Wulai

Most weeks, my friends and I talk about taking a day-trip somewhere on Sunday. We talk & plan and everything seems like a go. Then, I finish my work week on Saturday afternoon and feel like partying. So we all go out on Saturday, wake up after noon on Sunday, and all plans are scratched.

Not that I don't have fun on Saturdays but I'm sick of always canceling our plans. So this past weekend, Doug and I decided it was finally gonna happen and we made good on it.

On Saturday, I met him in Danshui and we went to Eddy's Cantina for the best Mexican food in Formosa (that's Taiwan btw). After chatting with Eddy for a bit and enjoying the delicious food and Joe's awesome margarita's, we headed to the bowling alley. We had a few beers and played a few games. The rust of not playing since I can't remember definitely showed in game 1 as I barely broke 100. But by game 2, my hours spent in the intramural league at Benet Academy were shining brightly as I surpassed 150. Katz and Vaughan would be proud. We called it a night, I took the MRT home, and I was in bed by 1:00.

The next morning, we started our journey to one of the places I've been trying to go for months...Wulai. Wulai is an aboriginal village an hour south of Taipei that is supposed to be fun and pretty for various reasons.

I met Doug, his girlfriend Joyce, and Sharon (a Chicago friend who has since moved to Taiwan. A familiar face! Very cool indeed.) at the Xindian station at the end of the MRT. We decided to cab it over bus it and 30 minutes later we were in Wulai.

We walked around the shops on Old Street for a bit and were introduced to xiaomi jiu which is a wine made from millet (like a smaller rice). The shops had all kinds of varieties and were more than happy to give samples to win your business. The stuff wasn't very strong but you could probably get drunk for free if you played your cards right with the shopkeepers. We found one that was like a champagne wine that we all agreed was our favorite and we all bought bottles before we left.

After the shops, we started walking to the Wulai PuBu (Wulai Waterfall). This is the main reason I wanted to come here and it did not disappoint. The walk had great scenery of green mountainsides and the waterfall itself was awesome.



We hung out there for a while and then started our walk to another waterfall. About halfway there though we got caught up in the idea of river tracing. We found the best place we could to head down to the river and we had a blast climbing on the rocks and walking/swimming in the river. We had so much fun that it starting getting dark and we never made it to the second waterfall. Next time.

We went back to the village and got a proper aboriginal meal that included mountain vegetables (delicious) and zhutong fan (sticky rice in bamboo tubes, also quite delicious). Randomly, we also had ostrich. Quite tasty. Much closer to beef than chicken which surprised me.

After stuffing our faces and drinking a bottle of xiaomi jiu, we headed to an outdoor hot springs spa where we relaxed and had more xiaomi jiu. The hot springs were just ok until we noticed that they had a fish pond. Basically, its a small pool full of small fish (they look like goldfish but not sure if that's what they are) and you put your feet in. The fish eat the dead cells off your feet and ankles and it's supposed to be very therapeutic.

We couldn't refuse the opportunity and paid the extra money to have fish eat our feet. That last sentence is awesome btw. I couldn't stop laughing for the first few minutes cause of the ridiculousness of what we were doing and it really tickled. After a bit, you got used to it and we were just laughing at the ridiculousness. I don't think I've ever taken a picture of my feet or anyone else's.


Only in Asia.

All in all, a fantastic day-trip. I think we're going to have these more often as a trip to Jiufen on the northeast coast is already in the works. Stay tuned...

Thanksgiving Quick Hit

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I need to get to bed so I don't fall asleep in class tomorrow but I wanted to say my thanks first (a day late I know but I was quite busy):

I am thankful for all my family and friends back home. Your continuous support and communication means the world to me and I wouldn't be where I am today without you. I love you all and I'm so thankful to have you in my life. Knowing you're there for me no matter where we are in the world is amazing.

I am thankful for my new family and friends in Taiwan. Thank you to my local friends for welcoming me to this country with open arms and teaching me so much. Thank you to my foreign friends here for sharing this experience with me and reminding me that I'm not alone when I need you the most. I have learned so much from all of you and it is because of you, local and foreign alike, that I can now call Taiwan my second home.

Thank you and xie xie!

Bangkok Dangerous, Jelen Style

Lots to update on, so little time. But I did want to get one quick post up...I'm going to Thailand!!!!

Alex, Andy, Pat, and I booked our flights tonight. We're going over Chinese New Year's at the end of January for 9 days. Should be a blast.

More details to come later but we're quite excited.

愉快的萬聖節!

Blue skies. Bright sunshine. 95 degrees. Yep, it's Halloween in Taiwan.

Looking forward to seeing all my daycare students in their costumes. Should be a fun day/weekend. I'm going as a Superfan. Since I'm basically a Superfan anyways it was quite easy. But it also required a two week facial hair growth commitment from me. Dedication. And by the end of class, I'll have all the daycare students saying "Da Bears! Da Bulls!" I'll be on cloud nine.

So from all of us here at are you jelen, we'd like to wish you a Happy Halloween!

Taipei Times

Lots to talk about so let's get going.

- My third roommate, Liene, has returned from Latvia as her school started up a month ago. And not only am I glad to have her back, but she brought Latvian vodka and chocolate with her. Ta chao hao!

- My fourth roommate, Untica (sp?), is gone. She was really cute but sick a lot and well frankly, a bitch. So we gave her away. She was really sweet the last couple of weeks which made the decision tough but it had to be done. I hope she finds a good home. (Btw, she's a cat not a person.)

- We haven't had a typhoon in a month! (knock on wood). After getting slammed by Jangmi, the seas have calmed down and let us live in peace. And not only that, but the weather is damn near perfect. It's around 90 during the day (still a little warm but it used to be 110 so that's a big difference) but it cools off nicely at night. And there's finally something I haven't felt outside of typhoon days: wind! It's nice to be walking and get a little breeze now and then. All the locals keep talking about the "cold" that is coming. Um, since it won't be cold enough to snow I think I'll be alright.

- I had my first Taipei poker night a month ago. Had like 12 people over for beer, pizza, and cards. Good times had by all and I ended the night even. Gonna need another game soon.

- School is going really well. The only class I don't really like has become a lot more manageable since the size has gone from 20 to 14. That's the only class I've lost more than 1 or 2 students from but I'm fine with it.

- Daycare classes are awesome. These kids are adorable and a ton of fun.

My job is to practice speaking with them and do one handout each class. So most of the time we just play games and have a lot of fun. And when we do the handout, I sit down and have them line up for me to mark it or answer questions. Dora, one of my favorites, has taken it upon herself to be my assistant. She'll finish her handout, have me mark it, and then she'll stay next to me and make sure the kids stay in line and don't cut. It's great, though I'm worried she's gonna start asking to be paid. I better buy some goldfish or something.

More good news is that I have only been stabbed by pencils twice. Once in the thumb and once in the shoulder. The shoulder one almost prompted a "FUUUDGE!" but I restrained myself. From now on Robert, if you want to jump on my shoulders please, please, please put your pencil down first! Thanks much.

- Halloween is around the corner and my school is all decorated. I can't wait to see my Daycare kids all dressed up. It should be a lot of fun. As for yours truly, I'm in the midst of growing a beard and will be going as a Super Fan. Da BEARS!!!!

- LE is going really well. I feel like I'm learning a lot and I have a lot of fun with Jasmine. Chinese is very intimidating at first, but the grammar is a hell of a lot easier than English. For instance, take the verb "to want." In English you have I want, he wants, I wanted, I am wanting, etc. All kinds of tenses and changes. In Chinese, the word is "yao" and it never changes. Me, him, now, past, future. Always "yao". So much easier right?

- My friend Xenia from work is going home to the greatest city in the world. I'm not sure what I'd do without her so it's a good thing she's only going home to visit and will be back in Taipei in a month. But I'm really jealous cause I'd love to go back and see all of you guys for a little while. I'm already sending her on a mission to Goose Island to have a 312 for me. Chao hao hu!

Alright, that's all I've got for now. Good talk. See you out there.

You're So Beautiful...Like A Tree

Sorry for being MIA lately. Work and social life have been crazy busy and fun. I'll be sure to give a full report soon.

But no time for that now. I finally decided to make a move and am taking my LE girl, Jasmine, to dinner tonight. Then I'm taking her to a friend's birthday party. But this isn't just any birthday party. Girls must be wearing fake eyelashes or mustaches and guys have to sport the real thing.

So yes, I'm taking a part-time model out to dinner and a party while sporting a mustache the whole night. This is definitely the best and worst idea I've ever had. But can anyone truly resist a 'stache???

That Up There Is Russia

I have some exciting news. Once elected, VP Palin will announce my appointment as the new US Ambassador to Taiwan so I can "keep an eye on things" over here. That means you P.R.O.C. Shoo! Get back over there!

Yeeeaaah...Gonna Need You To Come In On Saturday

Ok I"ve been slacking on my blogging. Since it's Saturday night and I'm dead tired and don't want to spend any money, I figured I'd stay in and blog. Super cool!

Let's start two weekends ago...

My weekend plans were great as I had three things going on. Friday night was a house warming party for my friends Alex, Andy, & Adam who recently moved to a new place. Saturday night was a birthday party at a club for Kelly (one of the Chinese Teachers I work with). And Sunday night was a dinner date with a lovely Taiwanese lady.

But then the plans went crazy when all three events were changed to Saturday night. Sigh.

After some thought, I had to break the sacred "bros before hos" code and skip the housewarming party. In my defense, I didn't know the party was changed to Saturday until I showed up to their apartment on Friday night. So now we're even fellas.

First, the date was with a college girl named Ruby. We went to a place she picked called Taiwan Storyland that I thought was going to be a touristy restaurant. Nope, it was more like a museum and kinda sucked actually but it was nice to walk around with her and just talk. We then grabbed some food & drinks and wandered around a mall talking some more. I practiced the little Chinese I know on her and she was thoroughly impressed. Really, she was. I'm a good student.

I didn't want to bring her to the club to meet all my friends since it was a first date but didn't want to just ditch her either since things were going well. Luckily, this dilemma solved itself as she had to work the next morning. Perfect.

I then made my way to Club 9% to meet up with the CT's and FT's (Chinese & Foreign Teachers btw) for Kelly's bday.

Our group consisted of about 15 ladies and 5 guys. Not only did this group consist of all the lovely and good looking CT's I work with, but Kelly had a bunch of her non-work friends there and most of them were good looking as well. Chao hao wan!

We had a reserved booth and partied it up with free champagne and snack food. I spent the early part of the evening talking with Drew a lot. I don't remember how we got there, but somehow we got to talking about how she likes to slap people. Quality. I was dancing up a storm with all the ladies and generally just having a great time.

Here are some pictures from the evening:

Three of my favorite CT's: Drew, Shawn, & Debbie


Drew, John, & the b-day girl, Kelly, is at the bottom


Since the culture doesn't drink like the US does and the girls are so tiny, they can't handle a whole lot. Right Drew & Shawn???


I was going to write more, but I'd rather watch Imaginationland now. Thanks again for the great gifts Mom! Wo ai wode mama!!!

Xie xie! (Thank you!)

I just received two update emails from friends back home. One was an update and pictures from married friends about their one month old son. The other was from a friend who had an all night adventure at the bars and casino.

Diversity is wonderful.

I'd just like to thank them and everyone else for keeping me in the loop of your lives back in the States. As much as I love it here, I do miss all of you so it's great to hear from you and how things are going back home.

Keep on keeping on,

JiaFu JiaLuan

Carlos. Zambrano. Amazing.

Go Cubs go!!!

Da Taipei Bears!

It's still raining from the typhoon. It's 1:30am. And the sport doesn't even exist in this country.

And yet, here I am watching Da Bears take on the Panthers on a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon. Complete with US commercials for Taco Bell (It looked good!) and crappy FOX TV shows. Technology is wonderful.

It cost me $200 (US unfortunately) but after that blocked punt, it's already worth it.

Go Bears!!!!!!

Taiwan Update? It's About Time

I think a Taiwan update is long overdue. So here goes:

- As of tomorrow, I will have been living in Taiwan for 4 months. 4 months! Oh my that seems like a long time. And while I still feel like an extended stay tourist in many ways, I'm really starting to view this place as my second home. Very exciting stuff.

- Per my previous post, we're in the middle of a rather large typhoon. Because of it, I have a 3 day weekend and, thus, have plenty of time for blogging.

- I have a new work schedule and new classes. The good/bad news? I'm working even more hours than over summer. It's great to make more money but I'm usually exhausted. The great news? No more six day work weeks! And not only do I have two days off now but I actually have a weekend with Sundays and Mondays off. Hao!

- I now have Daycare classes 3 days a week. Just like in the States, these kids get dropped off in the morning, are at the school all day, and get picked up after their mother/father is done with work. They come to my class for 2.5 hours where I mostly practice speaking with them. There's no homework to grade, any handouts are done in class, we basically play games the whole time, and most of the kids are really cute and well behaved. I swear, some of them won't stop smiling and giggling for the entire 2.5 hours though. It's hysterical and always makes me smile. Great classes so I'm glad my boss likes me.

- I also have my first 1-on-1 class. Just like the name suggests, it's just me and one student. That's for 1.5 hours every Thursday with a 5th grader named Sunny. We've had two sessions and she's really, really smart. I can basically talk normally with her and she understands me. We're working on her writing though as her grammar is so so. All homework is graded with her in class so it's fairly easy. Again, I'm glad I'm on my boss's good side.

- From the day I started work, everyone has been nice to me and each other. But I couldn't help but notice that the FT's would stick together for lunch and weekend plans and the CT's would do the same. It's like there was a wall between the groups that didn't permit us to hang out more. Well, me and a few others have slowly been chipping away at that wall and it finally came down.

Last weekend, 12-15 of us (over half of the teachers) went to KTV (karaoke) together. We had a blast. It's hilarious seeing the cultural difference on KTV. One of the FT's and I were the only ones drinking and we were the stiffs in the room not singing until we said "what the hell" after a few drinks. The locals don't need those few drinks to perform. They go right into it and are serious about it. Both Chinese and American songs were sang and everyone had a blast.

Afterwards, I convinced a few of the CT's to join me at a bar called Bliss for a soul music show where I was meeting up with other friends. I thought there was going to be a live band but sadly there was not one. However, it was great to hear some tunes you do not ever hear in this country.

- As of last week, I'm no longer just Teacher Jefu. I'm also Student Jefu. I started a language exchange with a friend of one of the CT's. Language exchange is exactly that: We meet, she teaches me Chinese for half the time, and I teach her English for half the time. It's a great way to learn without paying for a tutor or classes. Her name is Jasmine and we're going to meet twice a week. I feel like I'm doing ok already. I've been practicing the 4 tones (flat, up, down then up, & down) with her a lot. It's something severely lacking with any Chinese I already "know" and it's very important because the tone changes the meaning of a word. I think I'm starting to get it. She says I'm a quick learner but the flat tone gives me the most trouble. The only way I can say it correctly is when I do it really quietly. It's tough but I'll keep practicing. Oh and Jasmine is clearly the prettiest girl in the room as she's a part-time model so that's an added bonus.

- I have a new roommate. My Canadian roommate, Lachy, moved out because he's taking Chinese classes early in the morning on the other side of the city so he didn't want to deal with the commute. Understandable, but sad to see him go as he was a good roommate. Hopefully we'll still meet at Club 7-11 once in a while.

The new roommate is Matt from San Diego. He's been in Taiwan for 2 years and just moved to Taipei. He's been living here for about two weeks and so far so good. He's laid back and we get along well. He also speaks pretty good Chinese so that's come in handy a few times.

- Also on the roommate front, the third one, Liene, is coming back in a few weeks. She's a lot of fun so I can't wait for her to come back. We'll definitely have a party. You're all invited btw so start looking into flights for October.

So a lot of big changes both at work and at home but things are looking bright (not literally, there's a typhoon!) so I'd say things are going really well. And let's keep it that way.

Um...There's a Typhoon Too.

After checking several news websites, it appears that Hurricane Ike is getting ready to knock Texas back to the stone age. Every site I saw (NY Times, Chicago Tribune, CNN, BBC) were just going on and on about the day after tomorrow in the Gulf this weekend. I can't say I blame them for the bleak outlooks though after effing up on Katrina so bad but that's another story...

My question is, why is no one talking about Typhoon Sinlaku??? That's because no one knows about Typhoon Sinlaku. After reading about the front page news of Hurricane Ike and how terrible it will be (and I'm not downplaying it at all, I hope all the folks in Texas will be alright), I couldn't find a single story about Typhoon Sinlaku. Not a single one on any of the "World News" sites. Huh???

You're telling me CNN and BBC aren't even reporting on a storm almost as big as Ike and just as powerful as Ike (Sinlaku would be a Category 3 if they used that system)??? That doesn't seem right. I can even find a story about Ike on the Taipei Times almost as quickly as our on typhoon. Sadly, Sinlaku could actually be "The Storm of the Century" and I'm not sure a thing would change in the news.

Though it saddens me that the news about my new homeland is so second rate that it doesn't even warrant a brief online story, I will relay what I know here on ayj. Typhoon Sinlaku is going to hit northern Taiwan tonight/Saturday morning (Taipei is in the north btw). It's big, it's powerful, and it's moving slowly (not a good combo). Classes were canceled tonight. The city is shut down at least for Saturday and probably Sunday. And my first Moon Festival, on Sunday, is completely ruined.

But not to worry. I plan to hole up in my apartment where my roommate Matt and I will have a Die Hard marathon (assuming we still have power since the lights are already flickering). If not, I've got plenty of homework to grade (just as fun!)

Maybe I'm being too dramatic, but this is just another "eye-opener moment" for me about how the world works now that I'm out of my comfort zone. There's America. And then there's the rest of the world.

Circus Monkey!

Some of my coworkers sang this at KTV yesterday. Not only was it great to hear them sing this because all they have here is pop music, but the music video is amazing. The guy is not happy, there are girls jumping up and down, and best of all, there's a monkey!

Mmm...Stinky Tofu

It took me almost four months. Four months of going to the night market, thinking about trying it, smelling it, and deciding to pass. Ah yes, stinky tofu.

Despite several failed attempts to actually eat it, I kept telling myself that one day I would finally gather up the courage and get past the warm dog food smell and try it. No joke, even the locals think it smells terrible.

Well, tonight was that night. I was at the Shilin Night Market with one of the Chinese Teachers and she finally convinced me to try it. So I expected her to order a piece of it for me to sample. Nope. She ordered an entire plate of it. Thanks Drew.

So I'm sitting there shocked to see so much of it and just inhaling that horrible smell. Yummy. I take up the chopsticks, grab a nice chunk of it, dip it in the sauce, and...I liked it!?!? Huh??? What??? That wasn't supposed to happen. I actually liked it. I almost finished the whole plate. I have no idea how to describe it but it was good.

My world has been turned upside down. My prejudice was all wrong. Does this mean I should give warm dog food a shot? Whoa, let's just hold on a second. I think the stinky tofu is talking...

Far Eastern Hospitality

Kudos to Alex, Gillian, and Mark for the House Cooling Party this past Saturday. Not only did I get to enjoy their wonderful company, music, and homemade salsa, but they made some fantastic mojitos as well. The mint was so fresh they were picking it straight from the branches. Que bueno!

Are You Ready For Some Football? Um...Maybe???

One of my biggest worries about going to Taiwan...football season. How in the world was I going to survive football season!?!? Meeting up with the Chicago crew for the big Oklahoma/Chattanooga matchup at Goose Island or watching the always playoff determining Bears/Lions game at the Dunsings were no longer viable options. This really worried me.

And just like that, I'm a lot less worried about it. All the anticipation and excitement of the opening weekend of college football quickly turned to disappointment after Michigan, Illinois, and Miami combined to go 0-3. Ugh. I know it was only one week, but I'm trying to justify not being able to watch these games.

And with the Bears getting ready to start a season in which 6 wins looks like a stretch, I'm looking at a very loooong football season.

No matter, I'll try to watch/listen to/read about every game or highlight I can.

Viva Jerry!

Courtesy of The Onion, via Teo. Too good to not pass along.

Hawaii wins Little League World Series

Your Move, China

On my way to work today I noticed an unusual amount of policemen on the street. I stopped at Subber for lunch and upon ordering a policeman came in, yelled something, and ran out. Weird.

As I sat down to eat, one of the workers came up to me and said "This is happening now." She pointed to a piece of paper that said "military maneuver." Huh? I was then told I could not leave for 30 minutes. Huh??? Then the gates to the store were closed and the air raid sirens started going off. WTF!?!?

The calming music of Justin Timberlake in the store reassured me that it wasn't a real attack from our giant neighbor and must be some sort of drill. I ate very slowly and was allowed to leave when it was over 30 minutes later.

I couldn't wait to get to school and ask the Chinese teachers about what just happened. I soon found out that it was a drill and that it took place all over the city and northern part of the country. Policemen and soldiers clear the streets and the whole city essentially shuts down. Cars and buses have to pull over and pedestrians are brought to designated areas. Glad I made it inside before a bunch of cops were yelling at me to run somewhere in Chinese. That would have been crazy.

Here's a little story about it in the Taipei Times that I found when I got home.

Really weird experience. I can't imagine Chicago completely coming to a halt for 30 minutes. And its a nice reminder that I live in such a place were an air raid is actually a possibility.

Just another Wednesday in Taiwan...

AYJ Upgrade

Don't be scared. Change is good. So grab an ice cold C.C. Lemon, put your feet up, and stay awhile.

Good Times - WaiAo Beach

After deciding that another beach trip was long overdue, Alex, Andy, Adam, & I headed to the east coast on Sunday. After having swum in the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea, our sights were set on a more familiar body of water: the Pacific Ocean.

A few weeks ago, we attended the Summer Aquarian Festival at WaiAo Beach. It was the all night beach party that ended in me sleeping on the beach. Good times indeed.

So we decided to head back to this beach because it seemed cool and Adam lost his phone at the festival and a surf shop in town had it. After a rather pleasant and relaxing 1.5 hour train ride (great mountain views), we arrived at WaiAo Beach. The guide books call it a surf beach that's not adapt for swimming. I've read that before and also have seen the "surf" in this country. Its laughable. Ok, I guess winter is when the swells are best so I'll hold judgement for now.

We swam for awhile, went and found Adam's phone, had a delicious hot dog and squid-on-a-stick, waited 30 minutes, and swam some more. We attempted to swim back to America but didn't get past Guam.

WaiAo Beach gets points for several reasons. Its a black sand beach. Not sure I've ever been on a black sand beach before. It looks really cool but its scorching hot so you need to move to the water quickly. And even though there was a buoyed off swim area, the lifeguards were relaxed enough (or negligent enough) to allow us to swim past the ropes and enjoy the small waves a bit more.

We capped the day off with an ice cold Corona at a surf shop before heading back to the big city. All in all, a nice little Sunday.

NBA Madness in Taipei

If it wasn't so expensive, I'd definitely be there. Team B will clearly win. I mean, they have Pippen, B.J. and Doug Creighton.

Check it out.

Ghost Festival? Where are the Ghostbusters?

So its the seventh lunar month which means one thing here: ghosts. Aaahhh!!!! Yep, its Ghost Month. And today was Ghost Festival.

Before you get all excited about a daylong marathon of the Patrick Swayze classic, hear me out. Basically, the Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future comes to visit the living and if you don't feed him and the other ghosts, you're in trouble. People leave out food and after a certain amount of time if the ghosts haven't eaten the dumplings and C.C. Lemon (who could refuse that!?!?) then you can eat them.

Also, spirit money is burned. Spirit money is money the ghosts can use in the afterlife to get sweet stuff. Sounds pretty awesome if you ask me.

Please take note that if I ever die, I'd like a few billion in spirt money burned for me as I want to be a high roller in the big house. Xie xie.

Comments

I'd love to hear from some folks back home a bit more so you can now leave comments at AYJ. The setting should be changed to allow anyone to leave a message so blog away.

3 Months!?!?

Holy crap. As of today, I have been in Taiwan for a quarter of a year. I cannot believe it. Time flies.

Chinese Valentine's Day (8/7) & Father's Day (8/8)

I'd like to wish all the beautiful women in my life back home, here, and everywhere in between a wonderful and happy Chinese Valentine's Day.

And since I'm too busy to post tomorrow, I'd like to wish my Dad a Happy Father's Day.

Can't wait to see what holidays await me in September. Christmas?

Taipei Zoo Field Trip

Alright, I just added pictures from my first field trip to the zoo. We saw a bunch of animals, enjoyed the 100 degree sunshine, and no one was left behind. I'd say it was a successful trip.

Taipei Zoo Field Trip Pictures

Receipt Lottery

Something I've been meaning to blog about...The Receipt Lottery.

Basically, every time you make a purchase you are playing the Receipt Lottery. Every purchase at 7-11. Every trip to Wellcome (supermarket). Even purchases from the squid-on-a-stick guy count (well, that's if he gave out receipts).

Each receipt has an eight digit number on it and depending on how many numbers you match you win more money. And you can win some solid money. The grand prize is 2 million NT (about $65,000 US). Now I'm not getting any false hopes of winning that much, but winning some extra cash to put towards dumplings and Taiwan Beer is nothing to sneeze at.

Here's a good summary of how it works.

Unfortunately, I didn't win on the 7/25 drawing but I also had about 15 receipts saved since I didn't know this existed until late June. I probably get 2-3 receipts a day so I should have plenty of opportunities to make the big time at the 9/25 drawing. Happy gambling!

You call that a knife? This is a knife.

Saturday night started out innocently enough. Too bad it didn't end that way.

The rain from the upcoming typhoon had begun and I was planning on staying in. Then the texts started coming in and I couldn't resist. From a combination of being tired from work, tired from the heat, and not having a lot of money, I haven't gone out too much. But this needed to change.

After meeting up with Alex, we headed to Underworld to meet up with Adam, Andy, & Beavis (Alex, Adam, & Andy being American, Beavis being Taiwanese). Never been there and I liked it. A nice chill place to have a few drinks. Only problem was it was rather smokey. I'm still getting used to this since Chicago's bars are smoke-free.

After a few drinks there, Alex, Adam, and I headed to 9%. This place is a club that has a set entry fee and all you can drink (about $20 US). I had never been and it was alright. I thought it was more of a foreigners bar but for a long time we were the only non locals in there. They also had the bartenders juggling flaming liquor bottles. The first 5 minutes was fun to watch, but after 20 minutes I just wanted them to get back to work so I could have another beer. And they had go-go dancers who were slightly attractive. Kudos to Alex for just going up to one out of nowhere. Too bad she didn't speak English.

Around 3, Alex's lady friend called and he bailed. I thought Adam was elsewhere in the club but I soon realized he bailed too. Now by myself, I was about to leave when I met 5 Canadian guys who teach English in Korea and were here on vacation. I hung out with them for a while until the club closed at 4. They still wanted to party so I decided to play host and show them a good time. Adam had mentioned a late night club called Vibe so we headed there. I probably should have just gone home...

Within 5 minutes of being at Vibe, some of the Canadians were about to get in a fight. And while the Canadians looked like hockey players, their adversaries had some big boys too (I think they were German). Yours truly acted as a peacekeeper and, along with a few others, was able to defuse the situation. I even had a beer and some fries with the German guys. Hao!

Then we went downstairs where its much more of a dance club. We were dancing and talking with anybody and everybody. It was a lot of fun. Then one of the Canadians and I were dancing with these two Taiwanese girls and a big African guy approached me. The conversation went something like this:

African Guy: "blah blah blah" (couldn't hear him cause the music was so loud)

Me: "Hey man I'm Jeff. Where you from?"

African Guy: "blah blah blah my girls blah blah blah"

Me: (starting to realize he's not happy) "My apologies. Let's grab a drink." (my peace offering)

African Guy: something about stabbing me (his not so peaceful offering)

Canadian Friend: pulls me away and says "Chicago (that's what they were calling me), he's not too happy man. Let's just move away."

Me: "I know! He said something about stabbing me!"

Yep, that was a first. After pondering what the hell just happened, we regroup with the other Canadians and decide to stick together (sure leaving was a much better idea at this point but at least we did something). They reassure me that if I get stabbed they have my back (I can't believe I'm having this conversation!!!) We keep to ourselves for a while before I have enough liquid courage/stupidity to forget what just happened and go back on the dance floor.

After a while, I very much accidentally find myself dancing with one of those two girls again. Between the club being dark and the booze, I didn't even recognize her until I saw the African guy in the distance with a "I told you I'm going to stab you" look on his face. Look lady, you're clearly into me and that's awesome. But you've got a huge African boyfriend/friend/bodyguard of some kind ready to stab me just for looking at you. I don't think this is what I signed up for. This time I not only get away from the girl but I finally realize its time to go.

And while I still I still don't fully realize what happened the other night, I do know that I'd rather not play knifey/spooney ever again.

3 Names, 1 Teacher

Everyone uses "Teacher First Name" at my school but I don't know why. Personally, Mr. Jelen seems too official and I don't view myself as an official teacher so maybe that's the reason. Plus, Mr. Jelen is my Dad, not me.

For all my classes, I have introduced myself as "Teacher Jeff" and that's what the students have been calling me. But lately, the students are starting to call me one of two other names. No, Teacher Stupid isn't one of them.

The first is "Teacher JJ." They get this because the kids write down their homework in a "Bye-Bye Book" and the teacher has to sign it to make sure its correct. I write my initials instead of my name. I guess I'm the only teacher that does that so the kids seem to enjoy it and the name is starting to stick in a couple classes. Fine by me.

The other name is "Teacher JeFu" pronounced "Jay-Fu." If you asked most of the students to say the letter "f" they'd say "f-ooo" instead of just saying "f" so that's where this comes from. I like this one cause its my Chinese name, for now. That is of course until I get a cooler name that means "brave dragon slayer of the west" or something like that.

Magic #142

The number of times I've been stared at for being white? Way too low. The number of Chinese words I know? Way too high. The number of hours it took me to write this entry? Close, but not quite.

That my friends is the number of students that the parents and school officials of Taiwan have entrusted me with. 142 students to help learn English good. 142 students to keep safe and out of trouble while under my supervision. 142 students to teach about the important things in life like Da Cubs, Da Bears, and Da Bulls.

And now that I've been teaching some of these kids for two months (I can't believe its been that long!), I feel I can give everyone some thoughts on my classes and classroom experiences thus far.

First of all, here's a basic rundown of how classes work at my school. The first level is M. This goes from M1-M6. These are the youngest and least experienced kids. They start off learning simple vocabulary and sentence patterns. The next level is K. This goes from K1-K12. Quite a range here so let's just say this is the intermediate level. And the highest level is NA (New Advanced, no idea what M & K stand for). This goes from NA1-NA7. These classes introduce the kids to writing stories rather than just sentences and reading books rather than one page stories.

M & K classes meet twice a week and are taught once by a CT (Chinese Teacher) and once by a FT (Foreign Teacher) each week. NA classes meet once a week and are only taught by a FT.

The classes go for 3-4 months. Because of this, and because the kids start learning at different ages, there is a lot of overlap in the age of students between levels.

I currently have 8 classes. Here are some thoughts on each:

K8 (23 students, 4th-5th graders): Most K classes have around 15 students so this one is quite large. But its also one of my favorite classes. The students are smart, eager to learn, and behave so we have fun. With that said, I could do without Alan. I love his enthusiasm when he volunteers for any question I ask but I hate that 90% of the time he's not just wrong, he's not even close. He might be staying at this level for another session. TBD.

K5 (8 students, 2nd graders): My newest class is also by far my smallest class. While I don't know the kids that well, so far they've been good. Even if they weren't, there's only eight of them so I could manage it. And not that she's an evil student, but Quby scares the crap out of me. She seems like a nice, cute little girl on the outside but she's got some ambition and hates to lose, both in games and on her homework. I gave her back a quiz that she didn't do well on and I got the evil eye from her. Yikes! There's a decent chance I'll be writing on the board one day and get stabbed with a pencil. She'll play all innocent, but I'll know it was her.

K7 (15 students, 3rd-5th graders): Not a bad class. They'd be better if they didn't tell on each other constantly about who's speaking Chinese or doing something else. Jeez. Snitching will only get you so far in life children and its not far. Only bad apple is Leo and I already found out he's not coming back for K8. Bueno!

M6 (15 students, kindergarten-1st graders): My youngest class is also my second favorite. This class is the closest thing I have to "babysitting" since they're so young and small. And its tough to keep their attention so someone is always standing up or has the wrong book open. But that's also why they're fun. When they're standing up when they're not supposed to, I simply pick them up and put them back. This works until they all start doing it so they can get picked up too.

And besides that, this class has the best English names of them all. I have a Jonathan, Frank, Mimi, Sunny, Yoyo, Connie (the kids always laugh because I say it with the Chicago "A"), Melissa (sorry MK, she spells it with two s's), my one and only Jeff, and my single favorite name in all of my classes, Otis. Not only is that a ridiculously awesome English name to have (how many Otis's do you know in the States?), but the kid doesn't have all his teeth, has glasses that appear to be too big for him, and he's the smallest kid in class yet he tries, and fails, to wrestle the girls during break time. Priceless.

K10 (23 students, 5th-6th graders): A solid class, but also my most boring class. Most students are fine but that's the problem. Not enough superstars or troublemakers to make them standout. And the material for this level doesn't help as its boring and tough to make exciting games or activities with. And not only are there a ton of students, but there are several duplicate names in the class (2 Andy's, 2 Ken's, 2 Sandy's) so I can never remember who is who.

NA3 (19 students, 7th-8th graders): After all those wonderful things, it seemed too good to be true right? Well, that's where this class comes in. They are by far my least favorite class. Not only is this huge for a NA class (most are around 12 students) but they don't do their homework, they don't pay attention in class, and they simply don't care. I've even kicked a few kids out of class for being a disruption. That's right, I can be a disciplinarian when I need to be. Now they've seen my tough love so things are getting better but I'm not completely optimistic.

NA1 (17 students, 3rd-6th graders): These students have cemented their place in history as the first class I ever taught. Not only that, but they're my favorite class and couldn't be more different than my other NA class. It doesn't seem like a big class, they do their homework, they pay attention, and we have fun in class. This is also the class that very willingly posed for a picture with my Cubs gear. Just this last week, I forgot to update them on the Cubs at the beginning of class (as I do every week) and not two minutes went by before I heard, "Teacher Jeff, what about the Cubs this week? Did they win?" That's when I had to explain the All-Star Game and its worthlessness.

OT2 (14 students, 2nd-3rd graders): This is my outing class that I have for the summer only. I wish it was longer because these kids are awesome. Basically, we play a lot of games and we go on field trips every other Friday. Two weeks ago, we went to the Taipei Zoo. Not only was it a really nice zoo, but the kids were so excited and we had a blast. I saw my first koala bears too. So small and they just sat there. I can now say with confidence that I could fight a bear and win.

What's also great about this class is there are 7 boys and 7 girls. So we always play boys against girls cause "we don't like the girls" according to the boys (that won't last forever my friends). As far as the battle of the sexes goes, all I can say is the boys need to practice their golf game. We play almost every class and the girls not only beat them, they destroy them. I'm thinking of taking them pro.

Alright, there you go. Sorry it took so long to share some thoughts on the main reason I'm out here but I hope this gives you a little insight into my new life adventure. Its still really strange in a lot of ways (I'm a teacher!?!? In Asia!?!?) and I miss you all back home, but thank you for your continued support while I'm in my new "home." It means a lot.

And I'll be sure to blog if I get another Otis.

A Lovely Sunday Evening

Sunday started out like so many days have been: hot. I was planning on going to a temple but it was too hot to stay outside for long. I was thinking of going to the beach but I slept too late to make the trip worth it.

Then my buddy Pat texts me with a wonderful idea: Batman. I sweeten the deal by proposing Chili's for dinner since they're in the same building. Now we're set for our man date. Uh...

After a delicious meal of fajitas, and by far my most expensive meal in Taipei, we check out The Dark Knight. It was spectacular. I think its even better than Batman Begins and that's no small feat.

It was also great to see the Chicago skyline and different parts of my hometown. I think Batman and I have the same bank.

And its too bad about Heath Ledger. I never really thought of him as a premiere actor (I think he won for Brokeback Mountain but I never saw it) but he won me over as The Joker. Creepy as hell. Has to be one of the best villains in recent memory.

And for those curious, they show the movies here in English and use subtitles. After a few minutes, I don't even notice them anymore, except for the occasional joke that has the Chinese audience laughing a second before the punch line is delivered.

All in all, a lovely Sunday evening. And after seeing that Indiana Jones 4 crap, my faith is restored that great movies can still be made.

Typhoon Kalmaegi

As much as I love it here, there are many things I'm not used to. One of those things are typhoons since we had nothing like them in Chicago.

First Typhoon Fengshen. Now Typhoon Kalmaegi. And unlike Fengshen, which missed Taiwan when it took a detour from The Philippines to Hong Kong, Kalmaegi hit Taiwan.

The good news is it didn't hit Taipei and the city is safe and sound. The bad news is this thing was considered a small typhoon and it still killed at least 20 people.

I find this difficult to grasp as most hurricanes that hit the States, as terrible as they are, usually just cause a lot of property damage (Katrina being an obvious exception). Here, even in a smaller one, its very likely that people will lose their lives as well.

I've always known this to be the case in many parts of the world. Its just an eye opener now that I call one of those parts of the world "home."

Home of the "Freedom Goddess"

To celebrate the 4th of July, I had one of my classes write a paper called "Traveling to America." They had to write about where they wanted to go and why. I graded the papers the other day and they started to make me homesick. They wrote about NYC, California, and Chicago (thanks to my influence) and it was really cool to read their stories.

First, a few of them called the Statue of Liberty the "Freedom Goddess." I think that's a much cooler name and propose changing the official name immediately. Second, as most of them have never been to the US, they wrote about these places as if they were magical places in a far off land. Everything was perfect in the places they visited: the cities, the beaches, the mountains. And they talked about saving all their money for the next year so that next summer they could visit the US.

Very interesting and touching to read about my wonderful home from their perspective. Poor one out for the Freedom Goddess tonight.

Good Eats - Subber

So a few weeks ago I started going into western food withdrawal. The noodles, rice, dumplings, and squid-on-a-stick have all been wonderful, but damn I wanted a sandwich.

That's when my roommate directed me to Subber. Subber is a couple blocks from my apartment and is basically a local version of Subway.

My first trip there was quite pleasant. Turkey. Onions. Mustard. Jackpot. It was so delicious. And I got the combo with a drink and brownie bites. These were the first brownies I've seen in Taiwan and they were quite delicious as well.

On top of all that, the music selection was quite amusing. The playlist went System Of A Down, Michelle Branch, Tool, and then some Michelle Branch type singer again. Great job on the transitions.

I've since frequented Subber about once a week. Yes, I addicted. But its better than getting my western food fix at McDonald's or KFC every week. In addition to the delightful turkey sandwich, they have a hot chicken caesar that's delicious and their meatball sub is much better than I expected.

I like it so much that I've added their website to my "Good Stuff" links on the right. Check it out.

Good Times - Jishan Beach

Back to Sunday, June 22...

For the second week in a row, I decided to head to a north coast beach. After experiencing the Taiwan Strait at Baishawan Beach, it was time to head northeast and test the waters of the East China Sea. So Ben, Andy, Adam, and I got a bus headed for Jishan Beach.

It took a bit longer to get there (about 2 hours) but that's mainly because we left from the middle of downtown and it took an hour to get outside of the city. We passed several beaches along the way that will have to be explored at a later point. Once we arrived, I immediately started comparing it to Baishawan. The bad? The beach was dirtier. The good? It didn't seem as crowded. And Mr. Hasselhoff was no where to be seen. Could this mean no designated swim area!?!? Yes! Finally, freedom to swim where I pleased.

After a failed attempt at swimming to Japan, I decided to just enjoy being in water that was deeper than my waist. It was so nice. That is until I got stung by something. I felt a prick on the inside of my elbow and it burned like hell for 5 minutes and then went away. Not cool I didn't think it was a jellyfish because I thought they brushed up against you and this felt like a needle in my arm. Later, I was told that the waters here have a lot of really small jellyfish and that's what it was. That's a first for me. And hopefully a last.

But in the end, the longer commute and presence of jellyfish didn't stop me from having a great time. And the fact that I can swim at this beach definitely is a bonus over Baishawan. Until next time...

Stay tuned...

I wanted to post more but got sidetracked with a phone call with a fellow Jelen and a few Tsingtaos. Perhaps tomorrow I will continue...

Good Times - Baishawan Beach

Back to Sunday, June 15...

After a night out at Club 7-11 (No joke - going to a club, not actually going into the club, and drinking beers outside of the nearest 7-11 is quite popular here. I enjoyed it), Mike and I decided it was time for our first beach experience in Taiwan.

We took the MRT up to Danshui and continued via bus to Baishawan Beach, a beach on the Northwestern coast of Taiwan. The whole trip took just over an hour from my place. Not too shabby.

Once at the beach, we first enjoyed a lovely pasta lunch at Cafe de Mr. Robert. Maybe it was because I hadn't had spaghetti for over a month or maybe it was because Mr. Robert just knows his pasta, but it was damn good. A peach frappe was also delicious, but a bit too much.

While eating, we noticed most of the people were swimming in the middle so we figured we'd head to one of the edges of the beach. After waiting 30 minutes (of course), I made my grand entrance into the Taiwan Strait.

The sun was shining, the water was warm, and I felt like I could swim to China (under a flag of peace of course). Not even a minute later, a lifeguard was blowing his whistle at me. Apparently, all those people were in the designated swimming area and I was breaking the rules. At this point, I remembered reading somewhere that over 50% of the population can't swim despite the fact that they live on an island. Comical yes, but at least the swim area makes sense.

But there was one small problem with the swim area: the deepest part didn't even reach my chest. Seriously??? I know the population is generally shorter than me, but not THAT much shorter.

I was not pleased. I contemplated asking Mr. Hasselhoff if I could take a swimming test to prove that I could survive in more than 4 feet of water. But it appeared the only folks allowed any deeper were the surfers. Although I've never surfed, I thought about renting a board and just swimming alongside it.

And the funny thing about the surfers was that any and all waves were breaking in the swim area. Many times a surfer would just get up and have to immediately jump off since they reached the ropes and could go no further. Quite hilarious to watch their frustration.

But since we were stuck in the kiddie pool we decided to act like kids and just play in the waves. Good times indeed. But my marine invasion of the mainland would have to wait...

Hello? Bueller?

Whoa, sorry folks. I've been so busy with all things Asia that I forgot to share my adventures. I'll try to get you up to date with a few posts.

Dragons & Beardogs & Squid..Oh My!

My first Taiwanese holiday - Dragon Boat Festival. It was this past Sunday and oh what a day.

My friends Pat, Alex, Mike, and I decided to make our way to the Dragon Boat Races in the Dazhi neighborhood. Unfortunately, there is no MRT that goes there so we went to the closest one and walked it. It was a nice walk along the river but it took us nearly an hour to get there and we were worried about missing the races.

Alas, we were finally approaching the race scene on the Keelung River (on the wrong side of course). Just as we got there, it started to drizzle. 30 seconds later that drizzle turned into a downpour and the races began. Weather fit for a dragon I guess. Good times indeed.

We started going over the bridge and watched the next race from a bird's eye view. We finally made our way to the proper crowd section and watched the remaining races from there.

The races themselves were alright because once they passed your area it was tough to tell who was in first and who was in last (and the finish line area was mobbed). But the event was a really cool experience. And the boats do really look like dragons. Scary!

At the conclusion of the races, we found ourselves relaxing at a nearby fountain. Suddenly, a small bear ran past us. Ok, so it wasn't a bear. But it was some sort of beardog and the way it ran was hysterical. Check out Picasa for more proof.

After the beardog incident (there was a liondog too!), we made our way back to the tent area behind where the dragon boat races were. I assumed I could get a cool souvenir there. Maybe a mini dragon boat or something. Nope. Nothing. There were plenty of vendors but no one was selling anything like that. I was disappointed.

That is, of course, until I found an even better souvenir: squid-on-a-stick. You read that correctly, squid-on-a-stick. Its exactly that. The guy grills up a whole squid, splits it open so its flat, puts a marinade and some sesame seeds on it, and that's it. And the diagnosis? Delicious. Pat had one too and thought the same thing. The best $60 NT (less than $2 US) I've spent so far. I need to find more of that stuff.

Taiwan Address!

Finally, I have a new place to call home. I'm still getting settled in but I think its going to be a great place. More to come later.

For now, here's my new address for all those who want to send greetings, care packages, or anthrax.

5F No. 90 HuangXi Street
Shilin District
Taipei, ROC

Good Eats - Beef Noodles

Yesterday I tried a real Taiwanese tradition for the first time: beef noodles. Shockingly enough, they are about as simple as they sound. Its beef and noodles in a spicy soup broth that is eaten with chopsticks and a soup spoon. Quite delicious if you ask me.

Only complaint was that the beef seemed to have a good amount of fat on it, but it was easy enough to eat around. As I finished the rest, my friend Ben told me that it wasn't fat. It was tendon. Apparently, that's considered the most tender and delicious part of the meat here.

As I stared at my bowl of leftover tendons and my empty glass of mango juice, I decided to take a pass this time. I mean, you can't eat tendons without mango juice to wash it down. That's just not right.

Btw, the beef noodle place was in the mall where I took the Pikachu picture. He's good people.

Small Earthquake? Not Quite

I guess it wasn't a small earthquake on Sunday night after all.

At least we were far enough away to only feel it a little bit.

Dragons & Typhoons

I can't believe its June already. That means two things here: its officially typhoon season (yay!) and Dragon Boat Festival is coming. This year, its on Sunday, June 8 and is fast approaching.

Not sure exactly what I'll do to celebrate, but I hope to be watching dragon boat races while eating rice dumplings from the shore. Good times.

Just Another Weekend

Now THAT was a weekend full of adventures. Here's a recap of the events:

Friday evening we had a big storm while I was teaching. On my walk home from the MRT it started to die down. Then I was about two blocks from the apartment and I noticed all the lights were out. Awesome, it was a blackout. So I just hung out around 7-11 and had a tall boy while I waited for the power to come back on. And a new teacher, Alex, arrived that night. Welcome to Taipei, there is no electricity!

After class on Saturday, my coworker Ben invited me out with his friends. Ben, Alex, and I met up with his friends Andy and Adam for some drinks at Roxy Jr. Very chill bar with pool and fooseball. We had the best seats in the house as we occupied a couple of comfy sofas.

After a few cocktails there, we met up with a bunch of Ben's ladyfriends (foreigners and locals alike) and went to my first KTV (a karaoke bar) called PartyWorld. There was a main room where there was karaoke but we soon got a private room for our group. It looked just like a hotel walking down the hallway. The rooms had a bunch of couches, TV, and a karaoke machine. And, of course, yours truly serenaded the ladies a few times. They were quite impressed I'm sure.

Finally, Alex and I stumbled home at 5am. Yeah, a bit crazy.

Then on Sunday, we met up with Ben and Andy and took a trip to Beitou. Beitou is a bit north of Taipei, about 20 minutes on the MRT from the city center, and is known for its hot springs. So after a long night of partying and enjoying the Taipei nightlife, we relaxed in various pools at the public baths for awhile. Good times indeed.

Afterwards, we went for my first hot pot dinner. At hot pot, you cook various meats, seafood, and veggies in a hot pot at the table. We had three flavors: tomato, a curry, and my favorite, spicy Malaysian. Very tasty meal.

So Alex and I returned home and were watching tv before calling it a night. That was, of course, until mother nature decided to bookend the big storm from Friday night with an earthquake on Sunday night. And just as we headed towards a doorway, it was over. Not to fear, it wasn't that big and the city seems unaffected from what I've seen. Nothing like the one I experienced in Peru but eventful nonetheless.

Ah yes, just another weekend in Taiwan...

Taiwan & China. Friends?

I don't think my recent arrival is a coincidence.

I'm such a diplomat.

17 Lucky Students

Congratulations to the students of class NA1-107: David, Tom, Ray, Wendy, Lily, Kevin, Tim, Ashley, Betty, Jonathan, Terry, Jenny, Winnie, Lester, John, Doris, and Sherri.

You have just gone down in history as the first students I taught in Taiwan. Their reward, besides having such an awesome teacher, is the privilege to give me a Chinese name. We'll see what they come up with next Saturday.

More to come about this and my other classes but we're off to a good start.

Ahhh!!!

So it was a long week of training and observing classes. I had my first class on Saturday afternoon and I thought it went quite well. I was so excited to come home and enjoy my Saturday night and Sunday.

Then I checked my email and found out my apartment situation has fallen through. WTF!?!? I was not pleased when I read it. So now, instead of relaxing and perhaps doing some sight seeing, I need to start my apartment search over again.

Hopefully this means that I find an even better apartment. But at this point, I just want an apartment period.

Professor Jefe

This is it. I teach my first class tomorrow.

I apologize in advance to my students if I suck. I'm not trying to make you dumber. Honest!

Deep Thoughts, By Tai Jefe

So I've been here for 10 days now and here are some initial and random thoughts about anything and everything I've experienced in Taiwan:

- The public transportation system is awesome. The MRT (their version of the El) is easy to use, fast, cheap, clean, and gets you most places in the city. Anywhere it doesn't go, a bus certainly goes. However, there seem to be hundreds of routes and its a bit more complicated to figure out. Soon enough I'll have that down too.

- Car and bus drivers seem to operate as expected. They stop on red, they yield to pedestrians, and they don't drive on the sidewalk. On the other hand, scooters do not follow any of the above mentioned rules and make up about 50% of the automobiles used. I've learned to look both ways multiple times when crossing a street.

- The food is solid. I haven't tried a whole lot though for a couple reasons: I've been very busy and many places only have menus in Mandarin so if there aren't any pictures I'm screwed. But so far, the fish, bakeries, and fruit jump out at me. The fish is fresh, the bakeries have delicious bread and pastries, and the fruit is amazing.

- 7-11 stores are everywhere! They have everything you'd expect in the states: drinks, snack food, essential bath needs, and even Slurpees (I have to try mango flavor). But 7-11 is so much more here. It has a lot of dinner food (some solid quick noodle meals I might add). Its where you buy a cell phone number and then buy additional minutes for it. And its even where you pay all your utility bills. Huh??? I can't wait to walk in to 7-11 and get a mango Slurpee and pay my water bill. Thank you, come again!

- They love fashion here. It seems like all they buy is clothes. I needed a towel and had to go to 5 department stores before I found one that sold anything other than clothes and shoes.

- The beer of choice here is Taiwan Beer. Seriously, that's what its called. It isn't bad. Similar in taste to other Asian beers I've had. And the can says "Gold Medal" so you know its good. I should note that its the only Taiwanese beer I've found so maybe that's why it won the gold.

- Besides other Asian beers (including Essential Beer, its Korean and I can't wait to try it), I've seen Heineken, Guiness, Stella, Budweiser, Coors Light, Miller High Life (champagne!), and Busch. The Busch four pack is the best. Not only does the can have the Busch logo once in English and once in Mandarin, but the plastic casing has a guy enjoying a Busch and hanging out with a couple of attractive ladies in bikinis. I don't recall ever having that much fun while drinking Busch back in college.

- Besides 7-11, the other easily found US establishments are McDonald's, Starbucks, and Subway. I've also seen KFC, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, a three storied Long John Silver's, and Chili's. But the early winner of the Huh?? They Really Have That Here? Award is...Lush. That's right, the beauty/lotion/whatever store on Armitage near Bancroft's place and my old place. I've seen two locations! I didn't even realize they had multiple locations in Chicago. Maybe the lady readers (hello ladies!) are thinking "duh Jeff" but I didn't know.

- Speaking of the ladies, let's end with the Taiwanese chicas. They don't like to wear a lot of clothes and it upsets me. Why can't their shorts and skirts be of a more reasonable length? Oh well, I'll make due.

I Have An Apartment!

That's right, my intense search over the last week has paid off. Now I can finally relax a bit.

I'll be moving into a 6 bedroom, 3 bathroom split level with 5 other guys, 4 Canadians and 1 American. I met them tonight and they seem cool and laid back.

Its got everything I was looking for and more: A/C, washer and dryer (driers in apartments are rare here), cable, wireless, trash sorting service (I'll have to blog about that, the trash system here is nuts but I won't have to deal with it), weekly maid service, several balconies, and a private rooftop. It'll only take me 20 minutes to get to work and its cheap.

My room is the smallest of the 6 but its still fine. Bed, desk, wardrobe, and bookshelf. And with everyone having different durations of stay (there's no lease like we're used to because foreigners are always coming and going), I might be upgrading to one of the bigger rooms in a few months when one or two of the other guys are leaving.

Oh and probably the coolest part: one of the guys has a dog! Her name is Dodo and she seems very friendly and playful.

The only downside is the guy I'm taking over for isn't leaving until early June so I need to stay at the crappy temporary apartment a few more weeks but I'll deal with it.

So I'm happy to say the least. After a solid two months of living out of a suitcase, I'll FINALLY be able to unpack. What a feeling...

Picasa

Hey everybody. I've started uploading my photos on Picasa. Follow the link below to view them. So far I only have the pictures from the going away party but there will be more soon enough.

Good talk. See you out there.

Picasa

Hola?

So, obviously, there are a lot of people here who do not speak English and I only know a few Mandarin words. What's funny is I've caught myself trying to speak Spanish to them if they don't understand my English. One of my roommate's said he's been doing the same thing. I guess my few international experiences have mostly been to Spanish speaking countries so I'm doing the only thing I know when someone doesn't know English.

Perhaps in due time I'll learn some Mandarin and stop slipping out a few Spanish words. Or maybe I'm starting a trend and before you know it my request for "agua" will be understood.

Ni hao!

Greetings from Taiwan!

2 hours at O'Hare, 4 hours on a plane to LAX, 3 hours at LAX, 14 hours on a plane to TPE, 1 hour waiting for luggage that didn't arrive in full, and a 1 hour car ride later and here I am...living in Taipei!!!

My temporary apartment is, well, its temporary. I have a private room and internet so I can't complain. And my two roommates (one English, one American) are both cool so that's a good start.

I met with folks at the main office for my school yesterday and found out which of the 14 schools in the greater Taipei area I'll be teaching at. I'll be at School #1, obviously. Would I have it any other way?

DG crowd - they have a Chili's here! Lol, no joke. Its in the part of town referred to as "foreigner town." We're totally going before seeing Indiana Jones.

More to come later as I'm headed to my school to meet the Academic Director and other teachers. How exciting.

Adios!

Tai Jefe

AYJ has Left the Building

Actually he left the country. I'm sure a telephone number preceded by a "+" and an address that can't be googled will follow soon enough.

Casa de Jencroft

I've been shacked up here for over a week now. No complaints on my end as JB and Jen have been nothing but kind. I have my own room, there's a lovely tv, internet (in the kitchen only of course), and a washer/dryer that appear to be from the future.

I do miss Lucky though. I wonder what he's up to...

Ladies, ladies, ladies...

not only am I homeless, but now I'm unemployed as well. What a catch!

Boxcars!

So last Friday started out civil enough. I had a happy hour with coworkers to celebrate the fact that I wouldn't have coworkers much longer. We had a blast at Plymouth and were quite buzzed.

Then I got to hang out with the Ednos which was a nice surprise. We had a few drinks with them and next thing I know I'm sitting in the back of a cab with Tim and Ian and a gatorade on our way to the Indiana boats. Huh?

I don't know how it came about but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Then, after the $75 cab ride, a drink that tasted like garbage, and losing $100 in 20 minutes, the novelty of what we did had worn off. Luckily, I decided to play craps a little longer and was able to get back up in the black before the night was over.

And after a ride home that can only be called a debacle, I arrived safely at Casa de Dunsings and went to bed at 7am. Nothing like going to sleep when folks are getting up.

Greetings from Casa de Los Dunsings!

Hello everyone! Ian's no liar, I have moved out and am crashing with my good friends, the Dunsings. These guys do a great job of making me forget that I'm homeless. Mr. Dunsing and I watch Cubs games, Mrs. Dunsing and I watch garbage television, and Lucky and I play rummy (he's really good). So raise your glasses to the Dunsings, they're good people. So good that I may just postpone my departure.

Departure? Oh yeah, I'm going to Taiwan. Bam. There it is. Hope you were sitting down for that one. May 2008. Day is tbd.

Stay tuned for more blog entries as I say goodbye to my homeland and introduce myself to Asia. And I will be joining the Facebook world in the new future. I'm so excited. Are you?

Moved

AYJ left his old apartment. That's no April Fools Day joke. I'm dead serious. Go on, send him mail if you doubt me. I dare you.

Daylight Saving Time

AYJ is springing forward tonite and pretty pissed about it since he loses an hour of sleep. And sleep is a precious commodity when he's gotta wake up early to drink on Sunday.

Dammit!

I missed January...