Okay issue of the day... house training this darn puppy!!! Okay so she is really cute and lots of fun but she is a little dense in the "this is not a bathroom" (the couch, my bed, the kitchen) department. I have done all the things the book says to and she just doesn't get it, I understand that she is small (about 9 weeks today) but my patience is slowing as last night I took her out, for a long walk and then brought her inside where she immediatley peed on the blanket on the couch, needless to say she was rempremanded and sent to her bed... she seems better about the issue ( using the paper provided instead of the couch) this morning but you never know.
Thanks to my mom's brillant suggestion I am growing her an indoor garden of sorts, a grassy patch in my dinning room which is actually outside but has a tile floor and half walls (half way up that is, the rest is bars, yes there will be photos eventually! of the apartemnt that is and the puppy too) Hopefully it will help but until it grows a little I will still have to run down my 6 floors every time she looks like she need to go out!
To top it all off she has developed a lovely rash ( she had it when I got her but it has become much worse) and so now all her hair is falling out and I have to make a trip to the vet tomorrow, she looks a bit like a balding old man... very funny to see but sad as she is really itchy.
On a brighter note I am heading to the beach this afternoon with a new friend... to bad the puppy is so small or she could come too, I am afraid that the heat would be to much for her given her size. Anyway I am rather excited and I am looking very forward to a swim in the ocean, I love swimming in the ocean ( very fond memories from my childhood) and I am hoping that this end of the pacific will not be as bloody cold as it is at home!
On that note I will be off as I need to go by some more seeds and then head back to my house to walk the puppy before I leave her trapped in the house for the afternoon.
J
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Friday, July 30, 2004
Vacation, vacation, vacation
It was a wonderful feeling this morning when I woke up, actually was awoken by a whining puppy... but none the less and I realized that for the next 2 weeks I have no where to be! I have lots of work to do for school to get ready for the year but I don't have to be anywhere and I can stay in my air condtioned apartment all day if I want.
It is hot!!! very hot here. I walked the dog at 7 ish this morning and it was already like 30 and then I went for a bike ride and was dying by the time I got here, the internet cafe. Aside from the heat things are good, I am looking forward to seeing some of the city in my time off. I am getting to know my way around a little bit and hope to take a day trip or two to the country to see other things besides shopping malls and pollution.
I haven't seen or done to much exciting this week and my landlords haven't cleaned my apartment latley. I went out for this fun Japanense dinner last night (staff meal, last day of summer camp), it was a set menu but there were a few choices, most of it was pretty good. I discovered that I don't like Japanese yam... it looks like an apple but is slimy and cruchy at the same time, it was strange. I also had a piece of the rarest steak I have ever eaten, it tasted pretty good even though it was practically mooing.
Okay well that's it, I am still waiting for internet access at home, I have applied but haven't been hooked up yet. I will come to the cafe this week though to check and to write. Hope all is well in the rest of the world.
j
It is hot!!! very hot here. I walked the dog at 7 ish this morning and it was already like 30 and then I went for a bike ride and was dying by the time I got here, the internet cafe. Aside from the heat things are good, I am looking forward to seeing some of the city in my time off. I am getting to know my way around a little bit and hope to take a day trip or two to the country to see other things besides shopping malls and pollution.
I haven't seen or done to much exciting this week and my landlords haven't cleaned my apartment latley. I went out for this fun Japanense dinner last night (staff meal, last day of summer camp), it was a set menu but there were a few choices, most of it was pretty good. I discovered that I don't like Japanese yam... it looks like an apple but is slimy and cruchy at the same time, it was strange. I also had a piece of the rarest steak I have ever eaten, it tasted pretty good even though it was practically mooing.
Okay well that's it, I am still waiting for internet access at home, I have applied but haven't been hooked up yet. I will come to the cafe this week though to check and to write. Hope all is well in the rest of the world.
j
Saturday, July 24, 2004
They did it again!
Man oh man these landlords in Asia.. I went out last night and came home to find that my landlords had been over in my absence and cleaned my house again, and they must think that I am slob and never put anything away. The fact of the matter is that I don't like most of the things that they have left in the place and have slowly been hiding them away, like the orange plastic table cloth that I have left off the table for the last 2 weeks, that they put back on the table. (it has been removed again and replaced with a blue table runner... hopefully they'll get the hint!)
Anyway I have been here for 7 weeks, amazing how time flies! and have one more week of work and then 2 weeks of vacation! Yipee, not that I am going anywhere or doing anything but it is nice to know that I won't have to leave my apartment unless I want to.
Friday was an amusing day, the child who has driven me batty all summer arrived and announced that it was his last day ( I did a happy dance and demanded that his mother be called to confirm as I didn't want to get my hopes up for nothing) Well he was right and it was last day ( a long day at that) and after a very long day withthe little monster I escourted him to his waiting car at the end of the day and his mom said that she hoped I would still be at the school in a year when he came back... I held back my ... not if mylife depends on it will I ever be your sons teacher again.. comments and smiled and nodded, said a polite goodbye and did a happy dance as they drove away. He is off to an elite private school for kindergarten, ours isn't elite enough I guess... that's fine with me. My kindergarten class will have 19 young monkeys in it and 13 of them are boys!!!! it will be a long year I think.
Anyway my time a the cafe is almost up so I must be off, I will have net access at home sometime next week I hope, as soon as the last of my visa stuff is processed.
Hope all is well in the rest of the world! You can write and let me know... the novelty of my being gone has worn off and I haven't from anyone is ages... sad for me but I trust that it is cause you are all so busy.
J
Anyway I have been here for 7 weeks, amazing how time flies! and have one more week of work and then 2 weeks of vacation! Yipee, not that I am going anywhere or doing anything but it is nice to know that I won't have to leave my apartment unless I want to.
Friday was an amusing day, the child who has driven me batty all summer arrived and announced that it was his last day ( I did a happy dance and demanded that his mother be called to confirm as I didn't want to get my hopes up for nothing) Well he was right and it was last day ( a long day at that) and after a very long day withthe little monster I escourted him to his waiting car at the end of the day and his mom said that she hoped I would still be at the school in a year when he came back... I held back my ... not if mylife depends on it will I ever be your sons teacher again.. comments and smiled and nodded, said a polite goodbye and did a happy dance as they drove away. He is off to an elite private school for kindergarten, ours isn't elite enough I guess... that's fine with me. My kindergarten class will have 19 young monkeys in it and 13 of them are boys!!!! it will be a long year I think.
Anyway my time a the cafe is almost up so I must be off, I will have net access at home sometime next week I hope, as soon as the last of my visa stuff is processed.
Hope all is well in the rest of the world! You can write and let me know... the novelty of my being gone has worn off and I haven't from anyone is ages... sad for me but I trust that it is cause you are all so busy.
J
Saturday, July 17, 2004
Feeling rather reflective... and a little sweaty!
Hello world,
Well it's saturday and oddly enough my 27th birthday... Happy birthday to me... and I am happy that I am here, enjoying the adventure.I was thinking as I walked here to the cafe that when I am a little old lasy and I look back on my "youth" I will be happy that I had the guts to travel to the other side of the world and see it. Korea was a tough few months but it got me here, to Taipei and I love it here so I guess Korea was worth it. I am loving my new job ( I know I say that a lot) and I am really looking forward to the start of the school year in August. It's been a long time coming but I am finally feeling settled and like things are moving a long as they should be and it's a great feeling!
Okay enough reflecting! I was fortunate enough to get a present from my parents in the mail (it arrived yesterday, perfect timing) and in it was a Costco card, I am now a very happy teacher. I went to Costco last night and spent way to many of my hard earned pennies on treats for me and a new friend. Yes I have a pet, unfortunatley the tailess gecko has perished, I did my best but I guess it was just not meant to be, However I have rescued someone else of the 4 legged variety and she is pretty damn cute! (photos soon) I have a puppy, a very small puppy that was taken away from it's mommy to soon in life. 2 weekends ago I was riding home and this man had puppies for sale on a street corner (I saw him again today), I looked in the box and among the crew of dogs was 2 golden lab puppies, a big beagle puppy, a full grown shiztu and the littlest puppy (alone that is) I have ever seen lying on the bottom of the cardboard box. I picked her up and she was almost lifeless and had quite a bad cough. I paid the dirty old man the money he wanted and took her home in my fanny pack on my bicycle. I wasn't sure if I could keep her but I knew that if I left her there she would die.
She has since been to the vet, he thinks the was only about 5 weeks old, so now she is 7 or so and her cough is gone, all in all she is doing a lot better. I take her to work with me and she stays in the principals apartment (she lives in the building the school is in) and then she gets let out and played with at lunch time and after school. I am still contemplating her long term living situation but I am quite in love with the little thing ( I named her Tai, after Taipei) and you can bring dogs back to Canada from here with no quarentine (sp?) so we'll what happens. The downfall to the dog is that I live in a roof top apartment and there is no elevator so I must walk her down 6 floors to go outside, it's a long hike but I'll survive.
Funny moment of the day....this morning I am lounging around my apartment, (luckily for me dressed) and my landlords showed up unannounced. They came to fix a leak in the roof which they did but then stayed for hours and cleaned my apartment for me, it was quite wierd. They washed my floors and picked at the plants and told me that they thought they had fixed the leak but we needed to wait for the next rain storm to see for sure. They took my garbage with them and left, it was very strange and I am sure that they are telling there family and friends about the forgeiner who never washes her floors... I have only lived there a week and a bit and they were hardly dirty but it was nice of them none the less.
On that note, those of you have lived with me would be amazed at how clean my kitchen is! It's clean all the time and there aren't any dishes on the counter either, maybe a mug in the sink from morning coffee but that's it. Why? Taipei has a very active insect population and cockroaches here can fly! Since a lot of my apartment is open to the great outdoors I get a variety of 6 legged creatures who like to explore my space and a very clean kitchen gives them less reason to take up residence. Cockroaches do appear evry few days, they fly in and I usually attck them with a shoe or I am feeling like a buddhist trap them and let them go again, they are huge though and have scared me half to death at night as that is when thye tend to flyin the windows, they are about _________________________ big, I am not joking. Ahhhh the wonders of a tropical climate.
Anyway I must be off, I am meeting someone from work for dinner and movie to celebrate my birthday and before I do that I must get home and feed the dog. So I will head back out in to the heat and run home, actually ride home. Hope you are all well and that life in North America (except the odd one of you who is in Korea) is treating you well.
love
J
Well it's saturday and oddly enough my 27th birthday... Happy birthday to me... and I am happy that I am here, enjoying the adventure.I was thinking as I walked here to the cafe that when I am a little old lasy and I look back on my "youth" I will be happy that I had the guts to travel to the other side of the world and see it. Korea was a tough few months but it got me here, to Taipei and I love it here so I guess Korea was worth it. I am loving my new job ( I know I say that a lot) and I am really looking forward to the start of the school year in August. It's been a long time coming but I am finally feeling settled and like things are moving a long as they should be and it's a great feeling!
Okay enough reflecting! I was fortunate enough to get a present from my parents in the mail (it arrived yesterday, perfect timing) and in it was a Costco card, I am now a very happy teacher. I went to Costco last night and spent way to many of my hard earned pennies on treats for me and a new friend. Yes I have a pet, unfortunatley the tailess gecko has perished, I did my best but I guess it was just not meant to be, However I have rescued someone else of the 4 legged variety and she is pretty damn cute! (photos soon) I have a puppy, a very small puppy that was taken away from it's mommy to soon in life. 2 weekends ago I was riding home and this man had puppies for sale on a street corner (I saw him again today), I looked in the box and among the crew of dogs was 2 golden lab puppies, a big beagle puppy, a full grown shiztu and the littlest puppy (alone that is) I have ever seen lying on the bottom of the cardboard box. I picked her up and she was almost lifeless and had quite a bad cough. I paid the dirty old man the money he wanted and took her home in my fanny pack on my bicycle. I wasn't sure if I could keep her but I knew that if I left her there she would die.
She has since been to the vet, he thinks the was only about 5 weeks old, so now she is 7 or so and her cough is gone, all in all she is doing a lot better. I take her to work with me and she stays in the principals apartment (she lives in the building the school is in) and then she gets let out and played with at lunch time and after school. I am still contemplating her long term living situation but I am quite in love with the little thing ( I named her Tai, after Taipei) and you can bring dogs back to Canada from here with no quarentine (sp?) so we'll what happens. The downfall to the dog is that I live in a roof top apartment and there is no elevator so I must walk her down 6 floors to go outside, it's a long hike but I'll survive.
Funny moment of the day....this morning I am lounging around my apartment, (luckily for me dressed) and my landlords showed up unannounced. They came to fix a leak in the roof which they did but then stayed for hours and cleaned my apartment for me, it was quite wierd. They washed my floors and picked at the plants and told me that they thought they had fixed the leak but we needed to wait for the next rain storm to see for sure. They took my garbage with them and left, it was very strange and I am sure that they are telling there family and friends about the forgeiner who never washes her floors... I have only lived there a week and a bit and they were hardly dirty but it was nice of them none the less.
On that note, those of you have lived with me would be amazed at how clean my kitchen is! It's clean all the time and there aren't any dishes on the counter either, maybe a mug in the sink from morning coffee but that's it. Why? Taipei has a very active insect population and cockroaches here can fly! Since a lot of my apartment is open to the great outdoors I get a variety of 6 legged creatures who like to explore my space and a very clean kitchen gives them less reason to take up residence. Cockroaches do appear evry few days, they fly in and I usually attck them with a shoe or I am feeling like a buddhist trap them and let them go again, they are huge though and have scared me half to death at night as that is when thye tend to flyin the windows, they are about _________________________ big, I am not joking. Ahhhh the wonders of a tropical climate.
Anyway I must be off, I am meeting someone from work for dinner and movie to celebrate my birthday and before I do that I must get home and feed the dog. So I will head back out in to the heat and run home, actually ride home. Hope you are all well and that life in North America (except the odd one of you who is in Korea) is treating you well.
love
J
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Good Morning
It's a bright sunny wednesday morning here and I am looking forward to a long fun filled day at the local aquarium. I will be looking at exotic local sea life and I forgot my camera! So sad.
It has been and interesting few days, my class is adorable but there are a few of them who are driving me crazy. I did a happy dance yesterday when one of them stayed home sick. It doesn't matter what the cultural differences are, this kid would be a handfull in any culture!
I am looking forward to the weekend... I have plans to go shopping, my favourite activity on Saturday (cause it's my birthday and I want too!) and hopefully head to the beach on Sunday, it is really hot and the beach would be a nice change. It is kinda far, it takes about an hour from the city. We'll see how much work I get done between now and then.
Wel that is all the exciting news that I have to share today. Must be off as the little people will be arriving soon... with parents in tow.
love
j
It has been and interesting few days, my class is adorable but there are a few of them who are driving me crazy. I did a happy dance yesterday when one of them stayed home sick. It doesn't matter what the cultural differences are, this kid would be a handfull in any culture!
I am looking forward to the weekend... I have plans to go shopping, my favourite activity on Saturday (cause it's my birthday and I want too!) and hopefully head to the beach on Sunday, it is really hot and the beach would be a nice change. It is kinda far, it takes about an hour from the city. We'll see how much work I get done between now and then.
Wel that is all the exciting news that I have to share today. Must be off as the little people will be arriving soon... with parents in tow.
love
j
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Chickens, goat and crickets
Okay so I am riding my bike home from work the other day and low and behold I see a chicken! No I am not lying or making it up there was a chicken outside a shop just wandering around. I am talking about a busy intersection during rush hour, it was amazing. I am sure that she was dinner for someone.
It's Sunday morning and on my way here, to the internet cafe I saw a goat. Someone had a goat standing in a rather large cage on the sidewalk. It was getting a lot of attention, a petting zoo of sorts just randomly created for the benefit of the city folk.
I went to Tianmu ( a very nice part of town with lots of foreigners) last night to pick up some free stuff that was advertised on one of the local message boards and once I finally found the house I discovered that there is a place in taipei where there are houses and no street noise. It was the mopst amazing thing, they had a yard, a pool and a real house! He works for some company that foots the bill, which I imagine must be huge! But it was a beautiful space and I am so jealous. I could here crickets chirping, I am not lying. Taipei is such a cememnt jungle and I live right in the middle of it, I never realised such places existed. Anyway it is way to far from work for it to even be an opition but it was a lovley spot to see.
The weekend is almost over and my hour and at the cafe is almost up and so I must be off... if anyone is bored later this week and trying to find something to do with all their free time they can sit down and write me a long gossipy email... yes, I have resorted to shamless begging on my part... I am homesick/spacesick and would love to hear how life is on the other side of the world.
Miss ya
J.
It's Sunday morning and on my way here, to the internet cafe I saw a goat. Someone had a goat standing in a rather large cage on the sidewalk. It was getting a lot of attention, a petting zoo of sorts just randomly created for the benefit of the city folk.
I went to Tianmu ( a very nice part of town with lots of foreigners) last night to pick up some free stuff that was advertised on one of the local message boards and once I finally found the house I discovered that there is a place in taipei where there are houses and no street noise. It was the mopst amazing thing, they had a yard, a pool and a real house! He works for some company that foots the bill, which I imagine must be huge! But it was a beautiful space and I am so jealous. I could here crickets chirping, I am not lying. Taipei is such a cememnt jungle and I live right in the middle of it, I never realised such places existed. Anyway it is way to far from work for it to even be an opition but it was a lovley spot to see.
The weekend is almost over and my hour and at the cafe is almost up and so I must be off... if anyone is bored later this week and trying to find something to do with all their free time they can sit down and write me a long gossipy email... yes, I have resorted to shamless begging on my part... I am homesick/spacesick and would love to hear how life is on the other side of the world.
Miss ya
J.
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Internet cafes are loud
Okay can some one tell me why the boys who come to cafes to play copmputer games have to have the volume turned up loud enough to cause hearing loss! There are always heaps of people in here playing games at this insane volume... I don't understand.
Life here is good, busy but good. I am busy with my camp kids and trying to get ready for my class in the fall... so much to do so little time. It is official that i will be the kindergarten techer, I'll have 19 munchkins in full day kindergatrten and I am looking quite forward to it.
The new apartment is great, I love that i can get up and sit outside in the mornings while I drink my coffee. The street noise is a little loud at times but life goes on, it's just noise and I can't really here it from my room so I can sleep and all.
I haven't had much time for sight seeing or anyhting else to exciting as I have been busy wiht work but I am hoping to make it to the beach next weekend and have a swim... it is really hot here and I am desperate for some water to paly in. Anyway the noise is driving me crazy and so I am will be off.
I should have internet at home soon and then will be around more often again.
J
Life here is good, busy but good. I am busy with my camp kids and trying to get ready for my class in the fall... so much to do so little time. It is official that i will be the kindergarten techer, I'll have 19 munchkins in full day kindergatrten and I am looking quite forward to it.
The new apartment is great, I love that i can get up and sit outside in the mornings while I drink my coffee. The street noise is a little loud at times but life goes on, it's just noise and I can't really here it from my room so I can sleep and all.
I haven't had much time for sight seeing or anyhting else to exciting as I have been busy wiht work but I am hoping to make it to the beach next weekend and have a swim... it is really hot here and I am desperate for some water to paly in. Anyway the noise is driving me crazy and so I am will be off.
I should have internet at home soon and then will be around more often again.
J
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
lions and tiger and TYPHOONS
There is a typhoon on it's way. Is it wrong to pray that it hits so I get Friday off? You can see it's progress at http://www.cwb.gov.tw/V4e/weather/satellite/index_e.htm click on the taiwan option and the loop 12 hours too and you can see it moving, Taipei is at the north end of the island and at the moment it looks as though it will only hit the south.... I'll keep my fingers crossed that it blows north.
Japanese Gecko
Guess what was floor in the staff bathroom at my school today (on the 3rd floor of and office building) a newly hatched Japenese Gecko, the cutest little thing I have ever seen... he dropped his tail as he was terrified but other than that he's adorable and I am hoping that I can keep him alive long enough to get big and healthy. I can't believe that we found him inside...
I'll keep you posted, not to much else going on here... work, work, work and a trip to COSTCO, it was very exciting. Anyway I'll be back soon, it's late and I am tired.
J
I'll keep you posted, not to much else going on here... work, work, work and a trip to COSTCO, it was very exciting. Anyway I'll be back soon, it's late and I am tired.
J
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Monsoons
Okay so we all here about monsoon season or the rainy season in various parts of the world, well I have now experienced it first hand. There have been days where I have seen it just randomly start to rain/pour, but everyday since tuesday at about 2:30 it has started pouring with rain. Rain is not such a bad thing but our students are picked up at 3 and as a result I have spent pick up time in the pouring rain, and I mean pouring. Not fun... hopefully the timing will shift and it will rain a little earlier, it did yesterday and so by pick up time it was just sprinkling, much better.
It's saturday morning and I am off to explore the city on my new bike, yes i bought a bicycle. It's not the nicest one ever but it works and it has these great back brakes that actually stop the wheel by the spokes, thus no slipping breaks in the rain, very cool. Befroe you even ask yes I bought a helemet and yes I'm wearing it, no one here has them or wears them but I do. The traffic is scary and the pedestrains are worse! Anyway I am off, I'll write more later and tell you about my day.
love
J
It's saturday morning and I am off to explore the city on my new bike, yes i bought a bicycle. It's not the nicest one ever but it works and it has these great back brakes that actually stop the wheel by the spokes, thus no slipping breaks in the rain, very cool. Befroe you even ask yes I bought a helemet and yes I'm wearing it, no one here has them or wears them but I do. The traffic is scary and the pedestrains are worse! Anyway I am off, I'll write more later and tell you about my day.
love
J
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
New Photos
Click on the New Photos title at the top and it will take you to my most recent photo album, the lantern festical in Korea and a few things I have seen since arriving in Taipei.
Not to much to report today, it's a holiday and I went to see the Dragon Boat races. It was amazingly quite there, we saw one race, wandered around a little and then left. It started to pour about 20 minutes after we got back to the subway so we were happy that we left when we did. It is a big event here a and there were lots of teams from all over the world just not to many onlookers today.
I am going to try to head home in between the rain clouds, it's pouring at the moment but it stops and starts so hopefully I'll make it in the next clearing. Enjoy the photos and I'll talk to you all again soon.
Cheers
J.
PS if you look at my weather pixie she now is wearign a bathing suit and holding an unbrella... quite funny.
Not to much to report today, it's a holiday and I went to see the Dragon Boat races. It was amazingly quite there, we saw one race, wandered around a little and then left. It started to pour about 20 minutes after we got back to the subway so we were happy that we left when we did. It is a big event here a and there were lots of teams from all over the world just not to many onlookers today.
I am going to try to head home in between the rain clouds, it's pouring at the moment but it stops and starts so hopefully I'll make it in the next clearing. Enjoy the photos and I'll talk to you all again soon.
Cheers
J.
PS if you look at my weather pixie she now is wearign a bathing suit and holding an unbrella... quite funny.
Monday, June 21, 2004
So Proud of Myself
Guess what I did last night, I figured out how to add a weather pixie to my blog! So if you scroll down a little and look on the right hand side you will see a lady dressed in the appropriate attire for the weather here, yes that is bathing suit and most days I wish I could wear one! It's hot and humid all the time if and or when it finally cools down she'll change her clothes.
Tomorrow is the dragon boat festival - it's a holiday! I'll tell you all about it after I go. At the moment I off to dinner.
cheers
J
Tomorrow is the dragon boat festival - it's a holiday! I'll tell you all about it after I go. At the moment I off to dinner.
cheers
J
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Cute furry four legged friends
Okay someone needs to be with me at all times when I go shopping in this city otherwise I am going to come home with a four legged friend sometime very soon. On thursday night it was some very sad and hot lop earred bunnies at the night market. Yesterday it was basset hound puppies and today it was beagles... I don't know if I have enough self control not to bring one of these very cute little critters home with me! I have to go back to the night market soon to get something for work and I am dreading all the little friends that I will see desperate for new homes. Poor little puppies and bunnies and kittens and hamsters and even the ferrets I saw today even though they aren't cute and I don't want one.
The fish that I have in my classroom at school just aren't the same, they don't give kisses and aren't happy to see me... except when I feed them. Okay I'm off to the market, if you want to lay bets on when I will come home with a pet feel free, someone will win eventually I'm sure.
The fish that I have in my classroom at school just aren't the same, they don't give kisses and aren't happy to see me... except when I feed them. Okay I'm off to the market, if you want to lay bets on when I will come home with a pet feel free, someone will win eventually I'm sure.
Friday, June 18, 2004
just takinga break to catch up
Good morning,
Things here in Taipei are good…It’s Saturday morning and I am spending a lazy few hours catching up on the all the things I haven’t had time to get to because this new job is keeping me on my toes! So I have been uploading photos to make a new photo album (look for it soon) and tidying up my apartment, what fun.
I’ve had a good week, it was long but good. I spent a long time yesterday setting up my classroom, yes I have my very own classroom for the next 6 weeks of summer camp (I’ll probably move into another one for the fall), I needed to make room for a tent as the theme for the next 2 weeks is “In the Woods”. Most of the children at our school come from the upper class of Taipei and none of them have ever been camping, one of them told me had slept in a tent at his Aunt’s house once but it was inside. Everyone here lives in apartments, I haven’t seen a house in the city and so none of the children even know about camping in their yards, bug hunts or bike riding in the driveway. It’s a different world (many of our kids have nannies, drivers and some have cooks). I think that we will have a fun few weeks, I’ll have fun anyway and I hope that they do too.
Last weekend I did some sight seeing and apartment hunting, I think I found one on my own that I can move into next month, it is one of the other teacher’s places. It’s a great space but hard to explain so you’ll have to wait until I move in and can take some photos.
After that I went with one of the other teachers from school to see the national theatre, it’s in a park and beautiful to see. There are lots of great concerts there and I took some great photos. I went to the world’s tallest building, It’s called Taipei 101 and is huge! It has a large mall and book store in it and just about every North American store you could ever want. The expensive but wonderful grocery store is in the basement there, I made another trip there too.
Taipei has these great night markets that I am in love with, there is one on the way home from work and it has amazing deals and all kinds of stores that only open at night, it’s cool to see and quite the shopping experience. You can by roasted chickens or geese, but here they roast the whole thing and they eat all of it, the kids tell me that they like the heads! YUCK! I have seen whole pigs and pigs ears and snouts are popular too, They eat everything here and I have seen enough animal liver to last me a life time.
On a brighter note there are lots of great restaurants and I went for Vietnamese last weekend that was great and for hot pot on Thursday night – asian fondue, a little different than Korea but good. I have encountered a great deal of MSG, they use it like salt here and since it makes feel rather ill I have been avoiding most restaurants unless I really know what I am going to eat.
Not much else to tell you about, it’s hot here and the mosquitoes are vicious and I’ve got a million bites. Not fun although they have these great electric mosquito zappers that run on batteries and look like a tennis racket, you touch the bug and zap it’s dead. There are also cockroaches here – they are huge and can fly… I’ve seen plenty of those too.
Well I think that’s about it for today, I still can’t access my email at home but can at school and do check it when I get a chance, now that I have keys I have a little more freedom to come and go there. Hope everyone is well, I get that photo album finished this week and send the link on Monday. Be well
Love
J
Things here in Taipei are good…It’s Saturday morning and I am spending a lazy few hours catching up on the all the things I haven’t had time to get to because this new job is keeping me on my toes! So I have been uploading photos to make a new photo album (look for it soon) and tidying up my apartment, what fun.
I’ve had a good week, it was long but good. I spent a long time yesterday setting up my classroom, yes I have my very own classroom for the next 6 weeks of summer camp (I’ll probably move into another one for the fall), I needed to make room for a tent as the theme for the next 2 weeks is “In the Woods”. Most of the children at our school come from the upper class of Taipei and none of them have ever been camping, one of them told me had slept in a tent at his Aunt’s house once but it was inside. Everyone here lives in apartments, I haven’t seen a house in the city and so none of the children even know about camping in their yards, bug hunts or bike riding in the driveway. It’s a different world (many of our kids have nannies, drivers and some have cooks). I think that we will have a fun few weeks, I’ll have fun anyway and I hope that they do too.
Last weekend I did some sight seeing and apartment hunting, I think I found one on my own that I can move into next month, it is one of the other teacher’s places. It’s a great space but hard to explain so you’ll have to wait until I move in and can take some photos.
After that I went with one of the other teachers from school to see the national theatre, it’s in a park and beautiful to see. There are lots of great concerts there and I took some great photos. I went to the world’s tallest building, It’s called Taipei 101 and is huge! It has a large mall and book store in it and just about every North American store you could ever want. The expensive but wonderful grocery store is in the basement there, I made another trip there too.
Taipei has these great night markets that I am in love with, there is one on the way home from work and it has amazing deals and all kinds of stores that only open at night, it’s cool to see and quite the shopping experience. You can by roasted chickens or geese, but here they roast the whole thing and they eat all of it, the kids tell me that they like the heads! YUCK! I have seen whole pigs and pigs ears and snouts are popular too, They eat everything here and I have seen enough animal liver to last me a life time.
On a brighter note there are lots of great restaurants and I went for Vietnamese last weekend that was great and for hot pot on Thursday night – asian fondue, a little different than Korea but good. I have encountered a great deal of MSG, they use it like salt here and since it makes feel rather ill I have been avoiding most restaurants unless I really know what I am going to eat.
Not much else to tell you about, it’s hot here and the mosquitoes are vicious and I’ve got a million bites. Not fun although they have these great electric mosquito zappers that run on batteries and look like a tennis racket, you touch the bug and zap it’s dead. There are also cockroaches here – they are huge and can fly… I’ve seen plenty of those too.
Well I think that’s about it for today, I still can’t access my email at home but can at school and do check it when I get a chance, now that I have keys I have a little more freedom to come and go there. Hope everyone is well, I get that photo album finished this week and send the link on Monday. Be well
Love
J
Friday, June 11, 2004
TGIF
Okay so I know I promised photos but much like my hotmail it won't work with this damn internet connection, SORRY.
I finished my first week of work and I must say that I am quite happy with things here. I just came home from dinner with the staff at a great Italian restaurant in town, (it is actually owned by a parent from the school, not why we went but a tid bit of information) Anyway ir was great and we all had a lot of fun. There is a lot of turn over at the school at the moment as teachers are heading home to do things like have babies and go to grad school. I cabbed home with 2 who are leaving and made some comment about my age and one of them just about died, she thought I was 19... ha ha ha I know that I look young, but that young, I hope not. I haven't been asked for ID for ages and finally thought that I looked old enough to be a grown up, I guess not.
I am so happy that the weekend has arrived and I can have a lazy morning. I am looking forward to a day of exploring my new neighbourhood and seeing what there is at the local night market. But now I am off to bed as it is late!
I finished my first week of work and I must say that I am quite happy with things here. I just came home from dinner with the staff at a great Italian restaurant in town, (it is actually owned by a parent from the school, not why we went but a tid bit of information) Anyway ir was great and we all had a lot of fun. There is a lot of turn over at the school at the moment as teachers are heading home to do things like have babies and go to grad school. I cabbed home with 2 who are leaving and made some comment about my age and one of them just about died, she thought I was 19... ha ha ha I know that I look young, but that young, I hope not. I haven't been asked for ID for ages and finally thought that I looked old enough to be a grown up, I guess not.
I am so happy that the weekend has arrived and I can have a lazy morning. I am looking forward to a day of exploring my new neighbourhood and seeing what there is at the local night market. But now I am off to bed as it is late!
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
I can find everything here
Wow is all I have to say, I found gluten free cookies, rice cakes and real feta cheese here today! It was all an insane price but that is fine they are important to me and thus I will pay!
Taipei is great and everything is going well. The new job is wonderful, I have 4,5, and 6 year olds for the summer camp and then in mid August I will have a class, yes just one, (what a novel idea) I am hoping it will be kindergarten (depends on enrollment) and then I will have one after school language arts class every day. The school is in great spot and has great classrooms and resources. I am looking forward to all the things that go with having my own class even concerts and report cards…. ask me again around Christmas.
The apartment that I found is pretty good, not amazing but I do have lots of my own space and it will do for the summer, I will probably try to find my own place in the fall once I know the city better. There are 4 people who live downstairs but we seem to keep fairly opposite schedules so it works out ok.
Taipei is beautiful, there are trees everywhere and it is very tropical. The weather is around 30 everyday and humid. There are heaps of mosquitoes too, I could do without those. I spent this past weekend staying is a great little hotel not to far away and got some sight seeing done.
I went to a great little Buddhist temple, to an observation deck in the “old tallest” building and to some amazing markets. The streets here are filled with vendors and stalls like in Korea but the selection here is much different and I have seen more chicken/goose parts than I could ever want to. They eat everything, except the feathers. The fruit is divine, I could live just off pineapple, watermelon and mango’s. There is heaps of selection in the grocery stores and most people speak English, at least a little bit. On Saturday night I saw Harry Potter, definitely a high point for me. On Sunday I went to this great market that happens every weekend under a bridge it is divided up into a few sections flowers, jade and crafts, it was really neat.
Today I went to the world’s tallest building (at the moment) it is huge, it’s called the Taipei 101 building and has amazing stores including my dreamy grocery store and the hugest bookstore ( I stayed away from it). I want to go back and just wander around, it has amazing security and the whole thing is quite impressive, the bottom 5 levels are shopping and the rest is offices.
Hmmm what else can I tell you about, not much else has happened since I have only been here for 5 days! Getting out of Korea was a bit challenging but I did finally leave and arrived here in one piece with all of my stuff in tow.
Hope you are all well, I’ll write again soon.
Love
J
Taipei is great and everything is going well. The new job is wonderful, I have 4,5, and 6 year olds for the summer camp and then in mid August I will have a class, yes just one, (what a novel idea) I am hoping it will be kindergarten (depends on enrollment) and then I will have one after school language arts class every day. The school is in great spot and has great classrooms and resources. I am looking forward to all the things that go with having my own class even concerts and report cards…. ask me again around Christmas.
The apartment that I found is pretty good, not amazing but I do have lots of my own space and it will do for the summer, I will probably try to find my own place in the fall once I know the city better. There are 4 people who live downstairs but we seem to keep fairly opposite schedules so it works out ok.
Taipei is beautiful, there are trees everywhere and it is very tropical. The weather is around 30 everyday and humid. There are heaps of mosquitoes too, I could do without those. I spent this past weekend staying is a great little hotel not to far away and got some sight seeing done.
I went to a great little Buddhist temple, to an observation deck in the “old tallest” building and to some amazing markets. The streets here are filled with vendors and stalls like in Korea but the selection here is much different and I have seen more chicken/goose parts than I could ever want to. They eat everything, except the feathers. The fruit is divine, I could live just off pineapple, watermelon and mango’s. There is heaps of selection in the grocery stores and most people speak English, at least a little bit. On Saturday night I saw Harry Potter, definitely a high point for me. On Sunday I went to this great market that happens every weekend under a bridge it is divided up into a few sections flowers, jade and crafts, it was really neat.
Today I went to the world’s tallest building (at the moment) it is huge, it’s called the Taipei 101 building and has amazing stores including my dreamy grocery store and the hugest bookstore ( I stayed away from it). I want to go back and just wander around, it has amazing security and the whole thing is quite impressive, the bottom 5 levels are shopping and the rest is offices.
Hmmm what else can I tell you about, not much else has happened since I have only been here for 5 days! Getting out of Korea was a bit challenging but I did finally leave and arrived here in one piece with all of my stuff in tow.
Hope you are all well, I’ll write again soon.
Love
J
Monday, June 7, 2004
GRRRR frustrated
Okay for those of you who are wondering why I have stopped answering emails... hotmail will not let me access my account, why i do not know. So no exciting news that way.
Taipei is great, the new job is good and I promise I will sit down tomorrow and tell you all about it. There are so many great things and I am really excited. At the moment I have to go and get some supper. Hope you are all well.
Cheers
J.
Taipei is great, the new job is good and I promise I will sit down tomorrow and tell you all about it. There are so many great things and I am really excited. At the moment I have to go and get some supper. Hope you are all well.
Cheers
J.
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Yippee
Hello there,
I made it one piece. I have enjoyed a lovely bubble bath some real fresh coffee and am amazed at the difference two hours makes in temperature, culture and fruit! They have MANGOS and they are not 4 dollars like in Korea and you should see the size of the watermelons, they are huge. I am a happy camper.
I move into my new place on Sunday and so there will be more from me after that.
happy in taipei
J
I made it one piece. I have enjoyed a lovely bubble bath some real fresh coffee and am amazed at the difference two hours makes in temperature, culture and fruit! They have MANGOS and they are not 4 dollars like in Korea and you should see the size of the watermelons, they are huge. I am a happy camper.
I move into my new place on Sunday and so there will be more from me after that.
happy in taipei
J
Friday, May 28, 2004
Just a small rant about how mommies run the schools here!
Okay so I’m still in Korea for another 4 days, it’s a good thing I’m leaving otherwise I would of quit my job on the spot. I got yelled at on Friday for playing games in class, games that are in the textbook to be meant as learning experiences.
Let me take you back to the moment, it is Friday afternoon and I am in class waiting for a few stragglers to show up, so the kids and I who are there starting playing a card game that they love while we wait for the kids who are late ( I know that they will arrive within the next 10 minutes or so as they are always late ) anyway so after about 10 minutes they start to wander in and so I tell the 3 kids who are playing cards that after this hand they will have to stop so we can start the class, well 2 seconds after that the last student arrives with his mom right behind him and she sees that we are playing cards and goes off to find my supervisor. Man was I mad, anyway so at the break I get this call that Scarlett wants to talk to me so off I go to find her.
Let it be said now that this parent has been a thorn in my side since I started teaching her son, she claims that I don’t give enough homework, a change from home that’s for sure, I have never heard a parent in Canada express concern at the lack of homework, anyway back to my story.
So I go to find Scarlett and she informs that this parent is unhappy, so I tell her what was happening and that I think that it is unfair that she just walks into my class and makes a judgment about my teaching from a 2 second window of watching. She tells me that another parent (she won’t tell me who) has complained too about us playing games. Yes I said I play scrabble with my kids, all my kids whose English level is high enough and they love it, they usually beat me, (can you imagine a parent complaining about scrabble). We also play hangman, Simon says and a version of concentration along with all the games that are in the text book ( in my level 1 book the word game appears 30 times, I counted after). So if you don’t want kids going home and saying that we played games than you’ll have to change out textbook!
I told here that game is a broad term, the kids here think that anything that does not involve a worksheet is a game, even puzzles. If she had a problem with way that I taught then I would stop but that she would have to provide me with enough materials to keep the kids busy that did not involve games ( a joke because the materials at our school are horrible). She quickly back tracked and told me that she would talk to the parent again and I should just try to avoid the word game.
Then at the break she told me that I had to juggle the kids around in some of my classes because some parents wanted friends to be together, no concern for their abilities or level, the moms want them in the same class and so we will accommodate. It was a bad day.
It is a good thing I’m leaving cause otherwise I would of quit on the spot! So that’s my rant for today, I am off to meet Lexi, I think we should go shopping!
Let me take you back to the moment, it is Friday afternoon and I am in class waiting for a few stragglers to show up, so the kids and I who are there starting playing a card game that they love while we wait for the kids who are late ( I know that they will arrive within the next 10 minutes or so as they are always late ) anyway so after about 10 minutes they start to wander in and so I tell the 3 kids who are playing cards that after this hand they will have to stop so we can start the class, well 2 seconds after that the last student arrives with his mom right behind him and she sees that we are playing cards and goes off to find my supervisor. Man was I mad, anyway so at the break I get this call that Scarlett wants to talk to me so off I go to find her.
Let it be said now that this parent has been a thorn in my side since I started teaching her son, she claims that I don’t give enough homework, a change from home that’s for sure, I have never heard a parent in Canada express concern at the lack of homework, anyway back to my story.
So I go to find Scarlett and she informs that this parent is unhappy, so I tell her what was happening and that I think that it is unfair that she just walks into my class and makes a judgment about my teaching from a 2 second window of watching. She tells me that another parent (she won’t tell me who) has complained too about us playing games. Yes I said I play scrabble with my kids, all my kids whose English level is high enough and they love it, they usually beat me, (can you imagine a parent complaining about scrabble). We also play hangman, Simon says and a version of concentration along with all the games that are in the text book ( in my level 1 book the word game appears 30 times, I counted after). So if you don’t want kids going home and saying that we played games than you’ll have to change out textbook!
I told here that game is a broad term, the kids here think that anything that does not involve a worksheet is a game, even puzzles. If she had a problem with way that I taught then I would stop but that she would have to provide me with enough materials to keep the kids busy that did not involve games ( a joke because the materials at our school are horrible). She quickly back tracked and told me that she would talk to the parent again and I should just try to avoid the word game.
Then at the break she told me that I had to juggle the kids around in some of my classes because some parents wanted friends to be together, no concern for their abilities or level, the moms want them in the same class and so we will accommodate. It was a bad day.
It is a good thing I’m leaving cause otherwise I would of quit on the spot! So that’s my rant for today, I am off to meet Lexi, I think we should go shopping!
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