Time

I just feel like I don’t have quite enough time! I need to keep working on lesson plans but I want to give you guys more info. Here I go, trying to be super fast yet give lots of details.

TIDBITS FROM TODAY: Ha ha. I was working with my kids on spelling and one of the words was potatoes. So my assistant wrote it out in Chinese. It was like 5 characters! Just for that little word. So I took a picture. And he said it was actually 2 words in Chinese. But still!

My assistant came in today and gave me an umbrella. It was very thoughtful. He said there is supposed to be a typhoon coming in soon (Yvonne said tomorrow!) and he thought I might need it. I’ve decided to put it into my scooter. Then I’ll have one at home, one at the office and one in the “car.” Oh here’s something funny – I rode in a car today and immediately put on my seatbelt. Then I thought I wonder if I’ll still do that a year from now since my main transportation is a scooter and they sure don’t have seatbelts. Hm.

The first day of this week’s camp, I had to take attendance but they only had Chinese names typed on the role. So the students wrote in their English names. One boy didn’t have an English name and they told me to give him one. ME! I don’t feel qualified for such a thing. Too much pressure! What if he hates it? I don’t know anything about him so can’t even make an educated decision. Plus I’m not his parent. They are the ones responsible for naming him! The crazy thing – English teachers in primary school are the ones that give kids their English names. I think I would just have a jar of names and pull them out randomly. Te he.

Okay, one more thing about today. My assistant was asking me what I eat. Apparently he thinks I’m struggling (okay, honestly I sort of am) so he took me out to lunch. So nice! And it was expensive. It was SO much food. My goodness. 5 courses: appetizer, soup, salad, main course, dessert, drink. At first I looked at the menu and tried to decide between 3 things. Then he said I had to choose one from each category! And I couldn’t eat all of one thing. The manager came over and asked if there was a problem. I couldn’t even explain, since he spoke Chinese. Sorry, dude! It was delicious, but way too much for me. It could have been 3 separate meals. The salad was hilarious. Little pieces of lettuce all stacked with a piece of cabbage on top. At one point I knocked them over. I was sort of afraid someone would come yell at me. If I didn’t think it would be considered rude, I would have taken a picture. So that was a very interesting experience!

TIDBITS FROM THE PAST: one day this week, maybe Monday, Yvonne said, “You have such long legs.” I chuckled. She said, “I was looking at your pants that were hanging up drying and thought you have long legs like a man.” I almost was offended. But decided it wasn’t worth it and she didn’t mean to be rude. Then she said she is envious. I just sort of shrugged. It’s just what I have. I guess thank you to all my forebears and their long-leg genes.

Well, that is all I can think of right now. Here’s something you may find funny. They don’t use toilet paper on a roll. It is individual sheets that come out of the package one at a time. So the toilet paper holder is actually a square box. And it has a lid. Why? Because you don’t want it to get wet when you shower! Te he. Another thing to adjust to.

Oh dear! I nearly forgot something important. MAIL TIME: I received a package from my family and a letter from my Dad. Boy was I excited to be handed those 2 things by the security guard. But then we went to the market right after we got home. And after the market, I got sucked into a movie while eating dinner. So I ended up forgetting about my mail. Made myself laugh. I really did love it. Thanks family!! Gotta go now. Lots to do.
A beautiful site -- mail from my family in U.S.A.
The blue writing is the 2 Chinese ways to say potatoes.

Rare Stare

He he. I thought the title was pretty clever. Here’s the reason for it: so many of the kids at school today just stared as I walked by. They don’t hide it well. They nudge their friends and the friends turn around and they all just stare as I walk by. I wonder if some people would enjoy the attention?! I don’t really. But I’ve decided to not let it weird me out. I just chuckle. Especially today. Seeing them stare reminded me how rare I am.

I think it might be a little better if I was closer to the city. At Dream Mall on Saturday I actually saw white people. Yeah!

SCHOOL: today was better than yesterday. I was able to adapt my lesson plans to meet the needs of these kids. Their English isn’t as good as last week’s kids. And I had an assistant today. Another teacher from the school. He was helpful and nice. He said he likes my teaching style and that I’m doing a good job. Nice to hear since he is a fellow teacher and knows the struggles.

It was very hot today. My assistant said it is hotter today than it has been lately. I was actually wishing for rain. Oh and I took a shower at 12 as soon as I got home. The crazy part is that I would have loved that shower at 8:20 right when I got to the school. Cold showers are the best thing. At home, they were terrible. But since arriving here, that is all I’ve wanted. I don’t know if I’ll ever want a warm shower while I’m here.

STORE: made another run to the store today. Had to get some water since I ran out last night. I was also buying laundry detergent. And I saw the bear Snuggles. Yeah! I didn’t buy that kind. I thought it was fabric softener and it wasn’t the cheapest kind (which is what my roommate recommended. Ha ha. Chinese are always concerned with prices). I found some detergent and right now my new bedding is hanging up to dry. Yippee! I’m pretty excited. It will be more like a room with a “quilt” and sheets and pillows that all match. Right now it’s hodgepodge.

I have another disappointment to report: goldfish just aren’t as good over here. What is up with that?! The Doritos weren’t as cheesy and now the goldfish are failing me. I didn’t think they would since the bag says product of U.S.A. Boo hoo.

MARKET: last night I went with my roommate to the market. I forgot my camera as I went out the door so no pics. It was very interesting. I’m pretty sure I was the only white person there, so I probably got some stares. I bout some yummy bread treats. I had one for breakfast and one for lunch today. And we both bought a traditional Taiwanese egg omelet-tortilla thing. It was good, but really big. I had to throw the last little piece away. It was also spicy so my mouth was burning. It had pepper on and herbs inside. Okay, I don’t know what I ate. I liked it though.

PROLOGUE: Think that is all for now. I’d better work on the lessons for tomorrow. Have to keep the kids busy! Today we talked about Christmas and I made a PowerPoint. I figured it is hard to visualize and understand something you’ve never experienced before. So they saw pics of reindeer and Christmas trees. I had fun making it. One last thing: I will probably be getting the internet in my apartment soon. Yeah! And I don’t have to sign a 2-year contract or pay for the line. Just a monthly fee. The company has a server in our building and they are letting tenants try it out downstairs. I’ll probably make a visit down there soon.

P.S. It’s amazing to me how I write so much yet feel like you are only getting a small portion of all that I think about and experience. Sorry! Maybe if I had more time. Perhaps when I get internet access in my apartment. At the office I have to prepare lessons first (at least that’s what I try to do) and then I have to leave by 5:15 so I can catch the garbage truck around 5:30. :)

Monday

Well. Today’s first day was very interesting. I have no assistant. So I was the only one who could help the students understand me. Yeah. I think we were okay. I have fewer students – only 18 and that’s nice. I was totally making up some games/activities for some of the time because I didn’t have enough prepared. And because some of the things I did at the other camp just wouldn’t work this time.

Now I’m sitting in the office preparing for tomorrow. It should go better than today. And it’s only a 4-day camp (yeah!) Yvonne just told me that she is considering going to Penghu, and if she does she would need to bring someone along to share the costs. It will be pretty expensive and it’s just 3 days, 2 nights. The weekend after the Kenting outing. I crunched numbers and said, “Yeah, I’d go.” So now if she decides to go, I’ll go. Penghu is a group of islands on the eastern side of Taiwan. It would mean more time on the beach and doing water activities.

Yvonne suddenly turns to me and says, “My friend thinks you are beautiful.” I was like, hm, thanks. She has a pic of the 2 of us on her IM. Then a few minutes later she laughs and explains that he just broke up with his girlfriend. So I may not be coming home after all. Just kidding! He asked her if I was single and how tall I am. She said she recommends me. Stinker. I don’t want to be matched. He lives in Taipei and she said I should plan a trip. I said, “I wouldn’t come back.” And she said, “I’d better reconsider then. We need teachers here.” Good times, good times.

It’s raining and I need to go to the store. I think I’ll be walking since I need to buy laundry detergent and more water. Both of those are big and I don’t want to risk it on my scooter.

Ching Ching Island

Ah, I’m home and I survived the outing. Didn’t get home until 11:10 p.m. Yvonne called to see where I was right as the elevator reached our floor. So, the activity was fun. I got on the ferry and crossed to the island. (That is my guess at the spelling. I tried to get Yvonne to spell it and she wouldn’t.) It took a while and some walking to realize I was at the wrong part of the island. I had the cell number of a guy named James. We talked and he said someone was coming to pick me up. So I took a seat. I was right by the fresh fish market. Yum! It actually didn’t smell too bad.

James arrived on a scooter and we rode back to where everyone else was. I was happy to be found. It’s scary to think you’re lost somewhere and have no way to fix the situation. I could have gotten back on the ferry, but how would I call a taxi once I was back on the mainland? Yeah, small problem. Plus I’d paid $100 NT for the activity.

The activity was fun. We rode double bikes around the island and tried to find things that someone had taken a picture of. A “where’s this picture?” game. I shared a bike with Thomas (see pic). Oh, I was about an hour and a half late. Not fully my fault! Here’s something interesting: James came to Taiwan for a year to practice his Chinese. He’s been here for 7 years and just bought a house. Wow!

Once it got dark, well at 7 o’clock the entire group met back up. There were about 70 people, James guessed (he helped organize it). Then they gave us a traditional Taiwanese dessert. Boy was that interesting! It had a bitter taste and I nearly gagged on every bite. James was a good friend and walked away from the group with me so I could dump it down a drain. :)

Then I left with 3 people who are in the 6th ward. They were my ride home. And again, an interesting experience. They said we were going to dinner. I figured I’d be home by 9 or so. Wrong! We didn’t get to the restaurant until 9:20. I felt like we were driving in circles. We did pass the Love River which is the famous tourist site in Kaohsiung. Cool. Dinner was Japanese. I had soup. The meat was good. I barely ate half of it, but said I was full (I was just tired and ready to be home!) So around 10 we left the restaurant and headed home. Sorta. We had to drop one girl at a bus station (at least I think that is what it was) and 2 others at their apartment. Then the guy drove me home. I was totally dozing and woke up a few blocks from my apartment.

I was home! Yeah. One more tidbit: During our drive to the mall, Yvonne invited me to Kenting the first weekend of August. She’s going down with some friends to support a BYU-Hawaii friend who is competing in a surfing competition. Should be fun!! It is in the south and is a popular beach area. Yvonne knows how to boogie board and I’m game to try it out.

Ching Ching Island Pics

Map of the island. Thought I might need it if I stayed lost. Or got lost again.
Beautiful!
Beautiful #2! The little black speck in the middle is a kite.
Thomas and I.
And our bike.

Dream Mall

The first stores I saw: Starbucks and Cold Stone. Ah. The mall is nice. Very big. We decided to go since they were holding tryouts for Taiwanese Idol. Grace (Yvonne’s niece and Scott’s daughter) was one of those hopeful people desiring a chance to perform. Yvonne and I arrived just before 11 a.m. and the line was SO long! I was amazed.

We walked around the 4th floor of the mall first. It was interesting to see the styles. Another interesting thing was their lack of supply. They didn’t have a bunch of sizes in 1 style. Maybe the stores we were at were more like boutiques. ?

We stopped at Mister Donut and each had 2 donuts. I found out Yvonne loves them. I enjoyed them because it’s something familiar. We decided to go to a store called Working House. We got distracted on the way there by a cute bedding store. I loved how they displayed their different options on mini beds! (See pic) Yvonne and I ended up buying the same set. It’s very cute and soft. $100 US for 7 pieces (round pillow, blanket, 2 pillowcases, blanket cover, flat sheet, round pillowcase). Good thing we have separate rooms! Or we would seem like twins. We laughed at ourselves.

We made it to the planned shop with no more detours. I got so excited when I saw goldfish crackers!! I yelled out “goldfish!” and Yvonne said, “where?” She thought I mean actual fish. He he. The bag even says “product of USA” *sigh* Of course I purchased them. And I bought a placemat since I’m a little messy. By the checkout desk, they had some Milano cookies. Another U.S. product! I couldn’t resist although they were expensive.

I’ll hurry in explaining the rest of the outing. Grace never got a chance to sing (she missed the part where they gave out numbers); we heard a few people (some good, some not-so-good); I had Japanese for lunch (again I had issues with the chopsticks); and the last store we visited was a bookstore. At first I couldn’t enjoy it like it should be enjoyed. Yvonne talked to a worker and we found the small English section. Then I was happy. I bought one book. It wasn’t too expensive. $8 US.

Now I’m sitting at the Cianjhen Ferry Pier. Yvonne dropped me off so I can go to the YSA activity. I got on the ferry and paid my fare (33 cents). Then Yvonne called and told me to get off and someone would come get me. So I got off. And I began writing this post in a notebook. A few moments ago I received another call. Now I’m supposed to get back on the ferry. Everyone has crossed to the island already. So I’ll wait for the ferry. Don’t know how this adventure will end, but I’m ready.

Dream Mall Pics

Yvonne thougth this chair was so cool. She even asked if it was for sale. Think I captured the moment pretty well.
She told me to be her model, so I pulled out one of my poses. Heck, this photo could be worth something someday! hehe

The two of us taken by Yvonne on her cell phone.
A small chunk of the mall. It has about 8 floors of shopping, 2 of movie theaters and rides on the top. Oh and food on the bottom level.
Check out my new scooter! NOT. That thing is huge. We would be a bad combo - pain and bruises. The cute display of bedding.
The set I bought. It's so cute! And the yellow (inside part) is way soft. Yeah for me!

Last Day

Phew. I survived my first English summer camp. It was really fun, but tiring. Glad to have a 2-day break. Then I’ll do it all again; with new students at a new school. So I realized I never mentioned how I get to the high school. I just follow the KFC’s! Left at the first one and school is on the right directly across from the 2nd one. It’s handy. Who needs street signs when there are KFC’s? Oh right, I just can’t read the street signs.

I walked out of the bathroom stall this morning and 3 regular students (who returned to school today) were standing by the sinks. They all looked at me. One of them said, “Wow.” Guess I really am a rare thing, an anomaly. Wonder what they would think of my white-beyond-white legs?!

We did tongue twisters today. They liked hearing me say them fast. One student timed me. 7 seconds on Peter Piper and Woodchuck. 14 seconds on Betty Botter, but it’s longer. How fast can you say them??

We went to KFC after camp ended today. Tina & Edison asked me to go with them, and then they asked the students. They ALL said they would go; if we paid. Ha ha. Smart kids. We told them they have to pay for themselves. I think 15 of them ended up coming. There were 9 upstairs by Tina, Edison and I. And I believe there were at least 4 downstairs who got there before us. It was fun. I really enjoyed the French fries. The sandwich was pretty good. But a little hot – thermal and spicy.

After that, I headed home. And I forgot to get the scooter sign picture before I left. So I pulled over near an intersection and took a picture. Hope you enjoy it! I also have quite a few pictures of the students. I guess I was kind of special since a bunch of them wanted pictures with me. Tina used her camera and will be sending them via e-mail, so they’ll be posted later.

One annoying thing is that I don’t get my salary until I get my ARC card. And I won’t get that until the beginning of August. The 2 people who will help me get it are in the U.S. touring with students until July 28. This silly card is preventing me from getting internet and setting up a postal account. Gr!

Another thought: we took a bunch of pictures at the end of the camp today. And my cheeks were hurting. I guess I haven’t been smiling as much since I’ve been here. Odd. I haven’t felt smile-deprived. Guess I’ll have to watch some funny movies this weekend.

Scooter sign from far away.
This sign shows how scooters have to turn left. I explained it in words in an earlier post.
Edison, my assistant.
Tina, my other assistant.
With my class.
The certificates we gave each of the students.

TONGUE TWISTERS
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
---
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would
if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
---
Betty Botter had some butter,
"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.
If I bake this bitter butter,
it would make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter--
that would make my batter better."

So she bought a bit of butter,
better than her bitter butter,
and she baked it in her batter,
and the batter was not bitter.
So 'twas better Betty Botter
bought a bit of better butter.

Fried Cookies

I tried my “fried cookies.” Do I like them? Not so much. They are hard (which I usually like) and they almost have flavor. It’s kind of odd. It’s like the hint is there and you expect there to be more. Then there isn’t. At least they don’t taste terrible. I can eat the package, though not with the joy I would experience when eating a package of Oreos. As I was putting them away, I had a great thought – fried cookies with peanut butter! Ha ha. Not very original. I’ll have to try it tomorrow. And then I thought graham crackers sound SO good. Haven’t seen those at the store yet. Too bad. I lived on those my 1st year of college.

Weather

Wow. I’ll say that again, wow. I think I’ve nearly experienced it all. I just drove my scooter home in the rain. Thank you previous scooter owner for the poncho! But my pants are still wet. And my face. Phew. I think I understand why so many helmets have the plastic face guards. I wonder if I could add one to my helmet. I didn’t want it until tonight.

My roommate took me to a stationery store. *Sigh* I have always loved paper goods. I don’t know why. It was great just to walk around the store. I picked up a few things I needed. And a few I didn’t. :-) I looked out the window and saw the rain and it reminded me to purchase an umbrella to leave at the school. It’s cute. Navy blue with white polka dots.

I think I’d better get out of my wet pants now. Oh, one last thought: my roommate said, “Wait until typhoon season.” And I think I can. Could I wait for the rest of my life? Please? This was enough rain for me. I may have to buy a waterproof suit like scientists wear . . . not a bad idea.

Seafood Pizza

I forgot I took pictures of the seafood pizza! Here they are. It had shrimp, carrots, peas, and corn on it. Maybe other stuff, but I couldn’t tell. I guess I should have tried it. I had a piece of Hawaiian and it was yummy.

Fourth Day

Today was another good day. The kids are fun. One funny thing when I was driving there (on my scooter again). We were stopped at a red light, and I was watching it. Suddenly it wasn’t red anymore. But it wasn’t yellow or green either. Guess it must be green! It was funky. I wonder how long until they fix it.

Today I talked to my students about Halloween, and they practiced typing (they peck at the keys!), and then we talked about table manners. The school ordered pizza and they had to eat it with knives and forks. My assistant Tina really wanted to pick her piece up and eat it like normal. I think it was good for them to practice and be exposed to some rules of good manners. It was the school’s idea.

Rain hitting my face during the end of my scooter ride home. Not such a pleasant experience. But I was very grateful for my sunglasses! And I remembered my umbrella. It is right by me in my backpack. (Funny since it isn’t raining and I’ll probably be leaving here soon).

I have some errands to run. I need more milk and cereal. And I might as well get more water. I think I’m going to take my scooter. Hope I can keep everything balanced! I’ll use under my seat and in my backpack. But the water will probably have to go where my feet rest. He he.
P.S. Didn't get the picture of the scooter sign. I forget until I'm driving home. And it isn't convenient to pull my camera out of my backpack and snap a pic. I think the light would turn green before I could accomplish it all.

Rain

Yeah, I totally didn't get out of here soon enough. And it's a downpour. Dang it all! I totally thought about bringing my umbrella to the office with me. I guess I will follow through with my idea to buy another umbrella to leave here at school.

And I guess I'll be eating more peanut butter as I don't want to go out in this rain.

Happy day! :-D

Birthday Party

The moment I walked into my apartment after the summer camp, my roommate Yvonne says she tried to call me but I didn’t answer. I’m thinking “Yeah, I was teaching.” And “Glad I turned my phone on silent.” The reason she called was to tell me there was a birthday party for all faculty members with birthdays in this month. And I was invited! So we turned right around and found the room (walked to 2nd floor then to 1st floor then back to 2nd floor).

She pushed me in, and then left. I was a little surprised. But they took care of me. A gentleman stood up and gave me an envelope. Then a plate was put into my hands. I took some food from the buffet table and sat where they told me. I met Emily from the personnel office and she was very helpful and friendly. She sat across from me. Another English teacher (male) sat next to me. I think he stayed so I would have someone to talk to. The party started at 12, I got home at 12:38 and we found the room by 12:45. So it was the very end.

Funny thing (made my roommate laugh): I’m still getting used to chopsticks so I had a little trouble today. There was a round-ish vegetable that I wanted to eat. But I couldn’t pick it up!! I tried a few times and then gave up. The English teacher said they could bring me a fork, but I refused. I’m trying to adapt to my surroundings. I also ditched a piece of chicken because I couldn’t get the meat off the bone. I’ve eaten chicken at home, but, honestly, I used my fingers. It was much more stressful to eat with chopsticks when people were around!!

So the envelope contained a nice card (in Chinese. I’ll have to ask my roommate to translate) and a red envelope with $1000 NT. Thirty dollars! I was surprised, but pleased. Yvonne called it a birthday bonus. And I guess I’ll get one for the next holiday (sometime in Sept. and I forgot the name) and for Chinese New Year. Cool! They also gave me a little box with my own cake as I was leaving. Here are some pictures.

P.S. They were playing “happy birthday” music. It was the same track over and over – English then Chinese. I could have walked out and sung the Chinese version for you (but I forgot it already).

The meal was prepared and served by the students. They have restaurant-style rooms and bar-style rooms where the students can practice. It was pretty nice. I took my camera, but decided not to take any pictures during the party.

Third Day

Rode my scooter today. Yesterday I took a taxi in the morning. Then after the “camp” I asked the school to call another taxi. The head lady of the Office of Studies said no, she would take me home. I felt bad and told her taxi was okay. She thought it was too expensive (it was $8 US)

So I rode my scooter today. Things were great. Only took 30 minutes. One funny incident: I stopped at a red light. Normal, right? Then a scooter, 2 buses, and a bunch of scooters go straight through. Well! It was strange. Maybe I just imagined the red light. Or I saw it wrong – they saw green, I saw red.

I need to get a picture of the sign that explains how scooters turn left. It is quite fascinating. On my drive home today, I realized that is what the signs were. I’ll try to explain in words right now. The scooter goes straight through the intersection, but drives on the crosswalk then turns the bike and stops. They are now ready to go straight the direction they want to go. (The street on the left.) They do it this way, I think, because scooters stay on the right side of the road. It’s kind of funny to me. You have to wait through 2 lights technically.

Here’s a bit about driving I haven’t shared yet. Dad’s agent said “just because your light is green doesn’t mean the cross-traffic has stopped.” Made me chuckle. I can say it is true. Checking the intersection before driving through is essential here.

Today we worked on English spelling. I was trying to think of a way to correct the paper that would make them more interested. So I split them into 2 teams then 1 person from each raced to the chalk board and wrote the correct spelling. I think they liked it. Then we wrote words from a bunch of letters. They were all amazed that I found 70 words. One girl found 28-I was impressed. Then we played “Jackpot” or “1000” or “Fly’s Up.” We had 2 separate games going, boys and girls. The girls were very timid and would step away from the ball. I was surprised. I wanted/half expected a competitive game. Oh well. It probably would have been worse if the boys were in our game too. Then I sent them down to the basement (where there is air conditioning) and they did a word search with a bunch of countries. They returned to the classroom and did a cross word with foods from different countries. We didn’t have time to look at a map and locate the countries. It will have to wait until tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, the school wants us to teach them table manners and then they will eat pizza (using a knife and fork). Should be interesting. I didn’t take any pictures today.

AHH! Looks like it might rain. I'd better run home.

Tidbits

I just returned from a trip to the store where I saw things that made me happy: Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Cheetos and Doritos. I purchased some of the last one. And I’m pretty sure a male customer chuckled when he saw me pick them up. What?! Just because this white girl needs reminders of home.

I’m thinking I may get sick of peanut butter and Frosted Flakes (or Frosties as they’re called here) once I’m done with this little adventure. Since those are my staples. Yes Mom, those aren’t the best staples. But they’re so easy! And I have the small problem of minimal appliances (only a stove top), a small fridge, and a language barrier. I don’t know what anything is! Maybe that’s why I’m purchasing stuff like Pringles and Doritos – I can read the packaging.

My walk to the store occurred in the rain. Like a smart person, I prepared for the event. I wore my rain jacket and took an umbrella. On the way back I realized I was totally sweating making the rain jacket seem like a ridiculous idea. I was wet from the heat humidity, not the water falling from the sky!

Since the water from the tap is not drinkable (in all of Taiwan), I make a trip to the store about twice a week to purchase a large container of drinking water. And it is rather heavy. My Dad carried 2 while he was here. I’ve decided to just do one. And so far I haven’t ventured to bring it back on my scooter (I’m sure it will be a good story when it finally happens). Since this blog is about tidbits, I’ll give just one more. My Dad & I met with his agent in Taiwan and Dad asked him about the drinking situation. The man said, “No one would be stupid enough to fix the tap water.” You see, the problem is the pipes. And the reason no one will fix them is the money that is tied up in the situation. I now see what he means. My jug of water cost $45 NT. Times twice a week times 52 weeks. That’s $4,680 NT for one year. For one person! (It’s about $156 US)

Back to the cooking situation. I was thinking about what someone told me – microwaves aren’t that expensive. So I looked around my kitchen. Lo! There is nowhere to put a microwave. We have one small section of counter space and then a table for one (seriously). I do all my “prep” on that little table so a microwave definitely can’t go there. (Although, my prep is putting bread on a plate and spreading peanut butter on it.) My next thought was to store the microwave and just bring it out when I needed it. Lo! There is nowhere to store it. My room is full. Although, now that my brain wheels are cranking. . . I guess I could put it on the other half of my bed. Ha ha.

Hope this entry made you chuckle! Here are some pictures of my spoils. I need to keep working on tomorrow’s lessons.














“Fried Cookies” ? Couldn’t pass them up. The middle thing is a bread-ish roll with sugar. I saw that sugar and figured I couldn’t go wrong. The amazing thing: they aren’t that sweet. They are kind of spongy and hard at the first bite. (Sorry, best I can do in describing them). And then my water jug.

Second Day Video

Here's a video of the freeze tag game. The girl with a white shirt and denim shorts and the boy with a blue shirt and white shorts are "it". I just love how they scatter!

(My video doesn't want to load. I've been trying for the past hour. Sorry!)
(Tried again on Wednesday. It says it s loading but then just sits there. Bummer.)

Second Day Pictures

My 2 assistants, Edison & Tina. They were "it" for the 1st game of tag. I laughed at how the kids scattered when they came near.
Playing freeze tag.

Second Day

Well, I survived my second day. And it went well. The students are smart. Today I had a cool thought – I really like these kids. That is great news as I had serious doubts about being a teacher during my student teaching.

I’ll add a few pictures. Today we played some games and I told them stuff about Christmas. One great thing about this camp: it’s only half a day. I am tired and hungry by 12 o’clock. And I need the afternoon to prepare for the next day’s lessons. Like I should be doing right now! I’ll put comments with the pictures.

First Day Pictures

They are working on a worksheet. The Human Body Word Scramble, I think. My assistant, Tina, took the pictures.

First Day

Today was my first day of the English summer camp. I drove my scooter there (wup-wup)! I followed another teacher that works in the office. It is quite a long way; around 20 minutes. But it isn’t too hard. Good thing since I’ll be doing the drive Tues through Fri. I came back home on my own. I had one turn-around moment of confusion, but I did it just fine. Yeah me!

The students were fun. They were pretty quiet at first. I have 2 assistants that speak Chinese and that was helpful. I feel like they did more work than me! I’ll have to do better tomorrow. The classroom was hot as there was no AC; just fans and open windows.

We did some activities to get to know each other. Then we played kickball. That was pretty fun. It was boys against girls and the boys really got into it, while the girls were coerced into taking their turns “at bat.” They seemed to enjoy the fact that I played. I was totally game! It was pretty fun. I even scored a point.

Then we went into the computer lab. I wanted them to practice typing in English, not Chinese. One of my assistant s started a story and the students had to finish it. They didn’t write tons, but some were creative. We will have to share those tomorrow. Then we went back to the classroom and I gave them a word scramble. It was 15 body part words. It took them awhile to get them all. We didn’t have enough time to learn “head, shoulders, knees, and toes.” That will be tomorrow!

I wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to go since they asked me to move back one of my lessons to Tuesday. And I found that out Friday night. So the computer lab was totally on the fly. I think the students enjoyed it. A bunch of them said goodbye to me as I left. And they were asking questions on the word scramble.

Here’s something funny – watching these students made me think of a few students from my student teaching days. Ha ha! Guess students are similar. I wonder if I’ll always remember the students from student teaching. Doubtful.

I wore sunscreen on my arms on the drive to school – see Mom, I learned from yesterday. My watch line is still pretty ridiculous looking. I also wore sunglasses to keep some of the dirt out of my eyes. It seemed to help. When I got back to my apartment, I noticed I had little dirt specks all over my face. He he.

School

{Written on 30 June}
Scott gave me the tour today. And he gave me more information. Here’s a little bit as I’m sure you are curious (I know my Mom is.). They have 9, 500 students. Yes, there is a 9 at the front. It’s like a mini university! And it is expensive to attend. $1000 US per month per student. The campus is pretty big. I think Scott said they have 12 buildings. And they have all-purpose courts for b-ball, tennis, and volleyball. They also have a swimming pool. The volleyball team is excellent. Most of the players go on to play on the national team.

The name is Chung Shan Commercial & Industrial School. They have a vocational school and a comprehensive high school. So students are either learning a trade or working to attend college. Something interesting: the students have to clean up the school (sweep & mop) each day. I sure can’t imagine that in America! The students would flip. Here are a few pictures.
I'm trying to memorize these characters in case I ever get lost.
Steve is the director and Scott is the associate director for our office (called International Affairs). Steve is the one I met at the job fare and Scott is the one that answered all my questions before I signed the contract.
A building on campus.
Some students chatting while cleaning.

Sunday Afternoon

I wasn’t sure how I would spend my Sunday. It seems like a dead day sometimes. But mine wasn’t today thanks to Elder and Sister Frandsen. I attended the English gospel doctrine class they are teaching. And they asked if today would be a good day for me to visit them for Sunday dinner. Let’s see, I hesitated for about a millisecond. What young, poor person would refuse such an offer?! So we decided (after some discussion) that I would go home on my scooter then catch a taxi to their place.

I did just that and spent a very nice afternoon with them. They have a big apartment in a nice building. And dinner was delicious! Salmon, potatoes, squash, fruit, and Pepperidge Farm chocolate macadamia cookies for dessert. See Mom, people here are taking care of me. We spent some time talking and they gave me a book that shall be extremely helpful – Chinese Phrases for Dummies. I really should learn the language since I’ll be here for a year. They also gave me a Chinese hymnbook that has the pinyin version of the words (Romanized so I know how to pronounce them). That will help tons too. I shared such a book with Sis. Frandsen at church today and she thought I spoke the language. She said I was a pro by the 2nd song we sang. I don’t know about that; I was guessing most of the time.

At the end of the trip, we went over to the mall just across from their apartment building. 17 floors of shopping! Well, about 5 are for movie theaters. But there is still tons of shopping. We stopped in at the bookstore and I just laughed. People were sitting anywhere on the ground and steps reading books. They treat the store more like a library. Our next stop was the mission office. It was neat to see. Then they gave me money to pay for the taxi fares and put me into another taxi to take me home. They are very nice! It’s still funny that Elder F. is the cousin of my neighbor. The world really is small!

Click here to see the Frandsen's blog.

My Best Friend

Oh, YES!

And I mean the fist-punching-the-air kind of yes. I visited Scott’s family yesterday afternoon and Sarah set up a way for me to get to church. I was nervous and wanted to back out, but I didn’t. And now I need to thank her. I drove my scooter to church! It is sweet to say I survived. I would also say I’m getting better at riding. I wore b-ball shorts and just followed a lady that didn’t speak any English. In my mind, I dubbed her Momma. She was wearing a dress and heels – impressive. It was around a 20 minute ride. I cruised along, reaching 60 km/h a few times. (36 mph). I also bounced along as they have lots of pot holes on their streets. The traffic was minimal and I was grateful for that. I arrived at church 10 minutes early, changed into my skirt, walked up the stairs then into the chapel. Feeling good.

To get back home . . . I’m afraid ‘Momma’ already left as she is part of the ward that starts a half hour before mine. Uh oh. I found Michelle and Becca, but there weren’t too helpful. I could have gotten a ride with their family (Sarah & kids), but then my scooter would be left at the church. That’s no good. I need it tomorrow. Luckily, Momma’s daughter came down the stairs and was willing to take me home. I think her English name is Charlene. I decided not to bother changing back into my shorts (mistake). So the new picture: a white girl flying down the road on a scooter with her skirt flying all around. I showed a smidge too much leg, but I was busy driving! Every time we started up again, I tucked my skirt between my knees and off we went. Ha ha. I was just chuckling. (What a great person I am – giving these Taiwanese people so many chances to laugh and lengthen their lives.)

But I may be rambling. Here’s the point: I survived two 20-minute scooter drives. On big roads and with lots of other vehicles. Sweet! And that brings me to the title of this post. I’ve decided my scooter is my best friend. It gets me places and I enjoy the ride (like really enjoy). Speed is great – especially when the dirty air is blowing on your face getting dirt particles in your eyes. Oh and your palms are covered in little rubber pieces off the handle of the scooter. Oh yes. This is the life. To top it all off, I got a sunburn on both arms and a RAD tattoo. Here’s a pic. A watch line! It is pretty dramatic in real life.
On the right you see the reason for that white strip of skin.

My Roommate

Her name is Yvonne. She is very nice. Her sister is the wife of Scott who helped convince me to agree to this crazy plan. Just kidding. It isn’t a crazy plan; the sister part is true.

Here are some things I know about Yvonne:
-nice
-helpful
-short
-graduated from BYU-Hawaii
-lived in France for 3 ½ years
-speaks 4 languages (so amazing!)
-wants to learn Spanish
-loves leeche (a type of fruit)
-hates our small fridge
-takes out the garbage early to avoid the rush of people
-teaches where I will soon teach
-has been at this school for 3 years
-has lived in this apartment for 2 years
-Taiwanese (I think)

Air Conditioning

Oh how I love air conditioning! (please read in a sing-song voice)

Seriously, I love A.C. It is a fabulous thing. I am cool for the first time today because of it. I followed my Dad’s instructions: take a cool shower and sit in the bedroom with the AC on. Thank you, Dad! Some of the best advice you’ve ever given me. Now I only wish you were still paying the bill :)

Closing Time

Well, I've got some ideas for the summer camp. And we sent off the worksheets so they can be copied for the first day. I'm feeling a little better. I'll know lots more once I actually get there and start teaching!

It is time to close up the office and head home. I purchased a Fuji apple last night at the fruit market. I'm quite excited to go and enjoy it. I'd love to bite right into it but that is dangerous. I'll settle for peeling and then eating. Here's to apples!

Brainstorming

Here I sit at my little desk in the school’s office. I would do it at home but this is where I must be in order to get Internet access. And I’m trying to think of things to teach junior high kids. It is noon on Friday and the camp starts Monday morning. I was told to think of things in four categories: computer, culture, sports, and science. I’m having the hardest time with the last one. I’m not a science teacher?! I’m a tad bit stressed since the kids will be my responsibility for 4 hours each day for 5 days. Oh and I need to send my schedule and list of materials over to the school, today.

I do have a backup plan: teach them American games. :) I’m guessing they would enjoy that. I think I have quite a bit that I could teach them. The problem is all the unknowns. I have no idea what the students are like or what the facilities are like. Talk about jumping right in! I’m sure things will work out fine. Just thought I’d let everyone know I may be brave, but I have plenty of things I’m struggling with and learning.

3 good things about my current situation: 1) I have my iPod and good music and 2) I have a fan blowing directly on me and 3) I just ate a Milky Way candy bar I brought from the States. Yum

I was just given even more information. These students just barely graduated from primary school. They are new to the junior high. So they are kids! Oh me, oh my. I've not had practice working with such young'uns. Check back to see what happens!!

Dinner

My Dad and I were so excited to find an air-conditioned eating facility. A chance to cool off while eating. He worked with the employees and ordered us something (there was a picture, but still).

They brought out this dish and proceeded to light the gas. Our food was cooking in boiling water right before our eyes. I was surprised. And there were all kinds of things in the water - shrimp, tofu, cabbage, pork, clams, mushrooms, noodles, etc. Everything looked okay until my Dad bumped his shrimp with his chopsticks.

Suddenly 2 little, black. beady eyes were staring at me. Eek! I flinched and made a face. Dad chuckled as a shiver passed through my body. I don't want my food to stare at me. I know they eat it like that, but I sure wasn't expecting my shrimp to suddenly stare at me.

So we allowed the food to cook and then I made my Dad take care of the shrimp. It was ALL there - head, eyes, legs, body. I said "make it look like the shrimp that I eat." He's a great guy and did just that. Then I ate and enjoyed it. But I still shivered once or twice thinking about the sudden appearance of beady shrimp eyes where dead food was supposed to be.

Didn't want all of you to miss out on the fun so here are some pictures. Thank goodness for cameras!

No, I did not eat it. Gross!

Chinese Temple

This incredible Chinese temple is in my backyard. I look out my washroom window and see the top peeking through the trees. My Dad and I decided to find a road there and here are a few of the pictures we took.

I laughed (inside my head, of course) to see a little boy kicking a ball against the temple wall. I thought maybe that would be considered irreverent. But no one told him to stop it. I think his mother was nearby.

Garbage

"Why am I standing on the sidewalk with garbage in my hand?"

Well you see, Taiwan has a whole different way of taking out the garbage. And it's a daily ritual. The garbage truck drives around playing ice-cream-man music (no joke) and all the people stand outside just waiting to throw their garbage in. There is excitement and anticipation in the air. Let me throw mine in first! But if you miss the truck, you're out of luck. You're stuck with the garbage until tomorrow at the same time.

Okay, so it is really odd. And I got to experience it! Luckily my Dad was there to capture the truly-Kodak moments. Now who wants to be here in Taiwan? I offer friendly cockroaches and a daily garbage experience.

Bathroom Break

My Dad was a pal and took me to McDonald’s today for lunch. He didn’t like it much, but I was so happy to have French fries. American food!!

After our meal, I went upstairs to the bathroom. Imagine my surprise when this was the site that greeted me. Yeah. How do you even use such a contraption?

I figured it out, but laughed half the time. Then I went back and took a picture. You can see they have toilet paper - thank goodness!

Kara-remember our discussion right before I left? I thought of you during this situation and the picture is mostly for you.

Driving

Hm, where to begin in attempting to describe the phenomenon of driving here in Taiwan? I think “phenomenon” is a good way to put it. I’ll have to do a video someday. But you still may not understand. If anyone ever rode with me in the States and said I was close to the car beside me, baby you ain’t seen nothing! Every little inch is used here. On main roads, half of the road is for scooters, and the other half is for cars. On little 2-lane roads scooters stay to the right and cars just go around them. But, like in Thailand, the painted lines are more like suggestions. On one taxi ride, my driver got into the left turn lane but went straight through the intersection. And horns. They use them so much more than we do in the U.S. That same taxi driver used one hand to steer and one for the horn. They use it to let other drivers know they are cutting in or to tell scooters to move out of the way. My Dad says, “Close is when mirrors touch.”

Even after reading this, I don’t think you’ll quite grasp what it’s like. Well, come to Taiwan (or Asia) and experience it yourself!!

One last story that made my Mom laugh hard. My Dad and I went to a department store (their version anyway) and found some plastic shelves for my room. We also found a laundry basket, a tall mirror, a hair dryer, and a lamp. The problem was transportation. We had 2 scooters with 2 people on each. My Dad thought he could have gotten it back to my apartment if I wasn’t riding with him. Then he and I decided I would ride in a taxi with all the stuff and he would drive the scooter back. But Sarah, Scott’s wife, said, “No, no. We can do it.” And we did. They took the laundry basked with the small stuff inside. My Dad put the mirror between his legs while I just held on to the drawers. That moment made my Dad and I feel so Asian. And I wish we would have gotten a video. At least we have pictures!!

My Bedroom

The 2 words I would use to describe it: interesting and different. Of course, “small” is a word that automatically applies. I am happy to report it has a saving grace – a large closet. I don’t have all my clothes in there as I need more hangars, but I believe they will all just fit. Good thing too. I don’t think my Dad would be too thrilled about hauling clothes home.

I have a large bed which is unnecessary. I already plan to use half of it for storage. I have a ceiling fan, AC unit, and a large window that looks out to the other windows of apartments in the other side of the building. And I have no desk, but Scott says one will come from the 13th floor.

The view outside my kitchen/laundry room window is nice. I see the school that I will teach at. And since I’m on the 8th floor, it’s a nice encompassing view. I can also see the edge of a Chinese temple. I’ll have to find a way there on streets so I can get a better look.

Quote

I'm just a tad overwhelmed still. I'm usually okay during the day, but at night I get way nervous. Last night I had a slight freak-out moment. Part of me wants to just turn around and go home with Dad on Thursday. But I won't do that. I've invested time and money into this. And there is a cool saying on the wall in the office and I saw it today.

"Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret
the things you didn't do more than the ones you did."

I saw that and smiled. Then I wrote it down. I'll have to keep it in mind.

Friends

I have 2 lovely friends in my apartment. “Already?” you’re thinking. Yep, I’m a lucky gal. I wouldn’t think myself so lucky if they were alive. You see, my friends are cockroaches. I found the first one by the kitchen sink. At first I thought it was a pinecone. Then I looked closer and realized what it really was. A grin stole over my face as I casually walked away. A chuckle bubbled up as I considered how some of my friends and family might have responded to such a discovery. Now I ask you: would you like to trade me spots? Here are pictures of my friends so you can make an educated choice. (They actually aren’t that big)