We've been in Taiwan for 59 days. We've been teaching for 42 days. We teach 30 hours a week plus one hour of prep time. It has it's ups and it has it's downs. You have good days and you have horrible days. I teach kindergarten Mon – Fri 9 to 11:30, Elementary English Mon, Wed, Fri from 2 to 4 and night clases Tuesday 7 to 9, Thursday 5 to 9, Friday 7 to 9 and Saturday 10:30 to 12:30. The classes are made up from 7 to 30 Taiwanese children. Some are incredibly well behaved and some are beyond control. Every class has a chinese assistant. They teach every other day. We have become quite close with our co-teachers and fellow Native Speaking Teachers (NSTs). We have 2 fellow NSTs at our school: Daniel from America and Catherine from Scotland/UK. They are incredibly helpful. We've gone out drinking and to dinner with them already. They are a blast.
Sometimes I miss home so bad that I cry and sometimes I don't have time to miss it. More often it's the later. I miss eating things I can pronounce. I miss my dog. I miss reading. I miss having a car. I miss my friends. I miss English television. I miss pasta. The Taiwanese can cook some mean hibachi but they sure as hell can't cook Italian or Mexican. Western food is available but it's very very pricey compared to local food. I can get 10 dumplings and a rice drink for 65 NT ($2.00) but a burrito and a margarita will cost you 500 NT ($15.50). That's a big difference. Sometimes though you think you will go mad if you eat one more dumpling so the $15 burrito doesn't look so bad. The bus and MRT (subway) get old fast. But I have since lost 20lbs. Real chinese food is a bit more of a challenge to eat let alone obtain. I have begun to pick up chinese. Slowly but surely.
I can understand when my kids ask me to use the bathroom. At first it sounded like "meow meow", but now I know "niao niao" means "pee-pee". I know that "wei goren" means "FOREIGNER" because I am the ONLY white person in a 10 mile radius and people let me know. Getting on the bus makes you feel like a freak of nature. Everyone stares. Culturally it's not rude to stare. And stare. And then stare some more when they think you don't notice. Also Taiwanese people aren't afraid to be honest. I'm culturally still fat. Like really fat. They call their own fat too. One girl in kindergarten is drinking weight loss shakes, via her mother. It's quite sad to think what kind of body image these girls and even boys have.
My chinese has improved thanks to P. We've been seeing each other since August 23. I don't know what to call us. We just refer to ourselves as language exchange partners. Ha ha. He's a sweet boy. And yes everyone, he's Taiwanese. I know I always said before I left that I wouldn't date anyone here. It happened after just one night at the movies in Taipei. We've seen each other every weekend since. He drives a scooter and a motorcycle. I love to ride his scooter. I'd like to get one myself. He's a college student studying English. I teach him slang from the states such as "Hot Tranny Mess" and "Double Fisting"– all very useful in a professional environment.
Well everyone it's approaching my bedtime. I will update more often now. I miss you all.
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