Weekend In Kenting

A picture from the bluffs about 25 kilometers up the coast from Kenting

Flowers on the beach

A little resort town near Sail Rock

I'm a happy man. Relying on buses, taxis, and my bicycle for a year it was great to have my own motorized transportation.

Sail Rock

Me and Peter Ferguson on the bluffs. Like me, Peter is a teacher working for the Taiwan Ministry of Education but he lives in Hengchung (a city near Kenting). He and his girlfriend were nice enough to let me sleep in their spare bedroom. I've learned a lot about gestures over the years. Brits would be offended by this gesture.

A gang of English teachers taking over a breakfast shop on Sunday morning. One of Peter's students wanted to get in the picture too. Our Taiwanese director and her niece are sitting at the back of the table.

Peter, Andrea (Peter's girlfriend), and me giving the obligatory Taiwanese 'V' gesture. In Taiwan it's not a gesture for 'peace' but seen as making a 'Y' as in "Oh, yeah!"

How To Fight A Snake?

So, as you know from previous posts, there is a strong drinking culture in Taiwan. Occasionally, I have lunch with teachers, retired teachers, and other members of the community. A retired teacher is very fond of making me 'gambei', or finish my drink (that's why they drink beer out of shot glasses). In my circle of Taiwanese teachers he is known as the snake teacher. He is a small dragon, if you will, as he has influence and likes to assert his power when drinking. Well, I told a Taiwanese friend about my situation and she told me to 'gambei' him first and then 'gambei' him again and, just to make sure, hit him with a third to make sure he knows you're not playing. Well, last time we had lunch I tried it. He eyes were open with amazement when I hit him with the first 'gambei'. The second one he gave me a thumbs up. When I hit him with the third 'gambei' he waved me off. So, how do you fight a snake? You bite the snake first.

The Earthquake Truck Comes To Wuchi

So, I came to school the other day to find all the students crowded around the front steps and smiling broadly at a truck shaking in the parking lot. The earthquake truck made a visit to Wuchi. It's a small box truck that opens on one side with a mock room setup inside. The small room has a table and chairs and a small screen on the wall that tells you how hard you're shaking (it doesn't shake above 6.0 which is fine). There's room for about 5 to 7 people and then they make the room shake. Well, the students were having a great time. I mean, it was like an amusement ride, and they were getting out of class so you can understand their excitement. Now, I'm all for a little fun, but the educational value escaped me. I've lived in Taiwan for 9 months and been through 2 big and several small earthquakes. Why do you need a truck to shake you around? Just wait a few months and you'll feel the real thing.