so, um, i've been reeeeally bad about updating this blog, and it's probably because it's not as user friendly as my old blog. nor does it have entries from as far back as high school. i'll try to make sure i post pictures and things here, but if you want to read my more regularly updated blog...and, er...the stuff i generally don't tell the public, here's the link to the blog i do post on: http://shyarra.livejournal.com/ it's not very good writing, and i'm sure i'll offend dozens of friends and family members on it, but... anyway. [View Full Entry]

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so i've started work, and it's really difficult. i come home every monday absolutely exhausted after teaching seven periods straight and ending on my abominable ps3 class. so far, i'm two for two on migraines on mondays. hopefully that'll get better. being said, you still couldn't pay me enough to go back to hess. there's absolutely no comparison between ps3 and treehouse. i will never go back to six year olds. never. i missed the last half day of work today. vic came to me during fourth period, right before lunch, saying that the legal department needed my passport and, oh [View Full Entry]

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...just what the hell is up with rosalind these days (or marie, if you're from my prehistoric days), here's a brief update. i went to this chinese new year banquet for hess, and i was terrified. i'm working for a corporation, and it took six months to hit me. my goal in life was to never go corporate, and i've already given in at the age of 22. depressing. so i've got a new job. i really had been looking for something that would start in august, when my contract was up, but then i saw this ad on tealit... washington [View Full Entry]

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Actually it's January 2nd here...but that's beside the point. I wish I could have been home for Christmas (HOW I wish it, but that's a story for another time, when I'm feeling better and actually ready to giggle about my landlady...maybe in ten years), but I have a - sorta - Christmas present for everyone. I finally got around to playing with my graduation footage! So here's a dorky little video I made...enjoy! [View Full Entry]

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As do pictures! Hey everyone, I'm really sorry that I haven't updated this thing since August. I have to type up all of my diary entries and backdate them for you. I've moved, and I'm now lving in a place that has internet (and it's part of the rent, too---huzzah!). So I figured I'd wish everyone a Merry Christmas (especially since, with my record, you proabably won't get your Christmas cards until February or March). Life is pretty quiet. I went to the Christmas celebration for my church. St. Patrick's is this tiny little parish with one English mass a week [View Full Entry]

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The amazing thing about Hess is that the moment you threaten to quit, they do everything in their power to accommodate you. I think I’ll be keeping kindy. To be honest, I’m really just paid to be a white person in the classroom, and two-and-a-half hours go so quickly that my mistakes seem minimal anyway. Besides, I’m only doing this for three years. The reason for that decision is simple: people seem to go insane if they stay in Taiwan for longer than three years - that, or they marry a Taiwanese woman. Which might be the equivalent of going [View Full Entry]

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Their knobbly knees and big eyes (all brown) are starting to grow on me. Maybe I can handle this. Culture Shock Moment I’m constantly amazed and annoyed that there are two intermediaries between me and my landlady: Patricia (the flaky Head Homeroom teacher at the kindy) and the real estate agent that found the place for me. The thing is, I knew when I moved in that the reason I was getting such a great place (relative to the disastrous mess) was because my landlady was in some sort of financial straights and needed to take advantage of the real [View Full Entry]

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I told myself when I bought this journal that I was allowed to leave Taiwan once I’d filled all 400 pages. I don’t know if this means I’ll be writing everyday in an effort to get out of here faster, or write only once a month or so in order to prolong my stay. Probably a mixture of both, I daresay. Had my first truly stupid work moment today. Honestly thought my class started at 6:50 p.m. Arrived at 5:30 p.m., thinking I had over an hour to prep for my class - only to find out when I arrived [View Full Entry]

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Made it to Taiwan. Have spent nine days in training - met Naomi (England), B.B. (U.S.), Lispeth & Seth (U.S.), Jez (England), Marco (South Africa), Heidi (fellow UCSC graduate), and a multitude of others. Have been working since Monday - am overwhelmed by work, but figure if Hess really does end up being a problem, I only have to stay with them for a year. The thing is, I love HLS -Hess Language School, which is the buxiban portion of their enterprise - just find myself hating kindy. I mean, they really have to tell me something if they want [View Full Entry]

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I leave in about 36 hours. Top ten things I'm looking forward to most: 10) No longer talking about doing something exciting, but actually doing it. 9) Being employed again. 8) A stamp in my passport - FINALLY! 7) Bullet trains to Kaohsiung and Taipei. 6) Budhist temples, parks, and museums. 5) Getting massively confused and lost because of my lack of Chinese comprehension, and knowing that I can laugh about it 5 years from now. 4) Sending home pictures where my hair is enormous from the Taiwan humidity. 3) The food. 2) Having my own apartment. 1) No longer living [View Full Entry]

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