Floor Update:
It's getting repaired tomorrow - yeah!

Not a Typical Evening At Home

Finally, an apartment story worthy of topping the $300 imported toilet seat. Despite the Christmas busy-ness that begins this week, my life is obviously not exciting or full enough. I though the highlight of my day would be the lovely new hairbrush I purchased, but oh no, that would not be the case. Something more groundbreaking would take place, literally. While there was no earthquake this evening, at least none that could be felt, my living room floor would give the impression otherwise.
There I was, minding my own business, watching A White Christmas and organizing gifts when suddenly, there was a loud 'pop'. I was startled, for I hadn't noticed knocking anything off the coffee table. As I leapt to my feet, I noticed some small particles fall to the floor. Immediately I looked up expecting to see a crumbling ceiling, but the disturbance had not come from above, but below. There, across the length of my living room, was now a 2 ft. x 6 ft. 'v' shaped mound of popped up, cracked tile.



More than anything, I think I was stunned and baffled as to why my floor would choose this moment to erupt. The following hour or so went something like this: I called my friend Becky who then came over, we checked with the neighbor below who, as it turned out, had no damage, the security guard checked out the floor, and finally, we contacted the landlady who came over to survey the damage. Oh, somewhere in there, while waiting for Becky to come over, I called home to talk to my dad who suggested, among other things, that I should throw a rug over it. Thanks dad.

Apparently at some time in the past, this had happened before, explaining the mysterious section of replaced tile on the opposite end of the living room. That time, however, the damage was the result of an earthquake. It's believed that pressure below the surface forced the floor to break on this occasion. It was explained to me that the floor was laid too tight, not allowing room for shifting. As there are no pipes running under the floor, I was assured the cracked floor presents no danger, however, it may be a week before it can be repaired. In the meantime, I'll be here, unless the floor should open and swallow me up. Okay, not funny.

Hey Baby It's Cold Outside

That about sums it up as a cold chill has imparted itself upon us this week. Whether it's the onset of winter or just a teaser remains to be seen. However, there's no mistaking it's downright chilly outside and inside too as most places are not equipped with heaters. It's currently a blustery 64 degrees.

What! The 60's cold? I know, I must be turning into a wimp. While I embrace the cold and gladly welcome cooler temps that reflect the winter season, well - winter in Taiwan at least, it's hard to imagine that it's already been feeling winter-like for quite awhile back home. As the temperatures here were still climbing into the 80's until a few days ago, I've found the need to remind myself that we're actually approaching winter, not summer.

Again I've returned to:
- tiptoed sprints across cold tile floors
- piles of blankets upon the bed
- wool, fleece, sweats, sweaters, gloves, and hats
- Winter Love (an imported chocolate only available in the cooler months)
- hot chocolate
- shoes over sandals
- waiting for the water to fully heat before jumping into the shower
- deliberating over whether to drive home faster and get the cold commute (on scooter) over with quickly or slow down in an effort to reduce the speed by which the biting air passes

Lamenting Things Lost

Warning: Should you choose to read on, your likely to find the confessions of a foolish girl who cares too much for the things of this world.

The news came this past weekend confirming something I've allowed myself to be in denial about over the past 4 months. Luggage an airline lost on my trip home this summer is indeed lost for good. As my mom read the letter which had just arrived in the mail, the desire to hurl the phone against the opposing wall welled up inside, as though stopping the news from being heard would somehow stop it from being real. I wanted to get out, to go back out for another run until my legs could no longer move, until I'd given way to exhaustion. But I neither pitched the phone nor went for a run but laid in a sort of stunned silence. It could not be a surprise to me that this news would eventually come. I guess I had just hoped a more favorable message would take its place.

Sure, it's a bit of an over-reaction to some lost luggage but it's not just a lost bag, it's a bag that's been with me on nearly every excursion abroad and domestic. It's contents were not just things, but things carefully selected from Nepal, Thailand, and Taiwan; things not only for myself, but mainly for others. Gone with the things are the stories of where they were bought and those I met along the way. It's as though by losing the tangible reminder of people, places, and days gone by, somehow the memories will be lost forever too.

My thoughts drift to a particular pashmina shawl I had selected for a friend. I know that she would have not only like it for it's warmth, softness, and design, but for the story that came along with it of a woman I met on the side of a mountain after a sunrise trek in Nepal. Her pashmina creations, beautifully woven and depicting her original designs, were handmade on a specific kind of rickety old loom, one of 2 of it's kind still around in that region. I can still remember the smiles on the faces of her children who are fed, clothed, and sheltered by the hard work of their mother and the generosity of strangers who stop to purchase her handicrafts. I suppose my loss is still her gain, and that is, perhaps, more important.

My gaze now passes to my feet, propped up and clad in thick, wooly socks, one of the few remnants of my travels earlier this year. I'm suddenly reminded of the ancient kingdoms I visited where locals now peddle their goods outside crumbling palaces and guarded city walls. As my mind wanders back to a place much different from the one I presently find myself, I can still recall the shopkeepers who seemed as eager to engage the sparse tourists in conversation as they were to sell their goods. And how could I forget the pair of Tibetan refugee women who invited me to visit their village and my ten-year-old tour guide who saw the opportunity to escape boredom and to practice his English for an afternoon. Invitations were extended to tea, to trek, to trade.

I guess I'm proving that not all my memories have been lost with my things, though some will be a bit more difficult to preserve. Some favorite photos from my childhood and a travel journal were also among my vanished possessions. Weighing on me more than the 70 lbs. of missing baggage, is my hang-up with loss in general. Each visit home brings reminders of those no longer there and fears of those who may no longer be there the next time I return. As with my most recent journey home, the summer, too, quickly passed and with the autumn came the reminder of an aunt who died and with the previous month came the news of two relatives who passed away. Buried in work once again, I've been too busy to give it much thought, but somewhere my mind has been processing all these events and I think the most recent news, though not as significant as the loss of a person, served as a reminder of things lost throughout life and the sentiment that I've grown weary of losing.

Then, as I rode back to work this afternoon, I watched a boy with crippled legs labor his way across the crosswalk with his grandmother. Once again my world was brought back into perspective and I was reminded I have nothing worth complaining about. For the first time in 4 months I was able to let go of a foolish hope and a bitterness I'd been holding onto. I was finally ready to accept that the things lost were just things.

Flaming Stick Arms

With Christmas less than 20 days away, I elected today as the day I'd start preparing my kindergarten students for the approaching holiday. Since science was one of our subjects for the day, I thought we'd talk about winter and snow. As a treat, I brought in a snowman story book and found a corresponding activity in their math book - a dot-to-dot snowman. Surely by the end of class they'd be experiencing those warm, fuzzy feelings that this time of the year brings.

Umm, NOT! As our final morning activity progressed, the dot-to-dot snowman with subsequent coloring, I observed that the snowmen were becoming more sinister looking than jolly, including a snowman of death - colored all black, and a snowman with wounds. Two even set their pictorial snowmen ablaze by coloring flaming stick arms. So much for displaying their artwork to make the classroom look more festive.

I suppose I cannot profess to being entirely surprised by their askew view of the holiday. Despite seeing an increasing number of festive displays over the past 4 years, it was just last Christmas that I came upon a startling discovery. While perusing the tables of Christmas cards at the stationary store, I discovered a whole table of Christmas cards gone wrong. At first glance, it would have appeared as thought the table top was covered in Halloween cards, as those are something we all find ourselves rushing to send out each Fall. Peering up for the cards were faces of ghost, vampires, pumpkins, skeletons, Frankinsteins, and other ghouls with a banner of "Merry Christmas" splashed somewhere on the card. Okay, I know Halloween and Christmas occur within 2 months of each other, but really, you just shouldn't cross the two. A contender with these misguided message bearers where the cards with some cartoon figure guy giving the middle finger while yelling "MERRY X-MAS" and the ones decorated with cartoon piles of poop, plungers, and flies. With this in mind, it's not surprising that many here seem to have no idea what Christmas really is, other than a time of year they should be buying more stuff and apparently sending disturbing cards.

My Black Hole

My stab at blogging started out the way every one of my journals has - full of good intentions. This time around, I had hoped I'd be a bit more successful at writing more faithfully knowing that someone besides myself would be reading it. Alas, that would not be the case.

A quick scan of my apartment reveals that other areas of my life have been getting a bit neglected over the past 2 weeks too as evidenced by the clean laundry piled on a chair, an unpacked bag from a weekend trip, dry goods in a grocery bag waiting to be put away, an inbox full of new messages, and plants wilting on the balcony.

So what do I have to say for myself? Two words - Harry Potter. Every now and then something comes along that occupies my interest for a spell. Up until this year, I've ignored and dismissed the Harry Potter mania but after watching the third movie last year (the only one I've seen), my interest was peaked. So, from the beginning of this year, I began working my way through the book series.

Over the past 2 weeks however, I've not only read books 4 and 5, I've been consumed by them. They've become my personal black hole as though, from out of nowhere, I've been sucked into something I could not have imagined or foreseen. At break times at work, you can find me curled on the sofa or tucked away in a classroom reading. At night I've found it easy to make excuses to skip my evening run in order to get in some extra reading time. And though tiresome mornings of kindergarten have me longing for a nap on my lunch break, the thought of resting has already been replaced with the excitement of reading by the time break time rolls around.

I can still remember the summer when book 5 came out and how my roommate suddenly seemed to vanish, submerging into the solitude of her room to read. I was thankful that we worked together because that was becoming the only time I saw her other than the occasional retreats to the bathroom or kitchen. I remember, too, how sick she was feeling that week and even had to call off from work for a day, though I don't think she entirely minded a day at home confined to her bed reading. What I could not understand at the time, I finally understood about 2 weeks ago as I became captured by book 4, probably my favorite one. I too would not have minded a sick day to have a little extra time to spend reading.

Though I began book 6 yesterday, I've decided to give myself a bit of a break this evening to come up for air and connect again with the outside world. In some ways I'll be glad when I've made it through book 6 but saddened at the same time. While there's a satisfaction in completing each of the books and knowing more of the story, there's a sadness too in leaving behind the excitement of racing through the book to find out what happens. One great thing to come out of it is that I've been returning back to the book loving days of my youth. I'm happy I've taken the initiative to read more this year.

Fish heads, fish heads, roly, poly, fish heads

A few weeks back a friend came for a visit to bestow my balcony with some greenery and a grill. Snazzed up balcony + grill = time to barbecue with friends. Since this is Taiwan, I thought I'd offer some seafood options for the make-your-own-kebob shin-dig and I headed to the grocery store to pick up some squid and shrimp.

Now normally at the grocery store as I pass by the meat and fish departments on my way to produce, my eyes are greeted by a variety of fresh fish and seafood. However, on the day I need to buy things, all I can find are fish and fish heads. That's right, fish heads on ice, fish heads on trays wrapped in plastic, big ones, small ones, fish heads, fish heads, fish heads! For about $5 or $6 US, you could be the proud owner of a fish head.

Needless to say, 5 stores later I finally found what I was after and headed home for a fish head free barbecue. Of course as I headed back to the grocery store this week and once again passed through the fish department, I couldn't help but notice they were once again fully stocked with fresh squid and shrimp. Why is it that my endeavors in cooking rarely require a trip to fewer than 3 stores to obtain necessary ingredients? Grrrr...

P.S. While you may fish heads at the super market please note that roly poly fish heads are never seen drinking cappuchino in Italian restraunts with Oriental women.....yeah....

R.F.O.s

Not to be confused with R.O.U.S.s (Rodents of Unusual Size), R.F.O.s are what greet you like a brick wall as you pull up to a red light, go for a jog at the park, step out of the 7-Eleven, or open the door to your apartment. They are the Random Foul Odors that pervade Taiwan, permeating from a drain system nearest you. There's no mistaking an R.F.O. and there's little hiding the cringed face that takes over upon noticing the unpleasant aroma. Waiting to Exhale may be a movie, but waiting to inhale becomes standard practice as the search begins for a pocket of fresh air.

Sleep, Where Art Thou?

Sleep has always been a funny thing for me. It's the thing I hate giving into at night yet hate letting go of in the morning. Whether luxury or necessary evil, sleep is also what I've been living with in short supply lately. For the past few weeks I've been dealing with insomnia, last week being the worst where I averaged 1-3 hours of sleep per day for over a week. Well it's all fun and games until you forget where you're going in traffic.

It didn't help the situation that I'm by nature a night owl and love being awake at night. There's just something very peaceful about being up while the city sleeps and watching the morning light break the night sky can be worth staying up for too. Also, I'm just more productive at night - that's when I'm best able to get things done. And finally, I work so much that if there's something that needs to get done, basically night is the only time for it to happen.

What can start out as annoying, not being able to sleep, can soon feel like I dose on invincibility - feeling super-charged and rarely tired by night or day. But finally the breaking point comes when the ability to function properly during the waking hours becomes impaired and rest becomes imperative. That's where I found myself last weekend - sleep necessary but still unattainable. However, by Sunday the spell of sleeplessness was finally broken and rest has been coming in large doses since then.

After a two month break, I returned to running after work this week, further ensuring my exhaustion and ability to slip into sleep at night. So, gone are my nights of being up until 4:30 or 6:30am, for now at least. I'm slightly sad to part with the night and I hate that I'm too worn out to get much done in the evenings, but sleep can be good too. At my former apartment, scrolled across the side of the fridge was "Sleep is a weapon." Guess someone else needed to be reminded of that too.

Jacket Required

I know autumn arrived about a month ago, but there's just something about Fall that doesn't seem official until it's October. Perhaps that's when the autumn chill really sets in and the days stop swaying back and forth to warmer temperatures but instead become progressively cooler. While the sky may still be sunny, the wind gusts cold and there's a crispness to the air.

Fall finally arrived on the island last week. What a refreshing change to drive in cooler morning and evening air. While I can still make use of shorts, t's, and flops during the day, a jacket is required during the hours of less to no sunlight. What pleases me the most is the break from the humidity. I'm actually enjoying the warm air in my apartment now rather than feeling suffocated by it. And it's nice to not have to run the air conditioning as often. I look forward to soon making use of warm clothes.

Something I do miss are the colors of fall. I miss seeing the leaves change and the colorful scenery a drive through the country or mountains provides. I'm hoping to see some changing maple leaves in November. There is an area in the north where this will supposedly occur next month so I'm looking forward to getting away for a weekend again soon. Perhaps I'll soon have photo proof that Fall exists in Taiwan.

Changing of Seasons

One of the things I loved about growing up in Pennsylvania was experiencing the 4 seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall - each is distinct and beautiful. While the changing of seasons is still noticeable in Taiwan, gone is the flare for the dramatic. Here's what I miss:

Spring
striking colors of tulips, fragrance of hyacinths in the air, sight and sweet smell of lilac bushes full of blossoms, driving in spring rain showers, the smell of the grass and forest after the rain, the way rain makes colors darker and richer, new life - baby rabbits frolicking in the backyard and baby birds chirping in the bushes

Summer
staying outside until 9:00pm and still having traces of daylight, stars (I miss them any time of the year), walking barefoot in the grass, smell of fresh cut lawns and food cooking on the grill, warm sun, driving through the country and seeing how things grow from week to week, fresh veggies from the garden, rolling green fields, mountains covered in green, scenic road trips, sweet corn, campfires, mountain pies and smores, picnics and gatherings with friends and family

Fall
arrival of colder air, windows and lawns decorated by the first frosts, mountains painted in colors of rich reds, yellows, and oranges, apple cider, Fall festivals, soccer matches, Thanksgiving

Winter
the earth blanketed in white, the comfort of fleece, wool, and cashmere, down comforters, warming by a fireplace after skiing, the way fields of snow glisten in the moonlight, white earth against black sky lit with stars, crisp air, meteor showers, Aurora Borealis

And now for your reading enjoyment . . . Rules of the Road

What is sure to be the first in a series of installments, here are some of my favorite questions from the English Version of the Taiwan Motorcyclists Driver's Manual - the booklet to be reviewed for the written component of the motorcycle driver's license test.

1. When riding, if you see an accident you should (a) leave right now (b) stay and help the injured and be a witness (c) lie if the police inquire. Correct answer: b

2. If you ride and fall down because of oil on the road, you should (a) take it as bad luck and leave right away (b) report to the nearest police station (c) put tree branches or visible markings on the area to warn other drivers. Correct answer: c

3. When riding in the country, you see a flock of geese crossing the road you should (a) honk loudly to make them hurry up (b) speed up and pass (c) slow down and wait for them to pass, then move. Correct answer: c

Though I think you're more likely to encounter a herd of cows or water buffalo than geese.

4. When riding through an urban area of disorder traffic or a road construction section, you should (a) speed up to pass quickly (b) honk fiercely as you ride (c) give way for each other. Correct answer: c

However, experience in traffic will convince you that most believe the correct response to be a combination of a and b - speed up and honk fiercely.

5. If a motorcyclist wants to be honored, happy, and safe on traffic, he should (a) have a sense of morality and follow the laws (b) have good riding skills (c) not smoke and drink.
Correct answer: a

Ride on, oh honored one.

6. To keep good traffic and safety on riding, who should you do first? (a) The traffic management authorities (b) the motorcyclist (c) the pedestrians. Correct answer: b

Umm, no thanks.

7. When a motorcyclist feels upset, the biggest weakness is to have (a) no friendliness (b) no sympathy (c) short temper. Correct answer: c

8. The most important thing for motorcyclists on handling accidents is (a) to be calm and safe (b) to be adventurous (c) to be optimistic and let it be. Correct answer: a

9. The biggest enemy of a motorcyclist is (a) carelessness (b) road barrier (c) animals on the road. Correct answer: a

Next week on Animal Planet: When Road Barriers Attack, I mean, When Street Dogs Attack

10. To insure the safety of oneself and other people, a motorcyclist should always make an effort on cultivating his morality and (a) control oneself and help others (b) refrain others from flaunting other's physical superiority (c) find ways to deal with people. Correct answer: a

Don't you just hate it when others go around flaunting their physical superiority while riding their scooter?

11. When you ride on a muddy road or a road which water has accumulated and there are pedestrians walking around, you should (a) reduce your speed and avoid splashing the dirty water on the pedestrians (b) speed up and rush into the road which water has accumulated (c) honk the horn to make the pedestrians go away. Correct answer: b

Obviously it would seem that the correct answer should be 'a', however, if you would not choose 'b' on the test, it would be wrong. In Taiwan, too often it's accepted that things must be true or correct if they're printed in texts. I've had encounters where people would rather have others believe something that is false than admit that the book it is from could have an error. For example, I had a class of 40 Jr. High students argue with me that there are 51 states in the U.S. because their text book stated so and having lived in the U.S. for 23 years did not make me a reliable source on knowing how many states there actually are.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed these driver's manual questions. Until next time ...

Head in the Clouds

Monday night I returned from a 3 day weekend escape. Since time off for holidays is rare and 3 day weekends rarer still, I usually spend far too much time thinking about how to best spend the time off. Despite temptations to go to Hong Kong or desires to go somewhere outdoors and scenic, I settled on visiting a friend in Taipei I haven't seen since April.

My friend Grace just moved to a new house ten days prior to my visit and was still getting settled when I arrived. Her new abode is high on a mountain on the outskirts of Taipei, nearly an hour commute from her school in the city. Though the mountain's fog prevailed my three day visit, it was clear to me why she'd sacrifice sleep to make the commute to and from her heavenly new home.

We're not in Kansas anymore
Despite exchanging one city for another this past weekend, I felt like I had accomplished my goal of escaping Taiwan or at least the city for the weekend. Surrounded by crisp, clean, mountain air, abundant greenery, fog and light showers, the sound of frogs and crickets at night, and a star lit sky, visiting Grace's house was a vacation in itself. Inspired partially by the climate and the European style architecture of the community, we headed to the Flower Market on Sunday afternoon. Grace's goal: to transfer her yard into an English garden.

Though filled with sufficient time to relax, the weekend passed quickly. By Monday morning, the sun finally broke through making for a spectacular view as we made our descent through clouds that appeared to hang effortlessly around us. I think I was still trying to get over the fact that something so beautiful was waiting just outside the city. While I hated to go, I look forward to returning for a visit once her house is set-up and her garden is in full bloom.

There are a few places in the North I'd like to explore and I had hoped the extended weekend would provide an opportunity for such an outing. That wasn't the case but no regrets. The weekend was full of many great experiences. Aside from hanging out on the mountain, here's my
Top 10 Things from the Weekend:
1) spending time with a friend
2) seeing a huge rainbow over Taipei
3) ferry ride and visit to fisherman's wharf
4) receiving an awesome birthday gift (belated in delivery)
5) eating out at a great restaurant - BEST pumpkin soup I've ever had!
6) shopping - Ikea, flower market, jade market (which happens to be the largest in Asia), Jason's - supermarket with tons of imported goods
7) Movenpick's pear sorbet - forget Swiss chocolate, go for Swiss sorbet
8) steamed squid on the pier - so fresh they're flavored by the salt of the ocean
9) colder weather - about a 20 degree difference between Grace's place and mine
10) funky new shoes at a low price

Hitches, Glitches, and Witches
The only real glitch to the weekend was getting back to my city by the end of Monday. Knowing that many people would be heading back to their perspective cities Monday night, I hoped to beat the rush by leaving late afternoon. Grace and I parted ways around 4:00 pm and I was off to the bus station. Much to my dismay, seats were already sold out for the rest of the day with the bus company I had used for my trip north. The particular street I was on leads the the main train station (within sight of bus station) and the street is lined with additional bus companies. It was likely that the seats for the train would be sold out and a ticket would be for standing room only. Standing for a 5+ hour train ride with my bags from shopping did not rank high on my list of things to do for the day so I decided to head in the direction of the train station and stop at each bus company along the way.

Despite trying for an hour, I was not having any luck finding a bus. While I never panicked, there did come a moment when I felt like I'd have more luck finding someone heading back to Kaohsiung that I could hitch a ride with, though I wasn't actually considering it as an option. And there came another point when my bags were feeling heavy (the afore mentioned birthday gift was quite awkward to lug around) and all I wanted to do was be home, just be back in Kaohsiung already. I wanted to click the heals of my newly acquired ruby slippers and repeat "there's no place like home, there's no place like home."

At last, success was found at the last bus station I came to before the train station. I had no trouble getting a seat for their next bus to my city. Just a 20 minute wait, and I was off on my long ride home.

Alien Abduction

That's alien as in foreigner, and foreigner as in me. This afternoon, I learned what may happen when I try to move home from Taiwan.

Me: (to a class of 4th - 6th graders that I teach daily) Next week I will tell you when you will give your next speech.
Rosa: How about we give the speech next year, like next October 6.
Me: Oh, okay, so you want to say your speech for your new teacher next year.

Huh? - At this, the students looked at one another and me befuddled as in, why would I ever want to leave Taiwan?

Class: (random shouting) No! You can't go! You have to teach us! We love you!
Me: Yeah, right! That's why you always complain, don't listen, and don't finish your work.
Wayne: But what will you do? If you leave, you will have no money?
Me: I will get a new job in the U.S. I can't stay here forever. One day I will leave, but not right now. I will still be your teacher this year at least.

Wayne: If you try to move home, we will kidnap you and take you to a garage and tie you to a chair and we will come everyday and you will have to teach us English.
Me: Okay then, I won't tell you when I'm leaving.
Sam: That's okay. You can leave tomorrow. You can leave today.
Me: Thanks Sam.
Ruby: No! Don't listen to Sam. In his heart, he is really crying.
Sam: No!
Kelly: Sam, your heart is metal.

So, if it's around the time for me to return from Taiwan and I suddenly go missing, kindly alert the authorities to start tracking the comings and goings of a boy named Wayne.

Share the Love

Me: What are some things that friends share?
Male Student: Cookies . . . and love.

Perhaps you just had to be there because it's not just what was said but how it was said. It had those of us in the classroom laughing for several minutes this evening.

Migraine with a side of poached egg

Those who know me well know that I'm no stranger to migraines. We have a long history together. I can remember getting them as far back as 3rd grade. This afternoon I developed one while at work and it wasn't long before I knew I couldn't finish out my classes for the evening. Fortunately back-up was available in the form of a sub and shortly after my class let out at 6:30, I was on my way home to rest and recover.

Take two of these and call me in the morning.
As with most aliments, I've found that when people here have headaches, it's not uncommon for them to go to the doctors. Two reasons I suspect for this are 1) aisles of pain relievers don't seem to exist at the drugstores so finding the right pain reliever can be difficult or impossible 2) a trip to the dr. (which includes prescriptions) can be cheaper than picking something up from the drugstore to medicate yourself. Fortunately I have pain reliever at home and taking something and sleeping off the migraine seems to be the best remedy I've found.

Around the time I start to feel some relief, the nausea fades, my appetite picks up slightly, and all I want to eat is a poached egg and toast. For me, a poached egg is to a migraine what chicken soup is to a cold. It's not a cure, but somehow it just helps you feel better. It's a comfort food. I think it all began back in jr. high when, on occasion, I used to come home early from school due to a migraine. After I'd rested for a bit, my mom usually insisted that I have something to eat - probably because I'd missed lunch at school and because she didn't want me using medicine on an empty stomach. While I didn't feel much like eating (I usually felt like vomiting) she'd insist on at least making toast, and then along with it, she make me a poached egg. Somehow it just made me feel better, despite the fact that eggs often trigger headaches, and now I always associate the two. Tonight I had to make my own egg, for the first time I think, but it's the memories that count and it still helped me feel a bit better.

So how about you? What's your comfort food when sick or blue?

Teacher's Day

Today was Teacher's Day here in Taiwan. Though named Teacher's Day, we didn't get the day off of work. This day is actually set aside to mark the birthday of the revered Eastern scholar and teacher, Confucius. However, on this day awards are also given to outstanding educators throughout Taiwan.

Early this morning (around 6:00 am) at Confucius temples across Taiwan, people gathered to observe or participate in ritual celebrations. The ceremony follows 2,000 year old procedures to honor the educator. The morning's activities include ancient ceremonial dance and music played on traditional instruments, both performed in ceremonial costumes. The temple doors are opened to the sounds of drums and the blood and hair of sacrificed animals is symbolically buried, the gods are welcomed, incense is burned, and gifts are offered, among other activities.

Since the holiday fell on Moon Festival last year, I was able to attend the ceremony along with my friends Becky and Rick. Therefore, the pictures you see posted here are actually from last year's Teacher's Day. Afraid there would be a crowd and not really sure what time things got started, we arrived very early in the morning (like between 4:30 - 5:00am!) so as not to miss anything.

An early ceremony was held around 6:00am. I think it's during this one that the animals are sacrificed and some of their blood and hair taken. We, however, did not actually get to see the animals.

Later (around 9:00am) a larger and more elaborate celebration was held. Noticing us foreigners among the crowd, a special welcome was made to us during the opening and quick arrangements were made to have some of the proceedings translated into English to help us better understand the ceremony.

The ceremony concluded with a hand washing ritual in which all in attendance could participate. Shutters clicked wildly as we were surrounded by photographers when we took our turn at the hand washing table. It was all very interesting and in the end I was glad I had sacrificed sleep to attend.

While Confucianism is a philosophy rather than a religion, some have made a religion out of following his teachings. The ideas and philosophies taught by Confucius are still very much a part of Taiwan's culture and society.

Last year I found a good site explaining the ceremony. I hope to find it again and post it here for anyone interested in further reading on the subject.

Conversation of the day:
Me: Ouch! Why did you just pull out one of my hairs?
Student: Because . . . it has your DNA.

Best conversation of the day:
Me (to my kindergarten class): How was your weekend?
Student: Bad. My mom went to Taipei.
Me: Oh, cool. So you got to have a boys' weekend at home - just
you, your brother, and your dad. So what did you do?
Student: I cried.


Quote of the Day:
"Teacher, your hair is like a Barbie."

Behold the Power of Jersey

No, I'm not referring to the Atlantic state, athletic clothing, or even a breed of Holstein. Rather, I'm talking about my jersey knit sheets.

Now my bed is not exactly what I'd call comfortable though it has been improved upon this year by the addition of a memory foam thanks to the generous birthday gift from my roommate. Since I spend too few hours sleeping, the quality of sleep I get is very important in order for me to function during the day. Since my trip home last summer, my slumber has benefited tremendously thanks to a set of jersey knit sheets. I love 'em.

While my roommate may have moved out a month ago, my old friend insomnia has been back for a visit these past few weeks. The past 2 weeks in particular have been filled with many long sleepless nights. In the month that I've been back from summer vacation, a lot has happened both in my life and in the lives of others I'm close to, so no doubt all the change and craziness may have triggered my sleepless state of being. Ever hear the Sleep song by Riley Armstrong? I feel like it's on repeat play in my head.

So, insomnia, jersey knit sheets - there really is a point to all of this. For the past 2 weeks I've also decided to switch back to my regular cotton sheets for awhile - in other words, I didn't feel like doing my laundry until I had to. While I used to like my old sheets, I don't find them as comfortable anymore. I happened to catch up on the olde laundry this past weekend and since switching back to the jersey knit, I find it much easier to lull myself back into the cozy comfort of my bed and easily drift to sleep. Coincidence? - Perhaps not. Only time will tell if the power of the jersey will help to break my cycle of sleeplessness. And on that note, I'm going to bed. Good night.