Two Tickets to Paradise (Part Two)

So, onward we pressed to Green Island. The nice lady at the B&B informed us that we could catch a bus for the first leg of our trip in front of the 7-11. Of course, here you can do most anything and everything at the 7-11. Pay bills, play the lottery, buy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Really, it's quite convenient.

So, after waiting about 20 minutes in the hot sun a bus came by. We flagged him down, showed him the Chinese character for our destination that the lady had written out for us and we were on our way! And, boy, were we excited...
We made it to the station and hopped on a train to Taitung (the city on the east coast where we would pick up the boat to Green Island). Our excitement soon turned to apprehension as the train came out of a mountain tunnel and was suddenly being pummeled with wind and rain. Nice weather for a boat ride, eh? Would there even be a boat ride?

Our worries were put to rest when we walked in to buy our tickets and were told that, yes, there would be a boat. We proceeded to wait in line, with the wind threatening to take our hats and a slight drizzle coming down. All of a sudden the slight drizzle turned to a downpour and we were stuck, with no umbrella waiting to board. After some jostling from the crowd we made it on, still wondering what kind of boat ride this might be. We had heard that they could be rough...
Our fears were fanned when, as the boat was pulling out of the harbor there was a guy walking up and down the aisles selling Dramamine for $500 NT. $500 NT? They should be handing this stuff out like candy the way the boat is starting to rock, I thought.

Then, Luke (genius that he is) remembered those motion sickness bracelets with the pressure points. "What if we just push on the same spot?" he said.

By now the boat was out in the open water and getting tossed around quite a bit. There were a few drops where it felt like my stomach was in my throat. However, our little pressure point trick was working quite well until I started hearing the barf bags rustling all around us. At that point, we had to put on our Ipods, close our eyes, plant our feet firmly on the floor that was swaying beneath us and hope for the best.

We must have actually looked pretty zen-like. Eyes closed, staring straight ahead, middle fingers pressed firmly on pressure points. I don't think I moved from that position until the boat was safely docked at the Green Island harbor. I have to say that we made it the whole way without losing it which is more than I can say for most of the people around us. I was pretty proud of our American tummies, holding up with the best of the Taiwanese.

After stumbling off of the gang-plank, a little green in the face we were hit with a barrage of wind and rain...again. In addition to this, a man on his scooter approached us, asked us where we were staying and insisted that we come to his house. Luke, in his best and most polite Chinese, said no thank you and we continued on our way. However, the man persisted, thinking we didn't understand. And persisted, and persisted, and persisted. Luke kept telling him, I understand, no thank you but he only left us alone after another Chinese man stepped in and basically told him to leave us alone.

The hotel that we had decided we would try to get a room at was in the village about one kilometer from the harbor. An easy walk in nice weather, but pretty terrible when you're getting soaked. Not to mention Crazy Cathy...

Oh, Crazy Cathy. Soon after we left the first old man a lady on a scooter approached us. We figured out that these people work on commision and if you stay at the hotel they bring you to they get a cut of the profit. So, here we are. Cold, still feeling sea-sick and soaked to the bone and Crazy Cathy (as we named her) is making circles around us on her scooter, jabbering in Taiwanese and stopping at every hotel along the way, trying to get us to stay there. This was pretty much the last thing we wanted at this point. The village is so small that it's literally one road and all the hotels are on that road. So, it's not like we couldn't find it on our own. Finally, we decided to duck in to a convenience store to try and lose them (oh, yes, there was another man tailing us while Crazy Cathy was making her circles around us). We walk out and lo-and-behold, she's waiting for us. How nice. We decide on a hotel and go in that direction. She speeds ahead of us and meets us at the front door. Long story short, we booked a room, Cathy got her stake and we were left alone to dry off and settle in to our room in peace. Thank goodness.

All this to say, we were not impressed with Green Island. The village was small and dreary with with hardly any places to eat. After wandering up and down the main street in the rain, trying to settle on a place, we finally got up the nerve to walk into what looked like a restaurant and order some food. After an unsatisfying meal and a soggy walk back to the hotel we turned in for the night. We decided that night that if things weren't better the next day that we would be gone on the next boat.

We woke up the next morning and a tentative look out the window revealed a bright blue sky, white puffy clouds and the shining sun. We breathed a sigh of relief and headed out to make the most of the day.

Green Island is tiny, only 17 kilometers around the entire thing. We rented a scooter and were on our way. I'll say right now that the scenery was breathtaking! We rounded curve after curve on the scooter and to our delight our eyes were met with sight after dramatic sight. Our first quick stop was at a beach which I will go back to later.
Next stop was one of only three salt water hot springs in the world. Apparently there is one on Mt. Vesuvius, one somewhere in Japan and one on Green Island. Who would have thought? The hot springs were amazing and right on the beach. In addition to the natural ones they had a large pool with different sections, some warmer, some cooler. We spent a lot of time just soaking and enjoying the scenery.
In addition to the hot springs, there was a short hike up to a bluff. Unfortunately, the pictures really don't do it justice.
After a while, we hopped on to our scooter and continued on. The next stop was a short walk up a flight of stairs to two pagodas perched on the edge of a cliff where we saw some incredible views. Again, the pictures don't really do it justice...
A little further down the road we came to a spot where there had been an ancient (I think this term was being used loosely) settlement where some of the houses still remained. Here we also found a pool of clear, turquoise water to soak in and plenty of lava formations to climb on.
Green Island was not always a place of rest and relaxation we soon found out. We came across an old prison with a memorial outside of it. Apparently, in the 50's Taiwan went through a period called the "White Terror" where about 90,000 citizens were arrested and imprisoned for espionage and speaking out against the government. While there were some that actually were spies many were sadly imprisoned at Green Island and were either left there or executed. This was a dark time in Taiwan's history and things have been done to rectify and repay the families whose loved ones were falsely imprisoned.

After the prison, we came to the lighthouse where there was yet another pool of perfect, turquoise water just begging to be swam in.

This pretty much completed the trip around the island. After grabbing some dinner we decided to watch the sunset at the first beach we had come to. We settled in to a sunny spot on the grass, tan, sun-soaked and happy as clams at the day we had.
Suffice it to say, we decided that we did indeed like (or maybe even love) Green Island despite the terrible first impression. So much so that we stayed the night and got up at 4:50 AM (yes, that's AM) to watch the sunrise from the hot springs. A bit groggy and thinking, "What are we doing? It's still pitch black" we rode out to the hot springs in the early morning light. We soaked in the springs and watched the sun make its way over the horizon.
So, having felt like we fully explored Green Island and catching a sunset as well as a sunrise it was time to head back. Since the next day would be 10/10, a major Taiwanese holiday we decided to try and make it back home that day since we heard it would be near impossible to go anywhere without reservations over the weekend. So, with another semi-rough boat trip, a taxi ride, a train, a bus and then another train we were back in Hsinchu 12 not-so-short hours later. Phew...it was a whirlwind getting back but totally worth it. We will be back to Kenting I'm sure and hopefully Green Island. But, if not Green Island we were left feeling actually thankful for the poor first impressions because they made the next impressions and last impressions that much better. Green Island was just what we had been needing. So, until the next post...zai jian!

Two Tickets to Paradise (Part One)

Some weeks ago Katie and I were given a list of Taiwan's national holidays and the subsequent days off of work they would provide. To our amusement we learned that the Taiwanese people actually voted to have fewer holidays as they took away from work (not kidding). So the list was rather short...almost comical. The only holiday in sight was October 10 --Taiwanese Independence day. It fell on a Friday so Katie and I decided to make the most of it and take the whole week off. We had heard that plane tickets around Asia were very cheap so we felt confident in our ability to book an international trip on the cheap and we would be set.

After some research and serious effort we discovered that plane tickets were not nearly as cheap as we had been told. Every ticket came with a hefty fuel tax that tripled the price of the ticket. So...what do we do? With only a week left till the coming break we decided to make use of the convenient Taiwanese public transit and to make a trip around the island. To make the trip unique we decided on a few destinations, then just trusted in our ability to find our way there: no pre-booked tickets or hotels...just a general idea on what we wanted and our trusty tour book. The week passed slowly, Katie and I were both dealing with a head cold and an extra class that we were subbing for. Friday finally arrived and I found myself flat on my back: sick. So sick that I had to take my first day off from work and then go to the doctor.

Long story short we were going to leave on Saturday but had to wait until Sunday instead. We packed a bag early Sunday morning then rode our scooter to the Hsin-Chu train station. Our first destination would be a Taiwan hot spot: Kenting.

Kenting is located at the very southern tip of Taiwan. There was no train that went directly there so we would have to figure it out. We booked a train ticket to Kaohsiung (the second largest city in Taiwan) and we were on our way.

The Taiwanese train system is really quite amazing. Without too much detail, the tickets are cheap, the trains are efficient, reliable, quiet and there are plenty of them (Unless you go on a national holiday...but more on that later!). We enjoyed a leisurely train ride down the length of the western portion of the island and two and a half hours later we found ourselves in the middle of Kaohsiung.

The city is huge, loud and quite intimidating. We stepped out of the station and began to look for a way to get to Kenting. After a quick dinner we spotted a bus and began to make our way toward it.

It was here we discovered there are always options. In Taiwan, if you want to get somewhere you can take a train, a bus, a plane or...often there is just some guy who is willing to drive you for a modest fee. We knew you could take a cab as an option so I walked over to a cab driver just to test the water. His price was outrageous and after some basic bartering we decided to just head toward the bus station. As we were crossing the street a man came up to us and asked where we were going. I told him Kenting and he said he would take us in his van. He would charge us only $3 more than the bus...

Sound sketchy? Just wait.

We agreed (perhaps foolishly) and climbed into his van. He told us to wait ten minutes so we sat awkwardly and waited. Ten minutes later we drove to the other side of the street where we parked and the man told us to wait again. We felt a little nervous but we were ok.

A few minutes later he came back and told us to get in another van. This van had all its windows tinted and/or covered by curtains. We climbed in, but felt uncomfortable. The van drove around the block then stopped again and our new driver told us to wait. He climbed out and disappeared into a small crowd. Feeling a little scared, frustrated and tired (I was still feeling under the weather) we decided to give him five minutes and then we would leave.

He returned a minute later with two other guys apparently heading to Kenting as well. He then gave me his business card (a common sign that he is "legit") and we tore off through the city toward the sun-drenched sand of Kenting.

The drive was eventful in so far as our driver made good use of his neon flashing lights and passed as many cars as he could via the shoulder. There was also something hypnotic to his overly-loud, trance-like electronica music and it was an adequate soundtrack to the drive. We laughed at several occasions when we felt like we were almost on two wheels. After letting the other passengers out at a very dark, rather bleak location near the highway our driver asked us where we wanted to be let out. We quickly found a recommended hotel in our tour book and told him the address. Twenty minutes later we were there.

We climbed out of the van, paid the driver then smiled as we took in the fresh salty air of Kenting. It was dark and we couldn't see much but we were feeling pretty good about ourselves. Now...where to stay?

The hotel we were let off at had no rooms left so we walked next door. Again, some lady walked right up to us and asked us where we were going (I really had to use my Chinese on this trip...it felt good) and I told her we were looking for a place to stay. She took us into an alley where her hotel was and we booked a room. Hotel prices in Taiwan are significantly cheaper than those in the states and we were given a really good deal. Then we were led up to our room and Katie burst out laughing (as soon as the lady left of course)...not because the room was dirty...but well...here are the pictures:



Is that pink, or salmon, you ask? The answer is yes and lots of it. The bed was also quite...shiny and slippery. I literally almost slid off of it at some point during the night. Other than that the room was fine and it felt good to be away from everything. We spent the remainder of the night exploring the Kenting night market and just resting.

The next morning we were up early and ready to find a different place to stay. This only required two things: A nice shower/bath and a non slippery/shiny bed. After a quick walk we stepped into the "Tranquil Sea Vacation Hotel" and asked about seeing rooms. We were shown a couple that looked ok and then we were taken to the VIP suite...and we were sold. The room was beautiful with an ocean view, a nice layout and the biggest tub I have ever seen (literally). We were given a discount (as it was a weekday) and any comparable room in the States would have cost at least twice as much.



After settling in our room we spent the day exploring the little town around us and simply resting. Kenting is the only beach resort in Taiwan...that is to say it is typically a major destination for anyone on the island looking for nice beaches and lots of sun. For the most part the town is very nice, lots to look at, nice scenery and good food. But there are certain parts that are just so distinctly Taiwan you never forget where you are:
So...looking for a nice vacation spot? Sun? Check. Beach? Check. Beautiful location? Check. Jackhammers, random garbage and sickly dogs...welcome to Taiwan. On the one hand it isn't as bad as it sounds, on the other hand as my brother so adequately said the last time I saw him, "In Taiwan you just have to lower your standards...hahahaha." That will be a blog post of its own very soon: Taiwan--just lower your standards.

Seriously Kenting is a beautiful place...I only added the section above as a side note to say that there are parts that are rough around the edges. Our days there were so relaxing and restful that the place was exactly what we were needing it to be.

The weather went from extremely hot to rainy off and on giving us ample time to spend on the beach and huddled indoors. Here are some shots from the beach at the storm that moved over us in a matter of minutes:


The rain came in buckets and it was so relaxing to listen to as it drove into the ceiling above us.

Another great aspect to Kenting was the food. Finding food in Taiwan can be quite challenging at times and Kenting was wonderful in it had pleanty of great places to eat at reasonable prices. We enjoyed our dessert crepes Monday night and spent the time discussing what we would do on Tuesday.

We knew we wanted to go to "Green Island"...a small, little-known island off the east coast of Taiwan. The problem was getting there. There was no train from Kenting to the east coast city of Taitung (where the port was that we needed to find)...and we found out there were no direct buses either.

We met an extremely nice lady at a small bed and breakfast who helped us figure out where to go. We were to catch a bus north to a small town that had a train station. From there we would catch a train to Taitung. It sounded easy enough and we woke up on Tuesday morning with a resolve to find our way!

We knew that we didn't see nearly all there was to see in Kenting and decided that we would definitely go back and spend time exploring. But that would have to wait...

Taiwan Fun Fact

TAIWAN FUN FACT #1: In terms of population density, Taiwan is only second in the world next to Bangladesh.

This is pretty nuts especially if you think about how much usable land Taiwan has. The entire middle of the country is a rugged mountain range with many peaks almost reaching 4,000 meters. In a country that at its widest is only about 140 kilometers, this is pretty impressive. With only about 500,000 of Taiwan's 22 million people on the east coast that leaves the north, south and west edges of the island for the rest of the population.

I think that Taiwan has done a pretty good job of dealing with this massive population in such a small space. We live in a suburb of one of the smaller cities and don't really feel the crush on a day-to-day basis. So, sometimes we catch ourselves wondering, 22 million? Pfshh...it doesn't feel like 22 million. And then, we took a train trip down the western side of the island...and you realize that the city never stops. Sure, you have your major centers of population, but apart from the random rice paddy, there is never not a building in your line of sight.

So, what's a little 'ol island nation of 22 million to do? Apart from imposing population controls, of course? Build, build, build, wherever it can. This is a just bit depressing if you stop and think about it.

However, I rest assured that there are some areas that you just can't build on. Like the jagged coastline of the north, the white sandy beaches of the south and that huge rugged mountain range through the middle. At least I know that those places will maintain their natural beauty.

I like to picture Taiwan a couple hundred years ago before all this "progress." I'm sure it was stunning. Cloud-shrouded mountains, hidden waterfalls, views out to the beaches and the sea. And all dotted here and there with the orange-tiled roofs of temples. I'm sure it was a sight to see. No wonder the first people to come here called it, "Isla Formosa."

When you're in the densely populated cities, sometimes you have to look hard to see Taiwan's beauty. But, it's not far or hard to find. I know I've said this before but this creates a pretty sharp and stunning contrast between the cities and the uninhabited portions of the island. Which really makes you appreciate those uninhabited parts that much more.

Kiddies

Don't let all the other posts fool you. I know it looks like we have been getting out and doing a lot of fun stuff (because we have), but we have also been working hard and working a lot. This post about teaching has been a long time coming since we wanted to wait until we had some pictures of the kiddies to post.

At the start of this, Luke and I were excitedly looking forward to "an easy year" of work. We would work between the hours of 9-4 and 9-4 only. We would have plenty of time to relax, get out and enjoy ourselves here. And while we have been able to do that, had we asked any teacher how many hours they actually work, they would probably most definitely have said they don't only fall into the hours of 9-4.

Originally, we were planning on both teaching a morning and afternoon kindergarten class, five days a week. Our school asked us to also take on a class of older kids (8-11 yr. olds) in the evenings, three days a week. Between getting to the school early to get materials together, lesson planning and meetings, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are very long days. Usually by the time we clock out we've worked 10-11 hours. Tuesdays and Thursdays are better but we have been subbing for another evening class, thus another long day thrown into the mix.

Even though we are working far more hours than we anticipated, I have to say that teaching has been much more fun and rewarding than I had thought. The hours fly by and are never boring. The kindergarten kids are so adorable and they just love you and are always yelling, "Teacher Katie!" or "Teacher Luke!" when you walk by. They say the funniest things, like one of my kids, Alen, saying, "My house is a toy store!" Or, another good one from Alen, "I am a 7-11!" What?! Who even knows what he's actually trying to say. Point is, they're hilarious. Or, one of Luke's kids, Kai, whose superpower is that "he can eat snaaaaAKKE?!!

I have a small class which consists of mostly three and four year-olds. In my opinion, very young to be in school and learning a different language but if you can believe it, there is another class even younger than this. There are 20 of them and they are a handful. It's taking some time for them to adjust to school and any number of funny/frustrating things happen every day. Crying, taking off pants and running around, spilling food...normal things for any 3 year-old but when there's 20 of them...Well, thankfully we have Chinese teachers in the classroom who deal with most of the dirty stuff during English time. This class has been challenging because the kids are so young but I've also heard that it's the most rewarding because of how much they grow and how much progress they make in a year.

The other day we went to the dentist for a field trip. Here are some of them getting ready to go. Notice the one in the center, giving the peace sign (in case you didn't know, this is pretty much what EVERY Asian does when taking a picture). I wouldn't be surprised if they had pictures of them as newborns doing this. This is Yuki, or maybe it's Ayato. Sitting down just behind him and to the right is his twin brother. Don't let the cuteness fool you...
They are a handful....
Here they are at the dentist, listening attentively to a demonstration of how to correctly brush your teeth. Why can't they be that attentive when I'm teaching?! Maybe I need to start incorporating props like an over-sized set of plastic teeth and a toothbrush into my lectures...
This is sweet, little Patty...
And, Dora...see what I mean about the peace sign thing?
And, crazy David...
I teach another class of older kindy kids (4-6 year-olds) in the afternoon and that class is a lot of fun most days. They are more under control, can speak a little more English and we interact a lot more. They are definitely my favorites right now. I only have pictures of a few of them since Friday afternoons tend to be busy getting them ready to go home. Here is Gemma, a real sweetheart...
And one of Ting-Ting, Gemma and Alen. Remember, Alen is the quotable one. He also loves having his picture taken. In fact, this one and the one before of Gemma are the only ones where he wasn't less than a foot away from the camera (which also made taking pictures of other kids difficult).
See what I mean? ; )
That kid in the back is Eric, another great kid. There are a bunch of them in that class.

Once Luke has some pictures of his kids, he will do a post. He teaches a middle class (4-6 year olds) and a big class (5-7 year olds).

A Friendly Face

It has been a couple weeks since our last post and I have to say that this particular post has been brewing for some time. After the Moon Festival debacle Katie and I looked forward desperately to the next weekend to celebrate our anniversary. We were feeling run down from our schedule and our cozy little apartment was beginning to feel like a fish bowl. It was time to bust out.

So we did some research and made the decision to go to Sun Moon Lake. Arguably one of Taiwan's most famous spots to spend a weekend of relaxation and rest. I was able to contact a bed and breakfast that was reasonably priced and by Monday we were already looking forward to making the trip that very next weekend.


The week was long but we pressed on. Friday arrived with some stormy weather, but the soggy scooter ride to work didn't shake our spirits. Tomorrow we would be in Sun Moon Lake and that's all that mattered. As soon as we got to work our manager asked us if we were still planning on going.

Eagerly Katie nodded and replied, "Yes of course."

Our manager frowned and said, "I don't know if you should." She explained that a rather sizable typhoon was headed our way and the island will most likely be shut down for the weekend. We refused to believe it. The typhoon may be coming, but if we could get to the lake first we would be ok...right?

We watched the storm carefully and it became clear we wouldn't be going anywhere. I quickly e-mailed the bed and breakfast to change our reservations and we were able to make them for the following weekend. Katie and I decided this would be better as we would be in Taichung already for a day of training for school. So this could be a blessing in disguise.

A long story short, the typhoon was pretty cool to watch and we spent the weekend literally in our room watching the storm. We were feeling pretty stuck. Then we began to feel sick.

The next week passed by in a blur of congested lungs, coughing, fevers and teaching but Friday arrived. We were up early to head to Taichung excited to leave the Jubei area for the first time since we had arrived six weeks earlier.

We took the "fast train" down south which is really quite amazing. 10 years ago it would take at least two hours to drive from our house to Taichung on a very good day. The fast train did it in just over 25 minutes. It really was amazing.

11 hours later our training was coming to a close. Katie and I were both worried we would miss the last bus to Sun Moon Lake. We watched the clock anxiously as the final minutes seemed to drag on forever. According to our information there was only one bus left going to Sun Moon Lake and we only had a few minutes to catch it. Suddenly my cell phone rang.

What in the world? We have a cellphone that really functions as more of a watch than a phone. A handful of people have the number and none of those people call us with any regularity. I looked at the phone and didn't recognize the number so I didn't answer. The meeting kept going. My phone rang again...same number....this time I excused myself from the meeting and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Yes, hello is this Mr. Luke?"
"Um...yeah"
"Hi this is Wayne from Laurel Villa" -- the bed and breakfast we were staying at.
"Oh hi!"
"Are you still planning on coming to the lake?"
"Yes, but we might miss the bus..."
"Oh...don't worry! Just take the other bus to Puli...they run 24 hours and I come to pick you up!"

This was my first conversation with Wayne.

We left the meeting shortly after and hopped in a taxi hoping we could catch the bus. We did not (so we thought, actually we were directed to the wrong bus or we went to the wrong bus...who knows...welcome to Taiwan!) but we could take a bus to Puli...and apparently this guy Wayne would pick us up.

I called Wayne and he told me to meet him at the KFC. Pretty random and pretty unlikely, but at this point we were on the bus and there was no turning back.

We looked into the darkness out the window and we started to wonder if this was in fact the bus to Puli. We made several stops and each time a group of high school kids boarded. Oh no...was this the right bus? So I went and asked the bus driver. He confirmed it was in fact the right bus and not to worry.

An hour and a half later (after stopping at a gas station just outside of town) the bus stopped in Puli and let us off next to a big KFC. There in his green Toyota was Wayne.

It is important to note here that the section above really is more of a prolgogue because this is really about Wayne. I can't tell you how badly Katie and I needed to get out and rest...we were sick, tired and desperate. Now we were somewhere in central Taiwan in the middle of a town we had no intention of seeing being picked up by somebody we didn't know.

But here we met Wayne. He picked us up, took us to get dinner (he was worried we would be hungry and all the food stands in Sun Moon Lake would be closed by the time we got there). Then we talked for 30 minutes while he drove us to the lake. Wayne learned English from watching movies and honestly his English rivals some of the staff at our school. He told us about the lake, where to go, what to see and then about his bed and breakfast.

We arrived and were greeted with smiles from his family then shown to our room. The bed was soft and there was a shower (two things we don't have normally!) We woke to a nice breakfast downstairs made by Wayne's wife and then spent the weekend relaxing. They let us borrow their scooter (no charge and they would not let us pay for gas), offered to drive us any where we wished to go, always asked if we needed anything or wanted anything and were honestly some of the most genuinly nice people we have ever met. As we were getting ready to leave on Sunday Wayne shook my hand and said, "I am sorry that I wasn't very helpful to you this weekend. I hope you have a good time here."

He is an amazing guy.

Honestly we didn't see much of the lake...it was quite cloudy and we were tired...but we had a great time because of Wayne and his family.

Here is a picture from outside the hotel

This was from a nice walk we took on Saturday afternoon.

These were from the top of a nine story pagoda in the mountains. Apparently one of the best views in all of Taiwan...too bad it was so cloudy.
Some of the temples here were amazing.

All in all this was a great trip......Until next time!

Home Sweet Home

I've had a few people ask to see pictures of our apartment, so I finally got around to snapping some quick pictures. It's small (about the size of our Seattle apartment) and split over two levels, but since we basically came here only with clothes and a few books and DVDs, it's more than enough space. And it came furnished, which was a huge plus. The building is new and modern and close to a store called Carrefour which is basically like a Target just not as nice.

Here is a picture of the "living room." Trust me, it's not always this clean. It doesn't even look like we live there...
And, here is our amazing kitchen. Yes, there is a lot of cooking that goes on there...
But, oh wait...where is the oven? Where is the microwave? Where is the refrigerator? Oh, yes...here is the refrigerator. Memories of dorm life came flooding back (minus the scooter helmet) when I saw this.
But, that's right...no oven, no microwave. That is a Taiwan kitchen for you. When it's just as cheap to eat out and food goes bad so quickly because of the humidity you get used to not really needing a kitchen. Once the weather cools down a bit we have plans to plug in our hot plate and cook some rice and dumplings.

Also, downstairs is a bathroom that I don't really want to talk about. It's an all-in-one design which I think goes along with the efficiency and economy idea. It is a room of all tile with a toilet, a sink and a shower head. Yes, a shower head but no shower area. The whole bathroom is the shower area which basically means that everything in the bathroom gets soaked when you take a shower. I know that in a month or so we are really going to be jonesing for a real shower.

Then, there is an upstairs area that's like a loft.
The apartment is great because it is on a corner and has big windows on both sides. The loft area is cool because it feels separate from the rest of the place. We have our not-so-comfortable bed (but are getting used to it) and our air-conditioner. Let me tell you, that air-conditioner has been a life saver on many a hot day.
And, last but not least, we have our desk area which is where we communicate with all of you lovely people.
So, that's about it. Home for the next year or so. Hopefully, now when you think of us you can picture us in our cozy little place.

Oh Say Can You See: Best Anniversary Ever

One year ago on September 2, 2007 Katie and Luke joined their lives in marriage. Little did they know the interesting places life would take them...

Our anniversary came at an interesting time: 1. We are in Taiwan (duh) 2. The actual day was during the week (a Tuesday) so any elaborate celebration would have to take place on the weekend 3. The above mentioned weekend ended up being full of interesting surprises. To make a long and rather convoluted story short, this weekend was the annual Moon Festival BBQ at our branch. Normally we would have skipped it and gone to celebrate our anniversary, but our boss repeatedly asked that we postpone or change our plans so that we could attend this event. Wanting to make a good impression and share in some kind of goodwill cultural exchange we agreed to celebrate our anniversary next weekend and to attend the BBQ.

We arrived at 6:00pm ready to talk about Moon Festival, eat some Chinese BBQ and then turn in early after making a good showing to our Chinese co-workers. Had we known what was going to happen, I assure you, we would not have come...

The evening opened innocently enough with a various array of food set out on a table waiting to be BBQ'd. This basically means the foreigners get to play "Name That Meat"...here are some examples:


To be honest the food was actually very good and our hosts went out of their way to make sure everyone had enough to eat. After two hours of cooking, maybe one third of the food had been cooked.

As Katie and I were sitting in the grass with two other English teachers enjoying our meal and thinking about calling it a night, our boss approached us and said, "So we are thinking the 'stage' area will be over there, are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" I replied.

"Ready for your performance of course," she answered as if I knew what was happening.

"Um...," we all said at once.

We were then informed that we were to put on a musical performance for the Chinese staff. This might sound funny, but apparently this was a big deal that we were supposed to be preparing for. Who knew? We have become used to being expected to do things we had no knowledge of but to be honest this was especially awkward.

So with two minutes to plan for an "event" that was to be 20 minutes long, what do 3 Americans and 2 South Africans decide to perform?

We kicked it off with an unaccompanied rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" followed by the obligatory yelling of "Play ball!" Next came Luke playing a ukulele-sized guitar and the five of us singing "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. We closed the set with a song we do for kindergarten class, "Skitamarinkydinky-dink." There was a smattering of polite applause, but it was our suspicion that we did not meet the expectation. But again...who knew?

From there we immediatly were thrown into a game of "Who can peel a Chinese grapefruit the prettiest?" All the instructions were given in Chinese hastily so naturally Katie and I did the exact opposite of what we were supposed to do--all the while thinking we were winning. Again...who knew?

When the game finished, we felt a bit embarrassed and the idea of leaving for the night was really appealing. However our boss approached us as the peels were being cleaned up and asked us to go inside for a surprise party for one of the staff members. Relieved that the focus of everyone's attention would be off of us finally we smiled and marched inside.

After a few moments we were marched back outside with the group to sing "Happy Birthday" to the staff member. She was then asked to kiss a man next to her (we think they were a couple, but again...who knew for sure?) for ten seconds while everyone took pictures. Katie and I looked at eachother feeling confused at what exactly was happening when suddenly I was pushed very firmly in the back. I stumbled into the middle of the circle of people followed by my very confused wife. Our boss was saying something in Chinese then everyone yelled and I was given a pink piece of paper.

"Happy Anniversary from your staff," it read. I smiled at them and we thanked them for remembering.

Next I was told that they needed to make sure I had enough strength to carry on our marriage (yes...those were the exact words) and after some confused looks I was told to pick up Katie in both arms and kiss her for 20 seconds while everyone took pictures. So Katie's hat was yanked off, she was pushed against me and I picked her up. Hoping to make it quick by following instructions we kissed, embarrassed and laughing, while cameras flashed (some just a few inches from our faces) and then were told that the kiss wasn't good enough because Katie had been laughing almost the whole time. So there I was holding Katie for over a minute now and being told to kiss her again while the staff laughed at our confusion. After a few attempts we finally appeased the masses and I set Katie back on the ground.

Almost immediately the other American teacher approached us and said very seriously, "I am so sorry you guys...um...that was terrible..." We were thoroughly embarrassed after the weird spectacle that was made of us and grateful that someone had pity on us.

We laughed about it and did the best we could to be good sports. Apparently it is a cultural thing to embarrass your friends as much as you can on their big day. Who knew? Overall it wasn't a terrible night (pretty funny, actually), just one I think we both wished were a little more prepared for. We are hoping that this whole event will bring us closer to those we work with so we are doing our best to always be appreciative and laugh at ourselves.