Thurs Sept 20th
I ate so much free food today, it was ridiculous. Lunch at school was my favourite. And then after school was the Kojen Moon Festival party in the office. There was all sorts of foods laid out. I tried mooncake for the first time, as well as pomelo (which tastes like a cross between grapefruit and guava) and dragonfruit (which doesn’t have much taste at all). There was also some weird fish chip thing that was nasty. Then in my adult class, some of the girls brought in candy from Japan to share with everyone. I’ve now eaten a strawberry cream and an orange chocolate from Tokyo Disneyland.
The kids were horrible today, but I soothed my nerves with ice cream at lunch and they were better in the afternoon. I went with Sam. It turns out that both he and Corrie will be around this weekend. So maybe I'll have someone to hang out with while everyone else is working.
Fri Sept 21
I am a giant loser. It’s 6pm on a Friday night and I am sitting alone in my room, writing in my journal, listening to children’s music and waiting for an episode of the X-Files to download. I don’t think I could be more pathetic if I tried.
The kids were awful today. Like, seriously. And the older kids got to go to the astronomy museum, while my class was stuck in school. We did manage to play dodge ball though. How is it that they can get that, but they can’t figure out tag? I just don’t know what to expect from these kids at all. The activities I expect them to get really easily end up being like rocket science. And the ones that I expect to be very difficult are like nothin’.
I exchanged numbers with Corrie and got Sam’s number. If we go to the beach on Sunday they’re both in. My beach plans are being diverted by Robert’s cousin, though. They want to go to a park where there are all of these rock formations. I saw some pictures and it looks interesting, but it’s an hour away and they want to spend the day there. There’s nothing to do but look at rocks. I’d much rather be learning how to surf.
Tues Sept 25th
Happy Birthday ME!!!!!! It’s been a super fantastic weekend. And I’ve got the rest of today for fantasticness. After all it is my 25th on the 25th. Isn’t that supposed to be special? Here’s the breakdown of the weekend thus far.
Sat was like any other day. Listened to the game while I talked to mom. And for another 2 hours after I got off the phone. 14 innings, seriously. When they had a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Anyway, I spent my afternoon doing laundry and tidying then I met the others at the school and we went for dinner at the Thai restaurant nearby.
After dinner we went to a bar called Bravo for what was supposed to be a James Brown party. It was really just a bunch of foreigners watching rugby while a James Brown CD played in the background. We still had fun, though. There were board games, as well as darts and foosball. T and I were partners and we won at the board game and got our @$$es kicked at foosball.
Sunday the group split up. A bunch of them went to see the rock formations. I really didn’t want to go, so I stayed home and slept in. Then I found out that Di hadn’t been feeling well, so she’d stayed home too. In the afternoon, she and I went to the Lin Family Gardens and Mansion (Lin Family Gardens) because it’s close to where we live. It’s really just a big complex of buildings. It’s not one big building like you’d expect from a mansion at home. The grounds have all of this fabulous detail work. Most of it in stone. There are very few straight paths, too. Everything meanders and curves. Even the bridges zig zag. I think it has to do with feng shui and the flow of chi. We got a little bit lost on our way there and the way home, so we had a nice little wander (Random Things). We found a bunch of shops and stalls, selling some really great things. I picked up 3 shirts that all together cost about 400NT (or $13).
For dinner we went into Taipei and met the others to go to an Indian restaurant. It was ok. There was an all you can eat buffet and I liked some stuff. Some of it was really spicy though. Like too spicy for Di who grew up on Indian food. After dinner, we meandered back to the MRT and most of us came straight home.
Yesterday started like any other day. I had the day off from preschool, but the others in the kids department had to work. I actually agreed to sub someone’s classes for them, so that they could go away, so I had to teach last night too. Both of the classes were fine but Bushiban is really different than the kindergarten that I’m used to.
While I was at school, my care packages from home arrived there. I brought them straight home and opened them right away. I love COOKIES!!! Also, it was nice to see some miniwheats. But the best things were the presents. My mommy made me piggies. Also, she sent me Heroes, season 1. I’m so excited. And the pictures that came from London made me cry and miss everyone like crazy. I’ve been looking at them all day. One of my roommates thought Mike was my brother. So I said not really, and pointed out the pic of Jamie that I have on my wall.
After birthday presents, we went to the night market. We just wandered, but I’d never been there before, so it was cool. There was one stall with bunnies and hamsters and mice. They were so cute. There were Betas there too and I almost bought one, but I restrained myself. From the night market we went to Jackie and Ty’s for a bit, but I was going stir crazy, so I dragged everyone else to 0204. We arrived in time to have tequila shots at midnight to start my birthday in style. That bar makes a killer tequila sunrise. I’ll admit, I got a little tipsy. I even managed to help my team win a game of pool by sinking the 8 ball. (It was the first of our balls that I sunk all game.) I feel my inebriation is excusable, given that I have to teach tomorrow and can’t drink tonight on my actual birthday. After last call, I was still buzzing with energy, so I made Jason wander the area with me. Nothing was open except the 24 hour place and neither one of us wanted to spend more money, so we just came home.
Today’s been pretty mellow. Everyone’s been really sweet and saying Happy Birthday. Di even bought me a present. It’s a necklace that I had seen and loved while we were wandering around on Sunday. It’s a jade heart on a black cord that sits right in the hollow of my neck.
As for today’s plans, I want to go to the zoo, but Robert wants to go down to Xindian. Apparently it’s beautiful, with a river and mountains. But there’s not anything to do there. It’s just a nice walk. And I’ve been feeling way too unfocused for a walk. I need something to DO. Hence my desire to see the zoo (well, that and the animals).
There’s also apparently a really cool moon festival thing happening by the river this evening, which I’d like to check out. I guess we’ll see what happens.
Fri Sept 28th
So on Tues we ended up at Xindian. Woo hoo. (In case you couldn’t tell, that was sarcastic.) There is very little to do there. I was not impressed. We walked across a suspension bridge that was long enough to make me feel sick. Then most of the group paddle-boated up the river, which I didn’t want to do. T didn’t want to boat either, so the two of us wandered around on the shore. When they finished with the boats, we rejoined the group and went for "dinner". That part was ok, and then we had fireworks. They were on sale for Moon Festival. All in all, the day would’ve been fine if it were any other day, but for a birthday it was a little disappointing. I’ve also decided that a birthday without a tiara is scarcely a birthday at all.
Wed was back to the same old, same old. Class was fine. Lunch with Katy and Sam was nice. Then K and I went into Taipei for hot chocolate at Amadeus. We tried to convince Sam to come with us, but he bailed. We also stopped by the bookstore, where all English books were at least 30% off. I bought 3. I’ve read 1 and a half and so far, well worth every penny. Then I taught my adult class. It was ok, but I was really tired by the time it ended.
Yesterday was SO long. I taught a full day of preschool and then my adult class. Nothing of note happened in either, but I think my adult students don’t respect me. It may have something to do with the fact that I’m like Skipper, Barbie’s little sister. Or it may just be that I suck at teaching adults. I spent so much of my time prepping various lessons yesterday that I barely got a second to myself.
Today wasn’t much better, even if it was "teacher’s day". I did get a really sweet card from one of my kids. Homemade and everything. The kids were in high spirits today. And my energy came and went, but I got through it. Went shopping after work to pick up some odds and ends (or bits and bobs, as Di would say) that I need for around the house. I also got Lucas’ birthday present. Of course I did forget to buy bread, which was my main reason for going. But I’m not missing it as much now that I can have cereal for breakfast.
And an update on the birthday present love, I sleep with the piggies, one on each side of my pillow. I have the pictures prominently displayed on my table. And since Tuesday, I have watched 12 episodes of Heroes. That’s even with all the time I’ve been spending prepping and teaching. So you all did very well, and I appreciate it SO MUCH!!!!
I’m off to bed. Another long day ahead of me. School from 9-4 and then my birthday party at night. It’s my first trip to a Taiwanese club. I’m really excited!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
New Photos
I've added photos to "Random Fun - Summer 2007". They cover the Kojen Summer Party, bowling, and KTV. I've also added an entire new album called "Beitou Cape," which is a sightseeing place.
I'm sick, but I've got good Karma
Sat Sept. 16th
Wow. I haven’t written in ages. Hm... where to start? I guess with a quick rundown of the week since last I wrote.
On Wed. Katherine and I went into Taipei. We had lunch at NY Bagel, where I had hoped to see the Jays game (they’re playing the Yankees) but ESPN was showing WNBA instead. From NY Bagel we went to the bookstore in Taipei 101 (a big building and mall). Right across from the bookstore we discovered the sweetest little bakery/café, called Amadeus. So we had dessert and then spent 2 hours in the bookstore. Neither of us bought anything; it was a little weird. Back in Banchiao we went to the grocery store and had dinner and then came home.
Thursday I went into work early to prep my adult class. At lunch Sam helped me with my Chinese and in the evening I taught my adult class. I also received the most ironic e-mail I have ever seen in my life. The worst student in my adult class asked me to make things more difficult because she is finding it too easy. She did this in an e-mail that only barely made sense. Her word choice was ridiculous. The grammar was atrocious and the syntax was all wrong. After class I came home to bed.
Yesterday I was exhausted. But I got through the day with my kids. We played duck duck goose and patty-cake for a total of 40 minutes in the afternoon, but it was Friday, what do they expect from me? After work K and I went into Taipei and had hot chocolate at Amadeus before seeing a movie. The hot chocolate was literally a glass of hot milk, served on a silver platter with a stick of pure chocolate (which you mix in yourself before the milk cools). I got mine with a shot of mint liqueur and K had hers with orange. The movie we went to see was Rogue Assassin (which was spelled Rouge Assassin at the box office). Jet Li and Jason Statham. So Good!!
Today I met Katherine at 8am for a nature walk. We went to Fulong, but stopped for a bit in Beitou Cape. It was enjoyable. The scenery was literally breathtaking(Beitou Cape). There were amazing waves all along the rocky coast. We even got to see a traditional parade in Beitou Cape. It was to honour the spirits, because it’s still ghost month. There was really loud music and firecrackers to scare away the ghosts and sexy girls dancing in the back of a wagon to entertain them. And, yes, I do have pictures and video of some of the cooler waves (Beitou Cape). But I can’t figure out how to post the videos, so it may be a while before they can be seen.
After the hike I had time for a quick shower and clothing change before going to meet everyone for Callum’s going away party. I walked over with my new roomie, Jason, and T’s girlfriend, Patrice.
The going away party consisted of dinner at Casa Della Pasta and KTV (Random Fun - Summer 2007). I could not have planned a better night. It was a little expensive, but private karaoke dance party? How could I resist? There were about 20 people for the dinner, but only 9 of us there for KTV. It was SUPER fun!! Because it caters mainly to Asian people there were some English standards missing (like Bohemian Rhapsody) but there was plenty there to fill up 3 hours. And there’s no stage, so everyone just passes the mic around while you sit on these lush couches. I have some hilarious video of Total Eclipse of the Heart.
The plan for tomorrow is sleep in (maybe until 8:30 *gasp with excitement) and then call Mom and Dad, who don’t check their e-mail often enough. Then I have to study my Chinese and find a present for Yvonne, because tomorrow night will probably be our last lesson. I should probably also start looking for a new Chinese tutor.
Mon Sept 17th
Being sick sucks. Especially when you’re a teacher and have no voice. Even tea’s not helping. Hopefully I’ll feel a little better tomorrow, cuz I have my adult class. 3 hours of talking is going to suck if my voice hasn’t come back. 5 hours of talking to kids with a co-teacher helping was bad enough.
I will say, though, that my kids were pretty good. They were much quieter than usual, because they knew I couldn’t talk. And one keeps asking me to go to his house to play Wii with him. It’s so cute. I’ll ask the class a question and he’ll put up his hand to answer. When I choose him, he babbles away in Chinese about me going to his house. My CT thinks it’s so funny, she can’t even translate it without laughing. Other than that it’s the same old, same old.
I must have done something seriously good in a past life. I lose my voice and a typhoon hits, just in time to cancel my longest day of classes. I just got phone calls from both of my bosses cancelling all of my classes for tomorrow. Now I have an entire extra day to sleep and recuperate. Of course, I’ll have to make up the classes eventually... Normally it would be on a Saturday, but this coming weekend is Moon Festival, so I don’t know what they’ll do.
Tues Sept 18th
Today was fantastic in it’s non-eventfulness. With the exception of a brief excursion to the 24 hour restaurant for lunch with Jason, I have not left the apartment all day. This is mostly due to the fact that it has been raining steadily since last night. And the wind is crazy strong. It’s actually blowing in through my air conditioner (which isn’t on) and cooling my room down.
So for today I’ve watched Chocolat. Then I watched The Covenant with Jason after watching him play the X-box for a while. In the evening, there was talk of getting a group together to hang out, so I suggested pool. But everyone else wanted to go see some Pierce Brosnan movie and I wasn’t into it. I’ve had my fill of iffy movies between Death Sentence and No Reservations. So I stayed home and reread Bachelorette Party. A much more enjoyable (and inexpensive) way to pass the time.
I am also feeling much better. It’s amazing what 10 hours of sleep will do for you when you’re sick. I also managed to go until 1pm without speaking a word, which helped my throat. It’s almost 100% better, although it’s still a little sore if I talk too much at once. I’m going to call it an early night again, in the hopes that good sleep will continue to increase my good health.
Wed. Sept 19th
Today, school was magnificent. The kids were fantastic. Everyone was in a great mood (in particular, I was very well rested). And even Sam was in high spirits. At lunch I went to the bank and got my bank account. I‘ve also finally sent home the letter for Jamie. I sent it by airmail, so it should be there within a couple of weeks. Otherwise, I’ve watched a couple of Buffy eps, done some laundry and walked to the grocery store. What a life of mystery and wonder I lead.
Wow. I haven’t written in ages. Hm... where to start? I guess with a quick rundown of the week since last I wrote.
On Wed. Katherine and I went into Taipei. We had lunch at NY Bagel, where I had hoped to see the Jays game (they’re playing the Yankees) but ESPN was showing WNBA instead. From NY Bagel we went to the bookstore in Taipei 101 (a big building and mall). Right across from the bookstore we discovered the sweetest little bakery/café, called Amadeus. So we had dessert and then spent 2 hours in the bookstore. Neither of us bought anything; it was a little weird. Back in Banchiao we went to the grocery store and had dinner and then came home.
Thursday I went into work early to prep my adult class. At lunch Sam helped me with my Chinese and in the evening I taught my adult class. I also received the most ironic e-mail I have ever seen in my life. The worst student in my adult class asked me to make things more difficult because she is finding it too easy. She did this in an e-mail that only barely made sense. Her word choice was ridiculous. The grammar was atrocious and the syntax was all wrong. After class I came home to bed.
Yesterday I was exhausted. But I got through the day with my kids. We played duck duck goose and patty-cake for a total of 40 minutes in the afternoon, but it was Friday, what do they expect from me? After work K and I went into Taipei and had hot chocolate at Amadeus before seeing a movie. The hot chocolate was literally a glass of hot milk, served on a silver platter with a stick of pure chocolate (which you mix in yourself before the milk cools). I got mine with a shot of mint liqueur and K had hers with orange. The movie we went to see was Rogue Assassin (which was spelled Rouge Assassin at the box office). Jet Li and Jason Statham. So Good!!
Today I met Katherine at 8am for a nature walk. We went to Fulong, but stopped for a bit in Beitou Cape. It was enjoyable. The scenery was literally breathtaking(Beitou Cape). There were amazing waves all along the rocky coast. We even got to see a traditional parade in Beitou Cape. It was to honour the spirits, because it’s still ghost month. There was really loud music and firecrackers to scare away the ghosts and sexy girls dancing in the back of a wagon to entertain them. And, yes, I do have pictures and video of some of the cooler waves (Beitou Cape). But I can’t figure out how to post the videos, so it may be a while before they can be seen.
After the hike I had time for a quick shower and clothing change before going to meet everyone for Callum’s going away party. I walked over with my new roomie, Jason, and T’s girlfriend, Patrice.
The going away party consisted of dinner at Casa Della Pasta and KTV (Random Fun - Summer 2007). I could not have planned a better night. It was a little expensive, but private karaoke dance party? How could I resist? There were about 20 people for the dinner, but only 9 of us there for KTV. It was SUPER fun!! Because it caters mainly to Asian people there were some English standards missing (like Bohemian Rhapsody) but there was plenty there to fill up 3 hours. And there’s no stage, so everyone just passes the mic around while you sit on these lush couches. I have some hilarious video of Total Eclipse of the Heart.
The plan for tomorrow is sleep in (maybe until 8:30 *gasp with excitement) and then call Mom and Dad, who don’t check their e-mail often enough. Then I have to study my Chinese and find a present for Yvonne, because tomorrow night will probably be our last lesson. I should probably also start looking for a new Chinese tutor.
Mon Sept 17th
Being sick sucks. Especially when you’re a teacher and have no voice. Even tea’s not helping. Hopefully I’ll feel a little better tomorrow, cuz I have my adult class. 3 hours of talking is going to suck if my voice hasn’t come back. 5 hours of talking to kids with a co-teacher helping was bad enough.
I will say, though, that my kids were pretty good. They were much quieter than usual, because they knew I couldn’t talk. And one keeps asking me to go to his house to play Wii with him. It’s so cute. I’ll ask the class a question and he’ll put up his hand to answer. When I choose him, he babbles away in Chinese about me going to his house. My CT thinks it’s so funny, she can’t even translate it without laughing. Other than that it’s the same old, same old.
I must have done something seriously good in a past life. I lose my voice and a typhoon hits, just in time to cancel my longest day of classes. I just got phone calls from both of my bosses cancelling all of my classes for tomorrow. Now I have an entire extra day to sleep and recuperate. Of course, I’ll have to make up the classes eventually... Normally it would be on a Saturday, but this coming weekend is Moon Festival, so I don’t know what they’ll do.
Tues Sept 18th
Today was fantastic in it’s non-eventfulness. With the exception of a brief excursion to the 24 hour restaurant for lunch with Jason, I have not left the apartment all day. This is mostly due to the fact that it has been raining steadily since last night. And the wind is crazy strong. It’s actually blowing in through my air conditioner (which isn’t on) and cooling my room down.
So for today I’ve watched Chocolat. Then I watched The Covenant with Jason after watching him play the X-box for a while. In the evening, there was talk of getting a group together to hang out, so I suggested pool. But everyone else wanted to go see some Pierce Brosnan movie and I wasn’t into it. I’ve had my fill of iffy movies between Death Sentence and No Reservations. So I stayed home and reread Bachelorette Party. A much more enjoyable (and inexpensive) way to pass the time.
I am also feeling much better. It’s amazing what 10 hours of sleep will do for you when you’re sick. I also managed to go until 1pm without speaking a word, which helped my throat. It’s almost 100% better, although it’s still a little sore if I talk too much at once. I’m going to call it an early night again, in the hopes that good sleep will continue to increase my good health.
Wed. Sept 19th
Today, school was magnificent. The kids were fantastic. Everyone was in a great mood (in particular, I was very well rested). And even Sam was in high spirits. At lunch I went to the bank and got my bank account. I‘ve also finally sent home the letter for Jamie. I sent it by airmail, so it should be there within a couple of weeks. Otherwise, I’ve watched a couple of Buffy eps, done some laundry and walked to the grocery store. What a life of mystery and wonder I lead.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
An Earthquake and the "Summer" Party
Sat Sept 8th
I have finally managed to catch up on some sleep. I feel much better than I have for the last couple of days. This adult class is taking up more of my energy than I expected. I think it’s losing what would normally be relaxing time that’s messing up my system. It also didn’t help that Thursday night (technically early Friday morning) there was an earthquake. It’s so weird to be sleeping and then suddenly be moving. It wasn’t that big, though. One of my roommates even managed to sleep through it.
Because I was so tired yesterday, I didn’t have any patience for my kids in the morning. I was ready to throttle them all. Even my normally good ones were acting up. Or maybe they weren’t and I was just too tired to deal with their regular behavior. Anyway, I had a nice relaxing lunch and watched some violent video games (our new roommate has an x-box) and I felt much better for the afternoon. Which was fine because it was birthday party. So I didn’t have to do any actual teaching. And the kids were much better behaved.
Because I was so obviously having a crummy day, Katherine suggested we go for drinks after work. I was game and Sam and Corrie came too. It was really nice and a little weird. I’ve hung out with both Sam and K outside of work, but I’ve never seen them hang out together. They got along fine, it was just weird to see.
I was feeling much better about my life after a couple of screwdrivers, which Sam taught me how to say in Chinese. He also agreed to teach me the Chinese characters for some of the words that I’m learning in my lessons with Yvonne. After Corrie went back to school and Sam left for his roommate’s birthday party, K and I went to a movie.
The movie we went to see was Death Sentence starring Kevin Bacon. It was disappointing. And, yet again, there were huge chunks that I couldn’t watch because they used a handy cam. Stupid chase scenes with the camera shaking all over the place. There were a couple of bright spots, though. The kid who plays his youngest son was amazing. And there were some really touching family moments that (yes I am this much of a girl) made me cry.
Today has been pretty much listen to the ball game, chat with mom, nap, tidy the room, rearrange some things and watch an ep of Roswell. Hopefully it will also include a trip to the laundromat so that I can have clean clothes without having to walk through them for days.
Sun Sept 9th
Today was jam packed with people and events. There was the Kojen summer party (postponed from the actual summer because of the typhoon), then we went bowling and to the Shilin night market. We were supposed to go to a baseball game this evening, but bowling took so long we missed it.
The summer party was actually pretty fun. Almost all of preschool was there.
Jackie came with K and I, but Di, Thaddaeus and Patrice all showed up late. I also got to meet some of the teachers from other schools and stuff. The MC was awful. And there were so many people, that everyone talked through the speeches so they weren’t as boring as expected. The performances were good. And the dancing at the end was so fun. I even got the non-dancers dancing. To the point where Katy even agreed to go to a club with me. We were talking later, though and cover for clubs is super expensive, so we probably won’t go. Maybe I’ll get them to go for my birthday.
After summer party we went bowling. K decided to go home but Ty and Robert met us at the alley. Brian, one of the other guys from the Kojen party came with us too. It was 10 pin and my wrist lasted for 1 game. For the other 2 I had to bowl left handed. By the end I was actually getting decent though. I bowled a 90 in the last game. Jackie is super good. And Di hadn’t bowled in a million years, which was evidenced when she dropped a ball on Jackie’s foot. Nothing’s broken and it didn’t even swell that much, but Di felt really guilty. But between Jackie and myself we taught her to bowl well enough to get 77 in the last game.
Since we missed the ball game, we went into Shilin night market for some food. It was really neat. It’s like a carnival. There are booths for anything you could possibly want and some things I don’t believe anyone would ever want. There are also entire sections of carnival games, too. I got some amazing strawberries at one of the fruit vendors and a small gift for Jamie, which I haggled for. I got her to drop the price from 290NT to 250NT. I know it’s not much, but I figure it’s pretty good for my first time.
And now to bed. I have to start the new semester for my class tomorrow, so I actually have to plan lessons. I’m also hoping to go in early to plan my Tues. night adult class, so that I don’t have to worry about it on Tues.
Tues Sept 11th
So it was 9/11 today and it came and went without a word being said. It was actually a nice break from all of the hooplah that surrounds this day at home now. I didn’t even realize what day it was until I had to write it down.
My kids were angels yesterday and they were ok today. We’ve started working on their math program. And we had DVD time today. Bear in the Big Blue House is so cute. I actually like watching that one.
My adult class is getting better every time. I think it has something to do with how well prepared I feel going in. One of my students told me that she thinks the class is too easy, and maybe her comprehension is beyond what we’re doing, but her speaking sure isn’t. I’m not sure what to do, but I’m going to talk to some other teachers for suggestions. Also, the adult director is stressing me out. She’s very nervous and intense. And she’s always hovering. I can’t walk into the office without her asking me a million questions. All of which are intended to help, but if she would just leave me alone, I would have my prep done in half of the time.
The Jays are playing the Yankees right now, so maybe I’ll get to catch some of the games. *Crossing my fingers*
I have finally managed to catch up on some sleep. I feel much better than I have for the last couple of days. This adult class is taking up more of my energy than I expected. I think it’s losing what would normally be relaxing time that’s messing up my system. It also didn’t help that Thursday night (technically early Friday morning) there was an earthquake. It’s so weird to be sleeping and then suddenly be moving. It wasn’t that big, though. One of my roommates even managed to sleep through it.
Because I was so tired yesterday, I didn’t have any patience for my kids in the morning. I was ready to throttle them all. Even my normally good ones were acting up. Or maybe they weren’t and I was just too tired to deal with their regular behavior. Anyway, I had a nice relaxing lunch and watched some violent video games (our new roommate has an x-box) and I felt much better for the afternoon. Which was fine because it was birthday party. So I didn’t have to do any actual teaching. And the kids were much better behaved.
Because I was so obviously having a crummy day, Katherine suggested we go for drinks after work. I was game and Sam and Corrie came too. It was really nice and a little weird. I’ve hung out with both Sam and K outside of work, but I’ve never seen them hang out together. They got along fine, it was just weird to see.
I was feeling much better about my life after a couple of screwdrivers, which Sam taught me how to say in Chinese. He also agreed to teach me the Chinese characters for some of the words that I’m learning in my lessons with Yvonne. After Corrie went back to school and Sam left for his roommate’s birthday party, K and I went to a movie.
The movie we went to see was Death Sentence starring Kevin Bacon. It was disappointing. And, yet again, there were huge chunks that I couldn’t watch because they used a handy cam. Stupid chase scenes with the camera shaking all over the place. There were a couple of bright spots, though. The kid who plays his youngest son was amazing. And there were some really touching family moments that (yes I am this much of a girl) made me cry.
Today has been pretty much listen to the ball game, chat with mom, nap, tidy the room, rearrange some things and watch an ep of Roswell. Hopefully it will also include a trip to the laundromat so that I can have clean clothes without having to walk through them for days.
Sun Sept 9th
Today was jam packed with people and events. There was the Kojen summer party (postponed from the actual summer because of the typhoon), then we went bowling and to the Shilin night market. We were supposed to go to a baseball game this evening, but bowling took so long we missed it.
The summer party was actually pretty fun. Almost all of preschool was there.
Jackie came with K and I, but Di, Thaddaeus and Patrice all showed up late. I also got to meet some of the teachers from other schools and stuff. The MC was awful. And there were so many people, that everyone talked through the speeches so they weren’t as boring as expected. The performances were good. And the dancing at the end was so fun. I even got the non-dancers dancing. To the point where Katy even agreed to go to a club with me. We were talking later, though and cover for clubs is super expensive, so we probably won’t go. Maybe I’ll get them to go for my birthday.
After summer party we went bowling. K decided to go home but Ty and Robert met us at the alley. Brian, one of the other guys from the Kojen party came with us too. It was 10 pin and my wrist lasted for 1 game. For the other 2 I had to bowl left handed. By the end I was actually getting decent though. I bowled a 90 in the last game. Jackie is super good. And Di hadn’t bowled in a million years, which was evidenced when she dropped a ball on Jackie’s foot. Nothing’s broken and it didn’t even swell that much, but Di felt really guilty. But between Jackie and myself we taught her to bowl well enough to get 77 in the last game.
Since we missed the ball game, we went into Shilin night market for some food. It was really neat. It’s like a carnival. There are booths for anything you could possibly want and some things I don’t believe anyone would ever want. There are also entire sections of carnival games, too. I got some amazing strawberries at one of the fruit vendors and a small gift for Jamie, which I haggled for. I got her to drop the price from 290NT to 250NT. I know it’s not much, but I figure it’s pretty good for my first time.
And now to bed. I have to start the new semester for my class tomorrow, so I actually have to plan lessons. I’m also hoping to go in early to plan my Tues. night adult class, so that I don’t have to worry about it on Tues.
Tues Sept 11th
So it was 9/11 today and it came and went without a word being said. It was actually a nice break from all of the hooplah that surrounds this day at home now. I didn’t even realize what day it was until I had to write it down.
My kids were angels yesterday and they were ok today. We’ve started working on their math program. And we had DVD time today. Bear in the Big Blue House is so cute. I actually like watching that one.
My adult class is getting better every time. I think it has something to do with how well prepared I feel going in. One of my students told me that she thinks the class is too easy, and maybe her comprehension is beyond what we’re doing, but her speaking sure isn’t. I’m not sure what to do, but I’m going to talk to some other teachers for suggestions. Also, the adult director is stressing me out. She’s very nervous and intense. And she’s always hovering. I can’t walk into the office without her asking me a million questions. All of which are intended to help, but if she would just leave me alone, I would have my prep done in half of the time.
The Jays are playing the Yankees right now, so maybe I’ll get to catch some of the games. *Crossing my fingers*
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Photos
I've finally got the link up for the Alishan album. Sorry it took so long. I will return with my regular post tomorrow. No other new pics yet, though.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Ali Shan, and a New Class
Sat & Sun Sept 1 & 2
This weekend was the trip to Ali Shan that teacher Emily planned. It was so much fun. I agreed to go a couple of weeks ago, and forgot about it until Friday when Emily reminded me at school. So Friday was laundry and packing day.
In addition to Emily and myself, there were Sam and Candy from school and some other of Emily’s friends. We met at Emily’s house at 4:15am Saturday. From there we cabbed to the bus station. The bus was amazing. The seats were better than lazy-boys. Each one reclined fully and had an attached tv set. We found out on the way home that there was also a game system built in. On the way there, though, we all just slept. It was a 3 hour trip to Chiayi, where we had breakfast at McD’s and caught another bus to the train station in another city.
Two hours on the train and one Gravol later, we arrived at Fen Chi Hu, which is a really cute little village. We wandered around the village for a while. Our guide was apparently telling the group things about the local produce and what life is like in the area. I understood nothing. We had lunch there and saw a bunch of shops and things. I successfully bought nothing, except for lunch, which I didn’t particularly like.
While we were in town, we stopped at a Nature Preserve type of place. There were pretty trees and a big wooden deck thingy. There was an amazing view. It looks really good in the group shots we took there.
From Fen Chi Hu, I had the scariest bus ride of my life. We went super fast on all of these really narrow mountain roads, with sheer drops to the sides. It didn’t help that there were 10 people in a 7 seat van. And we all know how comfortable I am when there are more people than seats. Anyway, I obviously didn’t die and I didn’t even get sick, although it was touch and go for a bit.
The minute we walked onto the compound, the owner took a liking to Sam. He kept calling him a handsome guy and offering him alcohol. It was this brutal 60% stuff called Kinmen. It tastes like rubbing alcohol and burning. After Sam had a glass, he and the guy, whose name, I think, was Yaba, made me have one. I asked for a little bit, got maybe ½ a shot and my head started spinning.
After getting me drunk, they showed us to our rooms. I got to sleep in a treehouse!! After we took our things to our rooms, we immediately had to change into "water playing clothes". I threw on my suit and a pair of shorts and I was good to go. We met the other tour groups and all went together. When Emily said we’d be playing in the water, I had no idea that she meant we were going upstreaming. Basically this means that you’re in a river, with rapids, and you walk upstream against the current. For Sam and I this wasn’t a problem. Water is easy for us. For 15 Taiwanese students, most of whom are afraid of water, this was a horrifying
experience. It took forever. The actual upstreaming was really fun and I love any excuse to be in the water. But there was a lot of waiting while the guides strung the rope across and the others took their turns. And like the song says, the waiting is the hardest part.
When we got back from the river, everyone cleaned up and we all went to dinner. We made this traditional rice ball mash stuff in a hollowed out log with bamboo paddles (Ali Shan) . There are 2 people and you take turns mashing the rice. But the paddles are heavy and the rice is sticky, so it’s really hard. Then when it’s sufficiently mashed you use chopsticks and roll a ball of rice around them. Then you dip your rice ball in chopped up peanuts and drizzle honey on it. It was actually really tasty. Then the rest of dinner was mostly bbq’d things. Including pig, which they raised on the property about 20 feet from my cabin.
After dinner there was 3 hours of traditional dancing, in the traditional costumes. It was pretty cool. It started raining right at the beginning, so we were doing this awesome circle dance in the rain. At one point the boys were given bows and arrows to dance with. Then the arrows were lit on fire and they shot them into the fire pit in the center (at least that was the idea. Only Sam’s arrow actually made it). So then we were dancing around a roaring fire, in the rain, in traditional aboriginal costumes. My only problem was that it went on forever. And I didn’t understand a word that was being said. My attention started to wander and I was actually relieved when it ended.
There were no more planned activities after the dancing, but we planned our own. Yaba kept offering Sam alcohol (and only Sam) but he didn’t want to drink alone, so we all stayed sober. We played modified pictionary/charades. When we ran out of clues for the game, we switched to Truth or Dare, which degenerated into just Dare. It was really funny. At around midnight we headed to bed and were up in the morning for breakfast at 8. We were the first ones there and everyone else started staggering in around 8:20 or so. After breakfast we had to pack up our stuff, clear out our rooms and get ready to go on a hike.
Because of the rain the night before, we had to wear rubber boots and helmets. For a hike in the mountains. I was glad for the boots, but the helmet was a little ridiculous. For the first half of the hike, our group was at the front of the line directly behind one of the guides. It was a good pace. Not fast enough to make me out of breath, but constantly moving. So we get to the halfway point and wait for the rest of the group to catch up. We waited for about 5 minutes and the guide hollered back to the end guide and there was no response. So he had to go back and get them. It took 20 minutes for the rest of the group to catch us. Then they decided that we were going too fast, so we had to go at the end. This is the leg of the hike that most of the pictures came from because I’d walk 3 steps and wait for 10 minutes to walk 3 more steps. Luckily the view was amazing, because otherwise I’d have been really bored.
After the hike, I took a cold shower in one of the public bathrooms (because we’d already checked out of our rooms) and changed into my dress from Saturday. Then we had lunch, took a couple of pictures with Yaba and started the trip home. Anticipating another rocky train ride, I took a Gravol before we left. We missed the train, so we had to take a bus instead. It was
actually shorter than the train ride. In spite of being super sleepy from the Gravol, I couldn’t sleep on the bus. When we got out to catch the other bus from Chiang yi we stopped for dinner at a "famous" turkey rice restaurant. It was good (and cheap). Then we caught the luxury bus for the rest of the trip home. I made it in at about 12, but because I fell asleep on the lux-bus, I couldn’t get to sleep for ages.
All of my pics from this trip will be in an album called Ali Shan. But I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to post them, yet. There are a lot.
Mon Sept 3
Today was a long day. I am so sore and tired from the weekend. I have bruises on top of bruises on top of sore muscles. It’s a good kind of sore, though. Trouble is, I had no patience for the kids. And there were 3 more new ones. So I’m up to 15 three year olds, who don’t speak English. I think it would be easier to herd cats. They seem like mostly good kids. There aren’t really any trouble makers, although there are a couple space cases. And one undid my pants today. Memo to self; avoid drawstrings in the future.
To make my day even better, I couldn’t get my ARC (Alien Residence Card). Technically, I was supposed to get it on Friday, but it wasn’t ready. So I go to the office on my lunch break and it’s still not ready. And, they have no idea when it will be ready.
At the end of my lunch, I had a meeting in the main office and they want me to teach an adult class. Which I’m fine with. It’s only 6 hours a week and it’ll be nice to have a little extra cash. What I’m not ok with is the fact that it starts tomorrow! But I can hear my bed calling me and I can no longer resist.
Tues Sept 4th
Today was much better than yesterday. I had more sleep. My body wasn’t as sore. My kids were not possessed by satan. And I taught my first adult class. It was a little awkward at first. Their English is good, but not great. I’m really glad I’m actually getting to teach grammar now. We covered possessive pronouns and ‘s or s’. It was all very exciting. And my students think I’m crazy for liking baseball, because it is a man’s sport and I am a girl (their words, not mine).
My kids were really good today, mostly. We’re at the point, though, where I am constantly getting molested. They maul me every chance they get. And if one of them is sitting in my lap, they all want to. It’s cute up to a point, and then it just hurts. Somehow they keep hitting my bruises from the weekend, so I’m not healing at all. But I love that they love me, and wouldn’t change it for the world.
Had dinner at the veggie buffet with K and D. Didn’t really have time for any fun shenanigans, what with prepping a lesson and all. Did manage to get a load of laundry thrown in, though. Ah the excitement of living abroad.
Thurs Sept 6th
Pay Day!!!! Gotta love getting paid. Especially when it’s in cash. It’s just for this pay period, because I need my ARC to open a bank account and it’s still not ready. Hopefully it’ll be there when I go tomorrow.
Taught my second class tonight. It went well. I did get asked to slow down my speaking a little. Which makes sense, except that I thought I was speaking slowly. It seems like a good group, though. And they don’t seem to be afraid of me, which is nice.
Speaking of being afraid, my kids were super funny today. My roommate Thaddaeus came to see me at play time and the kids were terrified of him. And it’s understandable cuz he’s a big guy. He’s, like 6'5 and played football in college. And he’s black. He’s an absolute sweetheart, though. But they wouldn't go anywhere near him. Even when he sat down. The closest they came was when I was holding them, then a couple of them said hello.
So it’s starting to cool down a little. Last night it was actually cool enough for me to go to sleep with my window open, instead of in the AC. Of course, I’m a moron and didn’t think to close the screen, so now I am covered in mosquito bites. I itch so much. Last night it was so bad that I woke up just before 3am and had to spray myself with Off and pop a Benadryl before I could sleep again. Needless to say I am exhausted.
This weekend was the trip to Ali Shan that teacher Emily planned. It was so much fun. I agreed to go a couple of weeks ago, and forgot about it until Friday when Emily reminded me at school. So Friday was laundry and packing day.
In addition to Emily and myself, there were Sam and Candy from school and some other of Emily’s friends. We met at Emily’s house at 4:15am Saturday. From there we cabbed to the bus station. The bus was amazing. The seats were better than lazy-boys. Each one reclined fully and had an attached tv set. We found out on the way home that there was also a game system built in. On the way there, though, we all just slept. It was a 3 hour trip to Chiayi, where we had breakfast at McD’s and caught another bus to the train station in another city.
Two hours on the train and one Gravol later, we arrived at Fen Chi Hu, which is a really cute little village. We wandered around the village for a while. Our guide was apparently telling the group things about the local produce and what life is like in the area. I understood nothing. We had lunch there and saw a bunch of shops and things. I successfully bought nothing, except for lunch, which I didn’t particularly like.
While we were in town, we stopped at a Nature Preserve type of place. There were pretty trees and a big wooden deck thingy. There was an amazing view. It looks really good in the group shots we took there.
From Fen Chi Hu, I had the scariest bus ride of my life. We went super fast on all of these really narrow mountain roads, with sheer drops to the sides. It didn’t help that there were 10 people in a 7 seat van. And we all know how comfortable I am when there are more people than seats. Anyway, I obviously didn’t die and I didn’t even get sick, although it was touch and go for a bit.
The minute we walked onto the compound, the owner took a liking to Sam. He kept calling him a handsome guy and offering him alcohol. It was this brutal 60% stuff called Kinmen. It tastes like rubbing alcohol and burning. After Sam had a glass, he and the guy, whose name, I think, was Yaba, made me have one. I asked for a little bit, got maybe ½ a shot and my head started spinning.
After getting me drunk, they showed us to our rooms. I got to sleep in a treehouse!! After we took our things to our rooms, we immediately had to change into "water playing clothes". I threw on my suit and a pair of shorts and I was good to go. We met the other tour groups and all went together. When Emily said we’d be playing in the water, I had no idea that she meant we were going upstreaming. Basically this means that you’re in a river, with rapids, and you walk upstream against the current. For Sam and I this wasn’t a problem. Water is easy for us. For 15 Taiwanese students, most of whom are afraid of water, this was a horrifying
experience. It took forever. The actual upstreaming was really fun and I love any excuse to be in the water. But there was a lot of waiting while the guides strung the rope across and the others took their turns. And like the song says, the waiting is the hardest part.
When we got back from the river, everyone cleaned up and we all went to dinner. We made this traditional rice ball mash stuff in a hollowed out log with bamboo paddles (Ali Shan) . There are 2 people and you take turns mashing the rice. But the paddles are heavy and the rice is sticky, so it’s really hard. Then when it’s sufficiently mashed you use chopsticks and roll a ball of rice around them. Then you dip your rice ball in chopped up peanuts and drizzle honey on it. It was actually really tasty. Then the rest of dinner was mostly bbq’d things. Including pig, which they raised on the property about 20 feet from my cabin.
After dinner there was 3 hours of traditional dancing, in the traditional costumes. It was pretty cool. It started raining right at the beginning, so we were doing this awesome circle dance in the rain. At one point the boys were given bows and arrows to dance with. Then the arrows were lit on fire and they shot them into the fire pit in the center (at least that was the idea. Only Sam’s arrow actually made it). So then we were dancing around a roaring fire, in the rain, in traditional aboriginal costumes. My only problem was that it went on forever. And I didn’t understand a word that was being said. My attention started to wander and I was actually relieved when it ended.
There were no more planned activities after the dancing, but we planned our own. Yaba kept offering Sam alcohol (and only Sam) but he didn’t want to drink alone, so we all stayed sober. We played modified pictionary/charades. When we ran out of clues for the game, we switched to Truth or Dare, which degenerated into just Dare. It was really funny. At around midnight we headed to bed and were up in the morning for breakfast at 8. We were the first ones there and everyone else started staggering in around 8:20 or so. After breakfast we had to pack up our stuff, clear out our rooms and get ready to go on a hike.
Because of the rain the night before, we had to wear rubber boots and helmets. For a hike in the mountains. I was glad for the boots, but the helmet was a little ridiculous. For the first half of the hike, our group was at the front of the line directly behind one of the guides. It was a good pace. Not fast enough to make me out of breath, but constantly moving. So we get to the halfway point and wait for the rest of the group to catch up. We waited for about 5 minutes and the guide hollered back to the end guide and there was no response. So he had to go back and get them. It took 20 minutes for the rest of the group to catch us. Then they decided that we were going too fast, so we had to go at the end. This is the leg of the hike that most of the pictures came from because I’d walk 3 steps and wait for 10 minutes to walk 3 more steps. Luckily the view was amazing, because otherwise I’d have been really bored.
After the hike, I took a cold shower in one of the public bathrooms (because we’d already checked out of our rooms) and changed into my dress from Saturday. Then we had lunch, took a couple of pictures with Yaba and started the trip home. Anticipating another rocky train ride, I took a Gravol before we left. We missed the train, so we had to take a bus instead. It was
actually shorter than the train ride. In spite of being super sleepy from the Gravol, I couldn’t sleep on the bus. When we got out to catch the other bus from Chiang yi we stopped for dinner at a "famous" turkey rice restaurant. It was good (and cheap). Then we caught the luxury bus for the rest of the trip home. I made it in at about 12, but because I fell asleep on the lux-bus, I couldn’t get to sleep for ages.
All of my pics from this trip will be in an album called Ali Shan. But I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to post them, yet. There are a lot.
Mon Sept 3
Today was a long day. I am so sore and tired from the weekend. I have bruises on top of bruises on top of sore muscles. It’s a good kind of sore, though. Trouble is, I had no patience for the kids. And there were 3 more new ones. So I’m up to 15 three year olds, who don’t speak English. I think it would be easier to herd cats. They seem like mostly good kids. There aren’t really any trouble makers, although there are a couple space cases. And one undid my pants today. Memo to self; avoid drawstrings in the future.
To make my day even better, I couldn’t get my ARC (Alien Residence Card). Technically, I was supposed to get it on Friday, but it wasn’t ready. So I go to the office on my lunch break and it’s still not ready. And, they have no idea when it will be ready.
At the end of my lunch, I had a meeting in the main office and they want me to teach an adult class. Which I’m fine with. It’s only 6 hours a week and it’ll be nice to have a little extra cash. What I’m not ok with is the fact that it starts tomorrow! But I can hear my bed calling me and I can no longer resist.
Tues Sept 4th
Today was much better than yesterday. I had more sleep. My body wasn’t as sore. My kids were not possessed by satan. And I taught my first adult class. It was a little awkward at first. Their English is good, but not great. I’m really glad I’m actually getting to teach grammar now. We covered possessive pronouns and ‘s or s’. It was all very exciting. And my students think I’m crazy for liking baseball, because it is a man’s sport and I am a girl (their words, not mine).
My kids were really good today, mostly. We’re at the point, though, where I am constantly getting molested. They maul me every chance they get. And if one of them is sitting in my lap, they all want to. It’s cute up to a point, and then it just hurts. Somehow they keep hitting my bruises from the weekend, so I’m not healing at all. But I love that they love me, and wouldn’t change it for the world.
Had dinner at the veggie buffet with K and D. Didn’t really have time for any fun shenanigans, what with prepping a lesson and all. Did manage to get a load of laundry thrown in, though. Ah the excitement of living abroad.
Thurs Sept 6th
Pay Day!!!! Gotta love getting paid. Especially when it’s in cash. It’s just for this pay period, because I need my ARC to open a bank account and it’s still not ready. Hopefully it’ll be there when I go tomorrow.
Taught my second class tonight. It went well. I did get asked to slow down my speaking a little. Which makes sense, except that I thought I was speaking slowly. It seems like a good group, though. And they don’t seem to be afraid of me, which is nice.
Speaking of being afraid, my kids were super funny today. My roommate Thaddaeus came to see me at play time and the kids were terrified of him. And it’s understandable cuz he’s a big guy. He’s, like 6'5 and played football in college. And he’s black. He’s an absolute sweetheart, though. But they wouldn't go anywhere near him. Even when he sat down. The closest they came was when I was holding them, then a couple of them said hello.
So it’s starting to cool down a little. Last night it was actually cool enough for me to go to sleep with my window open, instead of in the AC. Of course, I’m a moron and didn’t think to close the screen, so now I am covered in mosquito bites. I itch so much. Last night it was so bad that I woke up just before 3am and had to spray myself with Off and pop a Benadryl before I could sleep again. Needless to say I am exhausted.
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