Farewell to Taiwan

This will be my last blog from Taiwan. It has been just about 11 months since I arrived in Taiwan, and I'll be leaving tomorrow. I am full of many different memories and emotions right now, and completely at a loss for words.
If someone would have asked me two years ago if I would ever consider living in Taiwan, I would have said no. If someone had asked me if I would ever consider teaching 2nd and 3rd graders, I would have said, "NO WAY." : ) I would have been wrong on both accounts...
This has been an incredible experience; one that I don't know if I'll truly realize how incredible until I get home. It has been challenging and extremely rewarding. It has helped me grow into a better person and helped me know myself a little better. I made the decision to come here last year because I felt I needed a "dare to be great" situation. I got exactly what I was looking for.
I have met some wonderful people here - coworkers, friends, students - and I can never thank any of them enough for all they have given me. I will carry them and the memories they made with me probably for the rest of my life. I will miss them dearly, but it's a great thing to know that I've got friends here who I can come back and visit any time.
So, tomorrow morning Nick and I are off to Bali bright and early to spend a week on the beach and in the spas, and then I will be back in Lincoln a week later, on the 18th. I can't wait to see everyone at home!
I'll sign off with some pictures and the words to a song I just happened upon yesterday...


"Call my friends to share some wine
To share some laughs, and last goodbyes
My photographs of these years
Will make me laugh through the tears

What are the odds, what are the odds?
This ends and we don't meet again
What are the odds, What are the odds?
That I will miss your smile"

lists

My time in Taiwan is winding quickly to an end. I decided on my drive home tonight (after watching a man on a scooter hock a lugee on the street in front of me), that with only 4 days left in the country, I should attempt to put together some lists. Kind of a "best of" and "worst of" thing. So, here goes...

Things that I will NOT miss about Taiwan:

1. Watching a man on a scooter hock a lugee on the street in front of me.

2. Getting stared and pointed at because I'm white.

3. Riding a scooter in typhoon-like rain storms.

4. The nearly oppressive heat and humidity of July and August -- even at 9:00 in the morning. (Seriously, anyone who things Texas or Florida are bad... they've got nothin on Taiwan!)

5. The complete and utter disregard for any and all traffic laws -- i.e. running red lights, in the middle of the light, even on extremely busy intersections; driving on the wrong side of the road or the wrong way on a one-way street; the belief that anyone making a left-hand turn must have the right of way (but only if YOU are the one making the left-hand turn); people who make right-hand turns against red lights (that's "illegal" here) and don't bother to check to see if there's any on-coming traffic; old men who walk or ride their bikes into the middle of traffic. This list of traffic stupidities could go on and on, so I'll stop there... (This needs more explanation, though, to be fair to the Taiwanese people that I have just bashed. There are two explanations that I can see. #1 The Taiwanese believe in destiny. They believe that if they need to make a right-hand turn against red or walk across the street, they should just do it. If they get hit, that was their destiny and there's nothing to be done about it. They also believe that if they don't look, they can't see that someone is going to hit them. It's the person who sees the other's responsibility to stop. #2 reason for bad driving: Consider how long we've been driving in the U.S. Then consider how the car has evolved and changed with us as we have learned how to drive. My mom taught me to drive. Her dad taught her - on a much slower car than she taught me. His dad probably taught him - on a VERY slow car. Now consider the fact that Taiwan has been driving for 50 years (even less in some of the smaller towns). Someone shipped over a bunch of cars from the US or Japan and probably stamped "Good Luck!" on the cargo boxes. So, you put these two things together - the "destiny" idea and the lack of knowledge or training - and you get all of the terrible traffic violations mentioned above.)

6. Seeing an old man or a young boy peeing in public.

7. The fact that there are no clothes or shoes on this island in my size.

8. No kitchen in my apartment. No ovens anywhere. No chocolate chip cookies.

9. My scooter getting blocked into it's parking space by a car.

10. Cars who park in the scooter lanes, or use them as turning lanes.


Ok, enough of that. Now, some of the things I WILL miss about Taiwan:

1. The DIRT CHEAP cost of living! Seriously - less than 6 USD to fill up my scooter for one week.

2. Fresh pineapples and mangoes.

3. The fact that I can get an appetizer and huge main course at a fantastic Thai restaurant for less than 3 US dollars! That is cool enough to stand on its own.

4. The absolutely incredible, warm, caring people who have helped me and befriended me - Taiwanese and foreigners alike.

5. Driving a scooter is pretty dang fun sometimes.

6. My students, who I love dearly.

7. Veggie hot pot. (They need to pick up this trend in the US.)

8. In the summer, the air smells amazing. There's some flowering tree in town that is incredibly pungent and fills up the air with it's smell.

9. On a clear day, I can turn down my street and see mountains in the background of the city. As a Nebraskan, this never ceases to amaze me.

10. My boyfriend.

goodbyes

Seriously, don't have a heart attack...

I've been taking pictures at school, so I thought I'd post them before I forgot...

This is my last week with two of my favorite classes, and let me just say: It's not easy! They are great kids with great personalities and we have really bonded and had some fun over the last year. I said goodbye to my Beaver class tonight - my favorite night class, and couldn't even get out more than one sentence. :( I don't want to begin to think about what tomorrow's going to be like when I have to tell my Tiger class goodbye. They are the main class that I teach, and we are pretty close. I have heard all sorts of stories about all of their families and even been lucky enough to meet a few of their parents. They are a bunch of sweetie pies, and will be dearly missed by me.
As I was driving home to school tonight (mostly in tears), I started thinking about some other jobs I've left. I don't think I've actually ever been as sad and reluctant to say goodbye as I am with this job (sorry to any of you reading this who are former co-workers, you know I've got nothing but love for you). It occurred to me that people, including myself, almost always leave jobs because they don't like them or some other not so positive reason. That's just not the case with this job, which is what makes it so hard to leave. I have loved teaching my kids and loved my coworkers and my boss (99% of the time), and have been very happy here. I don't know what kind of an impact I've had on the lives of my students or coworkers, but I know they've had a pretty big impact on mine. I've got about 6 weeks before my goodbyes are official, and I head out of here, but this week has certainly made me realize how fast time goes by. The next 6 weeks are going to fly, and I'm just not sure if I'm prepared for the finality of it all.
I don't usually ask this, but it might help if some of you keep me in your thoughts and pray that I can be strong tomorrow and over the next 6 weeks as I have to say goodbye to my students and friends...

Pictures:
#1 My sweet little Kevin, a.k.a. "My Little Turtle"
#2 Jamie, looking GOOD : )
#3 Kitty and Christine (Kitty is on the right, Christine on the left)
#4 Luke and Leo, the two naughtiest and cutest little boys on the planet
#5 My Beaver class, who I taught for the last time tonight :(

Meishan

I know, I know... Twice in one week -- don't stroke out.
So, I had the opportunity today to visit a Taiwanese mountain school today. It was, without question, the coolest thing I've done and seen here in Taiwan, and probably the most beautiful sight that I can remember seeing in my adult life.
A professor at the National Chiayi University is pretty heavily involved in the English program at this school up in the mountains. He called Nick's school last week, asking for a couple of foreign teachers to volunteer to go up and meet the kids at the school. Nick and I and our friend Chris, who is here for a visit, were the lucky three.
We met the professor and the school principal in Chiayi and they drove us an hour up the mountain just outside of a small (and I think aboriginal) village. Most of the people who live in the village have lived there for their entire lives and work in the tea fields. The kids at the school have never seen foreigners before, so the point of our trip today was for them to meet us and get a chance to talk with some native English speakers.
After we arrived at the school, we spent about an hour with the kids, giving them one-on-one oral tests (about eight questions each). Some of them were pretty nervous, others were EXTREMELY excited. One of the first little girls I talked to leaned in and whispered, "I don't know," when I asked her what her name was : ) I whispered back, "Yes, you do," and pointed to the name tag on her shirt. Another little boy answered, "My name is Kevin1" when I asked his name. Apparently there are two Kevins in that school -- he was "Kevin1" (his name tag actually said that) and there was a "Kevin2". He also proudly told me that he goes to an English school (probably about a 45 minute drive down the mountain, twice a week) and that he knew English very well. He also told me to drink the tea, it's good for my health. One of the questions we had to ask was related to going into a fast food restaurant and we had to say, "For here or to go?" A girl in the 5th grade didn't quite understand the question, so I tried to explain it to her by saying the phrase "wai dai" which means "to go" in Chinese, and when that didn't work, I rephrased my question and tried to explain that "to go" means to take your food and go outside of the restaurant to eat (in much simpler words, of course). She thought I was telling her that she could go, and stood up and started to walk out of the room! Hahahahaha
After the oral tests, the principal took us outside and showed us around the school. It was absolutely incredible! She has been there for two years and has literally transformed and decorated every last nook and cranny of the place. There is art work and calligraphy hanging in the hallways and sitting areas for the kids and visitors outside so they can eat their lunch or have class out there on nice days. We were told that the school wasn't much to look at before she came, and she enlisted the help of parents and teachers to build beautiful fences and walk ways. My favorite area (in one of the pictures) had beautiful, brightly colored pinwheels hanging all around and a handmade stone table and seats, with a bamboo fence (made entirely by the parents) surrounding the school perimeters. There was a nice cool breeze and lots of sunshine with the incredibly beautiful mountains in the background. As Nick and I walked around the school, we gasped and "ahhh"ed and "Oh my goodness"ed at every turn. The mountains were breathtaking; covered with tea fields and palm trees. It's a very strange thing to be up on a mountain and have palm trees all around...
Unfortunately, though I try, neither words nor my pictures can accurately portray the beauty and amazing-ness of this day and that place. I said several times that one thing I really wanted to do before I left Taiwan was visit one of the aboriginal villages. This was nothing like I expected it to be (the kids looked exactly like the kids I teach every day and there weren't any mud huts or people walking around in handmade clothes and no shoes with baskets on their heads), but it was so much more. I can't begin to express how happy I was to have that experience today. It was truly awesome.

Pictures below:
#1 The basketball court/track/recreational area of the school with the mountains in the background.
#2 Nick and I with the mountains in the background.
#3 Mountains and palm trees.
#4 & 5 The pinwheel area with the handmade bamboo fence in the back.

pictures

The first picture is Nick and I at a housewarming party for two of my coworkers.
The second is of my four naughty kindergartners.
The third is the swimming pool overlooking the mountains in Beitou, at the resort we stayed in.
The fourth is me at the top of Taipei 101, the second (?) tallest building in the world.
The last is Nick and Chris (for those of you who feel confused "Little" Nick : ) and our friend who is here for a visit), looking out at where the Danshuei River meets the Pacific Ocean.

May/June

Hello everyone! (well... anyone who is still reading this sparsely posted blog... : ) It's been a while since the last post -- things have been pretty busy. But, that just means I have more to tell you now!

May
May went by like the blink of an eye. It seems like now that it's getting closer to the end, time is going even faster than before. I worked a whole lot and had to start planning my 9 week summer camp/summer school schedule (that is still a work in progress). Nick and I also finished up our Chinese class. While I enjoyed the class, it's nice to have my Tuesday and Thursday mornings back. Nick and I made a short weekend trip to Taipei, just to get out of Chiayi and eat some American food (a.k.a. Chilis and Subway). It was a relaxing and welcome break for both of us. We were able to get our hair cut which was GREAT! : ) Taipei has several Aveda salons, and their haircuts are so much more... Think head and shoulder massage and essential oils. That was about all May had to offer me, actually (work, work, and more work). ...maybe that's why I didn't post anything...

June
I really can't believe it's almost the end of June already. That is pure craziness. Being half way around the world, I have really lost all concept of what time of year it is (except for the fact that it's been un-godly hot here). I nearly missed the fact that Memorial Day existed, and am just now coming to realize that kids in the US have been out of school for almost a month now. As I mentioned up there in "May", we have a summer camp/school at my cram school, but that doesn't start until June 30th. The kids in Taiwan go to school from September through the end of June and only get national holidays, a couple of weeks and Chinese New Year, and two months in the summer "off". They spend the majority of their time "off" doing homework or going to some type of cram school, whether English, math, or another subject that their parents feel they should be doing better at. Some of the lucky ones get to do stuff like sports camps or magic camp (I laugh every time I say that... if you watch "The Office", you'll know why). At our summer camp/school, the kids get to go do fun stuff, like see movies and go swimming in the mornings, then come to "class" in the afternoons. The difference between the school year and the summer, is that the teacher of each class gets to plan their own curriculum. We can teach about nearly anything we want, and try to make it as fun and interesting as possible. I don't think any of you will be surprised to hear that some of my weeks are "Exercise/Nutrition", "Maps and Geography", "Food" (NO ONE will be surprised about that one!), and "Global Warming". I think we'll have a great time, but it sure is a HELL of a lot of work for me (excuse the superlative).
Aside from school... Nick and I took a weekend trip to Beitou (a small mountain town just north of Taipei) and stayed in a resort/spa. It was wonderfully amazing and beautiful up there. We laid by the pool (overlooking the mountains), had massages : ), and enjoyed the natural hot spring hot tub that came right into our own hotel room! After we checked out on Sunday, we went into Taipei and wandered around for a while, of course stopping for dinner at the Macaroni Grill.
The following weekend, our friend Chris from Hastings flew into Taipei, so we went back up to show him the sights there and ease him in to his Taiwan experience... He'll be staying with us for about a month, and although Nick and I will be working most of the time, luckily Nick's adult students have been MORE than anxious to take him out and show him around (they're all women, too, so he's a lucky man).
As of today, I've got just a little less than two months before I come home. It is really a bitter-sweet feeling... I am SO excited to start grad school and will be very happy to come home to my friends and family (and cats... oh, and the food). But, things have never been better in my relationship and it's going to be ridiculously hard to leave Nick. I am so incredibly happy with him, it's hard to put into words. (I may have said all of this in my last post, or my last two posts, or my last however many posts, but it's still true, and is becoming much more real to me as the time to go approaches.) I have also made some great friends here and met some wonderful people. As difficult as it's been at times over the last year, Taiwan is a good place to live, and somewhere I hope to come back to visit more than once. There are incredible sights to see, EXTREMELY interesting customs (top 10 lists coming soon), and some truly genuine and caring people.
Anyway, I think I've got you mostly up to date with what's going on in my life. I hope to hear from you soon, and would LOVE to see as many of you as possible when I get home!
OH -- forgot to mention: My flight will be arriving in Omaha on Monday, August 18th at around 4:00 p.m. I plan on making my mom drive me through either Runza or Amigos on my way home. : )

Best wishes, and more to come SOONER THAN LATER!

Katie

update

Hey everyone!
So, since this has become a once a month thing, I'll catch you up on the rest of my March and all of April...
It's been mostly uneventful, but also very busy. The most exciting things in the second half of March (so, after my mom left) were an afternoon of volleyball and a trip to Kaoshiung. Kaoshiung is the second largest city in Taiwan, and Nick and I made the weekend trip with a few of his coworkers. On Saturday night, we went to a dance club, where we all discovered how old we're getting. The dancing was fun, but there were tons of people and lots of smoke (back in the good old days, I never even noticed those things!). On Sunday, we went to the Kaoshiung "Dream Mall" in hopes of finding me an outfit for a wedding. We had lunch at TGIFridays, a much welcomed and needed break from Taiwanese food, and spent the rest of the day looking at clothes that were about two sizes too small for me. That was a highly frustrating experience because, by Taiwanese standards, I'm HUGE! : ) (It was a bit of a shot to the old ego, but I've since rebounded - and revamped my workout routine.) Then, we went for a ferry ride on the Love River, and headed home. It was a fun weekend, all in all, and it's always fun and interesting to see a new town.
At the beginning of April, Nick's "brother" and now "sister-in-law" got married. (A bit of explanation is needed here, seeing as Nick is an only child. When Nick's mom was getting her master's degree at the University of Oklahoma several years ago, she met a brother and sister from Taiwan and kind of took them in and they became like family to Nick's family. They call Nick their brother. While I don't get along with the sister the greatest, the brother, Ginget, and his wife, Yisan, are two of the kindest and greatest people I've ever met. Nick is living with them in their family's house now, here in Chiayi.) Anyway... Yisan asked me to be a "bridesmaid" (different thing here) and Nick was a "groomsman" for the wedding. It was really interesting to see a traditional Taiwanese wedding, and we were both really happy to be a part of their day.
Last weekend, we made a trip to Taichung (another bigger city) to spend the day with one of Nick's students and her family before she headed off to the US for 6 months. We went hiking (pictures below) and went to Chili's for dinner (ANYONE STARTING TO SEE A TREND HERE???????). It was really great, and nice to hang out with her. We have been lucky enough to make some really wonderful friends in his adult students, and we're sad to see them all start to head off in separate directions now.
Another new development in the last couple of weeks has been that Nick and I came to a mutual decision that he will be staying in Taiwan for another year while I come back and start grad school. He really loves his job and just isn't ready to leave it. He's finally found something that he's really passionate about doing, and he's really happy. I know it's important for him to get to explore that, just like it's important for me to start grad school. I fully support him in this decision, and hope that the year apart makes us stronger together, and even more certain about what we want from each other. I'm confident that it will. (Remember this when I'm crying to you next year about how much I miss him... : ) We're going to take a short trip together before I come home, so that will be wonderful. I'm thinking: laying on a beach somewhere all day, drinking fruity drinks, and walking the beach at night... Doesn't sound half bad, right?
I have been missing my family and friends and home a lot recently, but am trying HARD to take one day at a time, and enjoy what I've got while I've got it. I found a great little gym across town, which has been my savior. I've been working really hard to get back in shape, and am just about back to the shape I was in when I left (Taiwan has reeked havoc on my appearance in every way - think helmet hair from riding a scooter around, no gym facility until now, and hot and humid weather - BAD combination!!!) Now, I'm going to keep working hard and see what happens! : )
Well, I guess for an "uneventful" last month and a half, I sure had a lot to say... There's a lot coming up that I'll have to tell you about next time: Nick and I are planning a weekend trip to Kenting, a beach resort city in the south of Taiwan. I can't wait - it will feel absolutely wonderful to do nothing but lay on the beach for two days (another trend, anyone?).
Only about 3 and a half months until I come home (my tentative arrival date in Omaha is August 18th). Can't wait to see you all!

As always, with love from Taiwan,

Katie

Sorry - pictures
#1 Nick and I at the wedding
#2 Ginget and Yisan on their wedding day
#3 hiking in Taichung
#4 Nick and his student, Veronica, who is in Boston now, then L.A. - she's hillarious, I love that girl...
#5 with Nick, after a day of hiking and SWEATING MY BUTT OFF!!!!!!!!!

La mei

I know it's been a long time since I've added anything new, and there are many important things that have happened over the last couple of months. But for me, this one is at the top of my list: I was out for my usual Wednesday evening post-stressful school day run, when I passed a man in his late 40s. He gave me a big smile and said "Oooohhh! La mei!" Directly translated, that means "spicy girl" or something like hot girl, loosely translated. : ) Talk about a self-esteem booster!!! (I do, of course, realize that this same man did not see me AFTER my run, looking much less spicy and much more sweaty, but obviously, I don't care.)

Anyway, BESIDES that extremely news-worthy event, there has actually been a lot that's happened since my last blog. I've been to Taipei twice, once over Chinese New Year with Nick, and once when my mom came to visit. Both times were totally different and great. When Nick and I went, it was a very laid back week. We did lots of walking around, ate plenty of American food (think Chilis, Macaroni Grill, Subway), lots of shopping (not buying), and stopped in at some of the important sights like the National Palace Museum (http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/home.htm) and Taipei 101 (http://www.taipei-101.com.tw/en/Tower/index_tower.asp). Mostly, we just spent a lot of time relaxing, which was much needed and wonderful!
My mom came to Taiwan about 3 weeks after Chinese New Year was over (about two weeks ago from today), and I met her in Taipei. We spent 3 days there, in a whirlwind, sightseeing, shopping, eating, and doing very little resting. We had a really good time, though, I mostly just enjoyed seeing her! After Taipei, she came back to Chiayi with me for about a week to see how I live here. She got to meet all of my friends and coworkers, and I showed her around town. She was very adventurous in trying all sorts of new foods - many of which I won't try (think chicken feet and something called "stinky tofu"). She also came to school with me and met all of my favorite (and not-so-favorite) students : ) We had a really nice time together, and I think she enjoyed meeting all of the extremely kind and generous people that Nick and I are lucky enough to be friends with here.
While my mom was here, a VERY exciting thing happened for me (and her, actually...). I found out that I was accepted to the University of Nebraska Anthropology Graduate program!!! This is something I've wanted for a long time, and I was (and still am!) so excited and relieved that it's actually coming true. UNL's program is excellent, and exactly what I wanted, as they have a very well-respected staff with a great reputation for placing their graduate students into top PhD programs. I also feel happy that I get to go back to Lincoln for a couple of years. After spending a year away, it will be nice to be home, even if it's only for a while.
So, I've written a WHOLE lot now, and I think I've caught you up on mostly everything that's new with me (new is a relative term, of course).
I hope you're all well, and would love to hear from you soon!

As always,

Katie

Welcome 2008!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their New Year's Eve and their day of rest afterwards.
After work on New Year's Eve, Nick and I went out to the home of a couple of my coworkers to ring in the New Year. When midnight hit, it was a whirlwind of action - shooting bottle rockets off the balcony of the apartment (everything is legal in Taiwan), drinking champagne, watching fireworks from across the lake. In the midst of the (fun) chaos, time sort of slowed down for me... I'm celebrating New Year's Eve in a completely different country, and am lucky enough to be on this great adventure, with so many exciting possibilities ahead.
I've spent some of my time over the last month being homesick, missing my family, and missing Christmastime at home. But, with the end of the holiday season comes the beginning of a new year. One to enjoy and explore, where anything can happen, and one to celebrate. I'm not saying I won't be homesick, or miss my family (or my kitties), because I'm sure there will be times when I do. But, I'm saying that I'm happy that last year brought me to Taiwan, and I'm ready for this year to start. I'm ready to have fun and enjoy the freedom of being young.
I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, because they're often forgotten by the second or third week of January. This year, instead, I will set goals for myself. I plan to spend the next few days (or maybe months) deciding what those are, specifically. But... to name a few:
#1 Be accepted to anthropology graduate school for the Fall 2008 semester.
#2 Become more serious and committed to running and yoga (both the keys to my inner peace, I believe).
(side note: more concrete goals to come)
#3 Take better care of myself, physically and emotionally. I need to treat myself with love and compassion, and simply just stop being so hard on myself!
and...
#4 (and most important) When I hit a bump in the road, I want to remember what I felt like at midnight this New Year's Eve. Luckily, I have all of you to help remind me of that.
I hope this finds you all happy and well, and I wish you the very best in 2008.
Much love,
Katie

p.s. These pictures are from my New Year's celebration!

Shocking!

The two artistic bones that I have in my body worked together to make this Christmas tree picture for the classroom. The kids each made their own ornament to hang on the tree. They also made stockings to hang on the wall, and wrote their Christmas wish lists. We decorated the rest of the classroom together with some shiny garland. Quite a good time, and the classroom looks so pretty I don't want to take it all down!