Tag Archive

This map shows Taiwan taking its hit on Thursday. Could this be a Typhoon Day??  (NO SCHOOL!)

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.

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!!