http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Taiwan , Taichung , Dajia en-us Mon, 16 Nov 09 21:52:30 +0000 Mon, 16 Nov 09 21:52:30 +0000 Finally the end of my time in Taiwan has come. Thinking back to some of the rough parts of the year I never thought I could make it to this day. I am so happy and excited to be going home but I am sad to leave this place I called home for the past year. There have been ups and downs and good and bad. I hope to block out the bad and only remember the good of the island known as Formosa. This plac http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-179415.html Ok I'm standing in the library lobby typing this. Air conditioning is a blessing which you cannot fully appreciate until you come to Taiwan. Seriously you do not know the meaning of heat until you've been here. I just checked the weather for the first timeIt says that its 84 degrees here but feels like 94. I find this hard to believe as I feel sweat pouring off of me. The only comfort in this http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-174547.html Continuing about some of my experiences here it has been a humbling year. I have read alot of articles about young college graduates going out into the world as cocky know it alls. They think they have learned everything and this is something I read again and again. Websites telling you graduates in interviews to try and admit they have alot still to learn. Well lets be serious there is no way http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-166570.html What to say and where to start my time is almost at its end here in taiwan. I have so many emotions running through my heart and mind. There are good and bad feelings and Im not sure how to describe them. Let me start by saying I am truly sad to be leaving this country and all the people I have met and become friends with. Each person has touched my life and made an incredible impact whether t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-166349.html 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. Thankf http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-161710.html I have had lots of time today...obviously this is my third blog of the day. But I was reading thru my old blogs and it so funny to see how much I have changed and what my first impressions were of this place. Some of the impressions have changed while many have stayed the same. I find it humerous to see how enthusiastic I was a first but I guess the novelty has to wear off at some point. I notic http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-152490.html Over the weekend my town held a huge festival. It was in honor of Matzu the goddess of the sea. Well my teachers filled me in on who Matzu was and what she did. She was born in China a long time ago and she did many great things while she was alive. They compare her to Mother Teresea. When she died she was turned into a goddess. There is a reason for the sea part but I dont remember. Anyways s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-152346.html So I forgot to mention that 2 weeks ago I was in an accident. I was riding the bus to the city and our crazy bus driver hit a BMW. I'm not really surpised since people here drive like maniacs. Anyways we were on the short bus so it was a pretty rough impact. Unfortunatly for me I have long legs and the seats are Asian sized meaning my legs already dig into the seat in front of me. So with t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-152332.html I have to say that I have never been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras but I am taking a wild guess that the small town of Dajia Taiwan on the Saturday night of Mazu's departure might have resembled close to that Mazu is known in Taiwan as the popular goddess and guardian of the sea to be exact the fishermen and sailors that surround Taichung. Mazu rests in a temple called Chenlan Temple in D http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-151824.html I wrote this about 2 weeks ago and forgot to publish sorry for the delay So I have now been here for 8 months and I have exactly 3 months to go or 91 days to be exact. I have read back over some of my earlier blogs and its so funny to read what I wrote back then. Some things have changed and some things have remained the same. I have definatly changed during this time. I have been somewhat http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-147879.html Easter comes to WenChangnbspAsia raquonbspTaiwan raquonbspTaichung raquonbspDajia By Rachteach22April 12th 2007Rachel MathewsTaiwanese Puppet Show Puppet show video Heres some pics of my students coloring Easter eggs last week and going on the Easter egg hunt. It was so much fun and they were really into the coloring and hunting of eggs. Easter is one holiday that is not http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-147860.html Its a MIRACLE My scooter has been recovered and thankfully unharmed. But only in my life could such a crazy story accompany it. So the police called me this morning to let me know that they had found my scooter. Well it wasnt that simple since he didnt speak much English and I dont speack much Chinese. Eventually we understand each other and I figure out I need to walk to the police stati http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-138171.html SO as my fabulous never exciting life continues I have yet another quip to add to the saga of my rediculous life. Today was not a great day Im kinda annoyed with things at my school and what not and this is just me whining. But as I was looking to go to the freedom of my own home I realized that something was amiss. Thats right I went out side where I park my scooter and lo and behold it wa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-137787.html I have been super busy since I came back from Thailand. I was at my home only for a few days before heading down to Kao and Kenting. I went with Mare and her friend from the States. We hit the beach for a day then headed up to Taipei to check out some thing we hadnt seen yet and to show Mare's friend around. After all that I went back to school for only 2 days before heading back up to Sansia http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-137385.html This is meant to be funny.....not serious.For a while now I have wanted to address the issue of etiquette on all forms of transportation. This does not specifically apply to Taiwan but to a number of countries and places. There are a number of unspoken etiquette rules for taking transportation but APPARENTLY some people must have missed the memo thus these are my suggestions for solving http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-134589.html Finally I have made it to the last week of school. Im not quite sure how I survived 20 weeks of teaching. It is NOT one of the things I enjoy about Taiwan. For me my brain checked out a few weeks ago and I wasnt sure I would sanly make it to my vacation. I have had many rough days when students told me I needed coffee or something cause I was in a bad mood. But teachers arent supposed to be http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-121565.html Well i think i have officially decided i am going to be coming home and staying in the states for at least next year. today my school asked me if i wanted to come back next year and i said i would tell them after winter vacation but i think i have made my mind up that i am coming home. I started to apply for jobs online tonight Arizona and Myrtle Beach I really have no idea what i want to do http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-119386.html This experience today warranted a short blog entry. I arrived at lunch famished ready to dig into the tasty lunch box that awaited me. I was even excited about the soup today there was no seaweed red beans or dead fish floating around in it. I was excited that was until i arrived at my seat at the table and saw what was there. In addition to my lunch box with chicken veggies and rice these http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-117219.html