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Ok so not too much has been going on since I last blogged. Basically I'm tired all the time. I maximize my daily lunch nap and I am just feeling run down. A few weeks ago I got the flu or something like it so I got stocked up on drugs from the doctor again. I missed a few days of school and I am still trying to kick the infection. This week I had the chance to go to the hospital all alone. Thankfully my problem was ovbious so it didnt require alot of talking to make it to the right doctor. What could be so obvious you ask....well I have pink eye. I have never had it in my life and of course I would get it here. So I missed another day of school and my teachers and directors are starting to worry about me cause I'm always sick and tired. Well truth be told, I am ready to come home. This place is really wearing me down. School is frustrating with all the communication problems mostly lack there of. For example, I spent 4 hours preparing a power point presentation on what teaching and classrooms are
like in America. I thought this would be fun and interesting for the other teachers (my coteacher asked me last week if I have ever been in a primary school classroom in America????????? are you serious????) Well 2 min before my workshop is supposed to start the principal told me I had only 5 min to present. Because she had to talk about recycling. Well I used up 10 min then gave the principal the rest of the time. Turns out she had prepared a lenghty power point presentation. So if she had spent all this time and she had my schedule of what i was planning for months WHY DID SHE NOT TELL ME IN ADVANCE, I would have done something different and not wasted my time. I become more angry every day, I try so hard to do something different and to share and to make things meaningful and each time my efforts are critized and crushed. I really wonder what they even wanted a foreign teacher for... the money, the status symbol because its not so they can learn about me or American culture or even to talk to me. As much as I love Taiwan and
my students I am at wits end with my school. Ok enough about school and on to more fun things that I have been doing lately.
I have been keeping my weekends full in effort to get to all the places in Taiwan that I dont want to leave without seeing. Three weeks ago I headed to Taipei for the weekend. I spent Friday night on my own, going to Taipei 101 and to the bookstore. As I was enjoying my delicious Subway dinner (my reason for going to 101) I overhead a couple walking by me and the lady said to her husband, "Why would you come to a foreign country and eat Western food." Well I had my headphones on so she assumed I would not hear her, but lucky me they were turned off. I would like to take this time to mention to all the travelers out there. You may be in a country for one week to experience the culture and food. I think you should eat all Taiwanese food and enjoy and not waste your time eating western food, but dont critize others for their choices. You dont know anything about where they are
coming from. I eat Taiwanese food majority of the time and eating western food in Taipei, especially Subway is a big treat for me. And shouldnt "world travelers" be more open minded anyways. Oh well, next time keep your thoughts to yourself lady! So I went on to have a great weekend after meeting up with Jason and Mary in Yingge ( the pottery capital of Taiwan) then we met Mike and Steve back in Taipei. Then we went out to Danshui to shop and back to Taipei to eat, and shop some more. Sunday Mary and I hung out at the airport waiting to meet up with our friend Jodi who was flying home from Thailand to the States. We hung out and ate lunch then she had to get on her plane back to the states.....oh how we wanted to go with her, its only a matter of time (7 weeks to be exact).
Last weekend I headed down to the DIRRRRRRRRRTY south to see Mare. We went to Meinong (about and hour bus ride from Kao) on Saturday to check out the umbrella factories. They handmake and paint these beautiful umbrellas. So we bought a ton
of stuff and I was down to my last 200nt and we still needed to eat and get a bus ride home. We went to this random restaurant and ordered fried rice and noodles with a few side dishes, all for a whopping 180nt (about 5 bucks). After eating and waiting out a downpour we headed back to Kao. Once we were back we went shopping again, and ate again. That seems to be all we do when we are together. Then we headed to dream mall. Its rediculous, theres a ferris wheel on top and there are soooo many stores. (I did go to the atm by this time for more cash money) So we walked around checking out the stores we couldnt afford and the hot guys at World Gym. As we were going up the escalator Mare and I smelled what we thought was Cinnabon, we bolted. Muoy lost us cause we moved so fast. It was not Cinnabon but an even more delicious cinnamon roll and at only 30nt ($1) it was heaven!!!! After the dream mall we headed to Paul's house to hang out and play some DDR. Once we got going we decided we
should go dancing for real. So all sweaty, wearing nasty clothes, no make up and hair looking sick, we headed to the club to get our groove on. We had a GREAT time, just being crazy and scrubby. On Sunday it rain ALL day, but that didnt stop up from eating and shopping. Although we were a little cold at the end of the day. I took the train home and too bad for me I tried to take the fast train and we ended up getting stopped on the tracks for over an hour. But when I finally got home, I got all my money back for the delay!!!
This weekend I am headed to Puli, the geographical center of Taiwan. We are going to be paragliding off the mountains, digging our own hot springs, and kayaking in Sun Moon Lake which I have been told has pirhannas (however that is spelled) lets hope we dont fall out of the boat, or I may be headed back to the hospital.
Next weekend I am flying to Hualien, finally I will make it to the East coast before I leave, actually I will be on the east for
Gettin our groove on
Nobody was dancing so we decided to start the trend, how I love being a crazy American in Taiwan 2 weekends. We have just planned our last blowout on Green Island during the Dragon Boat Festival. The whole crew is headed there for a weekend of sun, sand, snorkleing and hot springs. It will be the last time we are all together here in Taiwan, but lets not think about that just yet....
ps. It decided today to be summer, it was so hot I sat on the wood ledge in front of the chalk board and when I got up there was a butt mark from sweat, it was sick. I sweat without moving, I even sweat when driving my scooter and it is windy.
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Ann Mathews
non-member comment
$$, spelling, sweat and headphones
Okay I just have to make some comments on this one. You must have learned that headphone trick from me. When I forget to charge my IPOD and it dies at rehab I still keep my headphones on so the old folks leave me alone. I was worried about you running out of money while you were shopping so thanks for telling us you went to the ATM. When were you ever worried about spelling something wrong on your blog??? That was a first. Thanks so much for sharing about your sweat. That was something I really wanted to know. Only 7 more weeks?? Wow!! I hope you have some money left for the shopping trip you promised me for mailing out 43 applications for you. Peace out!