First week of school/Weekend visitor!

This week was the first week of school with the kids, although I didn't get to teach. On Monday, August 31, the administrators joined the two English teachers, myself and Monica, in greeting the students on the first day of school. We all dressed up in "fairy" costumes and the students passed through an archway on their way to class. I found it very interesting that all of the parents were taking pictures and video taping the first day. The kids were a little intimidated to pass by, but most of them were brave and offered a "Good morning!" to us.

As I said, I did not get to teach this week, but we did test about 400 students to determine their level of English and it help us determine which group each student would be in. I have been making flash cards and posters to help with the instruction. My first day with a class is tomorrow, September 7, and while I am very excited to finally start teaching, I am also quite anxious. Although I have taught kindergarten and ESL students with very low English abilities, I am faced with the challenge of having 15 little faces looking at me as if I'm speaking a foreign language; Oh wait! I will be! It's a very intimidating feat do undertake, but I truly am looking forward to seeing the progress the kids make.

On Friday, I met two other FETs in Taipei, Karin and Avrum, out to celebrate our first paychecks. It was so nice to have a paycheck; I hadn't been paid since the end of June and as any teacher knows, that first paycheck does not come fast enough. One thing I will have to get used to is being paid once a month. The three of us sought out an English pub called "On Tap." It was a great time and we had a lot of fun celebrating our first month in Taipei, first week of school, and our first paychecks. On my way to meeting Karin and Avrum, I sat next to a tourist from Paris, France who is here in Taipei to see the Deaflympics. (http://english.2009deaflympics.org/bin/home.php) I asked if they needed any help finding where they were going, which led to a conversation being held on paper because both gentlemen were deaf, and unfortunately, my sign language is limited to "sorry" and "thank you." It was an extremely interesting experience, and it just goes to show the value of non-verbal communication. I am looking forward more and more to going to some events next weekend with some friends from around Taiwan.

Saturday morning, my friend Mariah traveled to Taipei from Miaoli (about an hour and a half away) to spend the weekend exploring Taipei. Saturday morning we took the MRT to the end of one of the lines to find a park I had read about. After walking for about 20 minutes, we found a path that others were traveling up and decided to follow the masses. It ended up being Sun Moon Cave and Temple. The temple is at the top of a mountain, and the hike was a steep, uphill journey over uneven concrete. Along the way we saw small shrines of worship, vendors selling anything from bags to religious objects, and even a musician playing what appeared to be a violin/viola instrument. When we reached the temple, we were sprayed with "sacred" water on our hands, chest and backs. The temple grounds were an amazing experience and being able to see all of Taipei was magnificent. As we were going back down the steep hill, an older Taiwanese man approached us and asked us, in English, if we had enjoyed the temple and when we responded, that, yes, it was a beautiful temple, he told us we had just visited the best temple! He then asked how long we were going to be in Taiwan and why we were here, which are two questions you are asked on an almost daily basis.

Mariah and I then hopped on a train and went to see the Confucious Temple. It was a breathtaking temple, filled with history and homage.

The temple is a shrine to Confucious, who was an advocate for education for everyone. September 28 is Confucious Day, or Teachers' Day. After a long day of walking around Taipei, Mariah and I met 3 other FETs out and exchanged stories about the first week of school. It's amazing some of the similarities and differences you can experience. Every now and again, I have to remind myself that I am teaching in a foreign country.

On Sunday, Mariah and I went to two underground malls in Taipei. I was able to finally shop, which is something I've really missed. It's been a bit difficult to find things because most of the time there are no dressing rooms to try things on in, and the sizes are quite different. I did find a new purse, a new wallet, shoes, and a dress. I now have a place I know I can find clothes, which is good because the clothes I brought with me are starting to not fit. Mostly, this is due to the fact that most American clothes are made from cotton, and reshape themselves in the dryer. In Taiwan, most people do not own dryers, including me, so everything is air-dried. I'd like to think my clothes don't fit well because I've lost weight, but most of it is because of the fabric.

Tomorrow is the first day I begin teaching. My first class will be a low level 3rd grade class. We will be learning about going to the doctor's office to get a check-up. I'm very excited, but extremely nervous also. On Tuesday, I will be teaching a 4th grade class, and I'm anxious to see how things go. It should be very interesting, but fun also. We'll be learning through songs and chants and having conversations with each other. Can't wait to be able to share the stories next week!

Here are more pictures from this week:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Staycie82/RecentlyUpdated