Well, I'm certainly nearing the end of my stay in Taiwan. I leave 2 weeks from today, which I can't believe. It's amazing how these 10 months have passed by. Needless to say, I feel like a lot of reflection/remembering will be going on in the next two weeks. Maybe some of it will make it on to this blog.

I've been trying to travel a little more this semester (maybe you've noticed), and have had some great successes. Not only was it great having Ben know all about Taiwan and traveling around the island with him, Katie (my housemate) and I went on some international trips, as well. The biggest one being to Singapore a few weeks ago.

On our way!

Blurry (Hey, it was early!), but excited!

After leaving the house at 4am, we arrived in Singapore (with a short stop in Hong Kong) on Thursday afternoon. We took the rest of the afternoon and evening to explore the area around our hostel (which was great! If anyone ever goes to Singapore, ask me about where we stayed. Best hostel ever!) and finding dinner. The next day we set out to Chinatown (wait... don't we live in "China"town?) and Little India, walking the same number of hours that we had slept the night before. And let me tell you, it is mightly hot in Singapore. Heat + walking = exhaustion.

Buildings around our hostel.

The oldest, largest temple in Singapore- down the street from our hostel.


Come to Singapore, find Taiwanese food.

In Chinatown, we saw a Hindu Temple (I didn't take any pictures of the inside, so you'll have to make do with picutres of the roof), and managed to get there just in time for their noon service. I'm not sure really what was going on, but there were lots of drums and noise and people following around a man who was holding something on his head. There was also some flower throwing and singing, I believe. It definitely was the first time I've ever seen anything like that, and it was incredible.

Top of the temple.

Next up, we went to the Buddah's Tooth Relic (which we didn't actually see, since the tooth relic display was closed when we were there). While we missed the relic, we DID see the amazing roof, which had an orchid garden, a massive prayer wheel and 10,000 tiny Buddahs! I think that was my favorite part about the relic temple.

Tiny Buddahs

Each one was so small!

We also had lunch in a Hawker center, which is basically a big, open air food court. But the one we went to was HUGE and had tons of cheap, different kinds of food. AND! I got to have soy milk with the tapioca pearls (珍珠: zhen zhu), which usually come in the milk tea (珍珠奶茶: zhen zhu nai cha) here. However, since I don't drink milk, I've missed out on milk tea with bubbles. But not in Singapore! My favorite find: Mr. Bean. This shop supplied me with all the soy milk bubble tea and soy ice cream that my little heart had been missing. Singapore rocks!

Mr. Bean!

The henna art that I got in Little India.

2 people, 4 meals

Anyway, that night we had a massive dinner in an Indian vegetarian place, and went to bed early. The next day (Saturday), we went to the Colonial district, and hit up the Asian Civilizations Museum (One cool part: leaves that had had their "flesh" stripped away, so all that was left were the delicate skeletal strands holding them together. Then, the artist had painted, in gold, quotes from the Quran. Beautiful.) and then headed over to the Battle Box. This was the underground command centre of the British Malaya Command Headquarters during World War II. It's also where the decision to surrender to the Japanese on February 15, 1942. We walked through the Battle Box (which is built into the side of a hill) and got to listen to conversations that had been taped, and see these life-size dummies act out what happened during that time period. Despite the fact that our guide was rushing us slightly, it was really cool to see the actual structure and find out more about how the decision to surrender had been made.

Playing dress-up at the museum.

Singapore in the background.


Replica of the flag used to surrender to the Japanese.

After a late lunch, we walked down Orchard Road (huge shopping street) and headed to the Raffles hotel, which is a famous 19th century hotel. It was "the retreat and source of inspiration for many writers and movie stars, including Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad and Charlie Chaplin." It also was the birthplace of the drink, the "Singapore Sling," which we enjoyed out the porch overlooking Orchard Road. Most expensive drink I've ever had, but also one of the best experiences. We finished up our posh evening at a tapas restaurant.

The Raffles Hotel

Posing with the sign.

Our final hot day in Singapore, we walked over to the Fountain of Wealth, which is the largest fountain in the world. Supposedly, if you walk around it 3 times clockwise, you get good luck. So we DEFINITELY did that. While the fountain was big, it wasn't a very impressive sight. Apparently it's all lit up at night. Oh well.

Fountain of Wealth!

After the fountain, we walked BACK down Orchard Road and caught a bus to the National Orchid Garden. My favorite part: The section devoted to celebrities who had visited. Princess Diana and Jackie Chan, I can understand. But Ricky Martin?

Ricky Martin orchid.

Pretty orchids.

More prettiness.

We hurried back to our hostel to catch the shuttle to the Night Safari. Everyone said we should go on it. It WAS pretty cool- I definitely saw some animals that I've never seen before (and some were REALLY close to the little tram we were riding around on), but sometimes it felt like we were just at the zoo at night. And there were a ton of people. Still, a good experience, and I'm glad I went.

We came back to Taiwan on Monday, after an incredible trip. And now, since this post is already crazy long, I'll save the other travels to another post (in the near near future). Next up: "Travels to Tainan" and "How We Almost Went to Hong Kong."

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...

Going to Singapore May 15-May 19! Let's hear it for last minute plans!

The plum rains (梅雨) have started here in taiwan, named such because is when the plums begin to ripen. What it really means, though, is the return of downpours. All day rain with no way to stay dry. Luckily we've had a fair amount of sun/dry weather recently, so the memory of what it's like is not too far buried in our minds.

This past weekend, Ben and I took advantage of the sun and drove from taipei down to yilan on the coastal highway. I'm incredibly glad we decided to do this on a sunny weekend, because, while the scenery would have been amazing even if it was a gray, having nice weather definitely made it nicer. We stopped in Yehliu (among other places) and saw rocks that have been carved and warped into different shapes by sea erosion, including one that supposedly looks like a queen's head (although, we decided that many of them could have symbolized other things if you looked from a certain angle). It looked like Dr. Seuss land, or perhaps the roof of the Gaudi house in Barcelona (random sculptures sticking out of the ground). The contrast of these rocks against the blue of the ocean was surreal. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of it, but i included one that I found online, just to give you a sense.

Dr. Seuss Land- Yehliu

So we're into may. I finished my work at my co-school, which was an interesting experience. I loved the students, and it was good working in a different school environment. It was very different from my little laid back Jhong-Sing. Maybe it's just due to the fact that it's a bigger school, or perhaps it's just the dynamics of the faculty. My time there wasn't as hands on as I was hoping, but I did get to do story time on a regular basis (which on occasion was continued during class time).

The see-saw is just way too much fun.

If I played favorites, she would be my favorite. But since I don't, she's just a really cute kid.

We all know whose mom let him dress himself today...

One of the stories I read to the 4th grade was called "Willie the Dreamer," which was a great picture book illustrating Willie (a monkey, which all the students loved), dreaming of all the things he could possibly be. The activity that went along with the story was the students drawing, and writing (preferably in English), what their dream was for when they grew up. The 4th graders struggled a bit with this, often resorting to "I don't knooooow what I want to be." But I repeated the activity with the 1st-3rd grade, and got some great answers. Some of which included: "ice cream man," "a good mom," "an elevator operator," "a dangerous robber," and "vice-president," among many teachers, police, singers and chefs. The best was when the tiniest 1st grader wanted to be a basketball player, and Tracey (my co-teacher) said: "Well, that's why they call it a dream."

"Miss Kate-uh... I haaaaave noooo dreams!"

Future vice-president.

Future ice cream man.

Future basketball player?

Two Saturdays ago was Jhong-Sing sports day, which I was invited to attend. From what I understand, sports days can include a number of things: performances, sporting events, competitions. Mine was fairly low-key. The students all did a dance, awarded teachers with various thank-you gifts, ran some races, did some relays, generally had a good time. They also got off of school on Monday (which many of the students told me they were really happy about), but since I was still teaching at Tong-Le at that time, I didn't get to partake in the day off.

My students weren't too happy that they learned this dance to do it one time. I, however, loved the dance, and have requested they teach it to me. I have the CD of the music and everything.

Relay race

Me with 5B.

May is busy. Tons of friends/family visiting my friends, and I feel like this month is going to slip by faster than I know. Katie (my housemate) and I are going to travel to Singapore in the middle of the month, and I'm going to attempt to see some Vassar friends in Hong Kong in June. My return to the US is scheduled for June 29, which seems to be approaching super quickly.

Turtle stack in the Luodong Sports Park.

Lantern festival fireworks

It occurred to me today, as I was buttoning up my ankle-length scooter raincoat, after eating a breakfast of fishball and noodle soup with a drink of warm soy milk, that it's been awhile since I've written about life here. So, here I sit on my bed, watching the rains that they promised would come in April, eating my new favorite fruit (sweetsop, or as it's translated in Chinese "Buddah's head"), attempting to describe how my life somehow transitioned from "still working on it" to "comfortable" in a matter of a month or so.

Raining lights

The Chinese new year came and went, culminating with the brilliant lantern festival on the 15th day of the new year. While I opted out of the event where fireworks were shot at you (braver individuals of my friend group chose otherwise), the festivities were still amazing. My close friends and I went to a local elementary school to watch a brilliant firework show, wander around huge lanterns shaped as rats (or mice- the year of the rat apparently also includes Mickey Mouse), and sent lanterns up into the air with wishes. These lanterns were huge- you purchased one and then wrote wishes on them, with the hopes that the wishes will reach the heavens. They were then lit from underneath and sent up into the sky. It was absolutely incredible, and watching our lantern float off into the sky is something I know I'll never forget.

Even bunnies like sparklers

Jeannie writing her wish

Steven lighting the lantern

You have to hold it on the ground to let it fill up with hot air before you can release it.

Some of our wishes

About to be released...

Another lantern being let go

When they were filled, the lanterns were really quite big. You can sort of see the size difference compared to this person... or maybe it was just a smaller person...

Up into the air

The death of a lantern

One of my Chinese new year resolutions (although not inscribed on the lantern) was to travel more, both around Taiwan and around Asia. I realize that time is rapidly slipping from my fingers (my return trip looks to be on June 29), and that I need to take every opportunity I can get. Jenny, Jeannie, Katie and I went to Taroko Gorge for an evening. The gorge is in a huge National park, complete with jade and marble. It was an amazing trip. In addition to the paved "hike" that the tour busses brought the masses, we went on another hike that lead us to a water fall curtain (imagine going into a cave with water raining down on you, barefoot and relying on a flashlight to make sure you don't slip into the "creek" below). Despite the fact that we only spent one night there, it was a great vacation.

First view of the gorge

The paved path

Suspension bridges!

Careful for killer bees! "Be careful" in Chinese is 小心 (xiao xin) or "small heart." Still trying to figure out how that translates to "caution"...

Hiking in the sun makes us happy

More traveling is in store. Confidence has been built since a scooter trip to Taipei, and Katie and I have been looking into some smaller trips around here. We're also thinking about venturing to Shanghai in May...

With the April rains also comes a change of scenery. In March, we began working at a co-school, splitting the week in half: 2 days in our main school, 2 days in our co-school. April is devoted completely to our co-school, and then we're back to the main school for May and June. I'm working at Tong-Le, which actually was a main school last year. My co-teacher's English is incredible, and I'm really getting to love the kids. It's taking some time to adjust to a new school- it's much bigger (ok, comparably...) to Jhongsing (my main school), and sometimes the unfamiliarity is a little overwhelming. But I'm really loving the newness and getting to work with new students- especially getting to work with 4th graders, which I don't do at Jhongsing.

Speaking of 4th graders, as some of you may know, I've accepted a job offer at Collegiate School as a 4th grade assistant teacher for the upcoming school year. I'm working with a teacher who I met last year, and I'm really excited to be in the school, and especially with her. So (although it wasn't really a question before), I'll definitely be moving to New York to work and start on my masters. Something to definitely look forward to.

This coming weekend is Tomb Sweeping Festival, which is more of a family festival. We're not doing anything for it, except getting off from school on Friday. Some of us were thinking of heading down to Kenting to attend a music festival, but it sort of fell through. I'm looking forward to being around here a little, though. Perhaps attempting some spring cleaning...

Got 2 email responses back from schools that I mailed my cover letter and resume to. Time to start planning the next year for real? Scary.

And for your viewing pleasure: me with one of the 小 babies at the orphanage where Katie and I volunteer: