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.