I was at a bar with some friends this past weekend and there was a pause in conversation. I heard a conversation to the right of me, all in English, and I was shocked! I jerked my head to the right to look at the other foreigners who were in the bar, what a coincidence!
Some old men stared at me because apparently they noticed my very sudden head turn. Forgot I was in Canada and that English is spoken by everyone. Guess there are some things I still have to get used to now that I am back home.
Showing posts with label taiwan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taiwan. Show all posts
10 February 2014
13 Things I Miss About Taiwan or 13 Reasons to Try Living in Taiwan for a year
I don't want people thinking that I didn't enjoy my time in Taiwan or that I don't miss it there because that is not the case. So in order to counteract my other list, here is a list of things I DO miss about Taiwan or a list of reasons why you should move there for a year.
1. How nice the people are
I noticed this almost immediately after getting off the airplane in Canada. As a small 95 lb girl, people in Taiwan saw me pushing a cart with four suitcases on it and holding a dog and they would either a. offer me a sympathetic smile or b. HELP ME. I received neither of those in Canada. Not that people in Canada aren't nice, but we really have NOTHING on the niceness of the Taiwanese. Canadians; fix this.
2. The weather
Maybe I complained about the rain a little too much. What I wouldn't give for some of that rain and heat in this -20 degree weather I'm dealing with now.
3. The cost of living
Everything is cheap. You can eat our for every meal during the day, have GREAT meals, and spend 1/10th of what you would spend doing the same thing in Canada. Even more than the food, rent is cheap. Gas is cheaper. Clothes are cheap. Oh, the cost of living makes it all worth it.
4. Driving a scooter
When I first got to Taiwan, if you wouldve told me I would be driving a scooter to work every day, I would have told you that you were nuts. I was very against it, convinced I could find other ways to work. The ending of this story is that I did end up buying a scooter and I loved it. On those sweltering days, there was nothing better than getting on your scooter and enjoying the breeze. Granted, the rain sucked while driving but now that I'm back in this cold, snowy weather, all I can remember are the good times driving my scooter.Funny how that works eh...
5. #shameless #selfie #nation
If you think that people take a lot of selfies in Canada, you are mistaken. The amount of selfies I would see being taken on any given day while living in Taiwan was astronomical in comparison to the amount that I see being taken in Canada. Its not that Canadians don't take them, its that usually we take them in the privacy of our own home. In Taiwan, there is no shame. At a party? Selfie. At a bar? Selfie. In class? Selfie. And at first, I thought it was a little weird. But it turned into a little quirk that I love.
6. Hamburgers for Breakfast
Not only are hamburgers eaten for breakfast, they were a staple at breakfast stalls. Can someone inform my mother of this?
7. Passionfruit Green Tea with Bubbles
The amount of tea shops available on any street in Taiwan was ridiculous, along with all the different kinds of fruit teas for a super cheap price (please see #3 on the list). My favourite will always be passionfruit green tea; give it a whirl!
8. Rick
He's still in Taiwan..... I personally believe that everyone should move to Taiwan just to see Rick. He'd be worth it.
9. Dumplings and Hot Pot
Two types of food that I ate twice a week each, at the very least. Look it up. Try it. You won't be disappointed.
10. My coteachers
I had the luxury of being pretty lucky in that every one of my coteachers was one of the nicest, most genuine, and helpful people I have ever met. Working with these teachers on a daily basis really helped me when I first started teaching and didn't really know what I was doing and continued to help mold me into the teacher that I am today. I will be forever grateful for each and every one of them.
11. Free time
Being a foreign English teacher in Taiwan = working only 30 hours per week, getting paid a lot to do so, and thus having a lot of free time. Even when we did work, my longest day was 7 hours of actual teaching in one day. I start back working this week and I'm not looking forward to it
12. Ease of traveling
Taiwan is so close to so many other countries in SE Asia and getting there is so cheap that it is almost stupid of you if you don't go and travel a little. Visiting Hong Kong and Thailand was amazing and I am so glad we went to both of those places. As well as travelling around the country itself. There is so much public transportation available for great prices that you never get that guilt while being a tourist that you're paying way too much for stuff. What guilt you ask? Oh, that might just be me and Rick... living in Taiwan has made us pretty stingy...
13. My students
Last, but certainly not least, my students. It is amazing how attached to my students I have grown over the past year. Saying goodbye was very hard and it really made me reconsider if leaving Taiwan after only one year was the right thing to do. I really got to know some of my students on such a personal level and I'll miss seeing their faces every week.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a cheap, beautiful, different place to live; choose TAIWAN. You won't regret it.
1. How nice the people are
I noticed this almost immediately after getting off the airplane in Canada. As a small 95 lb girl, people in Taiwan saw me pushing a cart with four suitcases on it and holding a dog and they would either a. offer me a sympathetic smile or b. HELP ME. I received neither of those in Canada. Not that people in Canada aren't nice, but we really have NOTHING on the niceness of the Taiwanese. Canadians; fix this.
2. The weather
Maybe I complained about the rain a little too much. What I wouldn't give for some of that rain and heat in this -20 degree weather I'm dealing with now.
3. The cost of living
Everything is cheap. You can eat our for every meal during the day, have GREAT meals, and spend 1/10th of what you would spend doing the same thing in Canada. Even more than the food, rent is cheap. Gas is cheaper. Clothes are cheap. Oh, the cost of living makes it all worth it.
4. Driving a scooter
When I first got to Taiwan, if you wouldve told me I would be driving a scooter to work every day, I would have told you that you were nuts. I was very against it, convinced I could find other ways to work. The ending of this story is that I did end up buying a scooter and I loved it. On those sweltering days, there was nothing better than getting on your scooter and enjoying the breeze. Granted, the rain sucked while driving but now that I'm back in this cold, snowy weather, all I can remember are the good times driving my scooter.Funny how that works eh...
5. #shameless #selfie #nation
If you think that people take a lot of selfies in Canada, you are mistaken. The amount of selfies I would see being taken on any given day while living in Taiwan was astronomical in comparison to the amount that I see being taken in Canada. Its not that Canadians don't take them, its that usually we take them in the privacy of our own home. In Taiwan, there is no shame. At a party? Selfie. At a bar? Selfie. In class? Selfie. And at first, I thought it was a little weird. But it turned into a little quirk that I love.
6. Hamburgers for Breakfast
Not only are hamburgers eaten for breakfast, they were a staple at breakfast stalls. Can someone inform my mother of this?
7. Passionfruit Green Tea with Bubbles
The amount of tea shops available on any street in Taiwan was ridiculous, along with all the different kinds of fruit teas for a super cheap price (please see #3 on the list). My favourite will always be passionfruit green tea; give it a whirl!
8. Rick
He's still in Taiwan..... I personally believe that everyone should move to Taiwan just to see Rick. He'd be worth it.
9. Dumplings and Hot Pot
Two types of food that I ate twice a week each, at the very least. Look it up. Try it. You won't be disappointed.
Hot Pot
10. My coteachers
I had the luxury of being pretty lucky in that every one of my coteachers was one of the nicest, most genuine, and helpful people I have ever met. Working with these teachers on a daily basis really helped me when I first started teaching and didn't really know what I was doing and continued to help mold me into the teacher that I am today. I will be forever grateful for each and every one of them.
11. Free time
Being a foreign English teacher in Taiwan = working only 30 hours per week, getting paid a lot to do so, and thus having a lot of free time. Even when we did work, my longest day was 7 hours of actual teaching in one day. I start back working this week and I'm not looking forward to it
12. Ease of traveling
Taiwan is so close to so many other countries in SE Asia and getting there is so cheap that it is almost stupid of you if you don't go and travel a little. Visiting Hong Kong and Thailand was amazing and I am so glad we went to both of those places. As well as travelling around the country itself. There is so much public transportation available for great prices that you never get that guilt while being a tourist that you're paying way too much for stuff. What guilt you ask? Oh, that might just be me and Rick... living in Taiwan has made us pretty stingy...
13. My students
Last, but certainly not least, my students. It is amazing how attached to my students I have grown over the past year. Saying goodbye was very hard and it really made me reconsider if leaving Taiwan after only one year was the right thing to do. I really got to know some of my students on such a personal level and I'll miss seeing their faces every week.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a cheap, beautiful, different place to live; choose TAIWAN. You won't regret it.
8 February 2014
Home Sweet Home
Now that I've been home for a week I figured it was time to update the blog. My last few days in Taiwan were filled with lots of goodbyes to my last classes and to Rick. Leaving him behind was one of the saddest things and I think it is because, for the moment, I don't know when I will see him again. When I left Canada to go to Taiwan, I knew I would be back in a year. The same went for saying goodbye to my parents, I knew they would visit me in Taiwan and after their visit, I knew I'd be back in Canada.
My flight home felt longer than our trip to Taiwan even though it was ten hours less. My direct flight was comfortable and yet filled with worry about my baby Atlas, sadness about leaving Rick behind, and excitement to see my family and friends. I took off from Taiwan at 7:40 PM on January 30th and I arrived in Canada at 8:30 PM on January 30th. I may, or may not, have traveled through time. Be jealous.
I struggled to get my three massive bags, one small suitcase, and one small dog and we were off. It was actually relatively easy to bring Atlas back, a lot of people said it would be so difficult but it wasn't at all. And he was perfectly fine after the flight! A little scared but as soon as I got him out of his crate, he was the same cute dog who was super excited to see me and to meet so many new people.
Being home has been pretty weird so far. The second day I was back, I already felt like I had never left. The jet lag didn't hit me until this Saturday when I fell asleep from 7-10, woke up and couldn't sleep until 2am and then woke up again at 5am. I think I've got a handle on the jet lag now, my sleep is pretty normal. But it is still weird getting used to life in Canada. The cold, the snow, English, my family and friends so close by, English, English, English, high prices, English.
I had planned to stop this blog upon returning to Canada but Rick is trying to convince me otherwise. But I don't think my life is all that exciting enough to write about here. I guess we'll see what happens.
For now, I am home. Rick is in Taiwan.
My flight home felt longer than our trip to Taiwan even though it was ten hours less. My direct flight was comfortable and yet filled with worry about my baby Atlas, sadness about leaving Rick behind, and excitement to see my family and friends. I took off from Taiwan at 7:40 PM on January 30th and I arrived in Canada at 8:30 PM on January 30th. I may, or may not, have traveled through time. Be jealous.
I struggled to get my three massive bags, one small suitcase, and one small dog and we were off. It was actually relatively easy to bring Atlas back, a lot of people said it would be so difficult but it wasn't at all. And he was perfectly fine after the flight! A little scared but as soon as I got him out of his crate, he was the same cute dog who was super excited to see me and to meet so many new people.
Being home has been pretty weird so far. The second day I was back, I already felt like I had never left. The jet lag didn't hit me until this Saturday when I fell asleep from 7-10, woke up and couldn't sleep until 2am and then woke up again at 5am. I think I've got a handle on the jet lag now, my sleep is pretty normal. But it is still weird getting used to life in Canada. The cold, the snow, English, my family and friends so close by, English, English, English, high prices, English.
I had planned to stop this blog upon returning to Canada but Rick is trying to convince me otherwise. But I don't think my life is all that exciting enough to write about here. I guess we'll see what happens.
For now, I am home. Rick is in Taiwan.
29 January 2014
The End
Tomorrow is the day I leave Taiwan. Still not feeling like it is all real but also managing to get sad about leaving this place, and Rick behind. I will definitely miss Taiwan, all the friends I have made here, and all the places that I like to go. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. While I didn't blog as much as I had planned on, I'm still glad that I did blog as often as I did. If only for the reminder to myself of the time we spent here.
Our journey is ending. Rick will be in Taiwan for around another month while his fractured foot heals and then he is off on his own travels. I'm excited for him but also scared about how much I'm going to miss him. The airport tomorrow will definitely be heart breaking. How different from when we first arrived in Taiwan; crying at the airport while saying goodbye to our families to crying at the airport saying goodbye to each other. I've grown accustomed to relying on Rick to pick me up when I'm feeling down about missing my friends and family but now he will be the one I'm missing. It will definitely be a challenge but that doesn't change how proud I am of him for having the courage to take this trip on his own. That is something that I don't think I could ever do.
Tomorrow, Atlas and I will be making our way to Canada. Wish us luck. Here are some pictures of me saying goodbye to my classes. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry after saying goodbye to some of these little cuties.
Our journey is ending. Rick will be in Taiwan for around another month while his fractured foot heals and then he is off on his own travels. I'm excited for him but also scared about how much I'm going to miss him. The airport tomorrow will definitely be heart breaking. How different from when we first arrived in Taiwan; crying at the airport while saying goodbye to our families to crying at the airport saying goodbye to each other. I've grown accustomed to relying on Rick to pick me up when I'm feeling down about missing my friends and family but now he will be the one I'm missing. It will definitely be a challenge but that doesn't change how proud I am of him for having the courage to take this trip on his own. That is something that I don't think I could ever do.
Tomorrow, Atlas and I will be making our way to Canada. Wish us luck. Here are some pictures of me saying goodbye to my classes. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry after saying goodbye to some of these little cuties.
The first class I had to say goodbye to
My babies
One of my favorite older classes, I will miss them all so much!
Cutest weirdos ever
This class lined up for a hug from me after wards.. pretty much started bawling by the fourth hug
Goodbye dinner with some friends
My very first class I ever taught in Taiwan and my very last
22 January 2014
Accidents and Goodbyes
On Friday night, Rick got into a scooter accident on the way to class. During the accident, his scooter fell on his foot which caused him to fracture a bone in his foot. Originally, the doctor had told him it would take eight weeks to heal. He was pretty upset, considering his plans to travel around Taiwan and elsewhere. We were 99% sure that he would be coming home with me on December 30th. But he had a follow up appointment first and we were hoping for the best.
Our friends, David and Monica, offered Rick to stay on their couch while his leg healed and then he could travel. Rick's spirits were lifted. He was thinking of asking to work at Gloria longer while he healed and then doing his trip around Taiwan (but now on a train) and then going to Sri Lanka. We headed to the doctor yesterday with high hopes. He said it was a 4-6 week healing time so that was very exciting. Rick decided on staying and working and he just had to talk to our boss.... who told him he can't work for Gloria any more because his working permit will be expired :( Set back again but Rick has decided to stay and try and look for some work during his healing time.. then travel once his leg is back to 100%.
So now instead of thinking I won't see Rick for about a month to two months.. 4-6 weeks is now added on top of that. I will miss him a lot BUT I am very excited to get to see all my friends and family. Hopefully everyone will keep me busy. (Mom and Dad, I don't mean busy with housework....)
In other news, Tuesday marked the beginning of saying goodbye to our classes which has turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. I thought that the younger classes would be harder but so far, saying goodbye to my older classes has sucked. I have been given so many cards and hugs, it feels so bittersweet to be saying goodbye. I am going to miss all my students, co-teachers and friends so much. I really wasn't expecting it to be this hard to say goodbye so maybe that is what is making it harder. I think a big aspect of it is that when I left Canada, I knew I would be back. I don't know when or if I will ever be back in Taiwan. I think that is more sad than anything.
Only eight days to go.
Our friends, David and Monica, offered Rick to stay on their couch while his leg healed and then he could travel. Rick's spirits were lifted. He was thinking of asking to work at Gloria longer while he healed and then doing his trip around Taiwan (but now on a train) and then going to Sri Lanka. We headed to the doctor yesterday with high hopes. He said it was a 4-6 week healing time so that was very exciting. Rick decided on staying and working and he just had to talk to our boss.... who told him he can't work for Gloria any more because his working permit will be expired :( Set back again but Rick has decided to stay and try and look for some work during his healing time.. then travel once his leg is back to 100%.
So now instead of thinking I won't see Rick for about a month to two months.. 4-6 weeks is now added on top of that. I will miss him a lot BUT I am very excited to get to see all my friends and family. Hopefully everyone will keep me busy. (Mom and Dad, I don't mean busy with housework....)
In other news, Tuesday marked the beginning of saying goodbye to our classes which has turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. I thought that the younger classes would be harder but so far, saying goodbye to my older classes has sucked. I have been given so many cards and hugs, it feels so bittersweet to be saying goodbye. I am going to miss all my students, co-teachers and friends so much. I really wasn't expecting it to be this hard to say goodbye so maybe that is what is making it harder. I think a big aspect of it is that when I left Canada, I knew I would be back. I don't know when or if I will ever be back in Taiwan. I think that is more sad than anything.
Only eight days to go.
16 January 2014
Two Weeks To Go
Officially two weeks until my flight. Still doesn't feel real. This week, I am telling the rest of my classes that next week is my last week. With my younger classes, my coteachers and directors didn't want me telling them yet so now I will tell them. I told one baby class yesterday and it was so sad. They are one of my favourite classes, along with one of my favourite coteachers. Every Wednesday from 2-3:30, I will miss them.
In other news, Rick and I booked a trip to Tainan this weekend! Tainan is the old capital of Taiwan, before Taipei so it is one of the bigger cities in Taiwan. It is also in the Southern part so I am hoping it is a little hotter there than it has been here. Lucky for us, Taiwan is so small so we will be taking the High Speed Rail after work on Saturday night and back on Monday morning. We wanted to do something a bit further away but were unsure of what to do because of Atlas and then one of my friends reminded me about Air BnB. We've used it before and always had a great experience. With Air BnB, you are renting someone's home to stay in for a few nights AND we found a place with pets allowed.
Tainan will be our last trip within Taiwan before I leave which will be pretty sad but I am so excited. Today, we are off to lunch with some friends who are leaving for a vacation before we leave so we won't get to see them a lot. Last night, we went to a nightclub in Chungli with two other friends. It is called Search and its pretty popular among the teachers at Gloria bu we had never been before. One more thing I crossed of my to do list before leaving.
In other news, Rick and I booked a trip to Tainan this weekend! Tainan is the old capital of Taiwan, before Taipei so it is one of the bigger cities in Taiwan. It is also in the Southern part so I am hoping it is a little hotter there than it has been here. Lucky for us, Taiwan is so small so we will be taking the High Speed Rail after work on Saturday night and back on Monday morning. We wanted to do something a bit further away but were unsure of what to do because of Atlas and then one of my friends reminded me about Air BnB. We've used it before and always had a great experience. With Air BnB, you are renting someone's home to stay in for a few nights AND we found a place with pets allowed.
Tainan will be our last trip within Taiwan before I leave which will be pretty sad but I am so excited. Today, we are off to lunch with some friends who are leaving for a vacation before we leave so we won't get to see them a lot. Last night, we went to a nightclub in Chungli with two other friends. It is called Search and its pretty popular among the teachers at Gloria bu we had never been before. One more thing I crossed of my to do list before leaving.
14 January 2014
13 Things I Won't Miss About Taiwan
So I have been getting a little sad lately about leaving Taiwan. Leaving the place I've lived for a year. Leaving all these people and places that I see on a daily basis and will probably never see again. I have decided to combat this sadness I will make a list of things about Taiwan that drive me crazy aka 13 things that I won't miss.. one for each month that I have been here!
1. Driving a scooter in the rain
2. Not being able to just order what I want at a restaurant without some kind of language barrier
3. How much it rains
4. The amount of times I have been sick in the past year
5. Lunch boxes, pig's blood, chicken butt, red bean soup, red bean anything, taro, squid balls, fish ball soup; Taiwanese food dishes that I do not understand
6. Mosquitoes
7. Eating dinner every single night at 9:30 or even later
8. The complete disregard that drivers have for each other
9. Not being able to properly discipline children because they don't speak enough English
10. Scaring children in stores simply because I am a foreigner and they've never seen a foreigner before
11. Knowing enough Chinese to know that people are talking about me but not what they are saying
12. Learning the frustrating language that is Chinese
13. "You're Canadian.. why are you cold?"
1. Driving a scooter in the rain
2. Not being able to just order what I want at a restaurant without some kind of language barrier
3. How much it rains
4. The amount of times I have been sick in the past year
5. Lunch boxes, pig's blood, chicken butt, red bean soup, red bean anything, taro, squid balls, fish ball soup; Taiwanese food dishes that I do not understand
6. Mosquitoes
7. Eating dinner every single night at 9:30 or even later
8. The complete disregard that drivers have for each other
9. Not being able to properly discipline children because they don't speak enough English
10. Scaring children in stores simply because I am a foreigner and they've never seen a foreigner before
11. Knowing enough Chinese to know that people are talking about me but not what they are saying
12. Learning the frustrating language that is Chinese
13. "You're Canadian.. why are you cold?"
Yehliu
With only a few Sundays left, we have decided to make them count. We were very hungover and tired this Sunday after celebrating a friend's birthday on Saturday night but we sucked it up and headed out for the day. We had planned to have an early start at around 8AM but ended up leaving the apartment at around 12. It was a two hour journey to get to Yehliu. First we had to go to Taipei and then take another bus there.
The bus ride was terrifying and worrisome. Our driver had clearly just watched the Fast and the Furious and thought he was Vin Diesel. He was making the sharpest turns on the side of a mountain, the bus was constantly lurching forward and I kept on having to brace myself. So that was the terrifying part. The worrisome part is that usually when we take a bus, there is an LED sign saying the name of each stop as we approach it. For some reason on this bus, the driver had turned it off. I knew how to ask in Chinese for him to tell us when we got there but since I have been really shy lately at using my Chinese, I spent the next 5-10 minutes teaching Rick how to say it and then sending him on his way.
Finally, he told us that we were in Yehliu! Yehliu is a little small fishing village about an hour and a half outside of Taipei and there is a beautiful geopark there. There are all these naturally made rock formations there that people come in droves of tour buses to see. It really was amazing to see. I'm so glad we went there before our time is finished here. We brought Atlas along with us and we had such a fun day. It was pretty chilly down by the water, it rained a little but we still had a great time.
After we finished at the geopark, we were both starving and had heard about the great seafood restaurants Yehliu had to offer. Unfortunately, we seemed to have chosen the wrong one. Our food was edible and that was a good thing. We headed back to Taipei in search of better food. We ended up at one of our favorite restaurants that we've been to, Macho Tacos and again, we really enjoyed our food. We grabbed some cupcakes and headed back to the apartment.
One Sunday down... two to go.
The bus ride was terrifying and worrisome. Our driver had clearly just watched the Fast and the Furious and thought he was Vin Diesel. He was making the sharpest turns on the side of a mountain, the bus was constantly lurching forward and I kept on having to brace myself. So that was the terrifying part. The worrisome part is that usually when we take a bus, there is an LED sign saying the name of each stop as we approach it. For some reason on this bus, the driver had turned it off. I knew how to ask in Chinese for him to tell us when we got there but since I have been really shy lately at using my Chinese, I spent the next 5-10 minutes teaching Rick how to say it and then sending him on his way.
Finally, he told us that we were in Yehliu! Yehliu is a little small fishing village about an hour and a half outside of Taipei and there is a beautiful geopark there. There are all these naturally made rock formations there that people come in droves of tour buses to see. It really was amazing to see. I'm so glad we went there before our time is finished here. We brought Atlas along with us and we had such a fun day. It was pretty chilly down by the water, it rained a little but we still had a great time.
A very windy day
After we finished at the geopark, we were both starving and had heard about the great seafood restaurants Yehliu had to offer. Unfortunately, we seemed to have chosen the wrong one. Our food was edible and that was a good thing. We headed back to Taipei in search of better food. We ended up at one of our favorite restaurants that we've been to, Macho Tacos and again, we really enjoyed our food. We grabbed some cupcakes and headed back to the apartment.
Not amused with our food in Yehliu
YAY TACOS!
One Sunday down... two to go.
6 January 2014
Daxi Old Street
We just had our first Sunday off that we didn't have to worry about waking up really early the next day to work at the elementary school because the semester is over! Safe to say, we were pretty excited! For the past three months on Sundays, we would try to go out and do something considering it is our ONE day off a week but we would feel constantly plagued by thoughts of finishing a slideshow and waking up at 7AM.
There are a few places near Taipei/Taoyuan that I want to visit before I leave Taiwan and since Rick is doing a trip all around Taiwan on his own, we decided that I get to decide what we do for our last few Sundays. This Sunday, I was torn between going to Daxi Old Street and Keelung but ultimately, I picked Daxi Old Street.
We google mapped our directions and we were off. It was a thirty minute scooter ride but it was pretty straightforward. We arrived around 11:30/12 oclock which was nice because it wasn't too busy yet. Daxi Old Street was exactly what I expected it to be. A cute little street filled with lots of little things to eat, cute stores, and lots of people.
There are a few places near Taipei/Taoyuan that I want to visit before I leave Taiwan and since Rick is doing a trip all around Taiwan on his own, we decided that I get to decide what we do for our last few Sundays. This Sunday, I was torn between going to Daxi Old Street and Keelung but ultimately, I picked Daxi Old Street.
We google mapped our directions and we were off. It was a thirty minute scooter ride but it was pretty straightforward. We arrived around 11:30/12 oclock which was nice because it wasn't too busy yet. Daxi Old Street was exactly what I expected it to be. A cute little street filled with lots of little things to eat, cute stores, and lots of people.
Atlas and I enjoying the busy street
The first food we had were steamed buns. But these steamed buns were easily the best I have ever had. Steamed buns are a favourite amongst foreigners living in Taiwan but I am usually not impressed with them. These had me speechless. At the end of our day, I actually went back to get some more. We had some deep fried mushrooms, some mini shephard-pie style cakes that Rick wasn't too fond of and did a little more shopping. We also stopped by a temple and took some pictures of the nice views there.
Atlas is a little camera shy
I'm actually in love with this picture
After we enjoyed our food and drinks, we took a rest in a park and just walked around enjoying ourselves. By the time we were ready to leave, the street was packed with even more people. I actually was surprised how busy it was. At this point, I was pretty happy we came as early as we did.
On the way back to the apartment, I was exhausted. I was legitimately falling asleep on the back of the scooter. This probably has to due with the fact that I am still just getting over being sick. For a few days there, I was losing and regaining my voice every single day but since I went to a doctor, I seem to be on the mend. But that didn't stop me from falling asleep at every red light and then being jerked awake when Rick started to drive again. After I told him I kept felling asleep and he said, "I wondered why you kept hitting me in the head, that was getting really annoying but I didn't want to say anything."
Spent the rest of our night relaxing and we watched an amazing movie, Side Effects. I had been wanting to see it for awhile but I didn't think Rick would be interested, the trailer makes it seem very different than it really is which is a very dramatic, thrilling, mysterious movie with tons of twists and turns. I highly recommend you see it.
Only 24 days to go now. I am off to lesson plan for the day and start cleaning out our spare room. Wish me luck.
2 January 2014
Xin Nian Kuai Le!
Happy New Year! It is officially 2014! Rick and I spent the days prior to new year's eve being sick so we were planning on staying in. But on new year's eve, my fever had decided that three days was enough and had left.
We went to our friend's apartment to watch fireworks from his roof and enjoy some food. Since that night, my sickness changed to me losing my voice. Rick says I sound like an old man, so that has been what 2014 has been like for us so far. We are back to work today. I am not looking forward to it with my voice the way it is but I know my students will get a kick out of it.
Our New Year's was pretty low key this year. We are looking forward to finishing work in a few weeks and coming home. 28 days left for me.
25 December 2013
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from Taiwan!
It is officially Christmas day in Taiwan, so merry christmas to all! I was originally very scared that Christmas would be really sad, being so far away from family and friends. And while it is hard to be away during the holidays, I'm not as sad as I thought I would be. Not nearly as sad as I was last year at least. Regardless, I miss all my family and friends and wish a Merry Christmas to everyone!
Rick and I had a traditional Christmas morning. We sat down in front of our tree and opened our gifts. Now I am having hot chocolate with marshmallows and eating breakfast. Later I have three classes, we still work Christmas in Taiwan. But they are three of my favorite classes and coteachers so I don't mind!
Love you all.
It is officially Christmas day in Taiwan, so merry christmas to all! I was originally very scared that Christmas would be really sad, being so far away from family and friends. And while it is hard to be away during the holidays, I'm not as sad as I thought I would be. Not nearly as sad as I was last year at least. Regardless, I miss all my family and friends and wish a Merry Christmas to everyone!
Rick and I had a traditional Christmas morning. We sat down in front of our tree and opened our gifts. Now I am having hot chocolate with marshmallows and eating breakfast. Later I have three classes, we still work Christmas in Taiwan. But they are three of my favorite classes and coteachers so I don't mind!
Love you all.
24 December 2013
Teaching Christmas
Since we arrived right on Christmas Eve last year, we kind of missed the crazy that is Christmas at Gloria. For the past week, we've been having Christmas parties in all of our classes. Its been a lot of fun but I am so exhausted. Rick and I decided that we didn't want to just make Christmas cards with our students which is what they usually do. So I researched and found some crafts to do with different levels. With our older classes, each student gets to make a wreath and decorate it. The younger classes made reindeer with their hands for the antlers and their foot for the head. Here are a couple pictures of my cutest kids or the best jobs done to explain...
In one of my classes, we made gingerbread houses! I was pretty impressed with them. Their houses looked a lot better than mine ever have...
Our week of Christmas parties isn't over yet! We still have tonight and tomorrow. Tonight I am making Christmas cards because its their first Christmas at an English school. The next day we are making a Santa craft, and then more wreaths. All of these Christmas parties have really helped to put me into the Christmas spirit while being so far from home. It also helps that Rick surprised me with a Christmas tree! And we've been watching a lot of Christmas movies as well.
We just realized actually that as of today, we have officially been in Taiwan for a year. When we first got here, I never would've thought I'd make it the full year. And now its only 37 more days until I am back in Canada. Time really does fly.
Shampoo Hat?
Just an example of some of the random things you can find available to buy in Taiwan...
You put it on your head in the bath when you are shampooing and voila! No shampoo in your eyes. Any takers?
You put it on your head in the bath when you are shampooing and voila! No shampoo in your eyes. Any takers?
25 October 2013
BOO
It is almost Halloween and I am getting pretty excited to dress up and do fun stuff with my classes! Lucky for Rick, my parents brought him his Thor costume. I was originally planning on being Minnie Mouse but I have recently decided to change my costume. I am going to be a minion from Despicable Me! I am so excited and I can't wait to see my costume when everything comes together. Since I already bought the Minnie Mouse ears, I am going to bring them into my classes for any student who forgets to bring a costume.
The past few days I have been trying to think of inexpensive, but still fun, ideas for the classroom during Halloween. At the elementary school, it will be easy because I am just going to make a Powerpoint about Halloween with a bunch of games in between the information. But at Gloria, it will be a little more difficult. Especially considering this isn't the first Halloween a lot of my students have had so impressing them on Halloween will likely not happen. Some of my older kids aren't really that interested in Halloween so we will just have a party and do some Halloween themed games. I'll post all about my Halloween week as it is happening.
Another aspect of Halloween where we work is Trick of Treating. My older kids refuse to do it, they don't even want the younger kids to come to our class to trick or treat. But the younger students really love it. I would love to go trick or treating, even now. Who can say no to free candy? Rick and I bought a bunch of candy in bulk from Costco because we need candy for our own classes, AND for whomever comes to trick or treat. But we're getting worried we don't have enough. We decided that after Tuesday we will see how much we have and decide then to get more or not.
We are just putting the finishing touches on Thailand. We have all but one of our hostels/hotels booked. We splurged a little at one point on the trip but it was easy to justify considering staying at our hostel in Bangkok is costing $5/night. Once we get all of our places to stay finalized, I will start looking into booking trains/planes/ferries to get around the island. I can't believe how close it is. We are both getting so excited for our vacation. ONLY NINE DAYS TO GO!!
The past few days I have been trying to think of inexpensive, but still fun, ideas for the classroom during Halloween. At the elementary school, it will be easy because I am just going to make a Powerpoint about Halloween with a bunch of games in between the information. But at Gloria, it will be a little more difficult. Especially considering this isn't the first Halloween a lot of my students have had so impressing them on Halloween will likely not happen. Some of my older kids aren't really that interested in Halloween so we will just have a party and do some Halloween themed games. I'll post all about my Halloween week as it is happening.
Another aspect of Halloween where we work is Trick of Treating. My older kids refuse to do it, they don't even want the younger kids to come to our class to trick or treat. But the younger students really love it. I would love to go trick or treating, even now. Who can say no to free candy? Rick and I bought a bunch of candy in bulk from Costco because we need candy for our own classes, AND for whomever comes to trick or treat. But we're getting worried we don't have enough. We decided that after Tuesday we will see how much we have and decide then to get more or not.
We are just putting the finishing touches on Thailand. We have all but one of our hostels/hotels booked. We splurged a little at one point on the trip but it was easy to justify considering staying at our hostel in Bangkok is costing $5/night. Once we get all of our places to stay finalized, I will start looking into booking trains/planes/ferries to get around the island. I can't believe how close it is. We are both getting so excited for our vacation. ONLY NINE DAYS TO GO!!
29 September 2013
Goodbyes, Manhood, and Teachers' College
We have been back from Hong Kong for about a week now and we got right back into the swing of things! This week I am planning on writing the blogs about Hong Kong. We did SO much while we were there, that I feel like it was for more than 4 days so let's see how long these blogs take me to write.
In the past couple days, we have had to say goodbye to some good friends leaving Taiwan. Saying goodbye is kind of surreal but really sad. And the goodbyes are nowhere near finished. Still have more friends leaving in the next couple weeks and it will be really hard to say goodbye.
In other news, we have booked Atlas' surgery to have his manhood removed. Our vet speaks a little English so we went in to book the appointment. Getting your pet spayed or neutered isn't that popular in Taiwan, a lot of people think it is pointless and they don't have it done. But the government here is really trying to promote it because of the massive stray dog problem that Taiwan has. So it is really cheap to get done here. In comparison to the $400 CAD it would cost us in Canada, it will cost us $62 CAD in Taiwan. So we are going for it.
The funny thing is when we went in to the vet, we kept saying to her we want to get him neutered. And she didn't understand the word. So we keep gesturing and nothing. I have an app on my phone that does translations for me so I search it and show her the Chinese character for what we want and she goes, OHHH. And then proceeds to write down "castration," on the calendar. Which I thought was interesting because even though I know that is what they do to him, I've never heard it called that before in reference to a dog. And then I realized we probably call it neutering in Canada/America so that pet owners don't feel bad about what they are doing to their dog. Regardless, the date has been set. October 5th. Atlas will go from a boy to a man to a boy. He doesn't seem aware of his fate.
Next piece of news is that I have officially applied to Teacher's College! Said goodbye to $423 (I cried..), and I have applied to three schools; Brock, York, and Western. Brock being my first choice, obviously seeing as I would love for my mother to continue making my meals when I return. York is my second choice as Toronto is super convenient for people from Niagara to come see me and easy for me to make my way home. Western is my third choice because I love the city of London and a lot of people there. The easy part of applying is done, they have taken my money. However each school has another form I have to fill out. I will basically be writing the same essay three times about why I want to be a teacher and how my experiences will help me. Anyone want to do some editing for me? I am already 75% finished the Western supplementary form, just one part to go. Western is nice enough to make their form available online ahead of time. I have to wait until mid-October for Brock's and York is supposed to make it available to me once they have received confirmation that I have applied.
Other than that, nothing is new here. Keep an eye out for what we did in Hong Kong, that will be up soon! And just wanted to say Congratulations to my cousin Chris and his amazing wife Chelsea! They got married today and I wish them the best! Sad that I couldn't be there but I was thinking of them all day today!
In the past couple days, we have had to say goodbye to some good friends leaving Taiwan. Saying goodbye is kind of surreal but really sad. And the goodbyes are nowhere near finished. Still have more friends leaving in the next couple weeks and it will be really hard to say goodbye.
In other news, we have booked Atlas' surgery to have his manhood removed. Our vet speaks a little English so we went in to book the appointment. Getting your pet spayed or neutered isn't that popular in Taiwan, a lot of people think it is pointless and they don't have it done. But the government here is really trying to promote it because of the massive stray dog problem that Taiwan has. So it is really cheap to get done here. In comparison to the $400 CAD it would cost us in Canada, it will cost us $62 CAD in Taiwan. So we are going for it.
The funny thing is when we went in to the vet, we kept saying to her we want to get him neutered. And she didn't understand the word. So we keep gesturing and nothing. I have an app on my phone that does translations for me so I search it and show her the Chinese character for what we want and she goes, OHHH. And then proceeds to write down "castration," on the calendar. Which I thought was interesting because even though I know that is what they do to him, I've never heard it called that before in reference to a dog. And then I realized we probably call it neutering in Canada/America so that pet owners don't feel bad about what they are doing to their dog. Regardless, the date has been set. October 5th. Atlas will go from a boy to a man to a boy. He doesn't seem aware of his fate.
Next piece of news is that I have officially applied to Teacher's College! Said goodbye to $423 (I cried..), and I have applied to three schools; Brock, York, and Western. Brock being my first choice, obviously seeing as I would love for my mother to continue making my meals when I return. York is my second choice as Toronto is super convenient for people from Niagara to come see me and easy for me to make my way home. Western is my third choice because I love the city of London and a lot of people there. The easy part of applying is done, they have taken my money. However each school has another form I have to fill out. I will basically be writing the same essay three times about why I want to be a teacher and how my experiences will help me. Anyone want to do some editing for me? I am already 75% finished the Western supplementary form, just one part to go. Western is nice enough to make their form available online ahead of time. I have to wait until mid-October for Brock's and York is supposed to make it available to me once they have received confirmation that I have applied.
Other than that, nothing is new here. Keep an eye out for what we did in Hong Kong, that will be up soon! And just wanted to say Congratulations to my cousin Chris and his amazing wife Chelsea! They got married today and I wish them the best! Sad that I couldn't be there but I was thinking of them all day today!
18 September 2013
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
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
15 September 2013
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.
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends back home! Miss you all lots!
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!
4 September 2013
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!
22 August 2013
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.
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.
13 August 2013
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!
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