Host families and haircuts

On Tuesday night, Claudia, the other Middle School ESOL teacher, and I were driven back to New Taipei City where we met our host families.  There was a last minute change of plans and they switched Claudia's host family for mine.

First, we dropped off Claudia.  She is in the Sanxia neighborhood near New Taipei University.  Her family is well off because the father, "Eugene", made it big in the computer business and retired young.  "Ann", the mother, is very domesticated and a phenomenal cook.  Their three children, "Sharon", "Trista", and "Bryant", and well-read and cultured - the kind that make you feel ashamed when you compare them to the average American kid.  Bryant gave up his room for Claudia and she lives in a small, modest room on their one floor apartment. Elaborate, cultural decorations fill every corner, making the home feel traditional and warm.

Next, I met my family.  Ming-Hui ("Mindy" is her English name) and her husband "James" (she said all of her co-workers even call him James because his Chinese name is very difficult) live in the Yinge ("Inguh") neighborhood of New Taipei City.  James is an engineer and Mindy is a geometry teacher.  Mindy said James' work is related to touch screens on iPhones.  He works long hours and I only see him briefly in the mornings.  Their English is limited, which can be a struggle but hilarious experience.

They have three homes and moved into their current one so that I could have my own bedroom.  She said they're selling one home when the economy improves and can't get rid of the other home because James' parents purchased and gifted it to him.  This house is 4.5 floors high and reminds me of a shopping experience at IKEA.  I have my own floor, bedroom with a king sized bed, and bathroom.  James said I should feel like a princess and I do.  I am grateful for my fan and air conditioner which lowers my room temperature from 33 degrees Celsius (91 F) to 25 (77 F).

 Last night, Mindy showed me that I wasn't using the toothbrush and toothpaste holder properly:

They have an adorable son Joa-Way who is 6 years old and just finished Kindergarten.  He has not been given an English name yet.  Every time I take his picture, he flashes a peace sign and says something in Chinese.  Mindy, who is 36, says she would love a daughter as well but feels she is too old.  I said something about IVF and she gave me a crazed look.  Topic dropped.  She told me it was good to have children young and to not wait much longer.  I told her I agreed but I wasn't willing to just grab any man off the street and procreate with him.  I am not that desperate... yet.

Mindy is a great host mom.  She doesn't cook and calls the local restaurants her kitchen.  She says she's too tired to cook and eats out for every meal and I don't blame her.  Meals around here are $1-3 and I would consider doing the same if I were her.  She drives me everywhere, put gorgeous lilies in my room that smell amazing and changes their water daily, and brings me midnight snacks.  Last night was mango (delicious and in-season) and a cup of steamy, hot water (common, despite the ridiculously hot weather). 

The licorice was gifted to me by a local teacher last week.  It is made of ginseng, licorice, and anise and it's supposed to be a great natural remedy for my cough.  They are small little pills that taste awful but I've been giving them a shot.

Last night, Mindy also took me to get a haircut.  I was tired but she promised it would feel great, and it did.   The Chinese hairdresser started by putting some menthol-like substance all over my head and put it up in a pin.  She then put Tiger Balm, like vapor rub, on my shoulders and gave me a neck and upper back massage.  She then washed my hair for 15 MINUTES!  This involved more minty-like shampoos, an amazing head massage, and a hot towel on my neck.  Then she cut my hair in a very sloppy and crazy manner, blow dried my hair and gave it a popular Taiwanese look.  I was not impressed but happy with the experience nonetheless. 

I explained to Mindy that my Latina hair wouldn't last in this humidity.  I think she'll understand better later today when I go outside and it looks like a rat's nest.

Temples, beaches, and toilets.

On our second day, we visited a the Ling Jiou Mountain Buddihist Society.  It was beautiful.  My tank top and shorts were considered disrespectful so I was given a robe to wear during the visit.  (100 degrees and a robe? SWEET!)  We were given VIP access to a temple and were instructed on how to meditate.  During our calm, quiet meditation session, I started coughing uncontrollably (GREAT!) and I walked out of the temple in order to not ruin everyone's experience.  The monk/tour guide followed me and offered me some blessed water which I gladly accepted.  If I believed in its healing powers, my cough would be cured.  Later, we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian lunch.  I kept coughing.  Sad face.

After the temple, we went to a local beach called Fulong.  I swam, observed sand sculptures, and took a nap on the sand until we were awoken by an afternoon rainfall and it was time to go.

Observation: girls wear bikinis under their umbrellas but are fully clothed when they go swimming.  Jack said the girls are embarrassed and like to cover up their bodies.  (But didn't I just see her half naked on the sand? Does water make you look more naked?)

I also had my first experience with a Chinese toilet. Super!

All play and all work

After 24 hours of traveling on a plane, we finally arrived.  The trip was not as awful as it could have been and I already miss the man who sat next to me on the plane: the crazed Korean man who lost it somewhere between DC and Seoul.  He kept yelling at the stewardess, banging on his fold-down table, and yelling at the touch screen TV. Always nice to have real life entertainment on a 14 hour flight.

When we landed, we were welcomed by an entourage of school representatives and signs with our names on them.  We were quickly organized into cars and on our way to the first school, about an hour north of Taipei City.  Claudia, the other Middle School ESOL teacher, and I drove with "Alice", the school's principal.  She reassured us that the next would consist of time to relax, have a brief meet and greet with teachers at the school, and a welcome dinner. It was 11:00PM local time and we were exhausted so this was great news.  After driving like a maniac from the airport, through the mountains, and to the B&B, we were able to unpack and go to sleep.  Surprisingly, even after sleeping most of the day, I fell asleep instantaneously.

The next day, Alice's promise of a nice and relaxing day quickly turned into a big, fat lie.

Day 1

6:30-8:30AM - Woke up, went for a walk around the hotel.  Took a million pictures, appreciated local scenery, observed locals, walked up a mountain until I decided that walking up the mountain wouldn't lead me back to the B&B.

8:30-10:30 - Jack, the local military policeman and school substitute teacher, took 2 other teachers and I to a local market, an elementary school, and a temple.  A little old woman approached us at the temple and gave us tea and cookies. She was shy but I got her on camera anyway.

11:00 - 12:00 - Brunch (eggs, toast, PB/J, fruit, cookies, coffee, OJ)

12:00-1:30 - Local tour of a sand sculpture museum and a lighthouse.

1:30-4:30 - Met with teachers at the local Junior/Senior High School.  When Claudia and I sat down, I noticed an agenda that said "Teachers will share effective teaching strategies on how to work with students of low literacy backgrounds".  Funny how a "meet and greet" on my given schedule turned into the new topic in front of me.  Good thing we're teachers and know how to wing it!  We also visited several classrooms and talked to students.

4:30-5:00 - Prepare for dinner party.

Feeling very tired. 10 minute napped squeezed in here.

5:00-6:00 - Hour long drive into the city.

Feeling sick (combination of  my steroid medications, lack of water consumption, lack of sleep, and my driver speeding/hugging mountain curves)

6:00-9:00 - Dinner party.

Feeling exhausted.  I have entered a fun house at the circus: Faces are enlarged, Chinese speakers' voices have been augmented, personal space is limited, the laughing in nearby conversations seems endless.  I feel like I am about to faint.  Luckily, I sat next to "Sue" (in the red shirt).  She treated me like I was her senile grandmother and served me my food and poured me my juice throughout the night.

9:00-10:00- Another drive back to town on the roller coaster ride from hell.  Thank goodness I fell asleep for most of it.

10:00 - I was awoken and led to a shop for this great Latern Activity.  We were expected to write a wish on a 5 foot tall, plastic latern so that it could be lit and sent into the sky, along with our wish, for good luck.

I must have had a look on my face that said SERIOUSLY?!  At this point our host Alice knew I was feeling ill and sat next to me while I drifted in the car ride back to town.  I was DYING to get to bed and secretly cursing Alice for lying when she said we'd have a relaxing day. 

A rock must have miraculously fallen from the sky, hit Alice on the head, and given her a wake up call.  She could tell I was pissed off and uncomfortable, put me in a car, and finally drove me back to the hotel.

11:00 - Zzzzzzz. No Nyquil needed.

P.S. - Did I really wear 4 outfits today?

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The next day, I was feeling somewhat better but still tired.  When I came down to breakfast, our local guides/hosts all asked me how I was feeling.  "I heard you were hungover last night!"  I was what?! HUNGOVER?  Is that what  you heard?  I didn't have a sip of alcohol yesterday.  These crazy fools must think I am made of 100% adrenaline if I can handle a schedule like that everyday.

I am done for today as I have a lot of preparing to do for tomorrow.  I wish I could say it got better and more relaxing after that but that would be another big, fat lie.  They've been keeping us busy with seeing local cultural attractions while also asking us to deliver presentations without notice or time to prepare. 

Our administrators back home told us to be flexible.  I have been flexible and will be flexible but there is a line between being flexible and working like a mule to appease their offerings while delivering quality presentations on teaching practices.

Side note: My cough is the same and I think I am freaking out the locals.  Everyone keeps promising to take me to their local holistic doctor for some Chinese medicine.  I would love to try anything to get rid of this 3 week old cough. Bring it on!

Let's get this started..

In less than 48 hours, I will be getting on a plane and traveling to Asia.  I am one of eight teachers that will be spending 4 weeks in Taiwan participating in a teacher exchange program.  A group of us will then travel to China and S. Korea to further explore what Asia has to offer.  Our day of departure is actually my 26th birthday so I will make sure to celebrate on the plane.  I remember hearing that you should spend your birthdays the way you want to spend the whole year, so I have high expectations for 2012-13:  meeting new people, seeing new places, and savoring new experiences.

The trip is a short one, but I took Grandpa Jack's advice and decided to create a blog about the experience.  I hope to keep the words to a minimum and let photographs speak for themselves.  

I've been fighting a cough for the last 2.5 weeks and luckily gave in to my sister's advice and visited my doctor this morning.  I now have an inhaler and handful of pills to take over the next week.  The steroids already made me feel loopy so I have another excuse to avoid my to do list. 

To do: Decide on and pack clothes/medication/etc, prepare materials for presentations, locate all necessary electronic equipment, empty room for subletter, finish watching the the remaining 2 of 4 China PBS DVD's that my dad sent me, and puff my inhaler every 4 hours.