Sun. Mar. 23
Taroko was spectacular. The whole day was just great, even if it started super early. At 4 a.m. I woke up itching all over. A mosquito had gotten into my room and had a feast. I counted 12 bites on my arms and face (everything else was under the covers). I finally had to apply bug spray and pull the covers up over my head to get back to sleep. But after that everything was gravy.
We met at the MRT at 7 and then caught a train from Taipei Main. The trip was about 3 hours, but it passed fairly quickly. The scenery on the way to Hualien was beautiful, as long as we weren’t in the cities. I forgot my gravol, so I had to just close my eyes whenever there were too many things passing too close to the train.
In Hualien we caught the tour bus right outside the train station. The first stop we made was at the beach. The waves were spectacular, but because the drop off into deep water is so close to the shore there’s never any swimming. It did make the water look different colours though, which was really cool. There was also no sand. The entire beach was made up of different sized rocks, worn smooth by the water. I picked up a couple that I think will look fabulous on a chain.
From the beach we went to a fishery museum. It smelled horrible. They actually had a little factory where they dried the fish, right there. There was a store where they sold fish products too. My favourite things were the aquariums where they actually had live tropical fish. I saw a seahorse. There were a bunch of different kinds of clown fish and some really cool phosphorescent fish that looked like they were under a black light, even when they weren’t. And there was one big aquarium that had live coral and sea anemones with all of the fish. It was super cool.
We had lunch at the museum. Or, more accurately, everyone else had fish lunch at the museum and I had a peanut butter sandwich when we got back to the bus. From the museum it was about a 20 minute drive to get to Taroko National Park, which is the home of the gorge. The bus drove us into the park and stopped often so that we could get out and take pictures. There were entire sections where we got dropped off and got to walk along the gorge to meet the bus farther along. Of course, being so in awe of the scenery, we were usually the last ones back to the bus. A couple of times we even had to run, because we didn’t want to annoy the driver, by being too late.
We spent about 2 and a half hours making our way through the gorge and there’s not much I can write about it. I could try to describe the magnificence of the scenery and the way you get completely dwarfed by the mountains, but I wouldn’t be able to do it justice. It’s one of those places where a picture is really worth 1000 words. And I took about 200 pics. Luckily Adrienne and Emily both had their cameras, too, because my batteries died right at the end. And we each have a ton of pics of each other. Adrienne even took some video. We’re going to put the pics from all 3 cameras onto discs for each of us.
It was just a super fun day. We were so exhausted by the end, that we fell asleep on the train home, even though it was only 6pm. I was supposed to go out last night, but I didn’t make it. I read a little and then watched Leeches again, probably for the last time.
Because I was in bed so early, I woke up really early this morning. It was ok, cuz I was supposed to have a lunch date with Emily, but it was cancelled because of rain. I’m kind of hoping that our tennis lesson tonight will be called due to rain as well. I just feel like being lazy today. I just finished reading The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammet. I quite enjoyed it, although I had to put my inner 1930's slang translator to good use.
Mon Mar 24th
Today was such an awesome Monday. It started with a phone call home to wish the baby bro happy birthday. We chatted about random things, but mostly it was just good to talk to him. I was also up and awake quite early, so I got to take my time getting ready. I love that.
School was actually pretty good. The chick from head office wasn’t there and the incompetent one doesn’t speak to us, so we pretty much had free rein. We started a new unit which has millions of nouns for vocab, so it’s really easy to teach. I’ve already finished my lesson plans for the rest of this week. And my replacement is currently in training - at another school - but will apparently be at our school sometime next week. I suppose that’s good, since next Thurs is my last day. First thing in the morning one of my students told me that he loves me. In English. That’s huge, because I haven’t taught them that. It was also really cute.
At lunch Sam and I watched the first hour of Order of the Phoenix, which he seemed to enjoy, in spite of never seeing any of the other movies. We’re going to finish it at lunch tomorrow. And after work, I played tennis with Emily. Not a lesson, just practice, but I needed it.
Tomorrow should be good as well. I’m determined to be optimistic, cuz I officially have 8 days of work left (not counting the weekend, cuz I don’t work then).
Wed. Mar 26th
So yesterday, my student who knows "I love you" in English upped the cute factor. He told me he loves me and when I said "I love you, too" he said, "I love you three." It was just too precious. How am I supposed to leave that behind?
I found out more about my replacement. He will definitely be at the school next Monday to observe me. On Wed he starts teaching for himself, with me there to help, if he needs it. I’m a little concerned, cuz he doesn’t want to teach kids. He was originally hire in the adult department and he's just here for the money. I’m afraid that he won’t play with my kids, or know how to handle them. And they need to be handled, otherwise they’ll chew him up and spit him out.
As of today I officially have 5 days of teaching and 7 days of work left. And then the party starts.
My day at work went really well. We went to the park in the afternoon. It is such a workout for me. When I wasn’t lifting children onto the jungle gym, I was chasing them (or being chased) around. And, yes, I did actually run. It was super fun, though.
After work, I read a new e-book. Since it was T’s birthday, we all went to Friday’s when they got off work, for dinner. It was a good time, but kinda late for me.
That’s nothing compared to tonight, though. We’re supposed to be going to Luxy, which is this really posh club. We’re going mid-week, because it’s ladies night, and I will get in for free. Free rocks.
Also, I've added a new album. These are the pics from my Taroko trip. Some are from Adrienne's camera, some from Emily's and some from mine. Mostly it's just shot after shot of spectacular scenery (and the three of us, of course). Enjoy.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Lots of New Pics
Okay guys. I've added a super long post and also a ton of new pics. There's a bunch of new stuff in the Random Stuff and Taipei Zoo albums. There are also completely new albums called Temples and Old Stuff and Kaoshung.
So Much Time and so Little to Do
Sat. Feb 9th
This week is Chinese New Year. It has been loud. But time off work is always nice. Even if the people around you keep changing plans and being all coupley. It would be even better if I could see the sun. Just once. Just one day without a constant drizzling rain is all I’m asking. I’m so sick of being cooped up. Even when we go out, we find a restaurant (or yesterday it was a mall) and stay cooped up there.
Work last week sucked. Every time I’m away, even for the weekend, I think "sure, I can last the next six months". But then I go back in there and I’m ready to walk out any minute. I really do love my kids though. And I like my co-teacher. I’m afraid that if I leave, the incompetent one will come down on her.
We get another little holiday on the 28th and since Scuba fell through for this week, I’m trying to see if I can go that weekend. At least I’ll get something out of this, right?
I met Katy around 3 and we went to the Fine Arts Museum. It was cool. There was this exhibit of the paintings and poetry of a German poet, called Gunter Glass. There were some super cool things. There were also some disturbing things. But each painting included the words of the poem that it represented, in German, of course. There were translations underneath.
There was also an exhibit of surrealist art. I really don’t like it. I much prefer the impressionistic stuff. But it wasn’t all true surrealism, so there was some stuff that wasn’t too bad.
Afterward, we went to 101 for dinner and some window shopping. Then home. We ran into Thaddaeus and Patrice on the MRT. It was kinda funny.
Wed Feb 13th
Today seemed so long. It was supposed to be a half day, but I’ve agreed to sub a bunch of classes, so I spent from 2-4 teaching and then from 4-6 prepping for the classes that I’ll teach on Fri. Nothing like coming back from vacation to work an extra 8 hours in 4 days.
Work hasn’t been too bad. It’s not any better, but it hasn’t gotten worse. And I thought I was losing one of my favourite students for this semester, but apparently not. He’s been there both days this week. I also got a new student, who’s still a little terrified of me, cuz I’m foreign. But my kids are so cute and they were so excited to see me after the break. How could I leave them?
I found out that I’m not going scuba diving. There are no classes the weekend that I want to go. I am going down to Kaoshung (pronounced Gao-shung) with Katy on Saturday. It’ll be my first time south of the Tropic of Cancer. It’s quite exciting. Of course, it’s also exciting that it’s warm down there. No month long rain in the south.
Sun Feb 17th
I have a sunburn!! I’ve never been so excited to be sunburnt in my life. Of course, when I got up to catch the train yesterday morning, the sun was shining in Taipei, too. But at least it was warmer in Kaoshung. I felt bad, though, because with the nice weather I would’ve had a tennis lesson, but I was expecting rain when I planned the trip. It worked out, though, cuz we’re going to have the lesson tonight.
To get to Kaoshung, we took the highspeed train, so at one point on the way there we were traveling at 290 km/hour. It was even better on the way home, because we got up to 299km. It was super neat and I didn’t even feel sick. The train station is actually in a suburb of Gaoshung right near a place called Lotus Lake.
We walked around the lake, which in itself was kinda disappointing, cuz it’s been drained for a big construction project. There are a bunch of temples all around the lake, though, so we went and looked at them all. It was really cool because they’re all different. The pics are pretty great. One of the temples had 2 towers that rose about 5 stories, so I went to the top of one and Katherine went to the top of the other and took my picture. It was fun, cuz we were yelling back and forth between the tops of the towers. And for lunch we ate in the café that was inside the Confusionist temple. I had crispy water caltrops (which actually means deep fried water chestnuts). They were pretty good.
After our temple tour we went into Kaoshung proper and the first thing we did was check out another temple. This one was called SenFeng (which means 3 Pheonix). It was pretty much your basic temple, but they still had all of their Chinese New Year decorations up, so it was kinda cool. If you had never seen another temple before, it would’ve been really impressive.
Then we went up to the Love River. We wandered up the river for a while. We decided not to take the boat tour because it was a little boat and the wind was strong and I didn’t want to chance getting sick. So we made our way back down the path, where we found a huge Lantern Festival display. We wandered by the river looking at all of the different lanterns. They were really awesome. There were all sorts of different ones, some were cartoon characters, one was a really cool dragon and one was the baseball player, Wang. And these things were huge. The one of Wang was actually lifesized.
We had dinner at a restaurant called Easy House (which is a chain and I love the one here in Banciao). When we came out, it was dark and the river was all lit up. The paths along both banks were strung with lights and there were lights in the trees. Even the bridge was lit up. I took a picture of it as we walked back to catch the bus. The rest of the day was just transport to get home.
Since it was only 10pm when we got back, we met Jason for a drink at 0204. The downstairs was crowded, but we got our regular table upstairs and it was nice. It was funny, though, cuz another group of foreigners came in and when they didn’t sit with us the waitress was really confused. She looked at me and said "not together?" I told her we weren’t and she was even more confused. I get it though. All the foreigners are supposed to know each other and hang out.
As for the rest of my week, I worked a lot. I subbed 8 hours worth of kids classes. It’ll be nice come payday, but I’m getting sick and could use some rest. The only night I didn’t sub, Katherine and I went into Taipei, to 101. There’s a new cheap video store. So I bought 3 movies for the equivalent of about $3. We grabbed dinner there as well and then came home. I’ve been so busy, though, that I haven’t had a chance to watch any of the movies. I’m only subbing 1 more class this week and then I should have time to relax and catch up on my videos.
My school has been pretty much the same old thing. Sam’s still away, but Corrie’s back from her Chinese New Year trip. Everything seems to be settling into a holding pattern and I’m not sure if that’s good or not. Nothing’s really terrible, but it’s not good either. I do love my kids, and I’ll stick things out as long as possible for their sakes. My new student is less afraid of me now, but he’s still not quite with the whole "school thing" yet. Oh well, it’s only been 4 days. He’ll come around.
Sat Feb 23
So this week.... I don’t even know where to start. Work is all bollocks. Everything’s crazy, nothing’s getting better, and a few things have gotten worse. I got another new student on Monday who is being coddled and catered to more than anything I’ve ever seen before. On Tuesday his mother was still at the school at 10:30 cuddling and placating him while he cried. Thursday he was allowed to sit at the desk and look at books and I don’t know what else. He didn’t even make it into the classroom until after nap time. And even then my assistant has been designated his personal caretaker. If he didn’t like something, she had to find something to placate him. And did I mention that he’s a giant? Literally, he’s bigger than most of the kids in Hippo class (which are the oldest in the school). I think he weighs as much as my CT. He’s also way more developed (mentally and socially) than any of the kids in my class (and I can assure you, this has not come from anything his mother is doing).
On top of all of this, Katherine’s going home in 2 weeks, so her replacement’s been around. And she didn’t even realize that the incompetent one was the director until a few days ago. I feel bad, cuz I don’t want to scare her away, but I want to be honest. And she keeps asking me all of these questions... so far, I’ve been telling her the nicest version of the truth that I can.
I’ve also been sick, which doesn’t help. Being sick makes work harder, and the stress of work is making me more sick. I can’t stand it. And it’s not just me. My CT and assistant are both sick as well. In spite of being sick, I have managed to do some more touristy things. With my departure date uncertain, I’m trying to do all of the things that I haven’t done yet.
Jumper was the movie of the week. We went to see it on Tues. It was pretty good, lots of explosions, but the story was a little thin. Hayden Christianson did a better job than anticipated, though.
On Wed, Katherine and I went up to the top of Taipei 101. It’s 400m tall, which is about 1000ft. It was really cool. Because of the rain, visibility sucked. But we could still see all of the little ant-like people. One observation deck is inside and made up of all windows, but the other one (one floor up) is outside. Of course there are these huge bars and a chest high concrete wall to stop anyone from getting any ideas.
We spent the afternoon having tea, while we waited for dark. It was the first night of the Lantern Festival at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. Some of the lanterns were spectacular. We spent way more time looking at them then at the ones in Kaoshung. They were also way more impressive. I took pics of the most impressive. Because it was the first nights, there was also a laser display and fireworks. But one thing I’ve learned about being here, they love any excuse for fireworks. And at least if there are lights, I don’t mind the noise.
The firecrackers around the apartment are still driving me crazy. I’ll be so glad when Feb is over and I can finally have a decent, uninterrupted night’s sleep.
Sun Feb 24th
E books are a dangerous invention. Here I am, all alone and not feeling well, with an entire day to kill. So what do I do? Fire up the internet and then buy and read 3 books. All without leaving the comfort of my bed. I keep justifying it by telling myself that the more books on my computer, the fewer I’ll have to carry with me when I travel. But this little habit could get expensive.
Sun Mar 2nd
I’m so glad it’s March. Feb was quite possibly the worst month ever at work and that carried through to everything else. But everything fresh and new for a new month. A new month also means one month closer to going home. 5 more months at the absolute most until I am home again. Which probably means it’ll be about 6 months from now when I’m ready to leave home again. (Not likely).
I haven’t really been up to much this week. I’ve worked my way through about 6 chick-lit novels that I bought (for cheap) online, plus 1 and a half Jane Austin novels. Thursday was a blessed, blessed holiday, so Katy and I went out on Wed night. We tried to go to the Monkey, but there was a private party, so we went to Friday’s instead. Same thing happened last night. Both times I consoled myself with the biggest ice creamiest mudslide imaginable. It was spectacular.
Friday night we went to see 27 Dresses. It was superb. I loved it. It’s the best romantic comedy that I’ve seen in ages, bar none. There’s even a scene where they sing Bennie and the Jets (and argue about the lyrics) and then dance on the bar while they’re singing. Superb!
I’ve also been little miss fitness this week. I finally located the stadium near my apartment, so I tried to go running. Of course, my body had other ideas and due to the pain in my joints, I just walked, but still - exercise. And I had tennis lessons last night and tonight. I’m so tired.
Thurs Mar 6th
Well, I’ve decided. I quit. I’m going to book a flight for Mar 31st and have my last day of work on Mar 28th. I just thought about the pros and cons and there’s nothing worth staying for. I love my kids, but the incompetent one is making it impossible for me to do my job.
Sam is back at school, so that makes things a little easier to deal with. I didn’t realize how much I missed his sense of humour until he came back. His friend from home is here, too. Another Mac grad. It’s so weird. They both came to Katherine’s going away dinner on Monday. Sandy was there, too. Which was fine, because the incompetent one wasn’t invited. She really has succeeded in completely uniting the staff. Of course, it’s because we all have a common enemy, but still.
That was the party that the Chinese teachers organised (just for the preschool staff). Saturday is the one with all of the upstairs foreigner staff. It should be fun. We’ll be at the Monkey, which is always a good time. And everyone is going to be there. They’ve even R.S.V.P’d, which for this group is amazing.
What else is going on....? Not much. Bought an Australian travel guide, which I’ve been reading. I’ve been gathering info about Thailand, too. I’m so mentally checked out of here already. Oh, I did buy a new pair of contacts. They were supposed to be brown, but they were really just hazel. They changed my eye colour a little. You had to look really, really closely to see though. And, the coloured part actually interfered with my vision. It was like having a cloud in front of my eyes. Totally not worth it. Luckily, they were cheap though.
Sun Mar 9th
Well I gave my notice at work. I feel a little bad. Emily and Stephanie are really upset that I’m leaving. I half expected it from Emily, but Stephanie caught me by surprise. Due to a stupid clause in my contract, though, I have to stay an extra week. So I’ll do it, but I’m gonna skip the Thailand part of my trip. I’m so sick of Asia, I just want to be somewhere where I can speak English and not have to worry about being understood.
Last night was Katy’s going away party at the Monkey. It was crazy. Everyone invited showed up and then some. It was a really good time. Then Sam and his roommates were going to a club called China White and Emily and her roommates, T, a couple of new guys, Michelle, Ty and I met them there. It was fun. They had 2 for 1 tequila shots every hour and Sam got me SO drunk. But the dancing was awesome, in spite of rotten music (I think the tequila helped). It was just a really great night, until the puking. And of course, because I drank tequila it was followed by the hangover to end all hangovers. I still feel like crap and it’s 10pm. But it was worth it.
Friday night I watched The Bucket List (so sad) and Cars (finally) with Sam and his friend Amir, from home, at my place. Then I met Emily to practice our tennis. And of course on the way to the court it started to rain. We tried to play for a little bit, but it was too wet and slippery. So then I came home and watched Titan A.E. with Jason. I love that movie.
Thurs Mar 13th
This week has been busy. Work is pretty much the same. They did talk to me and try to make me change my mind. And it worked... NOT. I am so outta here come April 7th. Sam’s teaching me how to play pool. Like more than ‘aim for the ball and shoot’. I’m actually getting pretty good. I’m even getting to the point where I can leave the cue ball where I want it after a shot.
I also spent a lot of time with Katy this week, cuz it was her last one. Her flight left today. We just did dinner and went for walks. Last night we went out to dinner with everyone else at Swenson’s. I also played counselor (as I do) and listened to all of her travel related neuroses. But in 12 hours she will be at home and travel worries will be a thing of the past. Also, before she left, Katherine gave us all the rest of her movies. There are literally over a hundred and most of them seem good. So, I’ll have plenty to occupy my last few weeks here and I’ll be able to save some money.
Also, on Sunday I’m going bunjy jumping (off of a bridge) with Sam and Emily and some of his friends from home. And it’s going to happen this time, because I was there when he made the reservation. We’ve even set a meeting time and place. I’m so excited. And after jumping we’re going to an amusement park in Taijong.
Fri. Mar 14th
I bought my ticket!!! And my first night’s accommodation in Brisbane. I’m getting super excited. I officially only have 3 weeks left of work, too. Packing’s going to be crazy and I still don’t know how I’m going to get my luggage home, but these are all problems I’m thrilled to be facing.
Emily is so cute. She seems to have taken it upon herself to show me all of Taiwan before I leave. We have a tennis lesson tomorrow. Then Sunday we’re going to Taijong (which is actually an all day thing, so it throws off the bunjy plan). It’s ok, though cuz Sam’s supposed to go too, so he’s trying to change the jump to Saturday. Next weekend we’re going to Hualien to see the city and Turoko gorge. It’s all very exciting.
Tonight I’m subbing for Jackie. This is my last kids class. I’m not subbing anything in the next 3 weeks. Unless there’s an emergency, but I don’t think there will be.
Tues Mar 18th
Well, thanks to a lovely little bout of the stomach flu, I didn’t get to go to the amusement park or bunjy jumping. I barely made it through my tennis lesson Saturday night. I won’t go into details, but let’s just say that the rest of the evening wasn’t pleasant and that I was in no shape to meet Emily at 6:45am. I still felt like crap yesterday, but luckily I had already agreed to switch my half day, so I got to come home at 11:30.
I managed to do some packing on Saturday, before I got sick. So I’m making progress there. And I’ve watched about a million movies over the last couple of days (thank you Katy). Some were good, others not so much. I still love Sky Captain, and Hitchcock is always entertaining.
I feel much better this morning, although I’m still a little queasy. There’s also a supreme thunderstorm happening right now. I can hear the rain pounding and the lightning is so bright. Looks like there’ll be no park today, which is good for me. Moving around always unsettles my tummy. I feel bad for everyone who has to come a long way to work, though. It’s nasty out there.
Wed Mar. 19th
Yesterday was some high drama in the preschool and also Diana’s birthday. So even though I had felt better, by the end of the night I was right back at square one. First, I found out that the incompetent one has told my partner not to tell the parents that I’m leaving. I don’t know what she thinks this will accomplish, but she’s just going to end up with a lot of pissed off parents on her hands. Also, she had one of the new teachers from the adult department come down yesterday afternoon to "get a feeling for the preschool". She says she has no intention of making him a new full time teacher, but why else would she bring him. She can’t go poaching from other departments like that, either. That is just a good way to get bad blood all around. Soon it won’t just be her staff that’s fed up with her.
For Di’s birthday, we went to this bar called Bravo. It was ok, but we didn’t get there until nearly 10 and then it took forever for our drinks to arrive. I’m glad I only ordered a ginger ale. As it was, I didn’t even finish it. It was 11 by the time I got home and into bed.
Today everyone else had a half day, but I have to work the whole thing. It’s really weird being there when no other foreigners are. Also, head office is trying to screw me out of rent money. I’m really annoyed. And I’m stupid, because I didn’t save my rent receipts. So at 4, I have to go upstairs to deal with our accountant and head office’s accountant to see if I can straighten everything out.
I plan to spend this evening sitting on my behind watching movies. And possibly sleeping. I can’t believe I still have 2 more entire days this week.
Thurs Mar 20th
So, last night Di and I watched "Gone With the Wind". It is so freakin’ long. I can’t believe I sat through four hours for "After all, tomorrow is another day." Before that, we watched Sniper 3. And yes, it was as good as it sounds. Meaning, not very.
Today, work started ok. We had a meeting this afternoon and things are not getting better. They do seem to be making some effort, though. They brought in this guy who is the trainer at another school to go through the new unit with us. He seemed nice enough, but it’s a little ridiculous to bring someone in for only 2 hours.
I’m trying to get the rest of my stuff in order before I go. I went to the tax office today and I got my paperwork for my last pay. I just need to finish getting my rent sorted out and then all of my finances are complete. I’m really excited.
This week is Chinese New Year. It has been loud. But time off work is always nice. Even if the people around you keep changing plans and being all coupley. It would be even better if I could see the sun. Just once. Just one day without a constant drizzling rain is all I’m asking. I’m so sick of being cooped up. Even when we go out, we find a restaurant (or yesterday it was a mall) and stay cooped up there.
Work last week sucked. Every time I’m away, even for the weekend, I think "sure, I can last the next six months". But then I go back in there and I’m ready to walk out any minute. I really do love my kids though. And I like my co-teacher. I’m afraid that if I leave, the incompetent one will come down on her.
We get another little holiday on the 28th and since Scuba fell through for this week, I’m trying to see if I can go that weekend. At least I’ll get something out of this, right?
I met Katy around 3 and we went to the Fine Arts Museum. It was cool. There was this exhibit of the paintings and poetry of a German poet, called Gunter Glass. There were some super cool things. There were also some disturbing things. But each painting included the words of the poem that it represented, in German, of course. There were translations underneath.
There was also an exhibit of surrealist art. I really don’t like it. I much prefer the impressionistic stuff. But it wasn’t all true surrealism, so there was some stuff that wasn’t too bad.
Afterward, we went to 101 for dinner and some window shopping. Then home. We ran into Thaddaeus and Patrice on the MRT. It was kinda funny.
Wed Feb 13th
Today seemed so long. It was supposed to be a half day, but I’ve agreed to sub a bunch of classes, so I spent from 2-4 teaching and then from 4-6 prepping for the classes that I’ll teach on Fri. Nothing like coming back from vacation to work an extra 8 hours in 4 days.
Work hasn’t been too bad. It’s not any better, but it hasn’t gotten worse. And I thought I was losing one of my favourite students for this semester, but apparently not. He’s been there both days this week. I also got a new student, who’s still a little terrified of me, cuz I’m foreign. But my kids are so cute and they were so excited to see me after the break. How could I leave them?
I found out that I’m not going scuba diving. There are no classes the weekend that I want to go. I am going down to Kaoshung (pronounced Gao-shung) with Katy on Saturday. It’ll be my first time south of the Tropic of Cancer. It’s quite exciting. Of course, it’s also exciting that it’s warm down there. No month long rain in the south.
Sun Feb 17th
I have a sunburn!! I’ve never been so excited to be sunburnt in my life. Of course, when I got up to catch the train yesterday morning, the sun was shining in Taipei, too. But at least it was warmer in Kaoshung. I felt bad, though, because with the nice weather I would’ve had a tennis lesson, but I was expecting rain when I planned the trip. It worked out, though, cuz we’re going to have the lesson tonight.
To get to Kaoshung, we took the highspeed train, so at one point on the way there we were traveling at 290 km/hour. It was even better on the way home, because we got up to 299km. It was super neat and I didn’t even feel sick. The train station is actually in a suburb of Gaoshung right near a place called Lotus Lake.
We walked around the lake, which in itself was kinda disappointing, cuz it’s been drained for a big construction project. There are a bunch of temples all around the lake, though, so we went and looked at them all. It was really cool because they’re all different. The pics are pretty great. One of the temples had 2 towers that rose about 5 stories, so I went to the top of one and Katherine went to the top of the other and took my picture. It was fun, cuz we were yelling back and forth between the tops of the towers. And for lunch we ate in the café that was inside the Confusionist temple. I had crispy water caltrops (which actually means deep fried water chestnuts). They were pretty good.
After our temple tour we went into Kaoshung proper and the first thing we did was check out another temple. This one was called SenFeng (which means 3 Pheonix). It was pretty much your basic temple, but they still had all of their Chinese New Year decorations up, so it was kinda cool. If you had never seen another temple before, it would’ve been really impressive.
Then we went up to the Love River. We wandered up the river for a while. We decided not to take the boat tour because it was a little boat and the wind was strong and I didn’t want to chance getting sick. So we made our way back down the path, where we found a huge Lantern Festival display. We wandered by the river looking at all of the different lanterns. They were really awesome. There were all sorts of different ones, some were cartoon characters, one was a really cool dragon and one was the baseball player, Wang. And these things were huge. The one of Wang was actually lifesized.
We had dinner at a restaurant called Easy House (which is a chain and I love the one here in Banciao). When we came out, it was dark and the river was all lit up. The paths along both banks were strung with lights and there were lights in the trees. Even the bridge was lit up. I took a picture of it as we walked back to catch the bus. The rest of the day was just transport to get home.
Since it was only 10pm when we got back, we met Jason for a drink at 0204. The downstairs was crowded, but we got our regular table upstairs and it was nice. It was funny, though, cuz another group of foreigners came in and when they didn’t sit with us the waitress was really confused. She looked at me and said "not together?" I told her we weren’t and she was even more confused. I get it though. All the foreigners are supposed to know each other and hang out.
As for the rest of my week, I worked a lot. I subbed 8 hours worth of kids classes. It’ll be nice come payday, but I’m getting sick and could use some rest. The only night I didn’t sub, Katherine and I went into Taipei, to 101. There’s a new cheap video store. So I bought 3 movies for the equivalent of about $3. We grabbed dinner there as well and then came home. I’ve been so busy, though, that I haven’t had a chance to watch any of the movies. I’m only subbing 1 more class this week and then I should have time to relax and catch up on my videos.
My school has been pretty much the same old thing. Sam’s still away, but Corrie’s back from her Chinese New Year trip. Everything seems to be settling into a holding pattern and I’m not sure if that’s good or not. Nothing’s really terrible, but it’s not good either. I do love my kids, and I’ll stick things out as long as possible for their sakes. My new student is less afraid of me now, but he’s still not quite with the whole "school thing" yet. Oh well, it’s only been 4 days. He’ll come around.
Sat Feb 23
So this week.... I don’t even know where to start. Work is all bollocks. Everything’s crazy, nothing’s getting better, and a few things have gotten worse. I got another new student on Monday who is being coddled and catered to more than anything I’ve ever seen before. On Tuesday his mother was still at the school at 10:30 cuddling and placating him while he cried. Thursday he was allowed to sit at the desk and look at books and I don’t know what else. He didn’t even make it into the classroom until after nap time. And even then my assistant has been designated his personal caretaker. If he didn’t like something, she had to find something to placate him. And did I mention that he’s a giant? Literally, he’s bigger than most of the kids in Hippo class (which are the oldest in the school). I think he weighs as much as my CT. He’s also way more developed (mentally and socially) than any of the kids in my class (and I can assure you, this has not come from anything his mother is doing).
On top of all of this, Katherine’s going home in 2 weeks, so her replacement’s been around. And she didn’t even realize that the incompetent one was the director until a few days ago. I feel bad, cuz I don’t want to scare her away, but I want to be honest. And she keeps asking me all of these questions... so far, I’ve been telling her the nicest version of the truth that I can.
I’ve also been sick, which doesn’t help. Being sick makes work harder, and the stress of work is making me more sick. I can’t stand it. And it’s not just me. My CT and assistant are both sick as well. In spite of being sick, I have managed to do some more touristy things. With my departure date uncertain, I’m trying to do all of the things that I haven’t done yet.
Jumper was the movie of the week. We went to see it on Tues. It was pretty good, lots of explosions, but the story was a little thin. Hayden Christianson did a better job than anticipated, though.
On Wed, Katherine and I went up to the top of Taipei 101. It’s 400m tall, which is about 1000ft. It was really cool. Because of the rain, visibility sucked. But we could still see all of the little ant-like people. One observation deck is inside and made up of all windows, but the other one (one floor up) is outside. Of course there are these huge bars and a chest high concrete wall to stop anyone from getting any ideas.
We spent the afternoon having tea, while we waited for dark. It was the first night of the Lantern Festival at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. Some of the lanterns were spectacular. We spent way more time looking at them then at the ones in Kaoshung. They were also way more impressive. I took pics of the most impressive. Because it was the first nights, there was also a laser display and fireworks. But one thing I’ve learned about being here, they love any excuse for fireworks. And at least if there are lights, I don’t mind the noise.
The firecrackers around the apartment are still driving me crazy. I’ll be so glad when Feb is over and I can finally have a decent, uninterrupted night’s sleep.
Sun Feb 24th
E books are a dangerous invention. Here I am, all alone and not feeling well, with an entire day to kill. So what do I do? Fire up the internet and then buy and read 3 books. All without leaving the comfort of my bed. I keep justifying it by telling myself that the more books on my computer, the fewer I’ll have to carry with me when I travel. But this little habit could get expensive.
Sun Mar 2nd
I’m so glad it’s March. Feb was quite possibly the worst month ever at work and that carried through to everything else. But everything fresh and new for a new month. A new month also means one month closer to going home. 5 more months at the absolute most until I am home again. Which probably means it’ll be about 6 months from now when I’m ready to leave home again. (Not likely).
I haven’t really been up to much this week. I’ve worked my way through about 6 chick-lit novels that I bought (for cheap) online, plus 1 and a half Jane Austin novels. Thursday was a blessed, blessed holiday, so Katy and I went out on Wed night. We tried to go to the Monkey, but there was a private party, so we went to Friday’s instead. Same thing happened last night. Both times I consoled myself with the biggest ice creamiest mudslide imaginable. It was spectacular.
Friday night we went to see 27 Dresses. It was superb. I loved it. It’s the best romantic comedy that I’ve seen in ages, bar none. There’s even a scene where they sing Bennie and the Jets (and argue about the lyrics) and then dance on the bar while they’re singing. Superb!
I’ve also been little miss fitness this week. I finally located the stadium near my apartment, so I tried to go running. Of course, my body had other ideas and due to the pain in my joints, I just walked, but still - exercise. And I had tennis lessons last night and tonight. I’m so tired.
Thurs Mar 6th
Well, I’ve decided. I quit. I’m going to book a flight for Mar 31st and have my last day of work on Mar 28th. I just thought about the pros and cons and there’s nothing worth staying for. I love my kids, but the incompetent one is making it impossible for me to do my job.
Sam is back at school, so that makes things a little easier to deal with. I didn’t realize how much I missed his sense of humour until he came back. His friend from home is here, too. Another Mac grad. It’s so weird. They both came to Katherine’s going away dinner on Monday. Sandy was there, too. Which was fine, because the incompetent one wasn’t invited. She really has succeeded in completely uniting the staff. Of course, it’s because we all have a common enemy, but still.
That was the party that the Chinese teachers organised (just for the preschool staff). Saturday is the one with all of the upstairs foreigner staff. It should be fun. We’ll be at the Monkey, which is always a good time. And everyone is going to be there. They’ve even R.S.V.P’d, which for this group is amazing.
What else is going on....? Not much. Bought an Australian travel guide, which I’ve been reading. I’ve been gathering info about Thailand, too. I’m so mentally checked out of here already. Oh, I did buy a new pair of contacts. They were supposed to be brown, but they were really just hazel. They changed my eye colour a little. You had to look really, really closely to see though. And, the coloured part actually interfered with my vision. It was like having a cloud in front of my eyes. Totally not worth it. Luckily, they were cheap though.
Sun Mar 9th
Well I gave my notice at work. I feel a little bad. Emily and Stephanie are really upset that I’m leaving. I half expected it from Emily, but Stephanie caught me by surprise. Due to a stupid clause in my contract, though, I have to stay an extra week. So I’ll do it, but I’m gonna skip the Thailand part of my trip. I’m so sick of Asia, I just want to be somewhere where I can speak English and not have to worry about being understood.
Last night was Katy’s going away party at the Monkey. It was crazy. Everyone invited showed up and then some. It was a really good time. Then Sam and his roommates were going to a club called China White and Emily and her roommates, T, a couple of new guys, Michelle, Ty and I met them there. It was fun. They had 2 for 1 tequila shots every hour and Sam got me SO drunk. But the dancing was awesome, in spite of rotten music (I think the tequila helped). It was just a really great night, until the puking. And of course, because I drank tequila it was followed by the hangover to end all hangovers. I still feel like crap and it’s 10pm. But it was worth it.
Friday night I watched The Bucket List (so sad) and Cars (finally) with Sam and his friend Amir, from home, at my place. Then I met Emily to practice our tennis. And of course on the way to the court it started to rain. We tried to play for a little bit, but it was too wet and slippery. So then I came home and watched Titan A.E. with Jason. I love that movie.
Thurs Mar 13th
This week has been busy. Work is pretty much the same. They did talk to me and try to make me change my mind. And it worked... NOT. I am so outta here come April 7th. Sam’s teaching me how to play pool. Like more than ‘aim for the ball and shoot’. I’m actually getting pretty good. I’m even getting to the point where I can leave the cue ball where I want it after a shot.
I also spent a lot of time with Katy this week, cuz it was her last one. Her flight left today. We just did dinner and went for walks. Last night we went out to dinner with everyone else at Swenson’s. I also played counselor (as I do) and listened to all of her travel related neuroses. But in 12 hours she will be at home and travel worries will be a thing of the past. Also, before she left, Katherine gave us all the rest of her movies. There are literally over a hundred and most of them seem good. So, I’ll have plenty to occupy my last few weeks here and I’ll be able to save some money.
Also, on Sunday I’m going bunjy jumping (off of a bridge) with Sam and Emily and some of his friends from home. And it’s going to happen this time, because I was there when he made the reservation. We’ve even set a meeting time and place. I’m so excited. And after jumping we’re going to an amusement park in Taijong.
Fri. Mar 14th
I bought my ticket!!! And my first night’s accommodation in Brisbane. I’m getting super excited. I officially only have 3 weeks left of work, too. Packing’s going to be crazy and I still don’t know how I’m going to get my luggage home, but these are all problems I’m thrilled to be facing.
Emily is so cute. She seems to have taken it upon herself to show me all of Taiwan before I leave. We have a tennis lesson tomorrow. Then Sunday we’re going to Taijong (which is actually an all day thing, so it throws off the bunjy plan). It’s ok, though cuz Sam’s supposed to go too, so he’s trying to change the jump to Saturday. Next weekend we’re going to Hualien to see the city and Turoko gorge. It’s all very exciting.
Tonight I’m subbing for Jackie. This is my last kids class. I’m not subbing anything in the next 3 weeks. Unless there’s an emergency, but I don’t think there will be.
Tues Mar 18th
Well, thanks to a lovely little bout of the stomach flu, I didn’t get to go to the amusement park or bunjy jumping. I barely made it through my tennis lesson Saturday night. I won’t go into details, but let’s just say that the rest of the evening wasn’t pleasant and that I was in no shape to meet Emily at 6:45am. I still felt like crap yesterday, but luckily I had already agreed to switch my half day, so I got to come home at 11:30.
I managed to do some packing on Saturday, before I got sick. So I’m making progress there. And I’ve watched about a million movies over the last couple of days (thank you Katy). Some were good, others not so much. I still love Sky Captain, and Hitchcock is always entertaining.
I feel much better this morning, although I’m still a little queasy. There’s also a supreme thunderstorm happening right now. I can hear the rain pounding and the lightning is so bright. Looks like there’ll be no park today, which is good for me. Moving around always unsettles my tummy. I feel bad for everyone who has to come a long way to work, though. It’s nasty out there.
Wed Mar. 19th
Yesterday was some high drama in the preschool and also Diana’s birthday. So even though I had felt better, by the end of the night I was right back at square one. First, I found out that the incompetent one has told my partner not to tell the parents that I’m leaving. I don’t know what she thinks this will accomplish, but she’s just going to end up with a lot of pissed off parents on her hands. Also, she had one of the new teachers from the adult department come down yesterday afternoon to "get a feeling for the preschool". She says she has no intention of making him a new full time teacher, but why else would she bring him. She can’t go poaching from other departments like that, either. That is just a good way to get bad blood all around. Soon it won’t just be her staff that’s fed up with her.
For Di’s birthday, we went to this bar called Bravo. It was ok, but we didn’t get there until nearly 10 and then it took forever for our drinks to arrive. I’m glad I only ordered a ginger ale. As it was, I didn’t even finish it. It was 11 by the time I got home and into bed.
Today everyone else had a half day, but I have to work the whole thing. It’s really weird being there when no other foreigners are. Also, head office is trying to screw me out of rent money. I’m really annoyed. And I’m stupid, because I didn’t save my rent receipts. So at 4, I have to go upstairs to deal with our accountant and head office’s accountant to see if I can straighten everything out.
I plan to spend this evening sitting on my behind watching movies. And possibly sleeping. I can’t believe I still have 2 more entire days this week.
Thurs Mar 20th
So, last night Di and I watched "Gone With the Wind". It is so freakin’ long. I can’t believe I sat through four hours for "After all, tomorrow is another day." Before that, we watched Sniper 3. And yes, it was as good as it sounds. Meaning, not very.
Today, work started ok. We had a meeting this afternoon and things are not getting better. They do seem to be making some effort, though. They brought in this guy who is the trainer at another school to go through the new unit with us. He seemed nice enough, but it’s a little ridiculous to bring someone in for only 2 hours.
I’m trying to get the rest of my stuff in order before I go. I went to the tax office today and I got my paperwork for my last pay. I just need to finish getting my rent sorted out and then all of my finances are complete. I’m really excited.
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