Summer in the City

Sorry its been so long since we've posted anything on our blog. Things here have been really busy, but so far have been great. We have definately settled into a routine with work and life here in Taiwan. The only thing that is taking some getting used to is the intense heat...its unbearable.

During the last few weeks, we have had some pretty funny things happen to us in and out of work. One happened last week in one of my classes. The kids are between the ages of eight to ten and they have been learning english for probably two years now. At the beginning of every class we have a QA to help them learn new vocab and conversational words. The question this week was, "When is your breakfast/lunch/dinner usually ready?" The answer would be, "My breakfast/lunch/dinner is usually ready _________." They all have to write this down in their notebooks and then we go around and check thier work. Well, this one kid Stan had written in his notebook.... "When is your breast usually ready?" "My breast is usually ready at 8 o'clock." Let me remind you that he would not have known this word or how to spell it, it was purely coincidental but incredibly funny. I had to explain that this word was very different from breakfast and he needed to write down breakfast. Hahaha...

I also have been teaching a beginners class in Pu Hsin. This is the first time that many of these kids have had any experience with English. There is this one really cute little girl named Tina, and her mother and I talked a lot on our trip to the Taipei Zoo. So, every Tuesday and Friday morning I arrive at the bus stop around 8:45am to catch the bus to the train station in Jhong Li. Well, this particular morning I'm standing and waiting when out of no where this small lime green car swerves through three lanes of traffic and pulls off on the side of the road. Leaning out of the car is Tina yelling, "Kratina!!!! Go to school???" Then here mother leans out the window and yells... "School?" I was like well yeah, and Tina yells back, "Kratina come on!!" So I climbed in the car and go to put on my seatbelt when Tina's mother informs me in broken English that this is not needed. In fact, it was needed because traffic and driving in Taiwan is worse than any other city Ive ever been in, but when in Rome.... Weve even seen little kids in the front seats of cars with no seatbelts or car seats...its just life here and nobody thinks anything about it.

Also, I have another Kinde class that meets on Saturdays at Chung Yuan. After class this little girls mother comes up to me and tells me that she is sorry here daughter didnt talk alot today... "Because Iris' has a sore throat and cannot speak English when her throat is sore." I was thinking well she didnt seem to have a problem with the Chinese that she was speaking earlier...haha.

Jon here: I have a somewhat funny story here from some classes I subbed for a few weekends. I was teaching an extremely advanced class the last two weeks. I mean these kids are smart, know english to a tee. Don't have to explain any words to them hardly at all...actually I was very intimidated walking in and seeing 16 to 20 year olds looking at me...not going to lie. So the class was pretty much just me talking with them for 90 mins. Not too hard, but opening up the class I was just introducing myself, telling them where I was from and a little about myself. Then a girl in the back asks, "So do you have a girlfriend?" I say, "Actually I have a wife." And then without a second lost I hear a group of girls all go "Oh man"! I guess I still have it! But don't worry Kristina said she would kill anyone that came close to me! haha

Secondly, I was teaching a class that is fairly advanced, and a fun group of kids. I got done with the class and saw Kristina in the main area and one of the kids was standing beside us and I say, "Hey this is my wife, Kristina." She kinda looks at us and I'm like..."My wife, Kristina." Then she points at me and says, "Sexy!". I'm like ok, but Kristina is pretty, yeah? And she's like, "Yes Sexy, like you!" Kinda crazy coming from a 14 year old! haha

Well, we are going to try to write more often but just know that we love you all and miss everyone back at home!

Part II

Our New Favorite Thing!!!

This is just a picture we found on Facebook. We will take a picture to post on here soon, but for now we just wanted to share the delicious dessert that we have found here in Taiwan. It is probably one of the best desserts that I have ever eaten!!!
Recipe: Shaved Ice, Condensed Milk, Fresh Mango, Strawberries, and some kind of secret syrup that they put on top

Just a few things...

In my last post I stated that I couldn't believe that we had been in Taiwan for one weeks...well I really can't believe that we have been here for three! Tomorrow is exactly one week, and it's pretty wild! So far, things have been great! We are still mostly subbing for teachers who are on vacation, but we will be getting regular classes soon. Jon and I also celebrated our one month anniversary of being married. I know this sounds silly (you're thinking...one month?) Yes...one month! Here's why: Too many people today take for granted their partners. It's easy to get too busy with work, life, friends, and other responsibilities, and in the mean time we find our marriages neglected. I know it's only been a month, but I want to celebrate every little milestone with Jon...I want to celebrate the fact that I found an amazing husband, and I want to celebrate the fact that I am sharing an amazing adventure with someone that I love more than anything! To mark this small milestone, we went to a place called Papa's Lover. It looks likes someone's house when you walk in, but go up the stairs and you will find an amazing little restaurant. They serve Haka style food. SOOOOO good!!!
Later on that week we went to Taipei! We visited Taipei 101, which is the second tallest building in the world! It was pretty impressive. We also visited Chang Kai Shek's memorial. He was a chinese military leader who led the Chinese Nationalist Party known as the KMT. In 1946, civil war broke out between the KMT and the Communists. In 1949, the Communists were victorious, establishing the People's Republic of China. Chiang and the remaining KMT forces fled to the island of Taiwan. There Chiang established a government in exile which he led for the next 25 years. This government continued to be recognised by many countries as the legitimate government of China, and Taiwan controlled China's seat in the United Nations until the end of Chiang's life. He died on 5 April 1975. Today Taiwan is known as the Republic of China and enjoys a democratic government unlike that of China.
Enough about that, as some of you know we had a small earthquake here the other night. Nothing major, but enough to let you know that you don't want another. It was a magnitude 6.3 and hit off the east coast of Taiwan. We only felt mild shaking, which was more than enough for me. Needless to say, we are perfectly fine. We are told these things happen every so often, and I guess you just deal with it. Anyways, Jon and I have found a new favorite dessert! It is so amazing. Here in Taiwan you wont really find a lot of ice cream places like we have in the States. They do however have their own version of ice cream where they grind up blocks of ice into tiny little pieces like they would for an icee or snow cone. You can choose from all types of fruits or other nasty things that people might find tasty here in Taiwan and put it on top of the ice. Then the good part...they pour condensed milk on top. This would be the milk that you would use when making home made ice cream...the kind that is thicker than milk but tastes really sweet. It's amazing and I could eat it everyday. Actually, I have eaten it everyday this week, and we are going again tonight!!!! I will post some pictures of it!! If your bold you can make and try at home!!! You will not be dissapointed I promise!!!
Oh in case you have any lingering questions about Taiwan here are a few more tid bits of interetsing information:
1. The garbage trucks play music as they go around to collect trash...people stand on the side of the road with their bags and just throw them in as the truck passes...this is not a lie!
2. People do not wear wedding rings in Taiwan. Anytime one of the kids I teach sees my ring they are like "OOOhhh so big!!!''
3. There are typhoons in Taiwan..supposidly there is one coming this weekend. I'm not sure what typhoons entail, when it happens I will let you know!

It's Already Been One Week???

Wow! I can't believe that Jon and I have already been in Taiwan for a week. In many ways the time has flown by and in other ways it feels like we've been here forever. We are definately beginning to adjust better to the culture and our life here. We have become regulars at this Chinese restaurant right across from the school in Ping-Jen called "Johnsons" in English. It's really good and pretty cheap. Everytime we walk in, the owner comes out to speak to us in the little bit of English that he knows. There is also this one waitress that we get everytime. The second time we went in, she asked us what our names were in broken English and had us write them down. Everytime we come in, she gets out her piece of paper to read our names. She has Jon's name down but mine is something like "Kris- Shina." I smile and of course say "Yes!" The good thing about Johnsons is that they have an English menu so we know what we are getting...most of the time. Which leads me to my next point. When in a foreign country like Taiwan where Chinese is the language of choice it is very difficult to order food when there is no English menu, and all bets are off if you want to deviate your order. Example: Jon and I were at Johnson's and he wanted white rice instead of fried rice. In the states, of course this is no problem because there is no language barrier. We obviously do not speak a lick of Chinese, and the poor waitress speaks very very little English (other than our names) and could not understand for the life of her what Jon was saying. We have encountered this at several other places. If you want to change anything...well just don't count on it. They wont understand and you sure wont know how to explain it. Trust me....there aren't enough gestures in the world to explain that you want white rice instead of fried rice. Jon and I have realized that sometimes you just have to go with the flow and take whatever you get. Another example of this occurs when we go to McDonalds. There is one right down the road from where we are staying and it somehow provides enough of home! We probably have been 6 times since we've gotten here, and every single time we order the same thing..... Spicy Chicken sandwhich combo and a Quarter Pounder combo with two large drinks. Again we have never odered anything else when we go, but somehow every single time we are charged a different price. Jon and I get a kick out of this because we can't understand how this happens. Usually there is someone who takes our order that speaks English, so they understand but we never pay the same thing! In case your wondering, McDonalds is pretty cheap here. Jon and I can get two combos with large drinks for $6 American dollars total.
Jon and I started teaching Thursday. So far things have been really great...with the exception of last night. I was subbing for a teacher in Hsein- Jeih and had been given the lesson plan before hand. The co-teacher decided to change things up on me, and I really had no time to prepare. As luck would have it...I walked into class to see 6 mothers sitting in the back. Here is the thing...Gloria has an open door policy with its parents and allows them to sit in on class if they like. Many parents take advantage of this because they can learn English as well. Even though this is the case, its really nerve wracking. Luckily my co-teacher told me she thought I did a great job...She even told me she hoped that she could teach with me again...I was shocked. Anyways, that summs up the last couple of days. I am leaving you with a few fun facts about Taiwan!

A Few Fun Facts About Taiwan:
You will never get a fork or knife to eat with...only chopsticks
You will never be asked for your drink order...its BYOD
You will never leave a tip at a restaurant.
There are no public trashcans in the city...I've looked and haven't seen the first one
There are no sidewalks...walk as close to the side of the road as possible
Scooters are the transportation of choice...I had my first experience last night and it was a blast!
The population of Taiwan is 22 million people and it is the second most densley populated country in the world second only to Bangladesh. This means that in the space the size of a football field in Taipei (the capital of Taiwan) would contain the homes of 44 people!

Ok so I have to admit that the last few days have been exhaustingly busy. We have attended numerous workshops and observations, and one thing that I have found incredibly interesting is the fact that the kids at Gloria get to choose their own English name for class. It is really funny to hear names like Billy, Amy, Sam, Bob, Sue, and so forth in a place like this. A few of the funniest that I have heard were (I'm definately not joking about these) Handsome, Cinderella, Tank, Barbie, Hermoine from Harry Potter. It makes no sense but its totally true. Since they get to pick their English name at times they will just randomly decide to change it as well.
Also, Jon and I went today with a lady from Gloria to the hospital to receive a physical so that we can receive our ARC cards. For those of you who might not know, this is an Alien Residency Card that we have to have to work in Taiwan. We had blood drawn to make sure that we were not HIV positive (we would have been deported if we had been), we had our eyes checked, blood pressure, height, weight, temperature, chest xray, and a visit with a doctor to make sure we were in tip-top shape. The entire thing only costs $30 american dollars. This is because they (Taiwan) has nationalized health care. You can go to the doctor with no appointment and no wait, receive a prescription at the doctor's office for about $6 american dollars. This would never ever ever happen in the States. A visit like we had today would have costs an unbelievable amount of money back home. In some aspects its not a totally bad system.

Life in Taiwan

So as many of you know, Jon and I were married on June 13! It has been an amazing two weeks. During that time we have taken a cruise to the Bahamas and have moved to Taiwan. I have to admit that I never would have imagined that my life would turn out the way that it has so far, but I'm so thankful that it has. We left for Taiwan on Wednesday June 24 from ATL and flew to LAX. Then from LAX we flew to Taipei on Malaysian Airlines for a 13 hour flight....lets just say that Benadryl becomes your best friend during a time like this! I never knew what to truly expect before moving here, and I tried to prepare myself the best I could. But in a situation like this, I don't think that you truly can until you get here and experience it first hand. Life is so different. The people are obviously different, the food is different, the standard of living is different, and even the way the air smells is different... (If your curious, it kind of smells like fish). Not too great when it 90F outside but I think I am adjusting as well as possible.
If anyone ever decides to move to Taiwan here are a few things first off that you might want to know before coming....

1. You might have to sleep on a rice mattress on the floor...this is very hard and your back will hurt. You will realize that this is quite a humbling experience and you will forever be thankful for the soft comfy bed that you have back in the states no matter the size.
2. You will not be able to find a normal toilet in a public bathroom. Let me explain...Taiwan is a country of 22 million people, but you will only find porcelein holes in the floor in any public restroom including McDonalds. I experienced this on Friday night and was scared to death.
3. You will experience the life of a true minority. I never understood it until now, but when you move to a new country like one in Asia you stick out like a sore thumb. Everyone stares at you since there are very few Westerners at all. It's almost impossible to find someone that speaks English, so most places you go you just have to wing it. We have found it helpful to walk around with some of the English teachers here...they know what they are doing for sure. There are a lot of signs written in English and Chinese but on the flip side there are just as many that you have no idea at all about. Its really hard when asking for directions. Jon and I have figured out that you might want to ask a teenager since most teens around here have had some kind of exposure to Enligsh whether it is English school or western culture.
4. You will appreciate the life that you had back in the States so much more, especially your home with a yard. You also realize how much you love your family. Honestly, its really eyeopening to me how you long to have that connection with them when your on the other side of the world. I always knew I would miss my family, I just didn't realize how much. (ps..I love you mom and dad and jordan)!
5. You get excited over little things like a McDonalds hamburger, seeing a Starbucks, or the Sogo which is exactly like our malls. Since moving to Taiwan, I have found many stores especially in Jhung Li that carry the same products that we have back at home like Listerine, Dove body wash and shampoo, Crest toothpaste, contact solution is everywhere and cheap. Pretty much if you name it they have it. Trust me when all you have is a rice mattress and four suitcases you appreciate even little things.
6. Finally, I have realized how much I truly love my husband. He is honestly my best friend, and I thought there was no way in this world that I could love him more. In a situation like this you realize that all you really have is each other. I told him the other day that I could not imagine doing this unless he was here. He has truly made this experience worth it. He has been so amazing, and I truly marvel at his patience, knowledge, and confidence that he has had in me during the few days that we have been here. He loves me for me, and doesn't try to change me. He excepts my quirky ways and loves me regardless. Coming to Taiwan has made me understand how life is not about things but its about each other. Your husband, wife, family, and friends are the things that make life worth living.