Early in October we had our first meet and greet with the parents. I have 20 students, and 10 of my parents came so it was a decent turn out. Only one spoke enough English so we were able to talk without Teacher Iris translating for us. The rest of the conversations were all translated by my wonderful Chinese teacher. 
For the first weekend in October I went to Hehuanshan Mountain, aka Mt. Hehuan, Wuling. The peak is outside of Taichung city, between Nantou and Hualien counties. (Hualien is the East coast of Taiwan, also featuring the Taroko Gorge which I hope to make a trip to some weekend.) Mt. Hehuan is also a part of the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan, also known as the backbone of Taiwan. It is the highest point of Taiwan accessible by public roads, 11,227 feet. It is also one of the rare places where snow can be found and admired during the Winter months.
The two hour scooter ride through the mountains was magnificent. It was unlike anything I have seen before, and probably one of my biggest realizations that I AM LIVING IN ASIA! Lush, green, gigantic mountains we drove up and down, out and around, swerved and curved. So much green. I was very lucky to have gone on a day that was not cloudy or foggy, since that type of weather is very common most days in Taiwan. I did see a monkey crossing sign, still no monkey.
We went to a sheep shearing show on Wuling. We tried some candy made from sheep milk and looked around the shops at all of the things they make from sheep milk. We walked all around the farm and across the hills. We were very high up, and the wide open spaces between the mountains, on this clear blue sky day, gave some of the best views I've seen yet. 
We also got to try honey made right in front of us. We walked through hundreds of bees to taste the honey, they even showed us the queen bee.
Along the mountain was an Old England Castle, it reminded me of the castle in Beauty and the Beast. Luxurious, ancient, British style manor. I could only take photos of the outside, but researching the inside it is even more exquisite. What really caught my attention was how it seemed to stand alone, out away from the mountain. Like a castle in the sky.
10-10, Double Ten, was the National Day of the Republic of China!
Happy Birthday Taiwan! On October 10, 1911 the up rise of WuChang and the fall of the Qing Dynasty in China led to the establishment of the ROC, Taiwan, on January 1, 1912. Although, I believe Taiwan will always watch out for an invasion from mainland China to reunite them back together.The following weekend I tried surfing for the first time at Da'an. Our wonderful T. John showed us one of his favorite places to surf in Taiwan, Mr. J's surfworks. It slowly became a horribly windy day. After multiple attempts and knockdowns, getting pushed into the rocks, and cutting my feet up pretty badly, I called it quits. It was still a great experience, and the best part was eating dumplings afterwards. ^_^
Over the past week I was subbing for the Little Critters while T. Sarah was in South Korea. It was wonderful getting to spend time with the kindergarteners I taught during the Summer. (Although most days still feel like Summer!) October grades are due for my 3rd grade class this upcoming Thursday. Majority are still struggling with reading comprehension...bummer.
All week long the 2013 Taichung Jazz Festival is going on. "....Taichung Jazz Festival one of the most important festivals in Taiwan and one of the landmark jazz events in Asia."
"....does provide the public with quality jazz performances. However, to a larger extent, it even represents the living style of Taichung citizens."
I went both Saturday and Sunday, and I plan to attend at least once more.
Thanks for reading! --K
Fun Facts:
Taichung City Motto: "economic, cultural, and international city."Taiwan is not part of the U.N. since its independence from China.
The number 4 in Taiwanese sounds similar to the word for 'death' so it is an unlucky number.
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