Made in Taiwan

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2010-11-05T00:15:00.002+08:00

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My Little Asians

2009-12-28T23:08:00.002+08:00

I am nearing the end of teaching in Taiwan and I have been behind in blogging. So I might back track a little in the posts to come. I have been teaching the basic reading class. It is quite the experience. I have worked pretty much everyday with these kids and now I get them all to myself. Which can be a great thing and a bad thing. My students say the funniest things. For example "teacher may I touch you". Then ask this because I don't have the greatest circulation so sometimes my skin turns red/purple. So they love to grab me. One of my students will just call me over to say teacher I need help( when he really doesn't). While I am teaching him my mad manuscript skills. He immediately grabs my arms and starts staring. I have to remind him to watch how I write the letters. This is also the student that goes into the splits on a daily basis(in his chair). I have to say Frank stop doing the splits in your chair and sit the right way.
Then there is Yoyo one day we were in the kitchen and we were talking about what would happen if we didn't cut our hair? All the boys said "then we would look like girls". Yoyo said and like MJ! He then jumped out of his chair and started singing beat it and doing what looks like a MJ dance. I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. He also occasionally swears which I really don't mind because it makes me laugh every time. I really bring this out in my students mainly because I entertain them and they entertain me. He also is the only one that catches if I swear in class. He will usually laugh like a little girl and say Teacher. I love teaching this age.
Then there is Rolland one of the oddest little Asians I have worked with. He usually is in his own little world. All the sudden he will stand up and start swinging his arms in the air and starts karate chopping the air. I just stare wondering if he is noticing that he has an audience watching. One time we were playing a game where we think of as many words as we as we can that start with a certain letter. Well the letter was "S" and of coarse one students said "Shit" I said ok and just didn't write it on the board. Then Rolland came up to me. He whispered in my ear "teacher and spells S A R S then quickly says SARS" I start to laugh and said very good. I mean these little Asians are well aware of what is going on in the world. I mean I was looking for more of the words like sun or stop but wait to think out side the box. I just couldn't wait until we got to the letter "h" I was waiting for one of them to say H1N1. Well Rolland is a very smart kid. He loves to just come up to me while I'm at my desk and say the most random things. He also tells me to go to Sherry everyday like I am introuble.
Then there is Andy he loves to talk about how one time this died and then that died etc... I think it might be because of the age. His typical response to all of my stories are "I have seen(with of course a head nod)". I always say Andy what have you seen? He usually responds ok ok. Andy is the one that reminds me of the boy off of Indiana Jones. I sometimes can get him to say "Dr. Jones". I love it.
Then there is the girls. They are the talkers. I usually have to say ok teachers turn to talk.
Ella is so adorable she is my favorite. She also reminds me when I am leaving to go back to America. She then will say teacher you should stay I will miss you. Then she says I will cry. She also reminds me that I can stay. But then I remind her that Rae Rae misses me. My students very much so want to meet Grandma Rae Rae.
Ella will say every 2 seconds say teacher I tell you something. This story usually consists of how her brother is so mean to her. Cindy is full of energy and a lot of fun. Then there is Minnie she will put you in your place. She is a very smart girl she is 6 going on 30.

Cindy and Rolland(aka Rolley Poley or Ruler)

Amily she is adorable but sometimes shy

Here is Frank in his signature pose the splits

Emerson the backwards hugger

Minnie and Duncan always up in my business

Yoyo (aka Yoyo Ma) about to hit Andy in the FACE

Andy telling teacher that I am crazy

Rolley Poley, Cindy and Amily

Me and Miss Ella

Afternoon Basic Reading

Evening Basic Reading Class
The boys are crazy and out of control. I love it.

The Boys
The Girls

Well I have taught these little Asian nuggets for a year solid. So I am very much attached. I am going to miss them so much. I have learned a lot and had some amazing experiences living in Taiwan. I get teary eyed thinking about leaving them. But it is time to move on to the next adventure. They have promised that they will write to me and if they come to America they will visit me. I can honestly say that I have the cutest students alive. These little Asians will always have a place in my heart.

Portraits by Cindy

2009-12-08T15:30:00.007+08:00

So Cindy is a very funny student of mine. She loves to draw pictures for me. The first one is a family portrait. Notice that Cindy has yellow golden hair. I believe that she just might have an identity issue. She always tells me that she is not Taiwanese she is American. Then she says teacher you are Taiwanese. Sometimes I just go with it encouraging her infatuation of becoming American. Then notice the picture that she drew of me. I didn't know that I was turning Asian. Oh and that I have a bad case of elephantitis hands.

Here is a picture of what we really look like

Tea Time With the Asians

2009-11-24T14:11:00.014+08:00

Well me and the girls headed out for Alishan. A town that is known for their beautiful sunrises. But because of the Typhoon Morakot. The train is out of order. But the town has set up a shuttle system for tourists can still come to Alishan. We headed up the mountain in a mini van. Which is quite the ride up to the top. Talk about experiencing car sickness and we had a crazy driver. I kept thinking we were going to die. It was kind of crazy being all up in the clouds It was amazing.

The Mist

More Mist

Funny story the picture below is the aftermath of me running into a spider web. By the look on my face I am about to cry. At first I was swearing obscenities. My tourettes of the mouth was really flaring up. Those of you who have seen the spiders here in Taiwan know that are as big as dinner plates. I had an image of a huge spider crawling over me. And of course everyone was laughing at me because it was very dramatic.

One thing I learned on this little excursion. Never go walking through tea fields with out looking out for spider webs (so reckless).

Wulai

2009-11-24T13:43:00.006+08:00

Wulai is an aboriginal township just south of Taipei with the largest waterfall in Taiwan. It was beautiful.

Above Wulai the largest. Below probably the smallest but very beautiful.

Here is a nice swinging bridge. Part of the village was like an obstacle course with rope swings and pulley's.

Pork and green pepper kabobs

Chillin with the aborigines

The Dahan river

Jiufen and Keelung

2009-11-18T11:01:00.010+08:00

Well awhile ago Sarah Emily and I spend the weekend in Jiufen, Keelung. It was a very busy weekend filled of course with lots of eating as usual. Travel in Taiwan is quite the deal. On this Saturday we took I think about 13 different trains and buses. Lets just say I was quite tired after this day. I just decided to post a bunch of pictures.

The crowded markets

Taiwan mountain side

This town used to be a gold mining town so we went on the tour and sadly enough we did not pan for gold. Maybe next time.

The Pacific Ocean

Night market in Keelung

Eating some delicious barbecued squid!

The mass crowd of people. If you are claustrophobic I do not recommend going to night markets or Asia. Lets just say that I no longer have a bubble.

Mingdao University

2009-10-20T13:27:00.009+08:00

So we went to a University to attend a activity where one of the students parents works at. We had to talk to them about living in Taiwan and some of the funny and interesting things that we have experienced. We were then assigned to our own little posse of Asians. My group was very nice we were very competitive too. Oh and only two really spoke English to me. We played basketball and I am a very aggressive player. I think this really threw them off. I also enjoyed the one named Thomas because all he knew was profanities. So playing basketball was funny. We then went inside where we ate pizza. My group was very nice and took good care of me. They poured me drinks and even cut my pizza. So pretty much I was spoiled all day. After that we went paint balling and then kayaking. It was quite a fun filled day.

Me and my posse

Tanier and I kayaking

Tanier and I gearing up for paint balling

Taipei Zoo

2009-10-06T00:54:00.034+08:00

We went to the Taipei Zoo and it was the best zoo ever. There were no lines and there were very few people. Probably because they thought that a typhoon might be coming but that never scares us.

The girls gone wild

Asian Elephants( they seemed smaller)

Black bear it is kind of a little scary because at the zoo it seemed like it would be very easy for the animals to escape.

Giraffes

Pandas!

And what zoo is complete with out poo art. The Asians are obsessed.

JiJi

2009-10-06T00:54:00.031+08:00

Well I have definitely been behind on the blogging so I'm giving you a picture update. We went to the township of Jiji. You have to be very careful in pronouncing this town in the right tone. Because if you don't it would translate to penis town. This is the main reason that I have not been able to pick up the language as well as I would have liked mainly out of fear of offending or embarrassing myself. So I just kept referring to it as J town. It was a beautiful little town we did some bike riding on electrical bikes of course. We didn't want to over do it. Oh and some racing on go karts making a fun filled day.

Waiting for the train to pass

Riding bikes Asian style

There was an earthquake about 10 years ago and here is the damage that was done

Go kart madness So fun talk about a bunch of aggressive American drivers with some slow Taiwanese drivers(they are very cautious and I think a little scared)

Sun Moon Lake

2009-09-27T23:29:00.017+08:00

We went to Sun Moon Lake and it was beautiful. We rented scooters and checked out a temple and it was a fun filled day.

Temple overlooking Sun Moon Lake

Doing some drumming

Some of my new Taiwanese friends

This picture shows how much fun we had around the lake

Taking pictures with the Aborigine

Boat Ride

Scootering around the lake

Getting our fortune told we were all praying for husbands. He told me to find a generous man but don't look hard.

Hangin with a Terracotta Solider

Pagoda

Cindy Lou

2009-09-13T16:17:00.012+08:00

A couple of weeks ago. Tabbi and I went on a home visit with Cindy Yang. I call her Cindy Lou and she does not like it but that is the only way I can get her attention. She also calls me Hanna Lou. She is in my basic reading class and she has a bad case of ADHD. I love it mainly because I have just about the same attention span as her and it is never a dull moment. We went to the art museum in Taichung it was really interesting. There is nothing more freakier than a collage of pictures of conjoined twins. I just wish I could of taken a picture of this. We went to the childrens area where we just chased Cindy all over the place. We then went to lunch and then ate some tiramisu and some gelato. I love going on home visits but it seems like I am painfully full. Cindy is the funniest little girl. She tells me all the time that she is not Taiwanese she is American. Which she totally seems more American. She is loud and all over the place and a lot of fun. I sure do like that Cindy Lou!

Got Crabs?

2009-09-13T16:15:00.011+08:00

The Gaomei Wetlands sure does.A couple of weeks ago Torry, Tabbi, Tanier and I decided to check out the wetlands and live adventurously and walk in the murky 2 inch water. When I say adventurously I mean that I did not get recommended shots when I came to Taiwan. The water seems like breeding ground for disease or something. But I guess I like to live on edge. They had so many little crabs all over the place. I wouldn't be surprised if I stepped on one of them. They are fast little things and as soon as you moved they would scurry to their hole. The creepy thing was standing in the mud and you can hear them moving around. The hard part was holding still and it was crazy to watch all of them come out of their holes and move about.

Dogs of Taiwan

2009-09-13T15:35:00.008+08:00

So here in Taiwan there are two classes of dogs. High class where dogs are carried as if their legs are going to break. Then there is the low class where the dogs look like they are from a third world country and that they have had one too many litters(they could use a spaying and neutering program over here). One day I was headed out to get some food and there was a woman with what looked like a small stroller. I thought to myself maybe she is crazy and has a baby doll in there. There is no possible way a chubby Asian baby could fit in there. I of course had to check it out. To my surprise it was a dog stroller with a fluffy white dog. I asked some locals is this normal behavior? I mean I know that the majority of dogs that I see have short legs. There is nothing funnier than watching a wiener dog running down the street. I was told that a lot of people are not having children so instead they just get a dog. I also told him that I think the Taiwanese might have felt bad about eating dogs earlier so they are just making up for it now. They care a lot about the safety and well being of their dogs I mean who cares about if their child has a helmet on but as for the family dog. Safety first! In 2004 Taiwan banned the selling/eating of dog meat. But don't you worry one of my students parents said they still have it you just have to request it. I think this parent was a little confused because earlier he asked me if I liked dogs? I said oh yes I love dogs. I guess next time if I am asked if I like dogs. I will ask as a pet or to eat?

So Many Toilets

2009-08-22T23:47:00.012+08:00

Oh how the Asians love poop. So I hung out with Colin and Janae and we decided to go shopping at Chongyo department store in Taichung. So we are checking out everything and they said oh you have to see these bathrooms. Every bathroom has a theme. I checked out the fish one, Basketball, Coca-Cola and the Jungle. Which there were a lot more bathrooms that I could have seen but we just didn't have the time. Viewing all of these bathrooms I asked them about a restaurant called the Modern Toilet. We decided that since we were viewing all of these bathrooms we might as well go eat at the modern Toilet. The Asians are very funny about poop. They love it and giggle over it. They even make candy resembling it. I of course was very curious about this place so I had to see what all the fuss was about. You sit on toilets while you eat food that is served to you in a mini toilet. They also sell specialty drinks that are served in what looks like a toilet cleaner container. So of course we a took a lot of pictures but every Asian would sit on the toilets and make a grimacing face as they took the picture. The restaurant was funny and the food was very tasty. I will definitely be going back. Oh and to top it off I saw one of the things I love most at least top of the list next to fat Asian babies. An Asian midget if I only would have had the courage to get a picture.

Under the sea theme

Jungle this was a family bathroom notice how small the toilet is and it is actually a frog

Coca-cola bathroom

Basket ball bathroom

Pulling up a seat at Modern Toilet

The main dish

Dessert was ice cream in a squatter dish

Urinal drinks

There is nothing quite like sipping ice cold cranberry green tea out of a urinal

Typhoon

2009-08-09T19:26:00.009+08:00

Well in Taiwan I experienced my first typhoon. So the typhoon hit quite some time ago I'm a little late on the uptake. Morakot did quite the damage to Taiwan. It killed around 500 people. Most of those people were buried by a landslide. It was very sad. My direct experience with the typhoon was this. All I knew was that school was canceled for one day. Which meant that me and my roommates headed for the grocery store for some food. Mainly because we didn't know what to expect. This was the busiest I have ever seen this store. One man came out of the store with huge cases of beer smiling and saying typhoon! typhoon! typhoon! The Taiwanese take this very seriously. Meaning they are prepared and it seemed that everyone was loving it. Probably because it meant a day off from work and school where they could just watch TV(the Taiwanese love TV) their house might look like a dump but they usually are sporting a plasma TV. When I saw the man with all the alcohol I kept thinking well what kind of supplies are we really going to need. So of course I immediately thought chocolate is going to be a necessity. When I was done shopping and waiting in the longest line ever. Looking at all that I purchased it looked as if I just have major munchies. I had chips fruit tea and chocolate. I was definitely going to survive this typhoon. Before the typhoon hit the winds were so crazy and I did go outside for a second because I thought I was going to go crazy. The security guard shook there head at me when I headed out. Our windows were really shaky and you would occasionally hear the shattering of windows. After the wind stopped it was so weird because there was a mist that went on for a while then we had some major rainfall. I think one of the days it was around 20 inches. Parts of our neighborhood flooded. We were inside for a total of three days which I thought I was going to go crazy I have never watched that many movies before. My main concern was that I was going to experience bed sores I felt so confined to my bed. Which I am happy to report that there were no bed sores and I was so excited to actually go to work.

Sweating It Out

2009-08-03T21:47:00.011+08:00

Well Yesterday we went to Taichung. I did a little of the church thing then I did some shopping and a girl came up to me and said "Excuse me would you take a picture with me?" Of coarse I said yes because I just cannot say no. So we were in front of this big department store with a stage and backdrop. We got up to the stage and she turned to me and said "ok superman poise" I thought what the hell? I immediately go into wonder woman poise. I really didn't know how superman poises so she said oh like this. To me it I could only compare it to the Heisman's trophy poise with an Asian twist(which of coarse included a peace sign). After the picture was taken I found it only fair that she be in a picture with me. However I just told her to smile pretty simple request.I then met up with the girls and we also met up with Charles. We headed to the science museum where we watched a 4D movie and it was awesome. I fell asleep towards the end due to the heat and exhaustion. We went to lunch and then the Taichung Metropolitan Park. This is where we walked around and played a little try to pull up a beer bottle with a stick and string. Quite challenging. I for one do not have the coordination or the patience that this requires. Walking around the park made me realize how much I dislike the hot humid weather here. I mean I am used to hot weather and sweating but the whole sweating and holding on to it all day is not something I would call fun. On a more positive note. I saw two things that I just love. Lots of Asian babies and pocket bikes.

This is the look of frustration

Sarah and I testing out the hats

Kaohsiung World Games

2009-07-20T20:14:00.018+08:00

Well we tried to make it to sumo wrestling and it was sold out. We still decided to go to Kaohsiung and see what it is all about. So we all decided to head out we brought Julia with us who goes to school in Kaohsiung to show us around. When we got there she called her friend Charles who showed us all around the town. It was quite relaxing having Charles showing us the town and not having to worry about if we were going to get lost. I also kept saying "Charles in Charge" he would laugh and say yes I am I like. We went all over the place and sometimes I kept thinking that on Asian standards that Charles might have a longer stride compared to the norm because I felt like he was always way ahead of the rest of the group. I love the randomness of Taiwan. Meaning the different people you meet and the things that they say to you. I also like that most of the people that you meet will end the conversion by saying Welcome To Taiwan. I guess it is good to feel welcomed in Taiwan.

Sumo Shot

In front of the World Stadium with a little kiwi action going on.

Above and below is in the Kaohsiung Metro Station

A little ferry ride to one of the smaller islands or something like that

Putting out the vibe in our sexy rain ponchos

Above is the Kaohsuing below is a Japanese fort

Group shot

Group shots again

Sunny Charles and I doing a little Bye Bye

The love river at night and some fireworks it was quite romantic. Sorry for the picture overload.

My Little Asians

2009-07-10T17:00:00.021+08:00

Cindy and Rolland(aka Rolley Poley or Ruler)

Amily she is adorable but sometimes shy

Here is Frank in his signature pose the splits

Emerson the backwards hugger

Minnie and Duncan always up in my business

Yoyo (aka Yoyo Ma) about to hit Andy in the face

Andy telling teacher that I am crazy

Rolley Polely, Cindy and Amily

Me and Miss Ella

Afternoon Basic Reading

Evening Basic Reading Class
The boys are crazy and out of control. I love it.

Some Of My Favorite Little Asians

2009-07-09T00:00:00.008+08:00

So teaching the SPE students I have some of my favorites. I taught this groups the majority of the time. This was their last day at the school. Here are some of my favorite students. One is Eric (he is in the front left) he is so excited about learning English and he has a cute British accent because he went to a cram school where British teachers taught him. He gets so excited that it is hard to understand him because he is laughing so hard. One day as my class was getting ready to line up to go. I said to my students if you are wearing white you may line up. He proceeds to line up and one of the girls says Eric you no white you no white. He keeps laughing and says Yes Yes and then drops his pants. There Eric is in his little Asian whitey tighties while laughing saying teacher i have a white. I then say yes you do now pull up your pants.
Then there is William. The photo above is of William and his big gulp sized coke slurpee. He has severe ADHD and is a lot of fun. I always think to myself If I were ever to have a child this is what it would turn out to be. A very hyperactive child who is very entertaining. He has a hard time staying in his chair and I have to repeatedly remind him to sit down. Did I mention that I also have a hard time sitting down as well. William is pretty fast on his feet. It is not uncommon for him to jump out of his chair hop on my back and start giving me a massage. I usually have to get after him and say William get back in your chair. I do have to admit he has definitely improved on his back massage. I also like to tease William. I will say to him William did you say Chinese? He says teacher I dont know Chinese. I always think to myself man that must suck for him. He is the most entertaining student I might just be bored with out him.
Next is Jerry. Featured above and below. He is the most awkward little Asian I have seen. He has glasses and has a longer neck compared to his classmates. He is adorable and hilarious. He wants everyone to follow the rules especially William. It is not uncommon for Jerry to hit William in the stomach for jumping up and down and not folding his arms. William will yell teacher Jerry hit me. Most of the time William is pretty resilient and he just keeps on going. I always say Jerry don't hit anyone. He always replies with the ok Teacher Hanna with a big grin. I laugh at this every time. Mainly because things would really go out of control if it were not for Jerry. One day we were in the gym playing soccer and Jerry got hit in the face by one of the other students. His glasses got lodged down and he went to push them back up and the eye pads got stuck in both of his nostrils so when he turned to me to tell him what had happened. I tried the hardest not to laugh.

Ershuei

2009-07-05T12:12:00.012+08:00

So I was called on Friday night by Manti(who I call Moroni) and invited to go biking. He said to invite some friends so I invited my new roomies Tabbi and Tanier. So the next morning we were ready by 6:45. One thing that Asians love to do is to wake up at the butt crack of dawn on a perfectly good Saturday to sleep in. So Manti picked us up and we caught the train. We met up with some more people. We rented some bikes Tabbi and I decided to go with the Tandem bike. It had a awesome basket on the front that said "So Funny". Oh and it was so funnyRiding on a bike trail in the blazing heat was brutal. While peddling one of the Asians in our group rode up to me and said very loudly "you so white" then quickly rode off. It took me off guard I laughed. This bike ride was not too long but the Taiwanese have to stop every few feet to take a picture. I wanted to say to them hey we have to pick up the pace or this whitey is going to be red. We finally made it to the monkey museum and the monkey's I guess migrated to the other side. Whatever. So we opted for the monkey movie which didn't seem family friendly I mean it was in Chinese but all I saw was mating monkeys. Oh and the man in front of me was wearing a bright flowery floral print. I was so disappointed because I was not able to capture this because I did not want to cause a scene with having the flash go off. I also held a huge beetle who really knows why. Anyways after the movie we headed back to the train station and I was so sunburned tired and dehydrated. We then went and ate some noodles and some soup. I had the oyster soup and there was some other things in it but I just was so hungry I didn't even ask. I bit into something very chewy and sweet. They then told me it was pig intestine. I thought to myself that explains why my gag reflex what trippin a little. It was a long day in the sun. Now instead of being white I turned to a lovely shade of red. We then took the train back home. Manti asked me do you know Clinton? I said "Oh yeah Bill" like we are on a first name basis. Oh because Steve thinks that you look like him. I thought well I have never been compared to looking like a man or Bill Clinton. So I told myself this is coming from an Asian. I mean the whites all look the same. You can never be offended by Asian comments.

7 Layers of Hell

2009-06-28T18:02:00.007+08:00

The seven layers of hell. This was quite the experience. I would compare this to it is a small world. Me, Sarah and Megan went to experience the seven layers of hell. Apparently if you are a bad person you will be tortured and killed by others. Here we are entering the first layer of hell. As you can see I am embracing it while Sarah is a little skittish. I was excited because Megan was telling us what she has heard about this place. She served a mission here so she said that it was something that was suppose to be entertaining. As we entered the Temple that was turned into a ride things had sensors so all the sudden a Asian would turn to you and scary sounds would play. At first it was quite comical. But the farther we got the more disturbing and scary it was. I was not liking it. Towards the end if a real Asian would of jumped out I would have smacked them in the face. After the Its a Small World After all Asian Style. We headed back towards my scooter and we noticed a man placing his dog on his motorcycle. I was so amazed that he had a shirt on and that this Asian man was helping him straddle the cycle. I found this really odd and stopped an stared. One thing I have learned from a friend is that there are times that it is perfectly okay to stare. Like when you wont see something like this again. The man gets on and proceeds to put on sun glasses on. I was laughing so hard. I kept thinking only in Asia. I mean those UV rays are pretty intense here. Or his futures so bright that he has to wear shades. Oh and I don't want to go to Asian Hell mainly because you end up bare chested hanging out with pigs and sometimes ending up blue. I wonder how that works.

Pull It Together!

2009-06-16T16:58:00.006+08:00

So today I was teaching SPE's to Minnie and Ella. We were in kitchen making some delicious eye ball soup (which consists of sprite and peeled grapes). Minnie says to me teacher can I see you cry? I said no you may not see me cry because if I start crying I don't know if I can stop. Minnie and Ella just kept saying okay okay come on do it. Apparently they get kicks out of seeing adults cry. They also requested that I bring back the crazy hair. I said girls I am not going to cry today. (Ella is on the left Minnie is on the right) Minnie said then will you show us sad face? Of coarse I caved in and did sad face with a little lip quiver. These girls are probably the most entertaining part of my day. Sometimes they are very serious and since it is just the two girls in one class. The girls are about 6 going on 30. The key to teaching at this school is to out entertain your students. We occasionally have some fighting going on between the girls. I always say to the girls now lets pull it together ladies. They immediately stop fighting fold their arms and line up. Now lets sing over the river!

Glass Factory

2009-06-09T18:16:00.009+08:00

On Sunday Sarah, Leslie and I went on a home visit. We started out the home visit with playing the Wii. There is nothing like being surrounded by little Asian children and adults cheering you on while trying to do your best dance moves. There is nothing more funny and humiliating at the same time. So we eventually headed for the glass factory. The mom was so hilarious she is quite a bargain shopper. You can also tell that she desperately needs to hang out with some females. She has two very rambunctious boys and a husband that was falling asleep every two seconds. Usually during home visits I try to spend time with the students but I could tell she just needed to talk my ear off. So we are at the glass museum which is a factory. It was pretty cool to see exactly what you could do with glass. At the end of the tour you get to walk on broken glass. Which most of the Asians didn't even flinch. Me on the other hand has very sensitive feet. At the end of the trail of glass we were rewarded with nothing other than a green bean ice pop. Yeah you heard me right. I have never really liked green beans I always tried to get out of eating them at dinner. I come to Taiwan and they are serving them as popsicles as a dessert. Now that is sick. Of coarse like a good little sport. I said thank you and tried my best to finish the green little pop. I thought to myself maybe that is why Asians are so skinny they think that green beans are dessert. I guess they haven't heard of my friends Ben and Jerry. Anyways we then had pork steamed buns then some stinky tofu to end the evening. Oh and did I mention throughout the home visit I was getting squished by two Asian boys. They definitely are heavier than they look.

The Children Have Gone Wild! Well I Guess More Like The Teacher

2009-06-07T10:14:00.007+08:00

Well at the school that I am working at every year they have what is called spectacular. This is where the children sing and do plays for their parents while speaking English the whole entire time. I have been working with my class trying to teach them some acting skills. I mean people have told me that I am a good actress and that I give some great facial expressions.
The other day I got a comment from one of my students saying teacher you make interesting faces. We have been working hard in class and on our play so I decided to take my students to McDonald's. Just so everyone is aware. I strongly dislike going to McDonald's but if it motivates my students to do well I am willing to go. So we went and I think this is probably the happiest I have seen my students. My students are just as crazy as I am. One of my students just kept taking pictures of me and I finally had to say to stop and to eat their food. I just don't understand why children love McDonald's so much. Maybe I would enjoy Taiwanese McDonald's more if they had the all white meat chicken nuggets.So every Friday we go to the park to practice our stuff. This park is usually packed with people. While we walk to the park which is about three blocks away from the school. The kids just complain about how far it is. When we are walking to the park I usually get a lot of Hello's from people. One boy told me teacher do you know him. I said no. Well teacher you should not talk to strangers. Practicing performing in a park is just a great idea to get the children used to performing in front of a crowd.
Also I am getting them used to being embarrassed. I was talking to my students and a little Taiwanese child came running towards us and he made eye contact with me and made an abrupt stop. The funny thing was is that my students said teacher do not move you could scare the child. I said should I say BOO? Teacher do not scare. Practicing at the park in front of large crowds is always a good idea. Mainly it is because I am preparing these children for real life embarrassment. Like remember we had to practice that dumb play in English in front of everyone.
While I was teaching my students how to be dramatic. They said teacher people are staring at us. Why are they staring at us? I said it well it is because I am white. I don't know if you noticed. I kind of stick out (as you can see in the photos of me and my students). I then proceeded to ask should I sing and dance for everyone? I quickly turn around and start doing a little clogging like back in my American clogger days. Some of my students said teacher no! It was quite funny I love embarrassing my students mainly due to the fact of who do I have to impress.

Holiday

2009-06-01T13:50:00.017+08:00

This week was the Dragon boat festival. Which means holiday. So pretty much I spent a lot of money on unnecessary things. I went to Tainan and did some sight seeing and we tried to make it back to Lukang for the Dragon Boat Festival. I should probably not be allowed to leave my apartment because when we were headed back to Lukang I asked for a ticket to Changhua. Which I miss pronounced and we ended up going farther south when we wanted to go north. I strongly dislike trying to speak Chinese. Mainly because it is very difficult and my mouth doesn't move that way. While trying to get to Lukang we were waiting in line to catch the bus and this little girl came up to us. This is the second time I have seen this little girl. She comes up to me and just is talking a mile a minute in Chinese of coarse like I am fluent in it. The funny thing is I acted like I knew how to speak Chinese and I was actually attempting the language with her. So I am wearing a silk dress so of coarse this little girl is all over me. The funny thing is before moving to Taiwan this might have alarmed me but now it doesn't even phase me. The girl just keeps talking to me. I totally act like I know exactly what she is talking about. She then gets into the squat position and look at me legs then looks under my dress. By the way there are about 30 Asians watching and I hear a bunch of girls giggling. I also did the shoulder shrug like well I am sure it is not like she hasn't seen it before. I also said Whoa girl there are not snacks under there. She keeps talking and then says bye bye. I got a lot of laughs from the people in line. We then finally made it to Lukang. We missed the boat races but everyone said that I did not miss much. Then on Saturday me Sarah and Leslie headed back down to Tainan to do some more sight seeing and do go dancing. Tainan is a way cute city. It has the oldest temple in Taiwan and it is a college town so there are a lot of college students and foreigners. Oh and awesome food. Who doesn't like shrimp wrapped bacon!

Hot Pot

2009-05-24T13:58:00.008+08:00

I have gotten behind on blogging so I am doing some major updating. Me and some friends decided to do some hot pot. This would be my second time doing hot pot. The first time did not go so well. Mainly because I was lost. They bring out a plate of things for you to add into this pot and I didn't know what to add first. Do you add the vegetables or do you just go in straight for the meat? I was very worn out by the end of this and I leaned over to the secretary that rarely speaks English and say. This is a lot of work! At least I am getting a lemon grass facial. The steam is rising up in my face and it happens to be a lemon grass hot pot that I ordered which was very refreshing especially for my face. This time I was with Derek, Molly, Rebeckah, Adam, Sarah and Leslie. These are the people that I do not get nervous around so I felt like I could let my hair down. I just added all the stuff in. After the whole meal was complete I ate as much as I could. They bring out this coconut ice with tapioca balls and crispy cereal on top. It is quite delicious. After we had hot pot we decided to head over to the night market. Going to the night market is always entertaining. Mainly because we get a lot of stares and pointing. If you want really cheap food you go to the night market. They have a variety of food. Some I don't prefer to try. Like barbecued squid on a stick. I mean who doesn't like a good bbq squid? They also have good fruit drinks and cheap clothes. My roommate made the comment to me that I always get free stuff and deals on everything. I thought about it and then said well maybe they think oh this girl needs some free stuff and then they look at you and say oh this girl is loaded. She said I don't think so. I said maybe it is because of the way I say ni hao meaning like I am the ditsiest girl and then I smile. This has definitely worked to my advantage. The other day I bought some shoes. They were priced at 400 Taiwanese dollars. I made eye contact and smiled and said how about 300? She looked at me and said you nice American girl I give it to you for 300. Which is about nine American dollars. I am all about getting a good deal apparently I know how to work the system.

Rice Fields

2009-05-09T21:35:00.007+08:00

On Saturday I woke up super early to take a bus to Ding Phan Po. It is a smaller town in the country near lukang. Where I was meeting my friend Derek to go bike riding and to breakfast. Taking a bus for me was quite the challenge. I have a hard time pronouncing words. I kept getting the run around and the Taiwanese are very eager to help. There was a little old lady that just kept following me until I got on the right bus. Good thing I recently purchased a cell phone. Now I really am not worried about getting lost. It is quite convenient. I feel like I have recently rejoined the real

world. I made it to Ding Phan Po and my friend Derek picked me up at the bus stop. We rode bikes through the rice fields to Lugang and had breakfast. I was suppose to have made it by 7:30 but it ended up being more like 8:30. It quite the experience riding on what I like to refer to as an Asian grandma bike. It was very challenging ridding in a straight line. It was great to go on a bike ride in the country. I was also able to get some rays and have some less polluted air. After that I met Derek's family and they are loud and quite funny. I of coarse got them practicing their English and they taught me some Chinese. Of coarse we started out with some swear words. The mother insisted on then teaching me some useful phrases. They also asked me about my opinion on how much do you think they weight? Who do I think looks older? I felt a little on the awkward side because I do not know what is polite to say. But I just started guessing. Derek's cousin was also there and he was trying on a suit because he is going into the army. So I guess you have to get all dressed up. I told him he looked handsome in Chinese. Derek was egging me on to be flirty. I replied that is all I know in Chinese. They then pointed to me and had me put on his tie. It was quite funny because he was a tall Asian and I said do you have a booster around here? After that a

man came in(who was not related and was delivering some things) and did a double take. I guess he wasn't expecting a white girl to be in the household. He said something like "Welcome" Everyone started to laugh and Derek informed me that he was trying to say "Welcome" and he totally said the word Viagra in Chinese. They thought I was very funny and want me to come back every weekend. Later that night Me and Derek and some friends went dancing at the burly que(not really but I cannot remember the name of the place) in Taichung. It was a lot of fun and I had a new Asian outfit to wear. Which of coarse included some leggings. Which I have not worn since the early 90's and I am becoming quite the fan.

Chicken and a Bike

2009-05-04T00:00:00.010+08:00

Well I had quite the busy weekend. On Saturday I went hiking in Da Keng and Sunday I went to Zhang hua where I went on something I might call a nature walk. At the beginning there was a stage set up for entertainment with vendors. We walked the trails and went to different places to get stamps on our map to enter the drawing. The prizes varied. From bikes to clocks to calculators to soap etc... But I spent most of the day under a tent. People watching. The thing I love to do most. Not in a creepy way. I love watching children running and as soon as I catch their eyes they come to a halt and stare. Never breaking eye contact. In Taiwan people here are very friendly and very accommodating. I was walking down the trail and two women said Hello. Where you come from? I replied America. Their faces immediately changed. They then started talking to my friend Molly. I knew exactly what was going on. They were thinking she definitely has swine flu. I just kept smiling and said don't worry I have been here for a while. They smiled and went on their way. While I was sitting under the tent I just kept thinking I have got to try harder with Chinese. I am getting pretty good at zoning out. The funny thing is I only spoke to Molly and the occasional small child consisting of hello, nice to meet you. The thing is about Taiwanese is they love to feed you. I just sat there didn't move a whole lot. Some people would just kept give me food and they would say "eat" "good". I ate rice dumplings, about five hard boiled eggs, some other type of dumplings and I'm sure there was more food in there somewhere. While I am totally spacing out Molly yells to me get up we need to answer the question. I am about to fall a sleep and she said raise your hand. I was then chosen to go up on stage and answer the question. Of coarse my Asian posy knew I would be chosen. He then spoke English and said well she answer in Chinese? My natural instinct would have been to say ting boo dong (meaning I can hear you but I don't understand). So it was a good thing that Molly told me what to say in English. I grabbed the mic and said "the tree is shaped like the letter n". All the Asians were just eating this up. I was kind of shaky because It was a pretty big crowd. I was then handed a Styrofoam box. The small little Asian man handed it to me with both hands. So I did the same nodding while saying shae shae and he said "Photo". The professional photographer came up and took as Asians refer to as "I take your photo". As soon as I got back to my seat I thought to myself what am I going to do with a whole just slaughtered chicken? So I gave it to Molly's family and she said my mom will cook and you can eat. I said oh no thank you. I will pass. Molly also made the comment that next years advertisement will have me right in the middle. The thing that I regret the most is that I didn't even get a picture of this happening. I mean I could of at least taken the dead chicken out of the box and held it up for a picture. Apparently I wasn't thinking of the perfect blogging picture. Oh and did I also mention that I won a bike! My friend Colin said "Oh you got bike and chicken you so lucky" I said yes or it is god saying you need to eat some chicken and exercise more.

It's Raining Men

2009-04-23T20:25:00.008+08:00

Well I never thought I would be teaching English in Taiwan. I also never thought I would be on a poster advertising for teaching English. Here is a picture of our of the teachers and of coarse the first time I flash an Asian peace sign it is captured and then distributed. I was thinking to myself I find it funny that I am an English teacher. I mean I am still working on my English I was raised in southern Utah so I have had a few challenges. I find that grammar can be very frustrating to explain to these little Asians. They always ask teacher "why that way" I of coarse say well it is "why is it that way?" like I really know what I am talking about. I just tell them that is just how it is and who knows why. On Monday one of my students swore in class and I said Wilson! do you kiss your mother with that mouth? He said Teacher I do not kiss my mother that is gross. Well Wilson that is good because you have a dirty mouth. I really wanted to say by the way its shit not shita get it right. I mean if they go to America and they are speaking I just don't want them to be getting made fun of. I figure that I am just doing my job. I also teach my students more slang than I should. Another story about teaching small children is to always be aware that they are always listening. It was raining very hard most of the day on Monday. I was in the teachers area and started singing its raining men hallelujah its raining men. Then my student Ella was coloring in the lobby area and all the sudden I hear her saying "its raining men" the secretary immediately came back and gave me a look. I started laughing and I said sorry penny I then went and told Ella oh we don't say that. So I guess I should not be singing any songs that we don't want any little Asians repeating to their parents.

Lost in Translation

2009-04-11T15:47:00.009+08:00

We just switched teachers and I started teaching the kids in gym and I have had the children dancing for gym class and this group loves it. This class knows some basic English but some of the students just act out what they are trying to say usually saying "he and a she a" ...... So I started teaching them in Shop and one of the students said teacher, "Teacher Adam says you (and then the girl starts to belly dance and then she says you do and then she mimics lifting up her shirt and then she puts her hand out and rubs her fingers together). (Above are some random pictures of some of my students) I am laughing so hard because not only was she doing this while explaining the whole class is doing this. I am thinking do these children think I strip for money. Because if someone who can read body language came in and did some observing and asked so what does Teacher Hanna they would definitely get a different picture. I said have you seen me do this? All of the kids say yeah! "You do" "You do" by the end of class we are just laughing so hard and I am telling them no I don't dance like that I only know the maceraina and the cha cha the dances I have taught you. I just thought if someone was just to walk in the class watch what these kids were explaining they really would think that I dance for money. I said think I need to talk to teacher Adam. I then asked him so guess what group two is telling me. He immediately said oh I said to the students it will be really funny to say shake your money maker. I then told him the story and I said I wonder what our students tell their parents? The by far has been the most entertaining day of teaching so far. One thing I have learned is always get both sides of the stories especially if English is your second language.

Taiwan Folk Village

2009-03-29T18:11:00.012+08:00

Today I went on a home visit with Sarah, Ivy and her family. All I knew was that we were going to have to get up early and we were going to some type of an amusement park. So I'm just going to go over some of the highlights of the day. At one point in the day it started to rain and the Taiwanese do not like the rain they immediately run for cover. We stood under a canopy thing and waited. Sarah and I noticed that everyone was staring at us as usual. We then told Ivy about how we get stared at and usually there is a lot of pointing. She then would stop and say they are staring at us and then she would point at them. She said why are they looking at us. I wanted to tell her well Ivy I guess you didn't know that you have freaks for teachers(Im just kidding) Sarah of coarse said well we are american and we look different. The funny thing is I get a lot of questions from my students. One student asked me teacher why does your toe go the other way. I immediately said well when I was a little girl I was in school and I was not listening to the teacher and the teacher threw the book at my foot and ever since then it decided to grow the other way(this never happened I was just doing a little scare tactic). The girl was eating up the story and said teacher oh so bad. I then said I know now I know that it is always a good idea to listen to your teacher. She said yes it is. The show consisted of Asian acrobats with mullets that were jump roping and in between would do subtle movements that I am just going to consider dancing. It took everything in me to not laugh out loud. The show had a lot of variety one guy came out and juggled things he also juggled with ping pong balls he would spit them up into the air and pop another in his mouth while continuing to juggle. I was so amazed. There were also two Asian twins I really am not sure if they are twins but I couldn't distinguish which was which. It was a little on the disturbing side how flexible they were. There were also the Asian males that were showing how flexible and how strong they were. One was balancing the other on top of his head. I of coarse asked Ivy so which one is teacher Sarah's boyfriend she said the one on the bottom. She then said the one on the top was my boyfriend. Did I mention that the one on the top has a mullet the picture really doesn't give it justice. I mean who doesn't like a good mullet it is pretty universal. Business in front and a party in the back. Of coarse they do not allow flash photography but I have noticed that most Asians do not follow the rules. By the end of the show I didn't want to break Ivy's little heart and say I don't think they are interested in women but I just went along with it. I said so should we go say hello to our new boyfriends? She said no I then said that's probably a good idea. After a long day of being disturbed I thought maybe I should take up a juggling at least I could entertain some of my students.

Amway

2009-03-27T23:00:00.005+08:00

So on Tuesdays it is my early day. I get off of work around 2. So this is the day that I do all my errands. I helped my friend molly move some desks to storage and then we headed to costco for some shopping. We were pretty hungry so we headed straight for the samples. In costco they have the longest lines for some free food. The thing about molly is she has quite the appetite. She said to me Hanna I will get samples from this line and you go there. So I of coarse did what I was told. I had a list of things that I needed to purchase and Molly checked out my list which contained mascera, mousse, face wash, skin care products. She said I know where you can find this and good stuff too. All the sudden I am in the Amway store trying all of these products from Brenda. In Asia Amway is a pretty big deal. The other day I was getting some food on food street and a bubbly little Asian named Shawn did some magic tricks making the products appear in mid air. I would have bought some products off of him but I didn't have much money on me. I thought it was a brilliant way to showcase Amway's latest products. Brenda of coarse gave me a tour of the place. This included learning the history of Amway and how great their products are. I looked at charts and pictures of all the whiteys back in America. I also thought she was going to ask me if I might be related to some of the founders. The funny thing is all the sudden Brenda says "you try" she puts these claps on my wrists and I keep thinking is she going to shock me. Molly then asks how much do you weigh. I tell her and she says hold still. A paper prints out and Molly looks at it and says you just a little overweight. The funny thing is is that I have lost around 15 pounds since living in Taiwan. After I got the results of knowing that I am a little overweight of coarse I say is this on Asia's standards? They say no. I said well how can Amway help me out with this one. I then gave Brenda a list of items that I need to buy. She shows me the products and tests them on me and then would say I'll take it! I would occasionally ask how much the product would cost. Brenda I could tell loved my attitude about the products she probably thought that this was the easiest sell of the day. She then commented to Molly about my skin and decides that it is okay to thoroughly examine me. That is the thing with Asians they don't have a bubble but I didn't put up a fight because we were on Asian Amway turf. The thing about my skin is is that it has been freaking out and I'm willing to give anything a try. I have developed red bumps on my skin and the bugs are eating me alive. I am constantly itchy. My student Ella(6) said teacher I know why bugs like us it is because we are so sweet. Ella and Minnie also asked the other day teacher does your mom and dad have red bumps on their skin like you? I replied no they don't. The Amway crew decided that the best product they could offer me was their brand of olive oil. They recommended bathing in it and drinking 1 tablespoon a day. The thought of me applying olive oil on my skin instantly made me feel oily. I told them that I already have a bottle at home and that I would try it. However I have not but I did pick up some cetaphil from costco I hope that works. I also think that I might be allergic to pineapple which would be very tragic because that is mostly what my diet has consisted of lately the pineapple here is so good I think that I might have to sacrifice dry itchy skin once in awhile for the sweet goodness.

Party Like Its Your Birthday

2009-03-24T23:57:00.012+08:00

Well you only turn 25 once and what do you do for an occasion like this? A little KTV action also known as karaoke(as you can see by the picture below). My friends just kept saying don't plan on anything because we are doing something. I was a little curious what they had up their sleeve. So I of coarse started to guess what we were going to be doing. I kept guessing like are you going to surprise me with a cake and have a little Asian pop out of it. I also asked will there be Asian strippers? I mean I felt like these were very valid questions. I was then told to just be ready. Karaoke is really not on my top ten things to do list. I feel that Asians seems so shy and reserved. I am so astounded that these tiny little Asians can sing their heart out with little to no alcohol. It amazes me. With KTV you get your own private room and they have a buffet. I was very nervous because lets face it I am not a good singer. I fear for the day that my mother passes away and me and Halie have to sing on the wings of a snow white dove. I only know how to do the sarcastic singing. So I just told myself to pretend that I am drunk and this might help. I got used to just singing and it was a lot of fun. I received a Happy Birthday package from my family which I loved and appreciated a lot. My roommates bought me a lot of fruit tea and chocolate covered almonds and I had two birthday cakes. What else could a girl need.

Lukang

2009-03-16T22:19:00.008+08:00

On Sunday Sarah and I went on a home visit with Minnie and Ella. My favorite students they are 5 going on 20. They are the funniest little girls. Every morning we sing whats the weather song. We then decide is it rainy is it sunny is it stormy. The girls decided that every morning they would rate my hair based on the craziness. Some days are better than others. Ella will always say how do you get your hair so crazy? I then explain to her in detail how I ride my bike in traffic and this is how my hair gets so curly/crazy. She is always amazed. She also said that her brother would not like me because I am too crazy. I simply replied to her man your brother is a fun hater. She said yeah I know. The thing about teaching small children English you have to play dumb like you don't know how to do anything. Like for example the picture to the right is me pretending that I have no clue how to pump water. I knew this was going to be the only way Minnie would be in the picture. Minnie who is five, and her mom and cousin picked us up and we headed to Lukang. Minnie's mom does not speak any English and so Minnie was the interpreter. It is a very old town. We went to the Lukang Folk Art Museum which had some pretty cool stuff. Like Chinese clothing, old ancient writings and old opium smoking pipes. I couldn't help but look at this display it also had an old photo of an Asian man passed out on a couch with the words in English saying Addict. I was so surprised how Minnie was doing going through a museum and being so patient. We then met up with Ella at the Lukang Long-Shan Temple which she kept saying teacher Hanna So good so good. The girls were so excited that we just kept spinning around and around. I introduced myself to Ella's family and her mom said we know all about you. I kind of got worried because who knows what she says. She said you are so fun! Ella's mom kept saying that she has been so excited and that she even couldn't sleep last night because she was so happy. I noticed that her brother was there I was on strict instructions from a 6 year old to not scare her brother. So I made sure to not make any sudden movements around the boy. Ella immediately said Teacher Hanna your hair looks so good today. I said thank you Ella. We checked out the 300 year old temple which the girls sad it really old teacher. Ella and Minnie were so excited we just held hands and walked down narrow alley's packed with people and they also requested that we sing jingle bells and she'll be coming round the mountain when she comes. We had a lot of looks and smiles. We went to some Asian toy stores and we also blew bubbles. It was a very eventful day. The next day they kept talking about it and how they wanted to go back to yesterday. With the girls it is never a dull moment. I talk to them like they are grown ups and they love it. They say teacher you so crazy and I like it!

Happy Cows Also Live in Taiwan

2009-03-14T22:53:00.009+08:00

Saturday I went to a dairy farm. We were greeted by the Asian farmer and he even gave us a complimentary bottle of milk to feed the baby cows. We bottle fed the cows watched them eat and do their thing. Then the farmer taught us about the cows and how many he owns, how to take care of them and how to milk them. I kept thinking to myself I hope we don't have to milk the cow. Of coarse the next thing he said was you need to try. I tried milking a cow and I am not going to become a dairy farmer anytime soon and I am glad that we pay people to do such services as this. He also insisted that we taste the milk. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. He then came and talked to us more about the farm and he said I make yogurt myself. We then had mango ice cream on a overcast and cold day. I really felt like we were breaking some Asian rules. Mainly because My six year old students have told me that you cannot eat anything cold in the winter because you will get sick and you will die. This is why we get along so well. They tell it like it is. Did I mention at the farm that we also ate milk bread and other goodies with the milk. Lets just say I had more milk that day than I have had the whole time in Taiwan. We also saw a deformed cow that was off to the side. Apparently the Taiwanese do not believe in freak shows. It looked like this cow ran into the wall. After the farm we went to Ivy's house and played Wii for a long time then watched a movie and ate pizza. I guess the family really liked us because the home visit was suppose to be four hours and ended up being 11 1/2 hours. They invited us to come over and play Wii anytime we want. Did I also mention that I might be lactose?

COSTCOS

2009-03-13T00:32:00.006+08:00

Well I just have to tell about how I went to Taichung to costco. The Taiwanese love "costcos". When listening to the Chinese I immediately know they are talking about costco because it sticks right out except it is in a slightly higher pitch and they add a s to the end of the word. One of my students brought tree house fruit snacks for everyone. I immediately asked were did you get that? He said costcos. I kept wanting to go to costco and had some intense cravings for a churro. My class and I even talked about costco and about the things that you can buy which is pretty much the same stuff as in America. I also taught them about what a churro is. Molly, Sarah and I went and did some shopping. It was like a entering a maze riding an escalator around the building until you enter and costco is definitely the place to be. Everyone is in a hurry and they have samples. The only different about costco in Asia is apparently the Asians like their samples. They have ropes guiding you in lines which can get pretty long. But the longest line was at the food court to get me some churros. While in the line I kept passing a mother and a little girl. The girl refused to even look at me. I could tell this was your typical situation. Pushy Asian mother trying to get her little girl to say hello to the Megorn(American). I would just glance and say hi and wave not to fully traumatize the child. I mean if I was a little Asian child I probably would hate Americans just on the basis of my parents making me speak to every American that you see. I felt that the mother was doing enough. But by the end of the line the girl kept talking to me and would not shut up. There is nothing more enjoyable than a fattening churro. After costco we went to some Asians house where Janae and Colin cooked us dinner which was delicious. We then had our palms read. Which Molly translated. The woman told me that I have two Confucius eyes symbolizing that I am very smart. My friend Molly then asked her when will she marry. The woman said I cannot even see a marriage line yet. She will have a very good life and she will have a happy family. The woman said that I was her first forgein that she has read. She also commented on how white my palms are. After our readings Colin said you want bowling. I said sure why not. While bowling I noticed a few differences between cultures. One is Asians take bowling very seriously they stretch and are very in to it. They also are not loud like Americans. I mean when someone got a strike I was cheering giving high fives I even told Colin he had to do a victory dance if he got a strike and as you can see willingly conformed. All in all its never a dull day in Asia.

Fairy Mountain

2009-03-04T19:38:00.015+08:00

Well things have been busy so I haven't been able to keep on top of blogging. Over the last weekend I went on two hikes or what Asians refer to as "climb mountain". The first hike was very short and manageable. It was steep at first and then we went through pineapple and tea fields. It was quite enjoyable after the hike we then went to dinner and watched the high speed rail train go by.

The next day I was picked up at 7:30 at my apartment by my students and their parents. I had a hard time not laughing as I entered the car. The three boys and father all had matching plaid shirts on. I wanted to lean over the seat and ask the mom if she felt left out and maybe next time we could arrange some matchy matching going on. But I refrained from doing so. I was very nervous about going hiking with this family because the children are very quiet and I don't know what they classify as hiking. Some of the Taiwanese think that I short walk down a path is hiking. However the family that I went with does hard core Asian hiking. By the way it was not just me and the family this also included the grandparents aunts uncles. When we arrived at the trail head I was introduced to all of the family including the bubbly Asian grandmother that just kept hugging me. The mother introduces her "handsome single brother" she then gave me a big smile. The Asians try to be quite the match makers. Too bad he only speaks about three words in English which I taught him. When we get all our stuff out of the car I notice that most of the people that are hiking with us are all geared up for some serious trekking. I kept thinking is this going to be an overnight trip? We start climbing the mountain as the Taiwanese say it. The first part of the hike was fine. I just kept thinking I am sweating so much am I that out of shape. Then I remember it is so humid here. By the time we stop for lunch I look like I just jumped out of the shower with my clothes on. I was so disgusted. I kept thinking that we had been hiking for some time and that we were almost to the top. I then noticed that it said 5 km to the top. I kept thinking am I going to make it. I do have to mention that I was not the only one struggling. I kept right at the front one of my students was with me who is 7(Vincent) and his brothers who are 10 (Trevor) and 11(Edward)were at the last. The seven year old is a very interesting child. I cannot tell if he loves me or hates me. He is what I like to refer as a little stone faced Asian. Mainly because I cannot see his eyes. While hiking I would occasionally pull out my camera and say Vincent you need to smile. He would give the I'm so pissed off right now look and flash an Asian peace sign. I find this quite conflicting. Anyways while I'm sweating to death I keep thinking when is this going to end? I mean this hike was pretty much straight up wooden stairs. Throughout the hike I would stop catch my breath and check to see if my heart was still pumping. I kept thinking I can do this one step at a time. I mean Vincent the seven year old kid can do than I can. Long story short this hike was not my cup of tea. It kept going and going and it was mostly stairs going at about at least a 45 degree angle. I kept thinking I have got to make it to the top. There were a lot of thoughts going on. Like if I do make it to the top there better be a frozen hot chocolate from dairy queen. If this would have been the case I would have probably moved faster. Another thought was if I broke my leg how would I get down? I figured this was a realistic question. One observation that I noticed was when the climbers were coming down they would say jaio jaio jaio. Meaning go go go. The Asians really are very motivational. I mean at my apartment every time I empty the trash the guard cheers me on. As if I have just ran a marathon. He also grunts and points to his arms I think he is saying how can you carry all of that trash. Apparently this man doesn't know that I usually can pull my own weight. Another difference with cultures is even if you are a hard core hiker. You still stop frequently to take a tea break. Another side note is that the mountain that we climbed is full of history. A long time ago when the Japanese ran Taiwan they would cut down all the trees and send them back to japan. There was a elementary school way high in the mountains. When I was checking out the ruins. I kept thinking if I would have been one of the those Japanese kids I probably wouldn't have made it up this mountain to attend school. But one thing I have learned is Asians take schooling a whole lot serious than I have ever. After the short break we continued onward. I thought to myself I think I officially hate hiking before I really enjoyed hiking this better be one hell of a view. We finally make it to the top of the mountain. I had to say that there wasn't much of a view. Vincent, his father, Joe Joe(uncle) and me were the first ones to make it to the top. Later Trevor, Emma, and Edward finally made it. Trevor immediately ran to his dad and started crying. The funny thing is, that I wanted to do the same thing when I made it to the top but I found it inappropriate. I kept thinking that this hike is way to painful. I then wanted to ask if we could just camp on the top. I realized that we wouldn't have enough tea to last us through the night. Which by the way most of the hikers on this trail will stop every two kilometers to boil some water for their tea. So we ate some fish snacks took a breather and headed back down which was just as painful. During the hike I just kept thinking that at the bottom was a hot spring. By the way this hike was about all together 17 km long. We didn't have time to go to the hot springs so we went straight to Gongshin and had shrimp dumplings and noodles. I really held my own on this one. I ate 6 dumplings and a whole bowl of noodles. Grandma kept putting more and more on my plate so I kept eating. I was not going to turn down a perfectly good shrimp dumpling I mean these Asians work hard for this food. I was exhausted and now full to the brim. Living in Taiwan I feel like it is a marathon of eating but the great news is that I have lost 14 pounds. I love Taiwan. The family also asked before they dropped me off so what are your plans for march I said that I would have to look at my schedule. I mean next time I might not want to go on a 17 km hike. Overall with all my complaining which was going on in my head it was beautiful and Ill probably do a lot more hiking.

The Big Ass Market and Then Some

2009-02-23T21:03:00.000+08:00

This weekend was full of events. On Friday we had our super student night to McDonald's. This is were the really good students get their chance to go eat and play. The parents come along and watch as you basically get their child to speak in English while stuffing their face with fries and chicken nuggets. The group that I was in charge of was quite entertaining. On your left is Eric and Engine. Eric the one on the left reminds me of my nephew Shane. Mostly because was very much concerned about eating enough food like he was going to starve. I of coarse didn't have a problem with them not talking it was more of okay you need to eat then we can talk. They also wanted to eat all of my food. They were more concerned that I might not finish mine so the students pretty much ate most of my meal. When my food was brought out to me the kids just kept saying "so good teacher so good" I of coarse shared my meal. I would hate for the little Taiwanese children to be left out of having a fully loaded fatty meal. As you can see the picture on your right this is Yo Yo I also like to refer to him as Yo Yo Ma just because I can. Here he is about to karate chop me for some fries so I willingly obliged. I actually asked him if I could take his picture but he said only if it looked like a cool picture apparently he has an image to uphold at such an early age.

On Saturday Rebeckah, Adam, Molly and I went to a movie and the night market. I also had my first experience riding on a scooter in traffic which is quite the experience. As the picture shows my little Taiwanese friend and me on the back I felt like at any moment I could throw off her balance if I moved but don't let those tiny Asians fool you. They have quite the leg strength I would have to say it is the result of using squat toilets I mean doing squats really strengthens your legs. Before heading to the movies we stopped by the gas station. After she filled up the scooter Molly said that the gas attendants watch out for you. I said what if someone said that in America they would be considered a stalker. Asians are really nice they are always concerned for you safety. We went to the movies and at the theater they have assigned seating. You are also allowed to take any type of food into the theater. I was informed as soon as the movie starts we switch seats. It was so enjoyable to watch a movie it seemed like it had been so long. I enjoyed it so much that the next day I went again and because it is 140 Taiwanese dollars which ends up being a little more than 4 american dollars you cannot beat that. After the movie we decided to go to the night market. When Molly was telling us which one we were going to Rebeckah and I thought that she said we will now go to the Big Ass market. I started to immediately laugh. Molly seemed really confused. I then tried to explain the word Big Ass. This was quite a comical moment in the evening pointing to my dairy air and saying big. Molly laughed really hard about it. She said it is Asslan Night Market it is the biggest market in Changhua. I then said well I'm just going to call it the big ass market because I feel that I enjoy swearing when ever I can. When we got to the night market it was a challenge trying to find parking. Look at the crazy photo below. When we arrived I kinda felt like everyone was staring which they were but sometimes I get used to it then I realize we stick out like a sore thumb. First of all we are white and I have what some might consider red hair.I mean my roommates Rebeckah and Adam are over six feet tall which is nice because I can always find them. The funny thing is when people do the double take and you can tell that they are trying to get the rest of their family to see us. It was crowded and pretty much Molly and I linked up because we are on the average height and if I was going to get lost in the crowd it would be with her because I could understand her. We tried a wide variety of foods and desserts. I also had an Asian man totally stop look directly down my shirt and walk on. The thing about Asian men is they are not sly at all there is no hiding about it. Just for the record it was not a low shirt. I really just thought to myself that was hilarious. The one of the best part about hanging out with Molly is is that she tells you what other people are saying and she asks a lot of funny questions. For example she asked about the phrase If you were a booger I would pick you first. I laughed for a bit then said it just is a funny way to say your their favorite. During the night market we also saw some Asian card tricks. The guy had a lot of his friends hanging out behind him. So I asked Molly so is this like his Asian paucy/peeps? She said what does that mean? I then explained you know like his friends or his people. She laughed and said yes. I figured I will teach Molly the slang and she just might teach me some Chinese swear words. I figure its a win win situation at best.

Cingjing Farm

2009-02-17T17:10:00.000+08:00

Yeah that's right. I came all the way to Taiwan to see a sheep farm. My friend Molly called me the day before and said would you like to go to a farm? I said what? she replied just say yes. So like a loyal friend I said yes. I was also curious what would an Asian farm consist of? So Molly, Colin, Jerry, Janae and I headed out for Cingjing Farm. I was very excited because I felt like this was my opportunity to learn more Chinese. I was a little nervous hanging out with my new Taiwanese friends because I didn't know how much English they knew. After knowing Colin for a total of 5 minutes he said "will you give me name". I said that I would have to think about a name for him because he requested that his new name would start with the letter M. I gave him a lot of options like Michael, Mathew, Macgyver I was secretly hoping that he would choose Macgyver. I said you should switch it up I will call you different name every so often and if "you no like" we'll get rid of it.
The farm was way up in the mountains and it was kinda chilly. I feel like the saying another mans trash is another mans treasure is appropriate. We hiked up to pretty much the top of Taiwan which was beautiful. The sheep would just follow you demanding food. When we arrived I noticed that everyone had a camera with a tripod. When we bought our tickets my friend Molly was talking to the ticket office. I could tell that she was trying to get a discount because she kept saying megorian(American). Lets just say I was the only whitey on the mountain that day. While touring the evergreen grasslands(Cingjing) I noticed something different about cultures. Asians don't mind just taking pictures of just themselves. However I am not accustomed to this. Molly kept saying I will take your picture. I said I don't do the solo Asian picture thing. However I did take more solo pictures than I usually do. I think Molly would have to be the funniest person I know. We have the same sense of humor and she is willing to do outrageous funny pictures which I adore. Colin and Jerry said that Molly and I have the same personalities. Colin then said "you twins". I then said except she is the cute tiny Asian girl and I'm the red headed step child. They all laughed and said "you so funny" when Asians laugh it always takes me off guard. Because I am usually not ready for it. The high pitched giggling and the covering of the mouth really throws me off. I think the high light of the day would definitely have had to have be the sheep shearing show. My new friends Colin, Jerry and Janae kept asking "do you know" I instantly said Oh ya. Even though I cannot understand Chinese I get the just of whats going on. It was like sea world shamoo but with sheep. We watched the man blow a whistle and the dogs chasing after the sheep running down the steep hills. And then the highlight of the performance would definitely be the shearing of the sheep by an Asian cowboy. It was quite the eventful day. Since it was Valentines day Colin decided to asked "what type am I". That is the thing about Asians they ask questions that most Americans wouldn't dare ask. Like how many boyfriends have you had? What went wrong in your last relationship. I quickly responded I am not sure I would have to say A or B positive of coarse. He immediately said No type of she. I said I'm not really into that.(I knew exactly what he was asking but Asians get he/she mixed up so I just kept going with it) I said well my type of guy would have to be nice and caring towards others(I find myself trying to model appropriate English but most of the time I find myself speaking chinglish). Colin said how tall. Well I would have to say at least taller than me. He then told me that in Taiwan you are very tall. I replied with well that's the first time anyone has called me that. Being around my Asian friends listening to them speak made me feel like I could understand what they were saying. When Molly dropped me off one of guys were outside and started talking to me in Chinese I understood everything he was saying. He was inviting me up to his apartment for tea. I immediately responded with boo yao shae shae(no thank you). I was a little taken back by me actually responding and understanding the language and refusing a perfectly good cup of tea.

Baseball, McDonald's and Asians Oh My

2009-02-09T21:13:00.000+08:00

On Saturday I got invited to play baseball with some of the kids that go to the school that I'm working at. I find it hilarious because if you have 5 Americans what would be the best activity for them? Baseball and McDonald's of coarse. Whats more American than that. The other day one of my little Asians asked me do you have baby inside or did you go to McDonald's. I didn't get upset with the little girl. Because lets face it isn't her fault she has not been exposed to the effects of childhood obesity. She also doesn't have the genetic makeup that says every winter you must keep on the pounds also known as winter weight. Those Asian mothers just layer their children like marshmallows one day in the younger class we counted how many layers we were wearing. One child said Teacher I have seven! (this is not a joke because I questioned him at first but he definitely took this one home) Sorry I get so side tracked. When I was invited to play baseball I immediately got nervous because first of all I haven't played since tee ball. Which not a whole lot has changed except my hair is a little bit manageable and I'm taller. We were picked up and crammed into a car like little sardines. Its a good thing Asians really know how to lap it and it also helped that we caught a ride with the smaller of the bunch. We went to an elementary school to play some baseball. One thing I have to mention is that most parents in Taiwan do not speak English or they are a little scared to attempt the language. So the children usually translate. One of the little Asians were a little scared at first. But with in the first hour I felt like she was attached to my leg. One of the parents then said "we must stretch" "then we run". I thought to myself oh no. They really take this seriously. If I have to already start running I'm not going to make it. I just don't have the endurance. We do some stretches and run around the track. Then another parent says "we must play" they quickly set up a tee ball contraption. I immediately think Oh I can handle this. We started playing at 5 till sun down. The young Asians have quite the stamina because it is very hard to run base to base with at least two little Asians attached to each leg. It weighs you down a little bit more. It was funny I didn't have to pay attention to when I was suppose to bat because this Asian would just come up and say you now. We then ate McDonald's and lit lanterns while the children showed us the play equipment at their Chinese school. I now know why Asians are so small and stay fit. The play equipment is work out equipment. If those little Asians had any idea. They might throw a riot and only go to school 8 hours a day instead of 12! It was a lot of fun getting to know some of our students families and seeing how they act around them. You could tell that the parents were very proud that they were improving their English. While my quality of speaking English is diminishing but I guess it wasn't high quality to begin with.

Taipei and the Brothels

2009-02-03T17:55:00.000+08:00

A day later Leslie and I decided to go back for some more fun. So we packed our overnight bags and headed out for Taipei. We then got standing tickets yet again. But we got some good standing seats. We had to fight off a couple of Asians for them but it was well worth it. We arrived and went to the hotel and went shopping and did some site seeing. We went to a couple of temples and it was very interesting to watch what was going on. There was a lot of chanting and lots of smoke. At the Lonshan Temple we met Mavis this girl kept looking at me and I could tell she really wanted to talk to me. I also noticed her brother had on what I would call a dog carrier sling. In Asia mens standards of what they wear are quite different. I don't think that I have seen so many foofy dogs in slings and man purses apparently they have no shame or they are very comfortable in their sexuality. Asian men definitely have different standards they wear pea coats, have better hair styles and look better than some of the other women. I really didn't understand what was going on in the temple so Mavis told me what was up and I recorded her so check it out. They also leave food or other things that they might think that the gods might need in heaven. In observing what they were giving to the gods. It looks like the gods have munchies and some bad breath. I noticed that there was a shrine of chocolate pies and a lot of chewing gum for bad breath. That's right that is exactly what it said on the package. I thought to myself now if god has bad breath don't you think we should give him a toothbrush and some Colgate all whitening toothpaste. I mean come on lets fix the halitosis not cover it up. One thing that I found interesting is that things that the people give to the gods live food, money etc is things that they need in the next life. I saw a wide variety of things that they burn like paper I pods, paper scooters, paper cars etc. I am thoroughly enjoying how different the culture and customs are here in Taiwan. After going to the temple we continued shopping. Down an alley way there were a lot of old antiques. So everything looked authentic which to me means really old. Then I started to look closer and it was kama sutra. I was a little surprised and confused because it looked like two girls and because I for some reason thought that Asians were a little on the conservative side. Then I started to look around and noticed most of the people were men on the street. I later found out that this area at one time was a brothel and it didn't close to long ago.
We stayed in a hotel that was quite luxurious. It had a huge flat screen TV and slippers and such. We also had a complementary breakfast that was included. The first day Leslie and I got up to get some breakfast. We enter the cafe and there is salad, noodles, some type of cabbage, potato salad and some toast. We were both a little on the disappointed side because first we got up early thinking that it might consist of bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gray. But that is probably why Asians are so skinny because they are havin lettuce, noodles and some toast for breakfast. While the Americans are livin it up consumin those calories which is probably why there is an obesity problem. I just figure go big or go home. On the way home we took the slow train to Changhua. We had sitting seats I figured we did a lot of walking we deserved to sit. However if I would have known who was going to be seating next to me I might of had second thoughts. It was an older very traditional man. Long beard long pinky nails which they are not snorting cocaine don't worry about it they are just bringing honor to their family by using it to pick their noses. Well the man started belching really loud. Which you get used to but it was so gross because every time he burped I felt like I just ate sloppy seconds of what every he was eating. Thank goodness he was only on for an hour. I don't think I could have made it much longer. The next person would just turn and stare. I couldn't even tell if this was a man or women. I could tell that they really wanted to talk to me. She/he turned and said whats up? I said nothing much just riding the slow train. He/she continued to think of things that he/she could ask. I noticed they quickly pulled out a notebook and started to ask me questions like whats your favorite color? Where are you from? Can you teach me English? Of coarse I reply all of the questions accordingly and the last one i said well I am still trying to master that one. I then told her that it would be breaking my contract. He then wrote what is your phone number? I told him I don't know which is true and then he asked for an email so I gave it to he/she and he/she said love ya. I felt like this was one of the most awkward moments in my life. But I figure there is only more to come.

Taipei Baby

2009-02-01T21:06:00.000+08:00

During the Chinese New Year we traveled to Taipei. We got on the train and had standing tickets on the high speed rail. I just don't know how these Asians can do it. I mean my out of shape American legs couldn't take the strain. While traveling I noticed a small Asian(when I say this it means smaller than the Asian norm) man in the corner. He was folded straight up literally the only reason I noticed him was because of the consistent belching which the Asians don't hold back at all. I also noticed a man hitting his legs so of coarse maybe this will help. I gave it a shot and while trying to get my leg muscles to relax. I kept thinking to myself when I come back to work and they notice all these bruises on my body what I am I going to say? Maybe I could tell them I got in an Asian gang fight in the brothel district or I was fighting over a pair of shoes for a killer price. The hitting of my legs helped and after a 2 1/2 ride we arrived. We then bought a MRT pass and headed to the Taipei 101. We made it and took some pictures and did a lot of shopping. Then we went to find a place to eat. Of coarse we went straight for Chili's as soon as we say the sign I started singing "I want my baby back baby back ribs". American food never tasted better and it helped that we had a highly attractive waiter named Anders. My roommates said to me Hanna you meet people everywhere you go. This usually works in my favor. After Chili's we got back on the MRT and we were going to try to catch the late train back home. But of coarse we got lost and I met a nice friend named Richard who works for one of the baseball teams. I made sure to snap a picture of our new friend on the way to the night market. We went to this huge night market and the shopping was outrageous. My favorite part of the evening would have to have been that we saw an albino Asian. Yeah you heard me right an albino Asian. I couldn't believe my eyes. I did a double take and I immediately went for my camera and I couldn't find it. I was so disappointed. After the intense shopping we headed back to the MRT which we found out closes at 1. So we wandered back to the station and ended up at the grand hotel. It was amazing which you can see in the picture. I'm not sure that we were suppose to be on the premises but were Americans we don't know any better. They immediately called a taxi for us. When We arrived we realized that the train station closes at one and that it doesn't open until five. So we went to good old McDonald's. We ordered us a cup of hot coco and slept in McDonald's. Please do not be alarmed a lot of stranded/homeless Asians are doing it too. Apparently it quite the hot spot to sleep if only there had been a play place it would have really topped off the night. We finally made it on the seven train back home. Its also good to know that if you are ever stranded in a foreign city you can just stop by the local McDonald's and sleep there because lets face it its a whole lot cheaper!

2009-01-22T22:32:00.000+08:00

Today after having a long day teaching I decided to go get a massage. So I asked Sherri where would be a good place to get a massage? She said "do you like rough" I said excuse me? Do you like the kind that they barely touch and you listen to music? I thought to myself well I don't want a happy ending but I would like to feel less tense. I said I just need a good massage. She tells me where to go so me and my roommate decide to go get a real Taiwanese massage. When we arrived I started to all the sudden get nervous. First of all because this is because I am in a foreign country and I don't know how things roll like what all is entailed in a massage. My roommate and I enter the massage parlor. I notice that he has crazy eyes and he is 2 inches away from the TV. I kept thinking I can back out at any time. I then thought but I should be adventurous and the massage was only 8 American dollars. I was trying to be optimistic about the situation thinking it is all about the experience. I immediately knew that this would be my masseuse. One guy speaks very little English. He points to me and I got a little scared I lay face down on the table I was so happy that I could wear my clothes. He then started the massage. I kept thinking mid way through that I was going to die. I just made sure to keep breathing. I then thought to myself Oh my I'm paying for this which is actually really cheap. I kept thinking I wonder how many bruises will I have tomorrow? The massage was more bitter sweet. It did feel good at times and now I can actually sit up straight now. The head guy(minus crazy eye) kept saying you hard as table you hard as table meaning my back and that I am tense. He then decided to begin karate chopping me to get the knots out. The first picture is him finding a huge knot and the second one is pretty much priceless. Lets just say that there is no longer a knot in my back and that I now have better posture. And They also gave us a lot of tea and said drink lots of water and I think he showed me some neck stretches I am now suppose to be doing. He then pointed to me and said beautiful girl I see you next week. Apparently I'm a little tense so now I will continue to get a weekly massage so I might loosen up a little. Apparently we had quite the connection.

2009-01-22T21:22:00.000+08:00

So a couple of days ago. My boss took everyone out for a Chinese New Year dinner. Functions like these makes me realize how I cannot use chop sticks under pressure and that it is awkward when you do not know how to speak Chinese. It occurred to me that I really need to learn Chinese because I love to talk and not being able to talk to the secretaries really bothers me. One of the secretaries can speak some English and I asked her if all my students tell her how mean I am. She said Yes But it is good to be feared(this is exactly why I love asking questions like this because of the language barrier she has to tell the truth). This brings up another side story. Yesterday I made my first Asian child cry. This is one of my problem students and I finally got after her. She didn't realize how she was acting. She quickly shaped up and I felt so bad for getting after her so I did what I thought was best. A hug. After this incident I went directly to the owner of the school. I told her about the situation and she said I am proud of you and she gave me a hug. She also said "I so happy because I didn't have to do it." By this story everyone is probably thinking man she is mean. I m really not I just feel like when my Asian mother came to me and gave me the worst class in the school. She also told me to be firm and she slapped her hand. I felt like Im just whipping some of those children into shape. My boss is really the sweetest woman. But the children fear her. I really would love to know what is really going on. I wonder if she is making threats to the children like "If you be no good I send you to china". The other day I walked by her office and one of the students was standing and had their hands towards the ceiling. I just kept thinking I wonder what she is going to do if I misbehave as a teacher? Watching how this school does discipline makes me think how would american schools be if you were still allowed to beat the children. I I did however feel adventurous with eating. Here I am eating a pork ear. It is not as bad as I thought it would be. I also ate little deep fried fish, chicken, more fish, meat balls, pork, and when it was all said and done. Mango custard. I forgot to mention amazingly good shrimp grilled right on the table. They kept bring out dish after dish and they have what I would like to refer to as a turn table so everyone can grab the food. One thing I have definitely learned is that Asians really eat a lot and expect you to as well. Sherry (my boss) said you must try everything. I did not hesitate at all. I also told her that I probably could eat anything as long as it was deep fried. I figure that this weekend I am going to be going on home visits to meet some of my students parents. Being Chinese New year there is probably going to be a lot of food that I am not used to.

2009-01-10T23:23:00.000+08:00

So I have been living in Taiwan for well over a week and I am enjoying every minute of it. I love how different it is and the temples they have everywhere. Every time I leave my apartment I am approached by someone trying to talk to me. Which is very funny because everyone of my roommates want the people to just come up to them so they can speak Chinese but for some reason they go right up to me. I just kindly smile. Because lets face it I don't know Chinese and I would hate to offend anyone. I ride my bike everywhere in the madness of the morning rush hour. I am in the midst of scooters and cars at a six ways stop. They smile at me and give me a thumbs up. I also believe that the Chinese people are very concerned about my health. I had two men in a mini van flag me down and tell me I think that I need to wear a jacket and a mask. Because of the pollution. The thing about living in a foreign country and not knowing the language is that I always feel like I am playing sharades. It is quite funny because the Asians just love Americans. A man in the grocery store ran after me to say hello to me and say come back soon. It is quite funny because I have now come to that point that I really don't notice that everyone is staring at us. Until they directly point at me. I went to carefour(It is pretty much wal-mart on steroids with out the white trash) yesterday and this woman followed me and I was taste tasting all of these foods and she just kept talking to me in Chinese. I just kept saying ok. Teaching English to Chinese kids would have to be the most entertaining thing. I find myself continually repeating back the phrases to even myself. One of my kindergartners said to me Teacher Hanna you have crazy hair. I couldn't even say anything to that because my hair is really out of control. Now I have curly hair and I just don't know what to do about it. So I'm sure I look really hot on my bike with my afro and my pollution mask on. This is also the girl who looked down my shirt which II also teach a fourth grade class and I am sure that they are smarter than me. The owner of the school is always worried that I am going to catch a cold she keeps asking me if I am cold and if I need warmer cloths. Oh and as you can see I have a new sexy rain jump suit. I wore this out on the town one night because my roommates dared me and lets face it the Asian people were going to stare at me anyways I figured they would get a laugh and they might be blinded by the reflectors on the back. What do you know an Asian man followed me into the food place and kept saying hello. This must be a Asian man magnet. I mean who doesn't like a man with betel nut stained teeth. Anyways the people are so nice here I am going to have to learn some Chinese. Especially if they are going to keep coming up to me. I have yet to do any sight seeing because I am so busy getting curriculum together but I am looking forward to the Chinese New Year. Its going to be a party!

leaving on a jet plane

2008-12-28T11:40:00.000+08:00

So I have decided I need a change and that change will take place in the town of Changhua, Taiwan. That's right I am officially on the payroll as a teacher of English, a language which I have barely mastered myself. I leave on Monday at 3:00 a.m. to catch a flight in Las Vegas and fly for who knows how long to get to Taipei sometime around the next day, who can even figure out all of these time differences. I am almost sure that I will get chosen for an invasive strip search while at the airport, they say they are random, but come on. I hope that I don't offend too many Asians, but most assuredly I will. I also hope that I don't get arrested during my stay because I won't have anyone to call, I have yelled wolf one too many times if you know what I mean. Nobody will even believe me, plus who is going to fly to Taiwan to bail me out?