"Wherever I Go, I Speak Of You With Love."

Typhoon season is here! They officially announced the start of typhoon season on Tuesday. By the end of school on Wednesday, Katie and I were riding our bikes home in a down pour of rain, luckily the wind hadn't picked up too badly by then. It was more fun than scary at that point, we were laughing and having a good time all the way home. We were soaked to the bone of course, but it was a great excuse for a night in.

< --satellite photo of the typhoon just before it really hit.

The next day however, I did not have such a great adventure on my bicycle. I made a trip to the grocery store, Carrefour, on my own. For those who know me really well know that directions are not my strong suit, but I made it. The thrill came after getting my groceries. I had bought milk (not quite the same as back home, little creamier), cranberry juice, eggs (smaller, darker yoke), grapes, apples (some of the best I've had), bananas, beef (a little chewy, pork is the better meat here), bread, cream cheese, crackers, yogurt (haven't found the right kind yet), and toilet paper. All that I bought for $770NT or $23 in the U.S. Now remember my form of transportation is a bike. Needless to say, I had my first, second, and third encounter of an almost crash accident all in the short bike ride home from Carrefour.


Pulled over to get a picture with this construction worker ;-)                                      -- >

The blame is partially my own fault, I should have thought more carefully about what I could carry. However, partial blame also has to go to the chaotic driving situations of Taiwan. There are many intersections without stop lights/signs. Cars, SUVs, or scooters will honk and then go right on through, sometimes they won't even honk. Taiwanese have not been driving as many years as we have in the states and no one is required to take a driver's ed course here. In just 3 weeks I have seen a vast amount of people and things riding on scooters around town. I have seen big dogs and little dogs, moms with babies strapped to themselves, dads with a toddler standing between his legs, sometimes even two kids. I have seen couples in love, girls in stilettos, men in bare feet, women and men in dress suits, people who carry suitcases, brooms, food dishes, propane tanks, you name it.  You do have to wear a helmet while scooting and a majority of people will wear a mask to block some of the fumes, something I still need to get! I have also seen umbrellas attached to bikes/scooters to block the sun. Most women will even put on sweaters backwards to block the sun as well. To add on, there is a ton of construction going on everyday. There are at least five skyscrapers going up in our area right now, the roads are either being swept or drilled into. People will pull over, put their hazards on and just leave their cars- not even in a parking spot. You have to be on full alert.
My artwork of what I see on a typical bike ride.

The Typhoon really hit on Friday night and early Saturday morning, continued into Saturday day and was finished by 4 P.M. Since it was the weekend we did not have a "Typhoon Day," AKA no school. The government will make the call on whether or not there is a "Typhoon Day," and almost everything in the city will shut down. My city, Taichung is surrounded by mountains so were we live was protected fairly well from the typhoon. Around the coast lines more than 2,000 people had to be evacuated into central Taiwan. To me, it just seemed to be a very heavy rainstorm with strong winds, nothing you would want to get stuck in, but not scary. The river did swell up quite drastically. I was amazed that within 6 hours of the typhoon passing it had gone back down to it's original level.

Over the weekend, typhoon and all, a few of us went to LUVstock. LUVstock is put on once a year it is claimed to be "Central Taiwan's Biggest Independent Art/Music Gathering." On Friday night, only four of us went, but since the typhoon was heading our way, we were among the few to show up. We had a great time meeting other foreigners, dancing to music, and walking around the site. LUVstock is held at a place called 'The Refuge,' which is an abandoned amusement park. It was captivating to see and climb into some of the old rides, like teacups and a pirate ship.

When I asked for a hula hoop and was presented one I was ecstatic! Hula hooping is a hobby a few friends of mine back home got me in to. I really enjoyed getting to do something I loved so much back home in my new home. Not only that, but they were all amazed at what I could do with the hoop when really my skill level is not that high. We left very late, or very early depending on how you look at it, in the pouring rain. As we ran into the cab, soaking wet, the poor car driver yelled out "My Car!!" We felt pretty bad.

We returned on Saturday with a few more girls. There were many more people now that the storm had passed, and the best part, live music! They had a variety of bands, some were so-so, others were exceptional! We danced all night, had some really good BBQ, and met more foreigners (most being from Canada and almost all were teachers).  The highlight of my weekend at LUVstock was watching the fire show. A woman stepped up, lit a hula hoop on fire and began a jaw-dropping, intriguing, yet elegant performance. She used every part of her body to hula hoop. She even took her shoes off, laid on her back and hooped with her feet!
It is unusual, yet quite amazing to live in a place where the majority of people are happy with their lives. I am finding it true that when those around you are happy, truly happy, they lift your spirit and build onto your own greatness. They are not concerned with petty things, they encourage you to enjoy every moment of your life and take in as much as you can. 

Taiwan is a place where people love you and want you to enjoy being yourself. They want to learn and grow, to share their experiences, and inspire. At least that has been my experience thus far-- I feel very appreciated here.

I wrote a story for the school magazine, Rainbow Time, it is a Valentine's Day story. I don't know if it will be published yet, but I used my nephew's name as the main character. :-)

My dreams have never been more vivid or as frequent, than since I have arrived in Taiwan. Dreams of home, dreams of resigning, dreams of adventures, dreams of family and friends, some sad, though most are good.

I am really enjoying teaching my Unicorn class, as well as my 7th grade grad class. Today I found out that next week will be my last week with them. (Yes, another change. I'm sure there will be more.) It is bittersweet since I am looking forward to getting closer to my own 3rd grade class. Before I do get my 3rd graders I will teach the upper kindergarten class, Old Jangban. Their class name is "Little Critters" and their teacher for the school year is Sarah, my mentor from before coming to Taiwan.

When I showed my students a video on YouTube about confidence, there was a young blonde white woman in the video and they asked if it was me. Made me laugh that they think a lot of "white" people look alike when you hear those same stereotypes from "whites" about Asians.

An amazing article written by an incredible women I thought I would share ----> Date a Girl Who Travels


At LUVstock, I was told by a foreign man from Canada whose been here 6 years now, "You'll want to leave after two years. Don't stay any longer. If you do you'll find it impossible to leave." 

-- I love hearing that people are enjoying my blog. If there is anything you want to read about that I haven't hit yet feel free to leave a comment asking anything. -- Thanks for reading!