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This map shows Taiwan taking its hit on Thursday. Could this be a Typhoon Day?? (NO SCHOOL!)
I’ve been eating a wider variety of Taiwanese food. Lately, I’ve visited a vegetarian buffet restaurant that had really delicious food! I couldn’t identify what most of the food items were (OK, I couldn’t identify any of it!) but, I can say I really enjoyed it. I discovered a very nice coffeehouse restaurant near my home that has about the best atmosphere of anyplace I’ve visited here. The front wall is a sheet of plate glass which looks onto a serene patio and the music is always soothing, soft jazz. Quiet is not something often found in Chinese culture, but this place has it! Although I walk passed this place all the time on the way to Carrefour, I hadn’t visited it before because they have neither food photos nor English menus. With new friends who can handle themselves quite well in the language, I’ve been able to venture into the heretofore unknown.
Sunday night, I went to a fairly traditional restaurant. The outside of the building was decorated with intricately carved wooden shutters. Inside, diners were seated at one of many unique wooden tables, most of which were crafted from antique items which were boxed in wood and topped with glass. A painting of the face of Buddha glowing in the radiance of a nearby light along with other pieces of artwork indicated that this was probably a Buddhist restaurant, and therefore vegetarian. Some of the workers were able to speak some English and we were able to orders dishes of cheese with rice or noodles. The restaurant even had a library! I know this because the books had spine labels on them.
Meals here are usually ordered from a set menu which will include soup, entrée and a beverage. Salad and dessert are usually availabe in a higher priced set. In these Taiwanese restaurants, if beverages are served, they will be served after the meals. Food is delivered to the table as it becomes ready which means not everyone at the table will be served at the same time. There is no tipping!
Even with all these experiences, what I have to particularly note was Saturday’s dining at TGIFridays. Yeah, I have actually gone there so much that I’ve been given a special discount card. We Americans are used to varying our menus. We may have American food for a day or two followed by a day of Italian and then some Middle Eastern or Mexican. So, from time to time I have to switch up from the Taiwanese.
What I noticed here this time that I had never noticed before is that Taiwanese people will prefer to eat family style, the style offered in Taiwanese restaurants. Even in American style restaurants, groups will order several plates of food and place them in the center of the table. Diners will then take food from the plates and serve themselves. They well eat from smaller plates. The food will be ordered by the highest ranking person at the table, typically the father or grandfather. Since there is no tipping, American chains charge a service fee.
The government just announced an increase in fuel prices. Read the full story
Imagine if you will walking into a store. Image the store to be large, bright and clean. Image everyone bustling about as usual, but imagine if you can the whiff of something that just isn’t right. Imagine that stank smell that is from fruit or “fresh” produce that makes you want to open a window or scrub a refrigerator. The smell is that of something that is overripe, too sweet, dead or dying. It’s almost nauseous. The smell is durien fruit (lio lian) and it is in season! I smell it when I enter Carrfour or when I walk past certain vendors in the market. It is so bad that busses and stores sometimes ban its presence. I have tasted it and have not liked it, though many people do. It doesn’t taste quite as bad as it smells, but the taste wasn’t good to me. I do not at all think the flavor is worth putting up with the putrid smell.
The fruit will be in season until September.
100 days left! Just over 3 months and I’ll be home! I hear the weather back home full of spring struggling to be free. Here, I think summer emerged with no restraints! The days are hot and sweaty already. Thankfully, the evenings, with darkness falling at 5:30 pm, are a bit cooler. Weather patterns are easy enough to figure out. It’s things like maneuvering space that I don’t get. I do know not to leave any space between me and the person in front of me while waiting in line or someone will cut in. It seems a long line is merely an invitation for those who know better to guise their need as a quick question and jump to the front. I just observe the patterns, no need to complain because…I can’t! I don’t speak no Mandarin!! Besides, I’ve figured that situation out. It’s how to maneuver space while moving that I don’t get. I am used to walking out of someone’s way, cutting behind them when I pass them in the street (especially if there is nothing behind them), waiting for others to pass or walking around cars trying to turn into traffic. Here, you just cut in front of cars, bikes or pedestrians (we all share the same life threatening streets.) It is so hard to get used to people (adults and especially children) who just cut in front of you regardless of the amount of space in front (or behind!!) me or how fast I may (or may not) be moving. It feels so rude. This cutting is so pervasive there has to be an explanation. There seems to be an effort to walk in front of people at every given chance. It is even seen in how left hand turns are made. Vehicles that are turning left will jump into the intersection and make their turn before the oncoming traffic is able to proceed. Cars or scooters that cannot make the turn quickly enough will often move to the far right hand lane so that they can drive across the interestion when the light changes as if they are driving straight across and not turning. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand this one. My usual sources of information on such matters are as perplexed as I. I do know where to stand in line at the post office, when it will get dark and when I will be headed home.
Pingtung 2-28 Memorial
28 February is Memorial Day, a national holiday in Taiwan. To commemorate this day in Taiwan’s historical consciousness, many people choose to fast in remembrance of the cruelty of those times in Taiwan’s past. From midnight to midnight, drinking only water, why not join the people of Taiwan as they meditate so that we may find better ways to take action in this world. As we feel our hunger, let us be reminded to share the stories of Taiwan’s past on that day.
This is what unfolded on that fateful day.
After the end of World War II, the Allied Forces left the occupation of Taiwan to Chiang Kai -shek, who was still holding on to large parts of China with his Nationalist forces. The Taiwanese, who had been under Japanese rule from 1895 through 1945, initially welcomed the Chinese Nationalist forces. But their joy soon changed into sorrow and anger, when the new authorities turned out to be repressive and corrupt.
The 28 February 1947 arrest of a woman selling cigarettes without a license was the spark which led to large-scale public protests against repression and corruption. For some ten days, Chiang still on the mainland and his governor Chen Yi kept up the pretense of negotiations with leaders of the protest movement, but at the same time they sent troops from the mainland.
As soon as the troops arrived, they started rounding up and executing people, in particular scholars, lawyers, doctors, students and local leaders of the protest movement. In total between 18,000 and 28,000 people were murdered. Thousands of others were arrested and imprisoned in the “White Terror” campaign which took place in the following decade. Many of these remained imprisoned until the early 1980s.
Until a few years ago, the events of 1947 were a taboo subject on the island. The authorities did not want to be reminded of their dark past, and the people did not dare to speak out for fear of retribution by the secret police.
The US press reported on the incidents in 1947 both in the New York Times and The Nation. Yet, despite the Cairo Declaration, the US did not act or Formosa’s behalf. The regime from mainland China was able to establish itself on the island.
When, after forty repressive years, the harsh martial law in Taiwan was lifted in 1987, the newly-formed Taiwanese democratic opposition started to push authorities to stop covering up the facts, and to come to a full airing of the matter. It wasn’t until 1990 that the Kuomintang finally decided to open the records. In 1992 President Lee asked for reconciliation and decided that a monument would be built in Taipei. Other memorials had been built earlier in Chiayi and Pingtung.
Scholars who want to conduct research about the February 28 incident complain that they cannot get access to a number of government archives. Although the Executive Yuan’s Ad Hoc Committee on 2-28 Incident has so far issued two volumes of findings from the archives, the Department of Defense continues to refuse to make public records in its archives covering the period from 1945 to 1950.
sources: http://www.taiwandc.org/228-intr.htm
I started talking about the lotions and creams here back in August. My friend, Les, has followed up with this article from the Cincinnati Enquirer. Although the article refers to China and India, know that the products would be the same in Japan, Taiwan and probably all other countries in this sphere that have been controlled by China or Japan.
“We’re an underground movement, we’re all eyes when planted in front of the TV, vegetation is an important part of our existence, and we’re Tubers. Get it?” ~source: wikipedia
It’s 63º here and has been that chilly all week. Nights are in the low 50s. It’s colder and wetter in Taipei. Kristen told me they’ve had 21 straight days of rain! 63º is cold when there’s no heating unit to knock that chill off! I could have been better prepared clothing wise, but I was told the temps in Pingtung are only hot and hotter. Knowing that, I couldn’t justify bringing more than a few outfits for cool weather. Thank goodness for the ones I did pack! Clothing is an issue for me because Taiwanese women are o! so small and I’m o! so not! Stores here carry items for these small Taiwanese women, not for me!
I’ve been told it will warm on Saturday which will be good because I’ll be in Taipei and it will be cold there. I’m going to the Taipei International Book Exhibit (TIBE), so look for a book related posting soon!
So, since the weather is cold, I get the idea to stay inside and watch some TV. Maybe you’d be interested in know what TV is like here? Well, its more interesting to write about than to watch.
I have cable tv and I believe I have 60-some odd channels. I get a plethora of Taiwanese channels, CNN Asian Edition (English), Discovery(English and Chinese), Travel and Living (English), Disney (mostly Chinese), Animal Planet (English and Chinese), a Christian station, HBO (English), ESPN (English),National Geographic (Englisna and Chinese), AXN (English and Chinese movies and TV shows), and 2 Star Movie stations (English, French, German). The only TV shows I pick up here are CSI, Vegas, CSI, Desperate Housewives, CSI, Sex in the City and CSI. There’s a lot of CSI. The networks focus on all things Asian. I’ve not seen any shows on NG or Discovery about Africa, South America or Europe but then, I’ve given up watching them for the most part, too. Travel and Living shows “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and not many know what ‘queer’ means. There are a few newer movies that will run for 2-3 weeks but for the most part the movies are action and adventure or horror movies. What is really amazing is that HBO will show a movie with Harrison Ford and I’ll change to a Star station and there’s Harrison again! The same happens with many major actors as if movies are bout in packages based on who is in them.
I’ve gone through the Taiwanese stations a few times. There are a couple of movie stations that have sub-titles in English and Mandarin. ALL STATIONS, no matter what language has sub-titles in Mandarin. I do believe there are a couple of Japanese stations here, a couple of which show anime. The Taiwanese stations have a lot of dramas. I don’t see many game shows, though because I haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. There are ‘qvc’ type networks. The Hakka, an aboriginal group, have a network to educate about their culture. There is even a channel with a camera directed at the gate to my apartment building to monitor comings and goings. There are music networks (there is an MTV) but I see more talking that singing. The last time I was channel surfing, I saw a commercial for McDonald’s delivery! Most McDonald’s are open 24 hrs.
CNN is the only televised news source I have. Their coverage is much different than in the US. First, they employ British correspondence. I do get Larry King and sometimes I get Anderson Cooper (I miss that cute little face with its etched look of concern!). I get A LOT of sports on CNN. Did you know that Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions just lost the African Cup to Egypt? Many CNN produced shows are broadcast and rebroadcast throughout the month. The US debates are shown here live and are rebroadcast once. Hilary and Barack do get a lot of coverage, and McCain to a lesser degree. Something that kinda bothers me is that CNN broadcasts “The Daily Show“. In the US, there is much concern that people get their news from this show, so CNN decides to show it outside the US on a legitimate (?) news network??
Second semester has begun! Students are back and classes are underway. I now have third graders and that’s. . . interesting. . . They are so excited about being in English class! My 5-1 class presented me with Valentine Cards and that was so touching! Valentines Day isn’t a big deal here as romance and passion aren’t a big part of the culture. So, it was really nice of them to do that for me!
My fingers have gotten warm, time to go cook dinner. YES!!! I’M COOKING!!!!!!!
My friend, Jaci, just invited me to dinner in Chaiyi to celebrate the Year of the Rat.
The first full moon of the year will happen about two weeks after the lunar New Year begins. This day is marked by celebrating the Lantern Festival. The round bright lanterns symbolize the new moon. I just saw ad for lanterns and I think it provides a satirical, contemporary perspective on this old practice.
These are traditional sky lanterns are 100% biodegradable. Tradition
calls for your wishes or prayers to be written on the lanterns. The
lanterns are then sent off floating up to the heavens. I think the
pollution levels are too thick for God to get a good look are the
prayers.
The wax coated wicks are ignited and the super thin paper lanterns
float up into the air. The wax coated wicks burn out at about 1500
meters and the lanterns slowly float down to the earth.
Life is good and livin’ is easy when the weekend begins on a Thursday!
I have to say Taiwan is so incredibly different from living in the US, sometimes I wonder why anyone would want to stay here. But then, life can be so easily refreshing, the scents can be so familiar, and the people can be so nice that it can seem like the only place to be! What would I be doing if I were home right now? What kind of difference would I be making?? Yeah, some days, many days, I’m simply making myself a better resource but it is certainly more than I would be doing at home!
So what happened on Thursday? I joined some new friends I met on a blog and was able to do some wonderful traveling! We drove to a village in Kaoihsoing county where Sandy and Michael used to live and work. I was able to see stuff I would not see on my own and get an understanding on things that I would not have had if I were with someone with a more limited grasp of English (because I have a limited grasp of Chinese as well!). I learned about how religious traditions unfold and combine here, how and where Chinese and Hakka people settled here in the south and other regional history.
Our travel from Pingtung County to Kaoihsoung County was marked by our journey over what was once the longest single suspension bridge in the world.
As we crossed the bridge, we saw a buddist seminary with a 90 ft. Buddha. Meinong is in the heartland of Hakka culture. Hakka people emigrated from China to various countries in Asia hundreds of years ago. They maintain their own language and culture here in Taiwan. Meinong is home to more PhDs than anywhere in the world! Meinong is also where handcrafted bamboo umbrellas are made.
We first stopped at a Hakka village which is really a sales area for many traditional items. Old fashioned toys were set about and the young children there on a school trip seemed to have a lot of good old fashioned fun!
We visited a three tiered shrine. The first area of worship was created in the taoist tradition and was complete with moonstones, spirit money, and candles for the sky god in a darkened worship area.
We even saw a young couple burning spirit money so that they could buy someone into a lesser area of suffering in the afterlife. Next, was an area that reflected confuciounism and the third area was a buddhist temple. Although it was closed, it is a temple where many buddhist monks travel for important religious debates. We had a delicious lunch at a artsy restaurant where many cooks in training in Kaoihsoung come to practice their skills. Dinner was at a Hakka restaurant where we had Hakka pound soup. A bowl is brought to the table with this stuff in it that resembles bird food. I can’t remember what all it was other than red beans, sesame seeds and green tea. The items are finely ground (or pounded!) with a mortar and pestle and hot water is eventually added to make a soup that has gotten many a family through what is considered a cold winter. I enjoyed the soup, finding it tasty, filling and probably quite nutritious!
We saw beautiful natural scenes, important historic sites, talked with locals and really enjoyed each others company. One of the neatest, and o so simple things we did was to stop in a field of cosmos and take photos. In order to get more tourist dollars, the city decided to have the farmers plant fields of flower for fallow. They make beautiful scenery for photos and have generated millions of dollars in revenue!
Friday, walking home from work, I noticed a blue plastic tent in the front of a home. I thought that perhaps they were having some repair work done. As I passed by, I noticed flowers and realized too late that someone has passed away and that this was the area to pay respects prior to the burial. I say too late because I felt as though I should have walked across the street as a sign of respect. I did bow my head as I passed and said a prayer but, before doing so I was able to see the photo of the attractive, elderly woman whose life was being celebrated. There was also incense burning, typical in Buddhist tradition.
After seeing this display, I knew what I would be in for later that night: firecrackers!! They typically last 2-3 days.
I’m not certain of the death practices here. I do know that death itself is a rather taboo subject. When someone dies, I think they’re often buried in Buddhist traditions, but not many people here do not really claim a religion. There are fireworks at night. This morning there was a lot of singing (chanting?) followed by a lot of musical drumming. Many, many people drove to the home to pay respects. I don’t know what services are conducted in the tented area, or how the burial services are conducted, or by whom. I have seen some of the cemeteries and they’ve been on the outskirts of the city. Families have large mausoleum type structures made of stone which serve as final resting places. I don’t know what colors are associated with death, or what superstitions there are. I do know that no one wants to live in an apartment where someone has died (they’re often rented to foreigners such as myself–hey??!!!). I know that 4 is an unlucky number. Some buildings do not have a 4th floor!
I thought I would become a recluse when Kris left, just go to work and cocoon most of the time inside my apartment with my books and laptop. HA! There’s the nightly dinner trek. And while I’m out, I just have to stop to get some fresh fruit or yogurt or check out the $10 store or some such. That’s 10 New Taiwanese dollars. That’s about thirty American cents. They have pretty much everything you can find at a well stocked dollar store and they are a teacher’s paradise! There are also $39NT stores, one of which is in the Dream Mall in Kaoushoung. It’s actually a Japanese store and a wonderful place to shop for those little Japanese trinkets you just have to have!
Guess what I did in Chiayi!
Well, back to the subject… cocooning… not yet! I ended up in Chiayi with Carolyn on Saturday. Caught the high speed up there all by myself! I left on a beautiful, sunny morning and a few hours into the afternoon, the temperature began to drop and the winds picked up. It looked and felt like a chinook was about to settle in! It was so much warmer when I got back here in Pingtung! Sunday, I went to Kaousoung to the Dream Mall. I went to see the anticpated “American Gangster” and was much disappointed to see Denzel looking so incredibly gorgeous in a role that glorified the man who put poison into the veins of so many so that he could profit.
I did a little shopping after the movie, dinner at TGIFridays and headed home. I was so amazed by the lights outside the mall! I really think the display of lights has increased in the past week! Trees are laden with monocromatic, effervescent blues or oranges or greens. Some have a light blue and a dark blue stream of lights and they are just dazzling! Add a thread of red and they pop! And of course, I didn’t have my camera with me.
Today, the cold settled into Pingtung. Typically, it’s cool in the mornings and it begins to cool again just before sunset. But today it never warmed up. I’ve been told this will last for a while. Now, this could get interesting because apartments (i.e., my home!) have no heat. My classroom has four doors and two walls of nothing but windows. I was warned that it does get cold on this rock (which lies in the tropics) in the “winter” but I was also told that there are two climates in Pingtung: hot and hotter. Well, it’s not hot now! It’s not really too cold as I’m fine with a sweater or long sleeved shirt. For now.
And at the faculty meeting, our school nurse announced that flu season has hit the building. Yep, winter is here!
This will be my last post of 2007. I’m wishing all of you who have taken the time to check up on me some wonderful and exciting adventures of your own in 2008! May peace be your journey–cool runnings!
Yeah, we had some fun! That would explain why there are no photos from Haulien. Last week went by so quickly!! All of these weeks have been going fast!
Kristen has gone home. We really had a great time together. We’ve forged a great relationship, like the phoenix rising from the ashes. We’ve learned so much from and about each other! She should be home as I write.
Mr. Hsieh and his family gave is a ride to the high speed rail station north of Kaoushoung. From there, it took us about 1.5 hours to do by train what a car would do in 4 hours. We got in late, but Kris, Sean and Suzanne went out partying, mighty Hoosiers that they are! The next day some of us went to the museum, some of us slept all day, and some went to 101 Mall. It was nice to get back up there and see the city and all that I had missed before. I had wondered what was so great about Taipei, and how it classified as a world class city. I saw it this time! WOW!! I don’t have the pictures to show all the stores, banks, clubs, theaters… so much!! I had always heard what a dirty city Taipei was and that was part of why we went south. That and the prospects of a beach in this county. So, we end up in one of the most polluted counties in the country, at its northern tip, completely inland!
The other teachers are fairing well. Marilyn visits an orphanage regularly, takes Chinese classes and visits with a 92 year old Jesuit priest on a regular basis. Rose works with two other foreign teachers and has developed situational classes in her school’s English Village. The Granderson’s have a beachfront home and work together in an elementary school. Carolyn tours a lot with her school families and will soon be joined by her spouse. Suzanne is located just outside Taipei and can see the ocean from her school. She’ll be going home for a brief visit soon, then returning to finish the second half of things.
Strawberries are in season. I picked some up from Carrefour today and hope to finish them soon. Fruits here don’t have preservatives and don’t last quite so long. They taste fresh and juicy!
Well, this is the time on the blog where YOU have to do the writing. C’mon, how about ‘Merry Christmas’? A snow report? A mouth watering report of Christmas dinner? Something??!!
We went to Haulien this past weekend. We left Saturday after Sports Day at my school and came back this evening. I promise to post pictures tomorrow!
Sports Day is an annual event at every school at every level of study in this country. Students and teachers spend weeks preparing. My school has an art competition; cleans and decorates; students learn songs and practice athletic performances and there are many competitions. The day occurs on Saturday, I suppose so that parents can attend and there is no school on Monday. It was a really fun day day, and a full day for us as we rode the train for over 4 hours to this nice little town nestled between mountains and beaches in the north. I’ll download photos from Sports Day and Taroko Gorge tomorrow.
I found a different English language paper up there, as well as the China Post which I haven’t read in a while. Politics are getting kinda crazy here as we approach elections. Both the current president and his wife are already up on charges for various crimes. Now, there is speculation that he will put the country under marshall law and prevent the January elections. Who knows!
Also read of the passing of Julia Carson in the China Post. May she rest in peace.
I was writing Evan James today and I thought this sounded interesting enough to share here. Evan is currently if Florida, working for Uncle Sam.
It’s 7:40 and the school day here is just beginning. The sky is extremely overcast, looks like rain. I actually saw the mountains again yesterday morning!!
It’s about to get noisy here: students are cleaning, music is on the intercom system which is loud enough for kris to hear at our apartment which is about 1/4 mile away. the students will probably practice for sports day again today. this means the band will play, there will be singing and lots of talking on the microphone which is loud enough for kris to hear. I’m not sure what sports day is all about. I just know that it’s a really big deal in elementary schools here. They’ve been practicing, performing and decorating for weeks. I’ve been given a special shirt to wear on Saturday for the day.
Speaking of loud, we didn’t hear fireworks last night. We usually hear them every night. On Saturday evening when we came back from the beach, they were so loud I thought we were being attacked by China. i could see the sky turning colors behind our building which verified fireworks. I’ve been told they’re set off for funerals, holidays and feasts related to local gods.
8:40 and the practice continues. Look for pictures from Saturday!
Since we got here, there was one thing Kristen wanted to do. She wanted to go to Kenting National Park. a huge national park that encompasses the southern tip of this island. It’s all tropical beach and everyone says it’s the place to see. In fact, we chose to live in this county expecting be be down there in Kenting. With Kris leaving in two weeks, we realize there is a lot that she just isn’t going to get to see. We made it to Tainan, missed an opportunity to get to Taichung, have plans to get to Taroko Gorge and will celebrate the holiday back in Taipei. She was OK about not getting to Kenting…but I guess Mr. Hseih (pron: Shay) wasn’t. Now, understand Mr. Hseih is a busy man. Both he and his wonderful wife work full time and they have small children. He works at the school as a teacher and has administrative duties. On top of that, he’s been charged with taking care of me and Kristen: he’s busy!!! Yet and still, he had heard Kristen mention Kenting enough to know she really wanted to get there. So, he and his family took us last weekend. We drove along the coast about two hours Saturday morning on a beautiful sunny day. We stopped at the beach the Hseih’s usually visit, but it was pretty empty. This particular beach is marked by a monstrosity that sits in the ocean and is called “Nixon’s Head”. Yeah, it’s just that ugly. We spent some time walking on one beach that is covered with sand formed from coral, then went to another clean, bright vibrant beach where groups of kids and families were busy having fun in the sand; people were playing on jet skis and parasails and there were banana boats.
Somehow, being the wonderful mother that I am, I let this crazy daughter of mine talk me into going out on the OCEAN on this inflatable device called a banana boat. Um, I can’t swim. I had NO BUSINESS doing that!!! Yet and still, it was so much fun!! No photos to document this event, but believe me it really did happen!
Then, we drive up into to mountains to visit Sending National Park. We traveling upon this great little brick path through minor gorges, down AND UP AND UP AND UP mountains, twisting and turning through the landscape as the sun was about to set. We saw and heard bamboo glens, a purple spider and wonderful vistas. I was too busy huffing and puffing to see the wild pigs. It was pretty incredible, nonetheless!
We spent the evening eating shrimp fried rice, bubble tea and fried chicken. We did a little shopping in the night market, saw foods we’ll never see elsewhere (like a patty make from rice and duck blood) and came on home!
Just delightful! Kristen got to do her thing!
The weather here has cooled quite a bit, thanks to some unseasonable weather!
Typhoon season in these parts is supposed to be over at the end of September. So, to get something this late, and from the direction it’s coming is quite rare. I can’t speak to the local reaction because I don’t understand the weather forecast or people speaking around me. I do know that no one said anything to us to warn about about impeding danger, but they didn’t say anything when the massive storm came in early October, either. This time, we only got cooler temperatures, grayer skies and a drizzle that has lasted for 2 days. I think there’s another typhoon out there near us, but I’m not sure where.
I’m thinking about some of the little, daily stuff that makes life so different.
- Students brush their teeth after lunch.
- Some restaurants do not serve beverages. Those that do, usually bring drinks when the meal is done.
- Fruit can only be purchased when it is in season. A wide variety of fruit grows on the island, so little is imported. Fruits are typically purchased from street vendors. Most of the grocery stores we’ve gone to sell few meats and vegetables.
- Little beef is eaten here. I think they have ox that are work animals, few cows to provide meat. Pork and chicken are the meats of choice.
- There are a lot of stray dogs here. A LOT.
- There is a train system that can be used to travel most of the island. A high speed train system has recently been built and travel from north, almost to the southern time takes under 2 hours. There is no high speed on the east coast.
- In Taiwan, the current year is 96. The calendar here begins when Taiwan received its controversial independence.
- Taiwan recycles! Trash is always seperated. Food, plastics, paper, other. Food goes to the pigs!
- The official language here is Traditional Mandarin, as opposed to simplified Mandarin spoken in Mainland China. There is also a Taiwanese language and it is found here in the southern part of the country.
We’re trying to get in as much of Taiwan as possible before Kristen leaves. So, when she’s gone, these posts will probably get a bit… boring!
We took to the train Saturday morning and headed northeast to Tainan. This an old and historic city is known for its festivals, shrines and temples. We’ll remember it for great shopping, huge technology district, delicious Greek food, clean streets, sidewalks and fresh air!! It was so nice to see blue skies and sunshine! I wish I could have reached the clean air before this second sinus infection hit me. Oh, well!
Tainan is nowhere as big as Kaoshouing or Taipei, but looking that mannerisms and dress of the people, I’d say the difference between Tainan and Pingtung would be like the difference between San Francisco and Ft. Wayne.
We’d like to get back to Tainan before we leave, however, there are so many places to visit yet!
With a transfer in Kaoushoung, we took about 1.5 hours to get to our destination. I had book a room online at what turned out to be a very nice hotel (Hotel Dynasty) and I had one of my Teachers write a list of statements such as “I’d like to buy two tickets on the next train to Tainan” “Please take us to the Hotel Dynasty” and “Please take us to the jade market” in Mandarin so that we would be able to reach our destinations. People at the hotel spoke English quite well and were also able to help by arrange cab service for us. We saw quite few westerners in Tainan, but for some reason I don’t understand, few of them ever speak.
I requested western mattresses in the hotel, so we had a decent night’s sleep. This request meant that we didn’t want the typical Taiwanese mattress which is as thick as those we have in the US, but about as soft as this table top.
There are incredible blue lights all over this city. I first saw them at Snake Market in Taipei and have seen them since everywhere!! I think you can see them if you search for the photos I’ve posted of the exterior of the Dream Mall. I finally found some of them in Tainan and will be bringing them home for xMas next year!!
I’ve been planning on entering something ANYTHING for several weeks! I’ve put together some great stuff in my head, you know how those early morning thoughts can be so creative! But as I rush into the day, I manage to forget what I was going to say and how I was going to say it.
The last time I had thoughts of posting, we had just walked across half this town from one new area we discovered to a new (to us) Italian place near Carrefour. We passed several spots that look so inviting, but not to those of us who had absolutely no way of figuring out what was in the menu. Sorry, creativity doesn’t work when dinner could have black squid ink, pig intestines or steamed tofu. I’m not feelin’ it! It is my own fault for not knowing the language, goodness knows the Taiwanese make every effort to speak English, we’re the ones who haven’t made the effort. It was kinda cute though, when we went in one restaurant and this 5′10″ twenty-something guy was actually shy about speaking English to us! I do get it, I have tried to speak my broken Spanish to some of the Spanish speaking students at school and it gave me one of the most embarrassing feelings I’ve ever had!
So, we walked passed these great looking places and walked and walked and walked and walked ’til we came to this Italian place we’d seen before. I was doubtful because I’ve had enough of the pasta dishes that were prepared with the strangest of ingredients and aromas and I was too hungry to have someone messing with my food. I don’t think Kris has learned her lesson yet. She was excited for the possibility of something cheesy with noodles. Well, I’ll just say I had one of the most amazing spaghetti dishes I’ve ever had! I bet it put to shame any of the pasta Dadrian is feasting on!! I believe they had Mamma Mia herself in the kitchen! Homemade-tasting Italian wonderful food!
Yeah, we spend a lot of time looking for good places to eat. And we spend even more time walking. We walk everywhere we want to go: bookstore, work, visiting, touring, dining, shopping. . . . you get the point! And it’s working! We found the scales in Carrefour and they indicate a nice weight loss! No, I’m not going to say how much, not going to get your hopes up too high, get you expecting me too much cuter than already!! LOL Honestly, the exercise feels good and the walking is one thing I will really miss when I return home.
Speaking of which, Kristen will be returning home soon. Yes, I’ll miss her! These days together have been wonderful and I could not have spent my time with a better person. But, Ms. Kris has some business to take care of, namely her education and her career! So please wish her god speed and safe travel!
Last year at this time, I was on the banks of the Red Sea having an Hijazi Thanksgiving. This year, it’s just another work day. Rose may come down and we’ll head over to the Beaver Dam to meet up with some expats. No turkey, just good company. Thus begins vicarious holiday season that I’ll experience through YOUR notes and emails. No snow here, no Christmas! no New Years! no carols! no eggnog! no stuffing on Thanksgiving and no holiday sales! So, instead of dwelling on what isn’t there for me or for you, lets give thanks for the gift of life and for all the blessings it contains. Thanks for your friendship! Peace
The weeks are going by so quickly! Here it is another weekend, once again time for that deep, deep cleaning necessitated by the grimy environment of polluted air and water. Its so ironic that I see such a deep need for nature expressed through the placement of potted flowers and trees in front of every home and parks everywhere, yet rivers and streams are the color of mixed cement and smell like septic tanks. Ah, the cost of developing an economy!
I took a while to process last weekend’s events, and never took a moment to mention them here. I was scheduled to give a presentation for Pingtung County at my school on international teaching and Carolyn (Kansas) and Rosezina (Michigan) were kind enough to come and provide support. I looked forward to outlining education in the US and particularly discussing the role of media centers. Here, school libraries only contain books.
No technology and no staff.
Teachers staff the library when they bring their class and there is no librarian or media specialist to promote literacy, select books or provide instruction on research, finding information or developing presentations. Computers are only in the computer lab and computer skills are taught in isolation.
So, I wrote a nice little presentation and developed a Powerpoint with some nice photos to add a few visuals to spice up my talking. (Vernon sent about 30 current photos from AHS and I was able to create a very nice Powerpoint!) I was pleasantly surprised when the Taiwanese teachers on the program mentioned the public and school libraries they visited on their tours of Australia and Singapore respectively, providing a nice opening to what I was able to report. They were quite impressed by the libraries they saw and the important services they provided to schools. I hope I am able to provide more information on this important topic and maybe, maybe influence even the slightest of changes.
After the program, we went looking for a new Caves bookstore. These are stores that exist in Taiwan mainly to provide books for English language instruction. We walked a little further than we expected (which was fine because we found a great new restaurant!) but eventually found the bookshop which couldn’t be more than a month old. Can you imagine the heaven I was in to smell the newness and the books??!!! They don’t necessarily have the newest of selections, but when you consider I’m in little Pingtung where I never expected to find a single book to purchase in English, you have to realize what a wonderful place this is! They really do have a large selection of children’s books, many of which I hope to purchase to enhance my teaching. And there are many paperbacks for adult reading as well!
All that having been said, I think my download of “Men in Trees” is about done and it’s time to scoot!! Yes, I have to find random websites all over the web to ‘watch television’. The network sites only work inside the US!! I find that one of the little things I miss (and it’s really only little stupid stuff that I really miss!) is the regimentation provided by nightly television shows.
The sky has been overcast for days and the heavy layer of clouds has really caused it to be quite humid. This morning when I first woke, I was able once again to see the mountains, however, clouds (pollution?) quickly gathered and hid the view once again. The humidity is milder, due to a thinner layering of clouds. I suppose the clouds have lingered from a nearby tropical storm system. There is another storm system that looks like it will hit the northern part of the island. During the last typhoon that hit the north, we were affected with heavy winds. I don’t know what to expect this time.
This is a somewhat shortened day. It’s Wednedsay. Students are out of uniform and only here until noon. Then, its staff meetings until 4:30 pm. While I am excused from most of them due to a general inability to understand anything on my part, I am expected to stay and work on lesson plans. Not too much to expect!
Not sure what we’ll do for dinner this evening. We still have a lot of cleaning to do to the kitchen before we’re comfortable using it.
Which reminds me… we were in a local store (NOT a 7-11) which is somewhat like a grocery store and we were looking for something to kill crawling pests. We found this box.
We didn’t know if we should buy it just in case, or if perhaps something was missing in our limited translaiton.
We have found one restaurant we particularly enjoy. One of the people there speaks English and we’ve become familiar enough with the menu to be able to order. They have delicious chicken rolls which are made of diced chicken, cilantro, mayannaise and lettuce rolled inside a fried wrapper. There is also a delicious chicken dish which I cannot describe, a fried flat bread and hot pot.
Pingtung has steamed buns which can be filled with a variety of meats and or vegetables, but they’re very soggy-soft and a bit sweet. Vendors on the street have been good for fried chicken wings, fried potatoes, grilled fish, grilled mushrooms and some other fatty type meat that is also grilled. Kris had hoped she found a nice fried fish when I bought the wings. She was curious about the shape, but the inside did kinda look like fish. Well, we’re pretty sure it was octupus. She didn’t care for it because it is very chewy!
Do you notice I’m mentioning a lot of fried foods and few fruits and veggies? I really hope Dr. Karimi isn’t reading this!!
I am going to a nearby fruit stand to get some pomelo and maybe bananas. Pomelo is like a dry, less tart grapefruit. We’re staying away from fruits like grapes and apples with thin skin. Although we’d been told we can drink the water here, we cannot. I don’t think locals who can afford not to will drink the water here.
I got my ARC card this past week (like a yellow card) so, we’re getting Internet tonight. This weekend, we’ll be traveling somewhere to celebrate the 5-0!!
I’ve uploaded photos of the apartment, but not really described it! We live about 8 minutes walking distance from the school (5 minutes for most walkers). We’re in a residential area with many single family homes in the area. Yes, I need to get some photos of them! They appear to be very nice homes. They have huge 2 car garages which protrude from the front of the building with the home sitting back from the street. They are all two story homes, and brick because of the climate.
We live in one of the few apt. buidings on the street on the 6th floor of a 10 floor building. There is an elevator, stairs, security guard and locked security gate. Our place has a living room/dining room area, kitchen (stove top, no oven) which leads to a washroom, porch area, two bedrooms, a japanese tea room, a balcony off the living room and two bathrooms, one with a tub/shower and the other with a shower. There are air conditioning units in two of the bedrooms and a ceiling fan in the living room. The place stays amazingly cool! It came furnished.
Other than that, I can say that it’s Saturday and I’m at work. The students are outside for assembly because we’re following the monday schedule. There is a lot more talking and applauding than usual, I wonder what I’m missing? I also keep hearing bagpipes!
When I planned to come here, many folks automatically assumed I was coming to China. Close, this country’s official name is The Republic of China. Some also thought they heard me say Thailand. Same contitnent, but, not close.
Taiwan is an island country about the size of Indiana located in the Pacific Ocean east of China. I wish I could tell you how large the population is! I’ve mentioned that this little town that I’m in is barely on the map and it is larger than Indianapolis.
A lot is in the news here about Taiwan trying to get into the United Nations. The Republic of China was a founding member, but lost its seat to China. The country wants to be officially known as Taiwan. It became associated with China, I believe in 1949 ,when the Chang Kei Shek fled here to get away from the Communists. He claimed this place as the Republic of China and began massacreing Taiwanese folks to get his way. China claims this island as part of their country and most places, such as the US, don’t recognize Taiwan as a country. During the 2008 election, the country’s political status is very much in debate. One party wants to stay independent while another wants to join China. The debates become quite vocal and heated because this young democracy values the vote, the election process and free speech. I hear the elections will be interesting to watch. Maybe even more so than what the press feeds us in the US.
There is much animosity between China and ROC. (remember the posting about Kinmen Island?) There was an article in the paper last week saying disposable chopsticks should be banned because China taints them with chemicals. Although there is no direct trade, much does end up here from mainland China. Taiwan has an army and is well prepared for an attack (I’ve been told nothing will probably happen before the Olympics begin. What will eventually happen? How peacefully will it happen? Only the future knows!
I guess this is on my mind today because it was one of the few mornings I’ve been able to read the Taipei Times. This is a great little English newspaper that provides a lot of information from around the globe. I’d say it gives as much covering to Taiwanese news as it does US news. Today, I read about Che Geuverra, Venzuela, workers in Bangladesh striking for better pay, the Dalia Lama in Germany and many other stories. Stories I know I wouldn’t get in the Star!
The sky was so clear today I could see the gorges in the mountains that surround the city. I did get photos and hope to post them tomorrow.
Happy Moon Festival!
A while back, my friend Susan asked if I was liking the desserts here. I though she was referring to the wonderful desserts we had in Saudi and just kinda asking if I was still eating them. Well, after the third or fifth bean dessert, I got what she was asking! There was the wondeful little shaved ice place we went to in Taipei that put 4 varieties of sweet beans on ice for dessert. This was followed by a gelatenous rice dough cookie that was filled with bean paste. We’ve had moon cookies with beans (that are quite good!) and other such treats. Desserts here are not as sweet as at home, they’re not eating as often and they are often bean filled.
I can’t believe it’s only Sunday because we’ve been so busy! Friday evening, we heading out on foot to find dinner. We walked a little further than usual and found some very interested Taiwanese restaurants that at least had pictures of food. We passed the night market which is where you will find the most. . . interesting . . . delicacies. There were fruit stands with fresh pomelo, bananas, dragon eyes, HUGE grapes and apples. We decided to walk to the corner, see what else we could see, then turn around and find a place to eat. The blocks here are long! We saw that we were near Carrefour and went we looked up, saw we were near McDonalds! We ended up in Carrafour ( a huge discount grocery/department store from Europe) and spent hours looking at electronics, housewares, music, school supplies and food! We ended up walking about 3 hours that night.
We returned home to find Mr Chay AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY waiting for us!! He had tried to call us on our cell phone, but couldn’t reach us. He began to worry. We feel so blessed to have a family here! Mr Chay wanted to let us know that he had made our cab arrangements to get to and from the train station for our trip to Kaoishoung on Saturday. Mrs. Chay had typed out a list of statements in English and Mandarin so that we could buy tickets, get to the station or catch a cap in Kaoishoung. They also gave us a Moon Festival present to use when looking at the moon over the holiday weekend: mooncakes and chocolates! What a great evening!
Saturday, we took the train to Kaoishoung and met Rose, a teacher from Michigan. We spent the day at the Dream Mall. This is a HUGE 9 story mall with something for everyone! We closed the day by eating at TGIFridays and riding the train home. Rose is actually only two train stops away from us in a city I can’t name at this time and we were able to ride the same train home.
Folks think living overseas takes a lot of bravery and indepence. It is not for the faint of heart! Life in other countries is so different from being at home, you really have to be able to adjust to things and realize they are different, not right or wrong. The Taiwanese lifestyle isn’t backward, or in any way LESS than what ours is. The first major lesson you learn is that you can’t do it by yourself. I have found myself relying on other people, asking for help and reaching out more than I ever have before. I rely on Kris for companionship, for assistance with so many details throughout the day and for insights into my classes that I miss. We rely on my English speaking colleagues to let us know where to shop or to eat or how to buy a train ticket. We couldn’t even survive in our own home without them! They’ve had to tell us NOT to flush toilet paper; to meet the trash truck at 8 pm and the turn off the gas when it is not being used. We won’t know if there is a typhoon or holiday unless they tell us! It seems that I stay because I have so much to learn!
Kris is blogging as well. Her blog is From Chicken Noodle to Rice and Egg Noodle. If you read hers, or read mine, take the time to make a comment! It would be much easier than following up with an email and it might get a good discussion going!
