Another Week

Busy, busy, busy, there has been a lot happening around the school this week.  Mother’s Day is just around the corner we have been organizing another student showcase (similar to the Halloween Extravaganza that happened last October).  The halls are filled with singing, and the classes are filled with countless pink hearts being hurriedly filled with lines of poetry, just the way all holidays should be.  From time-to-time these additions to class are fun, but when planning a lesson they are nothing but a nuisance.  With classroom minutes already limited, it is hard to make time for the necessities, and adding time-sensitive projects makes it almost impossible to complete everything on time.  Still, it is nice to think that every kid will be able to present his mother with a card this year, reminding her of how important she is (and of what the tuition dollars are going towards).

This weekend I played “zoo animal” again, as my foreign status was put on display at a nearby elementary school.  The school was celebrating its 115^th anniversary with a marketplace and track and field day, and hundreds of parents and students flooded the school grounds to be part of the event.  I spent hours listening to students dare their friends to say “hello” to me, and watched them run away laughing as soon as they had completed their task, but rather than being annoyed by the gawking, it genuinely amused me for hours.  In fact, it inspired me to be even sillier with the kids I did know, begging them for hugs, making them pose in my pictures, and chasing them around when they wouldn’t answer my questions.  Once I was off the clock I stayed around the school for another hour letting my students talk me into buying the trinkets and food they were selling, while I wished them luck in their upcoming races.

Just a handful of the students who said "hi" to me at Saturday's promotional event.

The remainder of my weekend was nothing spectacular, but it was exactly what I had been craving.  Some movies, some drinks, entertaining conversations with some good friends, I couldn’t have asked for more from it. 

Now for a brief look into what’s happening outside of my ‘personal bubble’.  The political protests of Taipei have consumed the majority of recent news in Taiwan, and this week is no exception.  As the student protests have wound down following the 24-day occupation of the legislative building, a new protest has taken over the streets of the country’s capital.  The target of this protest has been a highly debated topic in many countries recently, with a strong divide in public opinion regarding its necessity.  Protesters gathered in the rain, sporting signs that read “No Nukes, No Fear”, as they attempted to talk the government out of completing the construction of Taiwan’s fourth nuclear plant, a project which began in 1999 and has been halted several times since then.  Around $300 billion NT (about $10 billion US) has already been invested in the project’s construction, yet president Ma has agreed to close off the completed reactor and stop construction of the nearly completed second reactor (a decision which could bankrupt Taipower Company).  The latest wave of public opposition to the nuclear power plant is inspired by the 2011 disaster in Fukushima Japan in which a large scale earthquake and subsequent tsunami resulted in a radiation leak and mass evacuations.  Concerned about a similar fate for Taiwan, due to the island’s location in the “Ring of Fire” (an arch bordering the Pacific Ocean which experiences many earthquakes and is home to many volcanoes), protesters’ goals were to stop the current construction of the 4^th plant, and to close the island’s existing plants.

Protesters have good reason to be concerned about increasing the number of nuclear reactors in Taiwan.  With the construction sites being relatively close densely populated cities, evacuation in the case of an emergency, would be difficult to accomplish.   On the other hand, the operating 3 plants in Taiwan provide about 20% of the island’s energy, meaning that Taiwan is not yet prepared to be a “No Nukes” country.   Are the other energy sources substantial enough to cover that percentage? Only time will tell. 

"I'm sorry teacher, I forgot to do my homework"

All of those annoying tendencies from my high school years are coming back to me I fear, and I find myself thinking of a list of excuses as to why I haven’t written in weeks.  It isn’t for lack of excitement in my life, on the contrary, I have found myself too busy on Sunday nights, and for as much as I love writing about my adventures, living them is the preferable experience, and so my virtual diary was temporarily put on hold.  Bear with me over the next few months, for I worry that this pattern will continue as a sort of defensive mechanism, allowing me to remain in denial about limited number of weeks I have left here. 

Lets journey back in time to the not so distant past, three weeks ago, where the story left off.  It was a week like any other, there were classes to plan, students to teach, and papers to grade. That is, until Friday rolled around, and the normalcy of a standard week was thrown away to allow Taiwanese families time to pay respect to their relatives by cleaning out the family tombs.  Seizing the short work week, a group of 9 teachers rented cars and took to the roads for our first road trip in Taiwan.  The plan was to cut through the mountains using the central cross-island highway and to spend our weekend in Hualien and Taroko gorge (two locations which were new to the majority of the group, but that I have visited twice before).  We set off bright and early Friday morning with half of our group sharing a Honda Civic, and the other half sharing a Toyota Tercel, which means we were pretty close once bags and leg room were accounted for.  Several hours into the mountains we were proud of our progress, but as the altitude climbed, the weather worsened, and for hours on end we were in clouds, unable to see more than 10 feet in front of us (at many times I struggled to see more than 1 dotted line on the road) desperately following the twisting yellow lines on the side of the road. 

There are some very strange things about driving on Taiwanese roads.  The most noticeable is the lack of concern Taiwanese drivers show for their surroundings.  Using speeds far exceeding the limits, passing cars on curvy mountain roads (in ‘no passing’ zones), and not turning on their headlights in visually difficult situations are just a few that come to mind at the moment, but while I was driving they were the most terrifying factors imaginable. 

About half-way through the driving portion of our departure day (though no one realized we were still so far away from our destination), we found ourselves in an out-of-place line of traffic.  Considering we were on mountain roads with no lights or signs, we were confused, so we sent ‘scouts’ to find the source of the stop (as well as bathrooms, it had been a long drive at this point).  Reports came back, we were being held up by a rock-and-mud-slide which had completely coated the road and was continuing to rain down debris into our path, and the workers predicted a 3-hour wait for the roads to clear up.  So, was it better to wait it out, or turn back to take a different route?  Once we had emptied our bladders (in a cloud, behind a tarp, next to the side of a cliff…that was a unique bathroom experience), we had no more pressing issues to attend to, so we settled in for the long wait, and before we knew it (about an hour later), we were moving again.  The rock fall slowed and one-by-one the workers allowed cars to sneak through the ‘danger zone’ and carry on.  We drove, and drove, and drove, and eventually the sun set, but the road signs showed we were still hours from our destination.  We arrived in Hualien city at about 11:30, 14 hours after the journey began, which is an almost unfathomable amount of time considering the size of Taiwan.  We settled into our hostel (which, due to a booking error was about $400NT/$14US cheaper per person, and was only occupied by us on the 2^nd night), then went out for a ‘congratulations on the completion of an epic drive’ drink at the nearest bar (where the staff taunted us with English songs until we took over the stage and serenaded the practically non-existent audience for hours). 

Happily watching the falling mud and rocks

We woke up early the next morning to begin the hiking portion of our weekend.  As I’ve mentioned before, Taroko Gorge is the gorge formed between the marble cliff faces of the mountains along the fault lines cutting through Taiwan’s east coast.  The result of plate movement, as well as erosion, have chiseled out a gorgeous canyon filled with natural waterfalls and unnatural bridges/tunnels to reach them by.  There is a lot to explore in the gorge, but the last two times I visited, I didn’t venture further than the Eternal Springs Shrine, so when we drove past that temple and went on instead to the Baiyang Falls and Water Curtain trail, I couldn’t have been more excited.  The trail began with a long, dark tunnel, and from the onset we knew it was a mistake not to have flashlights (as we all clung to handrails in the following tunnels).   After a few kilometers we arrived at a suspension bridge and a beautiful view of the Baiyang waterfall, which runs about 50 feet high.  Continuing on from this we reached the sight I was most excited about this trip: the water curtain.  This is an unnatural waterfall, formed during the tunnel’s construction, which now leaks heavy streams of water into a lime coated corridor.  The result is an almost deafeningly loud, and constant stream of water which flows in the tunnel and has resulted in the closing of this portion of the trail.  Who am I to let signs stop me though, and I (along with many other people) ventured into the caves to see the spectacle for myself.  I must admit, I think the novelty was in the fact that people are advised not to visit the location, for there isn’t much to see, and the lighting ruins the opportunity for most pictures.

Two "waterfalls", the Baiyang falls (left) and Water Curtain (right)

We went to the trail head for Swallows Grotto, but seeing our daylight hours were already growing short, we went back towards the Eternal Springs Shrine, because I was the only one who had seen it before.  To our surprise, the roads were blocked, and no one could access the shrine, but I remembered the hiking trail from a nearby Buddhist temple, so we reconvened in that parking lot and worked our way to the temple in reverse.  At the top of the walking trail we realized access to the shrine had been blocked in this direction as well (due to what appears to have been minor rock fall problems), so most people abandoned interest in visiting the shrine (while a few of us covered the bright articles of our clothing, snuck past the barriers, and descended the staircase). 

Upon return to the cars, we spotted a Buddhist monk carrying a heavy load of food.  She called us over, offered us countless pieces of fruit, and gestured a request for help, so we helped her move the load to a food elevator on the opposite side of the temple.  In return she showered us with even more foods, including fruits, breads, and a colorful paste, which we never successfully identified. 

That night I kidnapped one of my co-workers and we wandered Hualien city for hours.  It began as a disinterest in getting chicken from a street vendor, and resulted in us eating a sit down chicken dinner (so we didn’t get too far really), but was filled with several hours of being so lost we couldn’t find the car. 

The Road Trip Crew, out of the cars and loving nature.

The next morning, after deciding to take the southern route around the island rather than cutting through the mountains again, we jumped back in the cars and began driving again.  The first stop of the allowed me to complete my minor goal of seeing all three tropic of cancer markers in Taiwan, and while here we also watched some aboriginal dancing.  It was a short lived break from the road though and we were all getting anxious to return to Changhua.  We drove all day with very few breaks, and somehow the journey still took us 10 hours.

The third installment of my Tropic of Cancer collection: Hualien.

With the aboriginal dancers (who called me "mother").  

So, what do five people in their mid 20’s do when stuck in a car together for 24 hours?  For as much as my car-mates would have appreciated the quiet time, I need to keep my mind busy when I am driving, so we were constantly playing various games, or having interesting conversations, or singing.  Some of the highlights in terms of games were Mad Libs, word association, a song chain (where you need to sing a new song based on a word in the previous song), and my favorite, Fantasy Lasagna (where you simply design the perfect lasagna).  The trip was all about being on the road, and to have survived three days, in confined vehicles, with no accidents and no tension is an obvious sign of a successful trip.

On Monday evening, as I was helping to gas up the cars and prepare for their return the following day I spotted a large number of people waiting outside.  If I hadn’t been here last year I wouldn’t have understood what was happening, but the fireworks, and the flags, and the people, triggered the memory of last year’s Matsu parade and I was certain she was on her pilgrimage from Dajia again.  Sure enough, within a few minutes of searching, I was able to find her carriage, and her crowd of faithful followers.  So many people in Taiwan thing so highly of Matsu that it is hard not to do the same, and so I got into the spirit of the march (even more so than last year).  First I joined the line of people who, in the middle of the marching crowds had found space to crouch down in front of the carriage so she would pass over them and bring them luck.  After enduring a few comments about being foreign, I was invited to crouch down, and was pushed very low to the ground so she could be carried by.  I followed closely for some time, made sure to touch the carriage (also intended to bring good luck), watched her bless the temple nearest my apartment, and was about to go home when one of the carriers caught my eye.  He motioned for me to come closer to the carriage, then asked me (through gesture and Chinese) to carry one of the two large, red fans that accompanies the procession (fans of this size can only be used for deities in Taiwan, they are not intended for fanning people).  It felt amazing to be a central part of the procession.

The carriage of Matsu, walking the crowded streets of Changhua.

Getting back into the swing of things after the drive was difficult, however.  I find extended amount of time behind the wheel really wears me out, and I spend the next few days wanting constant sleep and knowing I needed to work.  We welcomed three new teachers to the schools this week (one for each of the following: Changhua, Homei, Lukang), and it wasn’t long until the weekend was upon us again.  I fought my exhaustion on Friday to stay out all night singing karaoke and playing darts.  The thing about Taiwan is, when you say ‘all night’ you mean it.  We were out so late that the sun had risen and we went to get breakfast before going home, which is not a pattern most people are used to when they aren’t heavy drinkers. 

Before even going to bed I had made plans to have a friend from Taipei come visit, so I snuck in a few hours of sleep and played hostess for the weekend.  I adore Changhua, but it is really difficult to find things in Changhua that are impressive to people from other areas of Taiwan.  I had basically exhausted the list of attractions after the Buddha statue and had to resort to a scooter trip to Nantou to occupy Sunday’s time. 

Some weeks the classes drag on, and as a teacher I worry I’m not making any process.  Other weeks, this one included, everything seems to be going perfectly.  My classes were great this week and I had so many time where they reminded me of how thankful I am to be here.  One of my students was recently in the Philippines, and she brought me back a bracelet, which melted my heart.  I also had a weird moment where one of my classes wanted to ‘decorate’ my arm, so they wrote their names all over me as a sort-of tattoo.  The classes which are learning mother’s day songs were really projecting their lyrics this week, and the ones doing reader theater were enunciated almost perfectly.  A comical addition to my daily teaching routine, is my new usage of ‘punishment kisses’ for my younger classes.  Inspired by one of my TAs, I have begun to purse my lips and make kissing noises at students who won’t speak or behave properly, and it is a great incentive for them to get to work, because they would do anything to avoid teacher kisses.  Adding to the cuteness factor of this week, when introducing this to my second-youngest class, one of the students actually told me he wanted a kiss when I pecked one of his classmates on the top of the head, so it appears he will be functioning on a reward system while his classmates are on a punishment one.  The main benefit to this system is that it is a light-hearted approach to behavior issues, and anything that can help teachers avoid loud voices and physical punishments is to be sought after.

The start to my weekend was not as relaxing as normal weekends should be.  I woke up early (by my standards) so do a promotional event at one of the local elementary schools.  This is the intake season for new students to enroll in the fall terms at all of the cram schools, so representatives from buxibans near and far gather around and harass parents into enrolling their children into the school.  Each school has an ‘attention grabber’, such as fliers, tables, inflatable toys, or in the case of my school: foreigners.  To be honest, I had fun at the promo, I got to hang out with my TAs and give notebooks to adorable children, but it was hard not to feel like a zoo animal each time the sentence, “This is one of our foreign teachers,” was said to a passerby. 

Saturday was relatively uneventful after the promotional event, thankfully Sunday made up for it.  Along with quite a few other teachers, I made my way to People’s Park in Taichung for an Easter potluck picnic.  We brought some snack foods and wandered off to drink stalls several times during the day, while we hung out in a park playing games and talking.  We even decorated Easter eggs (though we couldn’t find any dye, so we drew on them with crayons instead). 

A collection of eggs to celebrate the holiday (Mine is the tie-dye one on the left)

May you enjoy the rest of this beautiful spring day with your families or friends, making the most of the increasing temperatures and watching for a certain bunny.  Happy Easter!