I finally got some more pictures up, you can find them at the link on your right. I'm working on putting some more up. Last week, Rikki and Kyna visited me, and some of Bethany's cousins visited her. Its been crazy and hectic. On Saturday, my parents come to visit me as well!
Other than that, there isn't much new to speak of. I am thinking about staying longer than just a year to study Mandarin. I keep on wishing that I knew the language, and considering how cheap it is to study, the fact that I have nothing else to do at home, and that I could put off figuring out what career I want to go into, it seems like a good idea.
More to come on that obviously. I'm really not sure what I want to do, or if I have the means to do it!
Until next time, enjoy the pictures!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Kevin Bo-bevin
So, wit this whole teaching thing, I didn't realize how attached to my students I would get. Last semester, we had 20 Eagles(my Kindergarten class). Now we only have 17, soon to be 16. The three that we lost at the end of the semester I was sad about, but with such a big change as a new semester, its to be expected. I recently found out however, that I will be losing another student, Kevin. I would be lying if I said he wasn't my favorite student. Kevin is a very cool, serene student. He is going to grow up to be one of those guys everyone wants to be friends with. We have taught Kevin to say "stick it to the man" and "no big deal", and he will have long adult-like conversations with you about where you are from, your family, and what you did for lunch. Kevin is moving with his family to Taipei on Friday, and I will genuinely miss him. Don't get me wrong, I love many of my other students and love talking to them, but Kevin is one of a kind...
here he is:
here he is:
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Thailand
First let me say that it seems to me that relaying my expereince in Thailand on a blog would be impossible...with that said, let me summarize in as few words as possible. If you want to know details, call me! Write me! It would take ages....
Bethany and I spent time in Bangkok, Koh Pangang, and Koh Samui. Bangkok feels like a hell hole when you first arrive. The Thai people have mastered the art of ripping tourists off and will attempt(and succeed an unbelieable amount of times) to charge you 4 times(not exagerating) the amount for any given taxi ride. It took us a couple days to pick up on this, and we probably lost an unnecessary amount of money.
Apart from shopping and temples, there really isn't much exciting about Bangkok. Its hot, muggy, and crowded. We were anxious to get out of there and took a night train to Koh Pangang. This island is famous for its Ful Moon party, which we missed. It sounded a little crazy for me though. Instead, we got there in time for the Half-Moon party, which is a party in the middle of a jungle. I thought it just felt like a big outdoor club.
We spent most of our time in Koh Samui, laying on the beach, shopping, laying on the beach, meeting people, reading, and laying on the beach. This was the main purpose of our trip to Thailand....to lay on the beach.
To compare Thailand to the Philippines, I would have to say that on first impression alone, the Filipino people are much friendlier. I have the feeling this had to do with where we were though. In Thailand, we didn't really get the chance to get out of the tourist traps. Although the places we went were fabulous and beautiful, the majority of the Thai people we met had most likely been taught from an early age how to haggle the tourists. The Philippines is not as busy, but you meet a lot of interesting people in Thailand.
I want to go back! I started read The Beach for the second time now that I have been to the same place(we actually went to the same Marine Park...if you've read the book) and its given me an interesting perspective, even though its a novel.
I continue to have a huge thirst to travel. One would think that it may go away with a few trips to foreign countries, but it has just caused me to add more places to the list of where to go. The ideal thing would be to find a way to make enough money to travel for a year or two. Obviously with my shopping habits, this is highly unlikely. A girl can dream though. I guess I need to start the search for a rich husband....
on that note, until next time!
Bethany and I spent time in Bangkok, Koh Pangang, and Koh Samui. Bangkok feels like a hell hole when you first arrive. The Thai people have mastered the art of ripping tourists off and will attempt(and succeed an unbelieable amount of times) to charge you 4 times(not exagerating) the amount for any given taxi ride. It took us a couple days to pick up on this, and we probably lost an unnecessary amount of money.
Apart from shopping and temples, there really isn't much exciting about Bangkok. Its hot, muggy, and crowded. We were anxious to get out of there and took a night train to Koh Pangang. This island is famous for its Ful Moon party, which we missed. It sounded a little crazy for me though. Instead, we got there in time for the Half-Moon party, which is a party in the middle of a jungle. I thought it just felt like a big outdoor club.
We spent most of our time in Koh Samui, laying on the beach, shopping, laying on the beach, meeting people, reading, and laying on the beach. This was the main purpose of our trip to Thailand....to lay on the beach.
To compare Thailand to the Philippines, I would have to say that on first impression alone, the Filipino people are much friendlier. I have the feeling this had to do with where we were though. In Thailand, we didn't really get the chance to get out of the tourist traps. Although the places we went were fabulous and beautiful, the majority of the Thai people we met had most likely been taught from an early age how to haggle the tourists. The Philippines is not as busy, but you meet a lot of interesting people in Thailand.
I want to go back! I started read The Beach for the second time now that I have been to the same place(we actually went to the same Marine Park...if you've read the book) and its given me an interesting perspective, even though its a novel.
I continue to have a huge thirst to travel. One would think that it may go away with a few trips to foreign countries, but it has just caused me to add more places to the list of where to go. The ideal thing would be to find a way to make enough money to travel for a year or two. Obviously with my shopping habits, this is highly unlikely. A girl can dream though. I guess I need to start the search for a rich husband....
on that note, until next time!
Monday, January 21, 2008
brief commentary on the Philippines...
Well, its been awhile since I went to the Philippines for New Years, but since I am leaving for Thailand on Friday, I figured I needed to record my experience from my last trip first, while its still fresh.
We left for the airport on Friday afternoon, December 28. Thus began the use of various modes of transportion needed to arrive at our final destination: Comotes Islands, Philippines. We caught a Taxi to the Highspeed Railway Station(HSR), followed by a train to Touyen, and a shuttle to the airport. Everything went relatively smoothly up until we got to the Philippines.
The plane arrived in Cebu, Phillipines at about 2am. We figured we would wait until the Port opened and take the earliest Ferry to Camotes Island. We made friends with a Police Officer and he was kind enough to call a legitimate, safe Taxi for us at 4am. Our Taxi driver, James, took us to the port, where we discovered that there were no tickets for the 6am ferry. James convinced us to let him drive us to the next closest port where there would be another ferry leaving in 40 minutes. He drove like a maniac, but we got there and paid some guys to get us on the livestock filled ferry even though we didn't have tickets. It was a beautiful boat ride...the sea was calm and we got to see a quite amazing sunrise.
We got to Camotes around 11, and as we were getting off, two guys came up and asked if we were going to the Santiago Bay resort. They charged us 50pesos each for a motorcycle ride(Habal-Habal) to the resort. Riding with a huge backpack on the back of a motorcycle is quite difficult, let me tell you.
Santiago Bay resort was more beautiful than the pictures. There is no picture that could do that place justice. The first day, my ears were ringing because it was so quiet. The whole time we were there, there were only about 5 other families. It was paradise. I almost don't want to tell anyone about it so it won't be ruined. For 5 days, Bethany and I explored the islands with the help of our Habal Habal drivers, Wendel and Freddy. We went through breathtaking caves, rode on a bamboo boat, discovered sea creatures we had never seen before, and watched amazing sunsets. It was the perfect vacation, and much needed after teaching Kindergartners for 4 months.
On the way back, we had just about the most frightening 4 hour illegal boat ride I could ever imagine. I can't say the most frightening I've ever had, because it was the first 4 hour illegal boat ride I've ever had. Bethany and I were forced to rent a small 8 person boat with some Filipinos after all the Ferry tickets were sold out. We had to catch a flight that day, so we had no choice. So, we hopped on a small motor boat in the pouring rain and ventured out into the open sea. It was no longer the calm sea we had experienced on the initial ferry ride, but it had turned into a tumultuous sea with 8 foot swells. Bethany and I were very afraid that we were not going to make it out of this...We kept asking a Filipino lady in front of us if she was scared, and she continually said no. It was only afterwards that she admitted to being scared and that she had been praying the whole time. Well no kidding, me too.
The boat finally made it to Cebu, but instead of landing in a normal port, we had to land on a small beach that happened to be someones backyard. Why, you might ask? Because we were not allowed to do this...no one but us and our Habal Habal drivers back on the Island knew we were on that boat. Smart thinking, going into a stormy sea in a small boat when the coast guard has no idea where you are....won't be doing that again.
Needless to say, we did make it out alive. We proceeded to pack all eight of us onto a rickshaw and then stuff ourselves into a bus with dozens of other people. Eventually, we made it to a taxi that took us to the airport. It was there that we discovered that every single article of clothing we had packed was entirely soaked. I'm not gonna say I wasn't a little frustrated. We eventually made it back to Hsinchu, where it was actually now cold(it hadn't been before we left), making the wet clothing even more terrible.
I've gotta say, it was worth it though. The beach, the sun, the people....if you ever get to go to the Philippines, I highly recommend it. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Now onto new adventures! Two weeks in Thailand will ensure lots of fun stories!
We left for the airport on Friday afternoon, December 28. Thus began the use of various modes of transportion needed to arrive at our final destination: Comotes Islands, Philippines. We caught a Taxi to the Highspeed Railway Station(HSR), followed by a train to Touyen, and a shuttle to the airport. Everything went relatively smoothly up until we got to the Philippines.
The plane arrived in Cebu, Phillipines at about 2am. We figured we would wait until the Port opened and take the earliest Ferry to Camotes Island. We made friends with a Police Officer and he was kind enough to call a legitimate, safe Taxi for us at 4am. Our Taxi driver, James, took us to the port, where we discovered that there were no tickets for the 6am ferry. James convinced us to let him drive us to the next closest port where there would be another ferry leaving in 40 minutes. He drove like a maniac, but we got there and paid some guys to get us on the livestock filled ferry even though we didn't have tickets. It was a beautiful boat ride...the sea was calm and we got to see a quite amazing sunrise.
We got to Camotes around 11, and as we were getting off, two guys came up and asked if we were going to the Santiago Bay resort. They charged us 50pesos each for a motorcycle ride(Habal-Habal) to the resort. Riding with a huge backpack on the back of a motorcycle is quite difficult, let me tell you.
Santiago Bay resort was more beautiful than the pictures. There is no picture that could do that place justice. The first day, my ears were ringing because it was so quiet. The whole time we were there, there were only about 5 other families. It was paradise. I almost don't want to tell anyone about it so it won't be ruined. For 5 days, Bethany and I explored the islands with the help of our Habal Habal drivers, Wendel and Freddy. We went through breathtaking caves, rode on a bamboo boat, discovered sea creatures we had never seen before, and watched amazing sunsets. It was the perfect vacation, and much needed after teaching Kindergartners for 4 months.
On the way back, we had just about the most frightening 4 hour illegal boat ride I could ever imagine. I can't say the most frightening I've ever had, because it was the first 4 hour illegal boat ride I've ever had. Bethany and I were forced to rent a small 8 person boat with some Filipinos after all the Ferry tickets were sold out. We had to catch a flight that day, so we had no choice. So, we hopped on a small motor boat in the pouring rain and ventured out into the open sea. It was no longer the calm sea we had experienced on the initial ferry ride, but it had turned into a tumultuous sea with 8 foot swells. Bethany and I were very afraid that we were not going to make it out of this...We kept asking a Filipino lady in front of us if she was scared, and she continually said no. It was only afterwards that she admitted to being scared and that she had been praying the whole time. Well no kidding, me too.
The boat finally made it to Cebu, but instead of landing in a normal port, we had to land on a small beach that happened to be someones backyard. Why, you might ask? Because we were not allowed to do this...no one but us and our Habal Habal drivers back on the Island knew we were on that boat. Smart thinking, going into a stormy sea in a small boat when the coast guard has no idea where you are....won't be doing that again.
Needless to say, we did make it out alive. We proceeded to pack all eight of us onto a rickshaw and then stuff ourselves into a bus with dozens of other people. Eventually, we made it to a taxi that took us to the airport. It was there that we discovered that every single article of clothing we had packed was entirely soaked. I'm not gonna say I wasn't a little frustrated. We eventually made it back to Hsinchu, where it was actually now cold(it hadn't been before we left), making the wet clothing even more terrible.
I've gotta say, it was worth it though. The beach, the sun, the people....if you ever get to go to the Philippines, I highly recommend it. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Now onto new adventures! Two weeks in Thailand will ensure lots of fun stories!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Notice
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Pasko Nagdaan
That's Tagalog for Christmas time is here. Too bad I don't remember how to say it in Mandarin...in other words, Merry Christmas everyone.
At our school we had a Christmas Pagaent. The theme for the pagaent was Christmas Around the World. The Eagles(my class) did a song in Tagolog. I attempted to choreograph the dance and my co-teacher taught the words to the song. In the end it all turned out pretty well. All the parents really want to see is their kid in a cute outfit and a white person dressed up for Christmas teaching them.
We had a pretty good Christmas here. Bethany and I both got stockings and gifts sent from home so we were able to open some on Christmas morning, and I made cinnamon rolls. We went to a cocktail party on Christmas Eve and a dinner party on Christmas day. Needless to say, I had to keep reminding myself it was Christmas. And now here I am, the day after Christmas, at work. Se la vie.
On a different note, I have taken on some privates the last couple weeks. On Wednesdays, I meet with an ex-coworker, Alice to teach her Spanish for an hour in exchange for her teaching me Chinese. Its a fair deal to me...I get to learn Chinese for free and practice my Spanish. On Thursdays, I teach a little boy named David English. He is very shy, and not very good at speaking English, but all I have to do is talk to him for an hour and a half and I get paid about $25. It gives me something to do at night and the extra money doesn't hurt.
Bethany and I leave for the Philippines on Friday night!!! I am so excited. I am happy here in Taiwan, but I think we really just need a break from it all...yay! I'll let you all know how it is when I get back with my tan!
At our school we had a Christmas Pagaent. The theme for the pagaent was Christmas Around the World. The Eagles(my class) did a song in Tagolog. I attempted to choreograph the dance and my co-teacher taught the words to the song. In the end it all turned out pretty well. All the parents really want to see is their kid in a cute outfit and a white person dressed up for Christmas teaching them.
We had a pretty good Christmas here. Bethany and I both got stockings and gifts sent from home so we were able to open some on Christmas morning, and I made cinnamon rolls. We went to a cocktail party on Christmas Eve and a dinner party on Christmas day. Needless to say, I had to keep reminding myself it was Christmas. And now here I am, the day after Christmas, at work. Se la vie.
On a different note, I have taken on some privates the last couple weeks. On Wednesdays, I meet with an ex-coworker, Alice to teach her Spanish for an hour in exchange for her teaching me Chinese. Its a fair deal to me...I get to learn Chinese for free and practice my Spanish. On Thursdays, I teach a little boy named David English. He is very shy, and not very good at speaking English, but all I have to do is talk to him for an hour and a half and I get paid about $25. It gives me something to do at night and the extra money doesn't hurt.
Bethany and I leave for the Philippines on Friday night!!! I am so excited. I am happy here in Taiwan, but I think we really just need a break from it all...yay! I'll let you all know how it is when I get back with my tan!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A much needed getaway
In two and a half weeks, Bethany and I will be here:
That's right, when you're celebrating New Years in the cold, think of us. We're going to the Philippines. I hope it actually looks like those pictures....
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