My Taiwan Adventure

Coming home this Saturday. I'm excited, but not looking forward to the long trip.... Hope I'll sleep the whole way. Whew....

So it's Wednesday and I'm really happy because I get to wash my hair today!!! Saturday I got it permanently straightened and they said not to wash or get it wet for 3 days. It got pretty oily the 2nd day so I'm super glad now. This weekend I don't get to pack for America because we're going on a company trip to Gukeng county to see the biggest amusement park in Taiwan. Originally we were going to Hualien (really beautiful nature) but now I'm not so enthusiastic. We have to meet at 6:30am on Saturday. UGH! And a 4 hour bus ride, as opposed to a much shorter train ride there. Then on Sunday I have to lead the whole group in an exercise dance. I'm working on my "vacation!!!!" AAAAH! Sorry, I'm complaining. I need to let it out somewhere. I'm really worried I won't have fun because it doesn't sound like all the activities we'll be doing will be relaxing, plus I would never want to go to an amusement park. Okay, end of that shpe...

So it's not a surprise to some, but I've decided to stay in Taiwan for another year. I'm nowhere near being fluent in Chinese and I haven't seen all the cool places in Taiwan. So I'm postponing grad school and staying at my current job. I'm going back to America for Christmas and I'll be there until New Years. So if you're free and in my area (you should know where), let me know so we can visit! :)

I had a nice Thanksgiving with my fellow teachers at Xin Hu this past Sunday. We ordered turkey, gravy, and stuffing from a local hotel. Everyone brought a dish to share: mashed potatoes, pies, cranberry sauce... It was pretty good. The week before I was smell-hallucinating about turkey and gravy. After we gorged ourselves, we played charades and talked about what we were thankful for. :) So I helped me feel better about missing Thanksgiving at home. (crescent rolls, green bean casserole!!!!!)

Friday evening we took a High Speed Rail Train to Hualien City and checked into our hotel for the night. I got to feel my first earthquake ever in the shower. It was so small I thought I was just remembering what it felt like in the train. Early the next morning we rented a scooter drove to Taroko gorge! It was raining since the day before so we wore ponchos and still got soaked. Here's the gate to the gorge: Our first stop was the Eternal Springs Shrine, dedicated to the many people who lost their lives building the road through the gorge. It was really pretty (but small). A spring runs underneath it, and it's had to be rebuilt three times because of rockslides. Then we headed to Bulowan, the aboriginal settlement in the gorge. It's all commercialized now, but the idea was still good. The tribe is called Atayal and they're famous for their weaving techniques. We got to see an old woman weaving inside their museum. Out behind the lower village we went on t...

This weekend was awesome! Very relaxing. I'm just really tired from the traveling. I'll tell you all about it in a day or two! :)

So today at my school there was a raid from the government, and, for some reason, it's illegal for foreigners to teach kindergarten in Taiwan. So everytime this happens, the teachers have to book it outside the back and wait until it's safe to come back inside. I didn't hear the announcement because I was in the bathroom so I come downstairs and someone gives me the hand motion that means-- go back upstairs there's a raid!!! So I hid in the bathroom for a while... and then I snuck over to an empty classroom and hid in the sliding cupboards where they have spare cots...and I took a nap. ;) Pretty crazy, huh? I love playing hide and seek.