A Flower for You

As I near the end of my time here, I love looking around and reflecting on the little life I've created here. It's funny how in just three years I already have "old friends" that I run into in the store or on the streets. Last week I rode out to my favorite thrift shop, the Sun and Green, in search of a dress for Saturday's work party. Not only did I find a cute dress, but also gifts for 4 other people! They all totaled in at about $17.

While browsing, I ran into a couple people I know there. First was Abe-kun, one of the workers who's always hanging around the clothes area. Every time I come he announces to shoppers in the vicinity that we're the same age, and have you met Rochelle-san? He also likes to show me pictures of his girlfriend, Jenny. He talks about her with such force that I'm not sure she really exists. So there was Abe-kun, and after he saw me at the dish bins and ran inside from the cold, out came another lady I met two years ago at a Thanksgiving party. She orchestrated a big showing of this foreign movie, Leonie, in the dying town of Kamojima. The turnout was huge! I hadn't had a chance to see or hear from her since then, though, so what a surprise. She only talked for a bit, before getting too cold (it was very windy and getting late). As I finally went inside and walked through the rest of the store, they'd pop around the corner and start up a new conversation. Just before checking out with all my treasures, the lady added another bag to my pile. Inside was a little bouquet from her garden, all fragrant and in beautiful bloom. I biked home with the bag balanced neatly on a handlebar feeling grateful for this life.

Taiwan - People

Today we can talk about the people. When travelling without a GPS or phone, you're bound to get lost. You can bully through maps to get back on track, but my favorite thing is to ask someone nearby. Even if they just point you in the right direction, it tends to be enough. This is a great method in Japan where I can speak the language. Chinese, on the other hand, proved so difficult for me that I couldn't even pronounce the place names in a way that locals could understand. In the end I abandoned my useful phrase list and stuck with English, which a surprising number of people know!

Everyone I met seemed really friendly. In Taipei there were a fair number of foreigners, but in the rest of the country Jackie and I were real celebrities. Many stared, some shouted hello in passing, and there were quite a few "secret" cellphone shots of us out and about. A few times at famous places, groups of grandmas and grandpas swarmed us to take pictures together as though we were the main attraction. But the people that went beyond this stick out as some of my best memories in the country. Here's a list of who they were and how we met!

Old man hiker
I met him on the Qixing trail at Yangmingshan National Park. I was cruising up the stairs in a race against time, but when I tried to pass this old man, he kept pace. "Nihao", I said too chirpily to be correct, and he started up a conversation all in English. It turned out he hikes that path every day now that he's retired, and then goes running every night. Talk about physically fit! We kept each other company halfway up the mountain. I learned about his son working in the UK, his grandchildren who live nearby, and the regulars of the park. Nice encounter in an unexpected place.


Janet (Li-jun)

Bite sized egg and shrimp combo.

We shared a room at the Taipei hostel. She's a 22 year old (same age!) girl just finishing up college. Actually, the reason she was in Taipei was to take a big test to get in to grad-school. She and her friends were up all night studying and then left around 6:30 am to take the test. Yikes! After that she went back home to Kaohsiung, where we met up with her at the end of our trip. She introduced us to the Liu He night market, "only for tourists", and explained all the different foods. We had stinky tofu together, tried flower pot ice cream, and got their famous sausage. She tried to get us to eat goose head, something "so delicious!", but we said we'd save it for another day. Or ... not. It was fun to meet such a cute, peppy youth of Taiwan and hang out for an evening.


Wallace and Louie
Are you noticing a theme on names? That's because all Taiwanese students get foreign names in their English classes. One day Jackie and I headed out to the Qingsui cliffs. Public transport was a little lax, so we ended up walking a good ways to the cliffs, with plenty of time to spare before the next train back. While there we saw a couple young guys writing something in the sand. It looked like Miss #$x (indecipherable). The waves kept washing it away before they could snap a proper picture. Anyway, after that we started the long walk back, but soon a car stopped. It was the same two guys, who offered to take us back to the main city on their way. "Wallace" was a social worker who did most of the talking. Louie worked at a bar, but was a shy boy and only spoke a couple English phrases. Right before they dropped us off, we asked about the message on the beach. Wallace explained it was to Louie's new girlfriend. When Louie understood the conversation he first looked shocked, then rebuffed his friend for outing his secret, then declared to us all "I love her!" before covering his mouth in a fit of giggles.


Akiyo and the Aboriginals

On the last day in Hualien, Jackie and I split up. I went to a city in the area and asked an older couple how to get to a nearby tea plantation. "Oh, that place?" the husband said, in English, "we live right by there!" They offered to take me on their way home. Neither the tea plantation or the Tropic of Cancer were quite as beauteous as I had imagined, but the day I got out of asking for them was well worth it. We hit it off in the car while chatting about English teaching (he got his PHD in the UK and is now a professor at a local university). I also learned that both of them are Taiwanese aboriginals, from different tribes. They were on the way to visit Akiyo's mother, and invited me in. I was worried at first about being able to talk with her, but he told me excitedly voice, "Nooo problem!". She grew up during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan and could speak it fluently. And when her friends hobbled by and stopped in to stare, I found out they could speak Japanese too. Then they took me to their farm, where we planted a mango tree, passion fruit tree, and a secret tree. I was told to come back in a year if I want to know what it turns into. They gathered up dry wood from the ground, uprooted a few vegetables, and cooked a delicious pot of stew over an open flame stove. On the way back to the train station, we stopped by the wife's dad's place in another aboriginal village. He smiled at me with a row of shiny silver teeth and spoke in Japanese.


These were just a few of the encounters we had over there every day. Others were the volunteer at the temple who gave us his own calligraphy papers, or the Chinese swimmer who joined us touring the Anping area, and the kind hostel owners that explained everything about the cities we visited. If the Taiwanese are really Chinese, then I'm going to need to change my presumptions about them. Because the people I met were not the rude, unsanitary, manipulative ones I expected, but kind, generous, and curious.

Travel in Taiwan

***Video***

I'm just back from a trip to Taiwan with many stories to tell! My favorite things about the country were the People, foods, and natural wonders. So over the next few posts, I hope to talk about these things. First, though, I'll give you an overview of the trip.

228 Peace Park

Taiwan has long been on my list of places to go. In college I had a work-study job where I worked with a Professor cataloging his slides of Taiwan and China. He would tell stories about them as we looked through little lupes at the beautiful images inside. So after almost 3 years, I finally got the chance to go there for myself. My travel buddy was a fellow ALT and friend, Jackie, who I became friends with through my English church. She's into cute things and singing in public. We got along pretty well.

The trip began in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. We went to some museums, a really cool performance of the dragon dance and Peking opera, saw parks, and split up a few times to see different things. Taipei was probably my favorite city because it had all variety of things: nature, history, food, and good transportation. I could easily have spent a few more days there.

Dragon Performance at the Taipei EYE

After Taipei, we traveled southeast to Hualien. This is a little smaller city, but big for the relatively underpopulated area. Here we were right next to a giant national park, the Taroko Gorge. I was really glad that Jackie didn't shy from exercise, cause we did a lot of walking there! Hualien itself wasn't that amazing of a city, but it was in close proximity to a lot of good daytrip locations in the countryside. I wish I'd known more of them when planning, but it was good to have a little more downtime here in the middle of our trip.

The last main city we stayed at was Kaohsiung down south. I'm not sure if it was the hoppin' hostel we stayed at, the late hours the city kept, or hanging out with a young Taiwanese girl, but I got the impression of a modern, young city here. There was so much life! Here we saw a giant Buddhist monastery and some ornate temples around Lotus Pond. I loved looking at the architecture and design of these places, but going inside the shrines there was a lot of spiritual energy around all the statues and idols. Kind of uncomfortable. Also from Kaohsiung we took a daytrip to the old capital, Tainan. We learned about the history of Dutch trading on the island, saw thousands of flowers blooming in a park, and went into even older temples.

Every day was packed to the brim with things to do. I felt like I was eating constantly, but came back having lost a little weight from all the walking, hiking, and biking we did. Things are cheaper in Taiwan, but I had to keep reminding myself that that didn't mean they were cheap. I hope I can come back some day!

Dome of Light at a train station in Kaohsiung

Everyday Updates

Hi, friends!
(name of an English textbook. I don't talk this way... yet.)

The more I become accustomed to life here, the less I seem to post. Japan has gotten so familiar to me now that it's hard to see the novelty all around. So here's an update on, well, life.

We're in the third term of school. That means my 3rd grade (12th) classes are all cancelled so the students can study hard for their University Entrance Exams. They don't come to school regularly anymore, and are supposed to be using the extra time to study. From what I can see, they are! Every now and then I'll hear a squeal from around the staffroom and see a student come to tell their teacher they passed. It's really sweet to see how much these homeroom teachers care about each student and crow/cry/jump over their success.

A couple students are practicing for another test, the big Eiken exam. This is different from the TOEIC and TOEFL in that there's a big interview part to it, and is only offered in Japan. Each grade level differs in execution, but the Pre-1st we're working on now involves narrating a picture story for two minutes and answering different questions related to the topic.

After school I've been reading a lot, and taking walks every day around the river. Every Wednesday and Saturday I'll walk to the grocery store and say hello to the elderly group that meets to gossip about life. I'm also working on a quilt made of old clothes I brought back from America. I like the patterns and colors, but I tell you, knit fabric is hard to work with. Last night I gave up after the thread took 2-4 tries before catching. Still, it's fun to imagine spreading it whole across a bed in the bright summer air, and let the memories of high school clothes live on.

It's coming up on 3 years since moving to Japan. This is the longest time I've spent at one thing in quite a while. I had 2 years of high school, 2 of community college, and 2 of university. The longer I'm here, the less I think Japan will be part of my future career. Then again, it will probably show itself in subtle ways through the rest of my life. This is my first step into the working world. I won't find out how deep of an impression it's left until I go back and have a different reality to compare it to.

That's all for today! *stand* *bow* *sit*

The Color of Winter

One of the daily park sitters and his dog, Ryoma.

I'm sitting by the river, letting my skin soak up some Vitamin D. Even an hour before sunset, the colors are so muted.The blue river looks overtaken by grey murkiness. A blue sky is dilluted by dull white clouds. Even green grass is taking on the yellowed tans of the dead stalks it's next to. This is a Tokushima winter.

A week ago when Subin and I took a walk along this same river, she told me how much she liked the colors. Instead of seeing the a lackluster landscape, she saw the soft beiges as a kind of comfort. She comes from Korea, where it's blue all day long, and Seattle with its steady greens and overcast greys that occasionally give way to vibrant blue skies. Never has she seen this dead grassland that makes up my childhood.

Looking again, I see tiny white flowers peeping out of the dead grass. A tangled bush of stickers frames its spiky balls against a steel blue backdrop. Across the river I see the sharp royal blue of a fishing boat waiting quietly on the shore. It's a pretty world.

Did you see it?

Mystery Udon Tour

Last weekend I went on my 4th Udon Tour with the teachers from my tech school. It was a great chance to catch up with them a bit now that I don't work there anymore. They haven't changed one bit!

What's an Udon Tour? you might be wondering. Well, udon is a most delicious flour noodle, thick and chewy in texture. It can be served in hot or cold broth with toppings like green onion, ginger, shaved radish, tempura, meat, and so on. As far as noodles go, nothing beats udon for me. That makes it extra nice that I live right next to a prefecture that is most famous for its excellent Sanuki Udon. On top of that, I have a friend who is from Kagawa (Sanuki) and just so happens to love introducing his home prefecture to people. What's more is that his friend has a big car and likes driving around the island. To top it all off, they like English and want to practice more. Perfect combination, right? And so started the Udon tour. We drive up to Kagawa, sample different restaurants (max so far has been 3 in an afternoon), and see other cool things in the area while getting hungry enough for the next restaurant. Obviously I'm not the only one who likes udon enough to come. One of the English teachers who works with them has come a few times. Zandra, who also works there, was one of the first people to go, along with a few other ALTs who've come. It's a lot of fun!

Now these are all mystery tours in that the only thing we know beforehand is that we'll eat udon and be surprised at what else we see on the way. But the reason this one gets the special title is because it had some mysterious sights along the way.

First was the cold spot on the side of Takahachi mountain. The weather that day was a balmy 97F. In the car we climbed up a little mountain, only 450m(?) or so high, and found these stone walls leading down to a sunken hole. Nothing too deep or abnormal looking, but inside the temp dropped down to 40 degrees F! The strange thing was that there was no explanation for why this place was so cold. Mr. M said that even when looking online he couldn't find an explanation for the phenomenon. As we were talking it over on the way down, the other Mr. M, our driver, pointed out the name of the little mountain road we were traveling on: Kubikiri Tougen, or Slit Throat Pass. Yikes!

The other strange thing was finding oyster fossils in a river surrounded by mountains. They were big smooth patches etched into the side of some giant boulders along the riverbed. I don't know much about oysters, but was told that they are a seawater creature. So what were they doing here in the middle of Shikoku? Earlier we'd seen a map of how Japan's topography had changed over the years. The place in which we were standing had once been entirely submerged in seawater. It was hard to picture that with all the lush trees, rice fields, and houses around anchoring us to the present.

You can see all the rest of the fun things we did in a video I made HERE.

It was yet another great weekend to slip into the portfolio of fun times this summer!

ALT in a Day's Work

It's summer again, which means no classes for me. Even though there aren't any obvious things I ought to be doing, somehow the days always get filled up! Let's take a look at one example of all the little things that make up a workday.

Much like our closing ceremony, but no chairs.

Spanish In the 15 minutes before the morning meeting today, I cracked open a Spanish study book to brush up on the 2nd language that shadowed my whole grade/high school life.

 Closing Ceremony Today's the last day of 1st semester, so of course we must have a 2 hour ceremony! They went through congratulating people name by name for sports and club accomplishments as a thousand students and teachers baked in the hot gym. One students passed out and had to be taken to the nurse's office. Instead of stopping the ceremony, they just talked a lot faster to end earlier.

Editing My supervisor is sending a letter to our Thai sister school. I used my special powers to correct spelling, grammar, and structure it to be more diplomatic.

Lunching I've only used half my "Social" budget for July so far, so I biked out to an Udon restaurant for lunch with Greg. Between bites of the chewy, cool, refreshing noodles, we talked over his summer trip to America... tomorrow!

Teaching The principal came by with some English questions. What's the difference between "How are you?" and "How are you doing?" (conclusion: not much!) and "You're welcome", "Not at all", and "No problem" (conclusion: formality of context, relations between speakers, and perceived inconvenience of the task).

Writing Writing this blog post, and catching up on entries in my daily diary. I'm so used to doing it now that it's not too hard to reconstruct a day based on To Do list scribbles.

Advising The photography teacher came by to ask for advice on an English subtitle for a basketball picture. We decided on "Planning the Victory".

Chatting Now that it's summer the other teachers are starting to relax again. Greg and I got to talk with one of our favorite English teachers about summer plans, Victoria's Secret, and the Japanese hatred of all things Chinese.

Recontracting I am officially recontracted until July 24th, 2014! I'm looking forward to another exciting year ahead. What surprises wait to be tread?*




*Sorry, this is a weird sentence. I just wanted it to rhyme.