Foggy Mountain Adventures

Sunday we woke up "early" and drove into the mountains. Here are pictures from our adventure. The hike was through the foggy foresty mountain wonder and it was a joy to be back out in the woods with Josh.

Christmas Abroad and at Home

Christmas was on Friday and Josh and I had a cozy little Christmas. Wednesday night I got home from work to find that Josh had stuffed my stocking, and bought a tiny little christmas tree, complete with trimmings and blinking lights. I laid the gifts "under" the tree; mostly from my mother.

We woke up to find our hiking plans dashed upon the shores of rainy soils. We made cocoa and skyped with my parents to open gifts. After saying goodbye, Josh and I exchanged gifts. He opened my super lame contribution to his new camera. His gift to me was a sweet day pack to replace my ailing one. Inside was a new and warm jacket. I've been borrowing and layering in order to stay warm on my scooter drive at home, and so this maroon wonder is the perfect wardrobe addition. So thoughtful and sweet.

Mom gave Josh the 5th season of the West Wing, which we promptly watched and actually finished yesterday (this is in 3 days...). It's been quite cold, so lots of sweatshirts and Martin Sheen. Christmas night we went to a Russian restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious steak dinner, gift from Josh's parents. Nothing like a log interior restaurant with Taiwanese servers, a Belorussian Santa Clause, and Chinese/Russian/English menus.

Skyped with family again Saturday morning before rushing off to class. They were celebrating their Christmas dinner as I was waking up on the 26th.

On Saturday I taught a class of rambunctious youngsters (7-8). Then I met Josh at a strawberry patch where we picked to kilograms of berries. Then on to Josh's soccer game where he scored the only two goals of the game. Returned home to lots of food and west wing and early to bed so we could go hiking on Sunday. and now alas I am tired again. More on Sunday's Dashueshan trip to come.

Half-Marathon Hunny

This weekend Josh and I went to Taipei, where he competed in the half marathon on Sunday. Time 1:37:52. He placed 286 out of at least 7700 runners. I'm very proud :0). He's been running 4-5 times a week at the gym or on the outdoor bike path. He's also playing soccer now with his team at night.

After the race, we went to the hostel to organize our life, and then jumped on the train and bus. We spent the damp and cold afternoon in the National Palace Museum. We saw bronze age artifacts, old religious relics, amazing stone carvings, early caligraphy, and famous artwork.

One of the story books I teach has a class go on a field trip to the museum. It was cool to see some of the things I am teaching my students.

Check it:
http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=867&catno=16&pageno=2

Friends and the Phillipines

First...Josh and I had to do some last minute changes to our Chinese New Year plans. As we knew, airline tickets are quite expensive because of the new year, but this is the time when we have a whole week off of work, so we definitely are traveling. I have days off from Saturday, Feb 13 (I normally work on Saturdays) through the next saturday (20). Initially we had planned an amazing trip to the island of Borneo-going to Kotakinabalu Malaysia and then to Brunei. This would give practically untouched jungles in which to go hiking, and the summit of Mt. Kinabalu. Of course, yesterday Josh realized that Chinese New Year is ALSO an official holiday in Malaysia and traveling within the country would be narly impossible.

SO, we spent the evening researching plane tickets, and discovered that the Phillipines will be reasonably priced. We bought tickets and are heading for Manila in the wee hours of the 13th. The tentative plan includes swimming with whale sharks, hiking on volcanos, and exploring the forests. Hopefully we'll have some boat-travel between islands and potentially small aircraft flights between. It should be pretty sweet, and although I'll miss going to the Sultanate of Brunei (and its treatment of women), the Phillipines should make an excellent trip.

In other news, yesterday I dropped my scooter off a half-block from work to get the oil changed. Last night, at five past 10, I realized that I had LEFT my scooter at the mechanic. I go over to look, and it is blocked by several other scooters. I go back to the branch, get a wonderful CT to come help me. She sees the same, writes down the telephone number and calls. No answer. We go back over, this time with a contingent of 2 more, and bang on the gate. Finally it opens. In Chinese, my friends explain that I'm a total idiot, and if I could please have my scooter. The man was very nice, got my scooter, joked in broken English about giving him tips, and then charged me 150 NT for the oil change. That's 5 dollars and the standard rate.

Needless to say, I will be buying lots of chocolates today to try to restore my "guanxi"...I have asked too many favors and done too little for all my friends at work. AND NOW they totally saved my butt.

Alas, I thought I was living in Taiwan just fine.

Christmas is on Friday. What are you doing? We have been required to take the day off. I'm assuming we'll open gifts, drink hot chocolate, and watch a movie. Maybe go hiking in the afternoon? I work on Christmas Eve until 11, and then on sat the 26th I have to work at 10 am. Christmas will be a nice break!

Ailment and Birthday and Christmas

Sunday was Josh's birthday! We celebrated by going camera shopping. My gift was a contribution to a new and awesome camera yet to be picked out. Along with some little things that make Josh wary of how sneaky I can be...like a video purchased from the gift store of a national park in the middle of the mountains...purchased while he was in the store. On his B-day we went to a soccer kick around, bought Dominoes and watched a movie. All around a good birthday I hope. Oh, and Friday I snuck into his work and we had a little chocolate cake dessert before lunch.

I am sick. I lost my voice yesterday, which sucks when you are a teacher. It is coming back I hope. Tomorrow I have a Chirstmas party at work, then I have to drive back to my city where I am subbing a kindy class, and then back to Taichung where I will teach night classes.

Christmas is coming! I have been scrambling to get gifts off to my parents, etc., and for our secret santa tomorrow. I feel like the final product is just a few small gifts, but geez I feel like I have wrapped a lot of things. I will seriously miss christmas at home. I have thinking for several days about Christmas Eve, when Charlotte and I would stay up very late wrapping gifts and stuffing stockings. I am worried that Mom wonders if they should have stockings at all...I am worried who will stuff them :0(. Anyway, I'll miss staying up late with Charlotte being sneaky.

Pasta is finished and warm and ready to eat, and it's 11 at night so almost bed time. I can say I was more fulfilled as a teacher in one day of Kindergarten than I have been the rest of my time here. Maybe this is not true, but I feel that the construction paper christmas tree proves it.

non-fancy Titles for Non-Fancy Words

Life continues to be normal-I don't think much happens out of the ordinary. Josh practiced with both teams tonight (the all get together for one big soccer practice). I went after work and watched for about an hour. The evening became very damp; dew on the grass and on scooter helmets, grass stuck to soccer balls, and a very cold me on the bleachers.

We had just met when Josh and I first played soccer together. One night he texted me to ask if I ever played because he thought I might have. I said "I used to, but I suck now." But he picked me up anyway and we went to the sports center at Pitt to play pick up with the soccer club-type organization. Turns out I was worse than expected, and Josh was the best player on the field. I later found out he was going to play for Pitt but got injured right before so that night I was totally embarrassed and couldn't believe I went.

Once we started dating, I went to a few soccer games he played with a team in Pittsburgh. One of those games was the first time I met his parents. Then he asked if I wanted to play with them...his first gift to me was a pair of cleats. I wasn't very good, but I helped teams meet the "girl" quota, and I once had an assist to Josh. Aw, how cute.

Now he has found a team here and I am so glad he's playing again. It comes with an obsessive play-by-play of the game afterward, but it's totally worth it to see him so happy.

I don't know why I told you this, but now you know. Maybe I'll be inspired to start excersizing again...but probably not :0).

This weekend was fun and boring. Went to work Saturday morning, lunch with two new teachers, then back to school to get my things. Some students were practicing for a speech competition so I stayed for a bit, then home. Josh and I had dinner and watched Love Actually and a bit of Transformers 2 (excellent movies).

Sunday, Josh played in a soccer game with a bunch of expats. Nice guys on the team and it seems both of the expat teams in Taichung want Josh to play for them. It is still odd to be with such a big group of foreigners...hearing English in a conversation is a little bizarre. This will be good for us. I'm pretty sure we need friends.

Time to grade homework and write lesson plans. Today is a rough day-I have three classes (2 hours each); at 2 I'm subbing again for my friend, at 4:50 we have a games day, and at 7 I'm subbing an upper level class for a friend and I have never been trained on this type. The games day will be particularly interesting because I don't think the CT likes me, and I screwed up again. I will only have 50 minutes to prepare for the whole 2 hours because I have that early 2 o'clock class. School opens at 1:30, so basically I'm in trouble. Hopefully I can plan a bit here before I go.

Cheers!

Happenings

Things of interest to me:

I sent my first international fax yesterday with the help of several teachers at school and my mom in the US. Transcripts ordered.

It's starting to get cold. The scooter ride on the way home from school is no longer cozy in a sweatshirt and light jacket.

Payday is Monday. This will pay for a jacket if I can stomach the cost. I am proud to say I lived the last week (5 days) on about 400 NT...maybe 13 US dollars. Instead of eating lunch out everyday I made a big bag of pasta for the week. Lots of fresh fruit and water and I feel much happier and healthier because of it. I miss spending lunch with Josh, but we are working on spending time together without spending lots of money on food!

Josh joined a soccer group of people. A bunch of expats get together and he went on Wednesday and of course was amazing. They've asked him to play this Sunday in a league game! Not sure how I feel being a soccer wife, but I'm excited to be outside and to watch some good competition. We need friends...

What else: We have a new teacher at our branch. He's really nice and hard working. He and his gf are from New England. Hope to meet her soon. He bought a guitar the other day, so maybe there will be music back in my life. I really wish there was a group to sing with here...I can't stand being away from music. At school I had SOP, and home I had mom (and dad!). Now I have itunes.

First grad apps will be in tomorrow. Hope to have them all finished by early next week. Then I can have my life back. I've been working 3 or 4 hours every morning to finish up, and I can't wait to be able to go walking, etc during that time. Just as it gets cold and overcast...

MY PARENTS ARE VISITING. Before they come I will be teaching 30 hours a week (maybe 50 hours of work all together) because of the subbing. Then they come for 10 days. Then Josh and I are planning to go to Indonesia for 10 days. Those plans are not finalized, but they will be happening. Excited to get my passport stamped again. Right now the only things in it are my visitor and resident visa here.

Did I mention I have my health insurance card? Good good. Medical expenses are SO cheap here. Even without health insurance, a doctor's visit is less than my US co-pay of 30 dollars.

I should grade these essays.

I know that I am not very good at keeping this blog. I feel like most of the day to day is quite boring. Anyone have any questions about life or teaching here? Then I can justify writing about myself more :0)

Whoops

So I have neglected this for quite some time and I am afraid this post will not justify such an absence...other than to say the last few weeks have been terribly exciting and quite boring at the same time.

Last Tuesday, on my way to dinner with some friends, I witnessed a car hit the scooter directly in front of me. It was a slow speed accident, but the woman hit had a very swollen face injury and a potentially fractured knee. Ask my mom why the accident was particularly shocking.

I thought I was okay and drove on to dinner after stopping for a few minutes. Since then I have been a bit shaken up. Every time I drive I see potential accidents; people drive like maniacs here and I knew there were frequent accidents, but this one was so close. I fell asleep on the couch a few nights ago. I dreamt about another accident, and just as the car hit I jerked awake and started crying. I think I am getting better, but I'm still a little jumpy on the street.

One of my co-NSTs is leaving for America tonight. She is so nice and was extraordinarily patient with my incessant questions about lesson planning. We hung out for a bit yesterday with her boyfriend and friend visiting from the states. Picked up yummy food (including curry potatoes. YUM) from a vegetarian buffet and ate in their courtyard. Went to several market-types and gathered a few small gifts. I got some awesome pants that remind me of the hair barrette D&B gave me in 2007.

Yesterday, Josh and I spent a relaxing morning looking at travel pictures and reveling in a day off. In the afternoon we went to the video store to try to explain (again!) that the dvd did not work on our computer and could we please exchange this one (which came in a box set) for another, non-box-set DVD. Then scootered up a near mountain to a temple at the top. Then to Taichung (the city where I work) to go back to the Jade Market that Teacher Sara showed me yesterday. More looking at beautiful things. Then Friday's for dinner (Josh's cravings for American food sometimes end up in me having a stomach ache and empty wallet...but I go along so that when I have silly cravings he'll let me eat a box of oreos). Then to a bookstore quickly to find a Chinese lessons CD (unsuccessfully) and to search for the Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoe String. Plans for late January are in the works-the island of Borneo; hopefully Indonesia, Malaysia, AND Brunei. So cool! Then maybe onto the insland of Java.

Grad Apps due in two weeks and I AM NOT FINISHED. In any way. So time to get back to that. I am beginning to think that if it is this difficult to write a personal statement and statement of purpose, maybe I should not be applying for my PhD. But I will do it. I want to. I like Taiwan.

 
 

I Saw Stars in Fengyuan

Saturday afternoon, Josh and I took the train to Taipei. Walked to our hostel, got settled in, took the train to dinner, ate (a salad!!), got ice cream, and were back to the hostel. Sunday morning we woke up at 5:30 to be at Taipei city hall for Josh's 10k which started at 7. He ran well, and it is a good thing he had a watch, because apparently they only kept a record of the first 10 finishers. It was a small race- nothing like the Taipei marathon coming in December that will have 10,000 in the marathon/half combo. Yikes!
At the beginning of the race, I heard a voice behind me ask if I was lost. "No, I'm not, thanks." He tells me that he is lost, trying to get to America, if I could help him. The rest of the race, I will call him 'this anarchist guy,' and I wandered around looking for breakfast. I know I am perhaps growing judgmental in my old age, but anarchist guy was terribly annoying. He was not funny even though he tried to be, he was rude to people we talked to, and I'm pretty sure he suggested we run out on the "check" for breakfast. He drank his way out of college in the US and was in Taiwan to finish-he was asian and could speak Chinese fairly well, and prided himself on that extensively. Hello buddy, just by being American we are in the upperish income brackets here. and it's horrible. Pay for your damn breakfast. Finally, he almost made me miss getting back to the start of the race in time for Josh, I said "peace out" and ran away. Phew. I think I have more in common with most everyone I've met here.
After the race, we stayed for a bit to watch a cool drum performance, and then went back to the hostel. Stashed our bags there and took a train to the last stop on the green line. From there we took a bus that wound up the mountains (40 minutes) to a town called Wulai. Of course, I felt sick and Iron-stomach-boyfriend felt great. From Wulai we took a "minitrain" through the mountains to another stop, where we saw Wulai falls. From THERE, we got on a cable car and rode it across the river valley, directly above the 80m waterfall, and to what we found out was a mountain amusement park.
Another rope course! A sigh that said "please be careful playing in the river" which I took as permission. Soo cold and fresh and wonderful. We kept climbing and got to where we could see waterfall above us and potentially the source. So cool. After we had had enough adventures, we took the cable car back, found a random rusted metal bench under a huge tree, and watched the falls for a few minutes. The minitrain had closed, so we walked the 1.6km back to Wulai, where we ate fresh corn on the cob and bought candy that had been made right before our eyes. Back down on the bus (less scary this time), back on the train, back to the hostel. Grabbed our bags, found dinner, and went to buy tickets. It was 9:21. The last train to Fengyuan had left at 9:05 and the next would leave at 11:30 so Josh got cheesecake and then we took a bus home. Got off hours later at the Fengyuan train station, got out scooters, and drove home.
That's not a very exciting version of what happened, but it was amazing how many different methods of transportation we used. What a novel idea. Because we didn't have anywhere "to be," it was lots of fun figuring it out.
When we got home, I saw stars in Fengyuan.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mundane can also mean of the earth

Saturday in our attempts to get to one place, we found another. And it was sweet. I was so grumpy on the way because I don't think I communicated to Josh well enough that I NEEDED to be in the woods, asap. That meant that when I found out he intended to follow road signs and couldn't find the first one, I was not happy on the back of the scooter. I don't get out of work until 1, and the sun sets between 4 and 5, so we didn't have much daylight to work with. It turned out neither of us anticipated how far we had to drive. We found some neat places to stop along the way, and then we found the first natural river bed we had seen in Taiwan. So we climbed and spent the sunset climbing on the rocks. It was excellent. I felt physically challenged, a little nervous, a little brave, and each rock I summited was an accomplishment. We ended up finding a beautiful waterfall and little pool, and climbed back to the scooter just in time for night fall. We watched the moon rise as we were on the last stretches of path, and then zoomed through the cold mountains back home to actually sleep in our apartment on a weekend night. Day trips, how novel!

Sunday was excellent. I woke up happy and we set off for our adventure. We wanted to find a forest recreation area, so we followed signs to the forest station. We found out once we had entered what we thought was the forest station, that it was indeed a tree farm. The Chinese characters were the same when the english was different. Whatever. Josh overcame initial disappointment when we found an awesome trail that led us to a maple grove. Lots of birding (which he willingly participated in!) We even saw what we thought was an eagle. Then we discovered some enormous (3 in. with legs) spiders that Josh then stole my binoculars to examine. every three steps. It was excellent exercise, with some mountain views, and fall weather. The maples were exactly what I needed. I've been missing home (I had a dream we came home last night) so the fall weather and changing leaves were what I needed.

On our way out of the tree farm, I bought some presumably homemade jam (yes!) and then we entered a rope course I had spotted when we came in. It was awesome! Lots of rope tubes and ladders, several zip line swings (yes!) and a slide. Some crazy bridges (protected underneath with rope nets). Lots of positive energy, and challenges, and climbing, and laughing, and high fives. Excellent.

On the way home we tried to find the thing we had originally looked for. Picked up some Dominos tater tots (I know...) and headed into the mountains again. Looking for a spot to eat our snack, I found a cement guard rail on the side of the cliff, so we perched atop the edge, watched the moon rise over the mountain, ate tater tots, and reflected on the bizzare situation we were currently in.

Overall a good weekend, I am exhausted, happy, super stressed, etc. I need those trips outside. I can't live in this polluted city for more than three days without getting the heck out. But at the same time, the more I play, the more the work builds up. Balance balance balance. Which means back to work :0).





 

 

 

 

 

the mundane

I am busy. I have not posted the adventures of the last two weeks because I feel guilty when I write this instead of grad school applications. Here's the short of it, which will probably be very long. I will try to write more later.

The personal first: I am busy. I'm probably not that busy; I don't know if I am even working forty hours a week, but I have a bit of a commute, and it seems like I am always working. I grade homework in the mornings, go to work about 3, plan lessons untl 4:50, teach 2, 2 hour classes, stay for an hour and a half grade homework and organize my head. I get home about 11, when Josh and I waste time doing cross word puzzles and playing Uno. Buying a deck of Uno cards has been excellent for our relationship - a little strategy, a little sitting around, face to face time talking, and some laughing when we get royally whomped. I taught the word whomp to my kids the other.

On Friday we had a halloween party and we took the kids trick-or-treating. They were adorable and it was lots of (unpaid) fun. I was a pirate and I think I earned some major points because I was the only native-speaking teacher in costume.

Grad school applications are due soon, but I still don't know what I am doing. I am waiting for some responses, I have to send some more. I am feeling quite behind. I've had some dissapointing conversations: I want a degree in policy, not in a specific discipline. Most of the time these students are a bit older because it takes them a while to realize that the disciplines need to work together (this I was told by the director of a program). This means that many programs require a masters: goodbye Yale, Harvard, Michigan, etc. The good news; I have been talking to a prof at the University of Washington since August, and he told me last week to apply and he would make sure to tell the committee to take me. Guraunteed funding for three years (no debt!) and then we would work together to fund my PhD writing. Anyway, I was really excited to be applying to the best schools in the country-for someone who is continually not good enough for herself, it was exciting to think I might maybe perhaps be good enough for an excellent program. But alas I am not because I can't afford to get my masters first.
Josh did not understand why I was so upset about the Masters requirement until he realized that a PhD IS PAID FOR...and saves me two years of schooling in the long run. I want to work at a university- a masters is insufficient.

Okay, so the school thing is happening maybe. I hope to have some more finished by the end of this week.

I'll write the adventures in another post. Just thought it would be good to say what I'm actually doing here, other than getting purposefully lost in the mountains!

What Just Happened

I just went to the park near our house to do a little mountain hiking. After a bit of walking on some crazy cement/tree root stairs I ran into two older men sitting with their dog, resting. One was very friendly, and started to talk to me immediately. He quickly learned that I couldn't speak Chinese, but managed to invite me to hike the rest of the mountain with him. So we did, pointing on butterflies ("hu tie"), stopping to take pictures, and stopping so that he could rub his butt on a tree...this I have yet to figure out.

When we got to the top, there were several other (5) retired men and women who also quickly learned I didn't speak Chinese. I'm pretty sure they were asking me about my spots (freckles). I was able to communicate that I was American, a teacher, drove a scooter, was 22 (he guessed 30). One woman told me I had beautiful eyebrows.
Then my travel guide took me up a couple more steps to a small temple. He lit incense and gave me three. We prayed at each bowl, put incense in, and then prayed again. I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but it was a really cool experience. High in the hills above Fengyuan, praying to a god that I don't know, the smell of incense wafting from the bowl that I placed it in, and interesting Chinese music floating up from the village below.
I finally communicated that I had to leave, and the man offered to walk me down (how could I say no?) So we hiked down, again stopping so he could rub his butt on a tree and to practice saying "butterfly" in Chinese. I saw a new bird, that the man, I think, wanted to throw something at. Although probably only so it would fly for me, I made it clear that throwing things was not an option.

Finally I got to the bottom, where I tried to buy jewelry but it was too expensive. The street vendor and another street vendor, I think, found me quite interesting. I asked if they would be back tomorrow, he said yes. Then the tour guide man showed up just in time to remind me to wear a helmet and that the fine for going without was 500 dollars. I waved goodbye, he yelled "Thank you!" for perhaps the hundredth time...this was the only English he knew. Overall an interesting start to the day. I pulled up to our apt. building just as Josh was getting home from work. We said hellos, he is off running, I will go do some work things, and then we will have lunch.
Wednesdays are great because I teach one class, at 6 pm, so I don't need to leave Fengyuan until 4:30 or so. Excellent excuse to go hiking. Hiking is an excuse in itself. I am quite happy.