Still Here...

It's been a while. I'm still here. Still teaching. Still exploring. Still enjoying my time here. These past few months have kind of been a blur in a good way. I can't remember everything that has happened, so I'll give a topical overview of what I'm doing right now.

In December, I started my Chinese course at Feng Chia University. It's been quite helpful. Though I don't have nearly as much time as I'd like to commit to my Chinese instruction, I'm really improving and liking the language. Just last week, we learned "real" Chinese and I've started to memorize some characters. The class itself is really interesting too. I'm the only American. Everyone else is from western Europe, i.e., Spain, France, Germany. The diversity is really interesting and appreciated. The most interesting thing is that everyone in the class knows English. The instruction, (before we knew any Chinese), was done in English. It is a reminder to me that knowing English right now is really important. I asked a classmate when he started learning English (he's not a young guy, mind you), he replied "about junior high school." So knowing Chinese, and strengthening my English skills (particularly vocabulary) has become increasingly important to me and to the world at large.

I've also been exploring more of the area. The picture to the right is of Sun Moon Lake, which is practically in the center of Taiwan. It is a really beautiful tourist spot. We took a small boat around to a few different piers and went bicycling around the town. It was a really fun weekend. I've also been to a small town near Changhua called, Lugang. For the most part, it's the same as any other town in Taiwan. But there is one street with a 400 year old temple and you can give offerings to the God or Goddess of your choice there (God for students and lovers... not the same one).

Last week was an important week for me and the Taiwanese community, Chinese New Year. The way I describe the traffic on new year? It's like Macy's department store on Black Friday. It was crazy. There were people everywhere. I got to see my students without their school uniforms on and families in the parks enjoying each other's company. One of my dear friends, Camy, flew in from the states last Monday. We had a great time visiting Taipei, Taichung, and Kaoshiung. In the northern most part, Taipei it was about 60 degrees, but in Kaoishung it was near 90. We enjoyed every second of seeing each other and the beauty of Taiwan. Last Tuesday, a Taiwanese friend invited us to go to her family's dinner. I don't think we could have asked for a more authentic experience. We ate dinner in Taiwanese fashion with a big lazy susan in the middle of the table: shrimp, pork, beef, and mango pudding for a dessert. Camy got a little taste of Taiwanese cuisine and the Taiwanese way of life, e.g.: trains and milk tea abound.

Until next time.