Bowling in Taiwan

Turns out bowling in Taiwan is the same as bowling in Canada. I suck, doesn't matter the country, continent, or time zone. Bowling is just not for me. I'm nothing if not consistent. But I still had fun. We went bowling tonight after teaching with Jack and Sam. Who, Sam failed to mention beforehand, were both excellent bowlers. Sam brought his own bowling shoes from home and Jack owned his own ball. It was a very one-sided game.

Today we were both subbing. Rick was subbing two classes at Dar-Zhu (pronounced Da-Chu) that he subbed for last week and is still subbing for next week. When a teacher goes on vacation and you get your subbing schedule, sometimes it will say x3 or x2 and that just means that you will be subbing that class for X amount of weeks. He really enjoys his second class which is an early red book (meaning that their English education is JUST beginning to advance) and his other class is a yellow book but their motivation is at an all time low. They have no desire to learn which makes teaching them exhausting.

I, on the other hand, subbed a kindergarten class tonight at Tung-An which is the school where we live. It was so much fun! The kids were all adorable and so much fun! It went a lot better than the last kindergarten class I subbed. I knew more of the gestures and the songs and the most of the kids were older so they knew more of what was going on.

When we got back to the dorm, we were told that our water would be out from midnight tonight until 6AM on Wednesday aka 30 hours. Since Monica and I were one of the first ones back, I showered immediately since I was lazy all day and didn't shower and then we went to work on the dishes. After those were finished, I filled up all of my own water bottles with the filtered water. It probably would've been easier to not rush and fill up our water and just go to 711 to buy some but the idea of having no water stressed me out. I later found out that it is this whole area of Taoyuan that is having our water turned off, still no idea why but at least its not just us.

In other news, there is a leak in one of our rooms. Thankfully it isn't in the room where we sleep and its coming from the wall that we have nothing on but it still sucks. I told the people from Gloria about it so we'll see. Hopefully it gets fixed. I don't know if its the constant rain, the humidity, or my allergies but I currently have the worst cold that I have ever had. If I blew my nose every single minute throughout the day that still wouldn't be enough. It doesn't help that I am constantly cold. I have started taking my Reactine again just in case it is my allergies but no changes yet so I'm thinking it is a cold. All I want now is for my mom to come take care of me. Someone make that happen please :)

- Melissa

Three Weeks in Taiwan

Sorry that it has been so long since my last post, I had some computer problems so I wasn't able to come online. Since my last entry, we both started our own regular classes and subbed some more. Subbing has been fun, especially on Saturday when we were both at Tung-An School (which is the school where our dorm is located) so we literally had to get out of bed and walk downstairs to get to class. Very easy money, I would love to get a regular class at Tung-An but I doubt I'll be that lucky. It will be easier and less of a hassle to get to class once we own a scooter, let me know if you know anyone who is selling for a reasonable price!

Now I will back track to our regular classes. Mine was a red book (10 years old around) and I was warned, thankfully, beforehand that they are a difficult class. Apparently prior to the teacher I was replacing who just left without saying goodbye to any of their classes, they were without a foreign teacher for four months. Prior to that, they had a horrible Taiwanese teacher who used to hit them. Safe to say, they're not very trusting of teachers and coupled with the fact that most of them are lazy, I did not have fun during this class. They were so hard to motivate and I left feeling so exhausted and worn out. I'm still looking forward to this coming Thursday when I get to see them again though, I've been thinking all week for ways to motivate them and I'm excited to attempt it. Wish me luck.

Rick's two regular classes on Thursday went amazingly. His first one was a Kindergarten Beginners class (we call it a kindy class) so they are usually 5 or younger and this is their first time learning any sort of English. Rick had a lot of fun with them and they liked him a lot, not to forget his amazing coteacher who was with him for his next regular class as well. The next class was a Gloria English 1 class so they have just finished the previous class that Rick was teaching so this class was around 7 years old. Again, he had an amazing time with them and breezed right through it. Rick is so amazing with children, in general, so I would love to get to watch him teach one day. (Don't tell him I said any of this though, I don't want to inflate his ego too much.)

Saturday night we decided to try out the night market again. I couldn't not stop at the pet store and this time I got to hold my little puppy. (Big mistake on Rick's part for letting that one happen considering it just motivated me even more to buy the puppy.) Still working on convincing Rick, help me out! I need more positives to getting a puppy while we're here to bring home, all he can think of are the negatives haha. I went and got the chocolate banana crepe again, except this time Rick was smart enough to get his own and David and Monica were there as well to enjoy it. I swear that lady is going to know me by name the next time I go there. I also tried this baked potato that everyone had told me about and it really did live up to its reputation. It was amazing, and thankfully Rick was there to point out that she was about to put tuna on it and we stopped her just in time.

Tonight we went to see Zero Dark Thirty. Jury is still out on that one. Yes it was an amazing movie but should it really have been made into a movie in the first place? Who knows. Regardless, it was fun to go to the mall. Tomorrow I am subbing a kindy class at Tung-An (YAY) and Rick is at a further school for his second week of subbing two classes there. Sometimes when you get asked to sub somewhere, it will say x3 or x2 which lets you know that they need you for however many weeks.

Maybe the next time I write in the blog, I will have my little puppy named King sitting next to me. A girl can dream...

- Melissa

Taoyuan Night Market

Yesterday I was only teaching until around 6 and Rick wasn't teaching at all so we decided it would be a great night to check out Taoyuan city's Night Market. Rick had already been once before when we had first arrived to Taiwan and I was in my zombie-like state of sleeping and sleeping some more. But it was good that he had already been because then he could easily lead us there!

I don't know if Rick was fully aware but on the way there, we saw a pet store. The puppies were way toooo cute and I literally wanted to take home each and every one of them. They were only around $500 CAD, pretty much a bargain, right?! Now I just need to work to convince Rick...

Also on the way there, we stopped at a helmet store because we both need to buy helmets. Even though we don't have our own scooter yet, other teachers have been giving us rides and we have just been using random helmets. I was able to find one I liked for around $25 CAD but Rick wasn't. It is nice to have my own helmet now though.

Around fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the Night Market. Rick said it wasn't as busy as it was when he went, probably because it was earlier and we decided to go on a very dreary, rainy day but there were still so many options. So much food that I had no idea what it actually was and so much cheap clothing! I didn't get to shop a lot but I want to go back already. If only for the desserts that were offered here. We kind of ate dinner backwards as we got out desserts first. The first item we got was basically a small waffle filled with custard, three of them for 25 NT so less than $1 CAD. Then we got these deep fried balls that were filled with cabbage and some meat, they were okay. But my favourite part of the night market was the chocolate banana crepe I ordered. It cost me just over $1 CAD and it was easily the best thing that we got at the night market. Not to mention that the woman who made it was the cutest thing ever. I can't wait to go back!

A funny thing that happened at the night market was Rick tried to order the same beef and noodle dish that he had got last time he was there but we ended up getting something entirely different. We ended up (somehow) ordering a soup that Rick hated, I enjoyed, and that we ended up giving to Sam (one of the teachers in the dorm). But our night was not over yet! On the way back from the night market, we had to make a stop for bubble tea and the fruit and vegetable market. 

We had tried bubble tea a week ago and Rick loved it but our friend David got passionfruit bubble tea with jellies (rather than the tapioca bubbles) and we liked his so much more. We decided to try and get it and success! Easily the best bubble tea I've had (keep in mind I have only had two so far). Our next stop was the fruit and vegetable market for some pineapple and to take some pictures of fruit we had never seen before and aren't brave enough yet to try.

With one final look at the cutest puppies ever in the pet store, we were back at the dorms with time to plan my lesson for today and relax. It was really nice being done work by 6. Did I mention that we both start our first regular classes today? Hopefully they don't hate us and aren't asking where their old english teacher was. Wish us luck!

Loving my chocolate banana crepe! Can you see the excitement in my face?

Rick enjoying his amazing bubble tea in a random store 

Crazy fruit number one!

Crazy fruit number two!

Crazy fruit number three!

- Melissa

Mosquitoes

I currently have a mosquito bite on my knuckle. My knuckle. There is nothing like the buzzing of a mosquito in your ear to shock you out of a deep sleep. There is always at least one mosquito buzzing around our room in the night and while they usually bother Rick (who has about 10 mosquito bites), they are still very annoying. From what I'm told, mosquitoes are one of the only bugs that frequent Taiwan. I'm told that no one has ever seen a bee in Taiwan so I will have to wait to find out if that one is true come summer time.

Rick and I have both been given our first regular classes! We both start on Thursday. Rick was actually given two regular classes. I believe that we were given these classes because a teacher who had been living in the dorms just picked up and left without giving any notice, so it worked out well for us! Not so much for our employer who I assume had to scramble to fill the spot. Regardless, we're excited.

Today we have a mini-workshop for yellow book. It is kind of funny how they do things here. We're thrown into subbing classes (I've already subbed two yellow book classes) but I was never actually trained on HOW to teach yellow book. I observed yellow book, but no one explained it to me. You'd think the mini workshops would be first and then training but I digress. My yellow book sub classes went well and now I will actually learn to teach them so they can only go better.

- Melissa

Substitute Teaching

We have officially been in Taiwan for over two weeks and we are almost finished the observation part of our training. We had to sit in on multiple classes and we were supposed to trial teach for the last ten minutes each time. While I usually got away with not trial teaching, Rickie was forced to do so every time. But somewhere in the middle, we have been given sub classes. When another teacher is sick or on vacation, they send you a schedule (usually the day before) that you will be subbing one of their classes. You get a detailed schedule that states which textbook and what pages they are on and you plan their lesson. Usually, you get there and this all changes and you just have to wing it.

For my first sub class, I was nervous as all hell because all I could think about was the way that I, when I was young, used to treat substitute teachers. Having a substitute teacher in Canada was like having a free day where you barely had to do any work and you could sit with anyone you wanted to. This is not the case in Taiwan. The Taiwanese co-teacher is there with you so the students still can't just play around. Having a good co-teacher can really change the class dynamics. I have been lucky with every one of my subs to have an amazing co-teacher but I have heard horror stories of co-teachers undermining the foreign teacher or speaking Chinese all throughout the class to the students. (Which is counter productive when we're trying to provide an all-English environment.)

Anyway the point of this blog was to talk about my sub class that I had yesterday. They were AMAZING. They were a Smartchoice 3 class so they were pretty advanced and I could actually have a conversation with them. I wish they were one of my regular classes and they all seemed to like me a lot as well. But in other news, I have a regular class now! Thursdays from 7-9 I will be teaching a Red Book Class which means they are younger, probably around 8-10. I am so excited!!!! But before that I still have a sub tonight and one tomorrow. Rick hasn't been given a regular class yet which he is happy about because he really doesn't want to work haha he just wants to hang out in Taiwan.

Heading off to a mini workshop now then off to the hospital for a measles shot. Excuse me while I cry.

- Melissa

Day 6 in Taiwan

We have been in Taiwan for about six days now. Living in Taoyuan City which is just outside of Taipei. We started our observations for teaching about four days after we arrived and we are told this is a relaxed form of the way Gloria usually does things. Other teachers have told us that they started observing and teaching a day or two after they arrived. Whereas we are in the middle of a four day weekend (starting on the 29th to the 1st) and we don't start more observations until the 2nd.

But I am thankful that our transition has been more relaxed because I was a zombie when we first arrived. While Rick seemed to adjust quickly to the time change, all I wanted to do was sleep all day and then wake up at 4AM for some reason. Which worked out well for being able to to skype on Christmas with family but did not work out that well for my sleep pattern. But finally, I think I am finally adjusted to the time zone.

While I am excited to be here, I miss home terribly. I miss my mother, my family, my best friend, and all of my other friends. I miss waking up in my bed. I miss my dog. I miss snow. Never thought I would say that.

I think today this might be hitting me harder as the internet is out in our dorm. So there is a lot less to do to waste the day away. We are currently sitting in a cafe using their free wifi to let our loved ones know that we might be harder to reach in the next couple of days. Hopefully it is fixed before then but I am betting we won't have any internet leading up to New Year's. 

Our plans for New Year's are still up in the air. To go to Taipei, to stay in Taoyuan, or to stay in bed with a good book and a cup of tea. Decisions, decisions.

- Melissa

Countdown: Eight Hours

Our travel plans go as follows:

Eight hours till take off. 
Our flight leaves Buffalo at 6AM to Washington. 
4 hour layover in Washington 
14 hour flight to Tokyo. 
2 hour layover.
5hour flight to Taipei and we arrive.

9PM in Taipei (local time) so we will have (hopefully) arrived by 8AM Eastern.

Exciting day. Terrifying day. Wish us luck.

- Melissa