Advertisement
Published: August 8th 2007
lthough I am not feeling very creative at the moment, due to much demand, I must use my lunch break to post an entry. I might not write much, but at least you'll get to see some pictures :-)
I am slowly adjusting to the city, although I still haven't seen much of it. The area I live in is known as Anping, and it's closest to the ocean. It will be a quick ride for me to get to the beach once I get a scooter. I'm still a little nervous about driving on the road with these crazy drivers, and I need to get a driver's license first. So far, my days have been spent as follows:
1. Wake up & shower (sit in the bathtub with the detachable hose really - if I stand, water gets all over the floor,) 2. Eat something quick, like this yummy Mandarin Orange yogurt I found & get an iced coffee nearby, 3. Walk about 10 minutes to get to school, 4. Observe other teachers in their classes & interact with the adorable children, 5. Walk home around 4:45/5 and keep myself busy so I don't fall asleep too eary.
Utter
confusion!
Utter confusion!
25 hours later, I arrive in Taipei...no luggage & no idea which bus to take to the train station. It seemed like no one spoke English & I most certainly don't know Chinese 😊
I absolutely love it at the school, so hopefully that won't change once I am teaching. I'm sure it will be somewhat stressful for this perfectionist, but I think it will be primarily fun. I have met many of my students for next year and will post a few pictures on here that I just took. Nelson is adorable & apparently he likes me....his mom told the Chinese teacher that "he likes pretty girl." HAHA. I love their names - "Ocean," "Apple," "Angelina," and "Pinky" come to mind 😊 I have watched Math lessons, Reading, P.E., and Circle Time so far.
What else can I tell you about Tainan so far? Oh, they don't flush toilet paper....even when they do a #2!!! No, there is a trash bin next to each toilet, and that is where the tissue goes! I'm getting used to it, but I don't think I'll ever do it for #2...haha 😊 It's a pretty dirty city, but
I've heard much of Asia is similar. Sometimes, there is a strange smell in the air....People stare at me a lot when I'm out on the street, especially the children. I was saying hi to one baby, and
My first supper
My first supper
Moe's - Taiwanese fast food...I ate a teriaki chicken burger - mmm 😊
he started crying because he was so scared of me! Last night, I ate dinner for $1.50! It was Pork & Pineapple fried rice - yummy! Lunch is free & pretty health at the school - good too! Ugh...it's so hot & humid here that I'm sweating constantly!
Oh, my suitcases arrived, so I unpacked last night. It was like Christmas! Although, I realized that I brought too many pairs of long pants and need some more breathable outfits 😊 I think this skirt I'm wearing will become my favorite! My friend Risa is visiting tonight, so I am super excited! She'll visit the school with me tomorrow morning, then we will explore the city. On Saturday, we are probably going to visit another town/city, so I will definitely take tons of pictures and share them! Keep the messages coming....I need to
hear about my friends in the U.S. b/c I'm a bit homesick 😞
Advertisement
Tot: 0.081s; Tpl: 0.022s; cc: 5; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0468s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Ann
non-member comment
TP
Hi Alison, Loved the pictures. Your apt. looks great. Sorry you have no air conditioning. I had to mention that when we had our exchange student from Brazil, she did not put the tp in the toilet. It took us about 5 mths to realize that. Kathy noticed what was in the trash can. I had to tell her that she COULD put the paper in the toilet. It was a shock to us. Sounds like you are getting use to things. The students are adorable! Gosh, Andrew might come over??? Neat. Love, Ann