit trapped. Chinese people never pass up an opportunity to get a good picture!
Hope you are all well! Lots of love from Nepal!
Tokyo
In Tokyo, we visited the world's largest fish market. I wouldn't say it's designed for tourism at all, as walking through the stalls you are at risk of being run over by mini-forklifts whizzing by the narrow corridors, without horns, which makes you stay on your toes. However, the market is amazingly huge with all kinds of fish and sealife, much of which I didn't recognize. However, we watched 3 men saw through a massive piece of tuna with finesse and perfection using a knife much taller than me. We also dined on the most delicious sushi I have ever tasted. It simply melted in our mouths and was so cheap. What a treat!
Beijing
After a fun visit in Tokyo, we headed to Beijing. Interestingly, while in Tokyo, picking up our Chinese visas we ran into Matthew, a handsome, witty British lad that we knew in Taichung. We briefly exchanged stories and planned to meet up in Beijing. Beijing is a huge city and was a bit overwhelming for me at times. After being mislead at the airport, we ditched the bus plan into town and took an expensive cab rid, instead. However, our hostel was conveniently located next to a huge train and subway stations, and near lots of traffic and hustle and bustle. Our room overlooked all of the action and it felt like being back in Taichung, with loads of horns honking, people yelling and constant noise. Ahhh...
I've been fighting an ongoing cold, so some days not as active as Si. I try to have a few days off here and there to rest up and stay out of the air pollution. As busy as Beijing is, it's a fascinating place. Everywhere you look, the construction, planning and preparation for the Beijing Olympics is in full swing. One tour guide told us that an estimated 10 million people have come to the city from other towns and provinces to help with the construction and building of new hotels, restaurants, statudims and more. Along side each of these major construction sites are makeshift apartment builings, built out of temporary siding, just like the trailers you see at construction sites in the US, but these buildings are 2-3 stories tall, and full of male workers who have temporarily moved to Beijing.
One thing that I have loved is the appearances of people in China. After living in Taiwan, where people are so cautious about their skin aging in the skin and just aging in general, as well as Japan, where appearances are very important (lots of make-up, high fashion, etc.) China is completely different. Yes, people are concerned with their appearances, but you it's very common to see men and women with rich wrinkles in their faces. Each line represents a different experience, memory and lesson. The people here look so interesting and unique. It's really beautiful.
Summer Palace
In Beijing, we took the subway system everywhere, which was easy and fun. Not as quick and organized as Tokyo, but for 3 yuan ($0.38 USD) to any destination, it was a cheap way to travel. We met up with our friend Matt and visited the Summer Palace one day. The Summer Palace was the location at the Emperor's ran away to during the hot summer months. In addition to a beautiful lake, the palace had huge temples, corridors and mazes of smaller buildings, homes, and theaters. We visited in the afternoon and were blessed with witnessing an amazing sunset. We also climbed huge steps to the Temple of Incense (although strangely, no incense was burning) and saw a tall and gorgeous Buddha overlooking the entire palace landscape.
Great Wall
A few days later we climbed the Great Wall! We joined a tour that drove us to the Great Wall site, where we hiked to the actual wall, then walked/climbed/hiked along the wall for a total of 10K. It was amazing. The landscape surrounding the Wall is massive, gorgeous and never-ending, with hills and mountains that go as far as the eye can see with huge cloud covers shadowing the landscapes. Surprisingly, there were many cherry blossom trees growing all over the landscapes as well. So, from the top of the huge guard towers, our views were peppered with delicate puffs of pink. In the first part of our journey, we ventured up parts of the wall that were left in the it's old fashion. The steps reminded me of Angkor Watt, as they were steep, a bit unstable and I didn't bother looking down or stopping until I reached the top. Just keep going, Girl!
As our journey continued, the wall changed and more modern parts became visible where renovations have taken place. Also, along the way we were met with ticket takers and people selling us things. Traveling up that wall each day to sell water, beer and cola is quite a feat! The beverage sellers are truly dedicated business men. Along the way, we also had intersting chats with other tourists on the tour. We finished our journey by having lunch with a guy named Fred from Oakland. He and I had some fun chats about my old neighborhood Fruitvale in Oakland. His dry sense of humor and travel stories were really fun.
Xi'an
Itching to leave the big cit of Beijing, Simon and I booked tickets to Xi'an. We underestimated our travel time to the train station with our packs and rush hour traffic and missed our train. So, we sorted out travel on the next train, but did not have any seats. Climbing on the train, we wedged our backpacks in a little hall way, across from the bathroom and the smoking area on the train... for 11 hours. We sat on our backpacks with another Chinese guy who also didn't have a seat. Quite a few people didn't have seats and dynamics of this experience were somewhat interesting, but overall pretty uncomfortable. This was undoubtedly the worst travel experience I have encountered so far. As the night wore on, with a sore back and cramped legs, we made the best of it all. People without seats layed newspapers on the floor and slept there. (As a side note, China is dirty, more dirty than Taiwan and the ground is pretty disgusting. People spit and blow their noses on the ground all the time and with so many people populating this country, well, it's just pretty gross.) Simon through it all remained upbeat and positive, which was my saving grace. The best part of the journey was not smelling the icky bathroom because of all of the cigarette smoke. Needless to say, I was SO HAPPY to get to Xi'an.
In Xi'an, we stayed at a wonderful hostel, centrally located and with a beautiful view of the Bell Tower, which is a beautiful landmark in the city, surrounded by beautiful flowers in rows of yellow, purple and pink, as well as lots of traffic, as it's a big round-about for cars. Every morning, we woke to the sounds of beeping horns, music playing from the Bell Tower and employees lined up outside stores chanting and practicing their greetings to customers. While in Xi'an, again, we met up with our friend Matt and made some new friends, too.
We also saw the Terracotta Warriors, which was really cool. 2000 years ago, Emperor Xin decided that in addition to building the Great Wall, he wanted an entire army constructed underground so that his soul could live on after he died. The vastness of the entire army is really overwhelming and interesting. The detail that went into planning and building the army is specific, intricate and well-thought out with horse carriages, soldiers of various ranks, etc. Equally impressive are the tourists that flock to see these warriors. I heard languages from all over the world.
After the hustle and bustle of Beijing, Xi'an was wonderfully smaller, less intense and I felt a bit less targeted as a tourist. Well, truth be told, I can get by looking like a local, until I open my mouth, but Simon usually blows my cover. Sometimes I can even get a local price without opening my mouth, but once my attempt at Chinese escapes my lips, the cat is out of the bag. :) Xi'an has a Muslim neighborhood, where the food is delicious, cheap and fast. We dined on delicious hot pot, various bbqs and soups. Yum!
Chengdu
After Xi'an we took a night train (and made the train this time-yay!) to Chengdu. Here we stayed in a really cool, fairly new hostel. It's called The Loft and is modeled after new-old lofts that you would find in New York. We took one night away from the city and ventured to Leshan, where we saw the largest Buddha in the world. He sits at 71 meters (over 232 ft) and is surrounded by a huge park, that over looks a river and is filled with numerous other buddha statues, temples and paths. We spent an entire day there and it was so beautiful.
The food in Chengdu is super duper spicy. Located in the Sichuan province, it's famous for it's spice. I like spicy food, but this level of spice is of a different league. Simon and I were good sports the first few days, but eventually had to have no-spice dishes (bu yao la) just to have a little break. Oy! My travels with Si have temporarily ended until June as I left Chengdu yesterday.
Kathmandu
I've safely landed in Kathmandu, Nepal after a layover in Lhasa, Tibet. The view from my window seat of the plane as we landed was jaw droppingly gorgeous, as the mountain ranges continued for as long as the eye could see. I was very impressed and so were the several Chinese tourists who came in kissing distance to me, to get a good picture. I was a good sport for the first few people, but eventually had to take my personal space back, as I felt a bit trapped. Chinese people never pass up an opportunity to get a good picture!
Hope you are all well! Lots of love from Nepal!
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!
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