好久不見 (Long Time No See)

This is a long overdue, photo-based blog update. I would love to hear more from everyone at home!

Beautiful clear day viewed from my balcony

On Cijin Island outside Kaohsiung

With my teacher and best friend/classmate from Brazil, also named Kelly. We took a boat tour along the Love River

Outside of my language center

Free concert weekend in the huge park near our house

Elementary school "lion dance" performance outside the department store

Zi Yu, Fu An and Teacher Lai with a little bit of Gong Zhu's head. I only know my classmate's Chinese names!

Check out that scooter traffic, so typical

Eating Taiwanese hot pot with my favorite girl, Lily

Having class outside the Cultural Center with Meng Shi, Jing Shen, and Ding Shan (Vietnamese, Australian and Korean. Kelly is Brazilian and there is also another American in my class!)

My former coworker got married and invited me and our former student, Janet, to her wedding!

The wedding is basically just a giant reception. We all ate fresh seafood non-stop for 3 hours. The bride and groom came out a few times to hold a raffle and toast with the guests, each time wearing a different outfit!

 

Went to dinner with Kelly, her friends from church and their pastor. See anything strange??

Winnie, my former coteacher, and I won a prize from Taiwan's GreaTeach 2010 competition for our international net pal exchange program!!!

Ding Shan, Zi Yu, me and Kelly at our farewell dinner. Zi Yu, Kelly and the only other girl in class, Hui Lin, won't be studying with us next semester :(

Our class and the Center director at the graduation ceremony (minus Jing Shen who already went traveling!). I was really surprised and happy to receive the 1st place award for my class. We all voted for who should get the award, so it means a lot that my classmates think I've done the best!

October is Here and So Am I

My apologies for disappearing :) The past few weeks have been interesting and busy. I'm in the Intermediate level Chinese course, so I've been working hard in my free time to catch up with grammar and vocabulary.  Hope all is well with everyone.

 

Video of Typhoon Fanapi from my balcony. 

Our building shook from the wind and our classes were canceled for a day. But Carol and I were very lucky. Many people in Kaohsiung experienced severe flooding. Entire first floors were filled with water, scooters and cars floated away. Other cities, particularly on the east coast of Taiwan, were the most damaged. Luckily, the government took greater precautions this year and evacuated high risk areas beforehand. The Taiwanese would not stand for a repeat of August 2009's Typhoon Morakot, which took many lives and destroyed entire villages in mudslides.

We attempted to go out in the typhoon, but this was the mess that resulted. Luckily, our friends in Taiwan go to ridiculous extremes to take care of us. One friend went out and bought us dinner and enough food to last a few days! She brought it to our house in the middle of the storm!

 

I've recently purchased a pool pass and I swim 4 to 5 times each week. It is a great way to exercise in this heat! Swimming caps are a requirement in Taiwan, thus me and my little friends looking like eggheads.

These three photos are from a very traditional home in the countryside of Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan. It is my friend Winnie's aunt's home and I went with her family to celebrate 中秋節, the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Winnie's parents, her two daughters and her sister went with us to celebrate. We barbecued, rode bikes, set off fireworks and sparklers, and looked at the moon. The holiday is also called Moon Festival because it is celebrated on the day when the moon is fullest. There is an ancient folk story about the woman who lives in the moon. 

 

Fish on sticks, spicy sausages, and corn...why do I look so freaked out?

Though I'm very focused on Chinese, I am also applying for scholarships to help me pay for U Michigan Law next year. I need to find outside funding targeted at women, Chinese speakers, or persons interested in international financial or human rights law. If anyone knows of any relevant scholarships, please point me in the right direction!

Fun in Kaohsiung / 在高雄玩了

I've been in Kaohsiung for three weeks now, mostly having fun! Classes started Monday, but all schools were closed today due to the typhoons surrounding Taiwan. 我在高雄玩了三個星期. 這個星期一開學 可是今天不上課因為三個颱風來台灣. I am still studying a lot on my own and with friends, but grammar is the most difficult part of Chinese for me now. 我還有自己學也跟我朋友 但是現在最難的部分是中文語法.

Hopefully my Chinese isn't quite as bad as this horribly wrong, but hilarious, English t-shirt that my friends and I discovered at a department store.

I plan to spend my free time meeting with my friends and asking them questions, trying to make sentences and listening to what they say. Unfortunately, this typhoon may keep us inside for more than one day! It is difficult to get around by walking in the wind and rain.

Luckily, the storm is not as bad as last year's, which destroyed several villages and killed more than 700 people. 

 

 Last week, before the typhoon and before classes started, Carol and I met up with many of our friends. One night in particular, we celebrated my friend Winnie's birthday. She and I taught together last year and she has been like an older sister to me for the past year. We went to a party at her home and then out dancing together.

We brought a (heavy) plate of fruit to Winnie's potluck birthday dinner. I held it on my head to attract even more attention while we waited for the bus to her house.

We also finished setting up our house. I wanted to buy curtains for my room, which faces the other apartments in the building next to ours, so that our neighbors couldn't see me sleeping every morning!

I also succeeded in buying an actual mattress to sleep on!

I am not sure how much more exciting these posts will get, though I will share more about my classes soon. I will be tutoring one high school student for an hour each week, and may pick up more students if I need the money. I am trying to live simply and focus on learning Chinese. What I love is that I can do that just by making friends and spending time with them. We may save up to travel around Taiwan a bit and host some small gatherings for our new friends.

There is much beauty to be found in the world every day.

Return to Kaohsiung

As most of you know, I am spending another year living in Taiwan. I anticipate that I will write more and more of my blog in Chinese, with English translation, as time goes on. Seeing as I've been in Kaohsiung for only four days now, this post is entirely in English.

View from my new 11th floor apartment

That's not to say I haven't started studying yet. I've spent about three hours each day studying flashcards on my own. I can't seem to sleep past 6 am yet and go to "bed" around 9 pm. I say "bed" because I currently reside on a wooden mat covered with a thin layer of cloth. Mattress shopping is high on my To Do list. Overall, Carol and I are happily adjusting to our new neighborhood in Fongshan City, a suburb of Kaohsiung City. We are a few metro stops from our old neighborhood and current school. We leave our shoes outside the door of our apartment, turn the water on and off during our curtain-less showers, and drinks lots and lots and lots of the tea we both missed terribly this summer.

Welcome to our/Firefly's apartment and the TV we're guarding with our lives!

The neighborhood has everything we could ever need: a 7-11, Good Morning breakfast shop, 24 hour outdoor market/indoor convenient store, a mosque complete with faux Mexican burrito stand, and an MRT within 10 minutes walking distance. There is even a store selling mace, which we each purchased, in the event that the overly-friendly stray dogs and men take their curiosity to the next level.

Internet is obviously our first priority, above feng shui (風水)

We will begin language classes at National Kaohsiung Normal University (高市大) on August 30th. For the first few weeks, beyond studying, I expect to sort out my visa and health insurance, hopefully get a bed and some curtains, and figure out what I'll be eating that won't cause people to comment further than they do on my weight. So check out a few photos of our new spot (above and below). Thanks to Firefly, my former co-teacher, who is now living in Hungary with her husband!

No, I don't have a dog, just a weird English t-shirt.

Life is good, Chinese is fascinating, and Taiwan is beautiful. More photos to come.

May Montage

As usual, I haven't updated as frequently as I would like. I've really been enjoying day to day life in Taiwan; being a teacher, learning Chinese, and making friends. Since I know where I'm going during the next several years, it is unbelievably enjoyable to rest a moment in that certainty. Luckily, I have been taking more photos than usual and am making this update a montage from recent events. I'd love your comments or emails.

Last month, I went with my 12 year old student, Janet, and her family to visit Dong Shi. This is an outdoor recreational area near Taichung where we played on obstacle courses, saw massive amounts of fireflies, and ate seafood...the Taiwanese favorite. Her little brother, Lucas, is the cutest little boy I've ever seen! He loves to call his sister a "bad egg" and me a "dinosaur egg."

Carol and I have been continuing our elderly center class, but we have a new group of students this month. Pictured above is our former group of students who treated us to a delicious Japanese lunch to celebrate completing the course. They really want us to teach them again when we come back to Taiwan in September.

A few of my students from my teacher's class at Fushan took me to Tainan two weeks ago. I asked them each to present in English on a city in Taiwan, so we decided to visit the closest city together. This photo is at one of the oldest Confucian temples in Taiwan.

For some reason, there was a squirrel feeding area at the temple. Of course, I tried it.

It is incredibly hot in Kaohsiung now.  A popular, cool dessert is "shaved ice" with different kinds of sweet beans and potatoes. I love it. Here Janet and I are eating some together before I took her shopping in Xin Jue Jiang. This is one of the most popular teen markets in the city and it was her first time to go without her parents. A big deal!

This is one of my classes who is currently doing a pen pal exchange with some American students in Atlanta. My Economics professor at Agnes Scott, Professor Cunningham, set me up with her daughter's 5th grade teacher and we've been sharing videos, photos and letters online throughout the semester. You can check out some of my students' video letters here

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I've also spent some time with my host family. This weekend I went to lunch with my host sister, next to me in the glasses, her best friend, Amy, and Amy's little brother and sister. Hard to believe I'll be home seeing my American family and friends in just one month!

That's Hakka

A couple of weekends ago, Fulbright took all of the ETAs and our host families to Ping Tung County, just outside of Kaohsiung. There we visited a "cultural park" dedicated to the fourteen aboriginal tribes of Taiwan. We saw dance performances that told about the customs and histories of these tribes and saw an informational video about their locations and population sizes. The aboriginal peoples are of Austronesian descent and appearance. One of the most well known tribes are the Hakkas who speak...Hakka. We were introduced to this group early on because the announcements in public arenas like the metro are made in Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka and English.
We also had the opportunity to try on some of the traditional costumes, including fake tattoos. My host dad insisted that we all put them on our faces and take a group photo!

My host family was by far the funniest and most interesting part of the trip. Especially my hilarious father! He is very committed to finding me a Taiwanese boyfriend. Throughout our day in Ping Tung, he pointed out potential guys. During the biggest dance performance, several of the dancers came into the audience to shake hands and welcome us. Every guy that came by and shook my hand was greeted by my father shouting, "You like her?! You like her?!" I am really grateful that I was paired with a family who has a great sense of humor like me.

In other unrelated, but highly anticipated news, I recently made some major decisions about the next steps in my life. I will be attending the University of Michigan Law School. After receiving so much great advice and support from my family and friends, I ultimately made the decision based on the strength of Michigan's programs. Their Chinese Legal Studies center, expert faculty in the areas of Chinese law, international financial transactions, and women's rights, and their reputation for producing phenomenal lawyers are the perfect fit for me.

However, I will not be going to Michigan this fall. I am staying in Taiwan to study Chinese! There is no better way for me to reach my goal of fluency than to pursue Chinese at a university in Kaohsiung and deepen my friendships with people here in Taiwan. But I will be home for the summer before I head back to Taiwan. So, you can look forward to another stretch of "Keeping Up With Kelley."

Kelley Finally Faces Her Fears: Stinky Tofu

As the title indicates, yesterday I bit the bullet...well, I bit the stinky tofu. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This weekend was the Ching Ming Festival, also known as tomb-sweeping day. Taiwanese (and many people in Hong Kong and China) visit the graves of their relatives to clean and decorate the tombs. In Taiwan, they also eat a meal of spring rolls, which is not what we think of in America. It is fresh vegetables, meats and flour tortillas that you make into wraps.

My host family invited me to share this traditional meal with them. They told me the story of the Ching Ming festival in Chinese and this was what I got out of it: two people, a mother and son I believe, were living on a mountain. They were told (by who, I don't know) to leave their home immediately or else their village would be burned down. They refused to leave and were burned to death. So, in memory of their spirits, Taiwanese people do not cook with fire on this holiday. If you can fill in the holes of the story, I'd be happy to have your comments!

After lunch, I went with my parents and their neighbor Kathleen to a fish market in Kaohsiung County. We looked through a map of Kaohsiung and they picked a random, cool place to take me. The drive was about 40 minutes into the countryside. They introduced me to various types of fish and parts of fish that I would've never thought to eat. I also had the pleasure of eating deep-fried octopus eyeballs.

Once they felt content that I'd seen enough, we headed back to a Kaohsiung City night market for me to attempt the one thing I've been avoiding for the past eight months: stinky tofu. My whole family insisted that they love this food and it is delicious. How can I describe the smell that emanates from stinky tofu stands? Words cannot do it justice. It is a mixture of very, very old cheese, mildew and sewage, in my opinion. And I ate it! Three healthy chunks of tofu dipped in the steaming sauce from which the smell originates.

The first bite was easy enough, but by the third one, everything I'd eaten that day was on its way back up. My family finished the plate for me and I headed home, keeping my food down with the knowledge that I never have to try stinky tofu again.

Why is it called a "pine" apple?

I'd like to start updating my blog more frequently with little interesting stories about daily life in Taiwan. I recently heard that a couple of Agnes graduates are considering or being considered for Fulbright teaching positions in Taiwan. Seeing as I love living here so much, I should share more often. I'll start by talking about yesterday and see what stories follow from there in the next few weeks. 
Yesterday I spent the afternoon teaching English to 35 students, all over the age of 60. At the beginning of this month, my fellow Fulbright and roomie, Carol Reyes, and I began volunteer-teaching an English course at the neighborhood senior citizen center. This is not a nursing home, though older persons who cannot care for themselves can spend the day there while their families are at work. Most of the elderly people visit the facility by choice, attending various classes from yoga to traditional musical instrument practice to foreign language study. 

 

Carol and I review basic food vocabulary with corresponding photos.

 The students practice giving directions in English to me and Carol. Their English is pretty advanced.

Our first class was attended by 70 students, who are now divided into two groups that will attend on alternate weeks. The focus is listening and speaking English. We talk about how to give and ask for directions, describe the foods you like or dislike, share what you enjoy doing in your free time, and sing English songs. A special request was put in for, "Oh, Carol" and we had a blast learning it together yesterday.
The students always come up with great and interesting questions, some of which Carol and I are unable to answer. For example, "What is the specific English word for 'goat meat'?" "When do you say 'go up the street' versus 'go down the street'?" Or "Why is the fruit called a "pine" apple?" My standard answer: "I will write down your question and ask my mom."

Winter Vaca and First Week of School

I haven't posted in forever, partially because I was out of Taiwan for 11 days and on vacation for almost a month. After school finished, I really relaxed in my empty apartment and just pondered life in between physical therapy sessions.
At the beginning of February I went to Japan to visit one of my best friends, Mariko, who studied with me at SOAS in London. She and her father met me at the Tokyo Narita airport and took me to their cozy home in the suburbs for a delicious hot pot meal, cooked by her darling mother. I immediately began to learn Japanese and fell in love with Japan. Maybe that will be the next stop on my world tour?
We spent a couple days in Mariko's hometown of Tsukuba, visiting her grandmother's traditional style home, her church and university, and quickly touring Tokyo in a day. Then Mariko and I flew off to Nagasaki...a place neither of us had visited before and that was of great interest to us both. Internationally known for being atomically bombed by my country, Nagasaki is also the first Japanese city to trade with foreign nations during Japan's 250 year period of isolation and was the entry point of Christianity into Japan.
On our first day, Mariko and I explored the former European and American consulates, a local women's college founded by missionaries, one of the first Catholic churches in Japan, and the historic area zoned off for foreign merchants. The next day we went to a memorial for local priests who were crucified during the early persecution of Christians in Japan, the atomic bomb museum, and the Peace Park.
Out of the whole intellectually and emotionally stimulating trip, the most ground-breaking moment for me was meeting a man who survived the bomb despite being within 1.1 kilometers of the epicenter. Thanks to Mariko's translation, he shared his story with us, showed us a painting someone drew from his memories, and shook my hand saying that he was so touched that I, a young American, came to Nagasaki to remember and learn about what happened. I wished I had the words to apologize.
After such a phenomenal trip, things only became more interesting when my parents met up with me in Tokyo. It was surreal to have them in this part of the world with me, finally! Unfortunately, the weather was cold and foggy in every city we visited!!! We did a bus tour of Tokyo, pushing through their jet lag, then flew off to Hong Kong for Chinese New Year celebrations.
Despite the weather, we saw a lot of the main attractions. My favorite part was meeting up with friends and staying at the hotel on my former campus, Hong Kong Baptist University. We had lunch with and were really taken care of by my great, and newly married, friends Brittney and Ellison. We even sang KTV with my Fulbright colleagues from Kaohsiung and their loved ones. I saw Hong Kong with new eyes and contemplated working there someday, but was so excited to head back to Taiwan.
In Kaohsiung my parents met my co-teacher Winnie and her family, my host family, and all of the Fulbright friends that make my life so fantastic. It is a wonder my parents survived the amount of walking, bus riding, and randomness I packed into their short stay. But their visit was just the little bit of home I needed to refresh me for the next six months.
The day after they left I began teaching at my new school, Xin Zhuang elementary. As anticipated, Winnie and I are as strong a pair in the classroom as we are out of it. I introduced myself to my 5th graders this week with music, comedy, photos and video. Despite having a 45 minute commute one way, two thirds of which involves me walking and sweating profusely, I am already really enjoying this semester. I'm still deliriously in love with Kaohsiung and the wonderful people that live here.
My main concerns at the moment are to spend more time studying Chinese, going to the gym, and tying up the loose ends of my plans for next year. And instead of doing any of those right now, I'm going to clean.

6 Months Up!

Hard to believe that I've been in Taiwan for six months now. In many ways, it feels like I've been here forever, but mostly time has flown by in Kaohsiung.
I haven't written for almost the entire month of January. Everything really piled up. I said goodbye to my third graders at Fushan, where the students gave me posters, gifts, random toys and school supplies, and the principal presented me with a certificate of appreciation and a handmade sculpture of the school's seal. My teacher's class took me to dinner and gave me a cool watch that looks like a tiger, since we're about to enter that lunar year.
Parting ways is always hard, but many new things are also beginning. My co-teacher Firefly is traveling through Europe during our winter vacation and Hsiao-ping gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Winnie and I are planning an exciting semester for my new fifth graders at Shinjuang, where I'll be teaching in a few weeks. I'm in some sort of shock. For the first time in six months, I'm not booked solid everyday and I'm not injured.
That isn't entirely true. I go to physical therapy everyday now, closer to home and I can go anytime of day from 8 til 9. It is painful, but we're making progress on my finger, which currently doesn't move. Through hydrotherapy (i.e. squeezing my hand in hot water), electrotherapy (squeezing my hand while it is hooked up to electric currents), and just having the doctor manipulate my finger, I'm regaining strength and mobility. There is a possibility I will need a second surgery.
Over the past month, there have been many highlights. I went to my principal's son's wedding at Da Ba restaurant. I did storytelling for the American Corner run by AIT. All of the Fulbrights went to the beach in Kenting for our mid-year conference. The Kaohsiung ETAs gave a fun presentation of our experiences. I visited Tainan, a nearby city with many ancient historical sites. One of the sixth graders at Fushan has become my adopted little sister. Her name is Janet and she is almost fluent in English. She and her family have welcomed me into their home. Check out my latest link to photos -- it is a combination of these experiences and some old pictures that Winnie just gave me.
My priority now is to amp up my Chinese proficiency. Carol and I are also preparing to start an English class at the elderly center behind our apartment. And soon I'll be seeing my parents on their first trip to Asia!

Christmas, New Years and Taiwan UP!

Happy New Year and TAIWAN UP to everyone! I spent New Year's Eve in Taipei this year, right under the 101 building, it's fireworks, and the glowing "Taiwan Up" sign that continues to confuse everyone. Apparently, the slogan is supposed to mean "Taiwan is getting up," which might make more sense in Chinese. It was a blast to be amongst all of the Taiwanese while we sat on the blocked off streets shouting, "Xing nian kuai le!"
I went home the morning of the 1st, by myself, because I wanted to enjoy the solitude of my empty apartment after a really busy 2009. I graduated, got a Fulbright and moved to Taiwan, and was hit by a bus. A pretty eventful year, I'd say.
But let's go back to Christmas Day, which I still have not posted about. It was very strange to be in 60 degree weather going to work on Christmas. After I went to English Village that morning, I met up with Carol at the local elderly center and we sang a few carols on every floor. The dementia ward particularly appreciated our songs and funny hats (I was a reindeer, as usual, and Carol was Santa).
We planned to meet up with Carol's host mom for what proved to be a very painful foot massage and waited outside the elderly center for her to pick us up. While waiting, and still wearing our Christmas hats, a man and his wife pulled up onto the sidewalk on their scooter. The man jumped off and began singing various Christmas carols. Then perceiving that we were American, he belted out our national anthem in operatic fashion. I had tears in my eyes, despite the absurdity of it all. He gave us his card, explained that he is Taiwanese, but teaches English, and wished us a very merry Christmas.
That evening all of the Fulbrights ate a delicious Christmas dinner together at Apartment C. Katherine, her sister Kendra, and Caroline cooked a feast for us! We had cheese and crackers, butternut squash soup, mashed potatoes, roast beef, and pumpkin pie. I couldn't have asked for a more American meal. Bekah even played her viola before dinner to set the mood. I spent forty minutes after dinner washing the dishes for them, but it was totally worth it after that amazing meal. Then I went back to my room and talked to my family for a bit on the webcam with Skype. Probably my weirdest Christmas ever, but not all together bad.
Unfortunately, I woke up bright and early the next morning to come to my school's Sport's Day. I cheered on my third graders and gave out stamps to the first prize winners. Every grade participated in a relay race and a couple of other competitions. I met several parents and all of the students were happy to see me. Luckily, since we came to school all day on Saturday, we didn't have school on Monday. That gave me a three day work week with New Year's Day off.
That Sunday I took the metro out to the countryside, early in the morning again, for some traditional Taiwanese barbeque. Some of the teachers from Fushan booked a campsite where you can cook your food like the aboriginal Taiwanese. The day began with me squatting in the mud, rubbing dirt all over our food. Well, the food was wrapped in newspaper first, and then we covered it with mud. My colleagues' husbands and boyfriends built a stone pit into which we put the food. Then we let the food cook for around three hours in an underground fire. While we waited, we played UNO, t-ball and a vague version of charades. We also ate sushi and hot pot to hold us over til the food was ready.
When the food did come out, it was a bit surprising. Corn on the cob and sweet potatoes were delicious, but imagine my surprise when the plastic bags were cut open to reveal WHOLE chickens. This wasn't too shocking after five months in the country, but I did remark, "They look like curled up little babies." Everyone screamed and told me not to say that! They couldn't believe that I don't eat chickens with their heads and feet still attached.
After all of these festivities, I've been trying to find spare time to plan my and my parents' winter vacation trips. I'm also wrapping up everything at Fushan since I move to Shinjuang Elementary next semester. One of these days I will mail some postcards and pull myself out of the Taiwan Twilight Zone...I think.