10/10 National Day

Yesterday was the 101st anniversary of the Republic of China's founding. All the Fulbrighters were invited to attend a reception at the Taipei Guest House (臺北賓館). Most of the guests were foreign and local officials. The president and the vice president of Taiwan were both there, so we Fulbrighters were pretty low on the totem poll. Nonetheless, I got to shake hands with the vice president.

 There was music, wine, and food. Tables and tables of Taiwanese food, Chinese food, as well as Japanese, French, and Indian were spread out across underneath tents outside. In addition to eating mini quiche lorraines, people-watching was one of the best parts of the reception. There were men and women dressed in all kinds of clothes: black suits, cocktail dresses, flowy Hollywood gowns, qipaos, and even a sari or two. Reporters flocked around the most high ranking figures. Men in black suits with earpieces held the small crowds at bay. Somehow though, I managed to get close enough to take a photo of President Ma Ying-Jeou.

My favorite part of the reception was the performance by a children's choir. The children were members of the Paiwan aboriginal tribe from southern Taiwan. They sang traditional Paiwan folk songs. Taiwan Today covered the group's development and success. I was even able to talk to them for a little afterwards and we got a photo together.

A Day in the Life of a Gu Ting Teacher: Mice and an Earthquake Drill

So...been a while. Got a lot to catch up on - my 22nd birthday, a Fulbright orientation event in Taipei, passing the scooter test, and just general life. But...I'll do that later. Today is today.

I got to school seven minutes late today. My valid excuse: the scooter is broken and the taxi service people kept hanging up on me...rude. So I had to call a bunch of people and get a hold of a native Chinese speaker: our coordinator, Kelly, my savior. This is is the only time I've been late - I'm usually half an hour early - but of course, it's a Tuesday and being late was not really the best course of action. On Tuesdays I have to present the weekly English phrase to the entire student body. Generally speaking, I stand sweating in the sun with a microphone while I get 200+ kids to repeat a few sentences and my co-teacher Stacia explains them (in those moments, I really miss the air conditioned auditorium where my high school's assemblies were held).

Honestly, while it's occurring, I'm a bit skeptical of how useful this activity is - I can hardly focus on the task at hand because of 1). the heat, 2) the sun blazing into my eyes and 3). the immense crowd of kids. However, all throughout the day, I hear kids using the sentences - correctly. So...I guess it works and I just need to suck it up for the time being. Today's sentence was "Are you okay?" and "Yes, thank you," or "No." Stacia had a student with a broken arm so we could properly demonstrate this. Poor boy had to say no.

Today, I had three classes with the 4th graders and Stacia. We normally have two breaks in between these classes, but today, instead, was an earthquake drill. The drill started and suddenly kids were putting on their little hats and diving underneath their desks. Stacia motioned towards the lights, indicating I should turn them off and get under one of the desks. A minute later, and the kids were lining up outside and heading towards a field, away from the buildings.

Then, during the second break, there were mice. Cute adorable little mice.

First Day of School

Okay, technically, today is the second day. Yesterday was my first day at Guting. But yesterday I didn't get to teach (I mostly sat at my desk using a really slow computer to look up Christmas carols for the Christmas performances that I'm supposed to get started on now...obviously a big thing here). Today I did! I had three fourth grade classes that I co-taught with my LET (Local English Teacher), Stacia. And I realized that my picture is on a board outside, next to all the other photos. Official faculty member! I feel old...maybe also because I'm turning 22 tomorrow!

 

 

Honeymoon Beach

We (Guorong) went to Honeymoon Beach last weekend. No one was swimming - all were surfing. Next time we go, I'm renting a board so I can learn how to surf. Just being in the water for that day was such a relief. I don't think I ever want to live away from a coastline...

Visiting Prospective Schools

We started visiting schools today. We eventually have to choose which school we'd prefer to teach at and (hopefully) get placed there for the year. Two of the schools we visited were here in Yilan and the other two were fairly far away, in Nanao county. The two schools in Nanao had aboriginal students, some of whom performed a song and dance for us:

Creating a Routine

This morning the rain let up so I went looking for a place that would be good for running. There's a track a couple blocks away, but the gate was locked. Two women were running along it though, so I figured there had to be a way in. In the process of circling the block, I came across a path alongside what I think is the Lanyang River. From there, I could see the hills rising all alongside the city and the river. In addition, beneath the path there were crops growing in the muddy shores of the river. I think I found the place for my morning runs.

I love this process of discovering new places and creating a routine in them. I might only be in this apartment for a month (we're assigned schools at the end of the month, and, if we aren't already in the apartment closest to our school, we have to move), but I might as well get comfortable in the meantime. The first photo is of the street the apartment is on, and the second is of the apartment itself. The rest are from my run along the river.

Finally, Taiwan!

It's 6:00 AM and there's a typhoon roaring outside. The fulbright schedule for the day has been canceled due to the weather, but I'm perfectly happy to have an extra day to rest up, even if that means being stuck indoors. Yesterday was a long day: I flew from San Francisco to Taipei on a thirteen hour flight and spent most of the subsequent hours talking to the other Fulbright ETAs, learning more about what to expect for the next year from the coordinators, moving into an apartment, and having a rush shopping spree so that the other ETAS and I could have some sheets, food, and water before the storm became worse. Whewww.

On the ride from the Taipei airport to Yilan city, we drove over (and under) some amazing hills. I loved that the road we were on did not twist and turn around the hills (thus inducing unpleasant nausea). Instead it rose over (or under) the hills, so there were some wonderful views.

 

My Thomas the train engine blanket is awesome ;-D