Kind of a Boring Week

Oh dear, I worry that nothing will be able to live up to last week, there were so many stories, and pictures, and adventures, and now I am back to my normal life again (well, as normal as my life in Taiwan can be).
I'd be lying if I said this was a particularly fun week.  I'm pretty sure all I did was work, but I suppose that is the result of having had a 6-day work week.  In Taiwan it is fairly common that, when a holiday day-off is granted that it is made-up during a weekend, and this weekend is when we made up our Chinese New Year vacation.  I've had jobs where I've worked 7 days in a week before, but something about teaching 6 days is so much more exhausting.
I'm searching my memory, trying to think of something amazing to tell you this week, but  I'm drawing a blank, unless you care about the fact that I filed my Taiwanese taxes, but since that is as exciting as American taxes, I can't imagine you do (though, the mile-marker-moment of the week was that I wrote in Chinese (a little bit) on an official government form).
This weekend was very short...Last night the gang and I went out for a joint birthday party at a gay bar in Taichung.  For all the times you guys have probably heard me sing, I think last night was the first time I sang karaoke on a stage, so that was fun.  Then today, after an uneventful day of lounging and cleaning, we went out for massages (it is not going to be a fun transition back to reality when I have to remember that massages are not reasonably priced in the states).
I don't even have an interesting fact of the week, I think I'm really slipping here.  My fact of the week is just a silly observation which most people know holds is one of my hobbies: fishing.  I currently live on an island, which means there is access to water everywhere, so why have I discovered indoor "fishing ponds".  There are areas mid-city here in Taiwan where you can walk into a warehouse-style building with a swimming pool, instead of spending all day on a boat or pier, and kick back with your fishing pole.  A customer will pay by the hour to catch as many shrimp as they can, and then they can grill their catches in the in-site grills (which most of these pools have).  I understand that this may be cheap, and safe, but it still does baffle me in a location where the ocean and sea are so close (regardless, it is something I hope I get to try while I am in Taiwan, mainly since I've never caught a shrimp before).

A Much Needed Vacation

Again I say "Happy New Year".  This past week has been different from any other week here in Taiwan, namely because I didn't have to teach during it.  Instead, I went on a 7-day scooter trip around the entire island with two of my friends.  This was one of the most unique adventures of my life, and I loved every minute of it.  I'm going to try (but fail) at recounting a day-by-day retelling of the week:

Roughly our route around Taiwan, marking where we slept each night

Day 1: We set out on our road trip last week, Sunday.  Seeing as it was the start of the new year, and 2/3 of our party were born in the snake year, it was only right to start at a temple.  Our first stop was at an enormous temple in Shengang, which is actually a neighboring city for Homei (where I work).  Hundreds of people flocked to the temple at alongside us to burn their ghost money offerings, and say their prayers for the upcoming year.  The next big stop of the day was at the second biggest port in Taiwan, Taichung Port.  It was nice to get to the water's edge, but, as I learned throughout the week, the west coast water is nothing compared to the ocean view of the east.  Our day finished up in Jhunan which is several hours north of Taiwan where we set up camp in a city park.  Admission, sleeping though the entire night was pure luck, we weren't in a campground, and potentially could have been told to move on at any time (what's life without a little risk though?).
Day 2: Waking up in Jhunan meant that that was where we started our sightseeing.  We begin with a trip to the rice god temple, then we were on the road again.  We traveled north, past Taipei, and stopped for nothing.  Well, nothing but a fruit break along on the beaches of Tamsui.  The rain held us back that night, and instead of getting to our destination in Yehliu we splurged on a hotel room.
Day 3: Brr! We woke up to a cold morning on day 3, so it was nice to have a nice, warm shower.  There were no destinations in our small town, so we took off immediately for Yehliu which is in the north eastern corner of the island.  Yehliu is known for its unusual rock formations which are caused naturally by the elements (like water and wind).  The rock formations have since been named based on the person/object that they resemble, such as Queen Nefertiti, Cinderella's slipper, a dragon, and a fish.  The rest of the day was spent cruising the mountains and coastlines of the beautiful east coast.  We attempted to set up camp that night in Suao, but the combination of wild dogs, wind, and uneven ground led to another hotel night, and we stayed in the cheapest of cheap hotels (a decision I think we might have regretted in the morning after discovering the mold on our beds, the faulty plumbing, and the lack of hallway carpeting (or finishing for that matter...).  

Posing with the Queen's Head rock at Yehliu National Park

Day 4: Once free of the hotel, we headed out into the ups and downs of mountain roads.  We drove along the Chingshui Cliff, a narrow road which is close to 100 years old, and borders the edge of the mountain above a 1000m drop into the sea.  A few hours later we arrived in Hualien which is approximately the middle of the island, and is exactly opposite from where I live.  Hualien is the area of Taiwan that most people would say is the most beautiful.  Hualien is probably best known for Taroko Gorge, a marble canyon with temples, hiking trails, rivers, and mountains of course.  The area of the gorge which I was most excited to see was the Eternal Springs Shrine, which is a small shrine built over a waterfall.  Following up the walking trail from this point led to more shrines, temples, and a bell-tower pagoda where we each rang the bell to ease the souls of those who died in the building of the gorge roads.  We settled into a hotel room for again that night (as you can tell, camping didn't go according to plan, but the hotels really did make sleeping nicer).

The Eternal Springs Shrine

Day 5: What's a trip to Hualien without visiting the bright, blue beaches? After an ice cream cone at the water's edge we were on the road again, this time headed south towards Taitung.  This was the leg of the journey where we crossed over the Tropic of Cancer for the first time, so, as any good tourist would do, we stopped for pictures.  Did you know that, a vertical pole placed on the Tropic of Cancer will cast no shadow on the summer and winter solstice? It's ok, I didn't either, but that is why markers for the Tropic are typically in this form.  After our slight pit-stop we were off again, and when we arrived in Taitung which is in the south east part of the island, where we set up camp in a hot spring campground in the Chihpen area.  It was fun to stay within walking distance of the springs (and thankfully these springs weren't as sulfuric smelling as some of the others I have experienced).  

Day 6: After a lie-in we explored some of Taitung by following the guide-book's suggested temples.  We saw the Chingchueh temple, which is known for housing two large Buddha's on the main altar, and for requiring the removal of shoes prior to worship, and the Dragon Phoenix temple.  The drive onward took us around the southern tip of Taiwan and back north (slightly) to Kaohsiung.  The biggest adventure of this night was, without a doubt, our attempted camping location for the night.  With the southern weather warming us, we attempted not to set up traditional camp, but instead to sleep on a sheltered platform in the warm night's air.  The only problem with this plan is that we acquired an unwelcome guest who was inexplicably fascinated with us, so much so that he circled us for a while, then settled down under our platform.  That's right, he was under us!  Needless to say, that sleeping arrangement did not last long, but we were able to settle down comfortably on the floor of a guy that lives in Kaohsiung (a friend of one of the guys I was traveling with).

Day 7: Our final day.  I was sad to see the trip end, but we all agreed that during our final section of the drive we were just excited to get back to our own beds.  The morning started with breakfast and a trip to a cafe where you can watch planes take off from Kaohsiung airport.  Then we went to the Lotus Pond, which is a series of temples and shrines build around and on top of a pond (actually, it is more of a lake than a pond).  And alas, the week was over, and we were off towards the north for our final few hours of sights and sounds.

Standing on the tiger pagoda, overlooking the Lotus Pond

I know I've missed things, I know that the other half of the memories of this trip will randomly resurface in my mind from sporadically.  Overall, my review is that this was an ideal way to spend 5-days off of school, and if given the choice, I would gladly do this trip again.  I saw some amazing things, and spent time with some lovely people!  Happy Snake Year everyone!

Xin Nian Kuai Le

Happy New Year! What, you thought that was a month ago? Well, it was, but now it is the Chinese New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar.  We have just completed the last day of the year of the dragon, and are welcoming the year of the snake.  Like many people who are unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Chinese zodiac, I assumed that celebrating 'my' animal year would be a sign of good luck, but the opposite is true of my horoscope, snakes are supposed to have an unfortunate year.  I can't worry too much about it though, I do live in Taiwan, which means things can't get too bad.
Overall, while I am thrilled that it is Chinese New Year, I am finding it to be complete different from my pre-existing expectations.  For starters, am I the only one that pictures fireworks, temples, fancy outfits, and dancing dragons when they think of Chinese New Year? Those aren't traditions here in Taiwan.  The New Year is celebrated quietly with family, and there is very little for a foreigner to do (unless they have been invited to join a family's celebration (which, I was invited to two family dinners, but I had already committed to my lasagna dinner plans with my "Taiwan [teacher] family" by that point)).
Most of my week was spent in intense anticipation for next week, because I (and the rest of the teachers) have the week off of work for the holidays.  You're initial thought might be "You get a week off for Chinese New Year?! That's a long time", but when you think about it, students in western countries get a week off for Christmas and New Years that Chinese students still are in classes for, so this is just a different timing on the same concept.
My home-life accomplishment is that I made myself a real dinner for the first time since arriving in Taiwan.  It just occurred to me how sad it is that in almost 6 months I haven't really prepared a single meal, but that's just the nature of Taiwan.  I wouldn't say it was a culinary masterpiece by the traditional definition, but I made a crab-meat alfredo which certainly hit the spot for me.
If I had to pick one regret from the week, I would say it was eating what I will now describe as a 'jellied omelet'.  I could not explain exactly what happened to these omelets, but the combination of oysters and something else in the ingredients gives the omelet a very slimy (and relatively flavorless) casing.  It is definitely not one of my favorite food items here.
My random thought on Taiwan this week is about something that makes me laugh a bit.  In Taiwan a lot of stores use sticker cards to encourage business, or have a lot of sales promotions where an item is buy-one-get-one-free (which, since I don't speak much Chinese usually seems like store clerks just giving things away), and literal give-aways.  The give-away that entertains me the most is that sometimes when I gas-up my scooter they give me a free pack of toilet paper.  I fail to see the connection which makes this a logical promotion, and I'm not convinced it is advertised anywhere, it just happens randomly.

Gong xi fa cai,

hong bao na lai.

On a Non-Superbowl-Related Note

Today is Superbowl XLVII, and you know what that means for Taiwan...absolutely nothing.  If it weren't for the wonders of social media, and the bombardment of statuses regarding this event today, I would have completely missed it (as it is, I fully intend on sleeping rather than watching it, since it will be occurring in the middle of the night here).
I'm getting so sick of 'departure season', I would like to propose a ban on flights out of Taiwan until I too am ready to leave.  This week another one of my friends (Sarah) packed up and moved on from Taiwan, and a strange trend was spotted: the last four teachers who left my group of friends all have had a connection to Ohio (either because they live there or they are dating someone who lives there), which I wouldn't have predicted to be such a popular state out here.  It will be weird not having Sarah around anymore, she was essentially my roommate on weekends (my bathroom will be so bare without her toothbrush and contact solution).

Goodbye Sarah

While not being far out of the ordinary, I felt like this was a particularly productive week.  For starters, I took my first lesson with a Chinese tutor (it is about time I started making strides outside of my Rosetta Stone to learn the language here).  I seem to be doing fairly well with the basics (most likely because I have been using them for the last several months), and my pronunciation is supposedly decent, which are both great compliments which will certainly aid my acquisition.  In an update on my guitar lessons, I'm still pretty awful with the instrument (namely because I don't practice enough), but I've been learning a palm mute technique, which has resulted in Taylor Swift's song Love Story being on constant loop in my head.  I ate a warm chicken foot (the last time I ate chicken feet they were 'jellied', which jokingly translated to 'cold'), which has been on my 'to do' list since Christmas to see if there is a taste difference (if ever you find yourself brave enough to eat them, go for the warm chicken feet, they are significantly better).  I bought my first articles of clothing in Taiwan (thus proving to myself that my size does exist here).  I got my first Taiwanese haircut, which was amazing because for 500NT (approximately US $15) I got a 15 minute shoulder/neck massage, 15 minute head massage/hair washing, and my hair cut (every salon should spoil you like this, it was so relaxing).  Disjointed as this list may be, that was my week.

Thought of the week: names.  What is in a name? That which we call a rose by another other name would smell as sweet? Wait, no, those weren't my words (Sorry Shakespeare).  I meant to talk about Taiwanese people's English names, and how strange some of them are, its like meeting swarms of the Hollywood celebrity babies.  Among my favorite student names (from the selection of students that I teach) at the moment are Bobson, Adward, Levis, Vito, Batty, Jeter and Yuson.  Some names I can understand come from the sound of their Chinese name, like Yuson (this makes a lot of sense, especially considering this is how most foreigners are given their Chinese name), and some names come from popular culture topics like music and fashion, but sometimes parents just wont accept that the sounds they have selected aren't an actual English name.  To an extent, a child's English name doesn't matter, and this is a good way to express individuality (after all, this is a secondary name, and only applies in English-speaking settings), but names like these can potentially lead to puzzled looks and snickers from native English speakers (which may come as a surprise to the students if no one has ever explained the uniqueness of their name before).