Today was Sports Day, and it was a huge deal. They started with the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new building, and performances by the students.
The school, all decked out
By the way, those pretty red lanterns (that I love) look delicate, but it was slightly windy today, and one came crashing down into the courtyard. Luckily, nobody was underneath of it, or somebody would have taken an ambulance ride.
I've been to some cringe-worthy 5th and 6th grade band concerts, this was not one. They could have been professionals, I didn't hear one missed note.
They danced to "Sway," and then a pair of fifth graders did a duet that would put DWTS to shame.
Some local High School students performed a dragon dance, it was stunning.
The dragon dance was amazing. These were High School Students. I thought of Candice McMath and her puppets a lot. These kids were so good, there were moments when you forgot that it was cloth and metal, and it became a living, breathing, animal.
Ribbon cutting ceremony
Unveiling the sign
These were 4th-6th graders, and unbelievably talented.
Then the actual field day started, and I watched the kids race for awhile. It was funny to watch their faces, some of them were having the time of their lives, and some of them were just concentrating on winning.
Warming up
Action shot
After lunch, they did relays. Yesterday, I foolishly agreed to be part of the teacher vs. parent relay race. It wasn't too bad, except all the teachers were worried because it rained during lunch and the track was wet. I saw lots of kids fall, and a some adults. Surprisingly, I was one of the few adults who didn't fall on the track.
Afterwards, I went to dinner at a local place. It wasn't too bad, I tried almost everything. I didn't like some of it, but at least I tried. I did try quail eggs, and they didn't taste any differently than regular eggs. Except they're about 1/4 of the size. I always just eat what I can, and remember that if I don't like the food, I keep a stash of peanut butter, bread and Pringles in my apartment.
Today marks four months that I've been here. Four months, 18 weeks, 114 days. And I've taught 16 weeks of school. It seems longer than that, though.Did I say that in November? It doesn't seem so much like a foreign country anymore. My Chinese comprehension has improved quite a bit, although I've given up on trying to speak it. This morning I had a conversation with my co-teachers, and I tried to relay a message to them. It started with confusion about the words for "data" and "binder" and ended with them telling me I should stick to English, lol. Tomorrow is sports day, a field day for the entire school and their parents. The school is totally decked out, it looks awesome, and the kids have been practicing for a week. Somehow I got talked into participating in a relay race. I haven't actually ran in 15+ years, so this should be very entertaining. For them. Actually, I ran yesterday because I almost missed my train to Zhunan. But I don't think that counts.
It's hard to believe that Christmas is less than two weeks today. I finally got my last gift in the mail, and all my cards sent out, hopefully they'll get there on time. Sorry if I didn't send you a card, they're somewhat hard to find, and they all have to be sent by airmail, which gets a bit expensive.
So what have I done since November 12? Visited a TV/recording studio, had Taiwanese food for Thanksgiving, and went to a place in that mountains that was so beautiful it was almost spiritual. I had to upload the video to YouTube to share it here.
I finally walked on the beach, too.
No earthquakes, typhoons, or other natural disasters. That's a good thing :)
I have plans this weekend that should be fun, I'll be sure to post pictures.
Hello, my name is Jingling, and I'm hijacking this blog.
My English name is Leroy, I arrived in Taiwan on Friday, after a very long journey . I realized quickly I shouldn't have packed all my wool I suits, as it is still warm here, 75 degrees and sunny. I plan to have some fun with the students, and get to know the area.
Today I tagged along with Allison, Linda, and Thomas when they went Christmas shopping, and I noticed there isn't a whole lot of Christmas celebrating around here, There are good and bad sides to this. The decorations didn't start popping up until a week or two ago, which means that nobody is sick of Christmas carols that have been playing since mid-October, or those awful cinnamon pine cones that they put in front of every single store in the US. Since there's no TV here, no Christmas commercials. I get to spend a whole year without listening to the Chrysler choir sing about buying new cars. Hallelujah. There are a few Christmas trees up, like this one in front of FE 21 in Hsinchu:
I know though, that Allison missed Home for the Holidays, and decorating. And when she was listening to music on the train, Silent Night came on, and she told me she was really going to miss the candlelight service at church. Maybe next year. There are a few Christmas parties coming up, and we may go to Taipei for New Years, I'm really excited about that!
Yesterday Tara, Linda, Peggy and I finally made it to the Tongxiao beach. So far, I've put my feet in the following major bodies of water:
The Atlantic Ocean
The Pacific Ocean
Lake Erie
The Mediterranean Sea
Now I can add The Strait of Taiwan/South China sea to that list.
It was a little chilly, I will admit, but still awesome to be on the beach in December. I will definitely go back.
Started off spending Friday evening at Peggy's, dinner was Thanksgiving leftovers with Peggy and Tara. Then Peggy and I got up early Saturday morning, and her co-worker, Delia (don't call her Dee!) picked Thomas up in Miaoli and picked us up in Sanyi at 7:30. We drove a few hours, making stops for breakfast and coffee.
We arrived at Cingjing at around 10.
Some of the words we used to describe this place were:
Breathtaking
Awesome
Gorgeous
Indescribable
Peggy and Thomas and I started with a tour of Cingjing Farm, with lunch and a sheep show. It was so beautiful, we walked around for a long time, taking hundreds of pictures.
From the hotel
Currency on the beams in the lobby
Peggy and Thomas, my travel buddies
Where we had lunch
Sunset, from the restaurant at the hotel
Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast at the hotel, and then walked around a little more. We left around 12:30, and Delia took us to lunch with two of her friends.
Typical Taiwanese family-style lunch. Notice the chicken on the left, it comes whole, feet included.
We stopped at a suspension bridge on the way back.
