house, phone, scooter

People refer to apartments as houses here even though they're not what Americans would refer to as houses.

I got great first impression from the area around the MRT station. It felt like I was standing in a mini times square. All of the stores were huge and newer than Taipei City. There are tons of shopping and food places. I am floored by how easy convenient it is going to be to live here. I think people who have lived here for a while must take that for granted. The consider a 10 minute walk "far" because everything is in such close proximity and think its odd that you would have no problem walking 10-20 minutes to get somewhere.

Joyce and Aathena met us at the MRT station and we walked to our branch. On the way we passed Giordanos clothing stoer (which I first learned about in my Services Marketing class in Australia), Starbucks, McDonalds/KFC, bakeries, and tons of Chinese and Italian restuarants.Nearby there are wedding shops all in a row...I really can't escape it! haha. The staff at our branch treated Daniel and I so well; brining us iced fruit tea or milk tea when we arrived (it was one of the sunniest/hottest days so far).

There are only 4 NSTs including Daniel and I and more CTs (Chinese Teachers). One of the NSTs, Tara from Australia, went through training in May with my friend from Mechanicsburg, Stephen Downing. The CTs are in the room with some of the HLS (Hess Language School) classes. The only ones they're not in is the older kids 8-9 whose English is very good and may have been with Hess for a few years. I got to meet some of the kids at my branch and saw some classes in session. There is no Kindy at this branch, only HLS classes, so that is why I am at two branches.

I took my first scooter ride today! Riding on one made me feel a lot more confidant about getting one. Once I get settled, Joyce and Aethena will tell me where I can get a reasonably priced used one (the used ones run better and are cheaper!). I rode on the back of Joyce's scooter to get around while she and Aethena were showing Daniel and I apartments. I got to wear a pink helmet! I left my purse and camera at the branch though, so I don't have a picture.

I hadn't eaten anything all day, aside from the chocolate pastry I had when I woke up, so I was feeling really tired and needed to rest and eat. Joyce showed me a good "pasta restaurant" (Italian) and I had a huge bowl of spaghetti with chicken at a table for 1. It was nice to sit down and reflect all of the excitement and new experiences that had just occurred.

Random:
Josh from my training group lived in Pittsburgh before coming here and worked on the campaign with Rachel Heisler, someone who I went to CV with. Josh was also a student at Macquaire University in Sydney, the same school I studied at and know where each other live...the world gets smaller the further I travel.

Going that extra step

I've made it halfway through training...yay! Today we have the day off, and most of us have been contacted by our head NSTs to go look at apartments in our areas.

Hess really does go above and beyond what is necessary in a TEFL program. They let us finish training early yesterday, and ended it by giving us a handout titled, "A Nigh tOut in Taipei." They wanted us to have a good time and take a break that night to celebrate the halfway point and take advantage of our day off. The sections of the guide were for everyone: "I'm hungry" "Don't really wanna party but I wanna do something..." "Wouldn't mind some quiet drinks..." "I'd be happy with a pub scene" "Low end...almost dodgy, but fun with a big group)" "I feel like dancing - clubs! - mid range and higher end clubs."

A group of about 20 of us met in the lobby at 8pm and took taxis to the "Taiwan Beer Bar." It did not look like an American Brewery. It looked like a high end restaurant. Unfortunately, there was no space for a party of 20, so we walked to another recommended place, "The Brass Monkey" (it's name reminded me of "The Three Wise Monkeys" in Sydney). This place was more casual and seemed to be an Expat hot spot, although there were locals there too. It was complete with billiards, foosball table, and dance floor. Some of us ordered some American fare and they had a fully stocked bar. All of the wait staff spoke English, so it was an easy place to be. At around 11, some of us went to the MRT station to go to the Shin Lin night market.

This was my first night market experience, and I was in awe. Everyone comes out at night here. There are lights everywhere, food, and shopping galore. I don't even think I walked through one block because I stopped in just about every store. The shoe stores were amazing and the isles went on forever. The prices were less than what you would pay in the states...$40US for a pair of Pumas that might cost $90US, and there were the same type of asics, addidas, lacoste, nike, etc. This time last year I was working at the Footlocker Warehouse in Camp Hill and wanting the shoes I was repackaging...now I may be able to get those them after all. Other highlights were the Le Sport Sac stand (which Kellie, Colleen, and I discovered at Paddy's Market in Sydney), the largest perfume outlet I've ever seen, and all of the cute tops/dresses/shirts/shoes I could dream of. I also got some tasty treats. I'll post pictures later.


Our head NST is meeting Daniel, Mike, and I at the MRT station to show us apartments she's chosen for us.

Easier Day

Well we're pretty much learning how to teach every age of kids from age 2 to 16...all crammed into 10 days...crazy.

Today went fast because it was split into two parts: in the morning we rehearsed and did our demos and in the afternoon we had the usual classroom training. Since we could be at the training facility as early as 8, Jenny and I opted to skip breakfast in the hotel. Instead, we got OJ (for our colds) at 7-11 and rolls at a bakery on the way to training. I was feeling really crappy and had a lot of post-nasal drip and sore throat while sleeping....lovely. I popped some Tylenol Day before I left and drank a lot of fluids throughout the day.

I really like walking by the same stores, restaurants, and food vendors everyday because I get to see the same people during the walk to training standing outside their businesses. I'm sure they recognize the group of Westerners too. Hopefully I get to experience this when I'm at my branch as well. On the way home, we pass by the same black dog laying in the middle of the sidewalk. The dogs here are so calm. We also pass by a pet store on the way home and look in the window at the puppies and kitties everyday. On the first day, a puppy and kitty were both out of their cages on the floor looking at each other...I wish I had had my camera for that one.

I was trying to be calm, cool, and collected about our small group practice time so that I didn't get too nervous. I've gotten good at training myself to not be nervous (pre-xc races and performing in front of people as a comm major). Each small group was sent to a classroom and met with their observer. Ours was a young guy from New Zealand named Bruce who has been teaching for only 2 years. His rapport was very laid back, and it really calmed the four of us down before our demos. We had to be prepared with lesson plans for all 8 sections, but I lucked out and got the "music and story time" section. My critique was that I hit all of the steps with lots of energy and enthusiasm, but I needed to involve the kids by having them turn the pages during story time and think of a game to do with the song that I taught. He was impressed that I reviewed the vocab that would be used in the story and asked lots of simple questions during the story to keep the kids engaged.

We were all relieved and a lot less stressed when we met up for lunch time and shared how our demos went...the consensus was that "it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be." For as much as we all stressed about our first demo, Hess is doing a great job and we realized that we needed that extra push to recognize our capabilities.

The final part of the Kindy curriculum that we had to complete today was "Fun Time" (this is why I had the blank in the sequence in yesterday's post where there is "S______"). This is a creative time where kids can do crafts (that later get put in their student books...aka scrapbooks), perform dramas, learn dances, and go on field trips. For Kindy, we'll have a HRT (home room teacher) in the room with us who help the kids feel safe if there is a language barrier (although the kids should NOT be speaking Mandarin) and provide assistance to the NSTs (me). The trainers said we'll feel like like celebrities sometimes because they take pictures of us teaching or doing activities with the kids...this is a good thing because the photo will go in the child's memory book for the parents to see. We'll have communication books that we'll fill out once a week to let the parents know how each child is doing. The comments will be translated by our HRTs. The field trips only occur 2 or 3 times a semester. The field trips and allowances they told us about sound quite unique compared to the US. My favorite example: in the past, NSTs have taken their Kindy kids to the Police Station, let the kids hold the guns and get their pictures with them! This would never happen in the US. In this particular case, however, parents called the branch complaining (complaining parents...sounds like the US, right?). However, parent's weren't upset that their children were exposed to guns, BUT the parents who called were actually mad that their child DIDN'T get their picture taken holding a gun!

We had a surprise today after we finished learning the Kindy Curriculum...a Kindy class from another floor in the building came and performed a song for us! :) They were sooooo cute! They sang Pat-A-Cake with all of the motions....they were practically screaming it. They were a "middle Kindy" class, so 3-5 year olds. All with their own outfits, but matching Hippo sneakers (the Hippo is the Hess Mascot). The trainers gave us candy to hold out to them when they were done to get them to come up to us...I felt like I was at the zoo, but I just wanted to eat up the kids (not literally...).

Today, our snack was plums...big, ripe, and so good.

We had our first Mandarin lesson today! Learned out to say "hello," "how are you?" "I'm very good," "I want to eat ____," "I don't want to eat____," "dumplings," "meat," "vegetables," "fruit," "rice," and "noodes."

The afternoon was quite easy compared to yesterday. We started learning about the Kids Club cirriculum which is focused more on speaking, listening, and fun. These kids only have class twice a week for 2 hours at the HLS (Hess Langauge Schools). This is where I'll be teaching in the evenings or afternoons. We saw demos for 8-9 years olds. It was a classroom (desks in row) setting, but fun, competitive, and fast paced.

I was feeling more refreshed at the end of the day, and we got out a bit early. This made us all very happy! Katie, Shoshanna, and I got dinner at a place that they tried the last few nights...well it was a buffet of whatever we wanted for only $45NT for a bento box of whatever wanted and a bowl of rice! Some of the food I recognized from the lunches we've been having at training. Here's a fun game that someone told me about: if you find 2 items at 7-11 that are $15NT each, at the checkout counter you get to pick a plastic chip out of box for a discount. I got 2 Coca Cola Lights (Diet Coke) which were $15NT and a Chinese brand chocolate bar at 7-11, with my discount chip, it came to $39NT...woot woot! We carried our food back to Shoshanna and Katie's "suite" and had a really nice dinner in there room. It was nice to eat in for once and get to know the girls' backgrounds better. I'll definitely be going to that restaurant again tomorrow...cheap, healthy, and convenient!

Kindy Teaching

The beginning of the day was a lot of fun because we watched a DVD of Hess Teacher Cindy who's been teaching for 7 years, teach a "big class" kindy ("big" refers to the kids ages, not the size of the class). We learned the sections of a Kindy day (Exercise, Sharing, Snack, English Time, Fun Time, Lunch) and then went through how to teach each part incorporating the teaching methods we learned yesterday. We even learn what to do in transition time. Those are the times before taking the class to the bathroom. If I have younger kindy (ages 2-3) I may have to wipe some bums. And we actually sing songs to get ready for the bathroom with lyrics, "Where are you going?" "To the bathroom." "Why are you going?" "To pee pee." There is no pedophile phobia here like there is in Western countries, and kids may need help with anything in the bathroom.

Excercise was the best part of training so far because all of the trainees got to follow the trainers in dance to pop/hip hop/rock songs, starting with slow meditative type (ie, The Postal Service) and increasing to the chicken dance, cotton eye joe, theme from Madegascar, and back down to slow breathing. Sharing was easy/fun because it is just going over the calendar words, songs, feelings, conversation, etc in a "circle time" layout.

The English Time is what we focused on the most. It was the most intense training and we had to talk about what the set up, demo, do, and wrap were as well as the VARG for each part. I realize this is probably boring for my readers....and as I type it out, it doesn't sound as difficult and tedious as it really is. I'm starting to have sympathy for the first time for all those "El Ed Majors" at Etown! haha. Lunch was good, I went vegetarian today and have been loving the vegetarian food here...the same as, if not more than the meat dishes. At 4pm we were told we'd be doing another demo in front of everyone. Each taking a part of the English Time cirriculum. My group did "Social Time" which we were told, after our demo, is the most difficult to teach. This is because you have to teach the vocab, answer, and question with SDDW and VARG. We only had 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes for the demo, so it was a challenge to pull everyone's ideas together. There was definately some "winging it going on." We also have to show that we are incorporating the group, individuals, being creative, and using classroom management tactics...difficult to remember all of these things at once for only having done this for 3 days. Tomorrow we have to do individual demos for outside observers from the branches...I started taking notes on the critiques of the other groups to help me do my lesson plan tonight. We won't know which part of the English Time we'll be expected to demo until 5 mins before, so we have to know how to do all parts.

I was REALLY not thrilled that after 9 hours of training today, we had to come back to the hotel and work even more, especially since the day was stressful. I feel like I'm in high school again, having the long days of paying attention and performing. My face was red at the end of the day like I remember it being at the end of working at any of my desk jobs/internships and in high school. It gets like that when I'm in very cold (too cold for me, and I cannot control) air conditioning and am focused for hours on end. Katie, Brian, Daniel, Alan, and I got pizza on the way home so we could get back to the hotel and lesson plan straight away. Not fun. I've also been seezing a lot and was feeling run down after the third day of getting up early, training, pollution, concentration, rigory, etc. This morning a handful of girls said they had sore throats and I was thinking, "gee my nose is runny, but hopefully I'm not getting sick." Well, by now, my throat is scratchy and I have a cough. Jenny, my roommate is worse and got some thereflu and cough drops on the way home which we're sharing. I finished my lesson plans, trying not to stress too much about them. In the big scheme of things, I'm not being graded (although I did get 100% on my first daily quiz from yesterday and am confidant about today's as well...) and I have to remember that it's a learning process and I will improve and develop my teaching style.

I really think "nap time" at about 3pm would be beneficial for the trainees during these long days....I don't have enough guts to add that to the question/suggestion box though. Maybe I'll persuade one of the Brits to do it. Someone put a joke in there today when the trainer thought he was reading a practical question to us.

Okay, goodnight. I must be up and out of here extra early by 7:40am tomorrow to practice at training for my demo.

Training and Skype

Today was a long first day of real training. We covered a lot of material including human development, phonics, teaching methods: "Review, New, Group, Individual, Test," and "Set up, Demo, Do, Wrap," and VARG (Visual, Action, Rhythm, Games), Sentences, Conversation, Reading, Stories, Songs and Chants, and Writing. I was most interested in learning about the sentences, song/chants and writing, and I'll enjoy teaching them the most. Now that I think about it, I naturally chose those, but they are also strengths of mine...grammar, music, and writing. The instructors are extremely energetic and I'm glad we're being exposed to all the training because we know what is expected of us and how we can act in the classroom (the cheesier, more energetic, and crazier the better). During training, we, the future NSTs, act as the children a lot of the time. We are split into two groups and there are lots of games and competition to motivate us. So far, everyone is very enthusiastic and participative...the training group is definitely an outgoing group of people.

We had bento boxes for lunch which were satisfying. Nothing has made me sick here yet, (knock on wood). One of the last things we did were demos, so we were in groups of 8 and had to plan how to teach a song using the methods and strategies we had learned. We were given a half hour to plan as a group. I think it's more difficult to plan in a group because you have to collaborate and compromise. Our group's song was about animals and actions..."can you fly like a bird? fly fly fly, can you swim like a fish? swim swim swim, can you jump like bunnie? jump jump jump, can you sit down just like this?" etc. We had to teach combining the three teaching methods and incorporating everything we had learned today (complete with motions and a game). We did a pretty good job. Our only mistake was not teaching the song line by line during the demo.

I used Skype for the first time since I've been here (and my new webcam) to talk to Colleen in South Korea...geographically the closest person from "home" right now. That was fun, although Skype (or my computer...certainly not Colleen's new speedy, tiny laptop) was being kind of slow so there was sometimes feedback and difficulty hearing. It was good to hear a familiar voice and see a familiar face complete with a tour of her apartment and stories of teaching and life on her Busan island. Flights to South Korea shouldn't take that long (3.5 hours?), as a weekend trip may be in order after a few weeks or months...but I'm having trouble finding ones that don't go through Tokyo first.

Earthquake and Black Chicken

Today was the first day of "training"....more of an orientation actually. I met everyone else in my training group at breakfast who I had not met previously. The first East Coasters I met are from NC and a guy from NYC (originally Etown though!). We had to be on the 11th floor of the hotel at 8am this morning...finally got to meet Meagan with whom I've been corresponding since I applied in February. Such an energetic and funny chick from Canada. She's been here four years, and is in charge of all the documents. Also met LC and Gavin, also work at Hess Main office.

Went on a bus tour of the city..stops included Sun Yat Sen Memorial and Chiang Kai Shek Memorial (dry and hot this time). Meagan was such a comedian on the bus, revealing personal things about each person that she's come to know over the last few months all the while telling us different things about the city and where we could find things and pretty much anything we needed to know. We passed by the Flower & Jade Market which I definitely want to revisit. On the way to Shandoa Temple we went through a tunnel...when we came out on the other end, we could see Taipei 101 (tallest building in the world) and then walked out to the Temple...what a new experience that was! The smell of incense, people and babies being blessed left and right. Old women reading from ancient books at desks surronding the temple, children writing what looked like "prayer requests" and dropping them in boxes in the air conditioned hallways surrounding the temple. Then we proceeded by foot down the street to an excellent Taiwanese restaurant for a group lunch. This was, by far, the best food I've had since arriving here....the salad, prawns, tofu, sweet buns, and green mango (covered in sugar ice) were some of the highlights..mmm. The best part has been meeting so many new people...what a group of bohemians! I love hearing everyone's background, many similar to mine. Everyone is so open-minded and as in love with Taiwan as I am. After lunch we went to Hess Main Office and learned more about the company.

I am ever-impressed with Hess each day. They are literally take care of everything for us, getting our work permits, resident visas, ARC cards, health cards. I'm anxious to find out what branch I'll be at. Em and Ingrid and Brian and Rachel (two of the couples) are the only ones today who found out. But we all have to find out tomorrow at training because we have scheduled phone calls with our head NSTs (head Native Speaking Teachers at our branches) to tell them what kind of housing we're interested in so they can go apartment searching for us. They'll choosed 3-5 apartments that meet our requirements and then we'll see them at the end of training. In Taiwan, you can see an apartment, sign the lease, and move in all in the same day. I was very impressed with the Hess Main Office especially to learn about all that they give back to Taiwan...they have volunteer programs in the mountainous areas that reach out to Aboriginese kids. They opened state-of the art offices in Melbourne, Canada, and a new kindy in Taipei city within the last year. There are future positions in Marketing, International Relations, Writing/editing, HR and more. It's a privately owned company, and the CEO lives on the 11th and 12th stories of the Hess Main Office....apparently we'll get to use his "lobby area" during our graduation. There are also camps that are held in other parts of Asia that I can partake in, as well a national Spelling Bee, Speech and Writing Competition, national proficiency test prep, and field trips to Australia and Europe which all make me want to get involved! The training room is on the 5th floor of Hess Main Office and very modernly decorated, including a coffee bar, espresso machine and tea station. We had 2 breaks for apples and coffee/tea. There were some demonstrations to help us begin thinking about what it will be like to teach....to get us to "come out of our shells"...as if we haven't already done so moving to Taipei. While we were all sitting on the floor, Katherine, a "kiwi" sitting next to me, said to me, "did you feel that earthquake?" I replied, "Just now? Well I thought I was just feeling light headed from dehydration/exhaustion for a second. You mean to tell me that was an earthquake?" Apparently the earthquakes here are vertical and you feel like you're "rocking" for a moment as the foundation of the whole building shifts, unlike the rift type in California. None of the trainers even said anything about it..they must be so accustomed to them.

At 6pm the buses brought us back to the hotel and a group of us went out for some street food. Luckily there are a handful of people whove studied Mandarin, who are able to converse with the locals. I had chicken (regular and black) fried rice, noodles with pork,and a clear stalk green vegetable that was sauteed with garlic. I have never seen black chicken...it's really like another race. The skin is black as well as the meat, but it tastes exactly the same. I liked it better than the white chicken which I've grown up eating. Again, amazing food for next to nothing. I love Taiwan! Tomorrow will be big...finding out my definite branch/location and talking to my head NST on the phone about housing.

Adventure Day #1

I'm writing after my second shower of the day(third if you count the monsoon we were caught in this afternoon). The humidity right now is 89%. I was still jet lagged yesterday, and after having wandered in the humidity following my 24 hours of travel, it was a struggle to leave my room for dinner. I did wander out and got a chicken quesadilla and salad at a cafe. I stopped at another place near my hotel for a to-go cup of coffee and a slice of blueberry lemon cheesecake to have back in my room. All of this for only $3.95 USD. I began watching an episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia...not on Hulu - it doesn't work out of US...nor does Pandora :( While it was loading I "rested my eyes" and woke up 2 hours later...put my PJs on and called it a night at 8pm. Woke up this morning to a phone call from the front desk telling me that I would have a roommate beginning today since the original girl had a last minute emergency and didn't show. I went to room 515 to meet Jenny, an energetic girl from Berkley, California. After helping her with her luggage, we decided to get to know one another at breakfast downstairs. I had 2 pieces of toast, 2 sweet rolls, cereal and coffee. There was another table of English speaking folk, one of whom, Rachel came over and invited us to sit with them. Rachel and her husband, Brian, and the others are with Hess as well and had arrived within the last few days.

It was so refreshing to finally meet the people who share the same motives and ambitions. There are 2 fellows from Scotland, "Panda" and Alan. Tim from Nebraska, Katie from California, and Shoshana from Michigan. Rachel and Brian are from Oklahoma. Then there's Lynn from London, and two other British guys whose names escape me at the moment. For being halfway around the world, it certainly doesn't feel like it to me. Sure, there is a different culture here. But for the most part, I can get whatever I need within a 5 minute walk (I just got some Neutrogena face wash and Snyder's of Hanover pretzels and Twix at a convenience store). Free wireless internet, being around English speakers, and familiar brand products sure make the world feel a lot smaller. Someone had a Frisbee, so we went to Shinsheng park. We played a competitive game of ultimate Frisbee, then just sat in the grass and chatted. It's great to hear from everyone that they were just as exhausted talking about themselves and answering the same question from doubting people at home as I was. Topics of conversation included places we've been, how we came to discover Hess, what we know about Taiwan, where we want to travel in Asia/Indonesia, what contracts/locations we're hoping to get. We walked back to the hotel for shower #1.

When I got to the front desk, I saw two people who I guessed were Emyln and Ingrid, a couple I had met on Facebook before coming to Taiwan. I didn't say anything to them, but they approached me and asked if I was Jenna! They are also the only two South Africans in our training group. It was great to finally meet. I saw the Hess list of people staying in the hotel...there are 52 of us, so smaller than I expected, which is a good thing.

Here begins the start of the actual adventure...Shoshana needed to find a piercer place of tattoo parlor that would be able to take out her nose ring for the start of training. She had been trying for the last week, and was unsuccessful. We joked that we should start the year off by getting matching Hess tattoos of either their coat of arms or their motto, "Daring to Dream." Alan was in the market for a new acoustic guitar. Both of them googled where they could find what they were looking for nearby. We met in room 826, Katie and Shoshana's room (we are all jealous of their luck...two separate bedrooms and huge bathroom for the same price that others of us are paying for a standard room) and plotted out our path starting with a music shop and ending with a mall. The music store was really cool, with all types of instruments hanging on the walls and displayed.
Alan didn't buy one, but is keeping one in mind. Does anyone remember Cory's younger sister, Lilly, from Boy Meets World? Well Alan is good friends with the acress who played Lilly...went to uni with her, and claims that her bf, Davy Gibson is going to be the next big thing in America (just signed with Universal Studios). We decided the best way to get to the mall would be to hop on the MRT (Mass Rail Transit...or Taipei Metro). This was the first time for all of us, so we were glad to be able to learn together. As the group of us was gathered on a street corner around a map, a Taiwanese girl passing by asked in English if we needed help. Katie studied Mandarin for a year, so she talked to her. The girl lead us to the MRT entrance that we needed, and showed us how to buy a ticket.
It was very simple once she explained it. We navigated our way to Taipei Main Station and then to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall with ease. The MRT cars are simply marked inside with maps above the doors and electronic signs alerting what the next stop is. We stepped out from the metro and were across the street from the Memorial. We walked over, and the guys bought some candy bars out of an M&Ms machine.
Walking through a park with huge trees, it began to rain...our first Taipei rain! "Hooray," we thought as the sprinkles touched our faces. It couldn't have started raining at a better time, while we were walking beneath the giant trees

....then it started raining harder, and it was a little uncomfortable, but none of us minded too much. We walked to the nearby wall which had an overhang, and stood under there for about 15 mins as the intensity of the rain increased.
The rain wasn't letting up and it was getting muddy, so Tim suggested we make a run for the National Theater, which is caddy-corner to the memorial. We were drenched by the time we got there, but laughing at the same time.

There was a cafe at the top of the stairs and we all gathered around a table for some roast turkey sandwiches, custard, and beers. That was at 3pm. At 3:45pm the rain got a bit lighter, so we made another run for the Memorial. While we were running, the rain pelted harder.
The sign at the top of the stairs said that we couldn't enter in tattered clothing or slippers (flip flops). Well we were all drenched, and pretty tattered looking, but we caught a bit of the changing of the guards and decided whether it was worth locating a piercing/tattoo shop for Shoshana.
After another 40 mins, it was still monsoooning, and we ran to the Metro station to go home. Of course, the only two smart ones who brought their umbrellas were Em and Ingrid...also equipped with waterproof pants and sneakers, while the rest of us were in jeans shorts, dresses, and flip flops. Locals must have found us a sight to behold, a bunch of western teachers soaked down to their knickers following one another around the metro station until we got to our home street, Nanjing East Road. We passed by the mall, but we were too wet to go into the cold air-conditioned buildings, though the fashionable stores were so tempting...we'll have to revisit when we're drier.

We got our welcome packets today. Hess gave us a Taiwan Adventure Guide book, Mandarin Phrase Book, and Travel in Taiwan Magazine with some good maps and articles which all look very helpful. We have a very detailed Training Schedule with an hour-by-hour itinerary that covers the next 10 days. We have Saturday free and some of us have already decided to go out of the city to the mountains for a hike that day. We have a formal graduation event on the 10th day, and depart the First Hotel on August 5th to our branch locations and find an apartment, 10 days before we have to begin teaching at our branches.

Tomorrow's first day of "training" looks like it will be fun...3 hour bus tour, lunch at a restuarant, presentations on culture shock, mandarin, and housing. Now that I'm looking at the schedule, training isn't as long as I thought..most days are 8:30-5:30.

A bunch of us are going to "the 826 suite" to watch a movie tonight...two of the Brits went in on an external hard drive loaded with 1,000 movies and tons of music.

Whoever told me to be ready to eat squid and dog was crazy! I've been so impressed with all the food I've had so far. There are tons of options. I'm going to get out of my "blep" clothes and go have some Hawaiian pizza now (they put corn on theirs which is delicious).

Aside from meeting a great group of people with whom I'll be training and being the only crazy foreigners without umbrellas and running across the empty Chiang Kai Shek memorial during a thunderstorm, my favorite part of the day was realizing that the best response to the all of people who've asked me, "Aren't you scared/nervous to do this?" (commit to living in Taiwan for a year teaching English) is, "No, actually I'm being quite selfish to take a year off and leave everyone behind to have myself a great time, travel and make a good living!"

So Far, So Good

An hour and 15 mins past the expected boarding time, I stepped onto a small Delta Airlines plane heading for JFK. It was the kind that you walk outside to board. By the time we reached the highest altitude, we were only up there for about 25 minutes. The man sitting next to me was flying home to Seoul, SK, and the couple sitting across the isle was flying to England for a 3 week meditation retreat...something new to me. I paged through the Delta Sky magazine and looked at an article about Sydney. It talked about several places I've been, like the Opera House and Cargo Bar, and some that I wish I would have visited, like Coojee Beach and Paddingtons market.
During my layover in JFK, I met a group of guys who was headed to the same terminal as I. After finding out they were traveling to Indonesia for a show, I realized that their band, Mae, is quite well-known. All of the guys were very laid-back though. I would have never expected any "fame." A reviewer called them a "veteran band," which they laugh at since only being together since 2001. They've are good friends with and have toured with Something Corporate, The Starting Line, Dashboard, Yellowcard, and we shared a lot of other favorite bands. I had a Turkish spinach-cheese quiche type thing at the airport and met 2 American girls who were on their way to Bordeaux, France for a friends wedding...I was jealous.
China Airlines Flight C011 was right on time. The China Airline Stewardesses were very kind and were bi-lingual. Their outfits were cute, and they changed into aprons to begin serving. I slept the most I ever have on an airplane. 4 hours from JFK to Anchorage, and 5 hours from Anchorage to Taipei. I made it easily through customs and exchanged some US money. Waiting in the customs line, I met a group from Landsdale, PA traveling through to Vietnam.

I feel like I was constantly eating. We were fed 3 times on China Airlines. The only uncomfortable thing was that my feet swelled. When I came into the arrival gate, there was a man holding a sign that said "JENNA KARKUFF." I smiled and waved, happy to see someone to greet me. He said, "you English Teacher?" I followed him, and waited on the curb, while he pulled up his black Mercedes. He said his name was Nick, but didn't speak English very well. He put BBC on the radio, and I heard reports about corruption in NJ...some scandal about people being tricked into selling their organs for $10,000, and then the guy turning around and selling them for $160,000...news all the way over here in Taipei. Then he put a CD in which included Taylor Swift and that country song "..our song is a slamming front door..." Nick told me that Banciao, where my tentative branch is, is about a 40 min car ride from my hotel.

I was dropped off at my hotel, but told that I can't check in until 3pm. However, I was able to leave my baggage and pay for my share of the room. I'll have a girl roommate through training who I don't know yet. I set out to explore the area, and found lots of food vendors, cafes, and convenience stores, swarmed by motorscooterists. I love the parks with adults using colorful exercise equipment, reading at tables, and dancing to music.

The day is going by very slow, but I suppose I'll go walk around some more. Maybe hop on one of those elliptical contraptions.

Taipei Wish List

Since I'm not in Taipei yet, I've been researching online and in my travel books about what I want to do while I'm there (when I'm not teaching English of course). I've decided to post some of what I've learned by compiling what I think are the most enticing touristy activities:

Night Markets/Food Night markets are an experience for a tourist and a part of everyday life for the Taiwanese. Everything can be found here including great food cheap clothing, trinkets, souvenirs, electronics. They usually open around dusk and close up shop at around midnight. The most authentic Taiwanese food comes from the street vendors selling a variety of steamed buns or dumplings floating in broth.

National Palace Museum...All of the treasures of China taken from the mainland when the leaders fled, showcase of 5000 year old Chinese showcase.


Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall .... Chiang Kai Shek was the first president of modern Taiwan. I remembered learning about him in Mrs. Bej's World Cultures class. A general of the Nationalist party, he fought communists rather than invading the Japanese. They were eventually defeated by the communists and fled to Taiwan where he founded the present KMT party. The area is comrised of a park, a National theater, a Concert hall and a Memorial hall that showcases the life and ideology of Chiang Kai Shek. In all, the CKS Memorial Hall covers 250000 square meters built in Classical Chinese architecture with emphasis in symbolism and feng shui.

Yangminshang Park is a choice location of wealthy Chinese and westerners, the park has trails and hot springs which offer a retreat from the chaos of the city. Thermal areas sound inviting after a long hike up Seven Star Mountain where you can look down one side and see Taipei and the ocean on the opposite side.

Religion/Temples... The two main religions in Taiwan are Buddhism and Taoism, but Christianity and native folk beliefs are present as well. One goddess who is particularly venerated is Matsu, the Goddess of the Sea (I suppose she has a very special meaning to the locals, since Taiwan is surrounded by the sea). There are thousands of temples all over Taiwan. In stark contrast to Japan where you can easily distinguish between a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple, in Taiwan the temples are rarely mono-religious (if there is such a phrase), but rather a place where mixture of Buddhist, Taoist and folk deities are all being worshiped under a single roof. People come in, light up incense sticks (always in odd numbers) and pray to the gods. Temples’ architecture varies widely and no two are alike. Taipei’s most famous temple is Mengchia Lungshan Temple. Taipei’s largest temple is Shantao Temple. It has a very modern, seven-story design, and is primarily used to pray to and worship the dead.

Taipei 101...Taipei and Taiwan's largest skyscraper