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.