Yes, there was an earthquake here yesterday. Yes, at first I thought the building shaking was my neighbor on our rooftop moving furniture, or something hectic, until I realized that my neighbor isn't strong enough to shake the entire building for several minutes. Dur. Yes, everyone is fine in Taichung, except for my student Jeffrey's fish, who died due to the earthquake. Yes, I brushed up on my earthquake safety knowledge, just in case... Taiwan is basically a giant fault line.
Hope you are safe and grounded! Happy New Year!
26.12.06
Good times...
Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Hanukah! Happy New Year! I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying a fulfilling and relaxing holiday season. Where have I been these last few months? Still in Taiwan, just busy and a bit preoccupied with some hiccups in life. Here are the highlights of what I've been up to:
Wedding/Engagement Party
A few months ago, a manager at my school asked me if I'd like to go to Teacher April's wedding. A Taiwanese wedding? I've been wanting to go to one since I got here. Of course! Teacher April is my afternoon bilingual teacher and I see her for a total of 2 hours a week and we don't talk very much because her English is limited and my Chinese is practically non-existent. Weddings are a big industry in Taiwan and I see so many wedding cafes, which are businesses that usually are a few stories tall and the street side is only full of windows with lots of dresses and people sitting at tables planning their weddings. Once I was approached by a man as Si and I walked by a wedding cafe in Taipei. I was so tempted to act like we were getting married, just so I could see what the deal is, but I refrained.
So, I get the invitation to Teacher April's wedding and realize that her name is Teacher Apple. Oops. I've been calling her the wrong name, for about, uh 4 months. April does sound like Apple and no one had corrected me. O.k., got it. The invitation is very fancy, all pink and all in Chinese, so I can't read it. But, with a little help, I learn that her wedding is on a Sunday at noon and everyone tells me that I can dress casually. I keep thinking that's so strange for a culture with somewhat fancy taste. Many women wear high heels here on a daily basis. I've even see women up near the waterfalls, where I sometimes stumble a bit with my birkenstocks, wearing high heeled shoes. Maybe not the smartest fashion decision, but they always look great. There is a picture of Teacher Apple and her fiance Ming in front of the playground at our school. Their hands are making an arch of a heart together. It's just so cute!
When we arrive to the event, I learn that we have not been invited to her wedding, but the equivalent of an engagement party in the western cultures. The Chinese believe if you have this party before the wedding and invite a lot of people and they come, then more good fortune will come your way. There were about 300 people there and the buffet was delicious. On the 17th floor (that's pretty high, for Taichung) of a hotel, we ate a delicious lunch and sat with the owner of my school and other colleagues. There was a very detailed slideshow video of their actual engagement and I really felt like I was part of the engagement process. The photo documentation was unreal: where they visited, what they ate at various meals, the cake that was presented for the big question, friends who were on the trip with them, the walks in the woods, etc. I felt like I was there...
They did a karaoke song together, which was really special. Little children from our class came out, all dressed up and handed out roses to the women at the event. There were lots of toasts and speeches. Apple asked if all women attending would wear something pink, even if it was just a pair of earrings or a bracelet, because she loves the color so much. I bought some cute and a little blingy pair of pink rhinestone earrings and all of the women wearing pink, made 2 lines and she walked through the center, passing out candy. It was a wonderful event.
Blue Girl
In November, just before Thanksgiving, I struggled with depression, which was a fairly new experience. I've never felt very sad about my life overall, before. Also, being away from family and friends for this long (with a little break this past summer) has started to take a toll on me. Finally, not being able to speak the language bothered me more than I had thought it would. After a few weeks of feeling sorry for myself, the cloud lifted and I am mostly doing just fine.
Learning Chinese: Ni hou ma?
I've been taking Chinese lessons about 4.5 hours a week, during my lunch breaks. I take a private lesson with a friend, so the environment to learn and try a new language is very relaxed and as minimally scary as possible, I think. My friend, Angela, has been living in Taiwan for a few years and her understanding of the knowledge is quite good, but now she is just learning more vocabulary, grammar, etc. I am much more new to the language so struggle a bit more.
The first few weeks, I thought I had made a big mistake. We were only learning pronunciation and tones, which are very specific and of course, all sound very similar to me. I really feel that I repeat sounds and words, just like I am hearing them, but they are in fact, very different.
I recently learned of an interesting study, where children age 10 were tested from tonal based cultures (like Chinese) and non-tonal based cultures (like English). When asked about different tones heard, the children from tonal based cultures heard over 360 different tones. The children from non-tonal based cultures, only heard about 60 different tones. So, if not surrounded by various tones and pronunciations pretty much in the first 10 years of life, learning the sounds later as an adult has a difficult angle. When I learned about the study, I actually felt a little better about my pace in learning Chinese. Phew! I'm not the only one who can't hear the different sounds. :)
In all reality, being able to speak to people around me, has been really wonderful. I can't have very lengthy conversations, but just little bits of communication have been such a big help. I often feel less isolated.
Crash!
Also, in November, I was in a potentially bad scooter accident. It was completely my fault the driver of the other scooter was fine, thankfully. I suffered from a concusion and some aches and pains, but was very lucky. For a few days, I had a sore head, Simon watched me for worry of hematoma developing and I needed a few different x-rays done, just make sure everything was AOK. I also was very fortunate because a good Taiwanese friend accompanied me to a Dr. appointment just to make sure I understood everything. I'm back on the roads now, much more cautious and a bit more timid, which is a good thing, I think.
Merry Ho ho ho!
Taiwan doesn't really celebrate Christmas (or other western holidays) as it's primarily a buddhist country. However, schools often celebrate the holiday and in my kindergarten class, we practiced songs and dances, have read stories, made ornaments, decorations, etc. all for Christmas. Simon dressed up as Santa Clause for the school play/performance, which was fun. I have one American boy, who eyed Simon skeptically from the side, not sure what to make of this thin, younger version of Santa, but he happily received his gift when his name was called.
Because Taiwan doesn't celebrate Christmas, adult views of the holiday differ. For example, in my class are twins Sam and Samuel. Apparently, at home, Sam breaks his toys. I don't know if it's intentional or just by accident, but it's enough that his parents wanted to teach him a lesson. So, they wrapped his broken toys and Santa gave them to him at school. All the while, his twin brother, received a new toy form Santa. I fully understand that children much learn lessons about taking care of their belongings, but dragging an innocent Santa and wonderful holiday like Christmas into the mix, seems a bit mean. Needless to say, Simon wasn't very happy to learn that he had given Sam broken toys. :(
As for our own holiday celebrations, my school gave all english teachers a 5-day weekend, which is really cool. On Saturday, we attended a fun holiday party and caught up with friends. Then on Christmas Eve, attended a potluck dinner party with friends in a more intimate setting. On Christmas day, we had a nice lazy day, then met up with friends for a vigorous walk in the mountains and a nice dinner at a restaurant that serves western food. Yum! Simon and I enjoyed creating some new traditions together, definitely.
I also became an auntie recently. My sister Christine, gave birth to a beautiful boy named Kelan. I'm having my Dad give him lots of kisses and reminders of his Auntie Mari until I can deliver that love in person next year. Welcome Kelan!
May this post find all of you, happy, healthy and in great spirits. Much love to each of you from Taiwan!
Wedding/Engagement Party
A few months ago, a manager at my school asked me if I'd like to go to Teacher April's wedding. A Taiwanese wedding? I've been wanting to go to one since I got here. Of course! Teacher April is my afternoon bilingual teacher and I see her for a total of 2 hours a week and we don't talk very much because her English is limited and my Chinese is practically non-existent. Weddings are a big industry in Taiwan and I see so many wedding cafes, which are businesses that usually are a few stories tall and the street side is only full of windows with lots of dresses and people sitting at tables planning their weddings. Once I was approached by a man as Si and I walked by a wedding cafe in Taipei. I was so tempted to act like we were getting married, just so I could see what the deal is, but I refrained.
So, I get the invitation to Teacher April's wedding and realize that her name is Teacher Apple. Oops. I've been calling her the wrong name, for about, uh 4 months. April does sound like Apple and no one had corrected me. O.k., got it. The invitation is very fancy, all pink and all in Chinese, so I can't read it. But, with a little help, I learn that her wedding is on a Sunday at noon and everyone tells me that I can dress casually. I keep thinking that's so strange for a culture with somewhat fancy taste. Many women wear high heels here on a daily basis. I've even see women up near the waterfalls, where I sometimes stumble a bit with my birkenstocks, wearing high heeled shoes. Maybe not the smartest fashion decision, but they always look great. There is a picture of Teacher Apple and her fiance Ming in front of the playground at our school. Their hands are making an arch of a heart together. It's just so cute!
When we arrive to the event, I learn that we have not been invited to her wedding, but the equivalent of an engagement party in the western cultures. The Chinese believe if you have this party before the wedding and invite a lot of people and they come, then more good fortune will come your way. There were about 300 people there and the buffet was delicious. On the 17th floor (that's pretty high, for Taichung) of a hotel, we ate a delicious lunch and sat with the owner of my school and other colleagues. There was a very detailed slideshow video of their actual engagement and I really felt like I was part of the engagement process. The photo documentation was unreal: where they visited, what they ate at various meals, the cake that was presented for the big question, friends who were on the trip with them, the walks in the woods, etc. I felt like I was there...
They did a karaoke song together, which was really special. Little children from our class came out, all dressed up and handed out roses to the women at the event. There were lots of toasts and speeches. Apple asked if all women attending would wear something pink, even if it was just a pair of earrings or a bracelet, because she loves the color so much. I bought some cute and a little blingy pair of pink rhinestone earrings and all of the women wearing pink, made 2 lines and she walked through the center, passing out candy. It was a wonderful event.
Blue Girl
In November, just before Thanksgiving, I struggled with depression, which was a fairly new experience. I've never felt very sad about my life overall, before. Also, being away from family and friends for this long (with a little break this past summer) has started to take a toll on me. Finally, not being able to speak the language bothered me more than I had thought it would. After a few weeks of feeling sorry for myself, the cloud lifted and I am mostly doing just fine.
Learning Chinese: Ni hou ma?
I've been taking Chinese lessons about 4.5 hours a week, during my lunch breaks. I take a private lesson with a friend, so the environment to learn and try a new language is very relaxed and as minimally scary as possible, I think. My friend, Angela, has been living in Taiwan for a few years and her understanding of the knowledge is quite good, but now she is just learning more vocabulary, grammar, etc. I am much more new to the language so struggle a bit more.
The first few weeks, I thought I had made a big mistake. We were only learning pronunciation and tones, which are very specific and of course, all sound very similar to me. I really feel that I repeat sounds and words, just like I am hearing them, but they are in fact, very different.
I recently learned of an interesting study, where children age 10 were tested from tonal based cultures (like Chinese) and non-tonal based cultures (like English). When asked about different tones heard, the children from tonal based cultures heard over 360 different tones. The children from non-tonal based cultures, only heard about 60 different tones. So, if not surrounded by various tones and pronunciations pretty much in the first 10 years of life, learning the sounds later as an adult has a difficult angle. When I learned about the study, I actually felt a little better about my pace in learning Chinese. Phew! I'm not the only one who can't hear the different sounds. :)
In all reality, being able to speak to people around me, has been really wonderful. I can't have very lengthy conversations, but just little bits of communication have been such a big help. I often feel less isolated.
Crash!
Also, in November, I was in a potentially bad scooter accident. It was completely my fault the driver of the other scooter was fine, thankfully. I suffered from a concusion and some aches and pains, but was very lucky. For a few days, I had a sore head, Simon watched me for worry of hematoma developing and I needed a few different x-rays done, just make sure everything was AOK. I also was very fortunate because a good Taiwanese friend accompanied me to a Dr. appointment just to make sure I understood everything. I'm back on the roads now, much more cautious and a bit more timid, which is a good thing, I think.
Merry Ho ho ho!
Taiwan doesn't really celebrate Christmas (or other western holidays) as it's primarily a buddhist country. However, schools often celebrate the holiday and in my kindergarten class, we practiced songs and dances, have read stories, made ornaments, decorations, etc. all for Christmas. Simon dressed up as Santa Clause for the school play/performance, which was fun. I have one American boy, who eyed Simon skeptically from the side, not sure what to make of this thin, younger version of Santa, but he happily received his gift when his name was called.
Because Taiwan doesn't celebrate Christmas, adult views of the holiday differ. For example, in my class are twins Sam and Samuel. Apparently, at home, Sam breaks his toys. I don't know if it's intentional or just by accident, but it's enough that his parents wanted to teach him a lesson. So, they wrapped his broken toys and Santa gave them to him at school. All the while, his twin brother, received a new toy form Santa. I fully understand that children much learn lessons about taking care of their belongings, but dragging an innocent Santa and wonderful holiday like Christmas into the mix, seems a bit mean. Needless to say, Simon wasn't very happy to learn that he had given Sam broken toys. :(
As for our own holiday celebrations, my school gave all english teachers a 5-day weekend, which is really cool. On Saturday, we attended a fun holiday party and caught up with friends. Then on Christmas Eve, attended a potluck dinner party with friends in a more intimate setting. On Christmas day, we had a nice lazy day, then met up with friends for a vigorous walk in the mountains and a nice dinner at a restaurant that serves western food. Yum! Simon and I enjoyed creating some new traditions together, definitely.
I also became an auntie recently. My sister Christine, gave birth to a beautiful boy named Kelan. I'm having my Dad give him lots of kisses and reminders of his Auntie Mari until I can deliver that love in person next year. Welcome Kelan!
May this post find all of you, happy, healthy and in great spirits. Much love to each of you from Taiwan!
10.10.06
It's all about the culture... and the food.
Taiwan just celebrated the Moon Festival. The holiday is all about eating and giving moon cakes (which I haven't tried, but hear they can be delicious-sweet and savory!), eating pomelo's and making the rinds into hats and barbequing! The story of the Moon Festival comes from a king who wanted to kill 9 of the 10 suns because it was too hot and plants and people were suffering. So his archer killed the suns and as a reward, the king offered him a pill that would make him live forever. The archer's wife took the pill and floated up to the moon where she lives and on a full moon, it's said that you can see her in the moon. It's also a national holiday, so I got the day off. Yay!
The holiday fell on a Friday and then we would work the next Monday and have the next day off for Taiwan's National Day. The Taiwanese government decided to change the holiday schedule a bit and give everyone a 5 day weekend, but that meant that instead of working on Monday, you would work on Saturday of the next weekend. Hello? I don't work on weekends, but had to because of the change in holiday dates. What is even more interesting is that the government made this announcement about 5 days before the long weekend. So, if you wanted to get out of town or the country, most everything was booked. The Taiwanese are thorough and good planners, so many people booked holidays way in advance. My co-worker asked what would happen if the US government tried to change holidays and make people work on the weekend. Hmmm... Maybe rioting in the streets? Lawsuits for the rest of eternity?
On the bright side, I enjoyed a wonderful 5 day weekend holiday with Simon and friends. For the Moon Festival, Si's friend John took us to Yuen Lin, where we met his family and bbq'd with them for hours. There must have been 8 bbq's going and it was deeelicious. I actually didn't know you could bbq so many parts of an animal. The chicken hearts were particularly nummy. Who knew? The bbq took place at his Grandmother's home and she has the biggest house, I have ever seen. It was 4 floors with 6-7 bedrooms on each floor. She owns an orange plantation and they also grow bamboo. Have you ever had fresh bamboo shoots hot off the bbq? I hadn't and before this delicious discovery had only seen bamboo shoots from cans. Oy! I couldn't get enough. His grandmother also made fresh mochi, which is sweet rice cake. (The Chinese pronounce it "moachi") They served it in little balls rolled in peanut powder. Oh my heavenly... My grandmother and family has made mochi through out my life, so this little delicacy was such a treat for me. During this trip, I realized that so much of my own Japanese cultural upbringing was originally influenced by the Chinese. (Yes, I knew about the history of China and Japan, but for some reason not all history lessons equate to a larger knowledge about your own family rituals...) We ate fish, shrimp, several different kinds of meat, corn, rice balls, soup, mushrooms, clams and I'm sure there are many other things I'm forgetting. At any rate, I ate so much yummy food, but after 2 hours started to worry because as soon as you had empty hands, someone would give you more food. The Taiwanese are so thoughtful! So, I started carrying around an empty(ish) bowl of soup, just so my hands and mouth (sort of) looked busy. I thought I was going to burst!
Here are some other interesting things I've learned about the Taiwanese culture:
*English Names
The children in my classes have English and Chinese names. Many of the names are often common names we have in English, but some are more unique and possibly selected by the children. Here are the fun ones: Apple (she was named before Gwyneth Paltrow had her baby, btw)and her sister, Cherry, Shine, Mountain, Lion, Egg, Smile (who I've never seen smile) and one of my personal favorites, Spiderman. Spiderman is a pretty large size kid, who is about 5 or 6. I can actually imagine what he'll look like as an older man, just because of his somewhat mature-looking face and hair. He's not particularly the best student in the class and has a short attention span. I'm constantly hear myself saying "Spiderman, sit down! Spiderman, pay attention! Spiderman, hello?" He is so funny. Some friends of mine have students named Bruce Lee and Handsome Boy. Apparently, Handsome Boy isn't that handsome either.
Also, children don't understand names that can be abbreviated. For example, I have a set of fraternal twins in my class and their names are Sam and Samuel. When I accidentally say "Sam" when I mean "Samuel". I hear "Sam" saying "Teecha, Sam is me!" Sometimes I ask "Sammy" to do something, just for fun. They don't get the joke... at all.
*Children
Being the second most populated place on earth, per density, Taiwan at over 23 million people, have oodles of kids. I'm not saying each family has lots of children, but with so many people, even if they have one or two children, well... there are tons of them. They all start going to school at a fairly early age and most children attend school during the day and school in the evenings and at night. Simon teaches at a buxiban or cram school, so his students are older 9-18 and come to his school after 4pm and stay until 8 or 9pm. They also attend school on the weekends. Some children only get Sundays off and many parents want their children to be so successful that they make their kids study on their day off. It's so different from my own childhood, it sometimes still shocks and surprises me at times.
Also, because children start school at such an early age and are raised in a very controlled environment, it changes their thinking, I feel. I've worked with children from infant age to 5 years most consistently and children at this age in the US are often energetic, rambunctious, imaginative and full of life. Taiwanese children at this same age are energetic, very advanced in their reading and writing, generally quite happy, but don't seem to have the same level of imagination and creativity that I would expect. I teach 4 classes of ESL students, who are in grades 1 and 2 during the day and for "fun", I did the role call and asked each of them "how are you?" I thought I would get a variety of answers (happy, tired, crazy, etc.), but instead I heard 3 "I am happy" responses and the rest all said "I am fine, thank you and you?" (which is a canned and very typical English response that many children can say). Many of them just want to say the correct response or write the correct answer, so don't dare exploring the unchartered territories of their imagination.
In writing excercises, when I write a sentence like "The house is _______." I explain that the students should pick their own word to describe the house, but they often write a sentence exactly like I have with a line and no adjective in the blank space. When I write numerous adjective choices on the board for them to choose from, they will often write all of my choices on their paper, not selecting just one. It's an interesting teaching obstacle, definitely.
*Kind Hearts
In Taiwan one of the big symbols that you see everywhere is a heart. It represents the kindness and love that Taiwanese people have... truly. People are generally very nice here. When you are lost or don't know where the nearest gas station is, most likely someone will drive you there or you can follow them on your scooter. They are also very talkative (even though I don't speak Chinese or Taiwanese) and are full of smiles.
*Saving Face
Saving face is a huge part of the Taiwan culture and it basically boils down to being polite and maintaining a proper facade to everyone, all the time. What this means is that if you stop and ask for directions, if the person doesn't know a location, rather than say "I'm not sure", they might give you totally wrong directions. Also, what this means is that in places like the work place, for example, you might know what your co-worker really means, because they'll just agree with you to be nice. I enjoy the politeness of the Taiwanese people, but sometimes would just like a little more real honesty, especially when there is so much I don't understand about the culture... yet.
*Safety and Crime
Taiwan is super safe. I'm not saying I walk down the street with money hanging out of my pockets just to see what will happen, but for the most part, people leave your stuff alone. The Chinese aren't into second-hand clothing, as they think garments worn by someone will have their spirits on them and shouldn't be worn by others. So, the helmet of my scooter just sits on top of the handlebars at night because no one wants it. At home, that helmet would be stolen fairly quickly if sitting on my bike on the side of the road, I'm fairly certain. On more than one occassion, I've left the keys of my scooter in the seat lock, just dangling there. When I return in a panic, my keys are still there, no one has touched my scooter or the contents in my seat and of course, the bike hasn't been stolen. Amazing!
Also, the crime rates are fairly low. In a recent census study on prisoners, Taiwan has about 250 people incarcerated for every 100,000 people. In the US there are 650 people incarcerated for every 100,000 people. For the tons of people that live here, all in fairly small and tight homes and communities, the crime is quite low, I think. The Taiwanese are quite harmonious in their living.
*Food
And, let's just end this post with another plug about the food. Oh my yummy! The food is fast, convenient and so cheap. It's actually about the same price to buy groceries and cook at home vs. eating out. Here are some of my favorites:
**Deepfried treats- Stalls on the side of the road have a little buffet of veggies, tofu, meats and other delicacies like rice packed in pig's blood. I have not tried the pig's blood yet. I just pick what I want cooked up and a few minutes later have a hot snack in a bag. I cannot get enough of the mushrooms.
**Rice bombs- The Chinese name for them is Mm bow wan and they are basically these rice balls with yummy meats and veggies inside. I have no idea what miracle sauce is drizzled on top of the rice balls, but I eat these weekly.
**Hot pot restaurants-for the low price of $5, you can have your own hot pot and select from a huge variety of meats, veggies, fish cakes, rice balls, eggs and more to make your own soup. Plus, they have beverages, a fresh salad bar, desserts, popcorn, bread, etc. I could spend all day in these restaurants.
Phew! That's it for now, but I just got back from my first Taiwanese engagement party and it was like the reception for a wedding in the US, but different. More soon! Hugs!
The holiday fell on a Friday and then we would work the next Monday and have the next day off for Taiwan's National Day. The Taiwanese government decided to change the holiday schedule a bit and give everyone a 5 day weekend, but that meant that instead of working on Monday, you would work on Saturday of the next weekend. Hello? I don't work on weekends, but had to because of the change in holiday dates. What is even more interesting is that the government made this announcement about 5 days before the long weekend. So, if you wanted to get out of town or the country, most everything was booked. The Taiwanese are thorough and good planners, so many people booked holidays way in advance. My co-worker asked what would happen if the US government tried to change holidays and make people work on the weekend. Hmmm... Maybe rioting in the streets? Lawsuits for the rest of eternity?
On the bright side, I enjoyed a wonderful 5 day weekend holiday with Simon and friends. For the Moon Festival, Si's friend John took us to Yuen Lin, where we met his family and bbq'd with them for hours. There must have been 8 bbq's going and it was deeelicious. I actually didn't know you could bbq so many parts of an animal. The chicken hearts were particularly nummy. Who knew? The bbq took place at his Grandmother's home and she has the biggest house, I have ever seen. It was 4 floors with 6-7 bedrooms on each floor. She owns an orange plantation and they also grow bamboo. Have you ever had fresh bamboo shoots hot off the bbq? I hadn't and before this delicious discovery had only seen bamboo shoots from cans. Oy! I couldn't get enough. His grandmother also made fresh mochi, which is sweet rice cake. (The Chinese pronounce it "moachi") They served it in little balls rolled in peanut powder. Oh my heavenly... My grandmother and family has made mochi through out my life, so this little delicacy was such a treat for me. During this trip, I realized that so much of my own Japanese cultural upbringing was originally influenced by the Chinese. (Yes, I knew about the history of China and Japan, but for some reason not all history lessons equate to a larger knowledge about your own family rituals...) We ate fish, shrimp, several different kinds of meat, corn, rice balls, soup, mushrooms, clams and I'm sure there are many other things I'm forgetting. At any rate, I ate so much yummy food, but after 2 hours started to worry because as soon as you had empty hands, someone would give you more food. The Taiwanese are so thoughtful! So, I started carrying around an empty(ish) bowl of soup, just so my hands and mouth (sort of) looked busy. I thought I was going to burst!
Here are some other interesting things I've learned about the Taiwanese culture:
*English Names
The children in my classes have English and Chinese names. Many of the names are often common names we have in English, but some are more unique and possibly selected by the children. Here are the fun ones: Apple (she was named before Gwyneth Paltrow had her baby, btw)and her sister, Cherry, Shine, Mountain, Lion, Egg, Smile (who I've never seen smile) and one of my personal favorites, Spiderman. Spiderman is a pretty large size kid, who is about 5 or 6. I can actually imagine what he'll look like as an older man, just because of his somewhat mature-looking face and hair. He's not particularly the best student in the class and has a short attention span. I'm constantly hear myself saying "Spiderman, sit down! Spiderman, pay attention! Spiderman, hello?" He is so funny. Some friends of mine have students named Bruce Lee and Handsome Boy. Apparently, Handsome Boy isn't that handsome either.
Also, children don't understand names that can be abbreviated. For example, I have a set of fraternal twins in my class and their names are Sam and Samuel. When I accidentally say "Sam" when I mean "Samuel". I hear "Sam" saying "Teecha, Sam is me!" Sometimes I ask "Sammy" to do something, just for fun. They don't get the joke... at all.
*Children
Being the second most populated place on earth, per density, Taiwan at over 23 million people, have oodles of kids. I'm not saying each family has lots of children, but with so many people, even if they have one or two children, well... there are tons of them. They all start going to school at a fairly early age and most children attend school during the day and school in the evenings and at night. Simon teaches at a buxiban or cram school, so his students are older 9-18 and come to his school after 4pm and stay until 8 or 9pm. They also attend school on the weekends. Some children only get Sundays off and many parents want their children to be so successful that they make their kids study on their day off. It's so different from my own childhood, it sometimes still shocks and surprises me at times.
Also, because children start school at such an early age and are raised in a very controlled environment, it changes their thinking, I feel. I've worked with children from infant age to 5 years most consistently and children at this age in the US are often energetic, rambunctious, imaginative and full of life. Taiwanese children at this same age are energetic, very advanced in their reading and writing, generally quite happy, but don't seem to have the same level of imagination and creativity that I would expect. I teach 4 classes of ESL students, who are in grades 1 and 2 during the day and for "fun", I did the role call and asked each of them "how are you?" I thought I would get a variety of answers (happy, tired, crazy, etc.), but instead I heard 3 "I am happy" responses and the rest all said "I am fine, thank you and you?" (which is a canned and very typical English response that many children can say). Many of them just want to say the correct response or write the correct answer, so don't dare exploring the unchartered territories of their imagination.
In writing excercises, when I write a sentence like "The house is _______." I explain that the students should pick their own word to describe the house, but they often write a sentence exactly like I have with a line and no adjective in the blank space. When I write numerous adjective choices on the board for them to choose from, they will often write all of my choices on their paper, not selecting just one. It's an interesting teaching obstacle, definitely.
*Kind Hearts
In Taiwan one of the big symbols that you see everywhere is a heart. It represents the kindness and love that Taiwanese people have... truly. People are generally very nice here. When you are lost or don't know where the nearest gas station is, most likely someone will drive you there or you can follow them on your scooter. They are also very talkative (even though I don't speak Chinese or Taiwanese) and are full of smiles.
*Saving Face
Saving face is a huge part of the Taiwan culture and it basically boils down to being polite and maintaining a proper facade to everyone, all the time. What this means is that if you stop and ask for directions, if the person doesn't know a location, rather than say "I'm not sure", they might give you totally wrong directions. Also, what this means is that in places like the work place, for example, you might know what your co-worker really means, because they'll just agree with you to be nice. I enjoy the politeness of the Taiwanese people, but sometimes would just like a little more real honesty, especially when there is so much I don't understand about the culture... yet.
*Safety and Crime
Taiwan is super safe. I'm not saying I walk down the street with money hanging out of my pockets just to see what will happen, but for the most part, people leave your stuff alone. The Chinese aren't into second-hand clothing, as they think garments worn by someone will have their spirits on them and shouldn't be worn by others. So, the helmet of my scooter just sits on top of the handlebars at night because no one wants it. At home, that helmet would be stolen fairly quickly if sitting on my bike on the side of the road, I'm fairly certain. On more than one occassion, I've left the keys of my scooter in the seat lock, just dangling there. When I return in a panic, my keys are still there, no one has touched my scooter or the contents in my seat and of course, the bike hasn't been stolen. Amazing!
Also, the crime rates are fairly low. In a recent census study on prisoners, Taiwan has about 250 people incarcerated for every 100,000 people. In the US there are 650 people incarcerated for every 100,000 people. For the tons of people that live here, all in fairly small and tight homes and communities, the crime is quite low, I think. The Taiwanese are quite harmonious in their living.
*Food
And, let's just end this post with another plug about the food. Oh my yummy! The food is fast, convenient and so cheap. It's actually about the same price to buy groceries and cook at home vs. eating out. Here are some of my favorites:
**Deepfried treats- Stalls on the side of the road have a little buffet of veggies, tofu, meats and other delicacies like rice packed in pig's blood. I have not tried the pig's blood yet. I just pick what I want cooked up and a few minutes later have a hot snack in a bag. I cannot get enough of the mushrooms.
**Rice bombs- The Chinese name for them is Mm bow wan and they are basically these rice balls with yummy meats and veggies inside. I have no idea what miracle sauce is drizzled on top of the rice balls, but I eat these weekly.
**Hot pot restaurants-for the low price of $5, you can have your own hot pot and select from a huge variety of meats, veggies, fish cakes, rice balls, eggs and more to make your own soup. Plus, they have beverages, a fresh salad bar, desserts, popcorn, bread, etc. I could spend all day in these restaurants.
Phew! That's it for now, but I just got back from my first Taiwanese engagement party and it was like the reception for a wedding in the US, but different. More soon! Hugs!
30.9.06
Happy Teacher's Day!
Good Morning from Taichung! This past week we celebrated Teacher's Day in Taiwan. I received some fun little gifts from my students. Jeffrey, who is one of my favorites (I know, I know, it's not very American to pick favorites, but everyone does here, so why not?), he gave me the sweetest gift. Jeffrey is a very, very smart student. His English is very good and I often think he is quite advanced for his age group. When I explain this to his parents and also comment on how he always raises his hand and I sometimes don't call on him just to give the other children a chance, they look at me with great surprise "Really? That surprises me." both of his parents have commented to me at different times... Very Taiwanese to take the compliment as a surprise. At any rate, he came to school, gave his Chinese teachers their gifts and then sat by the door, waiting for me to arrive (I come to class a bit later usually). When I walked in with my hearty "Good Morning Flower Class!" hello, he ran up and gave me, six bars of lavendar soap. I think the hand sniffing rule has given me a serious reputation.
Another student, Shine, gave me a sweet soap and lotion set from Crabtree and Evelyn. No other foreign teachers got soap as gifts, so either I don't smell very good in class (which I hardly think is the case) or the hand sniffing rule really is effecting the children's views of me. Either way, I am very thankful for my gifts. I also got lots of sweet cards. The kids are too cute. My friend Faye, who I work with, got a card from one of the smart kids in her class and it said "Teacher Faye, it's to easy for me. Happy Teacher's Day." We laughed so hard. Apparently, the class is too easy for this student, but the fact that she used "to" incorrectly, was hillarious. Faye wanted to jokingly correct it with a red pen, but refrained.
This week, I was sick. Sicker than I have been in years. I think it's a combination of me not getting enough rest, my immune system needing a boost, my body adjusting to the changes in Taiwan's pollution and water and possibly sniffing mostly clean, but sometimes very dirty hands. At any rate, I slept pretty much from Thursday evening until Saturday morning, and am feeling much better now.
Today, a group of us are headed off to the waterfalls. I might jump in this time. Wish me luck! The weather is starting to cool and the cold days aren't that far away, so we have to take advantage of the warm weather while it's here.
Another student, Shine, gave me a sweet soap and lotion set from Crabtree and Evelyn. No other foreign teachers got soap as gifts, so either I don't smell very good in class (which I hardly think is the case) or the hand sniffing rule really is effecting the children's views of me. Either way, I am very thankful for my gifts. I also got lots of sweet cards. The kids are too cute. My friend Faye, who I work with, got a card from one of the smart kids in her class and it said "Teacher Faye, it's to easy for me. Happy Teacher's Day." We laughed so hard. Apparently, the class is too easy for this student, but the fact that she used "to" incorrectly, was hillarious. Faye wanted to jokingly correct it with a red pen, but refrained.
This week, I was sick. Sicker than I have been in years. I think it's a combination of me not getting enough rest, my immune system needing a boost, my body adjusting to the changes in Taiwan's pollution and water and possibly sniffing mostly clean, but sometimes very dirty hands. At any rate, I slept pretty much from Thursday evening until Saturday morning, and am feeling much better now.
Today, a group of us are headed off to the waterfalls. I might jump in this time. Wish me luck! The weather is starting to cool and the cold days aren't that far away, so we have to take advantage of the warm weather while it's here.
23.9.06
Wo shr inguen lao shir! (I am an English Teacher)
Hello from Taichung! We finally have a working computer and Internet access in our home again, so I recently added pictures to the blog. Yay! I hope this message finds each of you happy and healthy.
We are now living in Taichung city, which is much closer to school and our friends. We live in an older building across the street from a bamboo forest. Our building is close to an area filled with various food carts and restaurants, retail shops and fruit stands, as well as bingo parlors, laundry services and much more. It's a very convenient neighborhood. We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. If anyone would like to visit, we would love to have you! There is much to see and do around Taiwan.
My kindergarten class is great and improving all the time. I work with two Chinese teachers and our communication, flow and overall working relationships seem to improve constantly, which is encouraging. They work very hard to take care of the children and manage the classroom, so I appreciate their contributions. Recently, a boy from America joined our class. Max's mother is Chinese and his father is Caucasian. They are from the Boston area of the US. He is adorable and of course, speaks English very well, but is just beginning to learn Chinese. He is also a picky eater, which has been a bit tricky during lunch time. Every day, we have lunch served to us, which usually consists of rice, meat and vegetables, all prepared with Chinese sauces and flavors. It's very good and I love lunch because I sit with the kids and they try to teach me a little Chinese and we talk about the meal and discuss the English names for the foods. When Max first arrived, he only liked bread and chicken nuggets, neither of which is ever served for lunch. After the first week, Max started to like just white rice. He's doing better and quickly assimilating to the classroom and foods. The other girls in the class have taken a strong liking to him, too. Since he doesn't speak any Chinese I try to help him out when needed. He's a good little one. Socially, he's adjusting really well, so that's how I know he's doing great. Children are so adaptable!
Another student, Jane is so funny. She's a younger student in class and her English needs strengthening. I think she's particularly interesting because she reminds me a lot of myself at a young age. She chats in class (when the students should be paying attention to the lesson) and often whines and tattles on the other students. Ah Jane, so cute and a bit of a naughty one. I absolutely identify with her. :)
Simon has been in New Zealand for the last few weeks visiting family and friends. His grandmother just turned 100 and they are having a big party for her. While I have missed him, I've really enjoyed living alone for a bit, as I was very used to this lifestyle in California. I've also bonded with great girlfriends which has been a lot of fun and great comfort.
I now navigate the streets on my scooter with ease and enjoyment. To be honest, I'm a little worried about driving again in the US. There are so many rules that can be broken on the roads here, that it's really easy and fun.
My Chinese is slowing improving as I learn. Currently, I take one class a week, but am hoping to start taking 3 classes a week very soon. I've learned the basic greetings and can understand more of the numbers and bargaining parts of the language, so when I shop, especially at the markets, I can work in some Chinese. My favorite sayings are "Tai guay le la", meaning "that's expensive" and "hou kur ai o", meaning "so cute, isn't it?" Also, when entering my school, I ring the bell and proudly say to the front desk woman "Wo shr inguen lao shir!", which means, "I am English Teacher". The school staff seems to enjoy my attempts at speaking Chinese.
One of the other aspects I love and appreciate is the nurturing environment for music. Simon is a self-taught percussionist and since being in Taiwan, he's cultivated his passion for drumming and has started a band. He practices constantly and his band the "Spybots" perform often at a bar called Grooveyard for their open mic night. Also, a few weeks back, they performed at a restaurant lounge called Bollywood. It was very fun and I am a dedicated "bandaid" attending all performances. Also, a cool, fun and super sweet woman named Faye Blais is my friend and co-worker. She is a very talented musician and I recently bought her CD. She performs through out Taichung often. I've linked her to my blog, so check her out!
That's it for me. I'm hosting a crafternoon today, so need to prepare. Much love to you all!
We are now living in Taichung city, which is much closer to school and our friends. We live in an older building across the street from a bamboo forest. Our building is close to an area filled with various food carts and restaurants, retail shops and fruit stands, as well as bingo parlors, laundry services and much more. It's a very convenient neighborhood. We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. If anyone would like to visit, we would love to have you! There is much to see and do around Taiwan.
My kindergarten class is great and improving all the time. I work with two Chinese teachers and our communication, flow and overall working relationships seem to improve constantly, which is encouraging. They work very hard to take care of the children and manage the classroom, so I appreciate their contributions. Recently, a boy from America joined our class. Max's mother is Chinese and his father is Caucasian. They are from the Boston area of the US. He is adorable and of course, speaks English very well, but is just beginning to learn Chinese. He is also a picky eater, which has been a bit tricky during lunch time. Every day, we have lunch served to us, which usually consists of rice, meat and vegetables, all prepared with Chinese sauces and flavors. It's very good and I love lunch because I sit with the kids and they try to teach me a little Chinese and we talk about the meal and discuss the English names for the foods. When Max first arrived, he only liked bread and chicken nuggets, neither of which is ever served for lunch. After the first week, Max started to like just white rice. He's doing better and quickly assimilating to the classroom and foods. The other girls in the class have taken a strong liking to him, too. Since he doesn't speak any Chinese I try to help him out when needed. He's a good little one. Socially, he's adjusting really well, so that's how I know he's doing great. Children are so adaptable!
Another student, Jane is so funny. She's a younger student in class and her English needs strengthening. I think she's particularly interesting because she reminds me a lot of myself at a young age. She chats in class (when the students should be paying attention to the lesson) and often whines and tattles on the other students. Ah Jane, so cute and a bit of a naughty one. I absolutely identify with her. :)
Simon has been in New Zealand for the last few weeks visiting family and friends. His grandmother just turned 100 and they are having a big party for her. While I have missed him, I've really enjoyed living alone for a bit, as I was very used to this lifestyle in California. I've also bonded with great girlfriends which has been a lot of fun and great comfort.
I now navigate the streets on my scooter with ease and enjoyment. To be honest, I'm a little worried about driving again in the US. There are so many rules that can be broken on the roads here, that it's really easy and fun.
My Chinese is slowing improving as I learn. Currently, I take one class a week, but am hoping to start taking 3 classes a week very soon. I've learned the basic greetings and can understand more of the numbers and bargaining parts of the language, so when I shop, especially at the markets, I can work in some Chinese. My favorite sayings are "Tai guay le la", meaning "that's expensive" and "hou kur ai o", meaning "so cute, isn't it?" Also, when entering my school, I ring the bell and proudly say to the front desk woman "Wo shr inguen lao shir!", which means, "I am English Teacher". The school staff seems to enjoy my attempts at speaking Chinese.
One of the other aspects I love and appreciate is the nurturing environment for music. Simon is a self-taught percussionist and since being in Taiwan, he's cultivated his passion for drumming and has started a band. He practices constantly and his band the "Spybots" perform often at a bar called Grooveyard for their open mic night. Also, a few weeks back, they performed at a restaurant lounge called Bollywood. It was very fun and I am a dedicated "bandaid" attending all performances. Also, a cool, fun and super sweet woman named Faye Blais is my friend and co-worker. She is a very talented musician and I recently bought her CD. She performs through out Taichung often. I've linked her to my blog, so check her out!
That's it for me. I'm hosting a crafternoon today, so need to prepare. Much love to you all!
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