Monday, December 14th
It was old Jimmy’s birthday today…he just turned six year’s old. I can’t believe it. I always think he is so much older because of how well he speaks. He’s been in SPE’s for a bit longer than the other students, so he knows a lot more than everyone else. Well, because he was the birthday boy, I decided to take his class on a little fieldtrip—we went to 7-11. The kids were so excited! They all decided to get bubble gum; I guess that’s a real treat because they don’t get it very often. Oh Jimmy, he is just so cute (his new nick name: JIMBO…he can wiggle his little Dumbo ears, adorable; thus the name, Jimbo)—I just love both Jimmy’s….I want to stuff them in my suitcases and bring them home to America.
Tuesday, December 15th
I started doing something new with my SPE students. As they line up at the door before class, I have the first person in line make sure everyone is folding their arms, and being a ‘super student’ before they can go in and sit down. It’s been working quite well—the kids are behaving great. They always want to line up first, so they can act like ‘teacher.’ Well, Mimi was first in line the other day. I bent down toward her and said, “Mimi, is everyone folding their arms and ready for class?” She turned around, looked at everyone, and made sure they were behaving themselves….everyone seemed ready. Her response, “No, everyone is NOT ready.” “Who’s not ready?” I asked, a little confused, thinking she may have misunderstood me….everyone looked ready to me. Then she said, “Teacher, you are not folding your arms!” Haha, I guess I should practice what I preach. Oh the children…also, now that I’ve started giving out warnings to the children (3 strikes and you’re out…to time-out), the kids now give me warnings if I do something wrong. They keep me in check.
Wednesday, December 16th
Tim has been a bit difficult to teach lately. I mean, the boy is brilliant….seriously, Tabbi and I have a hard time stumping him with anything. He knows his stuff, and he can read too! We just don’t know where he’s learned it all. Well, although he’s Mr. Smarty Pants, he sucks it up during gym time. He’s not very athletic compared to the other children. Every time we have relay races he complains, because Candy is too fast—gym is the one thing he can’t ‘WIN’ per say. Because he gets so frustrated, he doesn’t always get as many points as the other students, but like I said, he’s smart….so today he tried to make a deal with me, “Teacher, if you give me more points, I’ll give you some of my crackers.” Haha, instead of giving him more points, I countered his offer and let him be the teacher in kitchen instead. It was great. He sat in the ‘teacher’s’ seat, gave out instructions and asked all the kids questions. Because he was the teacher, I acted as the student….he called me ‘Student TEACHER Tanier’….so cute.
Thursday, December 17th
The 12 days of Christmas….this whole week, New Jimmy (keep in mind, he’s seven-year’s-old) has been handing out little gifts to the teachers, just random nic-nac’s that he’s managed to find—you know, the kinds of things you find in between your couch cushions….shirt pins, safety pins, pogs, patches, keychains, candy, etc. etc. He even brought a special gift for his NEW girlfriend, Flora. Yup, they’re dating. Jimmy and Mimi are no longer an item…well, according to our source (Secretary Emily), Mimi never really liked Jimmy, so Jimmy decided to move on to the next best thing…haha. Flora is in a different class, so I’m not sure how their relationship is blossoming, but he brought her a flower today. My little lover boy has a new girlfriend—I can’t believe it!
Friday, December 18th
MY BEST FRIEND and COUSIN is home from her mission! I was in Alabama when she left, and now I’m in Taiwan when she’s getting home. By the time I see her again, we’ll be just a few months shy of a two year reunion. I LOVE YOU KEESH!
Frank (Martin and JoAnna’s Dad) picked me up after work tonight. The Ko’s promised me one last dinner with them before I left, so tonight was the night. I told them I wanted Helen (mama Ko) to teach me how to make dumplings, so that’s what we did. When I arrived at their home, the kids were still at cram school. Helen had all the materials prepared for our dumpling night; we just had to put them together. She’s a great teacher. Frank told me it was Ladies hour, so I washed my hands and got to work, while he took pictures for us. I had a great time preparing dinner. We had dumplings, rolls, pork, fruit, cashews, peanuts, soup, and…..are you ready for it….CHICKEN FEET! Yes, chicken feet…Frank brought the feet to the table, started gnawing on a toe, and asked me whether I’d like to try one or not. As much as I was grossed out, I can’t ever back down from a challenge. I know Frank was just being funny and testing me to see whether I’d really eat the chewy, boney little feet…I couldn’t give him justice by shying away, so I manned up and ate one foot! I told Martin if he’d eat one, I’d eat one, sure enough, he ate one….so I dug on in. I would never buy the feet on my own, but it wasn’t all that bad.
After dinner we sat around chatting. Martin played the guitar for us and Frank kept trying to talk me into getting my MBA at Taiwan’s University. Haha. As we were chatting, I realized how much I’m going to miss this family. They have been so good to me. They are always bringing me yummy treats (I got another papaya just last week), and they’ve helped me with so many things. It’s unreal how fast time is winding down. I’m going to miss my kids. I love them. I’ve felt a little disconnected lately because I’ve been preoccupied with plans for my traveling in January, but this week, as I realize I’m going to leave soon, I’ve relaxed a lot and just had fun with the kids….I wonder sometimes whether I would have stayed for a year if I wasn’t going on this trip throughout Asia in a few weeks….the answer….it would definitely be a tough call.
Saturday, December 19th
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I have the best mom ever. She is the greatest, and I love her so much! She has supported me 100 percent—with everything I do. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s such a babe and I’m glad we’re BEST FRIENDS! I LOVE YOU MOM!
I feel as though I’ve traveled all throughout Taiwan, but there was still one place I hadn’t been, and really wanted to go: Taroko Gorge. It’s near Hualien, on the East Side, so it’s a bit of a trek to get there, and a little expensive, but what the heck….when am I going to be in Taiwan again. Me, Hanna, Sarah, and Emily all decided to go. Emily is great. She’s our tour guide—she got us our train tickets, hostel….basically everything. I can definitely trust her with anything, she’s the best!
To maximize our time in Hualien, we left early on Saturday morning…Emily came to pick me up at 5:50 am for our 6:12 train…SO EARLY…the sun wasn’t even up yet. The trains are nice, but so uncomfortable. We had about a five hour train ride, and us girls were freezing the whole time. We tried to sleep on the train, but because it was FREEZING, we had a hard time. Hanna and I brought our neck pillows, so at least we had some comfort.
After arriving in Hualien, our hostel met us at the train station. They took us to the place and we checked into our room…Yeah, we were ready to tour the town…just then, the owner of the hostel came to our door. She said a better room was available for us whether we wanted it, but it wasn’t in the same building, it was about a one-minute scooter ride away. So, we packed back up, rented some scoots, and went to our new place. It was more of a home stay. We had the whole place to ourselves….it was so nice. Our room had two double beds with canopies—I’ve always wanted a canopy bed! Oh my gosh, the beds were so soft too…a little taste of home…fabulous. We were in heaven.
After dropping our bags, we went to lunch at a great little dumpling shop nearby; then Emily had us up and at ‘em for our tour around Hualien. We didn’t exactly know where we were going in Hualien, so we got lost along the way, but it was fun!
Hualien Day One:
First Stop: Japenese Art Museum. We went to this old Japanese building that has now been turned into an art museum. We had fun taking pictures and enjoying the coastal view surrounding us, but it was freezing. A cold front decided to come through. We found a little café at the Museum and bought some hot chocolate…most expensive hot coco I’ve ever had, US$3….I couldn’t believe it, but at the time, I’d do anything for warmth.
Second Stop: Beach, fish museum, and winery. Emily found out about this cool place where you can watch the sunrise, so we wanted to find it the day before, just in case we were to get lost. It was right near the beach….again, beautiful as always, but freezing! We then headed to a fish museum (weird)…the museum was about catching fish and eating them…not necessarily about all the beautiful fish in the sea. After that, we hit up the winery for who knows what for…but it was fun exploring!
Third Stop: Night Market. We went to about three different night markets trying to find some yummy food, but nothing was working out for us. We finally found a ‘famous’ place at our last night market: stuffed French toast. Stuffed French toast sounds yummy right, how about French toast stuffed with some sweet and sour chicken? Peppered beef? Seafood salad? …interesting, yeah? Well, Hanna and Em went with the French toast. I tried it, and liked it, but I was feeling a tuna crepe instead. Em also got some chicken blood and squid, which I tried….tasty!
Fourth Stop: Home. Because we were freezing, and it had started to rain, we decided to go back to our hostel where we could get warm. We got ready for bed and turned on a movie, Stardust. Just when the movie began, our canopy beds started shaking, then the door started rattling, the lights were swinging…..EARTHQUAKE! I looked at Hanna…Hanna looked at me. We just sat there trying to decide whether the quake was going to get worse or quickly die out….It just kept going. I jumped up out of my bed and told all the girls to get in a door frame or find a corner. Just then, Emily came screaming out of the bathroom, “EARTHQUAKE, EARTHQUAKE…” I just kept saying, “It’s ok, it’s ok.” At last, the quake ended….probably the longest 45 seconds ever! Hanna was just laughing…she wanted to stay in bed. It was crazy, but kind of fun too! We were all laughing. Luckily, we were only on the second story of our hostel. We turned on the news right after the quake….’Breaking News’ headlines were flashing across the screen. The epicenter of the quake was right in Hualien, where we were….it was a 6.8 on the Richter scale! That’s pretty darn big—luckily no one was hurt and there was no ‘real’ damage. Em tried to call her mom, but the phones were down…once she got through to her mom, all her mom could mutter was, “scooter, scooter!” making sure we weren’t out driving when the quake hit. We were blessed!
Sunday, December 20th
Day Two:
First Stop: Our hostel ran out of hot water, so we got free coupons for breakfast. We got up early, around 7:30 am, and went to breakfast before heading out to Taroko Gorge. Before leaving our hostel, we put on about every item of clothing we had brought for the trip…IT WAS STILL FREEZING. I wore my pajama pants underneath my regular pants. I had on about three shirts, a light jacket, and a raincoat. I was still cold.
Second Stop: Taroko Gorge—The Grand Canyon of Taiwan. We rode our scooters to the gorge, and then through the gorge; it was about an hour drive. We covered ourselves up in scarves, hats, and gloves, trying to stay warm, but somehow, the cold still got to us. When we arrived at Taroko, we took a ton of pictures. The gorge is huge and beautiful! We marked out some of the must-sees, but come to find out, most of them were closed because of the earthquake…rocks and debris had fallen to the ground all around us—it was crazy! We still had a fun time though. I drove the scooter and Emily took the pictures…at one point, Em was yelling, “SLOWER, SLOWER!” I guess I’m a bit more reckless than she’d like me to be. I mean, my driver’s ed instructor, Mr. Hiatt, did tell me I have a lead foot.
The girls and I enjoyed our time at Taroko Gorge. The large marble canyons were amazing; even though it was freezing, the trip was still worth it. After touring around the gorge, we drove back to Hualien, ate at the same dumpling shop, and then hopped on our train home. What another fun weekend trip….I’m so glad Emily could come with us, seeing as this was our LAST weekend trip in Taiwan!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Chapter 25
Monday, December 7th
WOW! Only 3 ½ weeks left of teaching; the time has flown by—actually, I have two weeks of actual teaching, a week of review, and then finals!!!! Crazy, now I have to start thinking about packing and all that good stuff. I have no idea how I’ll get ALL my STUFF home—I don’t have Missy here to tell me, “Tanier, you don’t need that, or that….OR THAT!” She was such a big help before I came to Taiwan (helping me pack and all)….I just wish I wouldn’t have snuck in those extra items that she told me NOT to bring…now I don’t think I’ll get them home with all the stuff I’ve accumulated.
Last week I had a lot of ‘sick’ kids who missed school. They got the H1N1 vaccine a couple weeks ago, and now…they all have the ‘piggy’! I hate when kids miss school; it’s so much work to get them caught up with the rest of the class. Hank has to make up two tests…when I told him he needed to get to work and study for BOTH of them; he just looked at me with his somber face and said, “But Teacher, I’m GOING TO DIEEEEEEEEEEEEE.” Oh, life is so hard when you’re 10-years-old. I have to admit, the way he said DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was so dang funny!
At Maryland, we’re having an open house this week. We’re allowing the parents to come and sit in on the classes. I’m always a bit nervous when the parents come in, because the kids act soooo different. They either have the hardest time behaving because they get so hyper around visitors, or they do the exact opposite, they shut down and won’t say a word. No matter what end of the spectrum the pendulum falls, it’s never good. With a rowdy class, the parents will think the teacher has no control, and with a silent class, the parent will wonder whether their child is actually learning to speak English. I hope the parents understand one of these outcomes is bound to happen…we’ll see how it goes!
Tuesday, December 8th
Working with China can be so frustrating at times. Tabbi and I are planning on spending nearly two weeks in China. We plan to visit Guilin, Shanghai, Xi’an, and Beijing. We have some friends in Shanghai, who we’ll stay with, and they’ve helped us tremendously, so that’s nice…but we’re still getting a feel for everything else. Let’s see, the frustrating part: Tabbi and I can’t fly straight from Beijing to America; instead, we have to go back to Taiwan first, because that’s where our boss bought our initial flight last June…well, well, well,…has anyone tried to get a one-way flight out of Beijing to Taipei…RIDICULOUS! They are extremely overpriced for such a hop, skip, and a jump length of a distance, and it’s just all around difficult (government and political issues)…we’ve talked to so many people about the best way to purchase our flight, and apparently, people who live IN china, who have a CHINA card, have access to CHEAPER flights—Tabbi and I tried this option (with our friends in Shanghai)…we were going to all possible lengths to get the best deal. Turns out the good flights are only available to Chinese Nationals...go figure, $400 US dollars later, Tabbi and I will be departing Beijing on the 2nd of February, landing in Taipei where we’ll kick it for a few days, and then HOME SWEET HOME to America on February 4, 2010!
I read a story with my 2A kids today—Dinosaur Facts—they were in love. My boys trade Dinosaur cards everyday at break, so reading a story about Dinosaurs was right up their alley. Our story told us all about different types of dinosaurs, what they ate, where they lived, their size, yada, yada, yada. The only thing the story failed to mention was were Dinosaurs ‘came from’…I guess the author wanted the teacher to explain that one. After reading the story, Hank raised his hand, “Teacher, where did dinosaurs come from?” Oh dear, I thought…how on earth can I answer this one? “They came from eggs,” I explained. Apparently that answer wasn’t good enough, because he kept probing the issue. “Ugh, where did you come from Hank?” I asked, “…and where did your mom come from? …and her mom, and her mom after that…” I knew this discussion was getting a little deep, then Kevin shouted out, “GOD!” ….and then Kyle too, “MONKEYS!” WOW, I thought, we have a dilemma on our hands. Hank, this cute little soul, is just wondering about existence itself, as so many people do, and I just couldn’t find a good way to explain anything in our classroom setting. I told the class that everyone has different beliefs of where dinosaurs came from, and where people come from, which are God and Monkeys (evolution). Then I told them, they need to study it out to find out for themselves, which they thought was true. Ha, I’m not sure Hank was satisfied our ‘spiritual’ discussion because after the monkey talk, he piped up, “Teacher, can’t you just Google it.” Haha—Google, what a perfect source for a quick fix.
Wednesday, December 9th
We’ve had some parents come for the Open House this week—so far, so good. Some SPE parents showed up, as well as Frank (Martin and JoAnna’s dad in 7A’s)…I really enjoy talking with Frank, but he can be a bit intimidating. Luckily he came during our grammar lesson, so all went well. JoAnna came up to me before class, “Teacher, my dad’s coming today…” “..and,” I replied. “I didn’t do my homework…” Whoops! My kids have been having the hardest time turning in their homework lately. Chinese school really weighs them down, and frankly, I’m not the best stickler when it comes to homework! I don’t know how teachers keep track of it all—there’s got to be a good system, I’m just not using it, and with just a little over three weeks left, I’m not sure I’ll be implementing anything new.
Tabbi and I hit up the Tree House after work tonight—we feel like we’ve been cheating on Julie and her husband with Max and Viv’s because we haven’t been to the Tree House F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!!! When we arrived, Julie acted so excited to see us. She had a bigger crowd than usual in her restaurant and more pictures of customers up on her wall—it looks like the place has been doing well (I’m so glad, before her restaurant was always empty). As we were talking to Julie, she told us how her patrons are always asking about the ‘American’s’ whose pictures are posted on the wall. Apparently we have quite a fan base at the Tree House, and there’s supposed people who want to meet us—supposed Taiwanese MEN, haha! Listening to Julie talk about this was so funny. We also asked her about some new Chinese writing she has hanging up…the words read, “Tree House”….she’s totally taken our name for the place and posted it up on the wall. Sweetness!
Thursday, December 10th
Sarah and I still have a couple of passes on our GoGo card, so we decided to take a break from travel plans and kids, and we went and unleashed our built up aggression in our Asian kickboxing class. Wow, I love that class. Our instructor is sweet. The workout routine is never the same—he constantly changes things up to make sure we’re on our toes, and yes, I was on my toes the whole time. After leaving class, I seriously felt as though I could defend myself against any predator. Unlike American Kickboxing, where you throw a couple of jabs, I was doing round house kicks. Let’s just say I’ll definitely be sore tomorrow. From kickboxing, Sarah and I kept with our tradition and went to the night market for some tasty dumplings! YUM!
Friday, December 11th
We went to the Tree House, AGAIN, for dinner tonight. Man, us girls have the most extreme eating habits…I swear we go on binges of eating at Max n’ Vivian’s every week to eating poor man’s food, tuna fish, from the supermarket. There’s no even balance. ….but yes, we went to the tree house, and it was great seeing Julie, the owner. She is just wonderful…probably the last time I’ll ever see her as well, but of course I didn’t tell her that because I absolutely hate goodbyes!
Tabbi, Hanna, and I went to Watson’s convenience store to grab some things for our 35 day backpacking trip across Asia. We’re packing light—one backpack…no checked luggage—3 oz. bottles? Why yes, I’ll take 10 empty ones please, ha. We plan to refill everything…shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc. We did find some nice wet wipes and bug spray. There’s no way I’m going to get Malaria in Cambodia.
Saturday, December 12th
I spent the day doing laundry, seriously, ‘the day’….why does laundry have to take so long. At least it’s something tangible that I can mark off my many ‘To Do’ lists. I also spent some time wrapping up different odds and ends—getting ready for my grand departure of Taiwan.
Tabbi and I are singing in church tomorrow. I know what you’re thinking, Tanier sings??? Ha, kind of funny, right….well, I love singing, but haven’t ever been given the opportunity to do so, I mean, I’m not the next Mariah Carrey or anything, but I can hold a tune (on a good day). Anyhow, Tabbi asked me to sing with her, yes…she asked ME…I even have a solo too! Crazy. I hope I don’t mess it up. To ensure that we can pull this off, we scheduled a little practice session with Sister Greene tonight at 5:00 pm in Taichung—Sister Greene’s going to accompany us.
Tabbi and I took off for Taichung around 4:00—an hour is usually sufficient time to make it to Taichung. We’ve been going to Taichung every week for church, so we’ve got our route down, or so we thought—WE TOOK THE WRONT TRAIN! I’ve lived in Taiwan for nearly six months now, and tonight was the very first time I’ve ever taken the wrong train! We both fell asleep on the train, when we woke up, we were in Shalu or Dadu….some place in Timbuktu it seemed. We had to backtrack for an hour and a half to reach our initial destination. Oh man, the one time we actually have to be somewhere ON TIME….we end up arriving an hour and a half late. Luckily, Hanna and Sarah were there to tell Sister Greene we were coming, but they didn’t know where we were either. Tabs and I were taking bets on who thought we stopped off to go shopping, or whether we’d gotten hit by bus or something. Where was my helpless card when I so desperately needed it? I still can’t believe it, even though we know how to get to Taichung, we always ask a conductor whether we’re on the right train or not—this was the first time we didn’t ask, oh the pride cycle at its finest….and can I just say….once we finally hopped off the train in Taichung, Tabbi and I tried to flag down a taxi to get to the church (thinking it would be faster than the bus), but the taxi drivers were totally rude to us….we must have been saying something wrong. When asking for a ride, one driver looked at us, said nothing, and then turned away…as we kept talking, he put his taxi in reverse and drove away…what? RUDE….in all my time in Taiwan the people have been nicer than nice, but tonight…I saw a different side. We ended up taking a bus to the church, which seemed to take forever…we found Sarah and Hanna, and then we found Sister Greene, we explained our incident, and were able to practice for a few minutes before going to the night market with Andre and Bush. We went to the Fengjia Night Market again—had our baby mangoes and frozen bananas….delish. I will miss these fun night markets.
Sunday, December 13th
Tabbi and I tried to make it to church a bit earlier today, so we could practice our song before church, of course, we didn’t make it early. We got there about ten minutes before sacrament started, ran through our song a couple times, and called it good. We sang ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’…oh my goodness that song is so high…I’m a soprano, but get me in front of a crowd doing something I’m not familiar with and my voice started to shake a bit on those high notes (my voice just isn’t as strong when the notes start going higher, and higher, and higher…) Overall we sounded good…Tabbi pulled it together for us….she’s a beautiful singer. Thanks Tip! …and thanks Mik for the few voice lessons….and for giving me the confidence to sing. I guess there’s no better time to get comfortable singing in church than when you’re a part of a branch with just 25 active members, ha!
After church I came home and went through my souvenirs….where did they all come from??? They were covering my entire bed. YIKES….luckily I’ll be sending some home as Christmas gifts. Everyone’s Christmas gift will depend on how much crap I can stuff in one little box. Good Luck to me!
WOW! Only 3 ½ weeks left of teaching; the time has flown by—actually, I have two weeks of actual teaching, a week of review, and then finals!!!! Crazy, now I have to start thinking about packing and all that good stuff. I have no idea how I’ll get ALL my STUFF home—I don’t have Missy here to tell me, “Tanier, you don’t need that, or that….OR THAT!” She was such a big help before I came to Taiwan (helping me pack and all)….I just wish I wouldn’t have snuck in those extra items that she told me NOT to bring…now I don’t think I’ll get them home with all the stuff I’ve accumulated.
Last week I had a lot of ‘sick’ kids who missed school. They got the H1N1 vaccine a couple weeks ago, and now…they all have the ‘piggy’! I hate when kids miss school; it’s so much work to get them caught up with the rest of the class. Hank has to make up two tests…when I told him he needed to get to work and study for BOTH of them; he just looked at me with his somber face and said, “But Teacher, I’m GOING TO DIEEEEEEEEEEEEE.” Oh, life is so hard when you’re 10-years-old. I have to admit, the way he said DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was so dang funny!
At Maryland, we’re having an open house this week. We’re allowing the parents to come and sit in on the classes. I’m always a bit nervous when the parents come in, because the kids act soooo different. They either have the hardest time behaving because they get so hyper around visitors, or they do the exact opposite, they shut down and won’t say a word. No matter what end of the spectrum the pendulum falls, it’s never good. With a rowdy class, the parents will think the teacher has no control, and with a silent class, the parent will wonder whether their child is actually learning to speak English. I hope the parents understand one of these outcomes is bound to happen…we’ll see how it goes!
Tuesday, December 8th
Working with China can be so frustrating at times. Tabbi and I are planning on spending nearly two weeks in China. We plan to visit Guilin, Shanghai, Xi’an, and Beijing. We have some friends in Shanghai, who we’ll stay with, and they’ve helped us tremendously, so that’s nice…but we’re still getting a feel for everything else. Let’s see, the frustrating part: Tabbi and I can’t fly straight from Beijing to America; instead, we have to go back to Taiwan first, because that’s where our boss bought our initial flight last June…well, well, well,…has anyone tried to get a one-way flight out of Beijing to Taipei…RIDICULOUS! They are extremely overpriced for such a hop, skip, and a jump length of a distance, and it’s just all around difficult (government and political issues)…we’ve talked to so many people about the best way to purchase our flight, and apparently, people who live IN china, who have a CHINA card, have access to CHEAPER flights—Tabbi and I tried this option (with our friends in Shanghai)…we were going to all possible lengths to get the best deal. Turns out the good flights are only available to Chinese Nationals...go figure, $400 US dollars later, Tabbi and I will be departing Beijing on the 2nd of February, landing in Taipei where we’ll kick it for a few days, and then HOME SWEET HOME to America on February 4, 2010!
I read a story with my 2A kids today—Dinosaur Facts—they were in love. My boys trade Dinosaur cards everyday at break, so reading a story about Dinosaurs was right up their alley. Our story told us all about different types of dinosaurs, what they ate, where they lived, their size, yada, yada, yada. The only thing the story failed to mention was were Dinosaurs ‘came from’…I guess the author wanted the teacher to explain that one. After reading the story, Hank raised his hand, “Teacher, where did dinosaurs come from?” Oh dear, I thought…how on earth can I answer this one? “They came from eggs,” I explained. Apparently that answer wasn’t good enough, because he kept probing the issue. “Ugh, where did you come from Hank?” I asked, “…and where did your mom come from? …and her mom, and her mom after that…” I knew this discussion was getting a little deep, then Kevin shouted out, “GOD!” ….and then Kyle too, “MONKEYS!” WOW, I thought, we have a dilemma on our hands. Hank, this cute little soul, is just wondering about existence itself, as so many people do, and I just couldn’t find a good way to explain anything in our classroom setting. I told the class that everyone has different beliefs of where dinosaurs came from, and where people come from, which are God and Monkeys (evolution). Then I told them, they need to study it out to find out for themselves, which they thought was true. Ha, I’m not sure Hank was satisfied our ‘spiritual’ discussion because after the monkey talk, he piped up, “Teacher, can’t you just Google it.” Haha—Google, what a perfect source for a quick fix.
Wednesday, December 9th
We’ve had some parents come for the Open House this week—so far, so good. Some SPE parents showed up, as well as Frank (Martin and JoAnna’s dad in 7A’s)…I really enjoy talking with Frank, but he can be a bit intimidating. Luckily he came during our grammar lesson, so all went well. JoAnna came up to me before class, “Teacher, my dad’s coming today…” “..and,” I replied. “I didn’t do my homework…” Whoops! My kids have been having the hardest time turning in their homework lately. Chinese school really weighs them down, and frankly, I’m not the best stickler when it comes to homework! I don’t know how teachers keep track of it all—there’s got to be a good system, I’m just not using it, and with just a little over three weeks left, I’m not sure I’ll be implementing anything new.
Tabbi and I hit up the Tree House after work tonight—we feel like we’ve been cheating on Julie and her husband with Max and Viv’s because we haven’t been to the Tree House F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!!! When we arrived, Julie acted so excited to see us. She had a bigger crowd than usual in her restaurant and more pictures of customers up on her wall—it looks like the place has been doing well (I’m so glad, before her restaurant was always empty). As we were talking to Julie, she told us how her patrons are always asking about the ‘American’s’ whose pictures are posted on the wall. Apparently we have quite a fan base at the Tree House, and there’s supposed people who want to meet us—supposed Taiwanese MEN, haha! Listening to Julie talk about this was so funny. We also asked her about some new Chinese writing she has hanging up…the words read, “Tree House”….she’s totally taken our name for the place and posted it up on the wall. Sweetness!
Thursday, December 10th
Sarah and I still have a couple of passes on our GoGo card, so we decided to take a break from travel plans and kids, and we went and unleashed our built up aggression in our Asian kickboxing class. Wow, I love that class. Our instructor is sweet. The workout routine is never the same—he constantly changes things up to make sure we’re on our toes, and yes, I was on my toes the whole time. After leaving class, I seriously felt as though I could defend myself against any predator. Unlike American Kickboxing, where you throw a couple of jabs, I was doing round house kicks. Let’s just say I’ll definitely be sore tomorrow. From kickboxing, Sarah and I kept with our tradition and went to the night market for some tasty dumplings! YUM!
Friday, December 11th
We went to the Tree House, AGAIN, for dinner tonight. Man, us girls have the most extreme eating habits…I swear we go on binges of eating at Max n’ Vivian’s every week to eating poor man’s food, tuna fish, from the supermarket. There’s no even balance. ….but yes, we went to the tree house, and it was great seeing Julie, the owner. She is just wonderful…probably the last time I’ll ever see her as well, but of course I didn’t tell her that because I absolutely hate goodbyes!
Tabbi, Hanna, and I went to Watson’s convenience store to grab some things for our 35 day backpacking trip across Asia. We’re packing light—one backpack…no checked luggage—3 oz. bottles? Why yes, I’ll take 10 empty ones please, ha. We plan to refill everything…shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc. We did find some nice wet wipes and bug spray. There’s no way I’m going to get Malaria in Cambodia.
Saturday, December 12th
I spent the day doing laundry, seriously, ‘the day’….why does laundry have to take so long. At least it’s something tangible that I can mark off my many ‘To Do’ lists. I also spent some time wrapping up different odds and ends—getting ready for my grand departure of Taiwan.
Tabbi and I are singing in church tomorrow. I know what you’re thinking, Tanier sings??? Ha, kind of funny, right….well, I love singing, but haven’t ever been given the opportunity to do so, I mean, I’m not the next Mariah Carrey or anything, but I can hold a tune (on a good day). Anyhow, Tabbi asked me to sing with her, yes…she asked ME…I even have a solo too! Crazy. I hope I don’t mess it up. To ensure that we can pull this off, we scheduled a little practice session with Sister Greene tonight at 5:00 pm in Taichung—Sister Greene’s going to accompany us.
Tabbi and I took off for Taichung around 4:00—an hour is usually sufficient time to make it to Taichung. We’ve been going to Taichung every week for church, so we’ve got our route down, or so we thought—WE TOOK THE WRONT TRAIN! I’ve lived in Taiwan for nearly six months now, and tonight was the very first time I’ve ever taken the wrong train! We both fell asleep on the train, when we woke up, we were in Shalu or Dadu….some place in Timbuktu it seemed. We had to backtrack for an hour and a half to reach our initial destination. Oh man, the one time we actually have to be somewhere ON TIME….we end up arriving an hour and a half late. Luckily, Hanna and Sarah were there to tell Sister Greene we were coming, but they didn’t know where we were either. Tabs and I were taking bets on who thought we stopped off to go shopping, or whether we’d gotten hit by bus or something. Where was my helpless card when I so desperately needed it? I still can’t believe it, even though we know how to get to Taichung, we always ask a conductor whether we’re on the right train or not—this was the first time we didn’t ask, oh the pride cycle at its finest….and can I just say….once we finally hopped off the train in Taichung, Tabbi and I tried to flag down a taxi to get to the church (thinking it would be faster than the bus), but the taxi drivers were totally rude to us….we must have been saying something wrong. When asking for a ride, one driver looked at us, said nothing, and then turned away…as we kept talking, he put his taxi in reverse and drove away…what? RUDE….in all my time in Taiwan the people have been nicer than nice, but tonight…I saw a different side. We ended up taking a bus to the church, which seemed to take forever…we found Sarah and Hanna, and then we found Sister Greene, we explained our incident, and were able to practice for a few minutes before going to the night market with Andre and Bush. We went to the Fengjia Night Market again—had our baby mangoes and frozen bananas….delish. I will miss these fun night markets.
Sunday, December 13th
Tabbi and I tried to make it to church a bit earlier today, so we could practice our song before church, of course, we didn’t make it early. We got there about ten minutes before sacrament started, ran through our song a couple times, and called it good. We sang ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’…oh my goodness that song is so high…I’m a soprano, but get me in front of a crowd doing something I’m not familiar with and my voice started to shake a bit on those high notes (my voice just isn’t as strong when the notes start going higher, and higher, and higher…) Overall we sounded good…Tabbi pulled it together for us….she’s a beautiful singer. Thanks Tip! …and thanks Mik for the few voice lessons….and for giving me the confidence to sing. I guess there’s no better time to get comfortable singing in church than when you’re a part of a branch with just 25 active members, ha!
After church I came home and went through my souvenirs….where did they all come from??? They were covering my entire bed. YIKES….luckily I’ll be sending some home as Christmas gifts. Everyone’s Christmas gift will depend on how much crap I can stuff in one little box. Good Luck to me!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Chapter 24 Pictures!!!
Friday, December 4th
Bowling and BBQ for Sammy's birthday!
Emily and Penny took us to a great little BBQ place. We thought it may be a little sketch at first, but it was delish....especially the bean curd!
Yummy BBQ...grab a basket and fill 'er up! Ala Carte style.
Food vendors...what to choose? I got a pork roll, corn on the cob, green peppers, and of course, bean curd!
Em and me waiting for our food...who knows how they keep all those orders straight...it's not as if they gave me a number or anything.
We almost had to ride our bikes because we didn't have to enough scooters for transportation...I know, lazy right? Well, leave it up to my boss Sherry to lend us her scooter for the night--so nice!
Sarah, putting out the vibe at the alley! The Asian men love her...
This dude had the best hair...EVER! Pretty sure he was getting sick of us taking sneaky, stalker photos of him, so we finally just asked for a shot, and he complied.
Here's the group bowling for Sammy's birthday!
Saturday, December 5th
Tabbi, Lisa, and I took a bus to Puli to hang out with our friend, Shan Fen. This was one of the few trips we've taken without a Taiwanese friend, AKA guide...so Tabbi had Emily write down some key phrases for us.
Tabbi doesn't have much faith in us. I, on the other hand, think we could get around just fine, but I'm glad that Tabs takes the extra precaution...even if it does hurt my pride, ha! Thanks Tabbi...this will come in handy for China!
"Hi, I'm Tanier and I'm completely helpless! Can you help me?"
On our way to the Chung Tai Shan monastery...scootin' around!
Chung Tai Shan Monastery. The landscape around the monastery reminded me much of Temple Square...beautiful flowers and trees everywhere!
At the bridge outside the Monastery.
Shan Fen, Cynthia, me, Tabbi, Lisa
Being greeted by the jolly, gold Buddha, with lips of red!
Tabbi, Lisa, Me, Cynthia, Shan Fen
Inside the entrance hall were these huge statue columns of different gods, amazing!
Here's a first...RED DRAGONS?
Lisa and I at the entrance doors--gargantuan....
The monastery...so beautiful...this was the best picture I could get because we were so close. Our friend told us it cost over the price of 72 LDS temples combined. Fact or Fiction? It took just over 10 years to construct and is home to over 1,000 Buddhist monks and nuns.
I'll be riding on one of these in a month! Wahoo!
Buddhist nuns--they were cute!
Goofing around...Where's T?
Dumplings....we thought they were Shao lone Bao...ended up being mini steamed buns
Formosan Cultural Center....Aborigines? Or so we thought....Tabbi and I have been wanting to see the aborigine lifestyle. We went to what we thought would be a museum of some sort, it ended up that we landed ourselves in an amusement park. Good thing I like roller coasters!
Cable Car ride up the mountain...breathtaking!
Aborigine Show.
Beautiful Taiwanese dancers...Taiwanese dress...
A kid at heart...I don't even remember the last time I rode a carousel, but it was sure fun!
The Rose Garden's...got there just in time to snap a pic before the sun went down
Sunday, December 6th
Walking home from church, we ran into our good friend Charles on the crowded streets of Tai Chung. Happenstance? ...that was probably the last time I'll ever see him, so SAD. He's been such a good friend! Farewell Charles!
Bowling and BBQ for Sammy's birthday!
Emily and Penny took us to a great little BBQ place. We thought it may be a little sketch at first, but it was delish....especially the bean curd!
Yummy BBQ...grab a basket and fill 'er up! Ala Carte style.
Food vendors...what to choose? I got a pork roll, corn on the cob, green peppers, and of course, bean curd!
Em and me waiting for our food...who knows how they keep all those orders straight...it's not as if they gave me a number or anything.
We almost had to ride our bikes because we didn't have to enough scooters for transportation...I know, lazy right? Well, leave it up to my boss Sherry to lend us her scooter for the night--so nice!
Sarah, putting out the vibe at the alley! The Asian men love her...
This dude had the best hair...EVER! Pretty sure he was getting sick of us taking sneaky, stalker photos of him, so we finally just asked for a shot, and he complied.
Here's the group bowling for Sammy's birthday!
Saturday, December 5th
Tabbi, Lisa, and I took a bus to Puli to hang out with our friend, Shan Fen. This was one of the few trips we've taken without a Taiwanese friend, AKA guide...so Tabbi had Emily write down some key phrases for us.
Tabbi doesn't have much faith in us. I, on the other hand, think we could get around just fine, but I'm glad that Tabs takes the extra precaution...even if it does hurt my pride, ha! Thanks Tabbi...this will come in handy for China!
"Hi, I'm Tanier and I'm completely helpless! Can you help me?"
On our way to the Chung Tai Shan monastery...scootin' around!
Chung Tai Shan Monastery. The landscape around the monastery reminded me much of Temple Square...beautiful flowers and trees everywhere!
At the bridge outside the Monastery.
Shan Fen, Cynthia, me, Tabbi, Lisa
Being greeted by the jolly, gold Buddha, with lips of red!
Tabbi, Lisa, Me, Cynthia, Shan Fen
Inside the entrance hall were these huge statue columns of different gods, amazing!
Here's a first...RED DRAGONS?
Lisa and I at the entrance doors--gargantuan....
The monastery...so beautiful...this was the best picture I could get because we were so close. Our friend told us it cost over the price of 72 LDS temples combined. Fact or Fiction? It took just over 10 years to construct and is home to over 1,000 Buddhist monks and nuns.
I'll be riding on one of these in a month! Wahoo!
Buddhist nuns--they were cute!
Goofing around...Where's T?
Dumplings....we thought they were Shao lone Bao...ended up being mini steamed buns
Formosan Cultural Center....Aborigines? Or so we thought....Tabbi and I have been wanting to see the aborigine lifestyle. We went to what we thought would be a museum of some sort, it ended up that we landed ourselves in an amusement park. Good thing I like roller coasters!
Cable Car ride up the mountain...breathtaking!
Aborigine Show.
Beautiful Taiwanese dancers...Taiwanese dress...
A kid at heart...I don't even remember the last time I rode a carousel, but it was sure fun!
The Rose Garden's...got there just in time to snap a pic before the sun went down
Sunday, December 6th
Walking home from church, we ran into our good friend Charles on the crowded streets of Tai Chung. Happenstance? ...that was probably the last time I'll ever see him, so SAD. He's been such a good friend! Farewell Charles!
Chapter 24
Monday, November 30th
Thanksgiving leftovers…YUMMY! I think this is the fullest our fridge has been yet. I never knew I’d enjoy leftovers so much. Back in America (haha, joke around the house), we’d always have leftovers growing up—I would get so sick of them. It’s amazing how your perspective changes after living in a foreign country. Thanks for all the leftovers mom! All us girls sat around the table munching on creamy mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls, pumpkin pie…the list goes on. I hope this lasts us all week!
Tuesday, December 1st ....is it really the 1st of December, where does the time go?
The Lady Business Tour is making headway….we just splurged on a day adventure to Cambodia…yes, 24 hours to see the great Angkor Wat. It was a tough call deciding whether we should go off course and purchase tickets to Cambodia (especially for such a short time), but we concluded that our decision was ‘all-or-nothing’…we couldn’t leave anyone behind, so we ALL had to be in for the excursion, or it was a no go. TA-DA…we’re in…The LBT is off of its original route, but very pleased with the new purchase. We are fast, and we are furious—we’re going to stretch those 24 hours for all their worth….we set up a tour that will pick us up from the airport, take us to our hotel, tour us around Siem Reap and the surrounding temples, provide us with lunch, and then take us back to the airport the very next day…WAHOO! I’m just hoping none of us get hit with Malaria or Dengue Fever in the meantime—the mission president’s wife got dengue fever when she was in Cambodia and she was ill for three months straight…luckily it didn’t hit her system until a month later…she still loved every minute of her stay in Cambodia!
Scott is no longer coming to Maryland Language School—so sad! None of us even had a chance to give him a real goodbye. He was here laughing with us just yesterday, and now he’s gone…I will miss that little fella’!
Wednesday, December 2nd
Poor Sammy—his bike got stolen this last weekend. Man, we’ve had some bad karma with our bikes lately; first my bike tire went flat…I was walking to school; a few days later, Sarah’s bike tire went flat…she was walking to school; and now, a week later, Sammy’s bike was stolen…he’s also been walking to school. Well, I felt bad for the poor guy, so tonight when we left work, we went home Taiwanese style. I ‘let him’ pump me all the way home while I sat over the back wheel well on my wired seat. It was so funny! I had nowhere to place my feet, so the ride made for a great hip flexor workout. Together, we made a great balancing act.
Thursday, December 3rd
I used to be surprised and disgusted at school, when I’d touch a wet door knob or grab a wet handrail….I never really knew what the mess was, I’m always hoping its water, but considering the fact the kids have a hard time actually washing their hands, with soap, or getting their fingers out of their noses, who really knows. I just try to block out what ‘it’ is I’m actually touching…it’s just water..water…… WATER, I tell myself, over and over, again. Well, over the past couple months, the wetness no longer phases me, or had no longer phased me, until today….there I was, teaching the children…just another average day…we were in gym playing games; I shouted to the children that it was time to go, so they all made a bee-line for the door. We were counting up our points for the day, Tim went through the line, Candy too…it was now Flora’s turn…as she looked up at me with her beautiful brown eyes, and started speaking with her sweet, little voice, her nose started to wrinkle, she cupped her hands to her mouth, and let out a big sneeze, A-CHOO! As her hands fell from her face, they were covered in slimy, green snot!!! It wasn’t until Kerry’s lovely description that I almost puked….“Oh Teacher, SPIDERMAN!” Haha, I believe that says it all, YUCKY! Moral of the story, never touch a wet handrail.
Friday, December 4th
Sammy’s birthday is on Sunday, but we decided to celebrate that great day tonight! Sammy’s not much into Karaoke, so we went bowling. As we were leaving work, we were trying to figure out transportation, AKA scooter rides. The bowling alley is a bit far for a bike ride….alright alright, we’re getting a little lazy, but scooters are sooooo fun! My boss overheard us hashing out our dilemma (who’s riding with who)…she piped in, “Tanier, do you know how to drive a scooter?” Heck yes. “I have my scooter here. You can take if you’d like.” What? Awesome! Sherry let Tabbi and I taker her scoot. Before taking off, Sherry had to ‘help’ us start her scooter, who knew the task could be so complicated, haha (I say that facetiously). We had to start our ride using the choke, yet, I couldn’t use my left leg to push down the choke, I had to use my right leg, ha…it was hilarious! Sherry was so nice to let us borrow her scooter—it made for a great evening.
From work, Emily and Penny took us to a great little BBQ place near the train station. It seemed a little sketch at first, but it was definitely yummy! To order at this particular vendor, like many others, we just grabbed a red basket and went to town, grabbing everything and anything we wanted to BBQ—Ala cart style; our options: chicken heart, chicken skin, regular chicken (I think), beef roll, pork roll, bean curd, peppers, mushrooms, corn, etc. etc. I went with the pork roll, bean curd, peppers, and corn…bean curd is delish! After filling up our baskets, the ladies grabbed them from our hands…I never know how they keep my order straight, it’s not as if they gave me a number or anything. The red baskets just lay on the table near the BBQ, stacking up one right after the other….the orders were getting all mixed up in my mind, but I got what I came for, so apparently their ‘lack of system’ to me, is a ‘work of innovation’ to them…if it works, it works.
Bowling was a lot of fun! We met up with some of our expat friends and had a good time. Tabbi and I had to leave a little early, but we still got a good two games in. Tabbi had to make her scrumptious cookies, which I want to eat all the time, and I had to plan my relief society lesson for Sunday, Yea!
Saturday, December 5th
Tabbi and I left the apartment rather early this morning—7:00 am. We met Lisa at the train station, and then took a bus to Puli to visit our friend Shan Fen, who Tabbi met through another mutual friend. This was one of the few trips we’ve done alone (without a Taiwanese friend), so Tabbi had to pull out our helpless card to make sure we got off the bus at the right time….ha, Tabs had Emily write down some important phrases that we could show to our bus driver so we wouldn’t get lost—Can you tell me when to get off this bus? Where’s the bus station? Can you direct me to the KFC? Tabbi has little faith in our abilities to get around on our own, I, on the other hand, think we could suffice just fine without the ‘helpless card’, but I’m glad that Tabbi takes the extra precaution, even if it does step on my ‘Glauser Pride’—the card is much needed, and we’ll definitely have one for China!
We met Shan Fen at the KFC after getting off the bus. We hopped on some scooters and went touring around Puli—I even got my very own scooter to drive, what? Two days in a row? I was loving every minute of it, Shan Fen was so hospitable.
First Stop: Chung Tai Shan Monastery. It is the headquarters monastery and one of the largest in Taiwan. It is a beautiful monastery that is set up on the mountainside in Puli—to build the masterpiece, it took three years of planning and seven years of construction until it was complete in 2001. We were only able to visit one of three floors, but it was amazing. As we walked closer to the stone building, everything kept getting larger and larger…the entrance doors were nearly 25 feet tall, and upon walking into the great hall, there were huge statue columns of different Buddha’s. We were also greeted by a jolly gold Buddha statue with red lipstick, and two red dragons! The outside landscape reminded me of Temple Square with different flowers and trees lining the outskirts of the marvelous building. The monastery houses more than 1,000 Buddhist monks and nuns—we saw many of them wandering around nearby, as well as many tourists from China and Japan. We wanted to take a group photo in front of the monastery, so Shan Fen was nice enough to ask a young fellow for the favor. After exchanging some words in Chinese, there was a long pause. Then Shan Fen spoke up in English, “Do you speak English?” Ha. The man was Japanese and didn’t know a lick of Mandarin. Luckily there’s a ‘universal language’ between us all, English!
Second Stop: Formosan Cultural Center. Tabbi and I have wanted to go see some aborigines for quite some time, so far we’ve been unsuccessful. Well, Shan Fen pulled through for us….ugh, almost! We pulled up to what we thought was an aborigine village, oh wait, we were at an amusement park! Haha, good thing I LOVE amusement parks. We made the best of our time and rode on numerous roller coasters and other fun rides. Oh to be a kid again….I definitely made up for missing out on the Washington County Fair…three years in a row. We even hit up the carousel and Space Mountain….twice…nothing like a good day at a theme park! There were no lines, it was fabulous. We did find our way to an aborigine show up the mountain too! We rode a cable car to get there. The view was amazing! The show was great. We saw traditional dancing, dress, customs, etc.
Sunday, December 6th
I taught my Relief Society lesson today. I had ‘the opportunity’ to choose my own topic, a blessing and a curse. I’d been thinking of my topic forever, but nothing was coming to mind. Well, I found a great talk by President Monson in 2006, Treasured Gifts. If anyone is interested in a great Christmas talk, check it out!
Break the Fast! I love it when we have break the fast…Tabbi brought her yummy cookies, Sister Greene brought pumpkin bars, I was in heaven.
We walked to the train station from church today. On our way down one of the crowded streets in Tai Chung, we stopped off at a smoothie shop (I know, we broke the Sabbath…ey yi yi). Well, we were waiting in line, and all the sudden, we heard a man’s voice behind us…the voice was speaking English…the voice was calling out our names… we turned around to see our good friend, Charles! YAY! He was in town for an interview. Apparently, he was driving down the same street we were walking down, saw us, and just had to turn around to come and visit. We met Charles’ mom and sister too. They are just adorable. Charles’ sister, Christy, speaks English pretty well. His mother, on the other hand, didn’t even have an English name, so Tabbi and I named her….we started out with Ruth, then Janet, but both were a bit difficult to pronounce. We finally found a name that worked, Betty! It was so great to see Charles again—I’m so sad to say it, but that was probably the last time I’ll ever see Charles…I hate goodbyes!
Thanksgiving leftovers…YUMMY! I think this is the fullest our fridge has been yet. I never knew I’d enjoy leftovers so much. Back in America (haha, joke around the house), we’d always have leftovers growing up—I would get so sick of them. It’s amazing how your perspective changes after living in a foreign country. Thanks for all the leftovers mom! All us girls sat around the table munching on creamy mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls, pumpkin pie…the list goes on. I hope this lasts us all week!
Tuesday, December 1st ....is it really the 1st of December, where does the time go?
The Lady Business Tour is making headway….we just splurged on a day adventure to Cambodia…yes, 24 hours to see the great Angkor Wat. It was a tough call deciding whether we should go off course and purchase tickets to Cambodia (especially for such a short time), but we concluded that our decision was ‘all-or-nothing’…we couldn’t leave anyone behind, so we ALL had to be in for the excursion, or it was a no go. TA-DA…we’re in…The LBT is off of its original route, but very pleased with the new purchase. We are fast, and we are furious—we’re going to stretch those 24 hours for all their worth….we set up a tour that will pick us up from the airport, take us to our hotel, tour us around Siem Reap and the surrounding temples, provide us with lunch, and then take us back to the airport the very next day…WAHOO! I’m just hoping none of us get hit with Malaria or Dengue Fever in the meantime—the mission president’s wife got dengue fever when she was in Cambodia and she was ill for three months straight…luckily it didn’t hit her system until a month later…she still loved every minute of her stay in Cambodia!
Scott is no longer coming to Maryland Language School—so sad! None of us even had a chance to give him a real goodbye. He was here laughing with us just yesterday, and now he’s gone…I will miss that little fella’!
Wednesday, December 2nd
Poor Sammy—his bike got stolen this last weekend. Man, we’ve had some bad karma with our bikes lately; first my bike tire went flat…I was walking to school; a few days later, Sarah’s bike tire went flat…she was walking to school; and now, a week later, Sammy’s bike was stolen…he’s also been walking to school. Well, I felt bad for the poor guy, so tonight when we left work, we went home Taiwanese style. I ‘let him’ pump me all the way home while I sat over the back wheel well on my wired seat. It was so funny! I had nowhere to place my feet, so the ride made for a great hip flexor workout. Together, we made a great balancing act.
Thursday, December 3rd
I used to be surprised and disgusted at school, when I’d touch a wet door knob or grab a wet handrail….I never really knew what the mess was, I’m always hoping its water, but considering the fact the kids have a hard time actually washing their hands, with soap, or getting their fingers out of their noses, who really knows. I just try to block out what ‘it’ is I’m actually touching…it’s just water..water…… WATER, I tell myself, over and over, again. Well, over the past couple months, the wetness no longer phases me, or had no longer phased me, until today….there I was, teaching the children…just another average day…we were in gym playing games; I shouted to the children that it was time to go, so they all made a bee-line for the door. We were counting up our points for the day, Tim went through the line, Candy too…it was now Flora’s turn…as she looked up at me with her beautiful brown eyes, and started speaking with her sweet, little voice, her nose started to wrinkle, she cupped her hands to her mouth, and let out a big sneeze, A-CHOO! As her hands fell from her face, they were covered in slimy, green snot!!! It wasn’t until Kerry’s lovely description that I almost puked….“Oh Teacher, SPIDERMAN!” Haha, I believe that says it all, YUCKY! Moral of the story, never touch a wet handrail.
Friday, December 4th
Sammy’s birthday is on Sunday, but we decided to celebrate that great day tonight! Sammy’s not much into Karaoke, so we went bowling. As we were leaving work, we were trying to figure out transportation, AKA scooter rides. The bowling alley is a bit far for a bike ride….alright alright, we’re getting a little lazy, but scooters are sooooo fun! My boss overheard us hashing out our dilemma (who’s riding with who)…she piped in, “Tanier, do you know how to drive a scooter?” Heck yes. “I have my scooter here. You can take if you’d like.” What? Awesome! Sherry let Tabbi and I taker her scoot. Before taking off, Sherry had to ‘help’ us start her scooter, who knew the task could be so complicated, haha (I say that facetiously). We had to start our ride using the choke, yet, I couldn’t use my left leg to push down the choke, I had to use my right leg, ha…it was hilarious! Sherry was so nice to let us borrow her scooter—it made for a great evening.
From work, Emily and Penny took us to a great little BBQ place near the train station. It seemed a little sketch at first, but it was definitely yummy! To order at this particular vendor, like many others, we just grabbed a red basket and went to town, grabbing everything and anything we wanted to BBQ—Ala cart style; our options: chicken heart, chicken skin, regular chicken (I think), beef roll, pork roll, bean curd, peppers, mushrooms, corn, etc. etc. I went with the pork roll, bean curd, peppers, and corn…bean curd is delish! After filling up our baskets, the ladies grabbed them from our hands…I never know how they keep my order straight, it’s not as if they gave me a number or anything. The red baskets just lay on the table near the BBQ, stacking up one right after the other….the orders were getting all mixed up in my mind, but I got what I came for, so apparently their ‘lack of system’ to me, is a ‘work of innovation’ to them…if it works, it works.
Bowling was a lot of fun! We met up with some of our expat friends and had a good time. Tabbi and I had to leave a little early, but we still got a good two games in. Tabbi had to make her scrumptious cookies, which I want to eat all the time, and I had to plan my relief society lesson for Sunday, Yea!
Saturday, December 5th
Tabbi and I left the apartment rather early this morning—7:00 am. We met Lisa at the train station, and then took a bus to Puli to visit our friend Shan Fen, who Tabbi met through another mutual friend. This was one of the few trips we’ve done alone (without a Taiwanese friend), so Tabbi had to pull out our helpless card to make sure we got off the bus at the right time….ha, Tabs had Emily write down some important phrases that we could show to our bus driver so we wouldn’t get lost—Can you tell me when to get off this bus? Where’s the bus station? Can you direct me to the KFC? Tabbi has little faith in our abilities to get around on our own, I, on the other hand, think we could suffice just fine without the ‘helpless card’, but I’m glad that Tabbi takes the extra precaution, even if it does step on my ‘Glauser Pride’—the card is much needed, and we’ll definitely have one for China!
We met Shan Fen at the KFC after getting off the bus. We hopped on some scooters and went touring around Puli—I even got my very own scooter to drive, what? Two days in a row? I was loving every minute of it, Shan Fen was so hospitable.
First Stop: Chung Tai Shan Monastery. It is the headquarters monastery and one of the largest in Taiwan. It is a beautiful monastery that is set up on the mountainside in Puli—to build the masterpiece, it took three years of planning and seven years of construction until it was complete in 2001. We were only able to visit one of three floors, but it was amazing. As we walked closer to the stone building, everything kept getting larger and larger…the entrance doors were nearly 25 feet tall, and upon walking into the great hall, there were huge statue columns of different Buddha’s. We were also greeted by a jolly gold Buddha statue with red lipstick, and two red dragons! The outside landscape reminded me of Temple Square with different flowers and trees lining the outskirts of the marvelous building. The monastery houses more than 1,000 Buddhist monks and nuns—we saw many of them wandering around nearby, as well as many tourists from China and Japan. We wanted to take a group photo in front of the monastery, so Shan Fen was nice enough to ask a young fellow for the favor. After exchanging some words in Chinese, there was a long pause. Then Shan Fen spoke up in English, “Do you speak English?” Ha. The man was Japanese and didn’t know a lick of Mandarin. Luckily there’s a ‘universal language’ between us all, English!
Second Stop: Formosan Cultural Center. Tabbi and I have wanted to go see some aborigines for quite some time, so far we’ve been unsuccessful. Well, Shan Fen pulled through for us….ugh, almost! We pulled up to what we thought was an aborigine village, oh wait, we were at an amusement park! Haha, good thing I LOVE amusement parks. We made the best of our time and rode on numerous roller coasters and other fun rides. Oh to be a kid again….I definitely made up for missing out on the Washington County Fair…three years in a row. We even hit up the carousel and Space Mountain….twice…nothing like a good day at a theme park! There were no lines, it was fabulous. We did find our way to an aborigine show up the mountain too! We rode a cable car to get there. The view was amazing! The show was great. We saw traditional dancing, dress, customs, etc.
Sunday, December 6th
I taught my Relief Society lesson today. I had ‘the opportunity’ to choose my own topic, a blessing and a curse. I’d been thinking of my topic forever, but nothing was coming to mind. Well, I found a great talk by President Monson in 2006, Treasured Gifts. If anyone is interested in a great Christmas talk, check it out!
Break the Fast! I love it when we have break the fast…Tabbi brought her yummy cookies, Sister Greene brought pumpkin bars, I was in heaven.
We walked to the train station from church today. On our way down one of the crowded streets in Tai Chung, we stopped off at a smoothie shop (I know, we broke the Sabbath…ey yi yi). Well, we were waiting in line, and all the sudden, we heard a man’s voice behind us…the voice was speaking English…the voice was calling out our names… we turned around to see our good friend, Charles! YAY! He was in town for an interview. Apparently, he was driving down the same street we were walking down, saw us, and just had to turn around to come and visit. We met Charles’ mom and sister too. They are just adorable. Charles’ sister, Christy, speaks English pretty well. His mother, on the other hand, didn’t even have an English name, so Tabbi and I named her….we started out with Ruth, then Janet, but both were a bit difficult to pronounce. We finally found a name that worked, Betty! It was so great to see Charles again—I’m so sad to say it, but that was probably the last time I’ll ever see Charles…I hate goodbyes!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Chapter 23 Pictures!!!
Break Time! My kids have enjoyed drawing my portrait lately...they are all such wonderful artists--I think their depictions are quite accurate!
Can you see the resemblance?
Birthdays!
Friday, November 27th
Happy Birthday Grannie Goose!!! You're the BEST and I just love you! I don't know what I'd do without my cute, little Louie!
Thanksgiving in Taiwan
November 28, 2008
Because all of us teachers had to work on Thanksgiving Day, we decided to celebrate the holiday on Saturday. Our sister school, BerHan, invited us over for the Feast! There were nearly 25 of us. We had a great time eating, cooking, eating, playing Wii, eating, dancing, eating, and chatting.
{for more commentary, read below}
Thanksgiving Dress-up! So we didn't arrive as Pilgrims and Indians...we went in our Asian attire instead! {pictured: Hanna Postma, Sarah Lilly, Tabbi Perkins, Tanier Glauser}
The Changhua girls with Penny and Emily (our secretaries)...they've never been to a Thanksgiving feast before, so we brought them along to join in the fun!
Cooking time...and here you see our little Martha Stewart's and Betty Crocker's! Good work team!
Sunny preparing the Ham, among other things....he was slaving away all day! Thanks Sunny...you're the BEST! Everything tasted divine!
The Grandmas {Grandma T squared}...me and my little Tipster!
On top of the roof in Feng Yuan at BerHan Language School. Some of the group before dinner...talk about a beautiful sunset.
Set up...we had a lovely dinner outside. Notice the doors, which are holding our food! Haha, we make do here in the Orient.
Oh the delectable dessert table!
Dinner is served....it was a little dark at this point. We weren't exactly sure what we were picking up to eat, but all the food tasted great!
A Thanksgiving toast! {Hanna and I}
Lisa even made us name plates...so fun!
Laughs around the dinner table.
Tabbi feeding Penny pumpkin pie for the very first time....will she like it???
...and the answer is, a BIG FAT NO! Disgusting. Emily's description, "interesting." On the other hand, it's one of my favorites! YUMMY!
Sarah getting the 'after' party started.
Teaching Penny how to shimmy....now that was a knee slapper.
Teaching Penny the shimmy...1st attempt: seriously, I could not stop laughing...
and this is why...
2nd attempt: We finally got 'er done!!! Penny was so fun to dance with!
Can you see the resemblance?
Birthdays!
Friday, November 27th
Happy Birthday Grannie Goose!!! You're the BEST and I just love you! I don't know what I'd do without my cute, little Louie!
Thanksgiving in Taiwan
November 28, 2008
Because all of us teachers had to work on Thanksgiving Day, we decided to celebrate the holiday on Saturday. Our sister school, BerHan, invited us over for the Feast! There were nearly 25 of us. We had a great time eating, cooking, eating, playing Wii, eating, dancing, eating, and chatting.
{for more commentary, read below}
Thanksgiving Dress-up! So we didn't arrive as Pilgrims and Indians...we went in our Asian attire instead! {pictured: Hanna Postma, Sarah Lilly, Tabbi Perkins, Tanier Glauser}
The Changhua girls with Penny and Emily (our secretaries)...they've never been to a Thanksgiving feast before, so we brought them along to join in the fun!
Cooking time...and here you see our little Martha Stewart's and Betty Crocker's! Good work team!
Sunny preparing the Ham, among other things....he was slaving away all day! Thanks Sunny...you're the BEST! Everything tasted divine!
The Grandmas {Grandma T squared}...me and my little Tipster!
On top of the roof in Feng Yuan at BerHan Language School. Some of the group before dinner...talk about a beautiful sunset.
Set up...we had a lovely dinner outside. Notice the doors, which are holding our food! Haha, we make do here in the Orient.
Oh the delectable dessert table!
Dinner is served....it was a little dark at this point. We weren't exactly sure what we were picking up to eat, but all the food tasted great!
A Thanksgiving toast! {Hanna and I}
Lisa even made us name plates...so fun!
Laughs around the dinner table.
Tabbi feeding Penny pumpkin pie for the very first time....will she like it???
...and the answer is, a BIG FAT NO! Disgusting. Emily's description, "interesting." On the other hand, it's one of my favorites! YUMMY!
Sarah getting the 'after' party started.
Teaching Penny how to shimmy....now that was a knee slapper.
Teaching Penny the shimmy...1st attempt: seriously, I could not stop laughing...
and this is why...
2nd attempt: We finally got 'er done!!! Penny was so fun to dance with!
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