I’m sure anyone who has been reading our blog has wondered “why isn’t Phil bloggin, after all he’s in Taiwan too”. Well here is my first blog entry.
I suppose I haven’t made an entry because I was busy trying all the new and wonderful foods here. :) I think Annalicia has been doing a great job of bloggin’ and keeping everyone up to date. Her writing style is very good and she does a nice job of explaining things. With that being said, I think it’s time for her to be quiet and let you hear from someone else. :)
This past weekend we decided not to get a car to meet my transportation needs and instead I will bike 10 minutes to the bus stop, ride 40 minutes on an old rickety bus, and then end my commute by walking an additional 10 minutes. I have a weird feeling that if “someone” else were commuting we would not have considered a bus. :) When I envisioned commuting in Taiwan I pictured myself cruising around on a sweet scooter. I have to admit I was really looking forward to getting a scooter here, but if the locals thought it would be better to get a car I was okay with that. Now, when the car didn’t work out and I was told I could take the bus to and from school, I was scared because I don’t possess any Chinese speaking or reading skills. Without those two important skills I could get lost pretty easily and would have a bummer of a time trying to get home. But I have taken the bus this whole week and I can say that it’s not that bad and it is probably more relaxing than driving myself. Plus it should help us save a little more money and that’s always a good thing. It also immerses me in the culture a little more, which is something I don’t know I would have done voluntarily.
Couple of other things to inform you of:
My co-teachers' English names are Bo-Bo and Ro-Ro. With those names it’s hard for me to take them serious.
I have been given a Chinese name; Fe Li Pu, pronounced Fay Lee Poo. It’s basically my name sounded out in Chinese words. I’m not too pumped on it.
I now have my own personal stamp with my Chinese name on it. It’s kind of a big deal, I guess.
We enjoy hearing from everyone, through responds to our posts or Skype, and miss everyone a ton.
Take Care,
Phil
Saturday, August 29, 2009
"YOU DON'T SEE THAT IN MINNESOTA!"
In my (Annalicia's) opinion, one of the greatest gifts of visiting a new place is the perspective the experience offers. There are countless things about life back in the US that I thought were "normal" before moving to Taiwan. What I mean by that is I didn't think twice about these things...I didn't even entertain the thought that some people might do or think about these things in a way that's different from my ideas about them. It's an interesting experience to have a culture challenge what you didn't even question before. It's a humbling experience to have to say to yourself, "Well, apparently that particular idea isn't inherently "normal"...it's just a "normal" one for me."
The following is a list of some the things Phil and I have noticed as being different from what we're used in the States (rural Minnesota in particular). This list is not intended to be very serious, but it might give you a taste of what I was trying to describe above. Also, it's not my intention to judge the Taiwanese culture as good or bad based on these things, it's simply what Phil and I have observed.
Here it goes...
(Sorry about everything being underlined...we were having a formatting issue we weren't able to fix.)
Things you don't usually see or hear or do in Minnesota, but things that are definitely seen, heard, and/or done here:
---Fish flavored Quaker Instant Oatmeal
---Palm Trees
---Mountains
---A family of four on one scooter
---Lizards crawling under your door
---A family of four on one bicycle
---Humidity that's so intense that it causes a haze that prevents you from seeing the mountains most days
---Humidity that's so intense that it can cause our hands to be "pruney"
---People with two names...a Chinese one and an English one
---Garbage trucks that play music (songs like "Fur Elise" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen") :)
---Drinking hot tea when it's 90 degrees out and the heat index is even higher!
---"I like your nose, I think it's beautiful."
---"You look like a movie star."
---No cents...everything's in dollars here
---No tax when buying anything
---No tipping...anywhere...for anything!
---"How much money do you make?" (This not an inappropriate question to ask here.)
---"What year are you?" (The Chinese calculate their age a little differently than we do so they'll commonly ask this questions instead of "How old are you?" They are pretty obsessed with age here and it's completely appropriate to ask anyone about it.)
---"How many children do you have? Why don't you have children? When are you going to have children? How many are you going to have?" (The Taiwanese are very curious people.) :)
---Squat toilets versus what I used to call "normal toilets"...I now call them "Western toilets" :) (Western toilets are still around here, there just not nearly as common.)
---Tissues used as napkins
---Adult children who are not married living with their parents regardless of their age...for example, we've met two women in their 40s who both live with their parents (This is not looked upon poorly, it's simply what most single people do here.)
---No sheets to sleep under (People here just have a fitted sheet to cover their mattress and then sleep with only blankets.)
---People covering their mouths when they're talking on their cell phone
---People napping at school (even my director...she'll just put her head down on her desk for awhile) :)
---People responding to sentiments of appreciation with what would be equivalent in English to saying, "No, no, no...please don't mention it." (As you know, our respond to someone saying, "Thank you." is often, "You're welcome." or, "Sure, no problem." We've found that a lot of Taiwanese people would be uncomfortable responding in that manner...they don't feel it's appropriate to take credit for what they did. Even though as Americans we view these responses as kind, most Taiwanese would feel more comfortable with a response that offers a little more humility.)
---Individually wrapped EVERYTHING...cookies, crackers, etc... (You think you're simply buying a box of crackers only to open it up and find out every single cracker has its own wrapping!)
---People running barefoot on outdoor tracks
---Houses that look like apartment buildings and/or office buildings
---Houses with absolutely no carpet in them
---Only full grown carrots...no baby carrots anywhere
---"Triple W..." (instead of "W, W, W, dot...")
---A significant amount of women with armpit and leg hair
---People burning money in the streets and at some temples (Some Taoist believe they have to do this for their relatives who have passed away so they have money to spend in Heaven.)
---Dogs responding to Chinese commands
---Buildings that all go up instead of out (Because of the limited space here houses, stores, restaurants, etc... are all narrow and tall. We've also been told that property taxes are based on the amount of land a building takes up, so it's more economical in terms of taxes to build this way.)
---Little blue trucks that drive around loudly advertising different stores (We have about three to five of these trucks go by our apartment everyday.)
---People ordering their words and names by what they feel is the biggest or most important thing first (For example, their name order goes like this: family name (last name), middle name, given name (first name).)
---People stamping their names on important documents instead of signing them
---Every receipt from any store or restaurant in the entire country having a lottery number at the top (Apparently they were having trouble here with people throwing their receipts in the street. So, in an attempt to stop this they put lottery numbers on all receipts. Every two months they broadcast the winning numbers. The amount that a person can win isn't crazy high, but something like 5000 USD...a good chunk of change, though.)
---Dust pans that look like this
The following is a list of some the things Phil and I have noticed as being different from what we're used in the States (rural Minnesota in particular). This list is not intended to be very serious, but it might give you a taste of what I was trying to describe above. Also, it's not my intention to judge the Taiwanese culture as good or bad based on these things, it's simply what Phil and I have observed.
Here it goes...
(Sorry about everything being underlined...we were having a formatting issue we weren't able to fix.)
Things you don't usually see or hear or do in Minnesota, but things that are definitely seen, heard, and/or done here:
---Fish flavored Quaker Instant Oatmeal
---Palm Trees
---Mountains
---A family of four on one scooter
---Lizards crawling under your door
---A family of four on one bicycle
---Humidity that's so intense that it causes a haze that prevents you from seeing the mountains most days
---Humidity that's so intense that it can cause our hands to be "pruney"
---People with two names...a Chinese one and an English one
---Garbage trucks that play music (songs like "Fur Elise" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen") :)
---Drinking hot tea when it's 90 degrees out and the heat index is even higher!
---"I like your nose, I think it's beautiful."
---"You look like a movie star."
---No cents...everything's in dollars here
---No tax when buying anything
---No tipping...anywhere...for anything!
---"How much money do you make?" (This not an inappropriate question to ask here.)
---"What year are you?" (The Chinese calculate their age a little differently than we do so they'll commonly ask this questions instead of "How old are you?" They are pretty obsessed with age here and it's completely appropriate to ask anyone about it.)
---"How many children do you have? Why don't you have children? When are you going to have children? How many are you going to have?" (The Taiwanese are very curious people.) :)
---Squat toilets versus what I used to call "normal toilets"...I now call them "Western toilets" :) (Western toilets are still around here, there just not nearly as common.)
---Tissues used as napkins
---Adult children who are not married living with their parents regardless of their age...for example, we've met two women in their 40s who both live with their parents (This is not looked upon poorly, it's simply what most single people do here.)
---No sheets to sleep under (People here just have a fitted sheet to cover their mattress and then sleep with only blankets.)
---People covering their mouths when they're talking on their cell phone
---People napping at school (even my director...she'll just put her head down on her desk for awhile) :)
---People responding to sentiments of appreciation with what would be equivalent in English to saying, "No, no, no...please don't mention it." (As you know, our respond to someone saying, "Thank you." is often, "You're welcome." or, "Sure, no problem." We've found that a lot of Taiwanese people would be uncomfortable responding in that manner...they don't feel it's appropriate to take credit for what they did. Even though as Americans we view these responses as kind, most Taiwanese would feel more comfortable with a response that offers a little more humility.)
---Individually wrapped EVERYTHING...cookies, crackers, etc... (You think you're simply buying a box of crackers only to open it up and find out every single cracker has its own wrapping!)
---People running barefoot on outdoor tracks
---Houses that look like apartment buildings and/or office buildings
---Houses with absolutely no carpet in them
---Only full grown carrots...no baby carrots anywhere
---"Triple W..." (instead of "W, W, W, dot...")
---A significant amount of women with armpit and leg hair
---People burning money in the streets and at some temples (Some Taoist believe they have to do this for their relatives who have passed away so they have money to spend in Heaven.)
---Dogs responding to Chinese commands
---Buildings that all go up instead of out (Because of the limited space here houses, stores, restaurants, etc... are all narrow and tall. We've also been told that property taxes are based on the amount of land a building takes up, so it's more economical in terms of taxes to build this way.)
---Little blue trucks that drive around loudly advertising different stores (We have about three to five of these trucks go by our apartment everyday.)
(A jar of kimchi)
---People ordering their words and names by what they feel is the biggest or most important thing first (For example, their name order goes like this: family name (last name), middle name, given name (first name).)
---People stamping their names on important documents instead of signing them
---Every receipt from any store or restaurant in the entire country having a lottery number at the top (Apparently they were having trouble here with people throwing their receipts in the street. So, in an attempt to stop this they put lottery numbers on all receipts. Every two months they broadcast the winning numbers. The amount that a person can win isn't crazy high, but something like 5000 USD...a good chunk of change, though.)
---Dust pans that look like this
Saturday, August 22, 2009
HOSPITAL STAY
Well, I (Annalicia) ended up having to stay in the hospital for two nights this past week. Phil and I went in on Tuesday evening because I had a high fever and kidney pain. Luckily, a hospital is only about four or five blocks away from our apartment. We were hoping they'd prescribe antibiotics and send me home. That didn't happen. Instead, they sent me to the emergency room and ended up telling us that I needed to be admitted for a kidney infection.
Being sick in a foreign country where you don't know the language is definitely an experience. Phil and I had to bring our Taiwan travel book to the hospital. It had phrases in it like: "I'm sick." and "I need a doctor." and "Is there a doctor available who speaks English." That actually worked pretty well and to our pleasant surprise, most of the doctors spoke at least a little bit of English. There were definitely some confusing times, though. For example, after doing an ultrasound, my emergency room doctor told me my kidney was sweating. I had never heard of that happening, but at that point I felt so sick I didn't care what it was doing as long as they knew how to make it stop! I found out later that my kidney wasn't perspiring...it was swelling. :)
I felt the care I received was really good, but didn't always know what was going on because of the language barrier. The people from my school were very kind and helpful, though...they filled out paperwork for me, talked to my doctors and nurses for me, brought me food, etc... The hospital facilities were brand new, but the rooms were very simple. I was in a room with two other ladies. There was no TV and no internet access. So, I slept a lot, read a lot, and Phil and I played hangman! :)
There were always a lot of people in my room because the two other ladies had a lot of family visit. They all seemed very kind, but I was not able to communicate with any of them beside saying simple phrases and smiling a lot. There were times they thought I knew way more Chinese than I actually do and they'd go on and on, hoping I'd understand. After they'd finish I'd try to communicate to them that I was sorry, but I had no idea what they said. Often, they'd say, "Ok, ok ok..." and then start up again, speaking slower and louder and trying to use different phrases. Being a native English speaker from the US, I had never been in that position before, so it was a good experience to have. I could tell the intention of their communication was very kind, though, and I appreciated that. These people in my room were also very curious about me. They'd often peak into my area and look at me. Sometimes they'd smile, sometimes they'd wave, and sometimes they'd just stare. :)
What surprised Phil and I the most was how inexpensive the medical care is here compared to the US. The cost of staying two nights in the hospital, an emergency room visit, X-rays, ultrasounds, blood tests, antibiotics, pain medication, etc... was only around 375 US dollars...FOR EVERYTHING WITHOUT ANY INSURANCE! The day after I got out of the hospital my director helped me get my Taiwanese medical insurance setup and with that, the hospital reimbursed most of what Phil and I initially paid. So, in the end, we only ended up having to pay around 35 US dollars for all the care I received....INCREDIBLE!
For those of you who knew I was in the hospital, thanks for thinking of me...know that I'm feeling much better now! (Sorry, no pictures! :) )
Friday, August 14, 2009
OUR FIRST WEEK IN YUNLIN COUNTY
We were picked up at our hotel in Taipei on Monday morning (August 10th) by the Academic Affairs Director (kind of like the assistant principal) of my (Annalicia's) school, her two daughers and two teachers from Phil's school. The daughters came along because they know English. Everyone was so welcoming, generous and kind. When we got to Douliu City (where we're living and where my school's located) we got to meet both of our principals. Both of them speak limited English, but we were able to have a nice conversation with them over Chinese tea. They both seem great!
From the minute we arrived in Douliu until this evening, our schedule has been very busy. We've spent a lot of our time at school. We've also spent a ton of time figuring out our life here...getting our apartment setup, getting cell phones, filling out important government paperwork, etc... My director's daughters (who speak English) were with us all week helping us with all of this. Throughout the week, we've noticed how truly thoughtful and helpful the Taiwanese people are. They are always one step ahead of us...offering us gifts, their umbrellas when it's raining, food, drinks, bags, transportation, and the list goes on and on! For example, on Tuesday night my director and her daughter were over at our apartment trying to help us setup our internet. Initially it wasn't working. So, we tried to express to them that it wasn't a big deal, but they wouldn't leave until it was fixed. Without us knowing, they called others to come over and help. At one point we had EIGHT other people in our apartment trying to get our internet working at 11:00 o'clock at night!
The Taiwanese people also like to make sure their guests are fed well and feel welcomed. Right away on Monday night we were taken out for dinner. We thought we were going with a small group, but there ended up being 20+ people there. Tuesday night my principal took us out and again a large number of people joined us. One quick note: Anyone who knows Phil's eating habits would have been extremely proud of him during this dinner with my principal. We went to a very nice Japanese restaurant and got served nine courses of things like raw fish, sushi, whole cooked fish (brains and eyeball included), etc... It was struggle even for me to get it all down...Phil tried everything and forced himself to eat quite a bit of it all! Of course we both binged on M&Ms and Coke when we got back to our apartment! :)
Coming from Taipei, being in Douliu has been a bit of a shock for us. The city is not small...its population is around 100,000 and it's the capital of Yunlin County, but it's definitely different from Taipei. One challenging aspect of the move has been the fact that compared to Taipei, not very many people speak English. We are definitely more motivated to learn Chinese now, though. Another big difference is that there are hardly any other "foreigners" here. In fact, after being here for a week, we haven't seen one!
It's an unfamiliar experience for us to be part of a minority group. With that said, though, we're definitly not experiencing the same things minority groups in the States experience. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite...being an American in Douliu generally means you are noticed and you are treated very well. At times this is really flattering and at times it's down right awkward. For example, we were at a bike shop the other day and suddenly the owner of the second hand bookstore next door got out his huge camera and started snapping one photo after another of us...we didn't quite know how to respond. :) We've also had some of the people at school tell us things like, "My daughter hasn't met you, but she thinks she saw you at the post office yesterday." Or, "My husband thinks he saw you biking last night." Again, we don't quite know how to respond, so it usually sounds something like this: "Oh...cool." :) We had another interesting thing happen to us...a young boy saw us sitting in the office at school and he stopped, put his head on his hands in the window and stared at us for literally five minutes! We tried to talk to him, but he justed stared! :)
Although the awkard moments frequently occur, there are definitely benefits to being two of the very few Americans living here. A good example would be what happened to us last night...we tried to go to a cafe on our own for supper, but got there and found out their menu was all in Chinese. (Almost all resturants in Taipei offered menus in both Chinese and English, so this is another thing we're trying to adjust to here in Douliu. We wrote out a cheat sheet today, though, of the Chinese characters for some main foods so at least we have an idea of what we're ordering in the future.) Instead of being upset with us for not knowing their language, they offered us free desserts! It was a very humbling experience. The best part of being an English speaking foreigner here, though, is the way kids react to seeing us. They smile, stare, wave, want to take pictures with us, want our autographs and try to show off their English speaking abilities. It's really sweet! :)
This week has been filled with countless new experiences! And, although everything that's going on isn't always 100% clear to us because of the language barrier and cultural differences, we're really excited about what's in store for us this year living in Yunlin County! We haven't gotten a chance to take any pictures of our schools or our apartment yet, but we'll leave you with a few other pictures from the week. We hope all is well back in the States! :)
(We thought we were going to be getting a scooter (we don't think we will be anymore)...so, one of my director's daughters, Rita (that's her English name), was helping us learn how to us them.)
(I had a little bit of trouble at first...that's why she's running after me! :) )
(Most stores here are more than one level. So, this is a picture of Phil riding up a ramp to get to the next floor of a store we were at. The interesting part about these ramps is the cart wheels lock in. We felt kind of like we were on display while riding these...we had two adults waving at us through a window as we moved along. :) )
From the minute we arrived in Douliu until this evening, our schedule has been very busy. We've spent a lot of our time at school. We've also spent a ton of time figuring out our life here...getting our apartment setup, getting cell phones, filling out important government paperwork, etc... My director's daughters (who speak English) were with us all week helping us with all of this. Throughout the week, we've noticed how truly thoughtful and helpful the Taiwanese people are. They are always one step ahead of us...offering us gifts, their umbrellas when it's raining, food, drinks, bags, transportation, and the list goes on and on! For example, on Tuesday night my director and her daughter were over at our apartment trying to help us setup our internet. Initially it wasn't working. So, we tried to express to them that it wasn't a big deal, but they wouldn't leave until it was fixed. Without us knowing, they called others to come over and help. At one point we had EIGHT other people in our apartment trying to get our internet working at 11:00 o'clock at night!
The Taiwanese people also like to make sure their guests are fed well and feel welcomed. Right away on Monday night we were taken out for dinner. We thought we were going with a small group, but there ended up being 20+ people there. Tuesday night my principal took us out and again a large number of people joined us. One quick note: Anyone who knows Phil's eating habits would have been extremely proud of him during this dinner with my principal. We went to a very nice Japanese restaurant and got served nine courses of things like raw fish, sushi, whole cooked fish (brains and eyeball included), etc... It was struggle even for me to get it all down...Phil tried everything and forced himself to eat quite a bit of it all! Of course we both binged on M&Ms and Coke when we got back to our apartment! :)
Coming from Taipei, being in Douliu has been a bit of a shock for us. The city is not small...its population is around 100,000 and it's the capital of Yunlin County, but it's definitely different from Taipei. One challenging aspect of the move has been the fact that compared to Taipei, not very many people speak English. We are definitely more motivated to learn Chinese now, though. Another big difference is that there are hardly any other "foreigners" here. In fact, after being here for a week, we haven't seen one!
It's an unfamiliar experience for us to be part of a minority group. With that said, though, we're definitly not experiencing the same things minority groups in the States experience. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite...being an American in Douliu generally means you are noticed and you are treated very well. At times this is really flattering and at times it's down right awkward. For example, we were at a bike shop the other day and suddenly the owner of the second hand bookstore next door got out his huge camera and started snapping one photo after another of us...we didn't quite know how to respond. :) We've also had some of the people at school tell us things like, "My daughter hasn't met you, but she thinks she saw you at the post office yesterday." Or, "My husband thinks he saw you biking last night." Again, we don't quite know how to respond, so it usually sounds something like this: "Oh...cool." :) We had another interesting thing happen to us...a young boy saw us sitting in the office at school and he stopped, put his head on his hands in the window and stared at us for literally five minutes! We tried to talk to him, but he justed stared! :)
Although the awkard moments frequently occur, there are definitely benefits to being two of the very few Americans living here. A good example would be what happened to us last night...we tried to go to a cafe on our own for supper, but got there and found out their menu was all in Chinese. (Almost all resturants in Taipei offered menus in both Chinese and English, so this is another thing we're trying to adjust to here in Douliu. We wrote out a cheat sheet today, though, of the Chinese characters for some main foods so at least we have an idea of what we're ordering in the future.) Instead of being upset with us for not knowing their language, they offered us free desserts! It was a very humbling experience. The best part of being an English speaking foreigner here, though, is the way kids react to seeing us. They smile, stare, wave, want to take pictures with us, want our autographs and try to show off their English speaking abilities. It's really sweet! :)
This week has been filled with countless new experiences! And, although everything that's going on isn't always 100% clear to us because of the language barrier and cultural differences, we're really excited about what's in store for us this year living in Yunlin County! We haven't gotten a chance to take any pictures of our schools or our apartment yet, but we'll leave you with a few other pictures from the week. We hope all is well back in the States! :)
(We thought we were going to be getting a scooter (we don't think we will be anymore)...so, one of my director's daughters, Rita (that's her English name), was helping us learn how to us them.)
(I had a little bit of trouble at first...that's why she's running after me! :) )
(There was a English drama camp at my school this week.
This is a picture of a few of the performers!)
This is a picture of a few of the performers!)
(Most stores here are more than one level. So, this is a picture of Phil riding up a ramp to get to the next floor of a store we were at. The interesting part about these ramps is the cart wheels lock in. We felt kind of like we were on display while riding these...we had two adults waving at us through a window as we moved along. :) )
THE END OF OUR STAY IN TAIPEI
The typhoon was suppose to hit Taipei pretty hard, but instead the southern part of the island got hit the worst. Severe flooding and mudslides caused extensive damage to the southern most counties. We've been told it was the worst typhoon here in 200 years...many lives were lost. Up in Taipei, though, there was no noticable damage.
With that said, despite the typhoon, we were lucky enough to be able to do a few fun things before we left Taipei. One thing we had the opportunity to experience was KTV. KTV is what they call karaoke here and it's a HUGE part of the Taiwanese culture! There are a few differences between KTV and karaoke in the States, though. For example, although there were quite a few English songs to choose from, a lot of them were slow love songs...not the upbeat ones we were expecting. We also thought we were going to be singing karaoke with a bunch of strangers (the way it's typically done in America), but instead, every party rents out their own room. Despite the unexpected differences, we had a great time! Phil rocked out to "Kung Fu Fighting" and I got roped into singing some misc. slow songs with a few other girls! :)
We also got the opportunity to try a Taiwanese dessert...shaved ice. It was delicious! We really liked the mango milk one. The other one in the picture is a common favorite among the people here. The topping consists of a bunch of different beans in a sweet syrup.
(The entrance and lobby area of the movie theater)
In the afternoon and evening on Sunday, August 9th, we celebrated Phil's birthday and our anniversary by hanging out in the downtown area of Taipei. We ended up catching a movie at a really cool theater in a shopping mall called New York, New York near Taipei 101. We also really enjoyed seeing the lights of the city.
With that said, despite the typhoon, we were lucky enough to be able to do a few fun things before we left Taipei. One thing we had the opportunity to experience was KTV. KTV is what they call karaoke here and it's a HUGE part of the Taiwanese culture! There are a few differences between KTV and karaoke in the States, though. For example, although there were quite a few English songs to choose from, a lot of them were slow love songs...not the upbeat ones we were expecting. We also thought we were going to be singing karaoke with a bunch of strangers (the way it's typically done in America), but instead, every party rents out their own room. Despite the unexpected differences, we had a great time! Phil rocked out to "Kung Fu Fighting" and I got roped into singing some misc. slow songs with a few other girls! :)
We also got the opportunity to try a Taiwanese dessert...shaved ice. It was delicious! We really liked the mango milk one. The other one in the picture is a common favorite among the people here. The topping consists of a bunch of different beans in a sweet syrup.
(The entrance and lobby area of the movie theater)
In the afternoon and evening on Sunday, August 9th, we celebrated Phil's birthday and our anniversary by hanging out in the downtown area of Taipei. We ended up catching a movie at a really cool theater in a shopping mall called New York, New York near Taipei 101. We also really enjoyed seeing the lights of the city.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
TYPHOON IN TAIWAN
(Typhoon Morakot)Typhoon: A tropical cyclone (hurricane) occurring in the western Pacific or Indian oceans.
Well, we’re about to experience our first Typhoon! There’s one heading our way...it’s suppose to hit sometime tonight (Friday). The original plan for us today was going to be to head down to Yunlin County (where our schools are located) with our principals and/or co-teachers after our orientation finished. That plan changed fast...our orientation activities were canceled and most likely we’ll be hanging out in our hotel in Taipei until Monday (August 10th). We’re not complaining, though...it’s not everyday that we get to stay extra days in a five star hotel for free!
Two things before we go:
Again, we don’t know when we’ll have internet access after today. We think/hope that once we get settled in Yunlin County we should be able to set it up so we have it on a consistent basis. It may be a few weeks before this happens, though. Until then, know that we will contact you and update our blog whenever it’s possible for us to do that. So, if you don’t hear from us right after the Typhoon hits, don’t worry! :) (We’ve been told that as long as we stay in our hotel there should be no concerns about our safety.)
If you have Skype, let us know! Our Skype name is: niemela511
ORIENTATION WEEK
This past week has been packed! We had orientation from about 8:00 am to around 5:30 pm everyday. In the evenings we had the opportunity to do a lot of fun things in Taipei!
Our orientation schedule was filled with classes on: Mandarin Chinese, English education in Taiwan, the Taiwanese Ministry of Education (the public school system here), living in Tawain and so on and so forth.
Our evenings were filled with opportunities upon opportunities to try new foods! Monday evening we went to a teahouse. We had interesting meals and learned how to make Chinese tea.
After orientation on Wednesday we got to go to a Taoist temple. The temple is almost 300 years old and absolutely beautiful. It’s located right in the middle of Taipei. It was interesting to see the architecture and experience the Taoist atmosphere.
After visiting the temple we went to a night market called "Snake Alley". At this night market there are dozens of restaurants showing off snakes, turtles and lizards. They are not just there for looks, though...they’re there to be eaten!
Our orientation schedule was filled with classes on: Mandarin Chinese, English education in Taiwan, the Taiwanese Ministry of Education (the public school system here), living in Tawain and so on and so forth.
Our evenings were filled with opportunities upon opportunities to try new foods! Monday evening we went to a teahouse. We had interesting meals and learned how to make Chinese tea.
Tuesday night we went to another night market. Among other things, we tried "Stinky Tofu"...we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. The only way we can think if describing it is, it tastes the way barn animals smell. It’s a big hit here, though.
(Video of me (Annalicia) trying to pick up a slimy oyster with chopsticks. I'm trying Oyster Omlets...another dish I was not a fan of, but one Taiwanese people love.)
After orientation on Wednesday we got to go to a Taoist temple. The temple is almost 300 years old and absolutely beautiful. It’s located right in the middle of Taipei. It was interesting to see the architecture and experience the Taoist atmosphere.
After visiting the temple we went to a night market called "Snake Alley". At this night market there are dozens of restaurants showing off snakes, turtles and lizards. They are not just there for looks, though...they’re there to be eaten!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
TAIPEI AT NIGHT
We are about to head to bed with Sunday behind us. We wanted to let you know that we're not sure when we'll have internet access again. Until we do, know that we are thinking of you all!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
DAVID & VICTORIA BECKHAM?
So apparently all foreigners must look similar through the eyes of the Taiwanese people...we have been told that we look like David and Victoria Beckham! Yeah right, we wish! It has made us think about staying here longer, though! :)
SO FAR, SO GOOD!
We arrived in Taipei on Saturday, August 1st, early in the morning. We left in a hurry on Thursday, the 30th. Because of our visa situation, our departure date and time was not finalized until about 30 minutes before we had to leave for the airport.
(Night Market)
(Our hotel)
From the Taipei airport we were brought right to the hotel and conference center (The Howard Plaza Hotel) that we'll be staying at for orientation until August 7th. The hotel was much nicer than we expected. We were greeted by people associated with Ministry of Education (the school district we'll be teaching English through). All of the Taiwanese people we met yesterday were extremely welcoming and fun to be around! Their English is excellent!
We were also able to meet some of the other English teachers. There's 29 of us in all, but we only met about 12 of them yesterday. Everyone we met yesterday was from "the States". We ranged in age from 23 to about 55 or 60. Along with us, there are a few other married couples...one couple has two kids along (ages two and two months)!
(A view of Taipei from our hotel)
Once we settled in at the hotel, we decided to take a nap. We intended for it to be short, but we didn't wake up until six hours later...oops! Luckily, we woke up just in time to go to a night market with everyone. Night markets almost have a carnival feel, but they are open every night, year round. We had good luck with food! We were able to try sweet potato dougnut holes, fresh passion fruit juice, fried mushrooms, waxed apples, dragon fruit, Chinese buns (steamed bread), Chinese porridge, a variety of teas, and salmon stir fry!
(Night Market)
We start our orientation tomorrow (August 3rd) and we are excited to learn more about what is in store for us. Our orientation goes until August 7th and then we will be taken to the cities where our schools are located and hopefully find a place to live! :)
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