Thailand

Here is an overview of my trip to Thailand. It was an incredible vacation and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Day 1: Exploring Bangkok City and Temples in Bangkok, This tour brings you to the most distinguished temples in Bangkok. Wat Trimitr, the Temple of the Golden Buddha the statue of Buddha is made from solid gold weighting 5.5 tons.
: Lunch at Thai Restaurant.
: Visit Grand Palace, This is a "must" for every visitor to Bangkok, for the Grand Place Complex, which includes the Temple of The Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Keow) is unquestionably one of the wonders of the world today. Within its enormous grounds is the most exotic Buddhist temple and at the heart of the temple itself is a fabulous Buddha image, carved from one piece jade, which is the holiest and most revered of religious objects in Thailand today.
: Evening enjoy Thai Dinner and Thai Traditional Dance, experience a variety of typical Thai foods and the warm hospitality of waitresses dressed in national costumes. After dinner sit back, relax and enjoy a spectacular performance of Thai classical dances.

Day 2: Visit Floating Market (Only in Thailand you can see the floating Market. An exhilarating narrow long tailed speed boat ride through the small canal pass, Thai Houses and their- Vegetable's Farm Flower's Farm, Fruit's Farm. At Floating Market you will see Thai style canoes laden with colorful, succulent fruits, vegetable sweet and meats, gently play their way through the canal. Water has always been a major part of Thai Life). After floating market continue to the elephant & crocodile show.

Day 3: Visit Ayuthaya – Ancient Capital of Thailand, drive pass the lush green paddy fields, visit Bang-Pa-In Palace, it was the favorite summer resort for Thai Kings from Ayuthaya to Rattanakosin time. Various Royal Halls were beautifully resorted and decorated with a great variety of nice flower plants.
: Lunch at restaurant.
: Visit Wat Phananchoeng, This monastery is the most revered by the inhabitants of Ayuthaya, was built in A.D. 1325. Continue to visit Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, one can see the large pagodas, built to celebrate the victory of his single-handed combat on the elephant’s back during Aythutaya capital.

: Visit Wihan Phramongkhon Bophit a large bronze cast Buddha was originally en-shrine.

Day 4: Visit Phi Phi Island by cruise, Phi Phi island is located just 48 km to the east of Phuket, off the western coastline of Southern Thailand in the Andaman Sea. It is renowned worldwide for its natural scenic beauty with silver sand beaches fringed with palm trees, towering limestone cliffs and hills full of lush greenery. Offshore, a bank of coral reefs provide an unequal glimpse of marine life whilst spots such as the historic "Viking cave" add a fascinating dimension to exploration.

: Lunch is served on the beach.
: Enjoy swimming and snorkeling on blue crystal clear water, full of coral reefs and marine lives.

Day 5: Visit Phang Nga Bay, this tour takes you across Phuket Island to the mainland where we board the boat to the unique sheer sided limestone islands in the famous Phang Nga Bay Enjoy the beauty of the Phang Nga Bay.
: Lunch is served.
: Enjoy Canoeing, exploring the bay, see the fantastic view of The Phang Nga Bay.

Day 6: Visit Coral Island, The beautiful and untouched Coral Island is to the south of Phuket. This island is spectacular clear sea, clean white sand beaches astonishing coral reefs and marine life, will help you forget that time exists. Coral Island is One of the most well-known destinations from the southern end of Phuket Island, is encircled by the outstanding reefs and crystal clear water where is perfect for swimming and snorkeling.

I had an incredible time in Thailand and hope to go back one day. I was able to parasail while on Coral Island; a first for me! Enjoy the pictures!

January 2010

As I sit here in the airport, waiting to board my plane to Bangkok, Thailand, I realized I hadn't updated my blog in about a month! I'm not sure how many people actually follow this blog, but I figured this might be a good time to update everyone on the happenings over here in Taiwan during the month of January. I have a feeling that after I return from my Thailand vacation, I will have lots more to share and more pictures to post, so here's a quick recap January 2010 in the life of Staycie's Taiwan Journey.

January brought about the end of the first semester (finally!), and I saw some marked improvement in a few of my students. My co-teachers and I came up with a schedule for next semester that allows each class to come to English Village more frequently, so that we can build a better relationship with the students and make English more relevant to their lives. I love walking to school in the morning and home afterwards and hearing, "Teacher Staycie, hello!" Puts a smile on my face no matter how often I hear that phrase.

For 3 days, Monica, my co-teacher Silvia, and I along with the other FETs all over Taiwan met up in Sanshia, Taiwan, a town "famous" for their pottery. The MOE hosted an in-service for all of us teachers to get together and talk about what we do in our individual schools and even share some complaints and suggestions with each other. It was fun seeing everyone, but also bittersweet because that would be the last time all of us would be together before we either return home at the end of the school year or extend our contracts another year.

Speaking of where I will be next year, I recently notified Elkhart Community Schools I would be returning to teach with the district for the 2010-2011 school year. With budget cuts (Elkhart was just notified of an almost $4 million budget cut), moving to another district, including Indianapolis districts, does not seem feasible this year. I am very thankful for the fact that I do have a job to go back to. I do not know which school or what grade I will be teaching next year, but that is nothing new, as I have never been in a school for more than a year. Oh the pains of being the bottom woman on the seniority totem pole. But as I said, I am thankful for having a job to come back to, even though my co-teachers beg me more times than I can mention to stay for just one more year.

I've loved working here in Taiwan and it was just what I needed to fulfill the itch to travel abroad and teach English like I have always wanted to. I would be very interesting in doing another program like this, just maybe in a different country to experience a different culture.

While I'm on the subject of coming home, I was able to book my ticket home at the end of June. I will be leaving Taiwan on June 29, and stopping over for a week in Maui, Hawaii. My mom will hopefully be able to meet me their and we'll have a little girls' vacation week before I return to my Western style of life! It will be nice to be able to adjust to being surrounded by family a few members at a time as I know I will feel overwhelmed by their presence again; but in a very, very good way! Returning to the events of January!

On of my co-workers was married the third weekend in January and I was able to attend the ceremony and the reception. The couple had a Christian wedding, where the bride and groom sang a duet, exchanged vows and rings, and then invited the guests for a tea time. Afterwards, we traveled across town to a wonderful reception filled with a 14 course menu. It was a menu full of seafood, so I put on my "I'll be brave and try it" pants and did my best with all of the dishes. There was lots of shrimp, lobster tail, clams, and oysters. One of the courses included a full fish, with the scales and head still attached. At one point, the fish was looking right at me and I calmly asked if we could change the fish's perspective; I don't like when my dinner looks back at me! For dessert we had red bean soup, and a small piece of cheesecake and fruit. I tried most of the courses, but couldn't stomach the sea urchin soup, even if it is a Taiwanese delicacy. The bride was beautiful, and she actually changed dresses 3 times. This may seem like a huge expenditure, but Taiwanese brides rent all of their dresses, so it's not as extravagant as on might think. During the reception, the bride and groom, and both sets of parents go around to each table and toast their guests. It was a wonderful touch to have the bridal party toast each table, as I know in America it can be hard for the bride and groom to make it to every table to greet their guests.

The weekend after the in-service, my friend Deb, her husband Rommel, and their two kids, Gabe and Josephine, stayed with me in Taipei for the weekend. On Friday, we enjoyed a few American meals that the Aquino's don't get in Wandan; Burger King for lunch and Pizza Hut for dinner! On Saturday, we woke up, showered and decided to head off to Chili's for lunch. After lunch we went to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks; The Squeakel" and then went over to Sun-Yet San Memorial hall. Although we were too late for the changing of the guards ceremony, we were able to witness the flag lowering ceremony at the end of the day.

Sunday morning, we rounded everyone together and enjoyed a little underground mall shopping, which was great because the weather had been quite crummy all weekend. I then took everyone to the High Speed Rail station and sent my Taiwan "family" back down south.

As my dad tends to mention every time we talk, "Do you work or are you just having a year long vacation." To which I answer, "I work so I can have a year long vacation." I've realized I usually don't put much about my interactions with my students, but I do work. This coming semester I will be teaching about 5 different continents and using that material to teach my students how to interact at the Post Office. I believe this will be a great experience and I can't wait to start the new semester. I'm on my first extended vacation since August and I'll return to work on February 22.

In the mean time, I'll be traveling to Thailand, on the recommendation of my friend, Ryan, who lived there for about a year. After I return, I'll spend a week in Taiwan experiencing Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival. I have a feeling I'm going to have lots of stories and more incredible pictures to share.

For those of you who follow this, I hope you enjoy these entries. I enjoy sharing my experience here with you and I promise, there will be lots of pictures next time. I'm on the downhill side of this year, with only 5 short months to go, and I have to say, I think I will be very ready to return home. Until next time,

Staycie

Decade/Year in Review

At first, I couldn't believe that a new decade was a upon us until someone asked what we were all doing at the beginning of 2000. I was a senior in high school during the big Y2K scare, and there have been many things that have happened in the past 10 years that I could have never fathomed at 17.

I graduated high school in 2000, started college and graduated in 2005. I got my first grown-up job as a teacher in 2006 and moved into my own place, by myself, that same year. I've experienced some heartache, but came out on the other side every time, knowing someday, when things are right, "It" will happen. I watched my sister and my brother get married, and have watched my nephew grow up into a little man, although most of that has been through webcams, an invention I am thankful for more and more everyday.

In the last 3 years of the decade, I've come to know what a true friend is and have made some great friends along the way. Without those friends, I would never have been able to make some of the toughest decisions I've been faced with.

I've experienced a lot of career related changes: I've taught at 4 schools in 3 1/2 years, but have learned to roll with the waves that come toward me. I went from teaching 5/6 year olds to handling the trials and tribulations of 10/11 year olds. I've found that I have the same level of fondness for 5th graders as I do for kindergartners. I learn as much from them as I hope they have learned from me. They were also my inspiration for making the biggest life change I've encountered so far. They inspired me to move across the world and teach because how could I tell my "kids" to follow their dreams if I didn't do the same.

After I was transferred the second week of school to Feeser, I thought it would have an awful year because I didn't really like 5th graders. Plus, I hadn't been in a 5th grade classroom since I was a 5th grader, but I decided that I had to make the best out of this year. And was it a great year, maybe the best year so far. My "kids" and I learned together, both academically and in life lessons, and I hope they got as much out of their year with me, as I got out of a year with them.

Feeser also brought me a group of friends who have come to mean the world to me. They are the friends I email when I am homesick for "normal" and who respond with a plethora of encouraging words. They were also the friends who convinced me to help coach basketball, who helped me celebrate the upcoming year abroad, and who helped me see that I needed to move on for my own good.

Last January, I knew I wanted to change things in my life, I just didn't know what form it would take. I applied for jobs in Indianapolis, and then found the opportunity to come to Taiwan for a year to teach English. I filled out the application, asked for reference letters, and hoped for 3 weeks that I would be accepted. I didn't think about what would happen if I actually did get accepted. My family was incredibly supportive, as were my friends.

Saying goodbye to everything I knew and traveling, for the first time, to a foreign country was completely out of my box, but it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I've met some really great friends, including my roommate, Monica, who, after my first roommate moved back to California, offered me a place to live. I also met an incredible family, the Aquinos, who have come to be some of the best friends I've made here, and who have some of the best kids I've ever met. I've lived through a typhoon and a couple of earthquakes, and know that sometimes, the unknown of Mother Nature is really scary.

I always thought it was interesting when my parents would say "I remember where I was when..." My first occurrence of this was September 11, 2001. I was walking through the Union after class on the IU Bloomington campus. I remember the prayer vigils and the feeling of not being safe, no matter where you lived. Then life moved on, but never in the same way after that day.

Seeing the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and the outpouring of help from all over the world, watching the inauguration of Barack Obama with my 5th graders in January 2009, knowing that the choices of today affect the future generation I was amongst that day, and watching the media-hype of Michael Jackson's death, were all things we experienced in the past decade.

As we move into this new year and new decade, my hope is that I will continue to learn more about myself and who I am, become more generous with my time and talents, and enjoy my family and friends even more. I guess you could call these resolutions, although I don't really agree with the idea of resolutions. Maybe it's more of a life plan or a code to live by, I may not really be able to put a title on this. One of my favorite quotes that I've heard in the past year was "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." From then on, I decided to stop planning as much as possible, and just enjoy what comes my way. May you all enjoy what comes your way, and plan a little less!

New Years 2010

New Years Eve this year was spent with new friends in a new country. I ventured onto the MRT around 10p.m. to meet up with some other FETs for a small New Years party. In one of the transfer stations, the police had all passengers corralled like cows and about every 5 minutes, they would release about 100-200 passengers to go down to the platforms. It took 6 trains for me to be able to get on the next line, and it was jam-packed!

When I got to my stop, almost the entire train emptied and I raced to meet my friends at the top entrance. We then walked over to a friend's house for the party. Around 11:30, we headed up to the roof top to watch the countdown and the fireworks from Taipei 101. It was an incredible sight, but in true "blonde moment" fashion, I forgot to put the battery in my camera before leaving my apartment! Last blonde moment of 2009, haha!

Taipei 101 was an amazing sight to see and I am so grateful to have been able to see it. Below is a YouTube clip of Taipei 101 at midnight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-V7fl5QJcs

Happy New Year to all!

Christmas in Taiwan

Christmas in Taiwan was quite different from Christmas back home. Here in Taipei, I didn't start to see decorations for the holiday until the second week of December; quite different from having Christmas decorations in the stores in September in the US! Also, I had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Monica and I decorated the English Village at school for the holiday and taught the students how to make ornaments that were then hung up on a giant paper tree we hung in the gym. The students were thrilled every time they walked into the gym to see the tree become more festive with each passing day.

On Christmas night, I went to my friend, Karin's house for a small party to celebrate the holiday. It was quite different from the big family gathering I'm used to, but it was nice to share the evening with my "family" here.

Saturday morning, or Friday evening in Mishawaka, my family and I had a chance to video-chat during my family's festivities. Each of my family members brought their presents over to the camera and opened them for me to see. Everyone in the family received genuine Taiwanese surgical masks, as they are very fashionable here. Afterwards, I had a chance to open the gifts my family had sent for me. I got an iTunes card, some earrings, a picture of my nephew, and some sweets.

It was a hard holiday to be away from home, but I realize that this Christmas is only one holiday out of many. Thank goodness for technology, it made it a bit easier to be able to see my family and "participate" in the holiday festivities. Merry Christmas to all and I hope you enjoyed your time with your family!

*Picture above: Miramar Ferris Wheel at night

Little Liu Chiu Island

The second weekend of December, I took the High Speed Rail (HSR) down to Kaohsiung to catch up with my friend Deb and her family. It was her son, Gabe's, 3rd birthday, and we decided to go to Little Liu Chiu Island, off the coast of southern Taiwan.

It was a weekend full of public transportation, of which I've become quite a big fan of since I moved to Taiwan. After meeting the Aquino's in Pingtung City, we boarded a bus to Donggang, where we caught a ferry to Little Liu Chiu Island.

After we arrived, we found a hotel with an waterfront view and then went exploring. Our first stop was Vase Rock, a coral formation that looks like a vase with vegetation growing out the top. We then headed over to a lookout point and enjoyed watching the sunset over the Taiwan Straits.

Sunday morning, we headed over to Beauty Cave and Black Dwarf cave where we hiked through caves formed all by coral. The weekend was filled with all the things I love about Taiwan: public transportation, great views of the water, hiking, and the Aquino family!

Weekend in Hong Kong

The first weekend in December, I decided it was time to finally get some stamps in my passport, so I headed to Hong Kong with Karin. We caught a late flight out of Taipei in to Hong Kong. We stayed on the Kowloon side of the island, with a beautiful view of the harbor from our hotel room.

Saturday morning we woke up, armed with tourist maps and a mission to find the local H & M store and see as much of Hong Kong as possible. We took a shuttle bus to a ferry, which whisked us to the other side of Hong Kong. There, we traversed the streets, which were decorated for Christmas - just like back home, and found lots of little shops and a wonderfully delicious dumpling place for lunch.

That night, we headed to The Peninsula Hotel to watch the fireworks and boat parade which were part of the opening ceremonies of the 2009 East Asian Games. The boats had dancers and performers, and the fireworks show was amazing.

Sunday, Karin and I woke up and caught the ferry again in order to ride the Peak Tram, and takes you to the highest mountain peak in Hong Kong. The views were amazing! Afterwards, we found the famed "Mid-Level Escalators which are the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The entire escalator system covers over 800 meters in distance and elevates over 135 meters from bottom to top.

Hong Kong was amazing, and was actually very different from Taiwan. The given dialect in Hong Kong is Cantonese, there were no crazy scooters on the sidewalks, and there were many more places that had employees who spoke and understood English. This was a great weekend getaway, and I now have passport stamps from Hong Kong!

November 2009-4 Months in Taiwan

Mitzy, Cassandra, Eileen, Tara, Karin, and Monica in the gorge.

The first weekend in November, I headed back to Hualien to support a few friends who were running in the 10th annual Taroko Gorge Marathon. Cassandra, Karin, and Eric ran in the 5K and Eileen ran in the half marathon. It turned out to be a gorgeous morning for the runners and after the race, we decided to explore the gorge a bit. We saw amazing rock formations, crystal clear water, and even a couple of monkeys swinging in the trees.

After hiking through Taroko Gorge, we had a relaxing afternoon before getting dolled up and heading out for a night of dumplings, dancing and socializing.

On Thursday, Monica and I had the opportunity to introduce our teaching staff to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. On Monday, we ventured out with a couple of co-workers to Costco to buy a turkey and some pumpkin pie. At home on Wednesday night, Monica and I prepared mashed potatoes, gravy, and an apple pie for all to enjoy the next day. After heating everything up and topping off the pies with whipped cream, everyone dove into the Thanksgiving feast, even after they had finished their regular lunches. It was really wonderful to see how everyone was willing to taste the turkey and they cleaned it to the bone; no leftovers for sandwiches the next day! The staff was really appreciative of our efforts and mentioned that we should make a meal for every month. Not sure how that will work out, but it was nice to see that they enjoyed the meal.

Thanksgiving night, all four Taipei FETs met at an Italian restaurant, Capone's, that was offering an American style Thanksgiving dinner. We enjoyed soup, a Waldorf salad, turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, and yams. For dessert, I enjoyed apple pie with ice cream, and the others had pecan pie with ice cream. It was all really delicious, but I did miss the big meal my mother usually cooks.

Speaking of family, I woke up at 5:15 a.m. on Friday morning to video-chat with my parents, grandparents, and my brother. Everyone was giving me details about the meal and mentioning that they missed having the cheesy mashed potatoes I usually bake for Thanksgiving. It really made me miss having Thanksgiving in the Mish (Mishawaka), but it was nice to see everyone while they enjoyed their meal.

November continued to be a hectic month, especially with our school gearing up for Sports Day on the last Saturday of the month. Sports Day was especially important this year because my school, Bin Jiang Elementary School, was celebrating it's fifth birthday. The sixth graders sang a happy birthday song during the grand processional, and there was even a birthday cake that all of the kindergartners who were 5, gathered around. Sports Day was really interesting to observe. It began with a grand processional, where all of the classes march onto the track and perform a little skit. The 5th graders presented an H1N1 skit and the "Sorry, Sorry" dance, then one of the aboriginal students sang an aboriginal song. The 4th graders demonstrated part of the boating and fishing tradition of Taiwan, the 3rd graders did a cheer, the 2nd graders sang a song, the 1st graders did a chant along with dragon faces, and the kindergartners also did a little cheer.

After the grand processional, Monica and I led the kids in stretching in English, and then the real fun began. The kindergarten students did a drum and flag number, and the 6th graders did a dance to "Jai Ho" from the movie "Slumdog Millionaire." The fifth graders and first graders had relay races. The 2nd graders performed a workout routine that was a lot of fun to watch and third graders performed a routine to Avril Lavigne's song "Girlfriend."

Monica and I participated by dancing with the fourth graders to a French song. We cha-cha'd, promenaded, boogied down, and clapped our way through the dance and had a lot of fun. We also were given microphones to cheer the relay racers on in English. Afterwards, some teachers gathered for a meal of "hotpot," which is cooking food in flavored, boiling water.

Because we worked on Saturday, I had the next Monday off to sleep in and have a relaxing day. In true vacation day style, I woke up around 10, took my time getting ready, then met Monica out at Dr. Sun Yet-sen Memorial Hall to explore that area. Although I have lived here for awhile, I have not done a lot of touristy things, and I decided that today would be a wonderful opportunity to do so. I was able to see artifacts from Dr. Yet-sen's work and the most exciting part of the trip was seeing the changing of the guards. It was intense, but incredibly interesting to see.

I noticed today, after talking to a friend, that I have been here in Taiwan for four months, leaving me with only seven left to explore and enjoy what this experience is and is going to continue to be. Until next time enjoy the pictures and videos below!

Changing of the guard at Sun Yat-sen

5th graders doing the "Sorry, Sorry" dance

Kindergarten performance (sorry, people kept walking in front of me!)

Pictures from Taroko Gorge:

Pictures from the rest of November:

3 Months in Taiwan

So I have officially been in Taiwan for 3 months and it feels like just yesterday I was saying goodbye to everyone! This is turning out to be an even more amazing experience than I could have ever imagined.

Celebrating Deb's birthday

A couple of weeks ago, the Indiana FETs met in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on the west coast to celebrate a fellow FET, Debra's, birthday. Debra, her family, and I traveled together to Taiwan, but we haven't been able to see each other since orientation in August. It was great to see Debra, her husband Rommel, and her kids, Gabe and Josephine. I stayed in my first ever hostel, which actually turned out to be pretty nice. It was more of a two bedroom apartment, so we had a private bathroom, a kitchen, and a sitting area.

On Friday, we met up with our friend, Mike "Fatbat," and he took us to Kaohsiung's famous night market, Liouho Night Market. Mike also took us to the mountains and to Love River, where we saw lots of ferry boats.

We visited the Dream Mall and road the ferris wheel, where we were able to get a look of Kaohsiung at night. It was amazing!

And of course, what would the end of October be without celebrating Halloween. My friends from Hualien came to Taipei for the weekend and we all got costumes or became creative with the clothes we had made up our own costumes. It was a lot of fun, and I'm so glad I have friends who were here to celebrate with.

My broken toe continues to heal, slowly but surely. I've had to wear a splint for the past 3 1/2 weeks and I go back to the doctor on Monday to see if I can go back to normal activity. I will be so happy if he says I can stop wearing the splint. I'm dying to go shoe shopping!

I'm 1/4 of the way through this year, and I can't believe how quickly time is passing. There are still plenty of times I crave the normalcy of life back home, but I've also created a new normal here. I realized about a week ago that this is the longest I've ever gone without physically seeing my family, and the recent change for Daylight Savings has become a bit problematic, but these are the kinks you deal with, I suppose. I'm grateful for all the weekends I've been able to travel and experience the culture and sights of Taiwan because I know that July will be here before I know it. The weather has continued to cool, but I can honestly say I will not miss the brutal Indiana winter this year. I hope you have all enjoyed reading about this adventure; I know I have enjoyed sharing it with everyone.

The Dream Mall Ferris Wheel in Kaohsiung

A view of Kaohsiung from the ferris wheel

Enjoying the night air by the Love River

Liouhe Night Market

Pumpkin Craze

In an effort to showcase holidays in the US, Monica and I videotaped ourselves carving a pumpkin for our weekly English Corner. The pumpkin made friends quite quickly!

End of September/Beginning of October

The end of September, beginning of October has brought a lot of interesting news. Three typhoons were potentially heading straight for Taiwan, which was predicted to leave heavy damage to most areas. Some areas were still trying to rebuild after August's Typhoon Morakot, so the threat of three typhoons wasn't too welcome. Fortunately for Taiwan, all three typhoons changed paths, and Taiwan was only hit with heavy rains.

I was able to visit one of Taipei's tallest points, Yangmingshan. It gives you an amazing view of all Taipei, and we were able to see it at night. On Friday, Karin (one of the FETs in Taipei), invited me to help celebrate her birthday. A group of us went to a German restaurant and enjoyed lots of German food, an

d everyone indulged in a little dessert to help Karin celebrate.

Last weekend, I boarded a train to Hualien, where 3 other FETs are teaching. The train ride is amazing because to one side is mountains and to the other is the Pacific Ocean. At some points it looks as though the clouds, ocean, and mountains all blend in to one. U

nfortunately, it rained the entire weekend, but we FETs know how to have fun in any type of weather. We went to a mountainous area and then to a power plant for popsicles!

A mountain view in Hualien

On Sunday, the whole group went to see a movie, and then we got back on a train to Taipei. It was a great weekend, and so nice to see some friends.

Unfortunately, the week took a bit of a sour turn. On Tuesday, I broke my middle toe on my left foot. I was moving a kids' chair out of my way and kicked it with my foot

instead of moving it with my hands. I knew something was wrong instantly, but thought maybe I just bruised my foot badly. One of my Taiwanese co-teachers ac

companied me to the local clinic and I had x-rays taken and received a few days' worth of pain medication. I'll return on Monday to have another set of x-rays taken to make sure my toe is healing correctly.

The doctor said I will not be allowed to exercise for at least a month, so I will not be able to run the 5k race in November I had signed up for. I was able to find a friend to take my place and I know it will still be a lot of fun to watch the runners.

Hope this finds everyone well and I'll continue to update you on the events happening here in Taiwan!

Karin's Birthday

My broken toe all wrapped up; thank goodness I got a pedicure before it happened!

The view of Taipei from Yangmingshan

Full week and Fun Weekend

This week was a full week of teaching and I spent another weekend in Toufen, with my friend, Mariah.

All this week, I taught in the clinic situation, with grades 3-6. On Wednesday, we held English club, and decided that our production for this semester would be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We have about 37 kids to fit into this production, but I believe it will be a lot of fun, especially to see the little kids dancing around and singing the Oompa Loopma parts.

On Thursday night, I met my friend, Karin, and we went to an event held by Oriented. Oriented is a social-networking organization for professionals around the world. Most major cities have an Oriented organization, and the last Thursday of the month, they hold an Happy Hour to give members a chance to network. I met a few people and exchanged information. I'm hoping by participating in these types of events, I can create a network of friends here in Taiwan.

On Friday, I climbed on a bus again to visit Mariah. I met her at her school because she was having Parents' Night, or Open House. It was interesting because her students do not see many foreigners, so they were fascinated that there were two! Afterwards, we went to Hsinshu and went to a few pubs where foreigners are known to hang out. It was a lot of fun and we ran into a few people we had met last weekend.

Saturday, we woke up, put on our bathing suits and went to a beach in Jhunan. The beach was amazing. The beach is on the Taiwan Straits, and theoretically, you could swim to China, but we decided against that. We sat in the water and watched the wind surfers for awhile. Then we hiked back to town, and met up with Mariah's co-teacher, Angel. This weekend had a bigger purpose than getting away from the hustle and bustle of Taipei. We were organizing supplies to deliver to needy families throughout Miaoli County. After we finished, Maraih and I went to a local night market.

Sunday morning, Angel and 6 other volunteers picked Mariah and I up in a van loaded with supplies and we headed off for Nanjhuang. We delivered supplies to about 8-10 families, who were all very appreciative of everything they received. It was very humbling to experience, but I am so glad I had the oppportunity to participate.

On Wednesday, I received my first care-package from America. My parents were kind enough to send me deoderant, a few t-shirts I had left behind, a Downy fabric softener ball, and best of all, a picture of my whole family. It's wonderful to have some small comforts from home, but it does take quite awhile for things to arrive. My package took about 2 weeks for it to arrive and a letter from my grandparents took about a week. It's a great feeling to see your name on a piece of mail that isn't a bill and has no Chinese writing on it :-)

I hope this blog keeps everyone interested in my adventures, and feel free to leave comments! Until next time!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Staycie82/2009_0926?authkey=Gv1sRgCIOR6IedoJmKaw#

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...

Deaflympics and more

This was the first full week of teaching! I taught 2 classes, a third grade on Monday and a 4th grade on Tuesday. Rough schedule, I know! The first day was a bit frustrating, but the second day made up for it. I am teaching the kids English through a "situational" classroom. My situation is the clinic, and sometimes the supermarket. The kids learn songs and chants about different parts of going to the doctor or shopping in a supermarket, and then practice a dialogue to improve their English skills. Each class also has a grammar portion that is taught by the native Taiwanese-English teachers. Soon, I will be going into 2nd grade classrooms to read stories and teach a few comprehension lessons, which I am looking forward to.

On Thursday, I bought a bike to help get to school. It is pink (of course!), and looks similar to a miniature Schwinn. It has a basket on the front and already has a name: Earth Angel. No, I did not name the bike this, but thought is was fitting that it is printed on the bike, so I went with it.

Tuesday night, another teacher, Karin, and I sought out a bar called the Brass Monkey (like the Beastie Boys song!) for Salsa night. We had lots of fun watching the melding of two cultures, Taiwanese and Spanish, in an English themed bar. Quite the experience. While we were watching the salsa dancing, we were inundated with athletes and tourists in town for the Deaflympics. I even ran into the gentleman from France, whom I had met on the train the previous Friday. It was fun to meet some of his friends and again, speak and interpret what little I remember of the sign language I've picked up.

On Friday, three foreign teachers from around the country came up to Taipei to enjoy the Deaflympic festivities. Friday night, we all went out to a karaoke bar, or KTV. This is a bit different from American karaoke because you rent a small room with your friends and only have to embarrass yourself in front of a few people, instead of many. We sang songs from "Manic Monday" to "Billie Jean" and "I Got You Babe." A fun time was had by all!

The Friday night KTV group

Saturday, I woke up early to attend my school's Parents' Day, or open house. It felt like the Friday of Parent/Teacher conferences because no one came to talk to us! It was nice to have a relaxing morning after a late night.

All seven of the FETs who were in town met up at the soccer fields to watch Germany and Russia in football. It was a very intense game, and while I don't normally enjoy soccer, it was a interesting to watch and see the interactions between the players and the coaches.

Deaflympics mascot

Russia vs. Germany

After the soccer game, we made our way back to Taipei Stadium where we watched the table tennis competition. While it's nothing like the scenes from Forrest Gump, it was altogether entertaining.

Deaflympics Table Tennis

I continue to love living in Taiwan, although I could really use a relief from this hot and humid weather! Most days, the outside temperature is about 90 degrees, and feels around 95-100 or more. Rumor has it that the air will start to cool in a couple of weeks, but I'm still skeptical.

Although my teaching schedule is very low stress, I do find myself missing the everyday interaction with the same group of kids, and forming the bonds a teacher and students have. I'm finding new places and meeting new people, trying new things, and being open to the possibilities this year brings. I have begun to start planning some weekends away from Taipei and visits to other parts of Taiwan, which I am really looking forward to.

Hope this finds everyone doing well! Until next time...

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

A Meeting all in Chinese

Presenting Principal Xu with the book "Hoosier Hearts"

This week was full of lesson planning and creating background stories for all of our lessons. On Thursday, I was introduced at the first staff meeting to the entire faculty. The meeting was all in Chinese, which is one of the oddest feelings I've had. I could sometimes guess what was being said, but really had no idea. I would just listen for my name or stand up when my co-teacher told me to. I now have an appreciation for all ESL students with low English ability.

I was introduced to that staff, and said a few words about how excited I am for the opportunity to work with the staff and the kids and to help in any way I can. Afterwards, I presented the principal with a book about Indiana, "Hoosier Hearts."

The students start on Monday, and I am very anxious to get back to what I love doing: interacting with kids! Hope this finds the beginning of the school year going smoothly for every one and look for another update soon!

New Address

Here is my new address!

4F, #7, Alley 20, Lane 595 Bei-An Road
Zhongshan District
Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

A week of change

This past week has been a week full of change. On Tuesday, my roommate Joanne decided to return to California due to some personal matters. This sent me for a loop, and I had to decide if I was going to stay in the 3 bedroom apartment by myself for a year or seek other options. Luckily, the other foreign teacher in my school, Monica, offered one of the bedrooms in her 4 bedroom apartment. This apartment is much bigger and only about a 20 minute walk to work. It is located closer to the heart of Taipei City, which fulfills one of my life's goals to live in a city environment.

My co-teacher, Mandy, was able to have her husband pick me and all of my things up on Sunday and by 7 p.m. that night, I was completely moved into my new home. Hopefully I won't have to move again until I leave! I will have my new address up as soon as I can get it translated.

With all of the upheaval, it's been nice to have friends here in Taiwan who I can talk to through Facebook, or meet up with for dinner during the weekends. I also find it amazing that, although I am thousands of miles away, I feel as though I'm sitting right next to my family members when we chat on our webcams. I was able to "call" in to see my nephew Cooper's first birthday party. Technology is such a wonderful thing to help ease the pangs of homesickness and it is so nice to be able to see my family while I'm in another country.

I've been working at school everyday, creating lesson plans, teaching materials, and getting aquainted with my schedule. The students start school on August 31, so only another week to prepare for them! I really cannot wait to begin teaching; I miss seeing kids faces everyday.

I didn't get to do much sight seeing in the past week, but will be going to the National Palace Museum on Friday. More pictures to follow!

Pictures!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Staycie82/2009_0816?authkey=Gv1sRgCN2Fg_vF4aKO3QE#



Here are pictures from the first two weeks in Taiwan! Enjoy!

2 weeks in Taiwan

I have officially been in Taiwan for 2 weeks now, and feel as though I am making this place my home. Orientation week was a fun-filled week of meeting all of the other Foreign English Teachers (FETs), wonderful Taiwanese English teachers and military boys, learning a bit of Mandarin, and about co-teaching, and how important our jobs really are here. We visited a couple of different night markets, including Snake Alley, which is famous for nightly shows of vendors skinning snakes and showing what they do with the snake's blood, meat, and bile. It was interesting, but I'm glad I didn't see a show.

On Friday, August 7, my two co-teachers, Mandy and Silvia, the school's director, Judy, and a couple of other teachers from Bin Jiang Elementary School (my school), came to the hotel to pick up my roommate, Joanne, and I. With the impending typhoon, they were gracious enough to take us to a*Mart, a local grocery store, comparable to SuperTarget, to pick up some groceries to get through the weekend. It was quite the adventure driving to the store and then to the apartment. It would pour rain, then the wind would pick up, then things would calm for a moment or two. If I had never felt car sick before, I did a little that day!

We arrived at our apartment to meet the landlord, Ms. Hsu, to make sure we liked the apartment and any improvements we needed to make. The whole process took about 2 hours, but Ms. Hsu is very thourough, which I appreciate. When the co-teachers left, Ms. Hsu offered to show Joanne and I around the neighborhood. She showed us where the 7-11 was, which is where we will have to pay our energy and water bills. While there, we met Erica, who turned out to be our neighbor, and she speaks fluent English! She has been a god-send in helping us figure out the trash schedule and with communicating with Ms. Hsu.

Ms. Hsu took Joanne and I out to McDonald's and it was incredibly fun to sit with her as we tried to communicate in the small amount of Mandarin we know, and the small amount of English she knew. She is a very nice woman, and really wants to make sure we are happy with everything. She also showed us where the local open market is, which is another place we can grab dinner or fresh veggies and fruits. The winds had started to pick up at that point, and the umbrella I was carrying broke! I laughed it off, and we continued back to our apartment.

On Sunday, Joanne and I figured out the MRT (the subway system) enough to go to a local shopping center. We found a lot of great shops, including Taiwan's version of the Dollar Tree, the 39NT store. I was able to get a foldable laundry basket, some hangers, and some potpurri for the apartment.

We started work on Monday when we bought our Yo-Yo cards for the MRT, finding which stop to get off to get to school, and meeting the principal and some of the other teachers who were at school that day. Our co-teacher, Mandy, and the other foreign teacher, Monica, Joanne, and I went to the government office to apply for our Alien Resident Card (ARC). It is Taiwan's version of a "green" card, and will allow us to open bank accounts, get cell phones, have health insurance, and stay in the country for the whole year. That process took most of the day, so on Tuesday, we were able to get cell phones. We cannot open a bank account until we get our ARC card for about another week or so.

We also went to Carrefore to pick up more household items like sheets, a blanket,a pillow, detergent, and some other cleaning products. Both days, we went to noodle places for lunch, and it was delicious. I tried tofu, but didn't like it! On Wednesday, our landlord was able to have our internet and cable installed, which was great! I felt so cut off from the world, especially because lots of people were concerned when they saw the typhoon coverage on the news. While the typhoon devastated a lot of the southern parts of the country, I was completely safe, but it was nice to know people back home were concerned. I had been able to use a calling card to call my parents a few times since I had arrived, which was the only communication I was able to manage. Having internet and cable is wonderful; I've been able to webchat with my parents and my sister a few times. It is making this adjustment a little easier.

On Thursday, I worked a full day at school. The English village I will be working in is only a semester old, so we are developing a lot of the curriculum. As a teacher, this is an amazing opportunity, but also a daunting one. We were able to pick a situation to teach in for the semester and mine will be the doctor's office. Our overall theme for the year is travel, so all of the lesson plans involve something relavent to traveling in the city, the country, the Asian area, and the world. The other situations include: hotel, supermarket, airport/airplane, science & art, post office, and many others. The children will learn conversational English in these situations.

On Saturday, I ventured out into my neighborhood to see what was around and familiarize myself with some of the local fare. I found the neighborhood Carrefore, which is probably about a 15 minute walk from my apartment. There were so many little shops along the way that I can't wait to explore and I even found the local Pizza Hut, just in case I need a taste from home every now and again! Tonight, I'm going to a night market with two other teachers who also teach in Taipei, and our brave leader from orientation, Mama Leah. Tomorrow, my friend Mariah is coming to Taipei and we will see some of the local sights, like Taipei 101 and the National Palace Museum. I've decided that August and September will be months to explore all that Taipei has to offer, and then I'll start venturing to other parts of the country.

I'm determined to see as much as possible, learn how to surf, go zip-lining and hiking as much as possible. Our first semester ends January 20, then the FETs will meet for our mid-year conference for 3 days. After that, I have 14 days to travel where I please. So far the list includes China (I have to see the Great Wall!), Thailand, and the Phillippenes. 14 days to travel is a lot to fill up, so if you have suggestions, send them my way!

Although I am loving my time in Taiwan, I do miss the people at home, but having a webcam, and Facebook have made this a little easier. I can't wait to continue to make new friends and share all of my adventures with everyone back home. Until next time...!