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!