"The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page."

On Sunday we were invited to a formal brunch at a 5 star hotel in Taichung. The restuarnt was on the 13th floor and had an amazing buffet style line up of all types of food. The new teachers and I introduced ourselves to the staff and we were supposed to share a fun fact. The one I shared with the room was not very "fun," however it led to a great table conversation with the older teachers. Then is was time for the more important part, the goodbyes of all the leaving teachers. Again more tears.

Later in the evening, my mentor Sarah, took me to a great pizza place. Getting western food is not as hard as I was told it would be.  Really you can get anything you want, just not all at one store like back home. Another plus, to the already cheap food, is that tipping is not allowed. It is even thought of as rude, or they would be very confused by it.
Sarah also took me to the Jade Market. It was very neat and very clean. All sorts of things to bargain on from fans, tea pots, Buddhas, jewelry, wall art, salt rocks, and more. I purchased two bracelets with dragons on them. Two dragons together mean 'luck in wealth.' You never want to get one dragon alone, it is some sort of evil symbol.

The Taiwanese are very superstitious. Blonde hair, blue eyes are usually thought of as ghosts and the streets in the markets are full of random steps because ghosts are supposedly not able to use steps. They will also wear jackets and use umbrellas a lot to hide from the sun. The paler you are is a sign of high class. When you are tan, it usually means you work in the fields all day.

Kelly, my roommate, also has a great mentor named Holly. Holly showed us where we would be living since for now we are still shacked up in a hotel room sharing a bed like a married couple. We ate at a great little place were they cook the food up in front of you, only $4!! I did make the mistake of eating something red that was in the sprouts, it was so hot that I was in pain for almost 5 minutes afterwards. Holly shared all the wonderful places she has visited during her first year in Taiwan. Her favorites were Cambodia and Bali, she did not recommend the Philippines . I have put riding elephants in Thailand, the Great Wall of China, and Bali at the top of my to do travel list.

Monday night I went with Laura (from Chicago, lived in Spain), Angela (whose from South Africa), and Brittany (Indiana) to spend an evening with ChiMing. ChiMing is a friend of Laura's, he is from Taiwan originally, but will be leaving us to go to Duke University. ChiMing took us to another amazing restaurant in the "green mall," a few of the mentors nicknamed it that because there are beautiful green plants growing all the way up it. Again our meal was only $6, when in the states it would have easily been $20+ tipping. We walked over to the "people's park" and listened to some live music, watched children dance, and enjoyed the dogs running around. The two men playing music asked where we were from and then played three songs for us.

We ended the night by going to Feng Jia, the largest night market in Taichung. We walked around for over an hour and did not even make it through the whole place. Taiwan is very colorful, tons of people, lights, food, clothing, ads, jewelry, and definitely a lot of smells, good and very bad. Most things are very cheap at the market. I plan on getting a whole wardrobe before moving back to the states and I'll only spend 1/3 of what it would be back home. 

I've tried many different types of teas, including a bubble tea that originated in Taichung. Today I had mango over shaved ice, mango is in season right now so it's delicious. One of the best foods I have ever eaten.

Tonight a group of us decided that after school we would ride our bikes till we were good and lost, find a place to eat and then make our way back. It was such an adventure. It can be scary though with so much traffic, huge buses and no stop signs in some intersections. I think it will be the best way to learn the city though.

The people here are so beautiful and beyond welcoming. They are so fascinated with foreigners. They rush to greet us at the hotel and bow every time we come and go. I get compliments all throughout the day from random people in the streets. They would go out of their way to help you and there are no parts of town that we have to be worried about. Nothing is ever locked up and nothing is ever stolen. It's incredible.

At school, I have come to find out I am the "special case," although others would use a different word for it. In July I will teach a mixed 2-4th grade class and a 7th grade grad class at the Shang An Campus, which means I will also have to live on the other side of town. So for one month I will live in the Palace with two other girls. It is in a wealthier part of town and has an amazing pool. The students will be called the Unicorns and we will learn about street dancing and martial arts. Haha, what a kick. In August, I will move to my actual apartment with Kelly and teach New Ja Ban at Nan Men Campus. New Ja Ban means they are a kindergarten class that has zero English experience, they are called the Beach Babes. Finally, in September I will get my two 3rd grade classes, the Stars and the Skyscrapers (the only name I chose was Stars). I will teach at Little Cornel which is not even a campus at all, it is a small two classroom building which I will share with one other teacher. Whew! So many changes, it's all about being flexible they say. I actually see it as a good thing, now I get to experience a little bit of everything. --Thanks for reading -- KMLS