Sushi in the US? Very yes. Blogging? We'll see.

It's way more expensive, it's not as fresh, it has weird English names, and did I mention it's way more expensive? But my first experience at a sushi restaurant in the US was a positive one. For those not keeping score at home, I'd never dared to eat sushi until it was forced upon me in Taiwan, and I quickly fell in love.

Considering I've been home for over three weeks, there are still many foods on my to-eat list, and I have a great deal of unpacking left to do. Of course, the fact that I never unpacked from senior year of college doesn't make anything easier.

I should probably justify my latest prolonged absence. I wasn't only sleeping. First my laptop decided to stop turning on (again). Then the wireless internet decided to stop working, so even my mini laptop was useless.

The truth is also that I have no idea where to start. I have a lot of un-blogged stories and pictures that I'd love to share with you.

So let's start at the very beginning. Well, the beginning of this year, anyway. I never did write about what I did to ring in 2009.

At the very end of the first semester, the student teachers at Fu Xing got enough free time and outgoingness to introduce themselves. I had had no idea that there were a handful of other 22/23-year olds wandering the halls of Fu Xing, also without teaching experience. I got the chance to hang out with some of them a few times before the semester ended (they left Fu Xing after first semester). They ended up inviting me out for New Years' Eve.

First, we had dinner at Ikea. I had the Swedish meatballs.

Then we went to the Dream Mall (the "Times Square" of Kaohsiung?) for festivities and fireworks. We had to pose with the World Games mascot:

Then we met up with fellow Fulbrighters Billy and Dan.

I even ran into one of my fifth graders, Willy! No, it was not really cold enough to warrant wearing a hat (maybe 55 F), but I really wanted to feel wintery.

And then there were fireworks.

After the fireworks, we headed home in what I thought was impossible: a scooter traffic jam. But I was really glad to get to know Kenji, Ray, and Etty. Even though Kenji and Ray went back to Taipei at the end of January, Etty continued on as Fu Xing's new Taiwanese teacher for the second semester, and her classroom was right next door.

A very belated happy 2009!

Farewells

It's currently Saturday-turning-Sunday. I'm leaving Kaohsiung early Wednesday. I lose my internet sometime between now and then.

I know I have many unblogged stories. Those things that I said I'd blog about back in September, well, I still remember them.

And the month of July, when I'll be sitting on my couch waiting for my employed friends to get off work, will be a perfect time to write those blog entries.

For now, though, unless I get simultaneously creative and bored of packing, don't expect any new entries. Never fear, though. I will probably continue writing about this Taiwan experience for as long as there are new and interesting things to write, so this blog is far from over.


Goodbye and thanks, Fulbright. Taiwan, you've truly touched my heart. Kaohsiung, well, I think I'll miss you most of all.

Graduation!

In Taiwan, elementary schools run K-6. Even though most kids continue to the same junior high school (grades 7-9), graduation is a relatively big to-do. While I do remember having an 8th grade graduation, I do not remember having a 4th grade graduation... and I don't remember shedding tears about either situation.

I wasn't able to attend Fu Xing's graduation ceremony, as it was held on Tuesday morning when I had to work at Tai Ping's English Village. I don't teach any 6th grade classes anyway, so at least I didn't miss out on any serious goodbyes. Instead, though, I went to see my host brother Kevin graduate from his elementary school on Wednesday evening. I sat in the back corner, so my pictures aren't great quality, but it should be enough to give you a sample.

The graduates (10+ classes of 6th graders-- Yang Ming is one of the biggest schools in Kaohsiung) process in...
The teachers put on a dance performance. Fulbrighter Rebekah, a Yang Ming English teacher, danced in the middle:
Representative students symbolically and literally "pass the torch" to some fifth graders:
I did manage to sneak to the front to get a picture of Kevin with his class (he's the one smiling and looking at the camera):

At one point, a younger student started talking to Rebekah and me. She had her pet pigeon with her. Not really related, just amusing:

I caught up with Kevin afterward and we got a picture. I'm leaning over a little, which is why he looks so much taller than me... but yes, this kid has grown at least five inches since I met him in September!

Kevin exits through the ceremonial graduate gateway... as Rebekah is a "retiring" teacher of sorts, she got this honor as well. I should note that she does not always have heavy makeup and hair glitter, but was made up like that for her dance performance:

After the graduation, I took Kevin out for a nice sushi dinner to celebrate his graduation. (See the rotating sushi restaurant chain described in my last post.)

Some fun facts

I was going to take some of my own recordings of this stuff, but why do that when someone else has?

Fact #1: Crossing the street in Taiwan is way more fun than it is in the US.


Fact #2: If you hear a singing truck, it is not ice cream. In fact, it is trash. And if you don't live in an apartment building where trash is centrally collected (which I do), you are expected to run out and meet it with your properly-sorted garbage.


Fact #3: In Taiwan, I have come to like... or love... sashimi. Contrary to most of my food habits and principles relating to fish, I can't get enough of that raw fish on rice stuff. Fortunately for me, there's a chain of rotating sushi restaurants all around Taiwan where you can get a plate of sushi for 1 USD. So, eating until you're absolutely full costs up to $7. Fantastic.
Remember: not my video. Not my commentary. But it is from the same chain where I eat regularly.

Hamburger Breakfast: A Dragon Boat Adventure

The past few weeks, many Kaohsiung Fulbrighters and I participated in the 端午節 festivities by forming our own 龍舟. We were competing in the foreigner division against the likes of full-of-giant-Germans 中山大學, the very European Wenzao University, and the International World Games team, to name a few.

Anyway, when I first heard about dragon boating back in the fall, and found out there was a drummer who kept the beat, I knew what I wanted to do. So as early as possible I "called" the role of 鼓手... after all, I have rhythm, and the boat wasn't really missing out by not having my rowing arms.

I can't speak for the rowers, but I had a fantastic time as drummer. The rowers were supposed to follow my beat, so I had to give them a steady and doable pace while also aiming to be competitive with the other boats. It was basically my job to bang a drum and scream. What could be more fun? Maybe the guy who got to sit on the front of the boat and grab the flag at the end, but then again, he almost fell into the not-so-sanitary Love River.

Our boat consisted of 20 rowers (half Fulbright, half Taiwanese friends), the drummer (me), a steerer/tiller (Chris, our Bureau of Education liaison), and a flag-grabber (Henry, a military worker at Ling Jhou English Village). We had a total of four practices that were about 45 minutes each before we raced, and as the practices were in the afternoon, we never got to practice with a full boat. So, we may have lost in the end, but I'm incredibly proud of our team. The first time we tried the full length of the course (500km), it took us over seven minutes. On our final race, we clocked in at 4:18. Not a technical victory, but a moral one. Plus, those Germans were huge.

Our team name was supposed to be something intimidating. We chose "Hamburger Breakfast." Why? Because Taiwanese people think that Americans eat hamburgers for every meal. So I frequently led the team in a motivational chant: What do we eat? HAMBURGERS When do we eat them? FOR BREAKFAST!

As I was actively drumming and screaming throughout practices and the competition, I couldn't take any pictures. But here are some pictures from Fulbrighter Shiela and Jo (from San Min English Village).

Warming up before practice:

An afternoon practice with a less-than-full boat:

Getting geared up for our first race, in uniform:

Rowing into place for our first race:

Maya got some great photos of our races here. Also check out her video:

Anyway, Hamburger Breakfast was certainly a positive experience. Drumming for the dragon boat was one of the most fun things I've done since coming to Taiwan, and I hope I get the opportunity to do it again someday.

I should include that our fantastic team t-shirts, courtesy of the design styles of Fulbrighter Gered, include our team name, all of our names, some great designs, and my suggested slogan of "Your Ass is Dragon." Ten points if you can name that literary reference :-)

The Jon visit, in summary

When Jonathan visited in October, as you may recall, he was here for over two weeks and we spent almost all of that running around Taiwan and Kaohsiung's famous spots. This time, as this was his vacation and I still had to work, we didn't do nearly as many interesting things. Or at least, we didn't do nearly as many interesting things that I haven't already done and blogged about.

We went to Lotus Lake...

..but this time, rented some C-bikes to ride around the bike paths that border the lake:

We took the MRT and I made Jonathan take a picture in one of the fancy MRT stops:

We walked around 西子灣 ...

...while wearing the colorful Taiwanese hats I bought... (Jon is pleased)

... and went to the British Consulate there...

...where I took a picture overlooking Kaohsiung Harbor in the same spot as the rest of the tourists.

We also ate 蛋撻 from KFC, drank fresh fruit juice and milk, went to a Canadian bar, watched all three Lord of the Rings movies in one night, and spent a lot of time with Milo, whose energy levels can only be matched by Jonathan's desire to run all the time. A good visit was had by all... especially Milo.

An afternoon at Lotus Lake

Lotus Lake, or 蓮池潭, is one of Kaohsiung's more famous and more scenic attractions. I'd managed never to really go there until Lauren's visit prompted me to find something nice and also representative of Taiwanese (or more broadly East Asian) culture. My prior visit to Lotus Lake was in August when we were touring the various co-teaching schools, and Chiou Cheng Elementary is right by Lotus Lake. In August, however, Lotus Lake was totally dried out in order to make it deeper for World Games trials and competitions. So as you look at these pictures, imagine sports like competitive waterskiing, wakeboarding, and canoe polo taking place on and around these tranquil waters.

That's about all the description I can give. Lotus Lake: a lake with nearby mountains reflected in the water and picturesque temples set on and around it. Now take a look at the pictures.

The Dragon and Tiger pagodas:


Views from atop the Dragon pagoda:

(The land)

(The lake)

The Spring and Autumn Pavilions (I think?):

Me being Asian by a Buddhist deity:

Lauren stands by the least scenic part of the Confucius Temple at Kaohsiung (the rest of it was closed for the day):

And that's it for Lotus Lake! Up next: a weekend in the mountains. Stay tuned!

C-Bikes

Long time no blog.

A week has gone by and I haven't given you any entertaining updates on my Taiwan existence. Oops! That really means I have nothing exciting to report... sorry.

But as a filler, here's something that I passed by a couple weeks ago and found kind of cool.

It looks like Kaohsiung City is "going green," both literally and figuratively, in a new program that's like Zipcar for bicycles. The lime green bikes could catch anyone's attention:

Basically, in an effort to promote both eco-friendly travel and Kaohsiung tourism, the city is setting up these bike rental locations all around the city and developing tourist-friendly bike trails (which I'm hoping are not, but I'm guessing are, largely composed of scooter lanes on major roads). Here's the kiosk by the Cultural Center:


The rates are fairly cheap... NT $30 for the first half hour, NT $15 after that. So, an hour of biking costs you less than US $1.50. Plus, you get to ride around in an awesomely lime green bike. What could be better?

For more info, check out the C-Bike English website.

台灣加油!

In my random internet surfing, once again having its pervasive tune stuck in my head, I tracked down the video for the Kaohsiung World Games theme song. If you're curious:



Two things strike me about this video.

First, of all the landscapes and scenic spots shown in the video, I can identify and have been to about 90% of them. I'm not quite sure I could say that for a corresponding Philadelphia video.

Second, almost all of the comments (in Chinese) say something along the lines of "Kaohsiung has really progressed!" One (presumably) Kaohsiung local even says how he is filled with emotion and tears come to his eyes when he watches the video. As someone who never saw the Kaohsiung of before, I cannot relate to how much the city has changed; I can relate, however, to how much the city impresses me now.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Dream Mall in Kaohsiung, Taiwan!

More lengthy update to come.

Storytelling Competition

Or should I say, storytelling/showing/dancing/singing/costuming/setdesigning competition. See my friend Vicky's post for her apt rant on the latest English competition my students endured. Vicky's complaints about the competition differ in detail but reflect my feelings in general.

About three weeks ago, I was told to write a seven-minute story about "making dreams real" that students would be able to memorize and recite. So I tried my best to come up with something that, I thought, ended up being a pretty good story. Not performance, not play. Story. After roster-changes and writing-changes galore, my final three team members were handed the final version of the story four days before the competition. We added in props as late as an hour before. When they went up on stage, I was nervous for them. So many changes, and having to memorize it all? Thankfully (unlike for Reader's Theater) there was no time minimum, so we didn't have to worry about them speeding up because of nerves.

But they didn't! I sat in the second row, recording with my camera while trembling a bit out of nerves for them. And they did it perfectly. There wasn't a forgotten line, and any word left out still kept the story intact. And the moral was delivered perfectly: "Don't wait for a magical wizard to show you the way. Love your family, work hard, respect others, and watch your dreams come true!" I was brimming with pride and confidence for them.

After all was said and done, we got one of the 4th place awards. I'm not going to complain, because I know some teams didn't place at all. But in a society where it seems like the predominant educational philosophy is "first place or bust," I have no idea how to explain why my students didn't do better. I just hope that they are proud of their hard work and accomplishment, and don't resent us too much for not giving them stage directions and head-to-toe costuming.

Anyway, here are the kids that will always be first place to me: Marvin, John, and Mina read "Andy and the Wizard."

My two excuses

So, the secret's out. Time to disclose what I've been busy with the past few weeks. But first, let me explain how it all started.

A few weeks ago, my roommate Dani was getting her bike out to run an errand. I was chatting with her while she was getting ready to head out. I told her about how I don't like using my bike as much in this traffic, and that I was (and am) thinking about getting an electric bike, or a kit to make my bike electric. Dani was half-interested in, half-amused by my rambling. I then said, "It's okay, it's just something I'm fixated on right now. That, and... how would you feel if I got a small, contained pet in my room? Like a flying squirrel or chinchilla?"

Dani laughed, said she didn't really care what I did, and then said, "What I really want is a dog." As a chinchilla was the most interesting, cuddly, still-containable pet I could come up with because I thought a dog was out of the question, I was excited by her response. So we talked. And we plotted. And we asked our roommates. I asked our guard whether dogs were allowed in the building, and he answered, "不要吵就可以啦!"

We had all the green lights we needed. So I started searching and email local animal shelters (in Chinese!) about adopting dogs. About a week and three trips to 左營 later, Sonic and Milo had entered our lives.

Dani and I adopted two stray puppies (sort of for my birthday) from an animal shelter here in Kaohsiung. They are mixed breeds, brothers, about two or three months old. We named one Sonic, because he is a little ball of energy like our favorite video game hedgehog. We considered some obvious corresponding names (Knuckles, Doc(tor Robotnik), and Tails)... but somehow, ended up with Milo.

If you're concerned, veterinary care is very inexpensive in Taiwan and we can more than afford it. And though it's complicated, I'm planning on taking them with me when I leave Taiwan.

And now, some pictures.

First, my birthday lunch at T.G.I.Friday's.


And now, PUPPIES! Everybody loves puppies.

First day home, Sonic likes chewing on my sock.

Dani cuddles the tiny, calm Milo while Sonic watches, desperate for attention.

Sonic finds the attention he seeks. In my lap.

Now, the boys are growing up. Milo is more energetic, and Sonic and I have enjoyed several naps together on the couch. Milo finishes his dinner first and stands vigilant over Sonic, waiting for him to lose interest and leave his bowl unattended.

They are sweet, smart boys who are about 90% paper-trained after less than two weeks. Their vaccines aren't complete until Christmas, so for now they have to be apartment dogs and can't go outside. But they were officially introduced to my Fulbright peers last night, so now they can be officially introduced to you.

A Landmark Occasion

Today in Kaohsiung, for the first time since I got here three and a half months ago, the temperature went below 80 degrees. All the way down to 66 degrees. Fahrenheit.

Kids are wearing ski vests over their gym uniforms. We didn't turn the fans on in class. I didn't sweat walking to the bus stop.

Of course, the same weather in New England would bring out lots of pasty skin revealed by shorts and tank tops, but here, I'm really excited that I can finally wear long pants and not want to die.

Here's to hoping this lasts!

Where all your dreams come true

The Dream Mall is one of Kaohsiung's newest points of pride. The second biggest mall in Asia, it boasts 9 or 10 floors of shopping, in addition to 2 basement food court levels, a movie theater on the top floor, and a rooftop amusement park. The roof also includes one of the world's biggest (though not the biggest) Hello Kitty Ferris wheels, also known as the Kaohsiung Eye.

Sometimes, you don't even need words. So here are some pictures from Jon and my dinner/movie/people-watching adventure at 夢時代.

We arrived at the Dream Mall via the (free, official) shuttle from the closest metro stop...


... and admired its shininess.


We looked at the shops...


... then wandered the amusement park.


A Hello Kitty Ferris Wheel? Can we handle it?


Yes, we can!


And now, you decide. Kaohsiung harbor on a cloudy afternoon?


... or Kaohsiung city that very same night?


And I hope you've enjoyed your second installment of Jon's visit to Taiwan.

我的日常生活

I remember from my earlier Chinese classes, one of the most common topics for essays (aside from 自我介紹 ) was 我的日常生活. So, true to my Chinese Ba/Bb roots, I thought I'd make a post on some of the things in my daily life here that are far different from my daily life at home (Berwyn, Cambridge, or otherwise). I've broken it up into a few categories...

Food
Because of the size and (lack of) appliances our kitchen has to offer, in addition to the fact that eating at restaurants is very inexpensive, we have yet to cook a meal for ourselves. So far I've taken to eating most of my lunches and dinners at a restaurant right next to our apartment building. Though she has a more extensive menu, I've only gone for 湯麵, 乾麵, and 餛飩麵. Until we officially exchanged names and phone numbers, I referred to the young woman working there as "Noodle Lady." The other day when I got 乾麵 for the third time in a row, she gave me a hard-boiled egg "on the house." I'm not sure whether she was trying to be friendly, or gently reminding me to vary my diet.

But more on "Noodle Lady" another time. Spoiler? She is a great friend who has been immensely helpful in my settling in here in Taiwan.

A common form of food is the 便當, which is what they fed us for lunch every day of orientation. Every 便當 is different. I could explain it to you, or I could just show you a picture. This picture is of the best meal I've had here, from a vegetarian buffet one night. In the large compartment there is white rice and some sort of tofu, and on the right there are green peppers (top), lima beans (middle), and corn/carrots/eggs (bottom). Few can relate to my deep appreciation for lima beans... but trust me, these were amazing, thus earning it the "best meal" title.



Finally, in an effort to save the environment and guard against unclean restaurants, most people carry their own set of chopsticks around. Here is my chopstick carrying case:



Transportation
Because the traffic here is dangerous and Kaohsiung is currently spending a lot of money on new public transit, our program directors are strongly advising us against buying scooters (the most popular mode of transportation). My roommates and I all bought bikes to help us get to and from our schools and other places in the area. While Dan went the fancy new road bike route, and Dani and Vicky got some nice standard mountain bikes, I decided to go in another direction. I wanted a foldable bike so that I could take it on the MRT (subway) or buses for free (can't do that with big bikes). Again, a picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of explaining the ridiculousness that is my bike, here's a picture.

Folded:


Unfolded:


Yeah, this thing doesn't even have gears. Also, the basket has an elephant on it. In case you couldn't tell.

Also, the seemingly "Asian" thing to do is to wear one of those facemasks around to protect yourself from airborne disease, or pollution, or something. Though I initially thought this was ridiculous, after riding around on the back of Susan's scooter I realized that not getting stuff in your face as you ride in traffic has its perks. Alas, I bought a facemask:



(The little pink dachshunds on it are an homage to my two dachshunds back home.)

The Little Things
It's really, really humid here. So every closet, cabinet, and hamper needs some sort of dehumidifier. I hung a dehumidifying pack in a small closet when we first got here, and after a month, it was basically a Ziploc bag full of water. It's a little hard to tell but... on the left there's the bag I just removed (flat on top, full of water on the bottom), and on the right there's the new bag (full of dehumidifying stuff on top, empty on the bottom):



Also, I have a fish. This is not unlike my life at home, my summer apartment, or my dorm room, really, but um, it's a different fish? His name is T-Rex.




Well I hope you all enjoyed yet another glimpse into my Taiwan life. Sorry for the post of novel proportions... we're going for a Fulbright conference in Taipei tomorrow, so this post, like my very first, is just another effort to avoid packing.

Talk to you Sunday, when I get back from Taipei!