Subtle reminders of Fall

I know I haven't updated in a while, and that's because I'm rather busy, and I think I caught a cold or something. I just feel like sleeping in the mornings and, of course, going to yoga. But even this morning yoga was rough; I didn't really feel like being there.

I can't believe it's the middle of October. Time has really been flying for me here. I miss the nice cool breezes of fall at home, but we are starting to get those here, too. The local establishments (schools, restaurants, etc.) are at least trying to celebrate Halloween. I intend to dress up with a rainbow colored wig and sunglasses, mostly to scare my students. But it's next week already and I have a bit of planning to do. I'd like to tell ghost stories in some of my classes and give them candy. Most of these kids go straight to bed after going to regular school then cram school in the evening, so I try to make it as fun as possible for them.

A few days ago Christina and I went on a short hike/walk through Bagua Mountain, which is home to the largest Buddha in Taiwan. Behind the Buddha are walking trails and nice scenic landscapes. So that was a great experience. I really like it there; it's so serene. There are waterfalls and old men playing mah jong. It's kind of how I pictured Asia after reading The Joy Luck Club  in 9th grade. This book was not only my first novel (over 100 pages) but also, I think, the start to my love of literature. Everything about the book was stunning--especially the descriptions of China. If you get the chance, pick it up. There's also a movie version. Speaking of which, I just ordered 6 new books from Betterworldbooks.com. They ship for free internationally and they are insanely cheap.

After the hiking/walking, we stumbled into the "Shrine of Virtue and Piety." This was an old temple that was about to be demolished by the Japanese when they occupied Taiwan, but they just moved it and now it is restored. We met this awesome man, who was reading The Anthology of American Literature. He told us, "You come back here and I will teach you Chinese." So we made a deal that we would meet with him every Tuesday and he would teach us. I love meeting people with such an enthusiasm for life that they are willing to help anyone they see. That is the type of person I'd like to be eventually. But I'm still young and I'm still learning... always learning. My friend introduced me to a song by Lucy Schwartz and one of the lyrics say, "The only thing that I know is that I don't know a thing." I can reconcile with that right now. I think what she's saying is that she does know somethings but she's humble enough, or wise enough, to admit that she's still learning.

It never rains in Kenting...

Yes, the title is stolen from the song "It Never Rains in Southern California." Surprisingly, I've been in both California and Kenting when it was raining.... go figure.

Needless to say this past weekend was kind of not what I expected. I left work on Saturday at 8:30 pm, got to the train station and left by 9:30pm. We arrived in Kaohsiung by 12:00 am and got something to eat and stayed the night in a hostel. The next day we took a taxi to Kenting, a beach city about 2 hours south and also home to the most southern point in Taiwan. That seemed like a long ride. Anyway, we got to Kenting and rented scooters to go to Jialeshuei, where the surfing competition was being held. When we got there it was raining a little bit so we got something to eat, then it started raining harder. We all had to buy raincoats and watch the competition in the rain.

That night instead of camping on the beach, we rented a beach cabin and stayed the night there. As I tried to go to sleep that night I heard the rain rush against the window all night. When I woke up the next day, it was partly cloudy with the sun just peaking its head out. We took advantage of that and did a bit of sightseeing. Then we went to the beach for about 2 hours before we had to leave. We had a break of sunshine. It was nice. I played in the sand and water. The waves are different in Taiwan; they aren't as rapid which makes it easier to swim. Also, yes, Kenting is a touristy location, but it's not as commercialized as American beaches; it felt almost like a remote part of the island, even though I knew there were hundreds of people around. Anyway, I think the trip was worth it even for the little bit of time spent on the beach. If I could live near the beach, I would. I'm such a fan of the environment and just sitting back to relax and read. When the sun hit my skin I felt so incredibly happy and, frankly, that's been my mood since I've been in Taiwan---incredibly happy. That's what I wanted most out of this trip and I got a little bit of it. So I'm rather pleased.

The ride home was bittersweet. I wish I could have stayed longer to see Kenting in all its beauty, but I was also happy to come back home to Changhua. I'll probably go back during Chinese New Year with my college friend, Camy, who's planning to visit.





Or maybe I'll just move there....

Teacher

I wanted to post before I left  this Saturday for a trip down south. I'm doing quite well and beating the heat, so to  speak. My classes are going wonderfully. I started a new system for the naughty students where if they get 3 strikes on the board, then they can't play a game at  the end of class and all of my students have been adhering to that. I don't do that for my high school kids (I teach ages 6-18). To the right is a picture of 2 of my students. They are about 6 or 7 and I see them twice a week . We're currently learning the letter "n" and practicing the song, "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."

Everyone calls me "teacher" here. It's hard to get used to, I think. The way that we educate here is completely different from how we do it in the U.S. In Taiwan, we are focused on repetition; sometimes my kids will copy everything I say because I am the teacher and  I know everything... or so they are taught. I always tell my high school students that in America kids always fight their teachers and it makes for good conversation. I will ask them, "What are you doing this weekend?" They respond, "Studying." I tell them, "No, no more studying." This attitude is so different from American school students and, I think, studying is integral to not only my students' school lives but also to how they define themselves as people. They find it hard to describe or even talk about themselves, and I try to get them to talk about 'who they are' and 'where they see themselves going.' I think it's important to build a classroom community, often hard, but in one of my upper level classes I give them a writing prompt as soon as they enter class. It's questions all about them, which they're not used to answering, but these questions are important to me. 

More to come...