Typhoon Benefit Concert In Wuci

I went to a typhoon benefit concert in Wuci. I wish I had my camera when the full band was playing "I Love You Baby". You can get a sense of the size of the town from the crowd. I've already met the guy in the wheelchair. A nice guy who speaks good English and sells lottery cards outside the bank. His name is Lloyd. I had to dig deep to give some money to the box as I'm counting down the days until I get paid. I will be scraping the next couple of days, but at least I know I have something coming. The people who had their lives messed up by the typhoon can't say the same.

ARC, Chinese Name, And A Taiwan Bank Account

I have my Alien Resident Card (the ongoing joke is that I always suspected I was an alien but now I have a card to prove it), a Chinese name (engraved on a wooded stamp), and a bank account. It should all be downhill from here (in my dreams). The wooden stamp will be used to endorse checks or sign other documents. The proper pronunciation is Tah-Mah-Shur. My new Taiwanese bank account is at the Post Office. My paycheck is deposited directly into my account. The Post Office provides many services and products besides checking/savings accounts and mail. Here is a list: toys, heath and beauty products, train tickets, freeway toll tickets, anti-tuberculosis certifications, revenue stamps, auto and motorcycle insurance premiums, mutual funds, civil service exams, and gold/silver coins. I will still need to wire money to my US bank account to pay bills in the United States, but it turns out the Post Office has a discounted wiring agreement with my bank (yes!). Oh, and the Post Office also has a website in English (oh, yeah! :)

Loneliness And A Loss For Words

I struggle with bouts of loneliness from time to time. And this is coming from a person who has spent a lot of time in the wilderness alone, making art alone, biking alone, and living alone. I have a vivid imagination and I'm nice to myself, so I'm good company. Anyway, I have some Taiwanese teachers that invite me to badminton or some cycling, but it's not quite the same. Taiwanese people are very friendly, but they are cautious of making friends. The Taiwanese teachers are really just being friendly and trying to make me feel comfortable. I wouldn't call them 'friends' as most people would think about it (and I don't think they would call me a friend either). I've heard several Taiwanese people say that it can take several months of knowing a Taiwanese person before they will become your friend. A young student I struck up a conversation with at the bus stop last weekend told me how much he liked visiting the U.S. because people like to make friends. I'm not sure if Americans are any less cautious about making friends, but I still thought it was a nice thing to say. In any case, the other day I was riding the rusty bun buster along the coast. Or, at least, near the coast as the port has the best real estate in the area. On my way back, I stopped at a light and there was a foreigner waiting on his bike at the light too. Foreigners are rare, even in Taipei, so to see one at a light out in the sticks...well, I think we both had looks of wonder on our faces. We ended up talking for 30 or 40 minutes on the side of the road. He was a teacher at HESS (the largest private school system in the country) in a town nearby. We talked about culture shock, Taichung, our schools, what we did in the US, how we came to be in Taiwan, etc, etc, etc. I had read of this blabbering with foreigners on forums and blogs and such before I left, but it was strange to be living it. I found myself searching for words often...I haven't had much practice speaking English lately. What a strange feeling. In any case, it looks like I have a drinking buddy. He's been Taiwan for seven months already so he knows a few expat hangouts in Taichung. But, in the meantime, I go to the park and play my guitar and let the mosquitoes have at me. Playing music saves me for sure, but it's better being alone in the park than being lonely in the apartment for some reason. I think I'm hoping to run into more foreigners, or maybe just watching people helps. You gotta find the things that work for you.

Daan Forest Park in Taipei (Orientation) & Language

These photos were taken at Daan Forest Park near my hotel in Taipei. The first two weeks we had an orientation at the Howard Hotel with Taiwanese teachers. We learned about the structure of schools, lesson planning, culture, language (Ni Hao 'Hello', Xie Xie 'Thank you', Ang Jing! 'Sit Down-Be Quiet', Wo shi laoshir 'I am a teacher'). Chinese is easy in that there are no verb tenses, but it is hard in that there are four tones. So, 'I eat dumplings' becomes 'I eat shit' if you use the wrong tone. Makes you want to go out and practice your Chinese doesn't it? Actually, Taiwanese people are very receptive to foreigners who try to speak their language (unlike some European countries I've visited). And, you can get by with simple English and gestures in a pinch.


I think it's Buddha, but I'm not sure.
There was an old woman walking around
the statue and praying. She gave me
the happiest smile of anyone in the
park that day.
These are wooden sculptures.
They seem very American to me.
Almost like settlers heading out for
the new West.

Some kind of concert in the park.
They were video cameras and
an attractive woman (host) introducing
each song.



The lagoon in the middle of the park.
The park is quite large.

Food and Drink and Gifts (Fat Ants Likes Sports)

"Fat Ants Likes Sports"-
Well, of course they do. This has
a lot of irony for me because there
are tiny ants that will find any
crumb or open trash bin within
a day. Welcome to a tropical
climate.
This was a gift from the director
for teacher affairs. The water
bottle is designed to make tea.
Notice the hanging strainer at
the top.

More gifts from the director. These are green tea crackers. Good stuff.

This stuff is a little expensive, but it's good.

I have one almost every morning, but

I may have to switch to tea or start brewing

my own coffee.

This is a sandwich from the Bread Store

on the corner of my block. Egg, ham,

lettuce and corn with mayonaise. They also

have something that looks like pizza, but it

is made on regular sandwich bread. Good stuff

and not too expensive. This sandwich was

about 75 cents.

Wandering Around Taichung

My plan was to take the bus into Taichung and go to the Museum of Natural Science. It turned into a little adventure and hence the 'wandering around Taichung' bit. I rode my bike a short distance to Hwy 12 (the highway that goes into Taichung) and just started looking for bus stops. I found one and there was a woman waiting. How lucky for me! I asked, "Taichung?" She nodded and said, "Taichung." Perfect...this is going to be easy. The bus comes in about 5 minutes and soon I'm sitting in air conditioned comfort. It continues on the 12 for awhile and then makes a short detour to the airport. We pick up a few passengers, but I notice a young man with an Army T-shirt on. He's certainly Taiwanese, but I wonder if he's an American or at least been educated in America. He sits behind me and after some time he asks where I'm going (I've been paging through my Lonely Planet guide book). "I'm going to the Museum of Natural Science," I reply. This is too much for him to process so I point to the list of landmarks in the book that have the Chinese characters too. He nods, "Oh, that's nice." He tells me the word for museum, but I can't remember it now. He's an engineer coming back from the south part of the island. He's been fixing wind generators damaged by the typhoon. He says things are messed up in the south. Some rail lines are still out and may be for several months. He says it's not a good time to tour the south part of the island. Anyway, he tells me the bus isn't going to the museum and suggests I stay on until it gets to the bus terminal. I can take another bus to the museum from there. "Well, where are we?" I ask. "We are here on Taya Road," he replies. It's only a half mile to the museum. I tell him I can get off and walk. "Oh no! That's too far! You should take another bus." I've noticed that the Taiwanese have a much different sense of distance than I do. I mean, it is hotter than hot and the humidity makes it feel like you've been dipped in glue, but a half mile...c'mon. I tell him thanks for the concern and get off the bus. Now, my years as a survival instructor kicks in. I check my little REI zipper-pull compass/thermometer (I don't really need the thermometer...I already know it's damn hot), and start heading west. Just like navigating canyons in Utah, I'm zigging and zagging and looking for landmarks or a railing. A railing is usually a river, canyon, or some other natural fixture that tends in one direction. I am surrounded by 'railings' as I have roads, but none that I've found on my map. I know if I keep heading west I'll hit Hwy 12 (the road where I boarded the bus) and then I'll have my railing. I eventually hit Hwy 12, now the question is which way do I go? The museum is close to the highway. I take a guess that I've come in south of the cross road I'm looking for so I head north-west. Well, to cut this short...I was wrong. Infact, I hit Hwy 12 about a block north of where I wanted to turn, but I walked about a mile in the wrong direction before realizing my mistake. But, I got some great pictures and I relearned an old lesson. Stop and turn around from time to time. I might have noticed the brown signs for the incoming city traffic that pointed the museum in the other direction. I guess they think if you're coming from the city you wouldn't need directions to the museum.




This is the greenhouse at the
Botanical Gardens from a
lookout on the edge
A waterfall and water 'path' in
the Botanical Gardens. They
really like water in Taiwan.


The Botanical Gardens from the
front with some kind a large
metal insect.



The atrium floor of the Museum
of Natural Science

The atrium floor of the Museum

of Natural Science from the

second floor

This is the 'science' walkway leading

to the Museum. Notice the water

trough complete with inlays of

water animals. Did I mention

the water fetish in Taiwan?

A fish pond on a street corner in

Taichung. Like I said, they like

water.

I could use the Chinese version

of this school.

What more do you need to know?

I don't know if this is a French cafe

or an American cafe.

The park and the local market

This is a statue of...well, I'm not sure. It looks like a cherub telling everyone to be quiet. It's on the edge of a small park at the end of my block. The local women do something like Jazzercise on the other end of the park on some evenings. The market is on the other side of this park, and my school is just beyond the market. It's nice to have a five minute walk to my school. This is the market when it is closed. Things get going early and the vendors are mostly closed by the late afternoon and evening. They stay around into the evening on Friday and Saturday.

The market is open in this picture. I had to wait for a few minutes to get a shot without a bunch of cars and scooters in the way. You can buy fruit, vegetables, meat, prepared foods, clothes, shoes, bedding, towels, and all kinds of things at this relatively small market.

Don't Think Too Much

I was talking with one of my cooperating Taiwanese English teachers today (as I will be teaching all the students in the school I have many cooperating teachers). We were talking about my classroom, lesson planning, and the students. Even though I'm not teaching yet I have been coming to school to research websites and familiarize myself with the textbooks that the Taiwanese English teachers will be using. I will be using the textbooks as an outline for my lesson plans. I want to reinforce the vocabulary, grammar, and structures that they will be learning in their regular English class. But, my lessons will need to stand alone and create their own progression and context. Anyway, we were talking about discipline and classroom management when the teacher said, "There are many cultures, but kids are kids."
"I know," I replied. "And the waiting is the hardest part. These past few weeks of planning and organizing have been hard for me because I think about things. I need to get in the classroom and do it."
She said with a smile, "Don't think too much. The students are very lucky to have you."

School for Native Americans?

This is an English school. They
are everywhere in Taiwan. I'm
not sure, but this looks like a
school for Native Americans. Take a
look at the ad to the left of the door. It says,
"US vigor breakfast & coffee/tea" and pictures
an egg and bacon sandwich. Can you feel the vigor?

This is a temple in Cengshuei, a town near Wuci This is another temple in the rice fields north of Wuci

Where I live and Wuci

This is Wuci from the north

This is the Port of Taichung obelisk

on the edge of Wuci

Rice fields with cargo cranes in

the distance

A typical street in Wuci. The

traffic is mellow in Wuci by most

standards in Taiwan, but the

sidewalks are still overrun with

mopeds, cars, and merchandise

from the stores. You end up

walking in the street a lot.

This is the apartment building where

I live. Soon I will have the fourth

floor apartment with the balcony.

For now, I have a one room apartment

that faces the atrium so no window to the outside.

The rusty bun buster

This is the free bicycle I got from the school. It's a bit weathered, but then again so am I. Teachers were amazed that I rode this bike to the nearby towns. It used to have gears, but now it is a single speed. The seat is rusted to lowest position, but the brakes work. The handlebars are adjustable with some force which is good since they get out of wack after a few curbs. Does it look too small?

The School

This is Wuci Junior High School. I will be teaching English speaking and listening to all the students in both grades. One grade one week, then the other grade the next. That means I will prepare one or two original lessons per week (one for regular students and one for advanced students). It will mean lots of repetition, but there will be time for songs and games.

This is the school motto:

Study

Neat

Lively

Polite

Introduction

I've been in Taiwan for about three weeks. Culture shock has been stressful for me as I have not slept well since I arrived in the country. But, the school and the teachers I will be working with have made the transition so much easier. People in Taiwan are very interested in foreigners and very willing to try to speak English. They are also very willing to hear a foreigner try to speak Mandarin. It is amazing how far a smile and a wave will get you in Taiwan. I should also mention that I am one of thirty teachers invited to teach in Taiwan public schools this year. Therefore, I feel very fortunate for the opportunity to be teaching in Taiwan's public schools. Aside, out of the thirty foreign teachers in Taiwan public schools I think about 10 of us are left handed. Lefties normally represent 10-15% of the population.