SuperMoney StaleMate

English school is trying different methods to revive the SuperMoney Economy, which has been failing for months

November 14th, 2010

TAIPEI-

It appears that the world-wide recession, which has been affecting economies negatively since late 2008, has found yet another victim: the SuperMoney economy of Hess Young Scholars English School in Taipei, Taiwan.

Students at the school are apparently experiencing a lack of faith in the system. They seem unwillingly to trade in their highly coveted pieces of cardboard for any of the numerous prizes that Hess offers them. Instead of actively participating in the exchange of S.M. cards for goods and services, students are monitoring their S.M. balance very carefully and holding on to their money cards for dear life.

“At times like these, it’s important to save and hold on to what you’ve got. You never know when your next S.M. payday may arrive”, suggests a surprisingly mature E6 student. “I’ve got a future to think about. I need to have at least enough to buy the bare essentials for the next school year. I’m living on a budget here. I can’t just be freely…is freely an adv. or adj.?...Oh Ok. Yeah, I can’t just be freely giving my money away in uncertain times like these.”

Fear for the safety of their S.M. has actually led most students to stop bringing the cards to school altogether. Unwilling to invest them in the Bank of Hess, students feel that all bringing S.M. to school does is put them in danger of being stolen. As an alternative, students keep them at home under lock and key…waiting to bring them back them out until after the economy shows some signs of improvement.

“I keep mine in my state-of-the-art industrial strength safe at home, alongside my other treasured possession—a signed Super Junior poster,” shares Wendy.

“I keep mine under my pillow at night…next to my gun,” offers another student, who wishes for obvious reasons to remain anonymous.

However over-reactionary these fears may seem, they are certainly not unfounded. Due to the recent lack of investment in the Bank of Hess, Hess officials announced they would be temporarily placing a hold on printing more money cards.

“We were hopeful that by temporarily stopping the creation of more money cards, students would have no choice but to start spending again and restart the economy,” explains Vicky, manager of the Chung Hua Hess branch. “Not to mention that, in situations like these, we always must be mindful of the effects of inflation—too much money out there and the price of goods will inevitably rise.”

Despite the good intentions behind the move, the effect it had on the health of the S.M. economy was ultimately negative. Instead of helping to get the economy moving again, buyers’ fears were reinforced.

Additionally, the lack of money at the teachers’ disposal had further disastrous consequences.

“The structure of our classes is essentially built on the incentive for rewards. If you can reward students with money cards, they will be likely to participate and keep class flowing. However, take S.M. out of the equation, and students have no motivation to involve themselves. There needs to be a reward for success. Students thrive on the opportunity to collect S.M. They even compete with one another to see who can win more during class time. Without the incentive for rewards and to be better than one’s peers, students have little desire to try. It’s common sense really—like why capitalism, despite its’ flaws, will always be a more viable system than communism,” ponders Teacher Andrew, a rather intelligent and handsome newcomer to Hess.

Instead of participating in review games with the usual vigor, students were rather reluctant to get involved and/or excited.

“Throwing a sticky-ball is great…but throwing a sticky-ball to win Super Money, now that’s a rush,” confesses Alvin, another E6 student.

Furthermore, without a reliable supply of money cards to give to students, many teachers had found themselves being stricter towards students and taxing money cards just in order to keep their own stock afloat.

“I’ve recently instituted taxes for talking out of turn, not raising one’s hand, going to the bathroom, speaking Chinese, and looking at me the wrong way…basically everything short of breathing…which may very well be the next one to be enforced,” Teacher Eddie admits half-jokingly.

However, school officials, realizing their mistake, very recently pulled a complete 180 and decided to inject the S.M. economy with tons of money cards—reversing their previous action, and ending the freeze on S.M. printing. This reflected a move in an entirely new direction in addressing the S.M. crisis. Management is hopeful that with money cards readily available once again, students will be motivated to spend. This maneuver is already being labeled “the Obama method”, as it resembles the approach the U.S. government has taken to battle their own economic crisis—inject the economy with a boat load of money and hope something positive happens.

Well, here’s to it working out better here than it has over there.

Reflection Internal

*Note: the title for this post has nothing to do with Reflection Eternal, one of the best hip-hop duos of all time. Though for the record, I’ve recently rediscovered their latest album Revolutions Per Minute and am falling in love with it all over again (it’s been especially helpful in getting me through my morning runs, which have become more of a daily occurrence—more to come on that later). Anyhow, check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

But on a more related side note, I finally received my ARC (Alien Residency Card) a few days ago! I’m officially legit to work here now in Taiwan (though that didn’t stop me from working the last month—whoops). However I must admit that I’m a little bummed…I was kind of looking forward to the thrill of living here illegally, maybe even having to outrun immigration officers trying to deport me. But I suppose I can live with being a law-abiding citizen.

Also, in far more exciting news, I’m getting paid for the first time tomorrow! I can already feel that hole that had begun burning through my pocket starting to sear shut. And additionally, having my ARC means I can now open a Taiwanese banking account, which will allow me to withdraw money without having to pay the absurd $10 fee for using a foreign debit card (technically, $5 for it being foreign, $5 because Bank of America SUCKS—someone remind to leave that bank behind when I return to the States).

As for today’s post, I’m sorry to tell you that it is going to be another mostly introspective piece of work. I wish I could write as well about the things around me as some of my other friends do, and effectively take myself out of the story, but that just doesn’t seem to be my style. But I guess I shouldn’t fight this. After all, I learned this past year (thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law Caroline and the fantastic gift of Strengths Finder 2.0) that one of my tops strengths is “intellection”: the process of thinking, analyzing, and reflecting internally (alas the blog title makes sense), and that this particular strength is best utilized when I’m writing my various thoughts down. So really this blog is becoming more of my online secret public journal, though admittedly not nearly as entertaining or funny as Mike Birbiglia’s. And so instead of taking myself out of the story, I’m going to talk about the story I’m living…and how I want to edit it.

In this post, I’m going to share a couple of quotes from books I’ve read since being in Southeast Asia that have had a particular influence on me. With so much free time on my hands, I’ve become seriously addicted to reading (thanks again for the books, Mom). Case in point—I’ve currently burned through all but 30 pages of Where Men Win Glory in the last 3 days. And I must say, I’m a big fan…though I’m not sure anything has ever made me so incensed at the U.S Military, but what’s new? Anyways, moving on…

“Humans naturally seek comfort and stability. Without an inciting incident that disrupts their comfort, they won’t enter into a story. The character has to jump into the story, into the discomfort and the fear, otherwise the story will never happen.”

-Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

This quote really spoke to me when I first read it. In fact, I read it a fair number of times before sitting and pondering how it applied to my current situation. In truth, I read Donald Miller’s book at the very outset of my stint in Cambodia, and it helped me greatly in learning to jump in with both feet and commit myself to the craziness of the campaign I’d signed myself up for. However, something has happened in the 6 or so weeks since I’ve been here in Taiwan. Namely, I’ve gotten comfortable with much of my surroundings here. While I’m nonetheless amazed and irked at some of the various things that happen here, I’ve found myself more-or-less ensnared in a standardized daily schedule. I wake up around 9 or 930, eat breakfast at one of a couple different places I’ve found (all conveniently with English menus or at least pictures to point at), exercise, get a coffee, read, and head off to school. There I lesson-plan for a bit, do the whole teaching gig, eat at the same dinner place across the street every flippin’ night (hard to blame myself too much here though—so conveniently close and only 50 NTD for a filling meal…that’s hard to beat), come home, chill out for a bit, and do it all over again the next day. In short, I’ve found myself in the dreaded “comfort zone”. And while it isn’t necessarily bad in itself to feel comfortable or relaxed, that certainly wasn’t my main goal in travelling across the globe for a year.

The reason the issue of the “comfort zone” is particularly alarming to me is because I felt I’ve already fallen into that trap before, especially during the majority of my time in college. Now I don’t want to make it sound like my stint (was sort of lengthy to just call it a “stint”) at Cal Poly wasn’t enjoyable because that’s far from the truth. However, I do think that, as a result of being a more shy and introverted individual, I cut myself off from doing certain things that may have exposed me to disappointment and/or rejection. Therefore I feel like I may not have gotten as fulfilling and rewarding as a college experience as others had. Instead of putting myself out there and continuing to meet new people, I generally stuck to the group of friends I had become acquainted with early on, and instead of trying out different clubs/organizations, I tended to do what I was familiar with, which really ended up just being IM sports every so often. Long story short, I came to this saddening realization at the end of my time at Cal Poly, just months before graduation, and admittedly it really put me in a funk. I decided then and there that the next chapter of my life was going to be different. In fact, it was this realization that made me decide to go to Taiwan to teach instead of coming back to Cal Poly to get my Masters in Education, which was the other route I was considering post-grad. I wanted to instead throw myself into a situation where I had no security blanket to wrap myself up with. The result was a trip to Phnom Penh. And while it certainly wasn’t as comfortable or predictable as life in San Luis Obispo, the uncertainty and terrifying nature of it made the experience all the more remarkable and fulfilling.

But now here I am in Taiwan, afraid that I’m falling back into that same dreaded comfort zone I had come all this way to avoid. And it was when I was realizing this that I came across this quote from Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain:

“What we manifest is before us”

Although this quote is rather short compared to the one from Miller, its impact on me was just as if not more powerful. Basically all this quote means is that we all make our own destinies. As I was beginning to feel trapped in the comfort zone, this one line made me realize there was only one thing I could about it: change things up, and pull myself out of the comfort zone in whatever way I could.

For instance, I’ve undoubtedly loved loved loved the food here. However, I feel I’ve limited my taste buds to the experience they’re getting simply because many of the places I’d like to try, especially some of the foodstalls in the ShiDa Night Market, have absolutely no English menus or English-speaking employees, which has to this point made me rather hesitant. I really didn’t want to be embarrassed when I couldn’t put through a simple order or convey in any way what I wanted. Instead it was easier to go eat at the places where I knew what to expect; where I was….comfortable eating. But the more I’ve thought about this, I’ve realized how stupid I sound. So what if I can’t order and make an ass of myself in front of all the locals? The worst thing that could happen is probably getting laughed at a little bit and/or receiving the wrong dish. But hey, at least it’d be a new experience right? (For the record, I followed this advice tonight and worked up the courage to go to a food stall and sit with a bunch of the locals who sat gawking at me for a bit…but the result was some delicious chicken and curry for very cheap. Success.)

I’ve also been somewhat putting off the issue of learning the language here. I suppose it’s relatively easy to get by just speaking English, pointing, and using limited Chinese (“limited” is in fact a generous term to describe my skill level). But in stride with trying to push myself out of the comfort zone, I’ve taken steps to improve my Chinese capabilities. This coming Tuesday I have a Language Exchange date with a local named “Miggie” (that’s really all I know about this person—assuming it’s a guy since the only other people I’ve known who go by that name are former American League MVPs). While I’m betting this arrangement won’t end up being a match-made-in-heaven, or that our EHarmony compatibilities won’t match, at the very least it will force me to put myself out there with a total stranger and practice my Chinese. And almost certainly it will result in me getting laughed at because I’m terrible at pronunciation. But I can’t say enough about how excited I am to finally push myself in this new area. And even if I don’t end up staying here for more than a year, I assume I’ll at least have some Chinese skills at my disposal to impress my friends with when I’m back home. Hell, I may even have to use it when I’m frequenting Yogurtland in Cupertino, which after all seems to be the Asian capital of California (UC Irvine is a very close second…)

Speaking of pushing myself, I’ve also come to the conclusion that I’m going to exert and challenge myself physically, as well as mentally, while I’m here. Ever since I got my running shoes in the mail about a week and a half ago (you’re a SAINT Maureen Ghiossi), I seem to have fallen in love with running again. I’ve felt like Forrest Gump once he broke free from his leg braces. Because of this newfound fascination with running, and also due in part to a suggestion from a friend, I’ve decided to do a fun little 9K through Taipei coming up here in January. I figure doing this would be a great way to discipline myself into training a little as well as give me something to work toward and look forward to. And if I really enjoy it, next on the list will be a half-marathon in March. Wish me luck!

Not to mention I’m also going to start playing basketball with some of the locals here (South Beach? Nah..I’m taking my talents to Daan Park). And I may even start playing some weekend pickup games with a few of my co-workers. While putting myself out there with the locals in a competitive environment is definitely more terrifying than, say, working up the courage to eat at a local foodstall, I’m still greatly looking forward to it. In fact, this was supposed to start today, but sadly the constant rain all day kind of destroyed those plans…Oh well, until next weekend!

Anyways, I should wrap this up because I’m sure those of you that are so loyal as to actually read all the way to this point are getting tired by now. But the bottom line is that I’ve found a comfort zone here, and I’m doing my best to not rely on it as much as possible; to constantly place myself in new situations. Because really, perspective can be a bitch. It’s great to have, but unfortunately it usually arrives long after the fact; long after it would have been really useful. I seemingly gained that perspective too late in college, but the good news is that I’m catching myself this time around. I know I’m in an incredible position here living in an extremely foreign country. I don’t want to look back on this experience 20 years from now and regret not making the absolute most of it. I don’t want to feel like Captain Hindsight (anddd the South Park references just keep piling up), pointing out the mistakes I made or risks I didn’t take while looking in the rear view mirror. So here I go, committing to live my remaining time here to the fullest. At the very least it should make for some entertaining blog posts down the road…

Medicinal Mountain

So after a hiatus last Sunday from adventuring, I was back at it again this weekend. And boy was it necessary. Last week was a particularly long week of teaching at Hess for a number of reasons. For one, Hess management and I have had some miscommunications (miscommunicating and/or not communicating at all is sort of Hess’ M.O.) over whether or not I will be working on Christmas and Christmas Eve. As it stands now, I’m scheduled to work, though my recruiting company promised me several months ago that would not be the case. So needless to say, there has been some slight tension. But in the meantime, I plan on kissing as much ass as possible and keeping my fingers crossed that something can be done to fix this situation. I’ll let you all know what happens.

Secondly, this past Saturday Hess had its monthly celebration party for the students. And naturally, this month’s theme was Halloween. So instead of being done at noon on Saturday like I normally am, I instead stayed at school from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. And for the last 3 hours of this shift, I was dressed in a ridiculous (not to mention rather toasty) bumble-bee costume either standing and taking pictures with EVERY one of the 40-50 students that showed up, or doing my best Miss Cleo impression at the “fortune-telling” booth. Though I must admit I was pretty good at improvising during this latter part, especially when I used the globe in the classroom as my “crystal ball”. I’m pretty proud of how entertained the kids were considering it was by far the lamest of the stations (maybe that was intentional? A little rookie hazing, perhaps?) I also don’t think I get paid a cent for these functions, so needless to say, it was a long day. In fact it was so long that I really gave up any hope I had of going out that night to celebrate Halloween. Truthfully, this was partly because the exhaustion, and partly because I’ve been over Halloween for quite some time now. I remember at the beginning of college when I had back-to-back years of my best costumes, but ever since then, I’ve had very little desire to dress up/go out and celebrate. So I pretty much took it easy, and prepared myself for what I hoped to be a more eventful Sunday.

sadly I don't think I'll ever top these costumes.

especially this one...

...and then compare it to this year's outfit. wow..

And it was at this point, on Saturday night as I sat in bed about to call it a night—body and mind both exhausted—that I decided I needed an escape…and not just an escape from teaching. Sure, Hess management and the kids can wear on you a little bit after 6 straight days. But really I needed to escape more from Taipei city in general—the constant bustling in the streets, the swarms of motorcycles and cars, and most importantly, the people. All these things were so exciting to me at first because they were so different from Phnom Penh. But after a little while, you tend to get over all the incessant activity here. The worst part I’ve noticed is the population density. There are literally tons of people everywhere you go, and you are forced to bob and weave around them just to get where you want to go. Running on the dirt paths at Daan Park? Be ready to bust out your best juke moves as you maneuver around everyone. Want to grab a bite to eat at Ximen before work? Be prepared to fight some crowds to satisfy your hunger. Looking to catch that MRT train during rush hour before it takes off? Well you’d better be stretched, because you’re going to have to move like Barry Sanders in his prime, busting out stiff arms and spin moves, just to be able to get through everyone. What’s worse is when it’s raining outside, for not only do you have to cut through thousands of people to get from point A to point B, but you also have to battle their umbrellas (think my eyes have almost been poked out at least 20 times already).

Taipei is DENSE

So, all that considered, I decided not to go to the National Palace Museum that Sunday like I was originally planning. Just the mere thought of how many people would be there, especially considering it’s the #1 tourist location in Taipei, made me cringe (though I still plan on making it out there soon because it sounds amazing…potentially next Sunday?) I just couldn’t bear the thought of it. So I asked my roommate Ari what we could do instead. “How about going on one of the hikes near my school (further away from Central Taipei and more out in the countryside)?” he proposed. Bingo. Excellent idea. After a week like that, I couldn’t just have a Lazy day like I had the Sunday before; but I also couldn’t deal with so many people like I do on a daily basis. So the proposition to go hiking, be secluded, get some peace, nature, and exercise seemed like exactly what the doctor was ordering for me.

 

And let me tell you-it was. This mountain hike was medicinal (California Prop. 19 couldn't even offer a more relaxing solution for a tough week). After all, part of the reason I decided on Taiwan was because I had heard so much about how wonderful the nature was here. The smell from the trees and the creek was so refreshing after smelling not much more than exhaust and B.O. for the past month (not to mention the stinky tofu stand right by our place….that stuff smells horrid). The shade from the trees, including numerous bamboo, was very welcome as it provided great protection from the sun and added great color to the trail. Even the sounds from the various animals and insects that surrounded us were such a great change-up from the honking of horns and chattering of people I had gotten used to hearing in my sleep. At times, it literally felt like I was walking through Jurassic Park with all the noise and trees around me. And even when I did run across people, they were the complete opposite of the people I would find in the city. Instead of running about, shopping, or talking on their phones, they were instead doing Tai Chi, reading, stretching, or just meditating. Some of them were even doing this barefoot walk across stones that is allegedly supposed to stimulate numerous pressure points in your foot that correspond to other parts of your body. And being in the joyous mood that I was, I decided to take part in the action (“when in Taiwan, do as the Taiwanese do”). Well, I suppose I’m glad I’ve done it so now I can say I have, but other than that it was a pretty painful experience. I guess you do feel “relaxed” afterward, but I think this has more to do with being relieved that it’s over and that you can wear comfortable shoes again. But anyway, it was an interesting part of the overall experience nonetheless.

The stone steps to Mordor (at least I'm replacing SP references with LOTR ones?)

cool looking...not as cool feeling.

The hike wasn’t exactly the longest in the world. It probably only took us about a half hour to get to the top of the mountain. But the trail was fairly steep, so by the time we finally reached the summit, we were in for a spectacular view….a spectacular view of the city in all its’ grandeur, with the backdrop of more beautiful mountains. And let me tell you, it is much easier to appreciate how amazing Taipei City is sitting peacefully on a mountain than it is as one of the many ants inside of it trying to get about. And so understanding this, I savored that moment. For I knew that once today came about, I would be back to being one of those ants encircled by all the madness and buildings, and without that perspective I had on top of that mountain. But that experience yesterday definitely made today much easier to handle, and not nearly as stressful as last week. I’m sure I’ll be back to that point of feeling overwhelmed with the city again at some point in the near future. But the great news is that when this indeed happens, and I feel like I need a breather, I’ll know where to go.

O Captain! My Captain!

Alright folks. Now it's time for the second installment regarding my early teaching experience. This time I won't be focusing as much on my students as I will on myself....The Educator. The Teacher. The Sensei.

Despite the title of this post, I'm not going to make any drastic claims about the impact I've had so far on my students. And I'm certainly not going to suggest I've been anything close to a John Keating (for the record, Deads Poet's Society is one of my most favorite movies ever). Though, knowing the energy of my kids, I'm guessing they will eventually end up standing on their desks at some point, whether it is to my liking or not.

my students WILL be calling me their captain by the time this is all over

But still I feel I've learned, adapted, and progressively become a better teacher these past few weeks. Key to making these improvements was learning some valuable lessons. The first lesson I learned, in regards to dealing with my younger Treehouse classes, was that I needed to fight fire with fire. What I mean by this is that I quickly realized I needed to match their energy level. I was simply overwhelmed my first few days of teaching them with how hyper-active they were. Being mellow and laid-back like I am, it was tough for me to embrace all the madness of the classroom.

But alas I found the answer. Coffee. Now most of you know drinking coffee is nothing new to me. For the last couple years I drank it religiously in the mornings just so I could function. However, once I arrived in Southeast Asia, I had done a pretty good job of kicking the habit. Perhaps because the coffee was so crappy in Phnom Penh, or perhaps because I understood the need to beat my addiction, I sort of went cold turkey ("cold turkey" here meaning I still indulged once in a while, but certainly not a daily thing).

Well, these kids really take it out of you. They pushed me off the wagon, and I'm back on the stuff. I now have an internal clock that alerts me everyday around 4:10 that I need a caffeine kick (in the form of a very strong Americano); something to boost my energy level and prepare myself for battle with the young ones. And I must confess that this has worked very well. It is much easier to teach and control them when your energy is close to being on the same wavelength as theirs. And plus, they love the enthusiasm...whether it be natural or substance-induced.

Treehouse 7 class...see what I was saying about the energy?

Treehouse 3...even more insane than 7.

I'm also learning to be a hard-ass when I need to be. Most of the times, especially when I'm working with a CT (Chinese Teacher), I am able to take it easy when it comes to disciplining students. Normally the CTs are much harsher on the kids than the NSTs tend to be (which is not to sound judgmental, since after all that is their job). And in fact, I really like it that way. The result of this is usually a sort of "good cop bad cop" scenario, where I typically end up being liked simply because I don't come down on them as hard or as often.

HOWEVA (as Stephen A. Smith would say), when there is no CT around, and I am on my own, I've learned I have to, well, sort of be a dick. I wouldn't say that I necessarily become a mean teacher when I'm on my own, but I definitely find myself being less tolerant of putting up with their shenanigans. I learned quickly that unless you punish disobedience early on in your classes, the kids will lose respect for you and before long, be walking all over you. Instead you need to make them respect your authori-tah (apologies again for yet another vague South Park reference). Yesterday I learned the effectiveness of the minute-long stare down with one of my devil children, Mike. After Mike had screwed around for about the 10th time, and broken the camel's back, I stopped class and just stared at him...clearly disappointed and frustrated. For the first 15 seconds, Mike was smiling. After 30, the smile faded. After 45, I could literally see him squirming under my gaze...obviously not enjoying all the attention, and clearly uncomfortable (which is ironic, considering it seems that he is desperate for attention). After a minute, I felt I had done enough. And sure enough, Mike was much better behaved the rest of class. Victory: Teacher Andrew.

In general, I've also learned to do my own thing when it comes to lesson-planning. Sure, there's pre-made lessons for every class. But I'm starting to realize that these lesson plans are basically the equivalent to what "parlay" is for the Pirates of the Caribbean: "more guidelines than actual rules." I play around with these lesson plans, switching up the orders, omitting some things (c'mon, these kids only want to sing so many freaking songs), and adding other things such as review games (already talked about how they go ape for those). I mean I still rely on the lesson plans a lot, so I'm not trying to make it sound like I'm reinventing the wheel. But I'm definitely learning the benefits of tweaking things a bit.

But this is all starting to sound like I've already mastered this whole teaching thing,  and that I am the most comfortable, fluid teacher when I'm up in front of the kids. And I definitely don't want to give that impression. On the contrary, I've been pretty uncomfortable at times, and I've noticed some tendencies I have as a teacher. Some very weird, quirky tendencies.

I suppose all teachers have them. I used to have a knack for picking them out and making fun of my past teachers for them. Anyone that went to high school with me would know about Mr. Hardy's half-sniff half- laugh. Or Mr. Anderson's signature adages like "save it for Saturday night". Or Mr. Stevens' awkward pelvic thrust movement. Even in college, I remember how Professor Snetsinger would become bobble head-like when he got really excited talking about history. Or how Dr. Call talked like he was a radio DJ. Or how Professor Hopper would showcase his wit and dry humor by adlibbing over movies he would show us in class.

Well now the tables have turned. And I'm one of those goofy guys with goofy habits.

The first one I've noticed really isn't anything new to me. I've always had an issue with talking too fast, and often running over my words. I remember the first time my friend Becky brought this to my attention in high school. She described it as "your brain just getting so excited your poor tongue can't keep up". Whatever the case, it's definitely something I do. My T3 class alerted me to this on the very first day ("teacher you talk too fast!") So, in order to better help them learn, I've deliberately slowed down my speech. But since this isn't really all that natural for me, the result is that most of the time I sound like a robot when I'm trying to explain things. And when I talk naturally, I sound like Speedy Gonzalez on meth. Needless to say, I'm still looking for that "in between" balance. I'll let you know when I find it.

The second thing I've noticed is this stupid sound I make whenever I try and elicit answers from students. I ask a question. I wait. No one answers. So I say "hmm?" without hesitation. I don't know why I do this. I wish I would do something else. But it just pops out of me, like it's a symptom of Tourette's. And the worst part is none of the students understand that this is me trying to get them to participate, they just stare at me in total confusion. It's ironic that as an English teacher I can't use actual English to get my kids involved.

And the third thing I've noticed is that I constantly tap my marker against things...the whiteboard, students' desks, my books, my leg, anything really. Call it a nervous tick, call it boredom, call it me trying to express myself musically, call it whatever. But it's one of those things I don't realize I'm doing until it's too late. I'll look up to see that my students aren't so much interested in doing the workbook exercises I assigned them as they are with checking out the latest drum solo I just burst out into. Epic fail.

Anyways, there was a sneak peek into my very young career as an educator...the highs and the lows. Undoubtedly much will change in the upcoming 11 months. I'll keep you updated on the developments that take place.

Lazy Sunday

Nee Hao!

It appears I've created a pattern here. Here it is again on Sunday evening, and I find myself updating my blog. Sunday nights seem to be the best time for me to write on this thing, for it is then that I usually have the most time. Not to mention I'm usually in a pretty good mood on Sunday nights, considering that at that point I've had a whole day and a half away from teaching to "let my hair down" so to speak. So if you're looking for updates on this thing, Sunday nights are probably your best bet.

In my last post, I talked about how I was given the advice to utilize Sundays to do something fun and exciting. Well, at least for this week, I ignored that advice. Today was a very lazy day. But it was also very therapeutic and necessary. I got up late this morning (thanks to a very late Saturday night), caught the tail end of the Giants game, FINALLY got around to doing some laundry (was literally out of clothes earlier this week), cleaned a little, read a little (The Art of Racing In the Rain has the won the "which book AJ will read first out of the multitude he received from his loving mother" contest. Enjoying it thus far), took a nap, and I guess just enjoyed "the art of doing Nothing" (copyright, 2010 Fresh Ginger blog :) )

I guess there are a number of reasons I decided not to adventure, and rather to just take it easy today. For one, I went out last night and had a miniature adventure then--one that involved making some Mexican friends outside of 7-11 (swear it wasn't as ghetto as it sounds), and hanging out with them until 3:30 in the a.m. Another reason is that my health seemed to be suffering a little bit today. No doubt part of it was the drinking until 3:30, but another likely factor was the ridiculous amounts of second-hand smoke I inhaled last night as a result of my first live music experience here in Taiwan (so many cigarettes, so little ventilation...).

And finally, I think I was just worn out mentally from the the non-stop rain we experienced this week. For those of you not aware, Typhoon Megi pretty much ripped Southeast Asia a new one this past week. Here in Taiwan we didn't really experience any of the actual typhoon, but we definitely had torrential downpours of almost biblical proportions every day from Monday through Friday. It honestly seemed like it was never going to stop (I was about a day away from building an ark). I was actually excited for all the rain at first. It was like that friend that was coming into town and you were all excited to see, thinking they would just stay with you one night--only to find that they'd brought all their belongings with them and had absolutely no time-table for getting the hell out. So long story short, the rain definitely wore on me. But still it was hard to complain too much about getting a little wet here and there and having to bring my umbrella everywhere when, in the Philippines, thousands of lives were being destroyed. And even here in Taiwan, people had died from a collapsed temple. Needless to say, that perspective was helpful in me not losing my mind completely.

So if you were expecting a post detailing a Sunday escapade, I'm sorry to disappoint. But really, considering I didn't do jack squat today, doing so wouldn't result in anything nearly as entertaining or enlightening as last Sunday did. Also, I must warn you that if you're looking for pictures, you're going to be doubly disappointed. Duibuqi. I told myself I was going to start carrying my camera with me wherever I went just so I would no longer miss shots I really wanted to capture (sometimes of Taiwan's natural beauty, more often of the very strange and amusing things I've seen the locals do here). But unfortunately Typhoon Megi put that plan on hold, as I was too scared to bring my camera out in fear that it would get ruined. So try back next week. I'll hopefully have some exciting new shots by then.

Instead of writing about today, I've decided to blog a little about my first few weeks as a Hess teacher. Particularly I'm going to focus on my students, since after all, I've spent the majority of my last two weeks hanging out with them.

The Subjects:

I'm not going to lie--for the most part, I'm loving these kids. Sure sometimes they're a little much to handle, but it amazes me at how energetic, happy, and willing to learn most of them are. This is especially mind-boggling considering that I usually see them after they have already spent around 8 hours in Chinese school (they go hardcore here..no wonder they're going to take over the world). And I love the balance I have in my schedule, where I start with the uber cute, young kids and then end with older kids who I can joke around with more and with whom I can actually teach things and have more in-depth conversations. But that said, here are some of the funnier/weirder things I've noticed about my students as a whole, younger and older alike.
 
These kids are Gamers.
I suppose this shouldn't be shocking news--I mean who doesn't love to play games? But these kids take it to a whole other level. Nothing gets these kids quite as excited as battling each other, or getting the shot to throw the sticky-ball or battle Teacher Andrew in a little Paper-Scissors-Stone (Asian equivalent of "rock paper scissors"). I don't think I've ever seen more fierce competition in what should be a friendly learning or review exercise. When one team gets an answer right, that team erupts so loudly that I momentarily forget that I'm in a classroom and not instead at some sold-out sporting event. And if that team gets the answer wrong, the devastation on their faces is pretty apparent. Unfortunately I found out the hard way just how serious they take these games last Monday during a game of Phonics Tic-Tac-Toe. When one of the girls mispronounced a word, I was forced (for the sake of calling the game fair) to say that she missed it and move on to the next team. Well, it was at this point that the water works began (lesson learned: be VERY gentle with that young one). I think a part of me died when I started seeing tears roll down that poor girl's face. Way to go AJ. Only a week into your career as a teacher and you've already made your 1st student cry. Proud day.


Teacher AnDREW, not AnGEL.
Truthfully I haven't been able to figure this one out yet. Without fail, when I've introduced myself to every one of the classes I've had so far, a large number of them will insist on calling me "Teacher Angel", and then will inevitably start giggling afterward. Of course I'm flattered by the compliment (if that is indeed their intention), but I'm still baffled as to why they choose to give it.

"Teacher, sorry I'm late"
I LOVE this. Apparently this dialogue has been drilled into these kids since Day 1. Even if the kid's not even late, they'll still say it. And if a student does walk in late without saying it, the rest of the kids are quick to show that kid where he's screwed up, as they point to me and say "tell teacher you're sorry you're late!". It's so funny how routinized and scripted the whole thing is that it's hard to even be mad that they are indeed late. Instead I just have to hold back the laughter and say it's alright. Though I think I am going to start screwing with some of the kids, and stare back at them all seriously and just blatantly tell them "No. Apology NOT accepted."


Placing faith in the (Super Money) economy.
So before I continue, I have to explain the concept of "Super Money" to you all. Super Money are these little paper cards that are awarded to students for doing well in class, on quizzes/tests, etc. If they accumulate enough Super Money, they can actually buy things from the school. Anyways, these kids love love love Super Money and basically treat it like an extension of themselves. If I mention that Super Money is involved, their ears immediately perk up. Conversely, the threat of taking away their cherished Super Money has been such an awesome tool for getting kids to behave and listen. If any student is acting up or creating problems, I simply just threaten to start taking their Super Money. The look on their face when I say this is usually priceless--a mix of fear and determination to stop screwing around. What a great motivator for getting them to behave, and especially for getting them to go to the bathroom during break time (I've recently instituted a Super-Money "bathroom tax" with some of my younger kids).

Pop goes the culture.
Among the numerous things these kids like in the world of Western entertainment, probably the most amusing is their fascination with Sponge Bob Square Pants. I swear at least 15 different kids said they were dressing up on Halloween as either Sponge Bob, Patrick, or Squidward. Truly amazing. Also, they love Yahoo!, and have clearly seen many of their advertisements, because whenever I've asked students their favorite websites they always respond "yahoooooooooooo". And oddly enough, NO ONE knows who Justin Bieber is here. And let me tell you, that is such a relief after spending a month in Cambodia, where that pubescent little tool was treated like royalty.

So I was actually planning on writing some about the tendencies I've noticed about myself as a teacher. But seeing as it's getting late and this post is getting to be on the long side, I think I'll save the next section (The Sensei) for a later post, probably to come tomorrow or Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Spring Fever

Well, I’ve already got the first 1/15^th of my lesson planned for my class tomorrow. Sure, I haven’t even looked at the books yet, but I still know how I’m going to start my class.

See, in the Treehouse level classes (one of which I am teaching tomorrow), every class begins with the “Word of the Day”. Usually this word has already been pre-selected, and it’s the NST’s job to find a way to explain that word in a way that is understandable to the young ones, as well as use it in an example sentence. This past week included words like “lucky” (Ex. You’re so lucky to have Teacher Andrew as your teacher) or “amazing” (Ex. Teacher Andrew’s smile is amazing). But tomorrow I’m going to take whatever word I’ve been given to teach and throw it in the proverbial trash can (pretty sure there aren’t any proverbs about trash cans, but I still liked the way it sounded in my head). Instead I’m going to teach them a word that I discovered today everyone NEEDS to know in Taipei:

“scalding” (adj.):

1.     something so incredibly freaking hot that it makes you feel like you will die touching it 

2.    hot as hell

(rough definitions)

Now let’s rewind to how I came to this conclusion…

Today my roommate Ari and I checked another item off our Taipei to-do list. Sunday is our only day off from teaching at Hess, and we've been told by fellow co-workers that because of this, Sunday should always be utilized to do something adventurous/new/exciting. That way, when you're really over work on Wednesday or Thursday and wanting to do something fun, you can always reflect back on the previous Sunday and be content that you made the most of it. And in theory that should hold you over until the next Sunday. So we decided to make sure to follow this advice. After little discussion, we decided upon making a trip out to the Hot Springs at Beitou. Our fellow teachers and friends all highly suggested this place, and considering the cool, overcast nature of the day, we figured this would be a perfect time to get in on that action.

Hot Springs. Though not the one we experienced. This one is 90 degrees Celsius...would surely melt your skin off.

 After exploring around Beitou a little, we finally found ourselves at the public Millennium Hot Spring, which offered access to 4 different hot spring pools for a mere 40 NTD for the afternoon (a definite steal). However, upon entering, we quickly realized that we weren’t the only ones craving a hot springs adventure. The place was jam-packed…young couples, children, LOTS of old men. Almost every pool was basically full...except one. Without hesitation, we made a quick bolt for that pool, completely unaware of the signs reading the temperatures for each pool. And that’s when it happened, the first foot went into the pool and I just about screamed bloody murder (this foot actually made a couple of trips in and out of the water before finally committing to stay); then the next one followed suit. Then eventually I mustered up the strength to go down to knee level (by the way, this whole time just about every local in the pool is laughing their ass off at me and Ari in our very apparent pain). After that, I just stood there for a second, certain I could do no more. But unfortunately that only lasted a few seconds, until one of the employees/”lifeguards” motioned me to sit all the way down (we found out later that this was because if I fainted from the heat, it would be much safer if I was sitting down than standing up—good to know). So I sat down. And it was at this moment that I decided what tomorrow’s “Word of the Day” would be.

“HOT springs my ass”, I thought. “They ought to rename this Scalding Springs. Someone needs to tell these people the difference between the two—such false advertising!” I can’t even really describe just how awful and uncomfortable I felt (just imagine the hottest hot tub you’ve ever been in, and then multiply that by about 3). Beads of sweat were dripping down my face, my extremities actually started to tingle, and my feet felt like I was walking on hot coals. After a mere 5 minutes or so, we couldn’t take any more—so we promptly got up and exited this pool, feeling very light-headed and at the point of passing out. Well it was at this moment that we realized why this pool had been emptier than the others—we had entered the hottest of the 4 pools, one which stayed at about 48 degrees Celsius. Forty-Freakin-Eight. So I quickly did the math in my head (Celsius degrees x 9/5 +32…thanks high school Chemistry), and wa-la…about 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Oh dear.

Millennium Hot Spring..home to the hot spring from hell.

But after that painful/embarrassing little incident, it made the rest of our stay at the hot springs that much more enjoyable. After embracing 118 degree heat, the pools set to about 100 were nothing to us. In fact they were rather relaxing. After a week of stress and teaching, there couldn’t have been a more peaceful reward than sitting there relaxed in the hot (no longer scalding) water, letting the breeze blow over, soaking up some minerals, and enjoying the scenic beauty of the surrounding mountains. 

After leaving the springs, we furthered our adventure by making a short hike to the top of a mountain around Beitou to get some cool shots of the city. And then we even explored the Shihlin Night Market a bit, which was massive, packed with people, buzzing with activity, and overall very impressive. I wish I could write more about those here, but truthfully I'm still very tired from my hot springs experience. Maybe some other time. But in lieu of more writing, I've instead included pictures for you at the bottom because I'm a nice guy. Now it's time to sleep like a baby.

Sunday adventure? Check. Blissful end to the week? Ditto.

Mountain at Beitou=conquered

View of Beitou from above

Dinner from Shihlin Night Market street vendor. Delicious and cheap.

Shihlin Night Market. Awesome atmosphere. LOTS of people.

Chocolate sundae in a cone. Perfect finale to the day.

Findings on Formosa

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 4^th 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!