Good Morning from Taichung! This past week we celebrated Teacher's Day in Taiwan. I received some fun little gifts from my students. Jeffrey, who is one of my favorites (I know, I know, it's not very American to pick favorites, but everyone does here, so why not?), he gave me the sweetest gift. Jeffrey is a very, very smart student. His English is very good and I often think he is quite advanced for his age group. When I explain this to his parents and also comment on how he always raises his hand and I sometimes don't call on him just to give the other children a chance, they look at me with great surprise "Really? That surprises me." both of his parents have commented to me at different times... Very Taiwanese to take the compliment as a surprise. At any rate, he came to school, gave his Chinese teachers their gifts and then sat by the door, waiting for me to arrive (I come to class a bit later usually). When I walked in with my hearty "Good Morning Flower Class!" hello, he ran up and gave me, six bars of lavendar soap. I think the hand sniffing rule has given me a serious reputation.
Another student, Shine, gave me a sweet soap and lotion set from Crabtree and Evelyn. No other foreign teachers got soap as gifts, so either I don't smell very good in class (which I hardly think is the case) or the hand sniffing rule really is effecting the children's views of me. Either way, I am very thankful for my gifts. I also got lots of sweet cards. The kids are too cute. My friend Faye, who I work with, got a card from one of the smart kids in her class and it said "Teacher Faye, it's to easy for me. Happy Teacher's Day." We laughed so hard. Apparently, the class is too easy for this student, but the fact that she used "to" incorrectly, was hillarious. Faye wanted to jokingly correct it with a red pen, but refrained.
This week, I was sick. Sicker than I have been in years. I think it's a combination of me not getting enough rest, my immune system needing a boost, my body adjusting to the changes in Taiwan's pollution and water and possibly sniffing mostly clean, but sometimes very dirty hands. At any rate, I slept pretty much from Thursday evening until Saturday morning, and am feeling much better now.
Today, a group of us are headed off to the waterfalls. I might jump in this time. Wish me luck! The weather is starting to cool and the cold days aren't that far away, so we have to take advantage of the warm weather while it's here.
30.9.06
23.9.06
Wo shr inguen lao shir! (I am an English Teacher)
Hello from Taichung! We finally have a working computer and Internet access in our home again, so I recently added pictures to the blog. Yay! I hope this message finds each of you happy and healthy.
We are now living in Taichung city, which is much closer to school and our friends. We live in an older building across the street from a bamboo forest. Our building is close to an area filled with various food carts and restaurants, retail shops and fruit stands, as well as bingo parlors, laundry services and much more. It's a very convenient neighborhood. We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. If anyone would like to visit, we would love to have you! There is much to see and do around Taiwan.
My kindergarten class is great and improving all the time. I work with two Chinese teachers and our communication, flow and overall working relationships seem to improve constantly, which is encouraging. They work very hard to take care of the children and manage the classroom, so I appreciate their contributions. Recently, a boy from America joined our class. Max's mother is Chinese and his father is Caucasian. They are from the Boston area of the US. He is adorable and of course, speaks English very well, but is just beginning to learn Chinese. He is also a picky eater, which has been a bit tricky during lunch time. Every day, we have lunch served to us, which usually consists of rice, meat and vegetables, all prepared with Chinese sauces and flavors. It's very good and I love lunch because I sit with the kids and they try to teach me a little Chinese and we talk about the meal and discuss the English names for the foods. When Max first arrived, he only liked bread and chicken nuggets, neither of which is ever served for lunch. After the first week, Max started to like just white rice. He's doing better and quickly assimilating to the classroom and foods. The other girls in the class have taken a strong liking to him, too. Since he doesn't speak any Chinese I try to help him out when needed. He's a good little one. Socially, he's adjusting really well, so that's how I know he's doing great. Children are so adaptable!
Another student, Jane is so funny. She's a younger student in class and her English needs strengthening. I think she's particularly interesting because she reminds me a lot of myself at a young age. She chats in class (when the students should be paying attention to the lesson) and often whines and tattles on the other students. Ah Jane, so cute and a bit of a naughty one. I absolutely identify with her. :)
Simon has been in New Zealand for the last few weeks visiting family and friends. His grandmother just turned 100 and they are having a big party for her. While I have missed him, I've really enjoyed living alone for a bit, as I was very used to this lifestyle in California. I've also bonded with great girlfriends which has been a lot of fun and great comfort.
I now navigate the streets on my scooter with ease and enjoyment. To be honest, I'm a little worried about driving again in the US. There are so many rules that can be broken on the roads here, that it's really easy and fun.
My Chinese is slowing improving as I learn. Currently, I take one class a week, but am hoping to start taking 3 classes a week very soon. I've learned the basic greetings and can understand more of the numbers and bargaining parts of the language, so when I shop, especially at the markets, I can work in some Chinese. My favorite sayings are "Tai guay le la", meaning "that's expensive" and "hou kur ai o", meaning "so cute, isn't it?" Also, when entering my school, I ring the bell and proudly say to the front desk woman "Wo shr inguen lao shir!", which means, "I am English Teacher". The school staff seems to enjoy my attempts at speaking Chinese.
One of the other aspects I love and appreciate is the nurturing environment for music. Simon is a self-taught percussionist and since being in Taiwan, he's cultivated his passion for drumming and has started a band. He practices constantly and his band the "Spybots" perform often at a bar called Grooveyard for their open mic night. Also, a few weeks back, they performed at a restaurant lounge called Bollywood. It was very fun and I am a dedicated "bandaid" attending all performances. Also, a cool, fun and super sweet woman named Faye Blais is my friend and co-worker. She is a very talented musician and I recently bought her CD. She performs through out Taichung often. I've linked her to my blog, so check her out!
That's it for me. I'm hosting a crafternoon today, so need to prepare. Much love to you all!
We are now living in Taichung city, which is much closer to school and our friends. We live in an older building across the street from a bamboo forest. Our building is close to an area filled with various food carts and restaurants, retail shops and fruit stands, as well as bingo parlors, laundry services and much more. It's a very convenient neighborhood. We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. If anyone would like to visit, we would love to have you! There is much to see and do around Taiwan.
My kindergarten class is great and improving all the time. I work with two Chinese teachers and our communication, flow and overall working relationships seem to improve constantly, which is encouraging. They work very hard to take care of the children and manage the classroom, so I appreciate their contributions. Recently, a boy from America joined our class. Max's mother is Chinese and his father is Caucasian. They are from the Boston area of the US. He is adorable and of course, speaks English very well, but is just beginning to learn Chinese. He is also a picky eater, which has been a bit tricky during lunch time. Every day, we have lunch served to us, which usually consists of rice, meat and vegetables, all prepared with Chinese sauces and flavors. It's very good and I love lunch because I sit with the kids and they try to teach me a little Chinese and we talk about the meal and discuss the English names for the foods. When Max first arrived, he only liked bread and chicken nuggets, neither of which is ever served for lunch. After the first week, Max started to like just white rice. He's doing better and quickly assimilating to the classroom and foods. The other girls in the class have taken a strong liking to him, too. Since he doesn't speak any Chinese I try to help him out when needed. He's a good little one. Socially, he's adjusting really well, so that's how I know he's doing great. Children are so adaptable!
Another student, Jane is so funny. She's a younger student in class and her English needs strengthening. I think she's particularly interesting because she reminds me a lot of myself at a young age. She chats in class (when the students should be paying attention to the lesson) and often whines and tattles on the other students. Ah Jane, so cute and a bit of a naughty one. I absolutely identify with her. :)
Simon has been in New Zealand for the last few weeks visiting family and friends. His grandmother just turned 100 and they are having a big party for her. While I have missed him, I've really enjoyed living alone for a bit, as I was very used to this lifestyle in California. I've also bonded with great girlfriends which has been a lot of fun and great comfort.
I now navigate the streets on my scooter with ease and enjoyment. To be honest, I'm a little worried about driving again in the US. There are so many rules that can be broken on the roads here, that it's really easy and fun.
My Chinese is slowing improving as I learn. Currently, I take one class a week, but am hoping to start taking 3 classes a week very soon. I've learned the basic greetings and can understand more of the numbers and bargaining parts of the language, so when I shop, especially at the markets, I can work in some Chinese. My favorite sayings are "Tai guay le la", meaning "that's expensive" and "hou kur ai o", meaning "so cute, isn't it?" Also, when entering my school, I ring the bell and proudly say to the front desk woman "Wo shr inguen lao shir!", which means, "I am English Teacher". The school staff seems to enjoy my attempts at speaking Chinese.
One of the other aspects I love and appreciate is the nurturing environment for music. Simon is a self-taught percussionist and since being in Taiwan, he's cultivated his passion for drumming and has started a band. He practices constantly and his band the "Spybots" perform often at a bar called Grooveyard for their open mic night. Also, a few weeks back, they performed at a restaurant lounge called Bollywood. It was very fun and I am a dedicated "bandaid" attending all performances. Also, a cool, fun and super sweet woman named Faye Blais is my friend and co-worker. She is a very talented musician and I recently bought her CD. She performs through out Taichung often. I've linked her to my blog, so check her out!
That's it for me. I'm hosting a crafternoon today, so need to prepare. Much love to you all!
25.8.06
Tzou an! (Good Morning)!
Ni hou! This week I started Chinese lessons and hopefully soon will be able to communicate a bit more to the locals. I take the class with other foreign teachers and it's a great learning environment.
School continues to be interesting and fun. As you can imagine, with lots of little bodies and immune systems, there are lots of germs. Many students are going home sick with foot and mouth disease and last week some cases of scarlett fever broke out. Scarlett fever, you ask? Yes, I thought it had been eradicated, but apparently not in Taiwan. My voice is nearly lost from singing and roaring like various animals and I'm doing my best to stay healthy, but the pollution in Taiwan is often thick and my body is having a hard time adjusting to it's new environment.
In an effort to keep the classrooms clean, the Chinese teachers are constantly cleaning everything with bleach-floors, windows, doors, etc. However, I have caught numerous children leaving the bathroom without washing their hands. So, I am now the offical "hand sniffer" of the classroom. If supposed clean hands do not smell like soap, they must go back and immediately wash their hands again. Yesterday, I caught one very smart little girl, who washed only one hand with soap, in an effort to dodge the rule. I made her go back 3 times before both hands smelled clean. Sneaky, smart girl...
In my class this week, I also introduced yoga, which has been great fun. Every day, we practice breathing and I introduce new yoga poses. The kids are very obedient and do an excellent job trying all of the poses I put them in. Some of the children that seem to have attention issues during my lessons, do an amazing job concentrating and balancing in a tree pose. It's good practice for their minds and bodies. I've noticed that the Taiwanese children also develop their large motor skills at a different rate from the children I've worked with at home. Yoga will help their muscle development and it's a good brain break from our studies.
We also sing lots of songs. This week we had a mini song fest and I introduced some new songs. The song "Pease Porridge" ("Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold...") was altered to "Peace Porridge", so they all make the peace sign when they sing it. I had to teach them that the peace sign doesn't always mean "victory" as everyone thinks in Chinese culture. However, our number one class rule is to "be kind", so this song is a good fit for us. My little flowers are turning into peace touting yogi's. It's great fun.
During the weekends, we've been driving out of the city past Taiping to waterfalls up in the hills. We'll go for a swim, relax and often meet new people. The areas are surrounded by deep, lush green jungle and the waterfalls and pools are serene and wonderful. Last weekend, we saw a family of macau monkeys near the waterfalls. There is also a very high jump from rocks to a deep pool below. I haven't tried the big jump yet, but maybe someday soon. :)
Have a wonderful weekend! Love to you all!
School continues to be interesting and fun. As you can imagine, with lots of little bodies and immune systems, there are lots of germs. Many students are going home sick with foot and mouth disease and last week some cases of scarlett fever broke out. Scarlett fever, you ask? Yes, I thought it had been eradicated, but apparently not in Taiwan. My voice is nearly lost from singing and roaring like various animals and I'm doing my best to stay healthy, but the pollution in Taiwan is often thick and my body is having a hard time adjusting to it's new environment.
In an effort to keep the classrooms clean, the Chinese teachers are constantly cleaning everything with bleach-floors, windows, doors, etc. However, I have caught numerous children leaving the bathroom without washing their hands. So, I am now the offical "hand sniffer" of the classroom. If supposed clean hands do not smell like soap, they must go back and immediately wash their hands again. Yesterday, I caught one very smart little girl, who washed only one hand with soap, in an effort to dodge the rule. I made her go back 3 times before both hands smelled clean. Sneaky, smart girl...
In my class this week, I also introduced yoga, which has been great fun. Every day, we practice breathing and I introduce new yoga poses. The kids are very obedient and do an excellent job trying all of the poses I put them in. Some of the children that seem to have attention issues during my lessons, do an amazing job concentrating and balancing in a tree pose. It's good practice for their minds and bodies. I've noticed that the Taiwanese children also develop their large motor skills at a different rate from the children I've worked with at home. Yoga will help their muscle development and it's a good brain break from our studies.
We also sing lots of songs. This week we had a mini song fest and I introduced some new songs. The song "Pease Porridge" ("Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold...") was altered to "Peace Porridge", so they all make the peace sign when they sing it. I had to teach them that the peace sign doesn't always mean "victory" as everyone thinks in Chinese culture. However, our number one class rule is to "be kind", so this song is a good fit for us. My little flowers are turning into peace touting yogi's. It's great fun.
During the weekends, we've been driving out of the city past Taiping to waterfalls up in the hills. We'll go for a swim, relax and often meet new people. The areas are surrounded by deep, lush green jungle and the waterfalls and pools are serene and wonderful. Last weekend, we saw a family of macau monkeys near the waterfalls. There is also a very high jump from rocks to a deep pool below. I haven't tried the big jump yet, but maybe someday soon. :)
Have a wonderful weekend! Love to you all!
12.8.06
Ni hou ma?
Hello from hot Taichung! I've been here for over a month and I'm still transitioning into my new life.
However, I have started working, which has been a great blessing. I work at Season Arts kindergarten, which is an arts school for young children. The children at the school are ages 2 and up to 7 or 8, I believe. I work with the Flower Class and my kids are anywhere from 4-6 and they have one year of English completed already. There are about 20 kids in total and they are so cute. When I walk into the classroom in the mornings, they all say "Goood moorning Teecha Maari!" in this cute sing songy way. Our school is very strucutured with defined periods for every subject. For example we do phonics, game/activity and daily conversation for 40 minutes a week. I have lots of paper work, planning and reports to complete, but the resources are immense. An English speaking teacher from Canada directs our group and the school has tons of books, materials, art supplies and resources for us. In my classroom, there are 2 other Chinese teachers and 1 intern, so there is lots of help. I am creating a good, open communicative relationship with the chinese teachers and it's been a good experience, as we are still discovering each other's boundaries.
In addition to teaching the children about the English language, I am teaching them how to think in English, as well. Our school has themes that we follow quarterly. Plants is our current theme and they are surrounded by plants in art, PE, field trips, discussions, hands on experiements, music, etc. The theme is a big deal and apparently has earned the school international awards because of the integrated teaching approach. This week we are going to the Taichung Science Museum because they have a Botanical Garden. I love field trips because nearly all of the places we go to are new for me. Nearly all of the students are very well-behaved, eager to learn and follow the flow of the class.
I write weekly reports home to the parents and sometimes they respond with comments. The chinese teacher will read them to me on Monday. I can't wait. My Chinese teacher, Ruby told me that some of the children have been speaking more English at home. When the parents ask their kids where they learned this, some of them say "Teecha Maari". I was so excited to hear her say that! I nearly jumped out of my chair and hugged her.
I teach my Flower Class in the morning, then have a 2 hour lunch break and return to school to teach the bilingual class. These students are taught primarily in Chinese and get 30 minutes of English a day. Their English is fairly good, but they get bored easily. In my bilingual classes I am an entertainer, keeping their minds engaged for 30 minutes. (In comparison, my morning class understands a higher level of English, so a command like "put your chairs away" is quite simple. All of my commands in my bilingual classes must be interpreted by a Chinese teacher.) I sing lots of songs with them. This week, I nearly lost my voice singing the "hokey pokey" and roaring like various animals. However, the challenge is fun and for many of the children, they like the change in their daily routine, I think.
I've been driving a scooter for over one month. It's been an exhillerating and sometimes frightening experience. The rules to driving are very different here. The first few weeks, I felt road rage begin to creep into my head while on the road. So, I invented my own version of a video game to calm my nerves: Zen Grand Theft Auto. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Grand Theft Auto (or GTA), it's a driving video game where you can car jack people, use weapons, and score points for effectively driving while faced with obstacles. In my zen version of the game, when cars pull out in front of me (which happens on a daily basis) or another scooter turns into my path without looking first, I assess the situation with points, say 200 for example, then when I quickly, safely and sanely avoid them, I get additional points, maybe 500. My Zen GTA game saves me from much unneeded stress.
I also joined a yoga gym. For a good rate, I get unlimited yoga classes (with numerous disciplines), access to the sister gym right next door and we have some nice perks, like a steam room, sauna and 2 spas in the locker room. It's a huge franchise, so there are lots of people and it's quite a scene. They place club hip hop in the locker rooms and gym. But, the people watching is fabulous, the classes pretty good and I'm inspired to do yoga 3 or more times a week because there are so many different classes offered.
As I learn more about the culture of Taiwan, I find many differences quite interesting:
*The Taiwanese believe that you are one year old the day you are born (really it begins at conception), so it's hard to know how old children are sometimes. Also, sometimes ages change depending on Chinese New Year.
*On scooters, children don't have to wear helmets because it's illegal for children to ride scooters. So, if there is no law about children wearing helmets, then the police don't have to bust children on scooters. Lots of children and babies ride around on scooters; sometimes they wear helmets.
*Also on scooters, people enter the roadways, turning right, without even looking at the flow of traffic. Why? If they don't see you while turning, then they don't have to yield for you. It's not a law, just a practice.
*Cars also compete with scooters on the road. The other day, I was driving along in the scooter lane, on the right side of the road and a car sped up past me with his right turn blinker on and then braked very suddenly to turn at the intersection a few feet away. I almost ran right into him and car was so close to me that my instinct didn't even give me time to honk my horn, I just hit the brakes hard and prayed. Yes, my Zen GTA comes into play a lot with this strange notion.
*The wedding culture here is huge! They have lots of wedding cafes where you plan your wedding and a lot of money is involved. The Taiwanese believe that having a huge and impressive wedding, even if that means going bankrupt. Also, the wedding signifies an important part of the beginning of the couplese life culturally.
*This month is Ghost Month and it's a time to pay respect to your ancestors by having huge celebrations, with lots of tables filled with food-rice, beverages, candies, etc., and burning large amounts of paper money and incense. Taiwan is so populated and space is often available at a minimum, so some of these celebrations take place on the roads (leaving a little space for traffic). If you please your ancestors during this holiday, the ones that have gone to hell, will be happier, it is believed.
Life is interesting in Taiwan! Pictures are coming soon.
I have heard about the liquid terrorist attack and hope you aren't all impacted too much by the security backlash. Be well, happy and healthy! Miss you all!
However, I have started working, which has been a great blessing. I work at Season Arts kindergarten, which is an arts school for young children. The children at the school are ages 2 and up to 7 or 8, I believe. I work with the Flower Class and my kids are anywhere from 4-6 and they have one year of English completed already. There are about 20 kids in total and they are so cute. When I walk into the classroom in the mornings, they all say "Goood moorning Teecha Maari!" in this cute sing songy way. Our school is very strucutured with defined periods for every subject. For example we do phonics, game/activity and daily conversation for 40 minutes a week. I have lots of paper work, planning and reports to complete, but the resources are immense. An English speaking teacher from Canada directs our group and the school has tons of books, materials, art supplies and resources for us. In my classroom, there are 2 other Chinese teachers and 1 intern, so there is lots of help. I am creating a good, open communicative relationship with the chinese teachers and it's been a good experience, as we are still discovering each other's boundaries.
In addition to teaching the children about the English language, I am teaching them how to think in English, as well. Our school has themes that we follow quarterly. Plants is our current theme and they are surrounded by plants in art, PE, field trips, discussions, hands on experiements, music, etc. The theme is a big deal and apparently has earned the school international awards because of the integrated teaching approach. This week we are going to the Taichung Science Museum because they have a Botanical Garden. I love field trips because nearly all of the places we go to are new for me. Nearly all of the students are very well-behaved, eager to learn and follow the flow of the class.
I write weekly reports home to the parents and sometimes they respond with comments. The chinese teacher will read them to me on Monday. I can't wait. My Chinese teacher, Ruby told me that some of the children have been speaking more English at home. When the parents ask their kids where they learned this, some of them say "Teecha Maari". I was so excited to hear her say that! I nearly jumped out of my chair and hugged her.
I teach my Flower Class in the morning, then have a 2 hour lunch break and return to school to teach the bilingual class. These students are taught primarily in Chinese and get 30 minutes of English a day. Their English is fairly good, but they get bored easily. In my bilingual classes I am an entertainer, keeping their minds engaged for 30 minutes. (In comparison, my morning class understands a higher level of English, so a command like "put your chairs away" is quite simple. All of my commands in my bilingual classes must be interpreted by a Chinese teacher.) I sing lots of songs with them. This week, I nearly lost my voice singing the "hokey pokey" and roaring like various animals. However, the challenge is fun and for many of the children, they like the change in their daily routine, I think.
I've been driving a scooter for over one month. It's been an exhillerating and sometimes frightening experience. The rules to driving are very different here. The first few weeks, I felt road rage begin to creep into my head while on the road. So, I invented my own version of a video game to calm my nerves: Zen Grand Theft Auto. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Grand Theft Auto (or GTA), it's a driving video game where you can car jack people, use weapons, and score points for effectively driving while faced with obstacles. In my zen version of the game, when cars pull out in front of me (which happens on a daily basis) or another scooter turns into my path without looking first, I assess the situation with points, say 200 for example, then when I quickly, safely and sanely avoid them, I get additional points, maybe 500. My Zen GTA game saves me from much unneeded stress.
I also joined a yoga gym. For a good rate, I get unlimited yoga classes (with numerous disciplines), access to the sister gym right next door and we have some nice perks, like a steam room, sauna and 2 spas in the locker room. It's a huge franchise, so there are lots of people and it's quite a scene. They place club hip hop in the locker rooms and gym. But, the people watching is fabulous, the classes pretty good and I'm inspired to do yoga 3 or more times a week because there are so many different classes offered.
As I learn more about the culture of Taiwan, I find many differences quite interesting:
*The Taiwanese believe that you are one year old the day you are born (really it begins at conception), so it's hard to know how old children are sometimes. Also, sometimes ages change depending on Chinese New Year.
*On scooters, children don't have to wear helmets because it's illegal for children to ride scooters. So, if there is no law about children wearing helmets, then the police don't have to bust children on scooters. Lots of children and babies ride around on scooters; sometimes they wear helmets.
*Also on scooters, people enter the roadways, turning right, without even looking at the flow of traffic. Why? If they don't see you while turning, then they don't have to yield for you. It's not a law, just a practice.
*Cars also compete with scooters on the road. The other day, I was driving along in the scooter lane, on the right side of the road and a car sped up past me with his right turn blinker on and then braked very suddenly to turn at the intersection a few feet away. I almost ran right into him and car was so close to me that my instinct didn't even give me time to honk my horn, I just hit the brakes hard and prayed. Yes, my Zen GTA comes into play a lot with this strange notion.
*The wedding culture here is huge! They have lots of wedding cafes where you plan your wedding and a lot of money is involved. The Taiwanese believe that having a huge and impressive wedding, even if that means going bankrupt. Also, the wedding signifies an important part of the beginning of the couplese life culturally.
*This month is Ghost Month and it's a time to pay respect to your ancestors by having huge celebrations, with lots of tables filled with food-rice, beverages, candies, etc., and burning large amounts of paper money and incense. Taiwan is so populated and space is often available at a minimum, so some of these celebrations take place on the roads (leaving a little space for traffic). If you please your ancestors during this holiday, the ones that have gone to hell, will be happier, it is believed.
Life is interesting in Taiwan! Pictures are coming soon.
I have heard about the liquid terrorist attack and hope you aren't all impacted too much by the security backlash. Be well, happy and healthy! Miss you all!
25.7.06
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