Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
(NOTE: This blog post was started a month ago, which was probably a good thing, since, if I sat down to write it all down now, I'd most likely forget parts of it. So, basically, while it appears that I've slacked tremendously when it comes to posting, I've really just slacked when it comes to pressing "publish post.")
Awhile ago, I went with my host family on a road trip. I was asked to accompany them to Nantou to visit their new baby nephew. After being told it was only a 3 hour car ride, I gladly agreed. After all, it's warmer in the south, and any place has to be less rainy than Yilan.
3 hours was actually 6 hours. In a car. With a 6-year-old. But the thrill of going on a road trip overshadowed the hours of playing "Pokemon" (Dale put down a card, Cliff put down a card, I put down a card, then Cliff would pick up all three and give them to me. I think I won, in the end), and watching Cliff rip up a Bo, Po, Mo, Fo book. We stopped at a rest stop about 2 1/2 hours into the trip, and aside from the fact that it was much cleaner than the rest stops I've been too (and the majority of the population was clearly... um... Asian, obviously), it felt like I could have been driving back up to school. I liked that feeling- something so familiar like driving on the highway, but in a place that's still so new.
Cliff, my host brother, taking a rest. Something which was done fairly infrequently.
Anyway, we went first to Taizhong, which was where Kendra's (my host mom) brother and sister-in-law are currently residing, since Kendra's sister-in-law just gave birth. It really only took 4 hours to get there- better than the full 6. When we arrived, we had lunch in the little area near the university there, and then walked around the BEAUTIFUL university campus. I felt like I was visiting colleges again- if I was basing where I went on it's location, I would have totally gone there. There's even a famous church on the campus, known for it's unique architecture.
While we rested in the shade of the church, waiting for Kendra's brother, sister-in-law, and daughter to arrive (the new baby was in the care center- more to come on that), we played baseball with Cliff. Which gave Kendra the idea that me and Dale would be excellent at the batting cage later that afternoon.
Following the trip to the University, we headed to the Month Long Rest Home that the sister-in-law was staying in. Usually, after a mother gives birth, her mother-in-law helps take care of the mother and the new baby. The goal is to nurse the mother back to strength, and allow her to gain her health back after putting her body through the stress of childbirth. There are strict guidelines as to what the mother should eat and behave (for example, she shouldn't wash her own hair, as the water could carry disease). While some of the suggestions seem slightly antiquated, overall, the process makes sense. The mother needs to be healthy and strong to take care of the new baby, and really, it is easier to get to that point when you have someone else to help you.
However, Kendra's brother and sister-in-law already have a small daughter, so her mother-in-law was helping with the first child, rather than taking care of mom and the new baby. This clearly is common, as there are multiple Month Long Rest Homes located near the hospitals. For 3000NT a day (less than $100), the mother can be nursed back to health by a full staff of nurses, provided with complete baby care. Need you fear that the exhausted mother might not have all of the luxuries home would provide, the rooms come with a bathroom, internet, and a TV. Thinking about the fact that you get medical help, personal help, and the comfort of being with other mothers who have just given birth too, makes me wonder why there aren't more of these facsilities around the world. Is it just that the tradition of helping out the mother isn't as prominent in other cultures? Maybe that would explain the increase in postpartum depression...
Sign outside of the rest home. Photo courtesy of Dale.
Anyway, I digress. Following visiting the baby in the home (SO cute, SO little), we headed to the batting cages. Reminding myself that, although I hadn't hit a ball since I was...um... 12, it's all muscle memory, we headed in. Not only were there batting cages (I stuck with softball, Dale ventured to faster areas), but other arcade-esque games. A few hours there, some sore muscles later, we headed to Nantou, where we would be spending the night in the house which was normally occupied by Kendra's brother. Now, however, Kendra's mother and father are staying there.
After a HUGE dinner at a hot pot restaurant (another thing that I wonder why it hasn't hit in the states...), we spent the night. Early the next morning (earlier for some- Dale and Kendra's father went to photograph the sunrise), we headed for Sun Moon Lake, the largest man-made lake in Taiwan. It was beautiful, but as Kendra pointed out, sometimes things are prettier from further away. When you get close, while the mountains surrounding it are still spectacular, you can see how the lake is slowly being polluted.
Temple at Sun Moon Lake
These golden balls had prayers written on the bottom. The temple was covered in them.
Sun Moon Lake from a distance
Me at the lake. Photo courtesy of Dale.
The rest of the trip was devoted to exploring some Aboriginal villages and seeing some (semi-tourist-y) performances, but they still helped to further distinguish certain groups from others. It was interesting to see the traditional song and dance that this particular group performed.
Name of one of the Aboriginal groups. The owl symbolizes fertility for the community.
These long poles were banged against a metal disk in the ground in a series of patterns to make a song.
Thanksgiving came and went, with both a large-scaled event in Taipei hosted by the American Institute in Taiwan, and a smaller, but no less grand, potluck celebration in Luodong. I realized how thankful I am to be here with similar-minded people, all working, struggling and realizing the joys together. It would be hard to be here alone.
It's amazing realizing how quickly time is passing. I never realized how soon Christmas is after Thanksgiving! I'm struggling with teaching my students about Christmas, I always want everything to have an objective and purpose; sometimes teaching them how to make little sleds out of paper for no apparent reason drives me a crazy. Overall, though, things are going well. The rain is back and forth, sometimes falling for 8 days straight, sometimes (luckily) never appearing. The weather hasn't helped my immune system, of course, and despite the fact that I got a flu shot at the beginning of the year (the only time I've ever been handed the little vile of vaccination and instructed to take it down the hall to the lady who will inject it into me), I've been battling colds and viruses for awhile. I'm making a trip to see the Chinese medicine doctor tomorrow, so hopefully the clinic can give me something...
Awhile ago, I went with my host family on a road trip. I was asked to accompany them to Nantou to visit their new baby nephew. After being told it was only a 3 hour car ride, I gladly agreed. After all, it's warmer in the south, and any place has to be less rainy than Yilan.
3 hours was actually 6 hours. In a car. With a 6-year-old. But the thrill of going on a road trip overshadowed the hours of playing "Pokemon" (Dale put down a card, Cliff put down a card, I put down a card, then Cliff would pick up all three and give them to me. I think I won, in the end), and watching Cliff rip up a Bo, Po, Mo, Fo book. We stopped at a rest stop about 2 1/2 hours into the trip, and aside from the fact that it was much cleaner than the rest stops I've been too (and the majority of the population was clearly... um... Asian, obviously), it felt like I could have been driving back up to school. I liked that feeling- something so familiar like driving on the highway, but in a place that's still so new.
Cliff, my host brother, taking a rest. Something which was done fairly infrequently.Anyway, we went first to Taizhong, which was where Kendra's (my host mom) brother and sister-in-law are currently residing, since Kendra's sister-in-law just gave birth. It really only took 4 hours to get there- better than the full 6. When we arrived, we had lunch in the little area near the university there, and then walked around the BEAUTIFUL university campus. I felt like I was visiting colleges again- if I was basing where I went on it's location, I would have totally gone there. There's even a famous church on the campus, known for it's unique architecture.
While we rested in the shade of the church, waiting for Kendra's brother, sister-in-law, and daughter to arrive (the new baby was in the care center- more to come on that), we played baseball with Cliff. Which gave Kendra the idea that me and Dale would be excellent at the batting cage later that afternoon.
Following the trip to the University, we headed to the Month Long Rest Home that the sister-in-law was staying in. Usually, after a mother gives birth, her mother-in-law helps take care of the mother and the new baby. The goal is to nurse the mother back to strength, and allow her to gain her health back after putting her body through the stress of childbirth. There are strict guidelines as to what the mother should eat and behave (for example, she shouldn't wash her own hair, as the water could carry disease). While some of the suggestions seem slightly antiquated, overall, the process makes sense. The mother needs to be healthy and strong to take care of the new baby, and really, it is easier to get to that point when you have someone else to help you.
However, Kendra's brother and sister-in-law already have a small daughter, so her mother-in-law was helping with the first child, rather than taking care of mom and the new baby. This clearly is common, as there are multiple Month Long Rest Homes located near the hospitals. For 3000NT a day (less than $100), the mother can be nursed back to health by a full staff of nurses, provided with complete baby care. Need you fear that the exhausted mother might not have all of the luxuries home would provide, the rooms come with a bathroom, internet, and a TV. Thinking about the fact that you get medical help, personal help, and the comfort of being with other mothers who have just given birth too, makes me wonder why there aren't more of these facsilities around the world. Is it just that the tradition of helping out the mother isn't as prominent in other cultures? Maybe that would explain the increase in postpartum depression...
Sign outside of the rest home. Photo courtesy of Dale.
After a HUGE dinner at a hot pot restaurant (another thing that I wonder why it hasn't hit in the states...), we spent the night. Early the next morning (earlier for some- Dale and Kendra's father went to photograph the sunrise), we headed for Sun Moon Lake, the largest man-made lake in Taiwan. It was beautiful, but as Kendra pointed out, sometimes things are prettier from further away. When you get close, while the mountains surrounding it are still spectacular, you can see how the lake is slowly being polluted.
Temple at Sun Moon Lake
These golden balls had prayers written on the bottom. The temple was covered in them.
Sun Moon Lake from a distance
Me at the lake. Photo courtesy of Dale.
Name of one of the Aboriginal groups. The owl symbolizes fertility for the community.
These long poles were banged against a metal disk in the ground in a series of patterns to make a song.It's amazing realizing how quickly time is passing. I never realized how soon Christmas is after Thanksgiving! I'm struggling with teaching my students about Christmas, I always want everything to have an objective and purpose; sometimes teaching them how to make little sleds out of paper for no apparent reason drives me a crazy. Overall, though, things are going well. The rain is back and forth, sometimes falling for 8 days straight, sometimes (luckily) never appearing. The weather hasn't helped my immune system, of course, and despite the fact that I got a flu shot at the beginning of the year (the only time I've ever been handed the little vile of vaccination and instructed to take it down the hall to the lady who will inject it into me), I've been battling colds and viruses for awhile. I'm making a trip to see the Chinese medicine doctor tomorrow, so hopefully the clinic can give me something...
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