It's been 75 and sunny in Yilan for the past two days! Finally clothes can dry a little faster, cuts can heal a little sooner (a rupture on my foot has been festering for the past two weeks due to humidity) and I can ride my bike to school!

Oh, those gears.

Now, you might say that this ride isn't as flashy as my super cool scooter (see picture below... it's currently lacking the mitts which were put on for the cold rain), but I say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And I've developed a slight crush on my bicycle. Maybe it's because it allows me to see the sights of Yilan a little slower than I would on my scooter. I'm able to notice more, to really take in the sights around me. It's about a 40 minute bike ride to my school each way, and it really allows me to take in the beauty of my surroundings, and sometimes the humor in them...

The legendary PPO (name taken from license plate)

Green onions growing on the way to school.

Rice paddy houses.


Why let the 7s and 11s have all the fun?

With the good weather/Spring comes the Springtime fruit. Including, but definitely not limited to, watermelon. Now, the abundance of fruit in Taiwan is something that I know I will definitely miss. Not only are you able to buy the fruit in ubiquitous fruit stands, you can also purchase the said fruit juiced, at shops virtually every few kilometers, for about the equivalent of an American dollar (or less).

I've got a loverly bunch of... watermelons.

How to keep your pet pig in its cage OR where to store your cut watermelon?


My watermelon juice is taking over Yilan.


Enjoying my juice on my balcony.

Last Sunday was Mother's Day, as I'm sure everyone knows. I was called on, as the resident foreigner, to teach about the holiday. Sometimes, through out the year, I've been asked to teach about holidays that they don't have/aren't as common in Taiwan (Thanksgiving, for example). However, they have Mother's Day in Taiwan, on the same day and everything, so this was more of a "how do you say things in English that the students already know about?" The two holidays prior (Easter and St. Patrick's Day) were a little more interesting...

The 1st-3rd grade Easter egg hunt.

Even the older students were into the hunt. All day, they would come to the English classroom asking for more eggs...


TWO eggs? So lucky.

It's hard being short when eggs are in trees...

1st graders with their eggs after the hunt.

Popular things to wish for if the student was to find a four leaf clover: perfect score on tests, parent to come home, good health for family members, wii/psp/gameboys (why limit it to a pot of gold?)


A comet? Now, that's thinking outside the box...


Wishing to go to the USA


Magic powers

Next up is Dragon Boat Festival (June 8), which I know (next to) nothing about, so I guess I should do a little research before I'm expected to teach it...