everyone smiles in the same language

If I have learned nothing else in just over a month in this country I've learned this.....

I am so thankful that so many people here are so friendly. They may stare at me because I now have ridiculously blonde hair again but they also do so with a large smile upon their face.

There is one misused phrase by our students that speaks beyond words. When you ask many of the children at our school how they are today, instead of the usual reply of "I'm good," or "I'm bad." They very often say "I am happy." I think I'll start using that one too.

Today, if nothing else, BE HAPPY.

Kending and Lotus pond

This weekend was a great one here in Taiwan! Not only did I get to celebrate the Cougar win from afar but I also got the amazing opportunity to head with a large group of friends down to Kending. The very south end of Taiwan.
We spent the entire day at the beach playing games, attempting to swim in the huge waves, I was buried in the sand and we watched some locals play quite the game! They would blind fold one of their friends and spin him around as if he was playing pin the tail on the donkey. He would then proceed up the beach with a stick in his hands. Mean while another of their friends was buried up to his neck in sand with a scooter helmet on his head. There was also a watermelon sitting behind in head on the sand. I gathered that as the guy with the sticky tried to walk, very dizzy, towards the man in the sand the other guys would dig holes in the sand to make him trip. As alllll of this was happening everyone else was screaming directions to him. (I think! They were speaking in Chinese, after all) Once the blind folded man reached the guy in the hole he would then swing and try to break open the watermelon. He would often miss and hit the guy in the head. After the watermelon was broken they would pull out another and play for many more rounds. When it was broken open they would pass it around and eat a chunk out of it. I think its something that might really catch on back home. I will try it out when I return!
To round out the day we headed home around 8pm. It takes about two hours so we slept on the way back and ended the day by, finally, eating! It was a long but fantastic day!
Today (Sunday) we headed to lotus pond. A Kaohsiung must see. There are tons of Chinese architectural looking buildings, temples and large statues!
I just got home from cooking ravioli, caesar salad and garlic bread with some friends. Sounds like home...however, we cooked it in a Wok so we are still quite Asian!
Here are some pictures from the weekend!  The new teachers are arriving this week and I can't wait to meet them all. Here's to another great week here in Taiwan!!

Scooter Central

I've been attempting to get the perfect shot of what scooter riding is like here in Kaohsiung.
Today at a red light I got a pretty good one.

Yes that is a man and a woman on one scooter. (Nothing too out of the ordinary) Then you notice that yes, she is holding an 8 month old child on her lap. He is just hanging there in her arms.
This however would only be super Taiwanese if they were also transporting 11 2x4's. That picture will come in the near future I'm sure!!!

Sweating is Good for the Soul

As the title suggests I'm sure you can guess that I've been doing a ton of sweating here in Asia!!! The humidity is outrageous. But dare I say it, I think I am actually getting use to it. Someone mentioned snow the other day and I cringed a bit. I can't even begin to imagine the air being cold enough to snow!!!!!

On Tuesdays we don't start teaching until 4:30. (Quite the life I live...I know) So some of the other teachers and I took the opportunity to hike the local mountain...Monkey Mountain. Now, as the name suggests the whole mountain is just littered with monkeys! However, these aren't nice monkeys. They are extremely territorial. You can't even look them in the eyes. I do believe that they can smell fear. Or they hate the smell of human sweat. Either one, I'm not quite sure!

So we set out around 11 to conquer MM. It was a windy day so it was perfect for hiking. After the first set of stairs I began to sweat. By the time we were about one fourth of the way up I felt as though I was just sitting in a puddle. Then at about half of the the way up I was certain I wouldn't live to see the top....ok a little dramatic but thats what the heat does to ya!

However, making it to the top was one of the most rewarding experiences yet! Just to see out past the smog and the view of the ocean was gorgeous! Also at the top were some old Taiwanese men there to greet us with Monkey Mountain tea. After hiking a mountain one would think that the last thing you would want is a cup of hot tea. But come to find out it was amazingly refreshing. I think it was because our insides were hotter than the tea temperature so it was great. We sat and rested for a short bit, drank our tea and watched the monkeys climb in the trees. We even witnessed a slight monkey fight as one tried to shake the branches to get the other to fall out!

We made our decent after that and it was a great day! We are hoping to go once a week. We've even set a goal to carry water up the mountain in December for the tea making. My legs are sore today so that goal seems pretty ridiculous but it will get better the more we hike!

Below is a picture of what the monkeys look like. Its not taken by me because if I were to take one they would probably rip the camera from my hands and throw it!

I think this weekend we are heading to the beach about an hour away called Kenting. It will be a great time!

Photo Update

I got my classroom all setup and the youngest kids were so excited...the older ones didn't quite care. When they asked me why I did it, I said for fun! They looked at me like I was crazy....I don't blame my terrible pinterest addiction...I blame the language barrier ;)
Their cute faces might just make my life complete for now!!!
I've been perfecting my peace sign as well.

Starting school!

Tomorrow I will begin my Taiwanese English teaching career! We dont start our school days until 2 pm because the kids go to Chinese school first. They are all about as adorable as they come and are so excited to learn. I am teaching kids aged 5 to about 14. They are all in different leveled classes and some kids come more often than others.
I recently moved in to my apartment and am finally settled! It is more than a mud hut, Grandpa! I have also been practicing my scooter driving...CRAZY around here.
Today we headed to the local beach. The water was so warm and the black sand was a cool change from the sand I was enjoying this summer in California!
I am so blessed to have already met some great new people who are quickly becoming good friends. I am working on my Chinese and can at least order my tea now. I think I will take a class a couple of days a week from a local University. The University is right on the water though so I am expecting much beach time in my future!