Off to Visit King Kong!

Oh, I mean Hong Kong. I leave tomorrow afternoon. I'll be back in a few days with pictures and details! Stay tuned.

(Fingers crossed that everything goes well. I'm going alone and have to get my visa for China while I'm there.)

Houston, we have a problem

PROBLEM: the teacher is a distraction.

Crazy, huh? I have it in writing. It made me laugh really hard. I couldn't keep it to myself.

One of my classes gave me a {large} card and every student wrote a message. Here's the one that tickles me:

Dear Amberlee,
You are so pretty that I can't be absorbed in my book.
Happy New Year!
Jack

Ba ha ha! That is super funny. Yvonne said it is a bribe. I've been told I'm pretty more times than I've cared to count. By male and female students. I think one boy even winked at me in the beginning of the semester. So silly.

One good thing about the card is that quite a few kiddos said I'm energetic. That's good! I think it's a wonderful asset for teachers.

Cold and Onions

They don't seem to go together, do they? Oh but they do! Yvonne told me to dress like an onion when I went up to the mountains. I laughed.

The crazy thing is that I have to do it now. In Kaohsiung! I did not expect it to be cold like this. And the lame thing is that my house is just as cold as outside. It might even be a touch warmer outside. So not fun!

Last night I was wearing the following and was still cold: tank top - 3/4 sleeve shirt - sweater - 2 jackets - jeans - b-ball shorts on top - 2 pairs of socks.

I just sat huddled under my blankets reading a book. I don't like this! Oh, maybe I said that already.

Just gotta throw this in: {Ogres are like onions. -- What, they stink? -- No! They've got layers.} Ah, been so long since I could quote movies with people.

Tainan Vacation Pictures

Tainan (former capital, roommate's hometown) 1/1 to 1/2
Companion: Yvonne

First picture of the day. Me on a bridge in Tainan. Lunch is on the other side, but . . . there is a long line! We ate some shrimp chips to keep us alive and sane.

A very crowded street. Why? It's famous, that's why. Our stop after lunch. I picked up some gifts. (My height came in handy for snapping this pic. I was on the crest of a hill too.)

A tree house. Yvonne said that and I got excited. But she said it was just a tree and a house that had become completely attached to each other. Not like a come-play-in-this-awesome-house-in-my-tree tree house. Bummer.

Yvonne. I really like this picture of her.

A fort. I forget the details . . . it's old. . . great view from the watchtower. . . might have been used by the British merchants . . . (it's all coming back to me know)

A house. Again, I've forgotten the details. I have the entrance tickets with a summary at home. . . and I'm in the office.

Our early-morning stop. A famous banyan tree at the university by Yvonne's house. We rode bikes there (she has 2 in Tainan and 1 in our apt.)

We visited a famous night market and it was SO crowded. We were all bumping and shuffling together. There were many times that I just laughed. Nothing else to do! I couldn't move and neither could anyone around me. Other people laughed too. Yvonne did. I snapped a picture with her camera...I'll put it on later.

Alishan Vacation Pictures

Alishan (mountain area, central Taiwan) 1/2 to 1/3

Companions: Emily, Allyn, Ronnie, Stella, Rich, Mom, Dad

Posing in front of the trees in the wonderful mountains. I felt like I was back home! Do you like my new, expensive coat? It kept me warm.
Stella and Emily in the forest.

For my brother. I've finally figured out the pose.

Emily, Rich, Allyn, Stella on an awesome bridge.

Allyn, Emily, and I on our hike.

Sacred Tree #2. It's over 1000 years old. The first one was struck by lightning twice and fell down. (isn't he so cute?!)

Stella c.c (Stella & Rich's mom said that was her English name. I don't get it) and I showing our train tickets. Part of Sacred Tree 1 is behind us.

Rich and his dad waiting for the train. Dad didn't want to be in any pictures.

Our hotel room. I laughed when I walked in. So Asian! My companions said its Japanese.

Our little table with bum pillows.

Most awkward shower of my life. They call this a bathtub/shower? Nowhere to hook the water spout.

5 am and this was just funny to me! Time to start hiking. I refuse to miss the sunrise.

I'm the tallest!! Ha ha. No heads in my sunrise pictures.

Emily holding on tight while I got fabulous pictures for everyone.

"Here comes the sun . . . "

It's here to stay! (there are 30 pictures between this and the previous one. I thought I'd just give you the highlights)

Looking down at the "little people" from my fabulous vantage point.Allyn, Stella, Emily, Ronnie

The giant! My coat even blends with the sky = perfect.

The early risers. We woke up at 4:30. The sun came up at 7:00. (I lead the pack on this hike too.)

Frost and flowers side by side. A great contrast. The girls I was with were excited to see the frost. he he. I would've preferred snow - then we could've had a snowball fight!

Stella & I posing. See the smaller post in the left corner? That's what I was standing on for the sunrise. It even wobbles -- perfect.

"Walking" stick --- I like to pick them up. I don't know why this l-o-n-g piece of bamboo was the one that caught my eye this time. Oh well. I enjoyed it. I tried to use it as a high-jumping stick but it broke and Emily was nervous. (she's worse than my own mother, always saying "that's dangerous" or "be careful" I've learned the Chinese words for "be careful" because of her!)

Trailhead. Look at the beautiful stone sun! (the real thing is better but harder to look at. Trust me.)

Funny stone men. Rich is the funniest kid! I love it. We stopped on our drive down the mountain. There were 2 awesome bridges. Emily wouldn't stop at the first one, but I made her stop at the second one :)

Funny stone men again. Practicing Tai-che moves.

Confucious. We ended up back in Tainan on 1/3. So I started and ended my vacation in that city.

Calligraphy Chinese characters. I was pretending I had just written them. Ha ha. That takes more patience and effort than I'm willing to put into writing. I just want to get my thoughts out of my head fast.

I couldn't walk by this without taking a picture. What a great claim to fame! "My city has a giant metal ear" ba ha ha.

We went to monkey mountain to try and find monkeys, but we were too late. They were going to bed. That's the 2nd time I've missed out. I'm bummed. I MUST see them before I leave Taiwan. I did find this awesome tree chair. An okay consolation prize.

Last Picture

Happy New Year!

I had a fabulous time welcoming in the new year with trips to Tainan and Alishan. The actual moment of the change was spent sleeping, which I really needed since I was getting a cold.

This is the last picture taken on my vacation. It makes me laugh. I'll post other pictures and details later. I hope everyone is having a great 2009 (so far). I get to give final tests this week. It should be fun!

Sandwiches & New Friends

So I was talking with Emily via IM and saying how I really wanted a sandwich. I’ve missed them so much!! They only eat them at breakfast time here. With eggs and meat. It just isn’t the same. I want turkey with tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and mayo/mustard. Oh yum!

Emily said she would take me to a sandwich place. We drove our scooters into Kaohsiung and I just laughed when we pulled up to Mos Burger. I had to tell her that burgers and sandwiches are very different. She was bummed that she was wrong. I bought a meal anyway.

On our way home, we stopped at two other places looking for sandwiches. I said “like Subway” and she said she knew. But then she admitted she’d never been to Subway before. Then how did she know?! Silly girl.

At one point, she stomped her foot, put her hand up with the index finger pointing at me and began to speak. But she stopped before any sound came out. I looked at her with a confused expression. She was planning to say “I promise this place will have sandwiches” but realized she couldn’t do that. It was funny. I wish I could have captured it on video. Words aren’t quite the same.

So this is all background information. Last night, we went to a legitimate Subway. Oh blessed day!! A real sandwich, like you find in America. It was delicious. And Emily was hilarious. She didn’t know how to order. Then we both got cookies and I made her order the one with the longer name. I didn’t even realize. Oops, not very nice of me.

I finished my first 6 inch before she was halfway through hers. I bought a 12 inch and took the other half home. Emily said it tasted good. She had them put all the toppings on it which I thought was a mistake. She said she didn’t know what they were. Whatever, she has eyeballs.

3 people joined our little party. Emily’s former teacher (and now a senior high school principal) has wanted to meet me for some time, apparently. She pulled up in a nice BMW SUV and came inside with her two little kids. Her daughter, Stella, is 12 and speaks English well. Her son, Rich, is 4 and he is so cute!

I got off to a good start with him. I gave him some of our cookies. He kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye (in an adorable shy giggle). And he would randomly laugh at me. Then he started making faces and I made some right back. By the end of the night, we were buddies.

His mom and sister said he was so happy to come meet me. I don’t know why. I guess it’s just because I’m American. Oh well. I love little kids.

We walked along the Love River after finishing our food. He wanted to run so his sister and I joined him. He just loved that. I’m sure he slept well that night! We had fun running around. Stella was cute as she talked to me and asked questions. She even asked if she could “make friends with me". I said of course.

I think they are going to join us on our trip to Alishan this weekend. That should be lots of fun! It’s in the central mountains of Taiwan. It’ll be a 2-day trip since we have time off for New Years. Emily and I and two others girls are going together. And now we may have Stella, Rich, and their mom along for the fun!

New Friend Pictures

Yeah! Emily's first trip to Subway.

With her sandwich.

With my TWO sandwiches.

Rich is a goofy kid! He was hilarious. His sister kept calling him strange.

Warriors fighting. I just love the excitement manifest in Rich's pose. I'm sure you've fallen in love with him too. {too bad he's way too young for me}

Wow, my legs look really long in this picture. Odd.

PS Just wanted to add that I had a fun scooter ride with Emily on this outing. We went fast, but I loved it. And she said I have good scooter skills. Yeah! That makes me feel good.

One hilarious thing that happened a few times: we cut across the crosswalk so we could turn left. (Instead of going straight and getting in line with the cross traffic and waiting for the next light. It's a little tricky to explain.) But it's so totally illegal and would never happen back home. It's normal here. We weren't the only ones doing it.

Christmas!

CHRISTMAS EVE

Yvonne and I went to dream mall. I had fried rice and . . . ICE CREAM! From Baskin Robbins. It was heavenly and brought back memories.

My spoils. Thank you, family!! (I had the mac'n'chees for my Christmas dinner. And I shared some rice krispie treats with my students.)

Tradition - each child with all their presents. (thank goodness for camera timers!)

SCHOOL PHOTOS

Student band performing on Christmas Eve

Students watching the group peform. They're lining the railings. (I teach most classes in this building.)

LISTENING-SPEAKING first years, level three

Student audience - this is the computer lab. It makes class a little harder since they hide behind the monitors sometimes.

We practiced Christmas songs in class. One group performing.

Another group about to perform.

We played a game in class (I wasn't going to make them work on Christmas!) They had to put some accessories on and try to unwrap a present. Then other students rolled a dice and would take everything away and try to unwrap it. And so on.

Thanks to my Grandma for the idea. She had us play something similar when I was younger.

Shayne (hilarious kid)

Michelle (volleyball player)

Kevin

WRITING first years, level one

Allen & Jason

Michelle & Ann

Jessica