What's Up?

Life rolling on smoothly. It all feels like it is coming together so well, even though nothing is really coming together. I love my job, I have some truely amazing friends, I am doing yoga pretty much everyday, and running a couple times a week too. I adore my dog, I love my house. It is just all good right now.

Things with KF are, well, not; in 'that' way anyway. The week after he got a bit twitchy, but recognized it, acknowleged it, and took me out for drinks to apologize. We have been hanging out a lot, and I think I am at the point where more rounds is not a good idea. He is gone in just over a month, and the way things are between us, if we had more rounds, it would be getting into 'something'. Something I am not ready to get into. But it is really good as it is. We have a lot of fun together, I am really enjoying spending time with him.

This past weekend I had one of my more classy moments!! Saturday was a food fest right near my house. A bunch of the restaurants in town set up booths, and there was live music, and lots of drinks. It was great atmosphere, there were so many foriegners you could almost forget where you were. So yeah, drinks were flowing before we set off to Grooveyard,the local grounds for live music. By this point I was getting...I think hammered is the best term here. Nature called so I made my way to the toilet...as I have mentioned before, public toilets here are usually squatters. As drunk as I was I thought it best to put my hand back on the door for balance. As I pushed my weight back to stand up I realized the classy way that the door was not latched properly and I fell backwards out of the stall. Luckily no one was out there, and I managed to scrub my hands (I touched the bathroom floor, eeewww!) and get out before the person in the stall next to me got out! I now have the most unusual bruise on my thumb that I think you can only get by falling out of a bathroom stall! Ironicly, as worried as I was that someone saw, I told everyone I met that night what I did, and here I am writing about it!! The night carried on to several more clubs, lots of dancing with some friends that I am just getting to know better. The kind of friends I want to get to know better!

Yesterday Dave, Rainbow, Anday, KF and I took PaoPao out of town to a waterfall in the mountains. Dave and Anday had been there before last summer, but it was my first. It was spectacular. It just felt sooo good to be out of the city, and in clean air. PaoPao went bonkers. She was leaping around like a deer, biting the water and rolling in the shrubs. I didnt attemt the cliff jump. Not out of fear of the jump, I was actually adrenaline rushing watching the boys, but because the only way up was scaling up the rocks with a rope to pull youself up. I was almost resigned to give it a try when this Chinese chick attempted to get back up and couldnt. After over half an hour of her boyfriend basicly pulling her up I was convinced I would not be THAT girl. I hate that I would not do something I love for fear of looking like an idiot, but I am just that vain! Movies and take out with Dave, Leah and KF last night completed a lovely weekend!

A Week In the Life Of an ESL Teacher

A lot of people in Taiwan, I would venture as far as to say most, don't like teaching. It is what they do because it affords them the lifestyle, the escape, the money the travel; whatever. I love teaching, I love kids. I really love my job. There is the down side, as with everything. But on a day to day basis, I love my job. I am good at my job. A few months ago I started at a new school and it is going great. I am so grateful to my housemate Lisa for introducing me to this school.

Right now I am a 'floating' kindie teacher. This means that I teach a few different classes over the week. The classes that don't have a foriegn homeroom teacher are cheaper that the ones that do. These are the classes that I teach. My boss and I were talking about what would happen next year. What level do I want to teach etc.. I definitely want a homeroom. I want "my class". I love knowing almost every child in the school, but I want to teach the same kids everyday..all day. I want to see my influence...and it is an easier job:) The kids get playground, ballroom, chinese, art etc, where I won't have to teach. Anyway, my boss told me this week that some of my students parents have said that they will pay the extra money for a homeroom class, if I am the homeroom teacher next year!! wooohooo!!! How good does that look?? As well, the chinese teacher of the class that said this is my favourite teacher. I expressed that I would like to work with her next year, and she has requested to work with me too!!! yay!! The relationship with your chinese teacher can really make or break your job atmosphere! I have heard horror stories!

I am slightly torn though...I love the babies. They hug and cuddle and tell me that I am beautiful, and that they love me. They are so adorable sometimes that it makes my heart ache. But I really like teaching the grade 1 classes in the afternoon. They are that little bit older, in real school, and a much better english level. I can tease them, joke with them, have fun, have conversations. In one class I have these twins, Roy and Leo. They crack me up. The are these stocky little nuggets, naughty and cheeky as hell, but clever and really big weaknesses of mine. Second last class of the week I was teaching them 'as...as' comparisons. As cold as ice, as hot as the sun...they were getting it! I was getting excited. I was shouting out adjectives and they were throwing back the comparisons. "Yeah, yeah, good job guys....As hungry as...?"

"Roy!" pipes up Leo from the back of the room.

The chinese teacher and I were crying we were laughing so hard! Great end to the week!

For Everything Gained...

I rocked up to a new tea place to order my "I don't have time to eat today" tea; pearl/bubble (little balls of black starch) milk tea. The following conversation happened completely in Chinese.

What do you want to drink?
Pearl milk tea, half sugar.
Small or large?
Large.
Do you want ice in that?
A little bit of ice.
Do you want the big pearl or the small pearls?

this one stumped me for a sec, and she repeated the question in response to my confused look. Just when she started to look around for someone to help her, I realized that I understood what she was saying...

I know!! I understand! I want small pearls.
Your chinese is very good!
no, no, it is very bad
no, it is very good, my english is very bad
I can understand a little bit, but my speaking is very bad
no, no, you're chinese is very good, you are expression meaning "good, smart, etc"
expression meaning "I accept your compliment but don't agree with it".
are you a teacher?
yes, I am an english teacher. I don't need a bag (for my tea which was now ready)

I walked away feeling proud as punch about the exchange. It is a similiar exchange to the ones I have daily, but this on flowed well and was all the more profound in light of the following exchange.

I was subbing for Leah and eating some crackers at break time. One fo the students asked for one of my cookies. It is a pet peeve of mine that all Taiwanese people call crackers cookies so I went into the long explaination how cookies are sweet, and have lots of sugar. Crackers are not sweet, and have less sugar.

Two minutes later my student burst back into the room and asked:

Teacher, you say what cookies don't want sugar?

without flinching or blinking or thinking twice

crackers

What is happening to me? Arrgggh! And I am here to teach these people! The following is a forward that is cirulating around Taiwan right now, I have selected the ones that most aply to me, or those around me!

You know you have been in Taiwan Too Long When...

You can order the entire McDonald's menu in Chinese (well the only thing that I eat there)

Someone doesn't stare at you and you wonder why.

You look both ways before crossing the sidewalk.

You see 3 people on a scooter and figure there's room for 2 more.

You stop conjugating verbs.

Firecrackers don't wake you up.

Beer really isn't so expensive. (often cheaper than water)

You often slow down and look both ways before driving through red lights.

"A", "an" and "the" aren't necessary parts of speech.

You know which place has the best noodles and duck meat at 3AM

You speak Chinese to your foreign friends.

Forks feel funny.

Over half of your wardrobe and appliances were purchased at outdoor markets.

You realize that smiling and nodding is Chinese body language for"Go away & leave me alone."

You stare at other foreigners.

Most meaningful conversations take place in doorways or on scooters

It's been at least 18 months since you used the word "tacky" todescribe anything.

250cc is a REALLY BIG motorcycle. (mine is concered big, and it weighs in at a 125cc)

The main reason you stop at 7-11 is to buy tea eggs.(it is what I had for dinner tonight!)

You say "thank you" at least 6 times for everything.

You're very concerned about not losing face. above exchange, all about face...no, no, my chinese is bad, your english is so good!

The words "Ice Cream" never enter your head when you hear the garbage truck.

You stop calling the Guinness Book of Records people each time youkill a giant cockroach.

Given a choice, you would rather squat than sit.