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Published: September 9th 2007
At the Camp: June (Between Us), and Jody
June is an amiable, cheery little soul, who does not let her very limited command of English interfere with her conversation. Jody, being an English teacher, speaks it quite well.It’s a rainy Tuesday afternoon as I start to write this. We are as snug as bugs (or at least as snug as bugs could be given that we live in an unheated concrete apartment). We were going to head down to a town about 20 km away for dinner, but it’s no fun in the rain and then coming back in the dark.
Besides, I’m tired. Teaching English is really a high-energy job, if done properly.
Suzanne did a lovely report about last weekend. Some readers may have already seen it. I really have very little to add:
A Great Beginning!
November 5 - 12
I'm here in Guangfu Township, safe and sound, happy and busy. It was the usual ordeal to get over here, but taking the red eye flight helped as it cut down on some of the jet lag after arrival. Doug was waiting, front and centre, in front of the doors as they opened into the arrivals area at Taoyuan (formerly Chiang Kai-shek) Airport. For fun, he was holding up a sign with my name written on it—there is always a row of drivers holding up signs with the names of
Happy Doug
I say that a lot over here! whomever is getting picked up. The flight was beautiful - not even a bit of turbulence - just straight and steady all the way. As well as sleeping for five hours at night, I also slept part of the time on the four-hour train trip and by the next morning, most of the jet lag was gone.
As Doug mentioned in a recent report, the principal at his school organized a lovely welcome lunch for me on Tuesday. I was very touched by everyone's warmth and friendliness. I've put the word out that I'm available to do volunteer work should the school require any. They've invited me to have lunch there every day. That will only last for the next three weeks, as I'll be going to Hualien every weekday for Chinese classes beginning December 4 th.
Learning Chinese at Buddhist Tzu Chi University will be more difficult than what I've studied in the past. The university insists that we study "BOPOMOFO", which is a system of simplified phonetic Chinese characters. Young Chinese school children learn it before being introduced to traditional characters. I will also be learning how to write in Chinese. It's all very difficult and
Erin and Lao-puo
Erin is another English teacher, who was assaulted and robbed in Hualien shortly after this weekend. She was riding her motorbike, when two guys rode up beside her and snatched her shoulder bag--knocking her down and breaking her collarbone. Within days, the two guys were caught, and within weeks after that they were doing four years in prison. They don't fool around with criminals over here. as such will be a tremendous challenge to accomplish. However, Doug and I will reap the rewards if I'm successful in learning how to read. It will open up a whole new world for us over here; i.e., more food choices in restaurants, and the ability to find stores and other things by their signs.
A lady who runs a breakfast restaurant has asked me twice now to teach her English. When she asked me last week, I just wasn't ready to commit to anything like that until Doug and I had breakfast at her place this morning. While there, the breakfast restaurant "lao-ban niyang" (female boss) phoned her sister in Australia who spoke to me on the cell phone and explained what kind of English lessons Ching wanted. We're in the process of negotiating right now. I'm still teaching my S. Korean students over the Internet, and now it's in the evenings instead of those dreadful early mornings.
Doug's school had a special outing (camping) for the grade seven and eight kids last week, beginning on Wednesday and ending on Friday at noon. Doug and I joined in Thursday afternoon and evening, and had so much fun!
Dishing Up Awards at the Camp
The kids are ferociously competitive over here. Any event is accompanied by loud cheers, or moans of despair, depending on how a team in doing. It was held at Liyu (Carp) Lake near Hualien City. The resulting socializing gave some of the Chinese teachers and me a chance to get to know each other. However, many of the teachers do not speak English. The students were involved in a variety of activities so the rest of us just sat around and talked or watched the kids. We had a feast at every meal. The kids cooked their own hot pots while we feasted on shrimp and pineapple dishes and a great variety of vegetables and meats.
Liyu Lake is in a most beautiful setting surrounded by mountains, palm trees and a variety of tropical vegetation. In the evening, the students performed a variety of skits and dances, most of which were aboriginal. They came around with a seat lashed to bamboo poles, and carried Doug shoulder high around the field where everyone was assembled. He held a bamboo torch in one hand, and waved to everyone like King Tut with the other. He then lit the campfire with the torch, and the activities got under way. Doug remarked afterwards that the next time he is carried shoulder-high by eight guys, he won’t notice.
We Rode Esmerelda to Li Yu Tan
It's incredible how much junk will fit in and on a scooter. The school principal, Mr. Lin, drove us back into Hualien to our lodgings that night, as he felt it was a bit too dangerous to drive the scooter in the dark. He also took us back to the camp the next morning. We stayed at the Backpacker's Hostel. It was much nicer than I expected. Sure, there were several dorms in the place but we got a private Japanese tatami room for only $28.00 CDN/night. Hotels in the area cost approximately $120/night.
During the course of the nice long four-day weekend, I applied for my Alien Resident Certificate at the Foreign Affairs Police station. It will arrive next week, and will bring several benefits. I will no longer be required to carry my passport everywhere I go; I can come and go from Taiwan as I please, I can work if I want to (which I prefer not to do as it would tie me down too much on weekends) and I'll receive National Health Insurance benefits.
Saturday was another new adventure. We left the hostel at 6:00 a.m. and drove south from Hualien 17 km away to a most beautiful resort called "The Promised Land". We had
The Kids did an Aboriginal Fire-Lighting Ceremony.
Check out the wow in the bamboo poles! It's time to get serious about the diet. an excellent buffet breakfast there, wandered around the resort and dreamed about staying there one of these days. The Chinese pay a lot of attention to details in their architectural designs and in their landscaping. There is even a canal, which meanders throughout the complex where one can hop onto a boat to take in the beautiful landscaping from a water view. The whole place is done up in a wonderful sort of Egyptian or Moorish theme.
We continued our exciting day by returning to Hualien via the mountain route. We encountered a few stray dogs just lounging around on the roadside and Doug skillfully drove the narrow highway with its many switchbacks. Once close to Hualien (which means Lotus Flower - actually, literally translated, it says flower (hua) lotus (lien) we drove up a mountainside to the top where there is another incredible resort called the Far Glory.
Saturday night, we went to the movies and saw "A Good Life". We've seen better movies, but the theatre had a special price on for some reason at only $3.45Cdn each (NT100) so we took advantage of the opportunity for some inexpensive entertainment.
One of the school office
More of my "Grandchildren"
Knowing the pictures are going to be seen internationally, they immediately start acting goofy whenever I point a camera at them. employees named Mei has given me her bicycle for as long as I live in Guangfu. I was going to buy one, but she said it wasn't necessary. I picked it up at noon and am enjoying tootling around town with it. All that riding should get my weight down too - bonus!! It's lovely and flat around town.
To go back a little, while on the train from Taipei to Hualien, I phoned our good friends Kim and Stephanie to touch bases and say hi. Kim is the pastor at the Taipei International Church (TIC). Steph asked if we would be here for Christmas and mentioned that they would be around too and that we should do something together. As they must be in Taipei to run the church during Christmas, we'll look forward to a flight to Taipei (takes about 40 minutes), meeting up with all our Taipei friends again, and doing some fun things in Taipei such as eating at our favourite restaurants.
Steph also talked to me about a place called Agape House (the "e" is pronounced as a long "a" sound) that's located about 20 minutes outside of Hualien. It's a drug and
Lao-puo, and more Awards
The kids really took to her. alcohol rehab centre that also takes in youth on probation and women in trouble, whether it be from battering or substance abuse or whatever. It intrigued me so Doug and I went to the Agape House church service on Sunday morning. We met Pastor Frank and his wife Annie who run the place.
Frank was in the US Army in Viet Nam back in the '60's. At the end of his tour, he and his friend asked for a posting to Thailand because they had heard there was really good dope there. However, they were both so lit at the time that they accidentally asked for a posting to Taiwan instead of Thailand. Frank has certainly turned his life around, and he is now an ordained minister.
He translated for us while one of the clean cut, nicely dressed young men gave a testimonial of his situation which landed him up in Agape House. (Frank said that the guy didn't always look so well turned-out). The program lasts for one year, but many of the residents voluntarily stay on there because it's such a safe and supportive place to live. My visit there had a profound impact on me. The long and short of it is that I'm going to volunteer for them after I've had my Chinese lessons at Tzu Chi in the morning. Annie will take me into the women's prison with her and the halfway house where we will try to make a difference in people's lives.
Some people believe that recovery from addictions is only possible if there is a spiritual element of whatever description to it. I witnessed the turn-around that has taken place in these young people since they came to Agape. I am fully aware of the meager success rates. For 11 years now, since Michael died, I have had it in the back of my mind that I'd like to do something to help people who are suffering so much. I couldn't help Michael; perhaps I can help these people.
For those unfamiliar with our family history, Michael was our son who became a crack cocaine addict. He tragically lost his life eleven years ago when he was shot to death by a drug dealer to whom he apparently owed a small sum of money.
Best wishes and kind regards to all,
Suzanne
Naturally, I have a bit to add, even though I said I didn’t.
Even a flat tire makes for an interesting anecdote over here. I managed to run over two nails on the highway coming home from Hualien City on Sunday, and got a flat. The first guy I flagged down gave me a lift to the nearest town, but the repair shops were closed. He drove me to the police station, and went back for Suzanne. None of the constables could speak English, but the fellow on desk duty brewed up a pot of tea for Lao-puo and they sat around smiling, nodding, laughing, gesturing, making attempts at speaking each other’s language, showing photos from Suzanne’s camera and otherwise communicating as best as possible. The other two drove me back to the motorbike, and used a cell phone to summon a repair fellow. The angel-of-mercy tire guy arrived on his scooter within minutes, took my back wheel off, and went back to the shop with it. Twenty or so minutes later, he came back and we were ready for the road again. The whole time I was sweating, thinking that we only have about 1000 Taiwan Dollars ($35.00 Cdn) between us, and God knows how much the roadside assistance will cost. I need not have concerned myself, as the repair bill was about eight Canadian dollars.
The grade seven and eight kids had an assembly this morning, and I was asked to rev them up with a joke and some cheerleading. For some reason, the kids love cheerleading—even the boys. I remember from UBC those years ago:
We are, we are, we are the engineers!
We can, we can, demolish forty beers!
Maybe so, but I seem to recall it took forty of them to do so.
Naturally, I paraphrased a bit, as follows:
We are, we are, we are the Guangfu boys!
We can, we can, make a lot of noise!
We are, we are, we are the Guangfu girls!
We can, we can, sound like a bunch of squirrels!
OK OK, so it’s lame. I admit it, but it’s not too bad, for a cheer invented on the spur of the moment. Besides, it worked. The whole joint was rocking.
I also had to draw numbers out of the hat, for choosing the names of the students to recite memory work. I’m not bad with Chinese numbers, but I made a big show of not being able to remember the Chinese, and there was applause and hoots of approval when I said a number correctly. The whole point was to demonstrate that I was not afraid to make a mistake, or to sound stupid, or to mispronounce something. Hell, I do that in English—with alarming regularity.
I love the cultural blending around here. I was on a spare period at school, when what I thought was a Chinese funeral procession went by. However, a brass band, in the back of a pickup truck, was playing “How Great Thou Art” on the way to the RC church around the corner. The missionaries made a lot more headway with the aboriginal folk than they ever did with the Chinese people, and there is always at least one little church in every little hamlet around here—no matter how small.
Chinese people know how to send off the departed, in royal style. If the deceased is a male, and a long-term widower, they even used to have an exotic dancer doing her thing in one of the vehicles! That lasted until those wet-blanket feminists put an end to that sort of thing. If the deceased is over seventy, or has great-grandchildren, there is very little sadness. You have had your life, and it was long and successful, and what more do you want?
I volunteered to do one lesson per week with the special education class here, and had my first one this (Thursday) morning. It was certainly no hardship--I just threw on a Three Stooges video. The laughter of the students was far more enjoyable than a fool video I’ve seen a million times. Next week I will show the Stooges video that has a little song on it called “Swingin’ the Alphabet”. Then I will teach them to sing:
B a B, B e By, B i bicky-by B o Bu Bicky By Bu, B u B Bicky-by Bo Bu.
C a C, C e Cy, C i cicky-cy C o Cu Cicky Cy Cu, C u C Cicky-cy Co Cu.
Go-le! (“That’s enough!” - I say that a lot around the school) My brain hurts. Too intellectual for me.
My colleague Paul (an Australian fellow who teaches in a junior high in Hualien City), has finished his masters degree. We are gathering Friday night for a celebratory beer and Thai supper. I don’t like to ride the motorbike after a few drinks (or a car either for that matter), so Lao-puo and I will stay in “our” tatami room at the hostel again. We will be staying at our tatami room so often that an MBA student might call it a hostel takeover. Saturday there will be a music festival at Taroko Gorge, so we will be staying “in town” for two nights this weekend.
I never thought the day would come when Lao-puo would acquiesce to me getting a motorcycle--let alone buying one for herself! She test-drove a scooter yesterday, but it just would not do-I don’t want her breaking down someplace in the rain or the dark. It was an older-model 50 cc two-stroke, for about $300 Canadian. The price is right, but the little bucket of bolts couldn’t even sustain 50 km/h with just me on it. Furthermore, the only difference between its exhaust emissions and a Weyerhauser pulp mill is that the latter produces less pollution and smells better. The newer 50 cc motorbikes are 4-stroke and fuel-injected, so the emissions are more than acceptable. We will have to spring for a more expensive machine for her to drive in Hualien.
And so we did. This afternoon Lao-puo picked up a trim little Kymco 50 cc from one of the dealers in Guangfu. Already, she handles it like a pro, but it’s best to practice in tame little Guangfu before braving the circus in Hualien City. As it is we will take the back road (Hwy 193) instead of the busier Hwy 9 or 11, to get into the city. She will leave her new motorbike at the train station, as opposed to driving home in the dark and/or the rain every day after her class and other activities.
The advantages of a smaller bike are not readily apparent, but I have found that a 125 is just nice. Esmerelda is powerful enough to accelerate uphill with two people on, as well as to sustain 80 km/h on the highway. At the same time, she is light enough to push around. I apologize for the pronoun reference—please be assured that I’m talking about pushing my motorcycle around, not my wife.
I parked on the sidewalk in front of the theatre in Hualien last Saturday night, and there was a row of bikes double-parked behind me after the movie—as well as two bikes either side wedging me in. You’d see murder done if you touched anyone’s motorcycle in Canada, but it’s different over here. I just moved a few bikes out of the road, pulled the rear end into position, put my rear end into position, and pushed out into the traffic. Hualien City really hops on a Saturday night, and it was a most enjoyable obstacle course to get back to our digs.
There’s plenty more to tell you, but this is enough for today.
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