This past week was a very long one. I visited two public schools in Taipei. On Monday I went to an elementary public school that was within walking distance of TAS called Tianmu Elementary School. The school has a very large students body of 2200 students. We got to meet the principal and also observed an English class. These students actually reading a picture book by an author who is a Spokane native.

On Tuesday we travel across town to Zhong-Zheng Senior High School. The school focuses on sports and martial arts, but they also take English classes. We observed three different levels of their English classes. This school was also very large.

This past weekend we traveled by train to Hualian, Taiwan. This town is southeast of Taipei and on the coast. There are less people who speak English in this town and the language barrier was a struggle at times. On Friday we wandered around the town. Courtney, Peter, Kamian and I walked to the ocean to ride bikes on the waterfront. We were unable to find a bike rental place on the water and ended up having a nice walk on a beautiful sunny day. On Saturday the whole group took a bus to Taroko National Park. The park was gorgeous. I've always been a fan of mountains and larger than live scenery.

On Sunday we traveled back into Taipei. I also saw many things this day around Taipei. These things included Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, Longshan Temple, Huasi Tourist Night Market (Snake Alley) (Yes mom, there were very large snakes), and the Grand Hotel. It was a lot of walking, but a wonderful afternoon and night.

Today I went to the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. There was a lot of modern art, which I was not expecting, but the exhibit was great. The exhibit was artwork by an artists who uses gunpowder to create pictures on the canvases. Very different and very beautiful.

I can't believe it is already my last week in Taipei. I never thought I would fall in love with this city. It will be hard to leave on Sunday.

Wait for it...

Blog will be updated later today!! I have lots to tell!

First Week in Taiwan

This past week has been a busy one. I've been at TAS for the past week everyday from about 7am to 3pm or later. It is such an interesting school. The music program is great and very large. Elementary general music has been a blast, but a lot more tiring than what I was expecting. The students are excited for music everyday which helps make teaching them very enjoyable.

On Wednesday night I went to a hot spring north of Taipei in a suburb called Beitou. I traveled by the MRT (mass rapid transit) with Asmara and Alex. We met up with Asmara's husband and one of his co-workers at the MRT station at Beitou. The co-worker is a local of Taipei and was able to show us the proper way to soak in the pools. The four of us had a very relaxing time. I had a great conversation with an Australian about the differences between America and Australia. The area we were in is very historical. Japanese kamikaze pilots would spend time relaxing here before going on their last flight. The hot springs we went to were some of the cheapest in the area at 40 NT (about $1.25).

On Friday night I went into downtown Taipei and watched a performance of Chinese drumming and drama. Having Western ears, it was very different to listen to this music. The drumming and acrobatics were very impressive. This type of entertainment has more audience involvement than performances in Europe and America. It was a great experience.

On Saturday I went with a group to Dansheui. It is a port city north of Taipei. We walked in a day market looking for food. We saw many body parts of animals that I would never think about eating. The people over here sell all parts of the animals. Even when selling fish or chickens or other birds they will leave on the heads of these animals. For me this was very alarming at first, but now I'm starting to get used to it. We found one of the oldest temples in Taiwan called Langshan Temple in the middle of the market. We wandered out of the market and went to the water. There we could see the river and the Pacific Ocean. It was a beautiful sunny day and we could see all the way back into downtown Taipei. We took a small ferry ride to the fishermen's wharf. It was very fun to be on the water. After the ferry ride we went back into Taipei. We had dinner at some TAS's teachers' home and listened to a man named Doug talk about the history of Taiwan. It was a very full and fun day.

On Sunday I went to a pottery market. I bought many heavy things. I'm worried how I will get them back to The States. I'm sure I will find a way!!

Tomorrow I'm going to observe a Mandarin speaking school. It should be very interesting.

Zaijian!

JP

Day 3: Hiking, Jade Market, and City Hall

On January 2nd, we did a number of things. First, three of us went on a hike in the hills that are very close to the youth center. It was like a little village up there in the hills. People were extremely friendly. There was a mixture of Hindu temples and small houses. The trails are very developed. I found out later that people will live in the city of Taipei and then will own property in the hills around the city. This would then by their "backyard."

Next we went to the jade market and found out that it is harder to get people in Taiwan to come down in their prices. There were many beautiful pieces of jade and rock, but most of them were too expensive to buy. In a few weekends we will be going to a smaller town. I'm hoping to find some things there.

After the jade market we went to lunch. The place wasn't very clean, but I didn't get sick. I must have an iron gut or something. One of the workers could speak English fairly well and we talked with him. He is 56 and retired and works there part time. It makes me wonder if people retire earlier in Taiwan than in The States.

After getting food, we rode the MRT to City Hall. At City Hall there are four floors of a free museum. We also saw a movie there. The movie was about things to do in Taipei. We now have a To-Do list. We have also established a "Fun Committee" (FC).

Next we went to dinner. It was very clean and we decided it is a chain. After dinner we went to 7-11. There are 7-11s all over the city... about 1 on every block. The 7-11s over here are more focused on food and not so much car parts or gas.

I don't think I'm going to be able to post something about everyday like I wanted to. I thought I was going to be able to copy and paste some of my journal that I have to keep for my class, but some of my comments and ideas are a little bit too...ummm... honest. I think I'm going to post something every couple of days.

Zaijian!

JP

Day 2: Taipei 101

On New Year's Day we slept in and went to lunch at a very good Mongolian restaurant. Presentation is very huge for some restaurants. First we were served raw vegetables that we cooked in our own little pots of soup. Next we were given raw meat and seafood that we also cooked in the little pots. It was amore expensive meal, but they kept bringing us food. We also got rice pudding, ice cream and green tea.

After our meal we rode the MRT to the Taipei 101 Tower. It is technically the tallest building in the world. On Monday there will be a taller building opening in Dubai. There is a beautiful mall in the lower 5 floors and a food court in the basement. It was very cloudy the day we went, but you could still see a lot. We spent a couple hours and didn't leave until it was dark out.

After visiting Taipei 101 we came back to the youth center for the evening.

Zaijian!

JP

Day 1: Longest Day Ever

Okay, okay... I know I'm slightly behind, but I want to start from the beginning of the trip.

We arrived in Taipei at 6am. We had just gotten off of a 12 hour flight. Although I had slept for probably about 6 hours, I was very exhausted and my body was tired of sitting up all night. I was amazed at how clean and westernized the airportwas. All of our luggage showed up as well. This feels like a huge victory after losing luggage before while flying internationally. I was amazed at how many Christmas decorations were in the airport. There were trees, lights and snow flakes and a huge sign that said "Merry Christmas." Almost all of the signs are in Mandarin and English. They also show their numbers how we do them in English.

After sitting in the airport, we drove on the freeway to our the Yout

h Center. From that drive, the city reminds me of Seattle. The Youth Center looks a lot like a college dorm. The inside is more like a hotel though. We have our own shower. We're sleeping in twin beds. I don't have a problem with them, but all of the four guys on the trip have their feet hang off the end. The beds are very firm, which I like. I'm rooming with two other girls, Courtney and Kamian. We arrived at the youth center and stored our luggage in the lobby. From there we got our cards for the transit system called t

he mass rapid transit system (MRT). These cards can be used for the light rail system or the busses.

We then went to the bus stop that is closest to the youth center and practiced riding the bus to TAS. It is about a 10 to 15 minute bus ride from the youth center. We got off of the bus stop by the youth center and walked to a bank to exchange money. We then walked to Starbucks across the street and got coffee. We then walked back to the school and entered the school grounds. We visited each of our classrooms and the places we will be able to eat lunch and dinner. Although the school is older, it is very impressive. They are celebrating their 60th anniversary and recently got a new athletic field. It is a K-12 school and they have an American curriculum. TAS is a private school and costs about 10,000 American dollars per year. Teachers are able to get free tuition for their children. The classroom that I will be observing in is very large compared to my elementary music classroom. There are Orff instruments in the room and there is also plenty of room for movement. Seeing the school made me very excited to start on Monday!

After checking out the school we walked to a whole in the wall place and ate lunch. People in Taiwan only eat with chopsticks. I have had very little experience eating with them. I have startedto slow down how fast I eat because I'm struggling to pick up food with the chopsticks. The food is very good though. I haven't had a bad meal yet!

After lunch we rode the bus back to the youth center and we were able to go into our rooms. We unpacked and settled in. We are all on the same floor. This makes coordinating meeting times very easy. Although some of our cell phones work here, the charge per minute is ridiculous. Texting is also very costly too. Not being readily available by cell phone is actually very freeing. Almost all of us took a nap in the afternoon. For dinner we wandered around downtown Taipei looking for some place to eat. Most places were full or closed. We ended up going to Outback Steakhouse. From there we went to the top of hotel where a New Year's Eve part was being held. At midnight we were able to watch the fireworks being shot off of the Taipei 101 Tower.

Zaijian!

JP

Made it!

Hello!!

I made it to Taipei!! The flight was very long, but I actually slept for about half of the flight. Today I exchanged some money, drank an iced americano from Starbucks, saw the Taipei American School and ate some great food for lunch. I took many pictures. I will probably post some of them tomorrow or maybe later today. Right now I plan on taking a nap so I will be able to stay up until midnight. The party we will be going to tonight is on top of a hotel and we will be able to see fireworks on the Taipei 101!! Yay!

Zaijian,

JP