Teaching Moments

About a month ago, I entered the wonderful, wacky world of teaching. Teaching English as a foreign language, to be exact. After less than a week of training, our small group of teachers were sent off to our schools, where the REAL learning takes place. 

Something you have to understand about Taiwan children, is that they are raised in a Confucian society. I still don't really know what this means, but it results in students who (mostly) respect the teacher, and who don't seem to pull a fraction of the crazy stuff that I pulled when I was in school. 

The worst I have encountered in my first month of teaching is a small group of 12-13 year-old boys who give me attitude, and who, understandably, are less than enthused about participating in a 2-hour English class at 6:30pm. This is by far my least favourite class, but still, it's not like they throw spitballs or anything (Have I said too much?).

My favourite class, of 8-ish year-olds, has a rambunctious, loud boy who somehow hurts someone nearly every day. He is not a bully, nor is he mean-spirited. He just doesn't think before he acts. Or before he speaks. So, I pull him aside and make him apologize to his injured friend and tell them he won't do XYZ again. I'm also telling him not to yell in class, oh, about every 20 minutes or more. It kind of drives me insane. 

Then, there are moments like I had this past Thursday. We had Science class, and the students were begrudgingly writing about magnets in their workbooks, when somebody randomly started singing "You Are My Sunshine". Then, more of them joined in, and when I told them I absolutely love that song, the entire class started the song over and serenaded me with what I think is one of the sweetest songs out there. My heart grew three sizes that day… 

I also have laughing-out-loud moments when I mark their quizzes and tests. Spelling word number 8 was supposed to be "listen to stories" and one student misspelled both "listen" and "stories". Actually, I only now realized that I only corrected "listen", because I was too busy laughing about the resulting error. 

Listen to stoners. Teehee. Thanks for the laugh, students! 

Why Living in Taiwan is Awesome

After living in Taiwan for about 6 months, I'm in a bit of a "culture-shock"/homesick rut. Since nothing works better to get you looking on the bright side than a gratitude list, I thought that's exactly what I should do. So, here is a bit of a gratitude list for Taiwan, and why I LOVE living here, even though my home country is by far one of the most beautiful places on earth.


Weather
It is warm here in the subtropics! Today is a chilly 16 degrees, while the rest of the week was in the high-20s. As a Canadian, I never thought I would be saying the phrase "chilly 16 degrees" without the same sarcasm we use when saying "a balmy 5 degrees". Here, there is no sarcasm in those words! Ahhh so warm. The humid, non-sarcastically-balmy weather is like a cozy blanket on your skin.
Edit: When I wrote that, it was 16 degrees... by the time I've actually got around to publishing this post, I am thankful for the cool 23 degree weather after a week of humid 30 degree, air-conditioner-needed heat.

This was in February. A beautiful, hot sunny late afternoon hike in Yangmingshan National Park.

Flowers
Learning that these colours exist in nature - what?! Amazing. All throughout the year, flowers bloom in exciting, exotic hues that I have never before seen in nature. It blows my mind. I'm kind of a nature nerd. And what's up with those orange flowers on the trees, which remind me exactly of autumn, but bloom in early spring? My senses are incredibly confused by this. It's all very exciting.

My new favourite flower. It smells amazing, and I wish I could buy a perfume made from its scent. Plus, it grows on trees!

A statue in a tea garden in Pinglin, with a camellia flower placed in his cup. Oh, and rows of tea bushes. Lovely!

Generosity
People here are overwhelmingly kind and friendly. I have had someone try to help me with my Chinese homework in a public library, random people offer me directions at an MRT station, restaurant staff offer to call a taxi for us because it's cheaper than flagging down a cab, vegetable shopkeepers add cilantro to my bag for free, been invited through the back of a restaurant for a tea ceremony when the shop was closed for the holidays, and had a bus driver allow me to sit in the front of a particularly crowded shuttle bus. These things become more evident outside of Taipei, as it is certainly easy to get caught up in the frenetic pace of the city. It is these little things that remind me that I am living on an island, and island people are great people.

My first tea ceremony, during Chinese New Year. We were literally welcomed into this family's home!

Convenience
To have such a large population function in a relatively small space, efficiency is key. This means public transportation options, restaurants, tea shops, banks, convenience stores, markets, you name it - everything is easily accessible and probably within a 10-minute walk from your apartment. Also, you can easily sign up for a city-operated bike rental program called YouBike, and use bikes for free, or for super cheap. I love it.

Taking the YouBikes to the riverside trail. This is way easier than exploring the city on foot!

Novelty

Dude. I freakin' live in Asia. That thought usually crosses my mind at least once a month. Whether it is a narrow street lined with bright flashy signs, or yet another incredibly elaborate temple, or the rain streaming off the typically-Asian clay tile roofs, or the selection of fresh local produce at my neighbourhood fruit and vegetable stands, I am inevitably struck by a sense of wonder that I am actually living here. It is impossible to be bored here. The moment you step outside, it is sensory overload time. Oh, and did I mention the night markets?

Keelung City's Miao-Kow night market during the Chinese New Year holiday