Nee Hao family and friends,
I’m currently in celebration mode here in Taiwan. Today I celebrated my first official day off as a Hess teacher. Sure, I’ve only worked 2.5 days so far, but having today off was still a welcome treat. I slept in till 10, moseyed my way over to Taipei 101 for a bomb-tastic lunch, took a nap, and then went exploring this evening.
But celebrations are occurring not just for me, but for everyone in Taiwan today—all over the island. And while I wish I could say they are also celebrating my first day off (I’m sure they would be if they had known), the Taiwanese are actually celebrating “Double Ten Day”—essentially their independence day. Military parades and flag-raising ceremonies are common throughout all of Taiwan today, as rejoicing occurs over the Chinese people’s victory over the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the subsequent birth of the Republic of China in 1912 (you’re welcome for today’s history lesson).
Yet apparently the best part of the day comes at night, when a massive fireworks celebration takes place—one the likes of which would put any 4th of July celebration to shame. Hearing all the hype about this, me and my roommate Ari set out tonight to find said fireworks bonanza. Unfortunately we didn’t know exactly where this was going to take place—only that it would either be Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall or the river. And so we decided to take a gamble and go to the Memorial Hall. Sadly, we were wrong. We soon heard the fireworks going off several kilometers away from us, opposite the direction we had come. Truthfully, we were both pretty bummed. But I suppose the good news is that I’ve decided to channel tonight’s disappointment, take the unexpected free time I now have, and bust out another blog post about everything I’ve experienced here, as well as my impressions of Taiwan 12 days into my year-long journey. Hey, I guess everything does happen for a reason.
 |
| Stolen pic from internet. I really wish I could have seen this. Oh well, there's always 10-10-2011... |
First Impressions:
Modernity:
I’ve already written about the shock I experienced when I first arrived in Taiwan. After spending a month in the so-called “third world” in Cambodia, I was amazed at how incredibly modern Taiwan was. The immense buildings, the luxury cars, the high speed transportation, etc.—they all really took me by surprise at first. Unfortunately what this also means is that, since the standard of living is much higher here than it was in Cambodia, everything costs much more as well. I’m still adjusting to the fact that I can no longer get dinner and a beer for $3.50 like I was able to in Cambodia. Here that type of meal may set you back $7-8. Or that buying a souvenir shirt at a place like Taipei 101 could cost you as much as $20 (highway robbery if you ask me). But all in all, I think it’s a fair trade-off. I mean I loved how dirt- cheap everything was in Cambodia, but I also love how clean and comfortable everything is here. Really it makes me feel more at home, since this place reminds me in so many ways of the Bay Area—especially the part where I’m surrounded by Asians :)
 |
| Taipei 101 Souvenir Shirt: $20. Stolen chopsticks from Taipei 101 food court: free. Brilliant. |
The Food:
OK so I’ll try and abridge this next section as much as possible, but surely it’s going to be a little difficult. I could literally write for days about the cuisine options here in Taiwan. And it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I am a fiend for the food here; that I’m blown away by all the food possibilities. I honestly feel like a little kid on Christmas when I’m walking the streets, anticipating with much excitement what culinary treasures I’ll discover. Undoubtedly any weight I lost in Cambodia I’ll be gaining back here (you can rest easy now Mom). Whether it be in the form of a mobile cart stationed on an alley, a sit-down Asian buffet, or an upscale Western-style restaurant, Taiwan is stock-piled with amazing food. Chinese, Korean, Japanese, American---you name it; they’ve got it. There are some nights where I’ll walk out to the Shida Night Market (literally on the same street as my apartment), and just let my nose do the rest of the work from there. Before you know it, I’ve ended up with a delicious meal/treat in my hands (see girls, sometimes men are led by other body parts...). Though I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tasted so far, I must say I am particularly partial to the pork dumplings and green onion cakes (both conveniently located in the Night Market). And while earlier I mentioned how food can be expensive here in Taiwan, that doesn’t mean it has to be. Both of those dishes I just mentioned are 50 NTD and 30 NTD, respectively (a mere $2.50 altogether). And of course I love the fact that if I’m ever feeling homesick or just need some good ole comfort food, I can always go to one of the many different American fast food restaurants here (McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Pizza Hut, Burger King, etc.). Or better yet, indulge in some frozen yogurt or Coldstone goodness.
Honorable mention: “Flavor Field Bakery” at Taipei 101 is incredible, and no doubt if I lived closer to there I would be in serious trouble because of all the amazing treats (not so amazing for you, unfortunately) at such affordable prices. Here are just a few:
 |
| yum-azing. |
 |
| chocolate flute. highly recommended. |
The Weather:
I can’t say I’ve enjoyed the weather here as much as I’ve enjoyed the food, but it’s still definitely been an upgrade from Phnom Penh. For I’ve experienced something here that I don’t think I ever really did in good old PP—breeze. Oh sweet breeze. Instead of having it be 88 and feel like 98, here it’s more like 78 feels like 88. And let me tell you, those 10 degrees make all the difference. Sure, the humidity still makes me sweat here (especially when I decide to walk to my school, 45 minutes away), but it’s nothing quite like the unbearable heat I experienced in Cambodia—where I would be caked in sweat just making the 10 minute walk to Pannasastra University. Recently it’s also been pretty overcast here too, which is really nice—a little gloomy at times, but worth it in terms of avoiding sunburns (always a concern after what transpired at Sihanoukville—Never again). Moreover, the clouds help me feel at home—overcast is the Bay Area’s middle name. I really can’t wait until December-February here, when it will actually get fairly cold (as low as 57) and sweating will temporarily cease to be a problem. However, ask me again this next summer (when it rains off and on all the time yet stays at about 95 degrees) how I’m liking the weather and I’m sure you won’t get such a positive response…
 |
| The Mammoth that is Taipei 101 on a very cool, overcast day |
Teaching:
Alas, the reason I came here: to teach. I know I know, many of you are probably thinking: wait, you’re actually working over there?? Sure, from FB photos and my previous blog posts and everything else, it probably seems like I am on an extended vacation. And really in many regards it has been just that…until this past Thursday. I don’t want to make it sound like my freedom has suddenly vanished, but I definitely won't have as much free time from now on as I had those first 10 days. On Thursday I observed my first couple classes at the Chung Hua Hess Branch, where I’ll be teaching for the next year. Admittedly, I was very overwhelmed at first—I was given a lot of information to process all at once. The next day, Friday, I was scheduled to “observe and co-teach” 2 more classes, which I took to mean basically observing and helping out if necessary. Well, that definitely wasn’t the case. Instead I was told a half hour before the first class began that I would actually be teaching 1 of the 2 hours on my own. Admittedly, I was VERY overwhelmed this time. I was being thrown into the proverbial lion’s den, with absolutely no mental preparation and even worse, no lesson plan preparation. That said, I was amazed at how easy it was to help teach both of those classes. From just looking at the books and pre-made lesson plans for about 20 minutes, I was all ready to go for my first class. Though I was still pretty nervous, I was able to teach effectively for my hour, and the kids really seemed to like me. They themselves, being as young as they were, were definitely a handful at times but they were also so adorable and fun that it was hard not to enjoy the experience.
Highlight: I’m still laughing at the way they all looked at me when I was first introduced, like they were staring at this huge white god…which is probably why for the first half of the class they referred to me not as “teacher Andrew” but rather “teacher Oh My God”. Hahaha…priceless.
The second class was with older, more advanced students. While they weren’t as naturally adorable and innocent as the young tots, I especially enjoyed this class because I was able to joke around with them and they were able to do the same with me. It was relieving to be in a class where all the students were more-or-less focused and I was able teach actual vocab/grammar, not just how to write and sound-out letters like I was doing in the first class.
Then Saturday I had one class from 8 am-10 am. Needless to say, I was pretty tired for this one and I was little nervous that I was going to screw up because of the lack of sleep I had gotten the night before. But alas, everything went fairly smoothly and before I knew it the bell was ringing—a half week of teaching was in the books.
Though my confidence is definitely up from my couple days of teaching, I’m definitely still nervous going in to my first full week of teaching tomorrow—especially because now I’ll be teaching all by myself for the full 2 hours. And for at least tomorrow’s class, I’ll be doing it without the help of a Chinese T.A. (which foreign teachers normally have). But although I’m nervous, I’m not quite as petrified as I was on Friday. I’m learning to embrace the challenge/uncertainty. Watch out—Teacher Andrew is ready to kick some ass and take some names!
