they wish you a merry christmas! and a happy new year!

My precious kindy class singing... they obviously have no idea what's going on, but it's cute nonetheless... be sure to watch the little one with pigtails when she drops the jingle bells... she is adorable!

"merry christmas!"

Instructions for Being Santa

I received this memo from my school tonight in an e-mail:

Dear Teachers,

Thank you in advance for your participation in our annual Secret Santa event during Christmas Week at GES. Please refer below for some general instructions on how to be a Santa:

1. Please refer to the “Santa List” posted at each school to check if you have been assigned as a Santa and if so, on which day(s). Be sure to check the list at all the schools you teach at.

2. Each school will have a Santa costume and lots of candy prepared for you.

3. Remember to ask the school director when you should come out of class to get ready and which classes you’re assigned to visit.

4. When you visit other classes, get the kids to sing a Christmas carol while you distribute the treats.

5. When distributing the treats, do not throw them at the students. Give each student 2-3 pieces of candy.

6. Please spend no more than 3 minutes in each class and don’t visit the classes that aren’t assigned to you.

7. Be a FUN Santa!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. Thanks and happy holidays!

Unfortunately, this memo arrived in my inbox a good six hours AFTER I'd arrived at school and received my Santa assignment. At 5:10 p.m., I was to go to the head office, suit up, and then visit rooms 301, 201, 202, and 102. It all happened so fast; I couldn't think of a good enough excuse to get out of it ("I'm Jewish" wouldn't cut it here). The costume was nasty and made of cheap felt, but at least I got to wear a surgical mask under the beard!

But the best part, by far, was throwing the treats at the kids. ;-)

pretty please with candy cane sprinkles on top?

I know you want to send me a Christmas card!

Elisabeth Lovin
26 Alley, 17-14, Lane 66, Huan-nan Road
Ping-Jen City, Taoyuan
TAIWAN

;-)

and it'll be seven months tomorrow...

I wish I could be a:


hermit

Pronunciation:

\ˈhər-mət\

Function:

noun

1: one that retires from society and lives in solitude especially for religious reasons
2: a spiced molasses cookie

(Source: Merriam Webster Online)

Also, I wish was referring to the spiced molasses cookie. How festive-sounding. But I'm not.

Apparently this is a busy season on both sides of the world. I've had a crazy, crazy week. Now, Sunday night, I feel like I'm just starting to relax and mellow out and unwind--and tomorrow it's back to the rat-race.

Despite my middle-ish score on the Braxton Hicks (oh wait--that's for contractions), er, the Meyer's Briggs personality test, I am very, very much an introvert. That doesn't mean I'm socially inept or have no friends, it just means that I get my energy from being alone. This job, this city (which is truly the dirty slum of Taiwan and is the very definition of "hectic"), this lifestyle drains more energy from me than I have ever used before. The teaching--which is about 93% entertaining, 7% teaching... the commuting all over creation via taxi, bus, train, and walking... the pollution... the noise pollution (incessant barking from a hideous yappy-dog near my building, a girl a few floors down hollering into her phone, drunk, at the most inconvenient hours for people who sleep, firecrackers at all hours and for no reason, scooters whizzing around, haunting sirens from ambulances going around to all the scooter accidents)... the inability to go anywhere without being watched, stared at by people who are old enough to know better, pointed at, and talked about with no attempt at subtlety, the language barriers and cultural barriers... these things all exhaust me, body, mind, and spirit.

Needless to say, I need a great deal more of alone time than I used to, but it's hard to come by. I have floormates and friends who are always around, and on my precious one day-weekend, people are always making plans and wanting to go here and there, and eat, drink, and be merry... and I usually get involved or do some touristy thing because I don't want to be a recluse, but holy cats, I'm running on empty and am not sure how long I can keep this up!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining... I absolutely love Taiwan, the people, many aspects of the culture, food, the friendly and hospitable gestures, the complete randomness of things, and my students. I just know that when I get home, I'm gonna need to take a really long nap, snuggle with Wolfgang, and possibly attend a silent meditation retreat in Montana.

(my Wolfy)

Montana

Hermit

Spiced Molasses Cookies

just some things, in no particular order

--I'm too busy lately. This week I have two Parent's Nights, like we have to put on a little demonstration for the parents and show them how well their kids can speak English. It's kind of ridiculous. I also have to write comments about each student (two positives and a negative). It takes me forever because there's a wide gap between what I want to say and what I have to say. For example, what I want to say about Mickey is that he is a squirrel who can't seem to keep his bum-bum on his chair, he never has a clue what's going on in class because he spends all his time in his own little world, he's peed his pants in class and is constantly picking his nose. But what I have to say is that "Mickey is a cheerful student. He enjoys participating in games during class. He makes improvements on his pronunciation when I give him verbal corrections. Sometimes, Mickey seems to have difficulties paying attention in class." Ugh. It's like a little piece of me dies on every Parent's Night. I am so not a saleswoman. Don't get me wrong--I love my students, I just think that honesty is a better policy. But I guess it doesn't keep the re-enrollment rates up.

--I've been hanging out with my friend Kyle a bit lately. We both got here at the same time and did all of our training together and are at the same "level" as far as our Taiwanese street cred. He has to leave this week because of some things going on back at home, and he's not ready and he's kind of sad. Tonight we had dinner with another friend and then I rode back to the dorm with him on his scooter. Parked at a stop light, a guy in front of us did a double-take and then said "Hallo!" to us. We both giggled and Kyle said, "That. I'm really gonna miss that." And then I realized that I'm gonna miss that, too, and that although I'm not leaving this week, I'm leaving someday, and I won't feel ready either... and I'll be really sad. The people here are seriously incredible.

--I attempted to decorate my room for Christmas... I cut out large triangles from green construction paper and taped them on my wall, making a tall, thin, and very ugly Christmas tree. Then I taped a string of lights criss-crossed on top of it. They were too heavy and fell down. Then I sprayed a can of fake snow all over my sliding door/window, and on the Christmas tree too. It bounced off the window and wall and went ALL OVER MY ROOM, and I think I was high off the fumes for most of the afternoon. And it doesn't even look like snow. What a disaster.

--I woke up to an earthquake this morning at 5:20! I wasn't sure if it was one or not, but later I checked the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau's website and sure enough, at 5:18 a.m., there was a quake with the epicenter on the east side of Taiwan. It was a 6.0! And it was apparently the 97th earthquake in Taiwan this year! Strange but true: the night before I'd dreamed (very vividly) about being in an earthquake while staying at some house in the mountains!

slip 'n' slide...

Last Saturday night, my friend took me to Hsinchu (a city about 30 minutes away by train) to see a modern dance performance--her late birthday gift to me.

It was... interesting, to say the least! The stage had been covered in slick plastic and baby oil, and the dancers (four males) wore a minimal amount of clothing and were completely drenched in oil as well. The palms of their hands and soles of their feet were painted red and their heads were shaved. They were able to do some really cool moves--gliding across the stage on their backs, etc.

Here's the best part--afterwards, they invited everyone down to the stage to take off their shoes and walk on the slick plastic, to see how difficult it was. It was me and Helen and a bunch of kids. :) It was incredible--I couldn't believe how slippery it was! I really appreciated the performance after feeling the stage!

Check out this video of the kids sliding around!

The choreographer talking about his piece. In Chinese. I had an "I-Hate-Language-Barriers" moment.


Okay. It was a very chilly, windy night. But an ice sculpture? Really? It was outside the theater... this is post-performance, and I swear it was twice this size when we walked in to the theater two hours before. Notice the huge puddle on the sidewalk.

Dinner at a nice cafe in Hsinchu..

Jenni and Elly in Taiwan! (Part 2)

Thanksgiving Day
Kenting, Southern Taiwan

On Wednesday, we took the HSR (High Speed Rail) down to Kaohsiung, and then got a bus to Kenting, in the southernmost tip of Taiwan. The trip took about five hours, but we got to see Taiwan from top to bottom. It was a beautiful journey.

We arrived in Kenting and wandered around checking out a few different hotels. After settling into our little pink room (for $25 per night) we walked across the street to eat dinner at a Mexican place (we've traveled to Mexico together twice, so it felt like the right thing to do).

Jenni's jet lag was kicking in so we went to sleep early... or rather, she went to sleep early and I watched TV. The next morning we got up and had some coffee at Starbuck's (Starbuck's has truly taken over the world. And I'm okay with that) and went for a walk. On the bus the day before, we had seen a restaurant that Lonely Planet advertised as having great breakfasts with smoothies and pancakes. So we set off to find it. Apparently, it was much further than we thought (we never made it there)! But we did see some beautiful scenery and ended up eating snacks from 7-11 on a lovely beach, where we relaxed all afternoon.

Starting our walk..

A Taiwanese cemetery on the side of a mountain, overlooking the ocean...


The tombs are elaborate, with places for burning incense and paper money (for the deceased to use in the afterlife)


Gorgeous scenery... not sure why I ended up in industrial northern Taiwan and not here!

You can't see from this picture, but there was a man fishing out on that rock. We don't know how he got there! There was no boat!

And another fisherman (see his little hat peeking over the top of the rock?) So cute!

The quiet beach where we spent our Thanksgiving playing Would You Rather? and laughing...

A pet pig on a leash, wearing a leopard print shirt and a leather backpack, with his owners at the beach. I love Taiwan.



Thanksgiving dinner at a Thai restaurant! We ate fried rice and green vegetable curry and spring rolls and were very thankful!


The view from our hotel room...

Friday morning, Jenni woke me up at 6:24 or something, wanting to call her family for Thanksgiving. I protested, reminding her that it would still be Thanksgiving in Illinois for several more hours, but she was wide awake (jet lag) so we both called our families to wish them a happy holiday. Then we both fell asleep again and had a little nap before starting our journey back north.

We got back to Jhongli in the early evening. It was cold and yukky. We did a little shopping and ate dinner. Then I took Jenni to get a Chinese foot massage--there are little foot massage places all over here! They're pretty cheap too--45 minutes for about $12. They hurt a little bit but afterward, your feet and legs feel amazing. She liked it (I think... or she lied to me!) With our refreshed and reflexologized legs, we wandered around the night market, a culturally shocking experience that I didn't want her to go home without.

...And then it was Saturday morning and we had to go back to the airport. The trip was way too short and already seems like it was a dream. I haven't laughed that much in six months. It was so incredible to have her here. And while she was just coming to see me, she ended up loving Taiwan, too! Having her here really showed me how much I've grown and changed and learned in Taiwan, and she encouraged me deeply. I am ready for the rest of my time here--whether I stay for just a few more months or five more to finish out my year (I haven't decided yet)--and know that when I do go home, it will be really nice to have someone else around who has seen and fallen in love with Taiwan!

...and then Jenni came to Taiwan! (Part 1)

I waited at the airport for about an hour before she came through the doors, and it was the longest hour of my life! I began to think I was dreaming the whole thing and she wasn't coming! But finally I saw her blonde curly hair and I jumped up and did a little happy-dance (okay, just kidding... happy-dances aren't really culturally appropriate in public here). I stifled a shriek of joy and gave her a big hug to make sure she was real!

"I can't believe you're in Taiwan!" I said.
"I can't believe you LIVE in Taiwan!" she said, and we both laughed.

The week was short but fabulous. Seeing someone I love was so good for my soul. I mean, it's been SIX MONTHS since I've seen anyone close to me. Six months without a hug from my family or a good friend. That's a really long time! We made good use of our time and took advantage of her jet-lag; she woke me up every day between 6 and 7 AM! That was tough, as I'm on Taiwan-time now (staying up late and getting up late)! We laughed... and laughed... and laughed. Somehow everything is ten times as funny when Jenni and I are together. I'm so glad someone from home has seen my life here, so when I go back and I want to reminisce, someone will understand me. An added bonus--Jenni kind of fell in love with Taiwan! She was just coming here to visit me and encourage me, but she ended up really enjoying Taiwan, so I think I succeeded as a tour guide. Also, she thinks I speak Chinese, which is great, because I really don't!

We did so much in the 4 1/2 days she was here! Monday afternoon, we went to see a temple in one of the towns where I teach, and had a picnic of tea and pad thai under a pagoda even though it was a chilly evening.



On Tuesday we went to Taipei. We saw the impressive Chiang Kai Shek Memorial and wandered around for about an hour trying to find a Starbuck's (really weird--I think they moved all of them or something!) but it was a beautiful day and we got to see a lot of the city.

The CKS Memorial Hall

This little guy made it up the 86 steps (representing Chiang Kai Shek's age when he died) in a flash! Impressive... and cute!

No slovenly dress, okay?


The man.
We ate pizza for dinner and hung out, talking in the cozy booth until we thought they were going to start charging us for refilling our water glasses.

After dinner, we went to Taipei 101 and went up to the top--my second time, but I was terrified because the last time, my ears popped every three floors in the elevator (which goes up to the 91st floor... and happens to be the fastest elevator in the world). And of course, I was squeezed into the back corner of the elevator and I'm claustrophobic. It was rough but I made it to the top. Everything was decorated for Christmas in the observatory and they were playing Christmas music. Jenni loved it, except for the part where you could feel the building swaying gently (like bamboo in the wind? it's designed like a bamboo stalk!), up to ten feet according to the informational signs. The view was great at night--we went to the outside deck and could see all of Taipei sparkling like a carnival, nestled at the foot of dark shadowy mountains.

Outside the 101


An American artist's contribution to the sculptures at the base of 101

View from the top! Notice the reflection of a Christmas tree?

With the damper baby, dressed in a Christmas hat and gloves!?

Outside on the observation deck--it was so cold and windy! Jenni was really scared. :-)


On the elevator going down, I was once again squeezed into the back corner. I tried to focus on deep breathing and swallowing to pop my ears, but when I looked over at Jenni and we both happened to tip our heads down for a big swallow at exactly the same time, we lost it. It was so quiet in the elevator and we tried to stifle our giggles, all the while my ears getting closer and closer to exploding. You can't laugh and pop your ears simultaneously. I whispered in mock anger, I am NEVER taking you in the world's fastest elevator again! Is this why people say Americans are loud? I prefer exuberant, thank you very much!

27

Birthday dinner at "Papa's Secret Lover," a Hakkanese restaurant/hole-in-the-wall with amazing food!

Surprise cake! My friend Helen had brought the cake to the restaurant earlier, with a note that she had a Taiwanese friend write, "It's my friend's birthday and we will be eating here tomorrow night... Please light the candles and bring to our table after we're finished!" It was so cute! I was like... "wait a minute, there's no cake on Papa's menu!" I love surprises!


At Peace Cafe, in the bathroom... haha, Bob Dylan lyrics in Chinese.

Me and Amanda, one of my co-teachers.