7 weeks in Taiwan

I cannot believe I have been in this beautiful country for 7 weeks already! It feels like just yesterday I was boarding a plane in Indianapolis, and now I've been teaching almost a month and been experiencing Taiwan for almost 2. Time flies when you are having fun, I suppose!

This week was the start of our school's English club. On Wednesday afternoons, elementary students do not have school, and there are opportunities for them to participate in clubs, like sports, and in English club. Wednesday morning, my co-teacher, Silvia, said to expect 31 students. When the kids were brought into our village, we recounted and had 37! Silvia said 6 more students decided to sign up at the last minute. Students from grades 1-6 are allowed to participate and we will be putting on a performance at the end of the semester for the teachers and parents. I love being around the first graders; they are so cute! I was even able to name two who had not yet received their English names. I named one Jason and the other Max. There was one first grader, Josh, whom I fell in love with instantly. When I asked my roommate, Monica, if we could take him home, she said his family probably wouldn't appreciate that, so I just have to look forward to Wednesdays! :-)

I taught every day this week, starting with 3rd and 4th grade on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, in the supermarket setting, and 5th and 6th grade in the clinic situation on Thursday and Friday. The fifth grade class I had reminded me of how much I enjoyed teaching my 5th graders last year, and they did so well, I let them ask me a couple of questions at the end of the period. One boy, Leo, asked if I had a boyfriend, and when I answered no, he then asked me if I wanted a boyfriend. I love that kids are not afraid to ask you anything!

On Tuesday night, I met up with my friend, Karin, and we went to the Shihlin Night Market. Karin had already gone there during orientation, but I had skipped out due to jet-lag. We grabbed some fried chicken and watermelon juice and sat on a bench, people-watching and talking about all sorts of girl things. We then went in search of clothes, as both of us were getting sick of the limited offerings of our individual closets. We found some cute shirts that satisfied the shopping bug for both of us.

On Friday, I took a bus to Toufen, in Miaoli County, where my friend Mariah lives. It takes about an hour and half to get there, and I had a nice young college student who helped me get off the bus in the right city. The hustle and bustle of Taipei was beginning to wear me out, so off I went. I realize now that this is probably the longest stretch I've gone without traveling somewhere.

Once I arrived at Mariah's, we took a taxi to Hsinchu, a town about 30 minutes away to meet up with another FET (foreign English teacher) to scan the pub scene there. The nightlife is a bit more relaxed than in Taipei, which was a welcome change for me. I met a lot of different people, some from Taiwan, and others who were traveling through Taiwan or who had been here for a couple of years. It was an enjoyable night and just what I need to relax a bit.

On Saturday, Mariah and I took a bus to Jhunan, one city over from Toufen, to indulge in a little pampering. We had our hair washed at a local salon and I was able to get my split ends cut. When I say getting my hair washed, some may think this is a mundane event, but not here. When you get your hair washed, the salon technician washes your hair while you sit up, and she gives you a neck and shoulder massage. You go back to sink, lay down, and the technician rinses out the shampoo, conditions your hair, rubs your scalp a bit, then puts a hot towel on your face and massages your cheekbones and temples. It's the most wonderful feeling in the world! After all of this, you go back to your seat and the stylist dries and styles your hair. For a wash, a cut, massage, and style it cost me about $14 US dollars! I was a bit anxious to get my hair cut because I have not had any one new cut my hair in 14 years, but the stylist did a wonderful job.

After the hair salon, we went to get a manicure and our toes polished. The nail technician, Ashley, was so sweet and she kept telling she was nervous to talk English with me because she doesn't speak very well. When I told her her English was much better than my Chinese, she seemed to relax and we chit chatted for a couple of minutes. After pampering ourselves, I caught the bus back to Taipei.

In a couple of weeks, I will be heading to Hualien, on the east coast of Taiwan, for Double 10th day. It is similar to our Independence Day, but on a smaller scale. In November, I will head back to Hualien to run in the Taroko Gorge Marathon, but will only be participating in the 5K race. This body cannot handle a full marathon, even after 3 half-marathons! The gorge is one of the biggest attractions in Taiwan, and I feel that this is an amazing opportunity that I couldn't pass up.

I'm hoping the weather will start to cool soon. This past week was very hot and humid, and a teacher told me this week that it is fairly late in the season for such hot weather. I have to say, I am pretty envious of the mild weather Indiana is having this summer; I would love a day where I can look at the thermometer and the heat index doesn't tell me it feels like 105 degrees! Typhoon season is almost over, which means the weather should start cooling down.

Because I never know how to end these postings, I will just say, until next time...