poor little guy! i watched him hobble across the street and he nearly lost another limb in the process! the scooters are vicious!Monday, June 30, 2008
three legs are better than two
poor little guy! i watched him hobble across the street and he nearly lost another limb in the process! the scooters are vicious!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
on finding pieces of myself that i recognize, even here...
today my calf muscles are screaming and my hips are tight. the arches of my feet are stiff; the only relief is rolling them over a tennis ball to massage them gently. but i feel wonderful.
yesterday i went to taipei with a scribbled out address for "Wu-Yi Dance School" and had no idea what i would find--if anything! it was apparently so close to Taipei Main Station that a cab driver refused to drive me there. so i asked at the information desk, where a girl spoke some English, and she pointed down the street, instructing me to turn left in the alley after the 7-11. i found the 7 (never a problem here) and wandered down the alley. i didn't see anything that looked like a dance school... the buildings looked as though they were built 80 years ago, as shacks, and they hadn't updated themselves to match the bustling, international, modern city around them. the streets are lined with Starbuck's, California Fitness, and United Colors of Benetton, but the alleys...
there were a few ancient-looking indonesian restaurants, with a few ancient-looking people sitting inside fanning themselves. a boy on a bicycle. the smell of burned meat and washed laundry hanging out to dry in the sun. a happily straying dog. but a dance studio? i walked back toward the street and found a man sitting at an information desk of some sort. i showed him the address, and he got up and walked me right to the door of the studio (it WAS in the alley... but how would i ever have known?)
i walked up the stairs to the third floor, and heard music from a hip-hop class and stomping feet. a small reception area was set up and i signed up for the 5 o'clock Intermediate Ballet. this in itself was terrifying to me, as i haven't taken regular ballet classes for--a few years? on top of that, i was afraid i'd be the, well, white elephant in the room, for lack of a better word. a broad-shouldered blonde surrounded by delicate, dark-haired ballerinas. i KNOW i'm not that big, but the people here have the tiniest little bones that sometimes i feel enormous! and i'm becoming quite self-conscious--feeling people's eyes, hearing them whisper, seeing them point and sometimes take pictures... it's developing into a slight paranoia! anyway... i was nervous.
but as soon as the hip-hoppers finished their class and came streaming out of the studio in a steam of funky, sweaty ripped tee-shirts and loud mandarin slang (or so i assume), and the ballet students tiptoed in, i knew i was home. i found a place at the barre, by the window, so i could see the street outside and feel the energy of the city. the students were all adults--some my age, some a little younger, and a few much older. the teacher introduced himself to me and asked where i was from, and did i understand mandarin? no, i replied, but i understand french. he looked at me, slightly confused, and i assured him that i'd be okay.
it felt so good to dance. i'm rusty, yes, but the instinct is there. the songs were the same songs i've been listening to in ballet classes for 20 years. it was beautiful to have found something so familiar in a place so foreign. something that is a big part of my life and my past in a place where i often feel so lost that i can forget who i am.
i left feeling weightless yet grounded, floating but affirmed.
on top of that, later that night, i met a woman who owns a yoga studio in my neighborhood, who is willing to rent me her studio so that i can teach a yoga class in English for the other teachers, who've all been begging me.
AND i got two letters in the MAIL, one from my grandmother and one from my sister.
a day of blessings...
yesterday i went to taipei with a scribbled out address for "Wu-Yi Dance School" and had no idea what i would find--if anything! it was apparently so close to Taipei Main Station that a cab driver refused to drive me there. so i asked at the information desk, where a girl spoke some English, and she pointed down the street, instructing me to turn left in the alley after the 7-11. i found the 7 (never a problem here) and wandered down the alley. i didn't see anything that looked like a dance school... the buildings looked as though they were built 80 years ago, as shacks, and they hadn't updated themselves to match the bustling, international, modern city around them. the streets are lined with Starbuck's, California Fitness, and United Colors of Benetton, but the alleys...
there were a few ancient-looking indonesian restaurants, with a few ancient-looking people sitting inside fanning themselves. a boy on a bicycle. the smell of burned meat and washed laundry hanging out to dry in the sun. a happily straying dog. but a dance studio? i walked back toward the street and found a man sitting at an information desk of some sort. i showed him the address, and he got up and walked me right to the door of the studio (it WAS in the alley... but how would i ever have known?)
i walked up the stairs to the third floor, and heard music from a hip-hop class and stomping feet. a small reception area was set up and i signed up for the 5 o'clock Intermediate Ballet. this in itself was terrifying to me, as i haven't taken regular ballet classes for--a few years? on top of that, i was afraid i'd be the, well, white elephant in the room, for lack of a better word. a broad-shouldered blonde surrounded by delicate, dark-haired ballerinas. i KNOW i'm not that big, but the people here have the tiniest little bones that sometimes i feel enormous! and i'm becoming quite self-conscious--feeling people's eyes, hearing them whisper, seeing them point and sometimes take pictures... it's developing into a slight paranoia! anyway... i was nervous.
but as soon as the hip-hoppers finished their class and came streaming out of the studio in a steam of funky, sweaty ripped tee-shirts and loud mandarin slang (or so i assume), and the ballet students tiptoed in, i knew i was home. i found a place at the barre, by the window, so i could see the street outside and feel the energy of the city. the students were all adults--some my age, some a little younger, and a few much older. the teacher introduced himself to me and asked where i was from, and did i understand mandarin? no, i replied, but i understand french. he looked at me, slightly confused, and i assured him that i'd be okay.
it felt so good to dance. i'm rusty, yes, but the instinct is there. the songs were the same songs i've been listening to in ballet classes for 20 years. it was beautiful to have found something so familiar in a place so foreign. something that is a big part of my life and my past in a place where i often feel so lost that i can forget who i am.
i left feeling weightless yet grounded, floating but affirmed.
on top of that, later that night, i met a woman who owns a yoga studio in my neighborhood, who is willing to rent me her studio so that i can teach a yoga class in English for the other teachers, who've all been begging me.
AND i got two letters in the MAIL, one from my grandmother and one from my sister.
a day of blessings...
last weekend--i'm a little bit behind with my updates!
over the weekend i hung out with some of the girls--a birthday celebration for one of them. it was great to get to know them better and they're all very sweet... this is me and the birthday girl at "peace cafe."
on sunday i went to Taipei for a yoga class. i decided that i don't really like my yoga studio as well as i thought i did (the honeymoon's over, Pure Yoga!) i'm beginning to see that beyond the slick exterior and ultra-serene-urban-oasis and super-stylish yogis in their $200 yoga outfits is... a slick interior and super-stylish yogis and not a lot of heart. it makes me sad because yoga should be FULL of heart and life and emotion. when you fall out of a pose, you should laugh and let others laugh with you--not get flustered as everyone in the room glares at you. it should be an exploration. my yoga-spirit feels squashed there. so i guess i'll have to pay the cancellation fee. and come up with an explanation for Ping, my membership assistant. >:-|
after yoga, i set off on a quest to find a vegetarian restaurant that i found online. i had copied down the characters for the address in hopes that a cab driver would understand! it was near the MRT stop by the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, so i took a quick look at that and snapped one picture, but my rumbling stomach made me hail the first taxi i could find! he understood my chinese handwriting and dropped me off at the front door of the little restaurant! unfortunately, they didn't have an english menu, so i told the waiter to pick something for me. it was a nourishing, comforting meal of squash soup and a creamy rice dish with mushrooms and other baked vegetables. i finished with a delicious cup of tea and then got another taxi to go back to the Memorial Hall and MRT. i found out that "Chiang Kai Shek" is pronounced differently in English than whatever his name is in Chinese, because my cab driver had absolutely no idea where i wanted to go. i finally remembered that i'd taken a picture, applauded my inner genius, and whipped out my camera to show him this:
...a gate-like structure in front of the CKS Memorial. of course, he knew exactly where it was and took me right there! then i had time to stroll around the enormous park. it was beautiful, quiet (how i miss the sound of silence!), still, and even smelled a bit like grass and dirt. ahhh. i climbed the 84 steps to the top of the memorial (CKS was 84 when he died), but because it was dark, they had shut the door on the building housing the large seated statue--that looks similar to our Lincoln Memorial.
so cool! i'll have to go back again when the doors are open! and after i've done a bit of reading up on Chiang Kai Shek--i thought he was some sort of dictator here so i'm a bit confused about the enormous memorial. i'll keep you posted!
on sunday i went to Taipei for a yoga class. i decided that i don't really like my yoga studio as well as i thought i did (the honeymoon's over, Pure Yoga!) i'm beginning to see that beyond the slick exterior and ultra-serene-urban-oasis and super-stylish yogis in their $200 yoga outfits is... a slick interior and super-stylish yogis and not a lot of heart. it makes me sad because yoga should be FULL of heart and life and emotion. when you fall out of a pose, you should laugh and let others laugh with you--not get flustered as everyone in the room glares at you. it should be an exploration. my yoga-spirit feels squashed there. so i guess i'll have to pay the cancellation fee. and come up with an explanation for Ping, my membership assistant. >:-|
after yoga, i set off on a quest to find a vegetarian restaurant that i found online. i had copied down the characters for the address in hopes that a cab driver would understand! it was near the MRT stop by the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, so i took a quick look at that and snapped one picture, but my rumbling stomach made me hail the first taxi i could find! he understood my chinese handwriting and dropped me off at the front door of the little restaurant! unfortunately, they didn't have an english menu, so i told the waiter to pick something for me. it was a nourishing, comforting meal of squash soup and a creamy rice dish with mushrooms and other baked vegetables. i finished with a delicious cup of tea and then got another taxi to go back to the Memorial Hall and MRT. i found out that "Chiang Kai Shek" is pronounced differently in English than whatever his name is in Chinese, because my cab driver had absolutely no idea where i wanted to go. i finally remembered that i'd taken a picture, applauded my inner genius, and whipped out my camera to show him this:
...a gate-like structure in front of the CKS Memorial. of course, he knew exactly where it was and took me right there! then i had time to stroll around the enormous park. it was beautiful, quiet (how i miss the sound of silence!), still, and even smelled a bit like grass and dirt. ahhh. i climbed the 84 steps to the top of the memorial (CKS was 84 when he died), but because it was dark, they had shut the door on the building housing the large seated statue--that looks similar to our Lincoln Memorial.
so cool! i'll have to go back again when the doors are open! and after i've done a bit of reading up on Chiang Kai Shek--i thought he was some sort of dictator here so i'm a bit confused about the enormous memorial. i'll keep you posted!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
midsummer days
i've had a few people remind me that i haven't updated my blog lately. i think it's just that i'm settling in and finding a rhythm--and loving it--so i haven't been as diligent about posting updates. but this is a good thing, right? ;-)
as i thrive on new experiences, and even on doing things that scare me a bit, every day here has been immensely satisfying. i am finding out which grocery stores i like (where i can find indulgences like american granola bars or "laughing cow" cheese wedges, or salad dressing) and finding out which things (like fruits and some vegetables) are much better when bought from the street markets. i've tried new fruits like custard apples and lychees, and they're not bad! i've checked out several coffee shops and know how to order an iced latte with not much sugar in mandarin. a few times a week i go to Taipei and take yoga classes at the studio where i bought a membership. i did some research about vegetarian restaurants in Taipei and copied down the addresses in characters. tomorrow, after my yoga class, i will show a taxi driver my carefully drawn characters and hope he can read them! some nights i go for a run, when it's cooler and less polluted. there are many people out late at night, walking around the park, doing stretches and exercising. it's a wonderful, laid-back, safe community. after i run, i go to a pagoda in the park and do some stretching, or hang upside-down from the monkey bars (which is great for your back!) i stay up late chatting with my floor-mates or catching up on e-mails and looking at pictures of the floods in Iowa. i'm getting to know my (Taiwanese) co-teachers better and am blessed to have some really good ones who are helpful in and out of the classroom. i met an English-speaking Indonesian woman at a little clothing shop who wants to take me to her Indonesian restaurant and hang out sometime. another woman who owns a restaurant across the street from where i live ordered a textbook for me so that i can start learning some Mandarin. i'm planning on checking out some nearby Taiwanese churches. although i enjoyed the English-speaking Filipino church that some of my friends go to, i want to have more interaction with Taiwanese people and see how the local churches are. although i won't understand much, it's a good way to learn language too--by immersing yourself within a context that you know about. for example, by going to yoga classes in mandarin, i've learned how to count and the words for "inhale," "exhale," "up," "down," and so on.
so many things every day! things that are bewildering, shocking, hilarious, sweet, frustrating... but i love experiencing all of them. today after teaching i went downtown and did a little shopping, and then sat in a park with some iced coffee. it was so beautiful. today wasn't as humid as it has been (my hair is a complete disaster here; i've given up on it) and there was a lovely breeze. with my eyes closed, i could hear cicadas singing and birds chirping, children laughing and basketballs bouncing. i felt like i could have been anywhere in the world. as fascinating as our differences are, as diverse our cultural norms, as impossible as it can be to communicate across languages, we are also very much the same. our souls have longings that are universal, and need no language or symbols. this is comforting to me. while i feel isolated at times, i never feel alone.
that being said, i DO miss all of you, and ask that you continue e-mailing me when you can and sharing your lives with me, as i am with you. xie-xie ni... thank you...
as i thrive on new experiences, and even on doing things that scare me a bit, every day here has been immensely satisfying. i am finding out which grocery stores i like (where i can find indulgences like american granola bars or "laughing cow" cheese wedges, or salad dressing) and finding out which things (like fruits and some vegetables) are much better when bought from the street markets. i've tried new fruits like custard apples and lychees, and they're not bad! i've checked out several coffee shops and know how to order an iced latte with not much sugar in mandarin. a few times a week i go to Taipei and take yoga classes at the studio where i bought a membership. i did some research about vegetarian restaurants in Taipei and copied down the addresses in characters. tomorrow, after my yoga class, i will show a taxi driver my carefully drawn characters and hope he can read them! some nights i go for a run, when it's cooler and less polluted. there are many people out late at night, walking around the park, doing stretches and exercising. it's a wonderful, laid-back, safe community. after i run, i go to a pagoda in the park and do some stretching, or hang upside-down from the monkey bars (which is great for your back!) i stay up late chatting with my floor-mates or catching up on e-mails and looking at pictures of the floods in Iowa. i'm getting to know my (Taiwanese) co-teachers better and am blessed to have some really good ones who are helpful in and out of the classroom. i met an English-speaking Indonesian woman at a little clothing shop who wants to take me to her Indonesian restaurant and hang out sometime. another woman who owns a restaurant across the street from where i live ordered a textbook for me so that i can start learning some Mandarin. i'm planning on checking out some nearby Taiwanese churches. although i enjoyed the English-speaking Filipino church that some of my friends go to, i want to have more interaction with Taiwanese people and see how the local churches are. although i won't understand much, it's a good way to learn language too--by immersing yourself within a context that you know about. for example, by going to yoga classes in mandarin, i've learned how to count and the words for "inhale," "exhale," "up," "down," and so on.
so many things every day! things that are bewildering, shocking, hilarious, sweet, frustrating... but i love experiencing all of them. today after teaching i went downtown and did a little shopping, and then sat in a park with some iced coffee. it was so beautiful. today wasn't as humid as it has been (my hair is a complete disaster here; i've given up on it) and there was a lovely breeze. with my eyes closed, i could hear cicadas singing and birds chirping, children laughing and basketballs bouncing. i felt like i could have been anywhere in the world. as fascinating as our differences are, as diverse our cultural norms, as impossible as it can be to communicate across languages, we are also very much the same. our souls have longings that are universal, and need no language or symbols. this is comforting to me. while i feel isolated at times, i never feel alone.
that being said, i DO miss all of you, and ask that you continue e-mailing me when you can and sharing your lives with me, as i am with you. xie-xie ni... thank you...
Sunday, June 15, 2008
"What's your father like?"
In the classes I teach, every week the students learn a new "QA." They learn several possible answers, and then they have to repeat the question and answer several times, individually and as a class. They write them in their notebooks with the translations in Mandarin, and I go around and check to see that their English question is written and punctuated correctly. At the start of each class, we review some old QA's and play a game.
One of their questions is "What's your father like?" They know just a few possible answers... and they regurgitate, "My father is tall and strong" or "My father is handsome" or "My father is generous and nice" and sometimes, "My father is short and fat." (hehe)
If I was asked, "What's your father like?" I would not be able to sum up my dad's qualities in two or three adjectives! There would be a long, long list--including:
devoted
sacrificial
hard-working
wise
hilarious
light-hearted
adventurous
gregarious (no pun intended)
intelligent
studious
responsible
fair
creative
entertaining
hungry (all the time, i think)
conniving (in a good way)
righteous
...and on and on. My students don't know any of those vocabulary words yet! But when I hear their voices chant in unison "My favver ("th" is difficult for them) is _________ and _______," I think of my father, and am thankful that he is not just "strong" and "handsome."
Dad, happy Father's Day. I miss you and wish we could meet for iced coffee at Stomping Grounds. I'll go find a coffee shop this afternoon and have one alone, but I'll be thinking of you.
I love you!
My dad enjoying dinner at The Spice on his last birthday! :o)
One of their questions is "What's your father like?" They know just a few possible answers... and they regurgitate, "My father is tall and strong" or "My father is handsome" or "My father is generous and nice" and sometimes, "My father is short and fat." (hehe)
If I was asked, "What's your father like?" I would not be able to sum up my dad's qualities in two or three adjectives! There would be a long, long list--including:
devoted
sacrificial
hard-working
wise
hilarious
light-hearted
adventurous
gregarious (no pun intended)
intelligent
studious
responsible
fair
creative
entertaining
hungry (all the time, i think)
conniving (in a good way)
righteous
...and on and on. My students don't know any of those vocabulary words yet! But when I hear their voices chant in unison "My favver ("th" is difficult for them) is _________ and _______," I think of my father, and am thankful that he is not just "strong" and "handsome."
Dad, happy Father's Day. I miss you and wish we could meet for iced coffee at Stomping Grounds. I'll go find a coffee shop this afternoon and have one alone, but I'll be thinking of you.
I love you!
My dad enjoying dinner at The Spice on his last birthday! :o)Saturday, June 14, 2008
snippets
this is durian fruit. it smells like dirty feet and tastes even worse. it's even banned from several hotels and stores because of its awful scent. but now i can say that i ate it, so i never have to again! i did, however, acquire a free package of freshly cut pineapple at this shop, "no money, for very pretty girl."
this is where i walk every day from the bus stop to school in Long Tan. when it's clear you can see the mountains...
a little further down the street, there are fresh fruit markets, where i sometimes stop to get fresh mango juice or watermelon juice.
here's where i work! plus some road construction. it was lovely to read lessons to the rhythm of jackhammers in the street... but i think they're finished now.
this is where i walk every day from the bus stop to school in Long Tan. when it's clear you can see the mountains...
a little further down the street, there are fresh fruit markets, where i sometimes stop to get fresh mango juice or watermelon juice.
here's where i work! plus some road construction. it was lovely to read lessons to the rhythm of jackhammers in the street... but i think they're finished now.
Friday, June 13, 2008
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