My latest adventure

I've been in Sanxia for the last three days, at a teaching inservice.  Which wasn't that bad, actually.  I went up Wednesday morning, dragged my little pink suitcase (the new one!) through the streets of Tongxiao and boarded a train to Banqiao station.  I met up with the FET's from orientation in August, and some that weren't there, but were new teachers.  Day 1 was a little orientation and after lunch, the first three presentations.  We each had to put together a slide show about where we were teaching, and what our schools were like.  We stayed here:

National Academy for Educational Research

It was kind of funny, actually, I went from the train station, got on a bus, and got assigned a dorm room with a roommate.  I had to wear a lanyard and name tag all weekend.  We ate our meals at assigned tables, and had an itinerary set for the short time we would be there.  Deja Vu P2P people?

I had the first presentation on Day 2.  It went well.  I listened to 8 other presentations over the course of the training, and it was nice to share ideas and experiences.  A lot of us have the same frustrations and funny stories about adapting to the new culture.  After lunch, we took a field trip to an indigo dyeing museum.

We got to dye our own pieces of cloth, which was an interesting and smelly process.  I stole some of Ben Lu's pictures from FB.  There's a reason why he's called "picture Ben."

"Sharon, I think I'm gonna need more than two pairs of gloves."

My tablemates.  

Listening to a speech and a demonstration.  Notice Anita and Judy on the left.  They're fighting mosquitoes.  We all were at one point.

Thomas, Judy, Linda, and Jack.

It smelled as good as it looks.

Mine.  I should have put more chopsticks on it, it's too plain.

Then we had a chance to walk around Sanxia Old Street.  

A famous calligraphy shop.  Someone pointed out the giant brush on the side: "You could paint your house with that thing."

After returning to campus, we had dinner, and had a little KTV (for the record, I did not sing) in the dorm.  

Day 3 was the final presentations, and we had cake to celebrate Lina and Vivian's birthdays.  Another bus ride, then a train ride, and I'm back in Tongxiao.  Normally, it takes days to get unpacked, but it only took a few minutes this afternoon.  It's a miracle.  Only because I need to repack before I leave again on Sunday.  Keep watching for my next adventure :)

A funny thing happened on the way to the grocery store...

I had some plans this weekend, and they all got cancelled.  So after a lazy Saturday afternoon, I put real clothes on and decided to make a grocery store run for dinner.  When I got down to the living room, my director/landlord's family was having a birthday party.  I got an impromptu invitation to join them, which was very kind.

I believe it was Rose's brother-in-law's birthday.  I learned that Rose's mother (directly behind the cake and candles) had eight children.  From left to right: Rose's sister, her niece (?)  Rose's mother, Rose (my director), Rose's other sister and her husband.  I also met Rose's oldest daughter, who lives in Taichung.  We sang "Happy Birthday" in Chinese and in English.  I had some cake, which was really good, very different though.  Not quite as sweet, more like raisin bread.  And no frosting.  I ate dinner with the family, noodles with chicken broth, and we talked for awhile.  After a quick run to the store, we sat and watched TV for awhile (in English!) and I went back up to my room after the party was over.

The next few weeks are going to be crazy, I'll keep you posted :)  

Payin' the bills

It's mundane Wednesday, and the topic is...banking.

I still have expenses to take care of in the US, the car, my student loans, and a few random bills.  They don't use personal checks in Taiwan (only businesses use them).  So every month, just after payday, I have to make a trip to the bank and transfer money from my Taiwanese Savings to my American account.  The banks here close at 3:30, and school ends at 3:35, so I usually take care of it during lunch.  When I say I, I mean my co-teacher and I.  I asked once if I could go by myself and it one look and no words, she said "Ummm, you don't speak Chinese, and you still have trouble communicating at 7-11.  What makes you think you can pull off an international money transfer, blondie?"

Part 1:  The scooter ride.  Everybody rides a scooter here.  Suru always brings an extra helmet, I look like the world's biggest dork, and for some reason, I can't ever get the snap unfastened.  It's become a regular joke on bank days.  I ride on the back of Suru's scooter, and she's a pretty good driver.  I got used to it after a while, although I still pray:

Please God, don't let the wind blow us over.  And please don't let us get sideswiped by that truck passing us on the right.  Suru, that light.  It's red.  It's red.  It's RED!  And if this scooter suddenly becomes 160 lbs lighter, please let her notice.  Amen.

The bank is five or six blocks away from the school.  Then there's the actual transfer of money, which requires lots of translating, and Suru writing everything I just wrote in Chinese.  Although today, I had to fill out the form twice, because I wrote too fast, and the teller couldn't read it.  Humbled again.   So far the process has worked out well.  Although I still don't know my Chinese name.  Then it's back to school to finish out the day.

This is what the money looks like, by the way:


It's about 30 NT to 1 USD, so when I pull out a 100 dollar bill, it looks really impressive, but it's only $3.  Chinese New Year is coming, and the kids all get money in little red envelopes.

Five down, six to go

Today marks five months since I've been here.  In a few weeks, I'll be at the halfway point.  Somebody told me the first year here is like a roller coaster.  I believe it.  I"m getting to that point where I'm taking my eyes off of the person in front of me, and starting to look at the sky.  I'm almost done climbing, and ready to coast down towards the end.

A few thoughts:

As I ate my cereal with fresh strawberries this morning, I realized it was another example of "know where your food comes from."  I'm getting used to that here.  So much of what I used to eat was processed and unhealthy.  Here, they sell live fish at the market, whole chickens with the head still attached.  You can buy fish sticks and chicken nuggets in Ohio, but I'm starting to understand the idea that you probably shouldn't eat something that doesn't remotely resemble its original form.

Someone posted this morning a list of "things to do before you turn 30."  I'm proud to say I have done quite a few of those things.  One of the items was "go somewhere where you don't know anyone."  Easier said than done.  Today I'm having lunch with a fellow Muskingum Grad.  Tongxiao is 7,790 miles from New Concord, and there's a Muskie less than an hour away.

So in the past month, I celebrated Christmas and New Year's outside of Ohio for the first time, visited Daxi and Dahu, and enjoyed the warm weather and sunshine while Ohio spent three days in a deep freeze.  Can I sit back and feel smug for just a minute?

Ok, I feel better.

Winter break plans are set, next week I'm going to Taipei for a training session, and two weeks from tomorrow, I'll be snorkeling in Bali. Life is Good

Strawberry Festival in Dahu

Today Linda, Thomas, Peggy and I went to the Strawberry Festival in Dahu.  Taiwan has some of the sweetest strawberries I've ever tasted.

After taking the train to Miaoli, then a bus to Dahu, our first stop was lunch and the strawberry museum.

View from the restaurant

They just kept bringing strawberry drinks.  For four people.  After this picture was taken, they brought a smoothie.

Even the spaghetti was strawberry-fied.

Then down to the market, where you could buy any imaginable product made with strawberries.  I even had a sausage that had been cooked in strawberry wine.

Strawberry popcorn

Fields and fields of strawberries

Strawberry wine and beer.

Flavored shaved ice, strawberry ice cream, chocolate and vanilla syrup, strawberry egg roll cookie, sprinkles.  And fresh strawberries. 

I bought mochi, a Japanese candy.

It's gonna be a happy new year...

I spent New Year's in Taichung, what a night.  I went from school to the train station and got to Taichung about 5:30.  I met Linda and Peggy at the hotel, and Thomas got there shortly after.  After dinner, we walked through Taichung Park.

There were lots of people walking around, celebrating and wishing us Happy New Year, in Chinese and in English.

We witnessed a proposal.

Then Linda and I decided to walk through the night market and up to the University.

Candied strawberries

Very crowded night market

We finally made it to the stadium, where the fireworks were going to be.  They had some kind of show going on in the stadium, broadcast on a screen outside.

The countdown

Happy New Year!

The year in review

So 2013 is almost over, it went fast.  A few exciting things happened this year :)
January
    I started the year thinking not-so-positive thoughts.  I knew I was about to lose my job, my passport and teaching license were about to expire, I was on the edge of turning 30.  I was working on getting my certificate renewed, and renewed my passport, just in case I got called to go anywhere with People to People.  Note the ironic "just in case I got to travel anywhere."  Saw Les Miserables (the movie) for the second time.  I said goodbye to my great-aunt, I'm so glad I got the chance to sit and talk to her one last time.  But at the calling hours, I met cousins I didn't know I had.  They're pretty awesome.

February
     Took a field trip to see Les Mis with my students, now I know what my aunts and grandmother felt like, watching several much younger versions of myself see it for the first time.  "Nobody else dies in this do they?  Everybody makes it through the second act?"  That was the sixth time I've seen it onstage.  And not the last.

March
I turned 30.  Got assigned to travel with the most awesome co-leaders ever.  I started volunteering with the historical society, I'm kind of sorry I didn't do that sooner.  Jen Noble came to visit, and we hung out in Amish Country.  We are wild women, lol.

April
I went to Pittsburgh, and I had two job interviews, one for a teaching job in Rocky River, one for an overseas job.  Guess which one worked out?  Then I had a very Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan moment when during a quiet moment at the teachers' lunch table, I blurted out that I got a job.  Oh, but it's in Taiwan.  I directed my last performance at Rittman.  None of those kids realizes how much I miss them, I still have nightmares dreams about directing them.  Nobody has been slapped though, that's a good thing.  I saw War Horse onstage, breathtaking.

May
Saw Les Mis onstage, again.  I wasn't sure I liked it the first six times I saw it.:)  My sister graduated from college.  I left my job, which was probably (at that point)  one of the hardest things I've ever done.  That was the first job I've ever had that I actually looked forward to going to each day.

June
Went to England and France, had a wonderful time, of course.

July
Started to pack up the apartment and go through five years' worth of accumulated junk.  Started to say goodbye to life as I knew it.  I saw The Lion King with Candice, one last theatre adventure.   Had orientation in Columbus and met some of the veteran FET's, as well as the other "recruit."  I left feeling reassured that it would be an adventure.

August
"Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute
Just sit right there..."

Somebody needs to write another parody.

I moved to Taiwan.  Facebook says I became friends with 18 people, actually between August 1st and today, the number is at 57.  I saw Taipei, Hsinchu, Sanyi, Taichung and Zhunan and came to Tongxiao.  I started my 9th year of teaching.  Never in a million years would I have thought it would be here.  But I'm glad it worked out.

September
I moved again, this time just a few blocks.  Once that happened, I started to like Tongxiao.  I visited more places, got to know more people, and got used to life here.  I started to pick up a little bit of the language.  I experienced two or three typhoons, and a few earthquakes.

October
Went to Kaohsiung, and learned to spell it a few days later.  Had one of the scariest experiences, a 4.0 earthquake that didn't do any damage, but rattled everyone's nerves.

November
Spent Thanksgiving with my favorite FET's, and was very grateful for a place to go for the holiday.  Went to Nantou, and saw the most beautiful mountains in the world.

December
Spent the first Christmas outside of the US, but had a wonderful holiday, thanks to the other FET's.  It's unusually cold this winter, but I'm currently making plans to go somewhere warm in January.

Tonight I'm going to Taichung to ring in the new year.  I'll be in 2014 about 13 hours before anyone in Ohio, so I"ll give you the heads up on what the year will be like :)