Tonight seemed like it would be wonderful. I was going to get back from training in Hsinchu, go straight to the hostel to pick up my suitcases, and take a taxi to my new apartment. I had all of the numbers and addresses I needed, and everything went as planned until gave the address of the apartment to the taxi driver, thinking he would be able to get me there. I was wrong. He almost found the apartment, but instead dropped me off at a random number on the correct street. Since I had two bags and two suitcases with me, I did not want to go gallivanting around looking for the right building, so I asked the next person I saw where the building was. I also had already called the landlord, hoping to have help getting to the apartment, but that did not work out, so I felt really lost, nervous, and aggravated. I tried calling my school's director to see if he could help me figure out where I was, and the man brought me into the liquor store he ran so I could be there while he called the landlord. Nothing worked, so ultimately my school's director came to get me, drove me the fifty (or fifteen) meters to the apartment building, and helped me bring my suitcases to my new apartment. I only cried once, and that was thankfully before my director arrived. Now I am sitting pretty (aka sweating buckets because I'm not sure how to turn off the air conditioner but I don't want it running too much so I just unplugged it instead of dealing with it) on my gigantic (sheet-less, whoops) bed.
Everything turned out fine, as it should have. The main problem is that I did not really sleep last night because I decided to go on an adventure with my two new friends/coworkers (the girl who works at school with me and one of the other guys from another Taichung branch of the school), and we did not go to bed until after 5am, then had to be at training, a half hour cab ride away, by 9am (we were only a few minutes late, yay!).
Fun thing about training yesterday (the second day of training)--the leader of the first seminar kept bringing up the "crying Dawson" face from Season 3 Episode 23 of Dawson's Creek, also known as the face that spawned a thousand gifs.
Also, it should be made known that garbage trucks sound like ice cream trucks.
I heard a question about one of the textbooks, "Enter the World of Grammar", as "Does anyone have any questions on 'the end of the world'?"
So yes, okay. Everything is as it should be, though I should probably figure out how to dislodge what appears to be a piece of pretzel from my computer's charger socket.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
The Training Begins...
I am beginning to think that I take abnormally short showers. Either that, or all of my hostelmates take abnormally long showers. Of the eight-or-so who have been in and out over the last few days, many have taken at least a half hour or longer in the shower, not including getting changed. Granted, I know my five-to-ten minute shower sprints are short, but everything gets cleaned, and those showers are only so short because I wait until the last minute in the morning and would rather sleep than spend ten to fifteen extra minutes zoning out under a burning-hot rain spout.
I was awake before 6am and ready by 6:15am to catch the train to Hsinchu for teacher training. My head was NOT happy with me. However, I still managed to run late for meeting the other teacher at the train, but she was also running late, and we had arranged to meet almost a half hour before the train left, so it worked out. We did not meet up with the third teacher from Taichung until after arriving in Hsinchu. He looks kind of like Trent from Daria, but with longer and lighter hair, and potentially fewer tattoos. Trains in Taiwan have assigned seats, which seems useful until people pile recklessly into the trains regardless of whether they have a seat or not.
Regarding training: The first trainer has the same voice and mannerisms as one of my friends, but with a slight Irish accent. I kept writing down a bunch of games and activities that I can use in the classroom--constructive zoning out! We were in the same room for the whole day, which was tedious. The seminars, however, were great. I am pretty sure I learned more in a day here than in three weeks at the ITF orientation. This is probably because my school has been around for a lot longer than the ITF program, so it has a well-established curriculum which every teacher in every branch of the school uses. I did start to zone out later in the day, but I think that had more to do with being over-caffeinated and waking up far too early. Also, I realized around the last hour that although the classroom decoration seminar is not until Wednesday (the last day of training), the craft corner is already set up. ALL the excitement.
After training, the group of us from Taichung went to our hotel to drop off our bags, then went wandering around Hsinchu. We ate dinner and talked for a few hours, and it was great, especially because these we will all be in the same city for at least the year. There is even a guy from Philly! We went back to the hotel after dinner; I am rooming with the girl who is the other teacher from my school who came to training. It is a good thing that we spent the day together and got to know each other a bit, because there is only one bed in the tiny, tiny room. Due to certain clues, such as a cutely-arranged plate of condoms, Band-Aids, pornography, and mouthwash by the bed, and a container of "Bethes the breast" (a crude translation of body wash, perhaps) in the bathroom, we determined that this hotel is most likely a sex motel; the listing of hourly rates at the front desk did not help its case. Good work, school, for putting us up in this hotel for the duration of training! But seriously, it is hilarious. The only thing missing is a mirror on the ceiling. We spent the rest of the night watching a Japanese horror show.
I was awake before 6am and ready by 6:15am to catch the train to Hsinchu for teacher training. My head was NOT happy with me. However, I still managed to run late for meeting the other teacher at the train, but she was also running late, and we had arranged to meet almost a half hour before the train left, so it worked out. We did not meet up with the third teacher from Taichung until after arriving in Hsinchu. He looks kind of like Trent from Daria, but with longer and lighter hair, and potentially fewer tattoos. Trains in Taiwan have assigned seats, which seems useful until people pile recklessly into the trains regardless of whether they have a seat or not.
Regarding training: The first trainer has the same voice and mannerisms as one of my friends, but with a slight Irish accent. I kept writing down a bunch of games and activities that I can use in the classroom--constructive zoning out! We were in the same room for the whole day, which was tedious. The seminars, however, were great. I am pretty sure I learned more in a day here than in three weeks at the ITF orientation. This is probably because my school has been around for a lot longer than the ITF program, so it has a well-established curriculum which every teacher in every branch of the school uses. I did start to zone out later in the day, but I think that had more to do with being over-caffeinated and waking up far too early. Also, I realized around the last hour that although the classroom decoration seminar is not until Wednesday (the last day of training), the craft corner is already set up. ALL the excitement.
After training, the group of us from Taichung went to our hotel to drop off our bags, then went wandering around Hsinchu. We ate dinner and talked for a few hours, and it was great, especially because these we will all be in the same city for at least the year. There is even a guy from Philly! We went back to the hotel after dinner; I am rooming with the girl who is the other teacher from my school who came to training. It is a good thing that we spent the day together and got to know each other a bit, because there is only one bed in the tiny, tiny room. Due to certain clues, such as a cutely-arranged plate of condoms, Band-Aids, pornography, and mouthwash by the bed, and a container of "Bethes the breast" (a crude translation of body wash, perhaps) in the bathroom, we determined that this hotel is most likely a sex motel; the listing of hourly rates at the front desk did not help its case. Good work, school, for putting us up in this hotel for the duration of training! But seriously, it is hilarious. The only thing missing is a mirror on the ceiling. We spent the rest of the night watching a Japanese horror show.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Guess who has an apartment!!!
Victory! I've apparently already memorized my new phone number!
Sadly I did not make headway on finding an apartment yesterday, but the hostel owner (Auntie Julie, for anyone who wants to go to Taichung and needs a place to stay, her hostel is wonderful) has room for me to stay another night. Also, teacher training starts tomorrow and will be in a hotel so that means I will have a few extra days of lodging. Today might have to involve heavy badgering of my director and recruiter to see where they are on talking to landlords, but I *hate* nagging.
This morning I learned if I sleep with my hair in a braid, I will look like Medusa the next morning. Good to know for future Halloweens!
Today I engaged in my favorite activity for when I am in a new city or have no time limitations or am simply feeling antsy--getting so lost that not even a map can save me. I only went out for a few hours, because I was in jeans and it is incredibly hot and humid outside, but oh man, did I have a great time.
I left under the guise of looking for a place to buy a towel (which I did not find, but I also did not ask for help in this quest), but ended up just walking around, taking everything in. One of the best parts of the afternoon was finding green tea juice boxes in the Family Mart. They were really cool and refreshing, and just sweet enough to be delicious. I also got another sticker for my Family Mart book (30 stickers gets you a toy. My inner child is so happy).
At one point I found a mall that had either three or four floors (I lost track), mostly full of hip clothing shops with restaurants and little food stands on the side, but the top floor was riddled with karaoke bars, many of which were already at full occupancy at one in the afternoon. I am excited to explore those further--hopefully they have pinyin (transliterated Mandarin) selections!
After about two hours, I was decidedly lost, hot, and tired enough to hail a cab to take me back to the hostel. As is my usual, I had only been about a kilometer away from the hostel, but considering everyone I asked for directions kindly shook their heads and sent me on my way, the taxi was probably a good idea. If I had dressed weather-appropriately, I probably would have stayed out longer, but I once again have to get used to living in a tropical climate. Maybe one day I'll go live in the North Pole and get a job as one of Santa's elves, because that seems like the only way I will ever live in a cold climate again!
Also in the Family Mart was a "Tuna Sushi Roll", which is exactly how it sounds and is everything I ever wanted in sushi (a long tube of sushi--so happy), but if I die, this is the reason.
My recruiter, Michelle, just called and she's going to help me find an apartment!!! We are meeting with a landlord at the school and we will go together to look at one of the apartments I found. So excited to have a home!!! Hostel life is great for now, but I can't wait to have a stable place to live.
Cut to a few hours later: I just went to see the apartment. I met Michelle, my recruiter and another teacher at the school, and her daughter. She brought me to meet the landlord, a sweet older woman who told her I was cute; she showed me the first apartment, which was okay in size but had no window, then told me there was another apartment one floor down which would costs a negligible amount more, but has a window overlooking the park. I decided to take that one (there will be before and after pictures on Facebook soon). Sadly, I couldn't move in tonight because I wasn't able to withdraw money from the ATM for the rent and deposit, but she said I could move in on Wednesday and pay on Thursday after I go to the bank. Easy-peasy! The apartment is a five minute walk from the school, multiple convenience stores, a supermarket, the aforementioned park, and a Costco. Perfect location, in my opinion.
Michelle is awesome, by the way. Her daughter is this adorable five year old nugget. She started off quite shy, but opened up quickly. We read a story together; her English is great for a five year old! Michelle told me that the students in the school are aged seven to thirteen years old, but she lets her daughter study there even though she is a bit young.
I also learned about training--three of us from Taichung will be attending, including one guy from a different Taichung branch of the school. It will be at the head office in Hsinchu, and we will take the 7:03am train tomorrow, yikes! Training will be from tomorrow morning until Wednesday night, and then I will meet with the other teachers on Friday afternoon so we can create lesson plans. So excited!
The school itself seems wonderful. It is small and homey, and has a little washing station outside and a library with big plush couches right inside. Also, it appears that I will be referred to as "Teacher", otherwise nameless, of course, for the rest of my English-teaching career. I don't mind at all, and think it is kind of sweet.
Note to all of my teacher-friends: I want to set up language exchanges between our classes! Let's talk when the school year starts and we're all situated. Even once-a-week or once-a-month Skype dates would be AWESOME, especially if the time difference works out.
Sadly I did not make headway on finding an apartment yesterday, but the hostel owner (Auntie Julie, for anyone who wants to go to Taichung and needs a place to stay, her hostel is wonderful) has room for me to stay another night. Also, teacher training starts tomorrow and will be in a hotel so that means I will have a few extra days of lodging. Today might have to involve heavy badgering of my director and recruiter to see where they are on talking to landlords, but I *hate* nagging.
This morning I learned if I sleep with my hair in a braid, I will look like Medusa the next morning. Good to know for future Halloweens!
Today I engaged in my favorite activity for when I am in a new city or have no time limitations or am simply feeling antsy--getting so lost that not even a map can save me. I only went out for a few hours, because I was in jeans and it is incredibly hot and humid outside, but oh man, did I have a great time.
I left under the guise of looking for a place to buy a towel (which I did not find, but I also did not ask for help in this quest), but ended up just walking around, taking everything in. One of the best parts of the afternoon was finding green tea juice boxes in the Family Mart. They were really cool and refreshing, and just sweet enough to be delicious. I also got another sticker for my Family Mart book (30 stickers gets you a toy. My inner child is so happy).
At one point I found a mall that had either three or four floors (I lost track), mostly full of hip clothing shops with restaurants and little food stands on the side, but the top floor was riddled with karaoke bars, many of which were already at full occupancy at one in the afternoon. I am excited to explore those further--hopefully they have pinyin (transliterated Mandarin) selections!
After about two hours, I was decidedly lost, hot, and tired enough to hail a cab to take me back to the hostel. As is my usual, I had only been about a kilometer away from the hostel, but considering everyone I asked for directions kindly shook their heads and sent me on my way, the taxi was probably a good idea. If I had dressed weather-appropriately, I probably would have stayed out longer, but I once again have to get used to living in a tropical climate. Maybe one day I'll go live in the North Pole and get a job as one of Santa's elves, because that seems like the only way I will ever live in a cold climate again!
Also in the Family Mart was a "Tuna Sushi Roll", which is exactly how it sounds and is everything I ever wanted in sushi (a long tube of sushi--so happy), but if I die, this is the reason.
My recruiter, Michelle, just called and she's going to help me find an apartment!!! We are meeting with a landlord at the school and we will go together to look at one of the apartments I found. So excited to have a home!!! Hostel life is great for now, but I can't wait to have a stable place to live.
Cut to a few hours later: I just went to see the apartment. I met Michelle, my recruiter and another teacher at the school, and her daughter. She brought me to meet the landlord, a sweet older woman who told her I was cute; she showed me the first apartment, which was okay in size but had no window, then told me there was another apartment one floor down which would costs a negligible amount more, but has a window overlooking the park. I decided to take that one (there will be before and after pictures on Facebook soon). Sadly, I couldn't move in tonight because I wasn't able to withdraw money from the ATM for the rent and deposit, but she said I could move in on Wednesday and pay on Thursday after I go to the bank. Easy-peasy! The apartment is a five minute walk from the school, multiple convenience stores, a supermarket, the aforementioned park, and a Costco. Perfect location, in my opinion.
Michelle is awesome, by the way. Her daughter is this adorable five year old nugget. She started off quite shy, but opened up quickly. We read a story together; her English is great for a five year old! Michelle told me that the students in the school are aged seven to thirteen years old, but she lets her daughter study there even though she is a bit young.
I also learned about training--three of us from Taichung will be attending, including one guy from a different Taichung branch of the school. It will be at the head office in Hsinchu, and we will take the 7:03am train tomorrow, yikes! Training will be from tomorrow morning until Wednesday night, and then I will meet with the other teachers on Friday afternoon so we can create lesson plans. So excited!
The school itself seems wonderful. It is small and homey, and has a little washing station outside and a library with big plush couches right inside. Also, it appears that I will be referred to as "Teacher", otherwise nameless, of course, for the rest of my English-teaching career. I don't mind at all, and think it is kind of sweet.
Note to all of my teacher-friends: I want to set up language exchanges between our classes! Let's talk when the school year starts and we're all situated. Even once-a-week or once-a-month Skype dates would be AWESOME, especially if the time difference works out.
Day One! (This is currently the most imaginative title that comes to mind. Yikes.)
Ten hours here and I have already misplaced my keys to the hostel. Even for me this is impressively fast. (Note: I found them fairly quickly. They were still in the bed, between the bedframe and the mattress.)
Goals for today:
1. Phone! Get at least a SIM card for now, and hopefully a phone contract.
2. Scavenge for food. If up to it tonight, explore a night market.
3. Make headway on finding an apartment (this is technically happening through my school, but I am trying to push it along, because as much as I love living out of a suitcase, it isn't what I want to do while starting a new job/life thousands of miles away from home).
4. Explore Taichung!
Conversation with the hostel owner about moving to Taiwan:
Auntie Julie: "Is this your first time in Taiwan?"
Me: "Yes! It's very new."
Auntie Julie: "You have no friends here?"
Me: "Nope. I have a few in China, but it is kind of far."
--Understatement of my life
Getting a SIM card seemed to be quite an ordeal, but it was actually quite simple. The hostel owner's son came with me, because he speaks perfect English (they lived in South Africa for years, then moved back to Taiwan) and Mandarin. The man at the FarEasTone counter gave us a hard time at first because I do not have my visa yet, but I gave him my passport and passport card, and then provided the information for the school, and he gave me a SIM card, which began working almost immediately.
Note: Skype, Facebook, and e-mail are still the best ways to contact me if you aren't in Taiwan.
Lunch (also breakfast): I walked around looking for something quick and close, because I was REALLY hungry and didn't want to get too lost. I found a FamilyMart and bought a bento-box-type meal, a honey roasted chicken sushi triangle, and what I thought was chocolate rice milk but was instead peanut rice milk. I had the sushi triangle and the rice milk, and both were delicious. I have found my new favorite snack (until I try the next new and scrumptious food).
For now it is raining, which in my (probably jet-lagged) world means naptime!
Oh! When I was outside looking for lunch, I discovered that I am two doors down from an arcade. Definitely picked the right hostel.
Just had my first real food-scavenging episode. I walk-sprinted in the rain on sidewalk-less streets, weaving through cars and scooters, which was not as dramatic as it sounds--I was in little-to-no danger of being hit by a car or scooter. After a few minutes, I found what seemed to be a neighborhood hot-spot. There were a bunch of people inside, and a short line had formed at the food-serving counter, which was only partially sheltered from the rain. Most of my interaction with the people at the counter involved smiling, pointing, and nodding, with the occasional "yi ge" ("one of these", but in the wrong context; most of my knowledge of Mandarin is from high school, though I remember a surprising amount of single words and short phrases). Luckily I love to engage in pantomime*, and naturally talk with my hands. Getting dinner was fun, though--with the pointing and nodding there came a lot of scooping of rice and vegetables, topped off with a large piece of chicken. With many "xie xie"s (thank you) and "zaijian"s (goodbye), I paid and left, walk-sprinting back to the hostel in the rain.
Back at the hostel, the hostel-owner was showing new guests to their beds. At one point she turned to me and asked if I had dinner. I pointed to my bag and said yes! She then told me that there was a McDonald's and a KFC nearby, but I told her that I don't usually eat from there anyway.
The only real negative about this hostel is that there is one girl who snores so ridiculously loudly. Right now I don't know if I'm awake at 3:30am because of jet lag, going to sleep too early, sleeping with my contacts in (whoops), or because of the jet engine in the bed diagonally above me. Oh well!
*For some reason I always thought this word was "pantomine", no idea why. I guess one really does learn new things every day!
Goals for today:
1. Phone! Get at least a SIM card for now, and hopefully a phone contract.
2. Scavenge for food. If up to it tonight, explore a night market.
3. Make headway on finding an apartment (this is technically happening through my school, but I am trying to push it along, because as much as I love living out of a suitcase, it isn't what I want to do while starting a new job/life thousands of miles away from home).
4. Explore Taichung!
Conversation with the hostel owner about moving to Taiwan:
Auntie Julie: "Is this your first time in Taiwan?"
Me: "Yes! It's very new."
Auntie Julie: "You have no friends here?"
Me: "Nope. I have a few in China, but it is kind of far."
--Understatement of my life
Getting a SIM card seemed to be quite an ordeal, but it was actually quite simple. The hostel owner's son came with me, because he speaks perfect English (they lived in South Africa for years, then moved back to Taiwan) and Mandarin. The man at the FarEasTone counter gave us a hard time at first because I do not have my visa yet, but I gave him my passport and passport card, and then provided the information for the school, and he gave me a SIM card, which began working almost immediately.
Note: Skype, Facebook, and e-mail are still the best ways to contact me if you aren't in Taiwan.
Lunch (also breakfast): I walked around looking for something quick and close, because I was REALLY hungry and didn't want to get too lost. I found a FamilyMart and bought a bento-box-type meal, a honey roasted chicken sushi triangle, and what I thought was chocolate rice milk but was instead peanut rice milk. I had the sushi triangle and the rice milk, and both were delicious. I have found my new favorite snack (until I try the next new and scrumptious food).
For now it is raining, which in my (probably jet-lagged) world means naptime!
Oh! When I was outside looking for lunch, I discovered that I am two doors down from an arcade. Definitely picked the right hostel.
Just had my first real food-scavenging episode. I walk-sprinted in the rain on sidewalk-less streets, weaving through cars and scooters, which was not as dramatic as it sounds--I was in little-to-no danger of being hit by a car or scooter. After a few minutes, I found what seemed to be a neighborhood hot-spot. There were a bunch of people inside, and a short line had formed at the food-serving counter, which was only partially sheltered from the rain. Most of my interaction with the people at the counter involved smiling, pointing, and nodding, with the occasional "yi ge" ("one of these", but in the wrong context; most of my knowledge of Mandarin is from high school, though I remember a surprising amount of single words and short phrases). Luckily I love to engage in pantomime*, and naturally talk with my hands. Getting dinner was fun, though--with the pointing and nodding there came a lot of scooping of rice and vegetables, topped off with a large piece of chicken. With many "xie xie"s (thank you) and "zaijian"s (goodbye), I paid and left, walk-sprinting back to the hostel in the rain.
Back at the hostel, the hostel-owner was showing new guests to their beds. At one point she turned to me and asked if I had dinner. I pointed to my bag and said yes! She then told me that there was a McDonald's and a KFC nearby, but I told her that I don't usually eat from there anyway.
The only real negative about this hostel is that there is one girl who snores so ridiculously loudly. Right now I don't know if I'm awake at 3:30am because of jet lag, going to sleep too early, sleeping with my contacts in (whoops), or because of the jet engine in the bed diagonally above me. Oh well!
*For some reason I always thought this word was "pantomine", no idea why. I guess one really does learn new things every day!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
"'Homeward Bound' is never one direction." -The Fugitives, "Greyhound"
Somehow I left for a year in Taiwan on the exact date that I left for a year in Israel one year ago. I guess in that case it is fitting that I use the same blog for Taiwan that I meant to use for Israel (subject to change).
It's amazing how much can change in a year. Instead of bothering with the 2+ hour drive to New York City, I am flying out of the Philadelphia airport. Instead of going to Israel, a place where I had at least some grasp of the language and was going to be in an established program, I am going to Taiwan, a place where I cannot currently speak the language and will be an official teacher. I have a whole new set of friends to keep in touch with, and another year's worth of memories to make me smile. I didn't work at camp this summer, opting instead to travel so I could see my wonderful friends, the people who over the years have essentially become my family. I have also made the decision to cancel the cell phone line that I have had since fifth grade (about twelve years, for those who are counting). Another big change is that I have a two-year plan for the first time in my life; school never counted as a plan, but since then everything has seemed to be quite up in the air. The biggest change of all, though, is that I truly do not know when I will be coming back to the US. But that is another post for another day.
It is also so interesting how much stays the same. I packed at the last minute while some of my favorite television shows played in the background, which is nearly always the case (also, I fulfilled my accidental tendency to watch Robert Downey, Jr. movies before and during long trips--side note: if someone can tell me how "Only You" ends, I would be forever grateful). Sitting in the airport, none of this seems real yet. The same nervous and excited butterflies I always get while traveling have been residing in my stomach for weeks. I managed to get through security pretty quickly (got to love being the least intimidating person EVER when it comes to border security), even though as usual I was unable to fully check in online. Airplane food is as tasty as usual (I am one of those weirdos who enjoys it once in a while; something about the simplicity of steak and potatoes gets me every time).
On my first flight, from Philadelphia to Houston, I offered to switch seats with a little boy because his dad told me it was his first time flying, and the boy had an aisle seat while I had a window seat. Definitely glad I did, because I slept for the whole flight, unlike the little boy.
I think there should be a program set up for people to meet their seatmates before boarding. Not that they would be able to switch their seats, but people should know what they are getting themselves into before the 13+ hour flight. Then again, I have no idea of what I am doing right now with anything, so we'll see how this all works out.
I slept through about half of my thirteen-hour flight from Houston to Tokyo, which was great. Since then I have been reading Harry Potter and listening to music. I restarted the Harry Potter books this year partially under the misguided perception that I needed more magic in my life, and partially because they are even more fantastic and captivating than I remembered them to be.
As we descended over Japan into the Narita Airport, I noticed something really cool--multicolored roofs in great shades of at least blue, green, and purple. Hopefully I will get to explore these in the future. Also, I just saw an airplane that seemed to be plastered in advertisements, giving it an almost paisley look. The United planes aren't nearly as fun on the outside. There are a few young kids speaking Spanish in the row in front of me on the airplane. They seem to be really excited about seeing the other planes, and it's adorable.
Being spot-on with cliches lately, the first thought that entered my mind when finally sitting in the airplane on the flight to Taipei was: "This is the first day of the rst of your life." That, plus, "Here goes nothing!"
I started to get worried when the stewardesses came around with Customs cards, because I tend to be wary when I am told that I will only need to get my passport stamped and that I will get my ARC (Resident card/number) through the school. However, I arrived in the airport, exchanged money (almost had an issue with a "broken" $20, but I "fixed" it by unfolding the missing piece), got my stamp, found my suitcases within two minutes of waiting by the baggage carousel, followed the arrows to the buses, asked a few transportation officials which bus to take, got my ticket, and went on my merry way. The only real issue I had was when I didn't know exactly which station I would be getting off at in Taichung, but then I found the address of the hostel I had written down in Chinese characters and in English, and was given a map with the correct station circled. This has all been too easy so far.
It's Philly-humid here, except that it also rains, which is nice. I'm sure I will get tired of it at some point, but I love the rain, and after a year in Israel it is *always* welcome.
Got on the bus, read a little bit, took a nap, kept trying to pay attention to hear my stop, but gave up after a while. Luckily the bus driver knew my stop, and pointed me in the right direction (and then quickly found me a taxi when I asked for one). The cab driver brought me two streets away from the bus to my hostel (a woman's apartment building with eight bunk beds and lockers inside), and a really sweet doorman helped me bring my suitcases to the right floor and got the hostel owner for me. She lives downstairs, and came up to show me my bed (complete with Minnie Mouse comforter--I'm in heaven) and keys. As it is only 12:30am, everything went more or less according to schedule. Awesome. Also the hallway smells like my apartment in Buenos Aires, which is quite homey--must be the same kind of smoke.
Goals for this year:
1. Improve my teaching skills! Learn effective classroom management and figure out what kind of teacher I want to be, and how to utilize my students' various learning types to be the best teacher that I can be for them.
2. Learn Mandarin, at least to a certain degree. Communication is key, y'all. Plus I could never forgive myself if I lived somewhere for a year and didn't learn at least some of the language. Even in university I learned a bit of French, although it was easy enough to get around without it.
3. Explore. I will have literally all of Asia at my fingertips (North Korea doesn't count, though I wouldn't turn down a tour of the DMZ tunnel if a non-sketchy person or organization offered). Not taking advantage of that would be insane.
4. Learn new cooking techniques. Learn how to cook Asian foods. Learn how to cook with little more than a hotplate, a toaster oven, and a rice cooker. Learn to cook with ingredients I have never seen before. So, basically, the usual.
5. "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold." (as opposed to "You'll never see your friends again" x4)
6. Have so much fun. But this is a given.
It's amazing how much can change in a year. Instead of bothering with the 2+ hour drive to New York City, I am flying out of the Philadelphia airport. Instead of going to Israel, a place where I had at least some grasp of the language and was going to be in an established program, I am going to Taiwan, a place where I cannot currently speak the language and will be an official teacher. I have a whole new set of friends to keep in touch with, and another year's worth of memories to make me smile. I didn't work at camp this summer, opting instead to travel so I could see my wonderful friends, the people who over the years have essentially become my family. I have also made the decision to cancel the cell phone line that I have had since fifth grade (about twelve years, for those who are counting). Another big change is that I have a two-year plan for the first time in my life; school never counted as a plan, but since then everything has seemed to be quite up in the air. The biggest change of all, though, is that I truly do not know when I will be coming back to the US. But that is another post for another day.
It is also so interesting how much stays the same. I packed at the last minute while some of my favorite television shows played in the background, which is nearly always the case (also, I fulfilled my accidental tendency to watch Robert Downey, Jr. movies before and during long trips--side note: if someone can tell me how "Only You" ends, I would be forever grateful). Sitting in the airport, none of this seems real yet. The same nervous and excited butterflies I always get while traveling have been residing in my stomach for weeks. I managed to get through security pretty quickly (got to love being the least intimidating person EVER when it comes to border security), even though as usual I was unable to fully check in online. Airplane food is as tasty as usual (I am one of those weirdos who enjoys it once in a while; something about the simplicity of steak and potatoes gets me every time).
On my first flight, from Philadelphia to Houston, I offered to switch seats with a little boy because his dad told me it was his first time flying, and the boy had an aisle seat while I had a window seat. Definitely glad I did, because I slept for the whole flight, unlike the little boy.
I think there should be a program set up for people to meet their seatmates before boarding. Not that they would be able to switch their seats, but people should know what they are getting themselves into before the 13+ hour flight. Then again, I have no idea of what I am doing right now with anything, so we'll see how this all works out.
I slept through about half of my thirteen-hour flight from Houston to Tokyo, which was great. Since then I have been reading Harry Potter and listening to music. I restarted the Harry Potter books this year partially under the misguided perception that I needed more magic in my life, and partially because they are even more fantastic and captivating than I remembered them to be.
As we descended over Japan into the Narita Airport, I noticed something really cool--multicolored roofs in great shades of at least blue, green, and purple. Hopefully I will get to explore these in the future. Also, I just saw an airplane that seemed to be plastered in advertisements, giving it an almost paisley look. The United planes aren't nearly as fun on the outside. There are a few young kids speaking Spanish in the row in front of me on the airplane. They seem to be really excited about seeing the other planes, and it's adorable.
Being spot-on with cliches lately, the first thought that entered my mind when finally sitting in the airplane on the flight to Taipei was: "This is the first day of the rst of your life." That, plus, "Here goes nothing!"
I started to get worried when the stewardesses came around with Customs cards, because I tend to be wary when I am told that I will only need to get my passport stamped and that I will get my ARC (Resident card/number) through the school. However, I arrived in the airport, exchanged money (almost had an issue with a "broken" $20, but I "fixed" it by unfolding the missing piece), got my stamp, found my suitcases within two minutes of waiting by the baggage carousel, followed the arrows to the buses, asked a few transportation officials which bus to take, got my ticket, and went on my merry way. The only real issue I had was when I didn't know exactly which station I would be getting off at in Taichung, but then I found the address of the hostel I had written down in Chinese characters and in English, and was given a map with the correct station circled. This has all been too easy so far.
It's Philly-humid here, except that it also rains, which is nice. I'm sure I will get tired of it at some point, but I love the rain, and after a year in Israel it is *always* welcome.
Got on the bus, read a little bit, took a nap, kept trying to pay attention to hear my stop, but gave up after a while. Luckily the bus driver knew my stop, and pointed me in the right direction (and then quickly found me a taxi when I asked for one). The cab driver brought me two streets away from the bus to my hostel (a woman's apartment building with eight bunk beds and lockers inside), and a really sweet doorman helped me bring my suitcases to the right floor and got the hostel owner for me. She lives downstairs, and came up to show me my bed (complete with Minnie Mouse comforter--I'm in heaven) and keys. As it is only 12:30am, everything went more or less according to schedule. Awesome. Also the hallway smells like my apartment in Buenos Aires, which is quite homey--must be the same kind of smoke.
Goals for this year:
1. Improve my teaching skills! Learn effective classroom management and figure out what kind of teacher I want to be, and how to utilize my students' various learning types to be the best teacher that I can be for them.
2. Learn Mandarin, at least to a certain degree. Communication is key, y'all. Plus I could never forgive myself if I lived somewhere for a year and didn't learn at least some of the language. Even in university I learned a bit of French, although it was easy enough to get around without it.
3. Explore. I will have literally all of Asia at my fingertips (North Korea doesn't count, though I wouldn't turn down a tour of the DMZ tunnel if a non-sketchy person or organization offered). Not taking advantage of that would be insane.
4. Learn new cooking techniques. Learn how to cook Asian foods. Learn how to cook with little more than a hotplate, a toaster oven, and a rice cooker. Learn to cook with ingredients I have never seen before. So, basically, the usual.
5. "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold." (as opposed to "You'll never see your friends again" x4)
6. Have so much fun. But this is a given.
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