Sunday, May 31, 2015

Rediscovery in Taiwan

I'd like to start this post with a quote I find wholeheartedly true.

"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves, and we travel next,
to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes.
And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again-
to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more."
-Pico Iyer

In these past couple months I've learned a lot about myself. As a woman, a teacher, an employee, a friend, a lover, a teammate, and I'm constantly learning as a traveler. This Spring both my classes performed their Annual Class Performances. I was such a proud teacher. We completed writing portfolios, along with many other writing pieces, grammar lessons, projects for holidays, while reading, sharing, and above all growing. Many changes continued to happen surrounding the administration, the teachers, and events. The resilience I have witnessed from a majority of the Chinese staff is astounding. Not something you would see most anyone handle with such grace. I've learned a lot about respect and positivity, the world of difference it can make in a single phrase. 
Fireflies enjoying Water Play Day!
On to 4th grade!
Got the smarts, and the muscles! Hehe!
I have also spent my time stretching those travel legs of mine throughout as many little historical towns and big cities of Taiwan as I can. While doing so I had a great companion by my side. Someone with parallel interests to my own, a hunger for adventure, and the curiosity of a child.  We had a wonderful time together, full of many surprises, laughs, and adventure. Things I thought I knew, I rediscovered with him. Two of the most important being self-worth and the spirit of nature. My connection with nature has only grown since moving to Taiwan. I feel a huge responsibility to protect this planet and educate others. I hope soon I will find my part to play. 
Happy Earth Day! 
Now that I've gotten the personal jargon finished with. I can reiterate on my Tuesday day trips, Taiwanese holiday breaks, and my week off. 
2015 is the Year of the Goat. Taichung was the host city for this year's Chinese New Year celebrations in Taiwan. It provided us with almost a month's worth of entertainment, ranging from firecrackers, festivals, lanterns, singing, parades, and flocks of people. 
Karl, Kelly, Michelle and I at Taichung park (Goat Park) for CNY 2015!
Climbing trees so we can see the lanterns and performances better! >_<
I started using my no-work Tuesdays to enjoy less populated day trips around central Taiwan. The first being Changhua, nicknamed Bamboo Town, then Lukang.
Chunghua Buddha Statue of Baguashan
Inside you could learn of the story of Buddha with visual aids. 
Entering a Temple in Lukang
Being a goof in all this beauty.

That night, the Lantern Festival located right at the Taichung High Speed Rail Station. 
Goddess Mazu and her protectors. 
Love around the world. 
LINE. Of course!
Football player riding a dragon? Okay. 
A few weeks later, we took a trip to Miaoli. Known for its famous strawberry picking fields during the winter. We hitch-hiked to the remains of Longteng Bridge and back.
Marc and I at Longteng Bridge.
The last Tuesday day trip was to Jiji. A very small, but very historical township of Taiwan. Even the railway station still stands from the Japanese Era. Cycling is largely popular around the city since many of the sites are spread a few kilometers apart.
We rented a tandem bike and went off to discover the little town. We rode out to a mushroom farm, stopping at a market for some treats and curiosities.
:-)
The most interesting part of the day was inspecting the half collapsed Wuchang Temple from an earthquake in 1999, also known as 921 Earthquake.
9-21 -1999
What remains.

In between Tuesdays, I had a great weekend in Taipei loaded with some live music that made my ears happy.
I went to see Cinderella with T. Brittany's class, enjoyed the Avengers two weeks before its American release date ^_^, had an official Cornel Crew karaoke night, aka KTV, and finally got first place at Early Bird Pub Quiz!!

I finished reading my fourteenth book, became a mentor for a new arriving teacher, made it through two straight weeks of gray, rainy days, subbed a lot, relieved my mango cravings- multiple times, and enjoyed the newest season of Game of Thrones.

First Place Pub Quiz!

For Children's Day and Tomb Sweeping day, there was a four day weekend for everyone in Taiwan. Lucky for me it became a five day weekend because I don't work on Tuesdays this year. For the youth of Taiwan this is the beginning of beach season, or your could say, Spring Break. For the second year, my friends and I flocked South, along with thousands of others, to enjoy Kenting beaches and foreigner festivities.
Kelly and I enjoying the music!

The girls and I having some laughs in the sand!
After two nights and two days of DJ's, pool parties, big waves, and dancing at sunset, I continued my long weekend by hitchhiking to Longgong to catch a ferry boat to Liou Chiou, or Xiaoliuqiu, Island. Taiwan's large coral island.
Sizing things up. 
Love. The. Ocean. 
One of three seat turrles spotted. 
Sunrays.
Those mountains in the clouds. 
Hunting for crabs. 
On the beautiful island, I met my friend Gina, her friend Totto, and many others who had been diving in the crystal blue waters all day. My plan was to dive on the following morning, but a storm came through. The island is famous for is "flower vase" rock formation and for the abundant amount of sea turtles in the nearby waters. When the weather cleared up, we grabbed snorkel gear and spotted three sea turtles in under an hour! Other than the snorkeling being phenomenal. My favorite part of the island was the colors in the sunset each night and the do-it-yourself-BBQ style restaurant. I ate the most meat I've eaten all year. It was divine.
BBQ Beasts!
Sunset on Liouciou.
Good-bye, Coral Island! 
A handful of random teachers and I went camping with Uncle Michael and his wife. Baseball, catch, badminton, and a whole lot of zip-lining took place as we waited for the BBQ. We ate and sweat, then ate some more. Every one at the campsite played together and we all joined in when Uncle brought out his guitar around the fire.  When it got real dark out, we marched down the road to an empty field with hundreds, if not thousands of fireflies. Unlike anything any of us had ever seen before. We stood in awe at the brilliantly bright flashes of light. Like the stars came down to dance right in front of us.
Spectacular view. 
Setting up camp.
Zip-lining. I actually could do this once or twice!
Badminton, catch, anything and everything. 
The Cornel Camping Crew & friends. 
Spent a weekend in Dajia celebrating the Goddess Mazu.
Will you hold my baby? 
Goddess Mazu and her protectors. 
Parades in the streets. 
Celebrate MAZU!
Third eye.
Mid-May I took an entire week off of school to really travel and explore the Northeast of Taiwan. I have always used my days off to go to other countries.This time it was much more relaxed, slower-paced, and I couldn't believe how much Taiwan's Northeast had to offer that I had missed my first year!

Day 1: Yingge Ceramics Museum and Yigge Old "Pottery"Street. Yingge District is famous for its porcelain and an abundance of art studios and shops.
He spins his ceramic wheel with his foot and quickly makes his pottery.
Aboriginal food with some friends in near Taipei.
Free stay with Marc's previously met aboriginal Taiwanese friends.
Day 2: Keelung, the second largest seaport city after Kaohsiung. From here we made our way to Yehliu Geopark. "The coastal line is stretching in a direction vertical to the layer and the structure line. The influence caused by wave attack, rock weathering, earth movement, and crustal movement, all contribute to the formation of such a rare and stunning geological landscape."
The most popular, "Queen's Head" rock formation. 


JADE
Would you try it?
How about some of this?
Delicious sea food right near the port!
My first ever science teaching lesson was on this creature, a Cuttlefish!
Fishing boats.
Day 3: Jiufen and Jinguashi, in a mountain area near Keelung became popular for its gold rush in the 1890s. Many years later, 1989 and 2001, two films were set in the small town of Jiufen making it a popular tourist attraction full of cafes, tea houses, and souvenior stores. Jinguashi is known for its gold and copper mines. In the last years of WWII it was used by the Japanese as a prisoner-of-war camp.
Two motion pictures have been filmed in the quint, authentic town of Juifen.
One of the Japanese favorite cities of Taiwan during their rule. 

Crazy cat lady. 
The famous Old Street of Juifen.
Gettin' out of town. 
Working on it. 

The "Golden Waterfall" of Jinguashi. 
Day 4: Fulong Beach and its golden sand is popular for those in northern Taiwan. 
Second time camping on this beach. Sunset it always remarkable. 

The 2015 International Sand Sculpture Festival was 
happening during our time through Fulong.
Speaks volumes.

The detail is exquisite. See the cat? 
Hot Wheels. Wanna race?
Hitchhike to Yilan, find hostel in Ludong.
Bike through the tourist night markets and snack on some Taiwan treats.

Day 5: Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area. Rented a scooter, drove two hours through the mountains to get to the Ancient Forest Trail. So much natural beauty. I really enjoyed driving along the narrow roads on the edges of the mountains. Seemed like something from a movie, and that view of the light clouds hovering over the endless sea of mountains could never get old. Stopped at the Giant Bailing Tree, Cueifong Lake and trails, then as we headed back down the mountain we stopped at Jioujhihze Hot Spring to boil some eggs. We camped out this night.
Rice fields.
On the way to Taipingshan.
Welcome to Nature Lovers Paradise!
"Bailing giant tree is an aged Taiwan red cypress, over 2500 years old, 30 meters tall, it’s diameter at the breast height is 3.4 meters, and the circumference 9.4 meters, it takes 6 adults to embrace the trunk! Bailing giant tree was once struck by a thunder thus hollowed the trunk, the tree still stands rock steady, it stands at the altitude that divides the coniferous from the broad leave species on Taipingshan."
I could stay up here forever. 
Almost thought it was Autumn. 
Tree kisser. :-P
These are poisonous! 
Cueifong Lake, largest highland lake in Taiwan. 
Makes me wanna howl into the big blue sky! 
Hot Spring used by many for boiling eggs!
Had to try it! 
Day 6: Guishan (Turtle) Island, the only active volcano in Taiwan, which displays sulfur, gases, and carbon dioxide in the surrounding waters turning it pale blue. Before arriving onto the island, the boat tour takes you dolphin watching and around the island. The dolphin watching was amazing and sporadic.  
The tail of Guishan (Turtle) Island.
Dolphins! 
The sulfuric acid from being an active volcano turns the water pale blue around the island. 
On the island their was a freshwater lake, a temple, a small trail to lead you through the old village where a school and some buildings still stood. The island once had inhabitants, until typhoons made bringing supplies from the mainland too difficult for them. 
Now is used as a military defense bunker.
Lanyang Museum

Later on we hitchhiked with a trucker to Taipei.
We climbed Xiangshan, or Elephant Mountain, to get the amazing view of Taipei 101 at its finest.
Day 7: Returned to Taichung for an evening before repacking and heading south to Chiayi City. A great hostel, friendly people, and we got to try the famous egg rolls and turkey rice of  Chiayi.
Day 8: Hitchhiked with a father and son up to Alishan Mountain. Stopping at Fenqihu, a midway point on the Alishan Mountain Railway. 
Stopping to eat, see the historical trains, and have coffee from the mountains before arriving at the entrance of Alishan National Scenic Area.
Welcome to Alishan
Day 9: Wake up at 3 A.M. to get a good viewing spot for the "sea of clouds" sunrise that has made this location so famous. The early morning and the way too early morning hike was well worth it to see that sunrise. Around 8 or 9 in the morning, we made our way out of the park, hitchhiking on the back of a couple of scooters, then with a mini van full of monks back to Chiayi and finally a nice elder man took us back to Taichung.
The sky was like a canvas for the most beautiful paintings imaginable. 
Sharing a love for sunrises. 
From the top.
Now the end of the year is here. The final four weeks of school, new teachers arriving soon, and friends saying goodbye. The memories become more treasured and the lessons learned become more valued. I look forward to the beginning of a new school year, and I am ecstatic to be home for the month of August.

Thanks for the continued love and support. --K