In Loving Memory of George Pitul

This morning, I called my mom for our regular every day morning Skype date. She was on Skype but no answer, odd but I thought nothing of it. She often falls asleep on the couch. I call the house, no answer. Then I went to breakfast this morning with two of my friends to a waffle restaurant. My day started out normal, had to wait a half hour for my lazy friends to get out of bed. But finally I was able to enjoy my chocolate banana waffle and caramel macchiato. I return home and continue planning for Hong Kong, trying to figure out the bus to get to the airport. This is when I realize I have a message from both my father and brother telling me to call home, "anytime." The words anytime begin to scare me. My family goes to bed at 11PM, they don't stay up late. I knew from that word, it was going to be bad news. 

I call them at 12:30AM (their time), and my dad is wide awake. He tells me to wait a second, he will turn on skype. I ask if something is wrong, he says, "I'll talk to you on Skype in a second." I knew something was wrong. 

My grandfather passed away tonight. He has a form of dementia that is worsened every time he has a stroke. When I left for Taiwan, I said goodbye to my Grandpa. At the time, he wasn't doing so good and I was convinced that that would be the last time I would see him. However lately he has been doing good, a lot better than usual the past few weeks and I was starting to believe that he would still be around when I returned home. I was wrong. They believe he had another stroke. He passed away peacefully with his family around him. I know it was for the best but that doesn't make it any less sad. While my grandpa has changed in recent years, I still remember him as the man who used to give me the biggest hugs in the world, as well as the scruffiest kisses. I remember the man who used to always encourage me to go for that second candy in their candy jar (which was somehow always full..). I remember the man who could be louder than anyone, without even trying. I remember the man who was always excited to see me, no matter what. I remember the man who dressed up as Santa every year for myself and my brother. On Christmas Eve, my parents would have both sets of my grandparents over for dinner. For some reason, my grandpa was unable to show up until after Santa came. He would come to our house as Santa and we would get to open a present early. I remember how lucky I thought we were, that Santa would come to OUR house, one night early just to say hi. I always felt so sad that my Grandpa missed Santa's visit each year. Then I grew up and realized who was really coming to the house. But there were still a few Christmases where I pretended I didn't know who was really under that beard. I knew just how much enjoyment he got out of pretending to be Santa Claus for his grandchildren. I remember the man who was so loyal to my Nanny, he was always willing to stand up for her in whatever she wanted to do. I remember the man who was willing to go anywhere and do anything with his wife. And I know just how much my Nanny appreciated that. She did everything she could before having to put him in a home. She tried so hard to take care of him all by herself but it was too much. Even though she didn't drive, she found a way to his nursing home every single day. Their love lasted a lifetime and I hope she has the strength to remember that. I will always remember my Grandpa as the man who loved me and wasn't afraid to show it with a gigantic kiss. 

This would be hard enough if I were in Canada but the fact remains that I am living in Taiwan. I was told not to come home but it makes me really sad that I won't be there for this, for my nanny. For my family.

I love you so much, Grandpa.
You will be missed everyday.
xox

Countdowns!

I almost forgot!

HONG KONG: 4 days!

THAILAND: 50 days!

Any one have any recommendations for us for our time there?

Baishawan Beach and Elementary School

Last Sunday we headed to Baishawan beach with a bunch of other foreign teachers. I was hesitant to go because a good friend of mine had told me it is a really big hassle to go there and not worth the time it takes. We did have a really good day but I definitely won't be going back to Baishawan beach. It was a hassle to get there! First, we had to take a bus to Taipei (30-45 minutes). Then we had to take the MRT to the end of one line (30-45 minutes). THEN we had to take a bus from the MRT stop to the beach (45 minutes). It was exhausting and we weren't even at the beach yet. Once we got there, we did have a lot of fun! I am really glad we went. It was nice to spend time with some of our friends. Especially since a few of them are leaving pretty soon. 

Another negative to Baishawan is you are not allowed to swim in the water unless you have rented a boogie board. The Taiwanese are really nervous and odd about water, which is super weird to me considering they are an ISLAND. Surrounded by WATER. A lot of my co-teachers don't know how to swim, as well as the students. So they have a roped off area that you can freely swim in. By freely swim, I mean there are 100+ people in this roped off area. Or the open sea where you can also freely swim.. with a boogie board attached to you. I am really making it sound like we had a horrible day but totally not the case! It was a lot of fun, Atlas got to swim and relax on the beach. It was his first time in sand which was super cute. I brought my camera but beaches always make me nervous about taking pictures, I know I am a child. My friend, Emily, took a lot of pictures and as soon as she posts them, I will add them here!

The day after Baishawan, Rick and I were starting our new job at the elementary school. We weren't really sure what to expect but it definitely went a lot better than either of us thought it would. Forty minutes per class goes by really fast. I had hoped to learn all of their names and that definitely isn't happening. It is such a different environment compared to our cram school. No co teacher and 25-30 students in every class. By the time we had our lunch break (an hour after three forty minute classes), we were exhausted. We're lucky to live a two minute drive from the school so we went home to see Atlas and we just sat in silence. So so tired. Hopefully tomorrow we are better suited to the hours.

Today is Sunday, our day off! And we have a lot planned. There is a restaurant across the street from our building called Hot Dog Man. We kind of love it. The lady there speaks really good English and she is super nice, we really want them to succeed. Every time we have gone, we are the only people in there. They are having a promo day today with free hot dogs so we are going to that. After that, we are going swimming at Bobo's apartment (our amazing Chinese teacher). Then she invited us to the Performing Arts Theater. They are having a free festival there, not really sure what is going on but will update later.

HOT DOG MAN

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends back home! Miss you all lots!

New Classes and Amazing Food

Not a lot has been going on lately. I have just been waiting for the teacher's college application to become available, which is SO frustrating. I just want to do it now. The thing that sucks is that there is the online application which is pretty straightforward but which isn't available yet. BUT each school I want to apply to also has an extra profile that I have to fill out and Brock, York and UOIT all have yet to release it. A big thank you to whomever works at Western and decided to be nice and let everyone see it early. Hopefully they are all pretty similar and I can just tweak each of my answers a little to fit the specific questions each school asks.

Anyway, Rick and I were both given new classes! Starting next Monday, we will both work from 9AM-3PM at a local elementary school. We are really only teaching for 3.5 hours (we teach 5 classes for 40 minutes each and get an hour lunch break), BUT we get paid for 4.5 hours of teaching so it is a pretty good gig. Plus the school is super close to our apartment. I am actually really excited for this because working at an actual elementary school will look really good (hopefully) on my teacher's college applications. Better than just working at the cram school that I work at. Rick is less excited about more work but the prospect of more money definitely excites him haha. For those of you who don't know, Rick is pretty stingy. So making money makes him really happy!

In other news, we went to Taipei for the day last Sunday. It was pouring rain literally all day long but we really didn't want to waste our one day off. We were originally planning on going to Yehliu where they have these beautiful natural rock formations but that will have to be saved for a sunny day. We went to Taipei just to eat some good food. Taoyuan has okay food but Taipei has AMAZING food.

Our first stop was Macho Tacos. We have both been hearing about this place for a long time and we were really excited. We love Mexican food and we were nowhere near disappointed. It was like being back home because I got to eat my favourite (soft shell tacos) and Rick got his favourite (hard shell tacos). We each tried chicken, taco meat, and pork and each one was so good. 

Our whole meal cost us $410 NT, so just about $13 CAD. We had three tacos each, a drink, and churros for dessert. Which were amazing. Definitely can't beat those prices compared to eating out in Canada. Rick and I are both fully aware about how cheap we are going to be when we come home, considering how we are so used to spending no money here.

Our next stop was 12 Cupcakes. Rick had been the week before without me and knowing full well how much I LOVE cupcakes, he didn't bring me one home. But he did promise to take me here and he came through on his promise. The cupcake shop itself was so cute and the cupcakes were definitely amazing. But the prices were ridiculous. It was really nice to go but we definitely won't be back anytime soon. We each got two cupcakes and I got a coffee and it cost us $410 NT, so about $13 CAD. THE SAME PRICE AS OUR ENTIRE MEAL AT MACHO TACOS. Insanity. The kinds we bought were red velvet with creme cheese icing, peanut butter and chocolate, and chocolate and salted caramel. Yummy, but expensive.

Even Atlas wanted a bite!

Typhoon Day.. Part Two

Yesterday was our second typhoon day here in Taiwan. (I know, I didn't blog about the first yeah yeah yeah..) ANYWAY. Typhoon day, you may be asking yourself, what in the world is that? The best I can do to compare to Canada is that it is like a snow day. Except instead of snow, we have lots of rain and sometimes heavy winds. The previous typhoon day (Typhoon Soulik) was a lot more intense, crazy rain and a lot of heavy winds. This typhoon day was mild, to say the least. It rained a lot but it wasn't unbearable.

We spent our day watching movies, playing with Atlas, watching Big Love (almost done the series, so good, can't believe how hooked we are), baking, and hanging out with our friend Steven. I've mentioned Steven before, he was a big help in getting our apartment and in life in general in Taiwan. He called us up and asked if we wanted to hang out at his apartment building since they have a badminton court there, Rick obviously jumped at the chance. Personally, I was just excited to get to be driven around in a car. (A rarity in Taiwan for us English teachers.)

So our Typhoon Day was pretty unexciting. I would've been happy working though, especially considering that Wednesdays I have three classes and make good money. It was nice to have a day off though.  What is exciting though is that in less than a month, we will be in Hong Kong for four days. Flight is booked, hostel is booked, now just to specifically plan it all out. I really want to go to Disneyland, wish me luck in convincing Rick. Also some exciting news, we're headed to Thailand in November for two weeks! Flight is booked! Just have to do everything else haha but first, Hong Kong.

We have been in Taiwan for 8 months. Although our contract is supposed to be one year long, time is added whenever we take a vacation day or a sick day. Our contract ends here at the end of January so just about 5 months to go. Five months seems like such a long time on some days and such a short time on others. Can't wait to see all of my family and friends but I will also be very sad to leave here when the time comes. Definition of bittersweet.

Wo men you xiao gou

This post is really just for random life updates.

1. Wo men you xiao gou = WE HAVE A SMALL DOG.

Probably one of the most exciting things to happen in Taiwan. Small dog! His name is Atlas, he is five months old, cutest little boy around. We have already looked into bringing him back to Canada and it should be relatively easy. I've already started the process. He is so adorable. When we first got him, he was such a clutz. He couldn't understand the concept of a step, he would just fall off but he is learning. Here is a couple pictures of his first time swimming this past weekend.

2. Our Chinese lessons. Personally, I feel like I have hit a plateau and I am really unmotivated lately. I know how to order food, answer questions when people ask me but past that, it is getting harder. I am trying to focus but I just don't have the motivation right now to learn more. We shall see where this goes, we still have six months left here, I should probably keep trying.

3. Most people already know this, but I have decided to apply for teacher's college for September 2014. That means I have to apply this December. I've started to look at what the applications entail already and I am hoping to stop being lazy and start preparing soon.

4. I was just given a new kindergarten class (MY FAVOURITE) so I am now up to 26.5 hours per week. Rick was also given a new class so he is up to 23.5. I really think where we work is having a foreign teacher shortage right now. I know of 8 people who are leaving in the next two months. It will definitely be a different environment with all of those people gone. Especially since a lot of them definitely helped me to get used to living in Taiwan. I will miss all of them.

5. My cousin, Stefan, and his beautiful fiancee, Amy, are getting married in May 2014. And.. they have asked me to be a bridesmaid! I am so excited! I was already very excited for their wedding because Stefan is the first of my cousins on my mother's side of the family to get married but now I am even more excited. I can't wait and I am so honored to be a part of their special day!

Summer Camps

I know it's been awhile since my last post but let's just forget about that. Moving on ..

Since it is summer vacation, the little children are out of school! But since this is Taiwan, their parents think they should be studying so they put them in summer camps. There are three different summer camps where we work, a cooking camp, a sports camp, and a combo camp. Seeing as me and sports tend to clash, I wasn't interested in the combo or the sports camp. Cooking camp it is! I went to the workshop, seemed pretty easy. And then I had my first cooking camp! I was given another one after that but I haven't been given one since..... maybe the kids didn't like my omelettes the second time around haha

Day One: Breakfast - Omelettes and French Toast
The first omelette was really bad. The school gave me one egg per student and they were all so picky about what they wanted in it. I thought I would be doing one egg at a time. But the first omelette was a disaster, it tasted good so it wasn't too bad but it definitely was not an omelette. More like scrambled eggs with ham and onions. After that, I told them to find someone who wants some of the same things as you and mix your eggs together. In my first week, I was really lucky with the kids I had in the camp. Their English was pretty good and they were a lot of fun to joke around with. My second camp was at a more high end school so the kids were a little more... picky. 
All of them were super hesitant about the french toast. I swore it was amazing but they just didn't believe me. Lucky for me, French Toast is simple and fast. They all loved it and now I can make it in record time.

Day Two: Salmon Pasta with a White Sauce
I can't decide which week this went worse in. The first week, the pot they gave me to boil the pasta was too small and we ended up burning a lot of the pasta. The second week, cooking cream was apparently not available in all of Taiwan so we had to improvise. The kids said it tasted good but the sauce was very watery. Still not a master chef at this dish. Which I thought was ironic because when I saw day two was pasta, I thought it would be super easy. Not the case.

Day Three: Chicken Curry
I was expecting this day to be the hardest but it actually ended up being relatively easy. Who knew that chicken curry was easy to make? Not me. It was so good to eat too! While it was easy to do, this was probably the most stressful day. Most of the recipe requires cutting vegetables, or meat. Watching kids use a knife makes me cringe, a lot. Especially the younger ones. But we got through it and no one cut themselves. Success!

Day Four: Hamburgers and a Blueberry Smoothie
This day was definitely a lot of fun. Who doesn't love hamburgers? The only thing that sucked was the school gave us HUGE hamburgers buns and only enough hamburger meat to cover less than half the bun. Kind of embarrassing but whatever, the kids loved the hamburgers. The blueberry smoothies were just fun to make. The recipe we were given had NO measurements whatsoever so we just kept adding ingredients until the students said it tasted good.

Day Five: Field Trip!
On the last day of the camp, we get a field trip! We get to go to a cake factory and the kids get to decorate the smallest cake I have ever seen. This day was a lot of fun, very laid back. And consisted of me counting heads a lot. I felt very old, like one of my teachers in elementary school who was constantly counting heads on the bus.

The cooking camp was definitely a learning experience for me. For those of you who know me, I am not a cook. Baking is my thing, specifically, cupcakes. Cooking, not so much. That is Rick's job. I get to clean. But now I can safely say that I have mastered the art of omelettes, french toast, chicken curry, and hamburgers. Go me!