Broken, Bitten, and Burnt

I realized this week (though it needed to be pointed out to me) that my class schedule has mad huge strides towards being ideal for me.  When I began working at my school, I inherited an entire class-load of higher-level students, because that was the preference my predecessor had.  I didn't have a choice to trade for younger classes, but along the way my older classes merged or discontinued, and I added new, younger classes to my work schedule, and now my schedule is not only to my liking, but more to my skill set.  I would say that I have always been better at working with younger children because, I had this preference through various volunteer working jobs, through my TESOL training, through church events, and now I can really use it in my work.  I'm excited to say that last week I started another CE01 class (this is the first level my school offers), so now the scale has not only swung to a balanced position, but actually leaned in my favor! Yay!
Speaking of school, this week I taught my second summer lesson, and I decided to merge my former interest in science with my life-long interest in crafts.  The class and I made our own bubble wands out of pipe-cleaner, and then predicted which of the following would make the best bubble solution: hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, coke, salt, and bubble milk tea.  The kids seemed to love making bubble wands (and I don't just say that because of the large number of heart shaped wands that were created), and got really into testing each of the bubble solutions and recording their results on our results sheets.  The predictions made by the kids that I found cute were 'coke will make bubbles because if you shake it there are bubbles', and 'bubble milk tea won't make bubbles', no matter how many times I tried to tell them 'it says bubble in the name!'.  As it turns out, none of the ingredients produced substantial bubbles except for the dish soap (which was, not only the children's prediction, but the recommended ingredient for homemade bubbles on almost all websites).
This weekend as exhausted me, in the words of a borrowed alliteration, I'm 'broken, bitten, and burnt'.  Saturday was spent on an attempted, though not successful, mountain walk from the township of Yuanlin to the city of Changhua (approximately a 30km route).  We made it through about 5 hours of the walk, successfully scaling Mt. Baiguo and crossing the border into Nantou county, but at that point we were tired, it was getting dark, and unfortunately we had made it less than 1/4 of the way through our travels, so we threw in the towel and took a taxi the rest of the way home.  I feel so injury prone here in Taiwan, but I do admit full-personal blame for this injury, I made a poor shoe choice for this walk (flip flops), and seem to have hurt the muscles in the arch of my foot.  So, now that I have gotten past my broken coccyx/sacrum, I will have to get used to walking with a slight limp.

The view of Yuanlin from Baiguoshan.

As for the bitten, there's not much to it, I have very prominent reactions to mosquito bites, which appear to be exceptionally frequent for me.  It has been a rather unfortunate realization for my legs which have been bitten (and, I'll admit, scratched) so often over the last year that they might never recover.
And burnt, lucky for me, it is just by the sun.  That's what happens when you spend excessive time on a scooter on various road trips and errands, oh, and the hours on the beach this afternoon may have added to that as well.  Today it was time for another first and we went to explore the beaches of Dajia.  One thing that you should know when picturing the water surrounding Taiwan is that the beaches are vastly different depending on which side of the island you are on (much like the difference between swimming on the coast side and ocean side of Florida).  The beaches on the east coast are beautifully blue, deep, wavy, and fully of salt water, the beaches on the west coast (which is where I live) are not.  For starters, the water was a blueish-brown color (courtesy of the sand), and no matter how far into it you waded, it never seemed to get higher than waist level.  Nonetheless, it was nice to have a day out in the water, so we did our fair-share of swimming, then finished off the afternoon by building a tee-pee in the sand and hiding from the sun.

The 'beautiful' beach in Dajia (why yes, that is garbage and driftwood lining the beach)

And now for my newest cultural realization: the Taiwanese military.  I had a long discussion with one of my private students this week about how the military, and realized how little I knew about the 'enlistment' system here.  For example, in the US we have a voluntary enlistment, but in Taiwan there is a conscription: a mandatory enlistment for all men between the ages of 18-35 who are of good health.  The conscription in Taiwan has undergone several changes in the past few decades, so it affects the eligible men differently.  For example, men who were born prior to 1994 are required to dedicate 2-years to military training unless the number of voluntary soldiers on the island surpasses a certain threshold, then it is reduced to 12-months (which is the currently the cases in Taiwan).  For those men who were born after 1994 the conscription requirement has been reduced to only 4 months of basic training, with the goal of transitioning the active military into a solely volunteer-based operation.  As I already stated, all men are required to do some service time, however, for certain reasons, such as continued education, the required age at which service starts can vary (for instance, students seeking a Bachelors degree may wait until they are 24 to serve, students seeking a Masters degree may wait until they are 27, and students seeking a Doctoral degree may wait until they are 30).
At the age of 18, men will report to the government's conscription offices to determine his educational background and whether or not he is eligible for a delay of service.  If no delay is granted the man will be drafted and will undergo a health exam to ensure they are fit to serve.  Assuming they are of good health they will be sent to train in one of the four branches of the Taiwanese military: army, navy, air force, or marines (with the army being the largest force and therefore the one with the largest draft probability).  After completion of their training, men are no longer required to report for active duty (unless it is done so on a voluntary basis), but are considered to be on reserve until they are 36 years old.

A Weekend Vacation: Sun Moon Lake and Jiji

This weekend proved the importance of making the best out of every situation.  A remarkable number of things went wrong, yet, when I look back at the weekend, all I can think is how much I enjoyed it.  I have felt a bit trapped in Changhua for the last few weeks, and have been itching for a good road trip, and I finally got that this weekend in an 11-person scooter convoy to Sun Moon Lake, which is about 2-3 hours away from Changhua (though in a smaller group with fewer mishaps, I imagine that timing decreases significantly).  Sun Moon lake has been at the top of my list of "places to visit" for many months  now, partially because it was new to me, partially because it is the largest body of water in Taiwan, and partially because of the mountains and forests which surround it.  The area entices you to spend time outdoors in the fresh air, while the smoldering sun and periodic rain fight to make you regret it.  There is simultaneously a lot to do and nothing to do, depending on what your interests are.  A lot of the area surrounding the lake is occupied by one of Taiwan's aboriginal tribes, and the shopping and cultural centers could entertain any visitor for hours.  For those looking to get away from people and money, there are hiking trails through the mountains and bamboo forests.  Unfortunately, the main appeal of the area is obviously the beautiful blue lake, but swimming is not allowed (the locals say it is because there are piranhas in the water, but I suspect it is because of the cleanliness of the water and the unfortunately large number of Taiwanese people who can't swim).

 A view of the lake from the cable cars.

So, with all of these options, what did we find to do? For a taste of the scenic beauty the lake had to offer, we took a trip through the mountains in a cable car ride.  The ride was short, and quite frankly, overpriced for what it had to offer (especially considering we were not going to the Aboriginal Cultural Center/amusement park to which the cars provide half of the transportation), but it did provide some nice photo opportunities.   After the gondolas we had lunch at the lake-front, and that is when the rain started, and what began as periodic showers became a mountain downpour which was not particularly fun to drive in, so we waited most of it out in the Wenwu temple before driving 40 minutes to our hostel (which by the way, we rented an entire hostel building, that is how large this group was) in Jiji.

Oh Jiji...that was the second leg of our journey.  Jiji is also in Nantou county, but is on the opposite side of the tourism spectrum.  While Sun Moon Lake is a popular tourist destination full of hotels, restaurants, shops, and things to do, Jiji is the smallest town in Taiwan and has very little to do, see, and unfortunately eat (as we discovered during multiple meals).  Saturday night was spent in our hostel, eating pizza and playing word games until the wee small hours of the morning so we would be well rested for our busy Sunday.  An impressive number of sites were seen by us today, beginning with the saddest waterfall I have ever seen, a mere trickle of water on a mountain side (though I am under the impression it has down-periods and up-periods of water flow).  Then it was off to a collapsed temple and military park, two sites which I have seen and written about before.  After that we went to the endemic species research institute, and the train station, and then set off towards home.  

This might not be the most impressive waterfall in the world...

Hanging out in the military park in Jiji

Now you know the good side of the weekend, but we did have a lot of mishaps along the way, primarily involving scooters.  For a time-frame spanning less than 48 hours we experienced a flat tire, a faulty engine, and a broken belt (not all on the same scooter thankfully).  The more scooters involved in a trip, the more likely these problems are to occur, and considering foreigners are likely to own second-hand scooters, the likelihood is further increased.  All of this begs the question "How did my friends and I make it around the island for Chinese New Year without scooter problems?".  I've got my fingers crossed,  I have yet to experience a major malfunction with my scooter.

Typhoon Soulik Hits Taiwan

I've seen my fair share of snow days, but this week I experienced my first typhoon day.  Typhoon Soulik swept across Taiwan late Friday evening/early Saturday morning, bringing with it heavy rains, 180 km/h winds, and thankfully only minimal damage.  Word of the typhoon spread all week, and the question on everyone's mind was whether or not we would be working on Friday, but come Friday morning the weather showed no indication of the impending storm.  As the afternoon progressed the winds began to pick up speed, and by 6pm all businesses in Changhua county (as well as the majority of the island) were instructed to close.  The most noticeable sign of the typhoon by that time in the afternoon was the wind speed, which was strong enough to blow scooters from side to side and tip their drivers to sharp angles as they drove along the roads.  After getting off work, then stocking up on a weekend's supply of food so I wouldn't starve while I was rained in to my apartment, I decided to throw caution to the wind (no pun intended) and went to a typhoon party on my friend's roof.  We watched as the winds picked up and the storm approached Changhua, and retreated to the safety of indoors when the rain started.  The storm continued until mid-afternoon on Saturday when the rains stopped, (some) businesses re-opened, the railways reopened, and the fallen trees and signs were cleaned up.
So, what is a typhoon?  For those of you in the states, you are probably more accustomed to the term 'hurricane', but a typhoon is a hurricane which forms in the northwestern portion of the Pacific Ocean.  In order for a typhoon to develop there are 6 requirements: warm sea-surface temperature, atmospheric instability, high humidity in the troposphere, development of a low-pressure center, a pre-existing low-level focus, and a low vertical wind shear.  After achieving these developing steps, then attaining a wind-speed of at least 119km/h, the storm can be sorted into one of five "western stages" or one of three "Taiwan stages" of typhoon strength categories (based on it's fastest wind speed measurements, Typhoon Soulik was measured as a 3 on the western scale, and a 2 on the Taiwan scale, when it hit the island).
On average, Taiwan experiences 27 tropical storms every year, but the majority of these are not strong enough to be classified as typhoons.  Soulik was the 7th tropical storm of the year, but the first typhoon.

Hurricane Soulik as it passes over Taiwan on July 13th

The rest of the weekend was filled with more rain than adventure.  We seemed to stay indoors for the majority of the daylight hours, and ventured out only for food, drinks, and a movie.  The weird thing about this is that, while the storm seems to have encouraged a couch potato attitude in myself (and most of my friends), the majority of the weekend was not actually raining.  I can't speak for everyone else, but for me it was just nice to get some reading done, cook a few meals (which is something I haven't done nearly enough of this year), and take care of some cleaning (which admittedly is not finished, but I guess that's what next weekend will be for).

Dinner at Chinese City

You're Getting Old, America!

From the other side of the world, I would like to say 'Happy 4th of July'! It is a little weird to think of how much can happen in one year.  For instance, on July 4th last year, as the fireworks were about to start, I was on the phone with my recruiter for Taiwan, contemplating whether I should switch my efforts towards a job in South Korea or not, because I was frustrated at the number of Kindergarten jobs I was being offered in Taiwan.  Lucky for me, she was very persuasive, and here I am, 11 months into my contract, on the edge of a second year's stay here, and so happy with what my life has become.
Well, it is officially summer vacation here in Taiwan, but that doesn't mean the same thing for Taiwanese children as it does for their American counterparts.  While the children are granted a short break from the elementary, junior high, and high schools, many are still sent to spend their days in buxibans learning their extra curricular skills.  That means that I do not get the perk of 'time off' just because it is summer, in fact, my hours have increased (which is greatly appreciated, seeing as they have been very low recently).  Now, every week, one of the teachers will host an activity lesson (for last of a better phrase) rather than a traditional grammar and vocabulary-focused class.  In these activity lessons the teacher will chose any topic and teach that activity/skill in English, with the hope that the children will acquire the language without explicitly being taught it.  While I don't know that these lessons are a very effective way of teaching English, I know they are a great way of entertaining the kids.  I taught the first of these summer activity lessons this week, and my lesson was how to make homemade ice cream and chocolate-covered peanut butter balls.  I haven't seem my students that happy in a long time, the promise of sweets and no spelling tests is a winning combination.  Some of the things that I learned during this lesson were: Taiwanese people appear to like peanut butter balls nearly as much as western teachers do, vanilla is exceptionally hard to find in Taiwan, and chocolate ice cream stains shirts.

The CEI students, rolling peanut butter balls for our chocolate truffles  

Now it is time for a cultural note that I have known existed for the last 11 months, but I hadn't experienced until this week: Bin Lang (also known as Betel nut).  Bin Lang is made from the seed of the areca palm tree, and is the second largest crop in Taiwan, and is purchased primarily by men, to be chewed like chewing tobacco.  The nut is hard, stringy, and not intended to be swallowed, instead you hold it in your cheek and bite into it when you are ready for another burst of flavor.  Unfortunately, those bursts of flavor are accompanied by an increased production of saliva which causes you to spit repeatedly.  Even worse is that the nut dyes your saliva, gums, and teeth a blood-red color leaving the marks of your chewing experience on your mouth as well as the street.  So why is bin lang popular? There are some who enjoy bin lang for its slightly intoxicating effects.  Others chew this nut for medicinal purposes, mainly to solve problems within the digestive system.  Still seem to buy it just to interact with the vendors (known as bin lang girls) who can be found at all hours of the day in glass box booths, often in revealing outfits (and in a country like Taiwan where low-cut clothing is not very common, they tend to stand out.  

I tried bin lang for the first time since coming to Taiwan, and I don't particularly know what to think of the experience.  I definitely have no intent of going out to buy my own supply of seeds, but if offered it again, I might not turn it down.  The feeling you get when chewing bin lang was similar to the feeling you would get when you are getting drunk: it affected my vision a little, and I'm sure it affected my rate of speech, but the effects wore off almost instantly after spitting out the seed.  The main thing holding me back from enjoying bin lang is my strong liking of oral hygiene, I have seen so many people with stained mouths full of bright red teeth, and that is enough to convince me not to form a habit of it.