And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it

2011-07-19T01:01:00.000-07:00

Radio Taiwan International Chatroom

2008-08-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is a resource link for anyone looking for English news sources in Taiwan. Radio Taiwan International has resources that are often only found in Chinese, and this blog has links to listening to RTI's Chatroom program, as well as major happenings around Taiwan.

For example, be sure to check out the RTI Chatroom Art Taipei 2008 post for information on the exhibit at the Taipei World Trade Center this weekend.

Thanks to the crew over at RTI for their efforts on this useful resource!

Taoist Dance

2008-08-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have lots of photographs from Taoist dance performances from the troupe at the temple (松山慈惠堂) we attend regularly. The group of women perform all over Taiwan (and internationally), and so we often have karaoke bus rides down South with stops at large vegetarian mess halls and host temples on the weekends.

There should be a real post to do it justice, but here's a shot from a recent performance.

Hover Tool

2008-08-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm testing out a tool (stolen from an incoming Kaohsiung Fulbright English teacher's blog) that allows you to hover over certain text for a more in depth explanation. This is useful for Chinese characters or editorial comments without footnotes.

Let's try it: 試試看

So the above should read: 試試看, and then you hover over it to see "give it a try it".

Does it work?

Brilliant! All the computer whizzes out there will never know the joys of the computer un-savvy discovering primitive tools like "hover". I suppose I'm a far cry ahead of the must be daft about the average American's lifestyle Republican nominee, only just now starting to read staff-provided emails.

“We’re not asking for a president to answer his own e-mail,” said Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley futurist who teaches at Stanford. “We’re asking for a president who understands the context of what e-mail means.”

The “user experience,” Mr. Saffo said, brings with it an implicit understanding of how the country lives, and where it might be heading. As Mr. McCain would lack this, he would also be deficient in this broader appreciation for how technology affects lives.

And this is the defense:

“You don’t actually have to use a computer to understand how it shapes the country,” said Mark Soohoo, a McCain aide for online matters, at a conference on politics and technology. “You actually do,” interrupted Tracy Russo, a former blogger for John Edwards.

Stormy Weather

2008-07-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

At least in Northeastern Taiwan, most mornings are hot, sweaty and sticky by 8am, and run so until just after lunch, where a breeze tends to kick in and the static in the air feels like storm. If it doesn't rain for a few hours (or at all that evening), there tend to at least be heavy clouds, and hopefully an accompanied cool-down.

Here are two shots of some weather.
****Taipei Gongguan MRT stop, 3pm 下午三點台北捷運公館站****
****View of Turtle Island and Yilan while getting on Provincial Highway 9, the mountain road to Taipei 從往台北九號省道看龜山島****

Ain't Shy

2008-07-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

These first graders from Dong-Ao Elementary are all about the camera. That's Ricky flexing up front; he was toothless little monster who did a great "H-huh-Horse" impression, jumping up for a full-fledged "neeeeeeeigh"

That's Brian, my wonderful co-teacher from the two aboriginal schools (Dong-Ao and Ao-Hua). He really knew how to get these active kids to at least direct some attention; everything was done in sing-song, with chanting and rhythmic sentence patterns, and there were frequent breaks for chasing kids around the room, eventually corralling them into a London Bridge's circle, collapse, and "5,4,3,2,1 back to your seats!" Needless to say, it was tiring. Brian's energy: endless.

Cherry Blossoms

2008-06-16T18:39:00.001-07:00

This Kid Was Trouble

2008-05-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

Second Grader at Dong-Ao Elementary.
He didn't like to wear clothes.
He didn't listen.
He wasn't quiet.
He did like breaking things.
He did like making a mess.
He was still adorable.

東澳國小二年級

Turtle Begging

2008-05-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited by a friend to a high-end temple in Linkou for their "Turtle Begging" event.

Turtle Begging is Taoist tradition in Taiwan that takes place in the Spring. During this time people can come and "beg" for peace, luck, or fortune (monetary) in the following year. If they win turtles, they bring them home along with the implied fortunes.

The day has a typical prayer/chanting session as held every two weeks (1st and 15th of the Lunar Month). As typical, you can bring fruit and other food (at least 3 different types of food for each tray) for blessing. Atypically, today you are supposed to bring new clothing for blessing.
****Food for Blessing****

This is followed by an afternoon of gambling. Catholics and their Bingo can rest their hearts a little.

To Beg for Peace and Luck:
1. Select the Kind of Turtle you wish to beg for:
-1斤, 2斤, 3斤, 5斤, 10斤
-These are made of different food items, such as pastries and jello-like packages
2. Nab two red crescent-moon shaped wooden blocks (don't remember the actual name for these items):
-These are used often in Taoist temples for asking advice. If you have a question, you pose the question and drop the blocks. 1 face down and 1 face up mean "yes, I can answer", 2 down or 2 up means "nope, not ready to answer". If yes, take a stick with a number on it. Repeat the first steps to make sure that the number you have is the right one, then take a slip of paper with words of wisdom intended to answer your question. Finally, see the temple interpreter who knows what the saying actually means.
3. Introduce yourself to the Deity, name and location.
4. Pose your request:
-"I wish for peace in x斤" and make a promise "
-and I'll return x斤 by giving double what I take next year at this same event, otherwise you'll punish me with un-peacelike thoughts."
-Note: Helps if done in Chinese.
5. Drop your Crescent-Moon Blocks like in item 2
6. Search for the Turtle that calls to you (tastes the best).

7. Tape on your name and turn it around away from the deity to symbolize it's movement towards your home.

6. Take your turtle and sign your name and address so they can track you down for next year's donation.

This I played.

To Beg for Fortune in Business:
1. Pay $1500NT ($45US) to get on the Gambling List
2. Wait for your name to be called.
3. Kneel in front of the Deity.

4. Drop the Crescent-Moon Blocks (with an audience)

5. Get the most 1 up, 1 down sets in each heat.
6. Be declared the Turtle King or Turtle Queen and take home the coin turtles!

7. Take a Golden Snake/Turtle for 2nd-7th places.

8. Promise to give the temple about 三萬 ($1000USD) next year at the same event.

This I didn't play.

The day is capped off with a big dinner, where orphans from a nearby children's home pigged out (strict vegetarians inside the home, they ate a variety of meats this evening, but could not take anything back).
****One shy, one "too-grown-up-for-her-age"****

I tried to do some quick math (haha!). The orphanage had about 50 kids there. About 25 people participated in the high-stakes gambling, and some returned for a second round buy-in after losing, some a third, so I figure about 35 buy-ins at $1500NT a pop. That's $52,500NT (with a sucky US Dollar value these days, that's about $1,750). The dinner (12 courses or so) fed easily 300 people, probably costing about $600NT each, so $180,000NT or $3,000. At least 50 people had trays with new clothing to be blessed, and the same with food. Clothing and food averaging $300NT combined, that's $15,000NT or about $500USD.

Bill for Turtle Begging: $5,250.

What did the orphans get (besides the occaisional scolding by temple go-ers for throwing rocks at dogs or smelling up the Gambling Ring/Temple Doorway)? A meal that conflicts with what organized value system the orphanage can hope to instill (here vegetarianism) and a sugar rush from unlimited cocktail juice (12% juice avg).

Sure some of the money from the day goes to the kids dinner, and I'm sure the temple does other charitable events. But a fraction of the busy people there that afternoon spending half of the time (I put in 7 hours total) one-on-one with some of those kids, what a world of difference it'd be.

I'll repay the "Peace Turtle" I took this year, as required by my promise to myself, the god, and the temple bookies, but next year, I'm begging for some peace through action, by spending my afternoon volunteering at the orphanage.

****Note: this post is not meant to be critical of this temple, Taoism, or Taiwan in particular. Intentions are good all around, I am sure, and there are discrepancies between intention and action and result in every country with every religion****

Dong-Ao Elementary Sport's Day 東澳國小運動會

2008-04-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

****The children here are full of love and energy****

Dong-Ao (東澳) is located on the Eastern coast of Taiwan, between Hualien (花蓮) and Yilan (宜蘭). It is a beautiful, rainy little bay, backed by mountains. The main industry is fishing, however surrounding areas host factories which extract White Stone for drywall and housing, and a grey stone for cement.

The town is small and composed mostly of aboriginal Atayal Taiwanese (1 of 12 groups). With a story not dissimilar to many aboriginal populations (Australia, the US), numbers are diminished and alcoholism is prevalent. Years before, this land all belonged to aboriginal peoples. After the Japanese Occupation (between 1895 and 1945) the land was given to the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang 國民黨), and the ruling governemnt party since has offered compensation packages involving satellite dishes (60 Channels) and monthly checks (enough for some beer and too many rounds of Mah Jhong, such that school fees are hard to come by).

However, there are more recent efforts to preserve the traditional elements of the culture (though heavily criticized as "exploitative and 'superficial '"), and many aborigines are taking personal steps to advance their voice in the community. In fact, the majority of Taiwanese have some degree of shared blood with aboriginal peoples.

The political and cultural image of the community aside, Dong-Ao is a beautiful town, with moss covered concrete, multi-colored tiles and flowerbeds, and ancient trees set between a backdrop of mountain and sea.

Spring is here and the school-year is nearing end.

It's time for annual aboriginal community Sport's Day Competitions!

Schools take (more than) a few class periods to rehearse and prepare for the weekend events, which take place on school grounds and draw most of the communities.

At Dong-Ao Elementary School (東澳國小) competitions range from silly relay races, 100m Dashes, and Archery Marksmanship while students also perform traditional aboriginal songs and dances.

Song and Dance are important parts of the aboriginal culture.

****The head of the curricular office at Dong-Ao leads students in a rhythmic and soulful tune****

The song tells the story of Atayal courtship and marriage.

****5th graders perform a courtship dance****
****This involves circling each other in time with the music****

****After a successful courtship, the couple are married. The boy does a protective dance while the girl mimics traditional female roles, such as weaving and preparing food****

****Races were the bulk of the competitions****
****Preschool Heat****

****Kindergarten Heat****

****1st Grade****

****4th Grade Girls Heat****

****4th Grade****
Smoking is still a prevalent habit here, even on school grounds and during a sporting event.

****A Healthy Onlooker****
****Gagging?****

***The whole community gets involved in the racing********Parents desperately try to convey the race concept to their toddlers****

****Some clearly would rather not participate****

****Grandpas get involved****
****As well as Grandmas****
****Future Participant On the Sideline****

****Able-bodied young men from the community chat and smoke on the sidelines after a race****
****Face of Determination****
****100m Dash Buddies****
****Full Support for all Members - Cheers on the sidelines and motivational words from the MC for this participant with a cane****
Archery is an important part of the culture, reflecting times not so long ago when targets weren't paper printouts.

****6th Grader Spears a Wild Boar****

****Some friendly competition amongst community members****

Beaches

2008-04-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few glimpses of beach scenes in Yilan County:

NanFang Ao (南方澳）is a fishing port-town in Southern Yilan County (宜蘭縣). The town is known for the soft, black sand beaches, a temple housing enormous Jade and enormous Gold Mazu (媽祖) statues (which made it the religious center of the county a long number of years ago), and fresh seafood (one of the few places in Yilan County where restaurant workers stand on the streets and try to coax you from your car and into their restaurant (instead of the 50 others down the road).

****The Dogs of NanFang Ao 南方澳****
****They're Dirty****

****Frances (Mary Poppins?) Visits NanFang Ao 南方澳****
****Washing****
****Fishing****
Yilan County is located on the Eastern side of Taiwan, so a scooter ride down good ol' National 2 will get you to a number of beaches and bays. This one is near Dafu (大副), just South of Yilan City.
****The aptly named Turtle Island (龜山島) is located just off the coast. Access to the Island is restricted to only a fortunate few who sign up with the right people****
****Turtle Island Head****
****Actually Has a Tail****

****The beach is definitely dirty in places****

****Josue and Julie walk out a ways on the breakers****
****Enjoyable****
****These breakers are all over the coasts - efforts to thwart nature (Typhoons)****
****Good for Posing****

Christmas Catch-up

2008-04-03T19:33:00.001-07:00

December 26th, 2007
Yilan Catholic Church
"Twas the Night After Christmas"
Hosted by: Josue Cofresi and Laura Burr
Performances by: Yilan County Fulbright ETAs, Yilan University English Students, Church Choir

****Josue, emphasizing a bit too much how Santa likes his Sugar Plum (Fairies)****
****K80, Casey, Michelle in Sugar Plum Action****
****Katie and Laura belt out Jingle Bell Rock in (near) perfect unison****
****ETAs Gather for Julie Goshe inspired "The Christmas Wish" (I think)****
****More Christmas Love****

****How the Grinch Stole Christmas Gave me Chills****
****The Magic of Christmas as performed by K80 and Co, Candy****
****What do We have for Her, Johnny?****
****Jeannie Rose performing a breathtaking Liebestraum****
December 25, 2007
Gong Jheng Elementary School
5th and 6th Grade English Song and Dance Competition
****This rendition of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" won first place at the county-wide English Easy Go! Competition ****
December 28th, 2007
Yilan Train Station
****Safe Journey****
****Christmas Performance with Sign Language song (note 春 for spring in the background, a month and a half away from the spring festival, 28.12.08)****
****Christmas Outfits****
****Gong Jheng Elementary Gym 6th months after typhoon/water damage****
Creative gift from tutoree:
The pink envelop reads "PS to cut balloons", pointing to a toothpick in regards to the 6 small balloons on the side. Each balloon contained a small piece of paper with writing on it, reading "Dale: 博達 (Chinese Name): You are a good teacher: Weeeee! (answer to "what did the snail say riding on the turtle's back?")" amongst other things. The big paper reads "Dear Dale, Merry Xmas, You are a good TEACHER" and "Empty-pig Angela (sister)"

****"Good" here to describe teaching is clearly a relative term.****

2008-02-29T00:49:00.001-08:00

Christams Wishes

2008-01-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm a month more behind on updating, but if anyone is still reading, here's a teaser reaching back to Christmas. My Winter Break has arrived as well, and the family come and (sadly) gone, and so I promise an update or more soon.

Christmas is heavily celebrated here, and while most of it revolves around kitsch, there are more than a few valid signs of the spirit of the season.

I will post a couple on my Christmas activities, but here are some samples of work from the the 3rd graders. Our school put colored sparkling tinsel and rope up in the form of a Christmas tree and decorated it with these: Old Cds and DVDs brought by the kids and decorated with their Christmas wishes. Decorating day was a mess of glue and glitter and stickers and scissors (I was inhaling golden sparkle dust all morning), but these are the products. I think some of the wishes are telling of some of the values around here.

****A handful of CD********Merry Christmas: I wish everyone to be at peace****
****Merry Christmas: I hope to eventually attend National Taiwan University (Taiwan's top - remember, 3rd grade aspirations)****
****Merry Christmas: can you gife me a toy? (our school tried to honor a few select attainable wishes, like the gifing of a yo-yo)****
****Dear Santa, may I have a MP3? Love, Jim (these guys are outside on the faux tree)****
****Merry Christmas: I wish I could see my mother and my father everyday. (I don't know if s/he can't or only hopes that daily sightings will continue indefinitely. Regardless, family love was abound in these wishes)****
****Merry Christmas: I wish that my little brother and I can get 100's on our tests. (Strong emphasis placed on education here, not just education, but 1st place, 100th percentile education)****
****Merry Christmas: I wish my dad, mom and lil' brother can be healthy and happy****
There were a lot more about wishing for family members to get well soon, remain healthy, have prosperous business, place 1st on tests, get into good universities, and spread mp3 players around the nation.

Merry Christmas!

墾丁Kenting: Cows and Dogs, Sand and Sky

2008-01-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

On A Wire

2007-12-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

Accept Blessing

2007-12-20T05:03:00.000-08:00

This young man plays his violin in front of this sign every Sunday evening (err, every Sunday evening that I've walked by) in the underground walkway between the Taipei Main Station MRT stop, the Underground Mall, and the train station.

His violin is plugged into his headphones. His violin-case is open in front of him (and collects sometimes large bills from grandmotherly passer-bys). And each of the four times I've passed by him, there has been a small child standing and staring, either mouth agape or broken into a wide-grin, but always mesmerized. Typically mom or dad keep on walking and call after the child in vain.

He certainly chose the right light and message for a backdrop.

Inappropriate, but funny.

2007-12-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

New Blog!

2007-12-08T22:41:00.000-08:00

This one isn't going away.

I've just created another one for some of the more peculiar sights.

Go here! Shenme the H?!

"Hear Beautiful Sounds of Advertisements"

2007-12-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

My coteacher recommended playing this for 308, an overly energetic classroom that has trouble staying seated during class.

All I could think about was how much my mother hates the background noise of television commericals.

The translation at the bottom of the CD really doesn't gel with the rainforest photo on the cover.

Though, I am eager to hear the FIAT-ALL NEW PANDA edit of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" or the theme for the HONDA ALL NEW ACCORD

Luodong Sports Park

2007-11-28T03:41:00.000-08:00

I live in 觀天下，a large concrete and tile structure (the tallest in Loudong) with an exterior off the set from a 1980's sci-fi flick (think Blade Runner era, where visions of future buildings look waaay to set in the past for us today), water running in through all the seams (try it in a typhoon - black water sputtering out of the window creases), and an echo throughout the living room and bedrooms (our fault that we've yet to find enough furniture to make white tiles, white plaster over concrete, and white sofas feel warm).
****The glowing tiles of a once-future scene****

****The Barren Room (Spare Room in the Land of Wardrobe in the cabinet on the right)****

Plus side, there's a great view from the rooftop, an overly-friendly guard named 林/Lin (who asks me in the elevator every morning "麥兜, 你上班馬？” or "Mai Dou, You going to work?" He knows quite well where I'm going. I don't mind the through-the-elevator conversations; little unsettling to see him ringing the doorbell of our 7th floor apartment at 7:30am or 10:00pm), and a beautiful sports park across the way.
****Crosswalk in front of the building, park across the way****
***Old and Young Enjoy Walk to the Park****

The Luodong Sports park really is a nice piece of public space. There is a large pond, with wooden bridges connecting the sides to an island in the middle, a boardwalk style area with music in the evenings, open grassy areas for tossing a frisbee, and a strange "bowl".
****A typical Saturday late afternoon crowd****
****Feed What You Eat: Fish and Duck****

****Fish Meet Duck in the Pond****
****Don't Drop the Baby or we'll have a role reversal****

****The Love to Talk about Being Persecuted by China Falun Dafuers****
The Strange Bowl:

To get to the bowl, you walk up what one would assume is a typical hill. Lots of people are at the top, but aren't there a lot of people all over the park? Nothing atypical looking from down below.
****Nothing to See Hear, Just a Hilltop****

Surprise! Reach the peak and it's a round basin, like a wide and shallow volcano, with a tiny pit/hole lined with rocks at the bottom. Kids run down, sideways, then back up. Dogs run down, sideways, then back up. The already out of place foreigners run down, sideways, and back up. It's kind of exhilarating, the momentum pushing you down and forward, then back up at an angle. Park like this makes you feel 5 again.
****Fun Run for Kids****
****Popular for a Ditch****

I asked a Taiwanese friend the significance of the area. Is there a common cultural practice requiring hilltop basins? Not that they knew of. Anyone else have any insights?

Next sunny and windy day, I'm renting a kite. I'll be damned if I'm gonna grow up soon.

Si' Down! I'm 85.

2007-11-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

Road trip! Couple weekends ago I had the opportunity to hop in a car for a family road trip. Rest stops, Gas Stations, Stretching after 3 hour Jogs. All key parts of a road trip were involved, such that little of it, other than signs in Chinese, could have taken place anywhere. The whole weekend was accompanied by a comfortable feeling of familiarity, one that I attribute to the family experience. Many travel pictures, monuments and places, have a cold feeling for me; I'm sure this is doubly so for someone in another part of the world reading this. The sites from this weekend were heightened by a constant reminder of family.

Saturday morning, I left from Yilan in a small four-door reminiscent of my old Geo at home (except equipped with a much better stereo system - perfect for A-Mei or the Birthday Song on repeat).

****The Family****

Host Padre, James was in charge of driving (the whole time, all weekend, a would-be stressful task on some of these roads, completely taken in stride: Kendra tells me "he is used to it now, because I like to travel a lot. He always has to drive. He is used to it." See, marriage can train you to deal with anything.)

Mother is in the front seat, sings a good A-Mei, and keeps up the occasional conversation with James.

Cliff's a quiet (initially) 6 year old. He's got a Bo,Po,Mo,Fo study book, a Chinese picture book about the different colored shapes as they make their way to school, a deck of Pokemon cards (the game is: Dale throws a card, no matter the value, Cliff or Katie lay a card and it defeats my card, which is picked up by Cliff, and the other returned to Katie. I think I must not have understood the directions), some Concentrated plum candies to prevent car sickness, a pen, and that's about it. Amaaaazingly calm for 6 years old and 6 hours in the car. Of course there was lots of hide-and-seek, plenty of shifting around, the gradual tearing of all the pages in the Bo,Po,Mo,Fo study guide, and one exploding package of floss-picks, but overall a star in the car. We're fast friends and buddies by the end.

****He followed suit with me and took pictures the whole trip****

Katie and I get a window, and he sits in the middle. She was delegated to hold most of his toys and books, while I just had to lose the Pokemon card game. I think I got the better deal.

3 1/2 hours gets us to Taizhong for lunch (whoops, meat in the Mushroom pasta; sorry Katie), and a walk around DongHai University. It's a beautiful campus with a notable chapel on the grounds, and was perfect for a stretch of the legs.

****DongHai University 東海大學****

****Cliff stretching his legs and lungs****

****The Luce Chapel at DongHai U****

****Kendra resting on the wall****
****Family enjoying the afternoon****

We met Kendra's younger brother, young daughter, and wife, who recently had a baby. The mother is staying at a Month Long Rest Home for recent mothers. It's traditional for mothers or siblings to take complete care of recent mothers, either directly caring for the newborn and mother, or taking care of previous children to give the mother plenty of time for rest. The rest homes are available for 3000NT a day (less than 100USD) and offer hotel like services (internet, television, comfortable quarters) as well as complete nursery/baby care for the time. I'm surprised these kinds of facilities are not available in the US. If they are, I haven't heard of them. There is a great emphasis on family in Taiwan, and subsequently a large degree of support for new mothers. They know they aren't alone.

****Cliff and his Cousin (the not-so recently born one)****
****中科月子中心： month-long rest center****

Leaving the new mother at the center, the family went to a Batting Cage/Game Center in Taizhong. Pocketful of jingling tokens and I tried the slow-pitch softball, fast-pitch softball, and 140KM fast-pitch baseball. I was sore two days later still (amazing how that twisting accesses little used muscles. maybe more amazing how little I ever work out). I did manage to hit one foul ball in the 140KM round. Not an easy task. Miniature scotch-bowling, target practice, and air hockey were also included.

****Katie in the Batting Cages: "I can hear my dad's voice, 'choke up on the bat, Katie...' " ****

The drive continues for a few more hours until we arrive in Nantou, for dinner with Kendra's mom, dad, and sister. All You Can Eat Hot Pot is a staple in Taiwan. Return as many times as you like to the shelves of vegetables, meats, and seafoods. Supplement with dumplings, salads, and 小吃 or "small eats" and finish with (more than one) dessert. Gluttony has a place for 6-7USD.

We spent the night at Kendra's younger brothers home, where grandpa and grandma are staying to help take care of the young one while mom recovers. Kendra's father is a wonderful and impressive (I can't stress this enough) nature photographer, and we spent a couple of hours over tea looking at three books he brought from a library full of photo albums at home. Absolutely gorgeous! Almost as pleasing as the photographs (nightscapes, mountainsides, waterfalls, lotus flowers, Alishan cherry blossoms) is the chance to talk camera-shop, all in Chinese. I managed to exchange about aperture settings, shutter speeds, intentional blurriness, composition, etc. with only minimal moments lost in translation. It's amazing how a language will work for you when you are in a natural setting and really interested in communicating.

Kendra's father suggested he take me out to nearby Sun Moon Lake at 4:30am the next morning to catch morning photographs, a most gracious offer that I accepted. The weather was not so great for photographs (a heavy fog all over), but I tried a few tricks (mostly just a tripod and one double exposure) that we had talked about the night prior.
****It was a chilly morning for a swim****

****Cold Harbor Swimming****
****Sun Moon Lake Pavilion****
****Bird on a Boat****
****There were lots of Buddhist monks out in the early morning, the younger ones with smiles****

****Happily borrowed bicycles********Morning Stretches****

****There were also the remnants of some get-togethers from the night before, prior to groundscrew intervention****

The family (minus grandparents) returned to Sun Moon Lake in the afternoon, where we visited the large Confucian Wenwu Temple. It was built in 1938 and is frequented by people praying for luck in things from tests to family health.

****Prayer decorations with personal prayers written on them****

****This animated Terracota Warrior stood guard outside. He leaned over for a thumbs-up as this curious young woman stared on****
****Ladies with Temple Statue****

Lots of nice color in the temple area as well:

****Katie at the Lake****

Sun Moon Lake is home to some of the Shao or Ita Thao people, one of Taiwan's indigenous groups. Kendra's family belongs to the Atayal group, another group found in the NE and Central parts of Taiwan.

****Beneath an Ita Thao sign (set up in the community for tourists). James tells us the picture represents a Thao story about how owls are signs of fast-approaching births, and thus are auspiciously associated with fertility in the community. Note the owl and woman in the background. Also note Cliff and his camera*****

****This woman was happy to tell us of younger days of dancing and singing****
****"Si' Down! I'm 85. I'll tell you a story. I'm 85. 85.****
****"That's me in the picture. That's me. I'm 85. That's me."****

****Demonstration of the Song and Dance miss 85 talked about doing when younger****
****Much of indigenous culture receives a tourist's interest in Taiwan, where rituals and celebrations are held pin public view and supplemented with keychain sales. It is not unlike the attempts of many minority/dwindling cultures to survive****
****Economic hardships and a history of inequality make the recycling bins look like those of Native American Reservations in the US****
****Thao from some years ago****
****1, 2, 3 in Thao****
Post-Sun Moon Lake was simply a few brief stops on the way home, a long enough nap for Cliff to stay up nearly the rest of the way home (11 pm), and the beautiful, drained, return-feeling of a long weekend.

Big thanks and hugs to Katie for inviting me along.

Competitions: English, Easy Go!

2007-11-15T17:58:00.000-08:00

****Gong Jheng Elementary 2007 English Easy Go Reader's Theater Group****

Competitions are a major part of school life here. Students are frequently involved in oral speech competitions and presentations of various sorts, encouraged to memorize all their lines and work on presentation, include formal bows and welcoming gestures. Some few it as a chance to intensely learn about one aspect of a subject. For others, it's a personal drive to be number one. Where the drive comes from is debatable, as behind every good speech competitor is a doubly-so fervent set of parents.

I was a judge at a 6th grade public speech competition in my Elementary school the other day, and being a teacher at the same school I was able to see part of the process leading up to the final 3 minute talk. 2 months ago I was asked to write a series of short sample essays based on prompts, so that students could have a sort of rough rubric. I was set to present these to the competitors (2 students from every 6th grade class = 22) and spend part of the lunch break brainstorming additional topics.

Most of the students came armed with complete essays. Most were written by fluent older siblings or foreign cram school teachers. One was printed with a date whited-out up top and a blank for a name in the introductory sentence. I realized quickly that this competition had little to do with writing.

The essays they had were all very difficult, grammatically, and contained a lot of tough metaphorical language. The following weeks were spent memorizing their speeches, which they then tried to reproduce word for word, pause for pause, long vowel for long vowel on competition day.

Asked to speak to the students as a group after the competition, I took the time to tell them that they had excellent pronunciation, and demonstrated a clear ability to use the language from a technical standpoint. Their weakest point was presentation. This applied to to those who dressed up, broadcasted a booming voice, had timed and rhythmic hand motions to accompany words, and even whipped out props like the Elder Wand and Resurrection Stone from the latest Harry Potter. There was zero audience connection, despite all the time devoted to the presentation aspect. I told them that they should think about what they want to convey to their audience, and try to figure out how to win us to their side, make us their friends during their talk. I told them the most important thing is certainly not word for word repetition.

I also asked one of the other judges to translate for me. I'm positive the kids didn't catch the gist of everything I said. The judge consented to me, but conveniently left out the point about memorization and natural connection. My comprehension is lousy, but I can understand enough Chinese to tell whether the gist of a sentiment is passed on or not.

So, that's a bit about competition culture for an introduction. Two weeks ago, Yilan County hosted the Fall portion of their annual English, Easy Go! Competition(not sure about the punctuation on it; never really made sense to me). It is open to all schools in Yilan County (maybe about 35 participants?) and the Fall session includes a Reader's Theater competition and a Song and Dance Competition.

Gong Jheng Elementary had been practicing a Reader's Theater performance for a long time. Again, priorities seemed slightly askew from what I would consider important for Reader's Theater in English. I would have spent the time emphasizing each students individual English ability by offering more complex dialogue and a greater depth in characters (more emotion). Our school rented costumes. "Rabbit and Turtle New Running Race". It was pretty cute though, and the kids did a great job. 3rd place for this part. The school also took 1st in the song and dance competition with "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" (the competition was divided into large and small school heats - 1800 kids makes us a large one). Here are a couple of photos from the event.

****A Not-So-Excited Rabbit****

****Judging***
****Monkey and Turtle-Bride (Kevin was the Bride)****

****Monkey****

****Back on the Bus****

Halloween: Kids and Big Kids

2007-11-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

So here is Halloween in Taiwan in two sets: Kids and Big Kids.

Halloween isn't really celebrated here except by the expat community and in some English curricula. Most of the ETAs had some sort of commitment with the school to put on a costume and get the kids to say "trick or treat"; Laura, for example, has a costume runway show.

My school is a bit too big for that kind of special attention, but I was part of a now 4 year Halloween tradition. A group of 10 or so student teachers work in different grades throughout the school. All of us assembled early in the morning, costumed up, and began the journey to the classrooms.

8 Periods.
70 some classrooms.
1800 kids.
3600 pieces of candy.

Kids are encouraged to wear costumes and spook us back.

Night On Bald Mountain was on repeat for the larger part of the day.

The process was as follows:
****Get Ready****

****Grab some Candy**** (not my pic)

****Fall in Line****(not mine)

****Sneak Up****(not mine)

****Spook (or in this case, pillage and maim)****(not mine)

****Offer Candy in exchange for "Trick or Treat: Happy Halloween!"****(not mine)

So Halloween here is a clearly simulated process. One example of it's diffusion as it bounces back and forth across the continents via popular media is the appropriateness of costume. In Taiwan, a fan of horror flicks with pale ghosts with black teeth (as is a lot of Asia), Halloween is a time for the spookiest costume. There are a few obligatory fairy wings and of course, Spider-man or the Latest-adapted-to-film-superhero-joe-schmoe costume. However, most people my age that I talked to about selecting an outfit did not have as broad a concept of Halloween Costume as do most people I know from home.

We love to play the nerd. We love to put on a box and say "From: God, To: Women". There is humor in it. There's a lot about dressing as other, donning a new personality for the evening, and being someone unfamiliar even to ourselves.

Here, it's more about being something dead, dying, or just spooky. The kick isn't so much dressing up as other, but dressing up as scary. It's a subtle difference that I noted only in (one or two) failed attempts to participate in the student teachers' planning process. They were all picking out costumes and thinking about concepts, and I realized quickly that suggesting cowboy or nerd wasn't really going anywhere with them.
****Lot about Being Dead**** (not mine)

Best Class to Spook:
5th Grade Girls Dance Team - they were rehearsing in the basement dance studio, a large room full of echoes, mirrors, and only the little half-size windows near the building foundation. Lights off, Night on Bald Mountain on, and they were off and running. Terrified little herds of leotards panicking into the corneres. They'd try to split up and we'd catch 'em in 2's or 3's; sticking together they were doomed to a mass execution in the corner. Nothing but the dust settling in the slivered light from the basement windows. The perfect midday massacre.

****3rd Grade Angel Class - Dance Team****

So, that was Halloween in school for me. Big Kids like Halloween, too.

Here are some pictures from the less-mature of the Halloween celebrations I had this week:
****Spooks****
****Decadent Lifestyle****

****Rawkstar****

Rooftop

2007-11-01T02:18:00.001-07:00

****21st floor of my apartment building on a typically cloudy night.****

Mazu, Mazu, Bang, Bang, Bang!

2007-10-28T07:46:00.001-07:00

I took a new way home today, just outside the city as opposed to through downtown, and was intrigued by a nearby temple. Live here even a few weeks and already temples will seem as unremarkable as golf courses in suburban Columbus. They all have a great variety of brightly colored statues, intricately carved statues and concrete walls, and impressive looking deities breathing offerings of incense and paper money. Really, each one is fascinating, but they can be found every 300 yards, and some even closer to each other than that.

So, why stop here? It was a beautiful day, and, I hadn’t seen a deity like this atop any yet. I pulled up to the small incense offering pagoda outside the entrance; this is where I typically stop when approaching temples. They are frequented by families or celebrating parties quite often, and I don’t like to seem to rude, knowing the majority of my interest is in taking pictures.

Two boys standing at the entrance pagoda were playing with a bug, and ignored me for the most part, until I took off my full-size helmet. “Woah!” they were fascinated by the foreigner that magically appeared in front of them. “Hi, Hel-lo!” Sometimes you’re hardpressed to get a 你好！ out of frightened kids; the bold young doormen were a good sign. A man in his thirties yelled for me to approach, where a group of elderly gentleman, and young adults were sitting around tables, playing cards, smoking, chewing betel nut, drinking liquor and laughing up the afternoon. The man introduced me to his wife and young daughter, and soon the temple matron walked over with a smile. She invited me inside the temple, encouraged me to take pictures, and explained about the temple.

It’s a Mazu temple. Most temples have a main deity of worship, with many little deities in front, guarding and assisting the main deity. You enter the temple, purchase (price is your discretion) incense or offering paper, bow and make a prayer and stick your incense in front of the deity, walk out and do the same at the gate. My host brought me upstairs to another temple, and continued to explain about the deities. My comprehension in regards to religious matters is still pretty low, but I did gather that this was a Taoist Temple, devoted to Mazu. Mazu is the Queen of Heaven and Goddess of the Sea and is regarded as one of the most important deities in Taiwan. The statue atop the temple, which had initially pulled me in, was her colored black. This represents Mazu as she appears when saving people, as opposed to the red skin of everyday appearance.
****Mazu Atop****

****Inside****

****Inside****

****The Temple****

This is about the length of time that I typically spend during temple visits. Everyone is always eager to invite me to stay for tea or food, and always eager to tell me more, but when it becomes clear that I can’t understand everything they’re saying, I tend to feel like a burden. My host was being very friendly, and didn’t mind repeating herself, so I was encouraged to stick around.
****A Most Gracious Host****

Glad I did. First came costume dances. They showed me a variety of large outfits that fit on your shoulders, turning you into giant costumed deities. These are used during parades. I wore both this pictured green one, whose arms swing back and forth if you move your hips right, and the brown one, who is a drunkard with a slight top-heavy sway; quite a great visual affect.

After trying on a couple, I figured it was game over, 20 minutes into visiting. “Wait 15 minutes. Do you have time? There’s going to be….” Anything after “to be” was kind of guess work. Ok, I have time. Yes, and ooh! I caught “performance” and she is definitely talking about these costumes. Ok, so some people are coming back, and going to put on the costumes, and I am, what’s that? Oh, yes, sure, able to take photos. 慢慢来。Slowly comprehending.

I was taken to a seat around the table where adults are playing cards. A curious 1st grader asked me as many questions as I could comprehend, the “Where are you from? How old are you? Why is your nose so big?” Her father is friendly, and the husband of the woman who has been showing me around. I’m feeling quite relaxed.

****One new friend - When asked about my nose size, it's length in particular, I tend to ask back "Why's yours so short?"****
****Fun with Firecrackers and Tops****

I share that I teach at Gong Jheng Guo Xiao, and those last two words work their magic like always. Guo Xiao or “Public Elementary” always gets an appreciative “ahh” from your audience; it takes extra credentials to work in the public schools, and thus you’re immediately garnered a bit of respect. Gong Jheng is also a large school, so someone inevitably knows someone there now, graduated from there themselves, or has a sister/brother/mother teaching there. This time one of the ladies selling fruit outside the temple has a sister, mom of a first-grader, and yes, I do know some of the first graders (haven’t taught them yet; next week).

10 minutes later this guy comes running around the corner, yelling “laoshi!” as he jumps up into my arms. He’s my bud, and comes to bug me in the office quite frequently. We’ve got a series of hand-shakes and clap-games that we’ve taught each other, play rock, paper, scissors, and take photos with the Mac Photobooth (he’s learned to navigate my computer). Of 1800 kids at the school, what are the odds this guy comes to join me? I’m telling you, life pieces itself together perfectly, and unfolds itself in the best ways when you will it.

****Firecrackers too Loud for Kenny****

So, I’m feeling more comfortable than ever. I can’t engage in heavy dialogue with the adults, but with kids, I’m quite at home; I’ve got a place here in the temple culture for the afternoon, and yes, I would like to stay and take pictures.

And then, the firecrackers start. Around the corner they’re exploding, and my host and all the kiddies are all directing me around the temple, to the road, front-and-center, in order to get the best photographs. I’m not the most aggressive photographer, so I won’t often run into the middle of a parade to get the photos I want. Here I was walked by temple-hosts right up to where I needed to be. Next, I just need to learn how to take pictures, otherwise I’d have more for you today ;)

But back on issues of translation: I knew it was a performance; I caught that much. What a performance, though. The costume deities were all worn as a greeting party for 50 or so members from a temple congregation in Taipei. They worship at a different deities temple, and came down to bring some of their gods to Mazu’s place, like kids hanging out for the afternoon

The procession involved a man leading with a long red stick, dancing in greeting around the costume-gods. He proceeds forward. He is followed by incense bearers, who exchange incense with representatives from the host temple. They proceed forward. Then come martial arts dancers of sorts, walking as if in a trance, self-abusers (more below), and then the visiting gods (in statue form).
****Greeting Party****

****Visiting Party on the Right****

****Introductions****
****Well Met****

****Incense Greetings****

Walking up to the temple, they cross over a long lines of firecrackers, which are lit underfoot. Once everyone has proceeded forward and bowed to the deities inside, the rest of the congregation from the bus comes forward and makes their offerings. More loud firecrackers, more bowing and incense, and then off to the neighboring building for a dinner provided by the host temple.

****To the Temple***
****Martial Arts Entrance****

****Treacherous - Visiting Deity on Back****
****Note the Sandals****
****Visiting Congregation****

****Dressing the Deities - This gentleman dresses the gods in order preparation for their parlay. They remain in the temple and interact with Mazu's pantheon. This is the religious motive behind the visit, though the social exchange and opportunity for the community to get involved in hosting guests make clear there are other, more tangible Earthly motives****

This man walked as if possessed, carrying a variety of weapons, all with nails sticking out, and would pause, motion at the ground, wait for yellow paper offerings to be lit in front of him, and then proceed to beat himself on the back with the weapons. Altogether, he stopped a good 25 times, though I am sure only really flailed himself a few initial times (swords and nails would’ve done more damage). Regardless, he was followed by someone continually mopping the blood off of his back.
****The Man****

****The Weapons****
****The Beating****

****The Results****

I was offered dinner, betel nuts, cigarettes, liquor, fruits, pastries, sweets, and lots of friendly smiles (don't worry Mum, turned down the nuts, drink, and smoke), as well as information about future celebrations. Apparently they occur frequently, and was welcomed to return next Saturday morning. Plenty of photo-ops today, but beyond that, I felt really welcomed. Not a better way to spend Sunday afternoon.

Learned:
1) there is no reason to feel guilty about elbowing your way in for a photograph if you take the time to know your subject
2) need to bring more than 4 Gigs of memory for an all-afternoon photo-shoot (saving in both NEF and JPG costs 15-18MB per photo)
3) worship can hurt, the ears and the back.

Already Knew:
1) Temples are sumpin' pretty neat
2) Kids are wonderful
3) The people here are more-than friendly, more-than welcoming, and a charm all over

****Goodnight, Temple****

Su-Ao Field Trip

2007-10-27T22:01:00.001-07:00

A while ago the 3rd grade at Gong Jheng (my school, 1800 kids in total, 12 3rd grade classes) all went to the Recycling Plant and then on a nature hike at Su-Ao Elementary, a smaller community outside of the city. Waltzing through the woods was basically an excursion to feed the mosquitoes, but afterwards they were rewarded with a good long time on the playground. Ghong Jheng's playground is fenced off because of nearby construction; all recess activities take place in the hallways. They were glad to get outside.

These are some pictures of them at play after the hike:

****Jump****

****See/Saw****

****A Good Laugh****

****Scissors, Paper, Stone! - Kids are amazing in their play. This is a spontaneous yet highly sophisticated and organized game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. I watched for 5 minutes and still couldn't figure out the rules; the kids had never been to this playground before, so the tire game is clearly a new evolution. Give a kid a minute, and he'll have a good game going. Any of you adults able to do this? Stay young.****

The Road to Yilan

2007-10-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Yilan City is roughly a 25 minute scooter ride from Luodong. I visit at least twice a week for Chinese classes and work. Yilan is home to Fo Guang University, a Buddhist school, where I have 4 hours of Chinese tutoring each week.

Yilan is also home to 6 of my colleagues, our advisors and the Yilan County Teacher Training Center. Wednesdays we all meet at the center to discuss County wide initiatives and group projects. On the table for the moment is the development of Yilan County's first ever English Village (a simulated English only environment, the merits of which are debated by Second Language Acquisition experts), as well as the initiation of a "Let's Go! Yilan!" project, intended to leave a tangible lasting influence on English education in the county. This is also the site for professional development and teacher training workshops.

I make the drive on my scooter: 8 years old, maroon and scratched but fully functional scooter (wearing, mother and concerned, a full-size, at least mid-shelf helmet - as opposed to the upside down bowls most people wear; death-caps, they were called by one American in Taipei, alive today after a bad wreck because of his full-sizer). Scooters are to Taiwan what bicycles are to China. The amount of stuff people can stack up on them here is amazing. I will post soon (I always say that) on the scooter culture. My favorites are 1) newborn babies in arms (better than the one I saw in the basket of a bicycle the other night) 2) families of dogs at the drivers feet 3) boxes of pomelos, and so on.

Here is a taste of what I encounter on some of the Road to Yilan:

****Always digging around with something near the river****
****Protective Spirits - My scooter has been officially blessed at a temple and carries with it a talisman of the protection that a whole pantheon of gods have to offer. Most Taiwanese will bless their bikes when getting a new one (or so I'm told)****
****Temples Galore****
****Kitty Prowling the Fields****
****Floral Buddha****
****Watery agriculture fields stand in between all sorts of buildings, in the cities and out country roads****
****MSG - yup. I'm sure this was unintentional. I think the "P" stands for "pai", the last character in red, which is kind of like patty. So, MSG chicken patty.****
****These white fellows find plenty to eat****

****Knee deep in mud on a Hot Day****

****And one for all worried mothers out there!****

Clear Skies

2007-09-28T07:19:00.001-07:00

****Rain Today, Clear Skies Tomorrow****

****Obligatory Flower Shot****

Breakfast and Something Before Bed

2007-09-27T05:29:00.000-07:00

****Breakfast nooks on every corner, open to the streets as a great many restaurants and food stalls are in Taiwan****
****Newspaper amidst the Scooter noise; still, able to relax at breakfast****
****Apartment Rooftop, Luodong City, mi Casa, Come Visit****

Long Time No Picture

2007-09-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy, busy. No excuses. A few good photos though. Here to tie over those loyal enough to still be checking:

****Located halfway up a mountain and overlooking MeiHua Lake, this is the largest Taoist temple in Yilan****

Temples are locations for a variety of customs. Certain gods are available for all types of prayers. I've taken advantage of these temples to pray for a) successful teaching days b) safety while riding scooters. Scooter culture is a big part of life in Taiwan. It is customary to receive and have blessed a little talisman to keep on the scooter. With the poor quality helmets that many people ride in, or in the family style, baby in a wicker high chair at the feet, it is telling of the power of these prayers that fewer people die than do.

You can also hit up a temple for good luck on a test, or at finding a significant other.

****In green is the husband, praying with wife and soon to baby.****
****Monk wrapping up his robes after prayer****
And on a different note...

****These three be me favorite for Hong Shao Beef Noodle****

Orientation Taipei

2007-09-12T01:27:00.000-07:00

****First Taiwan-Africa Summit: heads of state from five-African allies - Kingdom ofSwaziland, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Gambia, all places with official diplomatic links to Taiwan (unlike many allegedly exemplary democracies). Taiwan has links in "agriculture, healthcare, technology and handicrafts" with these regions and "offers opportunities for African youth to study here on the Taiwan Scholarship." The meeting was the product of thoughts between officials two years ago and had the intention of increasing communication, solidifying ties, and showing "how different Taiwan is from China, " according to James C.F. Huang, Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs. " We help African countries the way people help their friends, while China's huge investments in Africa are overly focused on...rich natural resources." In this photo, Taipei 101 and Taiwan support their love for Africa. Quotes taken from Taiwan News, Sunday, Sept. 9****ORIENTATION:
Not a lot of photos during this expedition, but a whole lot of hand-shaking, self-introducing, and meeting and greeting. We spent the weekend in Taipei at the 2007-2008 Fulbright Orientation.

Now, wondering "orientation? but he's been there a month? what's the lazy guy been up to?" Truth is, the group of us 12 ETAs have been orientated left and right, inside out, and outside in for the past month and a half. There was a process for orientating us to Taiwan. Then to Yilan, then to the Educational System, then to Teaching, then to our Co-Teachers, then to our School Cultures and Final Residency Placements...so on. We know a surprising bit about how to navigate and live in Taiwan. We all have bank accounts, Alien Resident Cards (IDs), mobile phones and Taiwan SIM cards, Scooter Licences, some with scooters and insurance, billz to pay, jobs in the community at public schools, friends and family friends in town, etc. We've been around a bit, too: Turtle Island, Keelung for the Ghost Fest, Taipei a few times, Su-Ao Cold Springs, Fulong Beach, etc. - more traveling than a lot of residents do in a year, and we've got it pegged in a month. We are oriented.

This orientation was for all the previously residing and recently arriving Fulbright grantees in the other categories. There are a number of Student Grantees doing research, and a number of professors doing work, lecturing, studying, and so on. The crowd and company were great. A lot of amazing minds. For example: Study of Confucian Analects and ritual in philosophy to show how philosophy is implemented and meaningful, Relationship between Buddhism and Science (for possible comparison to the debates between Western science and religion), Studies of the Occupational Health System, Comparative Lit Studies: Poet Wang Wei and Dante on Ultimate Reality, etc. Great things will be done this year.

This, to some, might have been an intimidating environment. Wasn't at all. In fact, we all felt very welcome and met some wonderful people. It helped as well that we had been so effectively bludgeoned by orientations beforehand, as we had some pertinent cultural and practical advice to some of these big dogs.

These were all wonderful people, and I hope to get to know more as time goes on.
Here are just a couple of shots:
****At the train station, fake trains painted on the walls behind****

****Dr. Wu - Amazing man heading the Foundation. Knowledgeable, Experienced, Straightforward, Humble, Funny, Hospitable...seems to be no end. Famous in Taiwan, as well. Expert Psychologist and Famous Performer. Couldn't be in better hands.****
****Jerry is in charge of media for the Foundation. Insta-friend****
****One small part of a buffet dinner. Shann Garden had a lot too offer, and I tried it all. This was my first time eating raw oysters of this size. Would do it again, but only to impress****

****Dessert Disc-Jockeys****
****MRT Station Halo 3 Convention****
****Steinback in Taiwan - Would love to see this****
****Curry Restaurant for Lunch****

****Taipei Buildings****

Taiwan Photographers

2007-09-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

I want to direct everyone to a great blog that features photographers from around Taiwan. If anyone is in Taiwan and shooting, then I encourage you to submit! The site's author can be found at this blog featuring cultural insights from all over Asia

Check the Taiwan Photographers blog for something familiar from my site ;)

Left Behind

2007-09-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

This one missed the Biker Gang post:

Su-Ao Cold Springs and Catching Up

2007-09-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from a Cold Springs place near our city. Cold Springs are rare, and so a treasure here in Taiwan. According to a government travel website, these were discovered and exploited by the Japanese in 1928. CO2 in the H2O makes it great for the skin.

****They were, however, cold****
****Really Cold****
****But the Brave Had Fun****
****View from a Mountain Path - I found some stairs and started up. Like all good wanderers, you can't stop before the stairs do. I was on a time limit and had to make it back down to the group and bus, so Rocky-ed it up the steps. My calves were screaming still four days later.****
****Sunset out the old balcony - I moved to Luodong, but don't worry, there's a 25 story roof here, so landscapes coming soon, including a great view of "Turtle Island" - unmistakable shape****
****This Little one was in and out of a temple at the Yilan Cultural Museum****
****Eager to Pray as well - if that doesn't earn ancestors some karmic merit, what will?****

Ghost Festival

2007-09-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

Biker Gangs and Bodhisattvas :
The next day we all met in BaDu at the transfer station, the Taipei/Tap Group and Sijhih Hiking group. Dr. Collins joined us from Yilan. Our advisers resources again proved beneficial, as we were greeted by the leader of a motorcycle gang (the doctor/lawyer/business executive weekend style biker gang) and ushered into three nice cars. They drove us to their shop where 8 were outfitted with helmets and strapped to their backs for rides into Jilong.
****Biker Gang has a different meaning here - the not so tough, though still betel nut chewing crew****

Initially, this connection was to result in all of us riding on their backs during the parade, being interviewed by local media, photo ops, and then a performance in front of the large parade audience (remember, this is the largest Ghost Festival event in Taiwan). The audience involved a current presidential candidate, as well as the nation's current VP. Unfortunate circumstances (our contact's father fell ill in another city and the biker's participation in the parade did not emerge) prevented this from happening, but this indicates the amount of support we've received in the program.

Prior to the parade and festival we explored a few temples. The festival is a mix of religions, both Taoist and Buddhist, a characteristic of much of the basic spiritual culture in Taiwan. According to our friend from Taipei, many temples are more or less amusement parks, where people come for the novelty of the experience; fun statues, large bells to ring, souvenirs to buy, and go-karts litter the grounds. She says that there are fewer people in the North who revere and truly believe the religions (though they are not absent by any means). In the South, the general temple culture is very different, the teachings and grounds revered as more sacred. This distinction doesn't really hold up as cut-and-dry as I describe it here, but this photograph shows some of the amusement park characteristics:
*****Traditionally protected by fearsome animals, these cute monkey guys are a little more kid friendly (adults like to ride the go-karts too****

****Guanyin - note the Amitabha Buddha, her teacher, on her crown****

Buddha Theme Parks:
This is not unlike many of the temples in mainland China. Having had most of the historic statues and buildings razed during the Cultural Revolution, China's relationship to its religious culture is often that of novel amusement. Tian Fo Shan or Thousand Buddha Mountain in Jinan City, Shandong is an example of this. Named so for the many statues that cover the mountain and pathway up to the temples, the grounds also serve as a vending site for concessions, picnic area, and amusement park. Small children irreverently climb the Boddhisattva's, chase pigeons, and jump on the merry-go-round. My favorite part of the mountain (beside's the 95 year old melt-in-your-mouth, not-in-your-hand M&M sized, yellow-robed monk with what seemed not a care in the world - think of the changes he's seen in his country over the nearly hundred year span) was the way down. Think Helter Skelter's "when I get to the bottom, I go back to the top of the slide, where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride" - sing it with high energy, sit on the flat board with four wheels and a pole up front for braking, push off down the snaking metal body-width tube, and fly (miraculously) down and not off the mountain. This thing would cause more than a few snickers from anyone in charge of passing safety inspections in the states, but it was the best time I've had getting off a mountain (and Zach, it is impossible to fall off a mountain, only down).

Despite all of this, there are majority of religious individuals have a healthy respect for their deities. Here is Guanyin, the Compassionate One. She is one manifestation of Avalokotesvara and a Boddhisattva. This means that she has acheived understanding and enlightenment enough to allow her consciousness to graduate beyond the realm of being self-aware, beyond the realm of unconscious thought, and out to nirvana or non-existence. However, she didn't want it, and stays behind to help others, vowing never to remove her consciousness from samsara until every other personality also acheives nirvana. This makes her a Bodhisattva and is one of the key elements separating Theravadan from Mahayana Buddhism, the previous and more traditional believing that such metaphors/deities as Guanyin should not be worshipped, as choosing to remain behind in some form of being after having the opportunity to leave, even if to help others, still perpetuates existence and adds to the snare of illusion that most unknowingly live in; if she really understood, she wouldn't be here. Take her as a metaphor, and implications are believing in her validates a concept of existence that is linear (you're here now and can be out later) and can accept both being with non-being (logically difficult for those Theravadans).

****Look Through Here for Enlightenment****

Back to Taiwan.
Post temple visits, we lined up for a photo with and said goodbye to our new biker buddies. Time to kill before the parade meant Keelung night market, famous around Taiwan. Here are a couple shots of some available food:
****Night Market Food Block 1 of many****

****Nutritious Sandwiches Available****

****Turns out they are meat, eggs, veggies, a ton of mayo stuffed in fried bread; delicious as they are, nutritious they are not****
****Didn't go for the life frog dish****

****Nor the plate of crunchy seashells****

The Festival involved a long parade; we sat on the steps of a parking garage and enjoyed the fireworks, noise, a couple beers, and photo-ops:
****Prime Viewing Location****

****Lanterns on a Parade Float****
****Fireworks and Balloon****
****Foto Booth Fun****

****Guanyin in person: she broke her stoicism to smile at me after I was blessed by the Compassionate One's water****

****McDonalds, open 24 hours, and wait, what's that? Oh, Lady Liberty****

****7-11s are also a big part of the culture here: pay your bills, meet your friends, offer directions, all using the Seven****

****Angry-Dragon and McDonalds****

A Peek into the Moleskine:

Neon Glitz and Tacky Shit sells everywhere,
but the Vice President's here
and there's a photobooth
can make you look a rockstar,
nutritious sandwiches
can make your heart stall,
live frogs, nai cha and
atmosphere: carnival.

The temple's a carnival,
the kids are all laughing;
the statues are corny
and Guanyin's still stands in it.

She's no choice really,
Stands still,
scroll in hand
and I'm awed by the sweet sign
with pinyin, hanzi, and bopomofo for
Om Mane Padme Om,
so soon it'll be all over

(it, the light of
this life,
enlightened and not, not, not
not here anymore).

Ellen says from the center and south,
they believe, are reverent in their temples,
but not up here up North,
not so much.

Not much respect, but the laughing Buddha's
still laughing, and Guanyin's
still silent,
and we're outta here.
-----
He was crying earlier,
this little boy, and
sadly stared at the foreigners
sitting behind him.

Mother struck his arm
to hush him up,
toughen him up,
and afterwards he got his ice cream cone.

The lights come on
as night comes up
and he's laughing now,
playing peek-a-boo:

"I see you, foreigners!"
written in his bright little,
firework-reflecting eyes,
and miniature smile.

And the temperature and humidity
have not abated,
despite the lack of daylight
by which to write

(don't worry,
it's like i said,
neon shit sells everywhere -
there's plenty of light).

Did I mention the VP's here
and KMT would-be Pres-to-be Ma
just stepped off stage?

The old bird on the sidelines
gave him a hug, as he walked by,
and the audience cheered.
They like him,

but politics here (so
somewhat say some friends)
somewhat a farce,
a game of popularity
as related to alignment withe the current mood
of the China-Taiwan debacle.

Jerry is jaded;
Everyone elses' colors have faded;
Change your shirt and
People are talking about it.
-----
Lunch is good here, despite it
and these kids, good kids, you and me,
all have somewhere to go to eat.

Pork blood and pig intestines
("that's neither pig nor pork; it's beef!")
in a spicy sauce,

garlic tofu and scallions,
eggplant and red sauce with spices,
pork slid (good riddance) right off the bone,
rice noodles called "ants marching on a log."

And Michelle can climb, too,
up a rope to higher heights
and slicker slopes,
a steeper ledge than she's used to.

We would've been performing,
I now see, in front of Ms. VP -
a nai cha (bubble tea) love song
set to the tune of S&G's Cecilia;

Head line the next day reads:
"Americans Love Bubble Tea"

Half a beer and Meg's happy.
A float goes by with a spinning carousel,
contestants in a battle,
just statues,

one atop a green dragon,
the other upon a flame-eyed horse,
white with two heads;
they're locked in an automated battle
won't end soon.

The fireworks are some of the most impressive I've yet seen, coming off the harbor and over our heads. Some spray in a field, left to right, a steady barrage of machine gun style blue, with explosions of white cannon flowers atop. These fireworks have style. Green stems and wide flower tops or perfect hearts with 10 specific red dots.

Little monsters wear blue and red devil horns, lit neon little shits, dancing with wands of some sort of devilish magic.

****Damned Cute****

****1AM in Yilan City, Sidestreet on TaiShan Lu - the Butcher was busy washing fat over a drain by the curb. Pig sacrifices are one traditional aspect of many Taiwanese festivals. There are groups that protest the act, but old habits, you know.****

Hiking in Sijhih

2007-08-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

“Tony, Tony, Come Around
Something’s Lost and Must Be Found”
-Jules to St. Anthony

This past weekend was quite eventful, and will thus make up a couple of separate posts.

If you have been a swell reader, then you'll know that the Ghost Festival in the middle of Ghost Month was this past Sunday. Interested in catching some of the festivities, I began discussion with an adviser and friend about how and where to get the best view. She recommended the Keelung (Jilong) Festival, as previously mentioned, one of the largest in Taiwan. Keelung is a harbor town East of Taipei (Northern Taiwan) and about an hour and a half from our homes in Yilan. The Festival was on Sunday night, and so to make a full weekend adventure out of it, we decided to have fun up North on Saturday as well.

9 ETAs went to Taipei for a Tap Dance Performance called Tap Together; it was the culminating performance of a long period of international dancing exhibitions. I am told they had a great time, enjoyed the show and drinks, and the hostel, not so much.

3 of us however decided to take our adviser up on a generous offer. She, with her husband/partner (an apparently common arrangement for Taiwanese not wishing to have children is to remain committed as dinghezu, a term which tells potential pestering friends, parents, and grandparents to quit worrying about future children; hearing “married” tends to incite questions of kids, as this is an extremely family oriented culture, but this term stops even the most curious), own a number of (expensive) homes, including a location in Taipei, one near a river/lake (forget at the moment), and one in Sijhih, a kind of suburb of Taipei, slightly less developed. Hearing that we wanted to head to Keelung on Sunday, she offered for us to crash at her place and do some hiking on Saturday.

We were greeted by her dinghezuren at the Taipei station, who offered us a bag of crackers and cookies, some instructions for hiking, and some gloves for rock climbing. He was on his way to a mandatory temple attendance (Both he and our adviser are Taoist, and though the Festival to which we were heading is significantly more Buddhist, Ghost Month comes with required ceremonies for Taoists as well; in fact, most Taiwanese, whether they formally adhere to a religion or no, follow a mix of religious customs, such as celebrating this festival), and so ushered us into his car, to a small restaurant for some food to go, drove past some cultural sites, entertained us with welcome small-talk and genuine warmth, and then dropped us off at the foot of Xiang Shan 象山 or Elephant Mountain.

The mountain was beautiful. Stone stairs wound up and down and left and right in a variety of networks (I am sure we only traversed a few of them, and were wowed enough by the variety of vistas, scenery, and nature in just over two hours). A large temple stood at the base of the mountain, with speakers blaring recorded chants; the voices sounded female, and despite being rough recordings, very evidently technological and thus out of place in the natural setting, they lent an air of calm mystery to the place that even full daylight and high humidity could not abate). There were temples patchworked all over the mountainside, and trails that branched left and right in various states of less-traveled disrepair (earth- and rain-ruptured blocks curtains of mosquitoes showed that even around temple-side agricultural residences, nature reigns supreme – damn thing reigns over 98% DEET, too, so says my itchy face, arms, and legs).

****Little Guy Outside one of Many Little Temples****

****The mountain was highly populated, with tourists visiting, locals worshiping, farmers living on, and a health-conscious population exercising, such as this man****

****Jules/Michelle at Strategic Lookout****
The main path was easily visible, and though we did not make it to the rock climbing site our new friend had recommended, we did find a magnificent lookout point, where you can full appreciate the size of Taipei 101. Taipei 101 was the world’s tallest building until about a month ago, but it nonetheless is impressive. The perspective is harder to get right below it, but from up here, size it up to the other mammoths of the city, and you know why it’s an item of Taiwanese pride.
****Giant Spider Attacks Giant Building****

The way down, back up, and across lead us through lots of colors and reduced our English to instructional level: “That’s so beautiful! It’s so big! That’s so green! It’s so amazing!” (Dr. Collins would have been proud). Really though, the wonder of the scene was difficult to fully appreciate, even there in the midst of it. Birds were chirping in Taiwanese tongue I’d not yet heard from any wildfowl; faint sing-song Buddhist chants broke around the large boulders off the paths; stray dogs, frogs, giant spiders, and fuzzy golden ants were only some of the animals that most identifiably decorated the woods; there are many times I’ve expressed disbelief that I’m really on this trip, living in Taiwan; this was a time of word-stifling wonder that I could really be in this life, that anything and everything really is alive.

****Jules and some Ferns looking for Sunlight****
Colors:

Taipei is a pedestrian friendly city, and so the walk down from “so amazing” kept the spirits high. We hit Taipei 101(an amazing building that I will have to explore more of during another trip to Taipei; for now I know there’s a large mall with mostly US and European stores, a large foodcourt, and a grocery store with the best (still mediocre) selection of imported beers I’ve found here – finally tried the Belgian Delirium Tremens (Zach and Pat: It not only has the large pink elephant here, but dancing alligators and dragons on circus balls on the label]), and met our adviser/friend who brought us to the essential bubble tea, her lovely apartment (rooftop garden and public space, complete with fluffy bunnies in residence), and then to a Thai restaurant for dinner.

The Thai food was amazing; I particularly enjoyed the "green papaya salad" or "tom sum" (thx, Jules) shaved into thin strips and heavily spiced. Our adviser’s husband (for ease of labeling, see earlier for explanation) met us again and we talked camera shop for a little while.; he published a photography book in Taiwan 30 years ago, instructing a burgeoning upper- and middle-class how to use a flash in outdoor situations, and encouraged me to pursue putting some photos up in a show in Yilan and possibly Taipei.

Dinner also offered the chance to learn a few jokes for Chinese dining. The words for “want rice” sound like the word for beggar, so “wo yao fan” is “I’m a beggar.” You can ask a guest if they “yao fan,” illiciting a smile for sure, and laughter from the rest if they don’t know the joke and agree. Be careful when ordering though; ask the waitress to “qing (please) gei wo fan (gimme rice)” rather than tell her you’re a beggar. Along the same lines, if you eat your rice too quickly, you might be called “fan ton” which covers both the large table rice-bowl and calling someone lightly stupid. Rice on your cheek? Then you “dai bian dang” or “are wearing a lunch-box (typical lunch food),” not dissimilar from our “saving that for later?” These have already become dinnertime hits.

Post-dinner/dessert they brought us to home 2 of 4 in Sijhih, part of a nice gated community for retired folks. The next day involved waterfall hiking (make you wanna drop trou’ and swim waterfalls), Michelle working past a fear of heights, and then meeting the rest of the crew for stage two: Biker Gangs and the Ghost Festival. Check Back Soon.

****Photo Courtesy of Tall Mountain/Hopeful Pearl****

Children's Festival

2007-08-22T02:29:00.000-07:00

****Oops, this blog is about 5 days behind - Check back soon for Sijhih Hiking, Keelung Ghost Fest, und so weiter****

Yesterday involved a field trip to the International Children's Folklore and Folkgame Festival at an Yilan water park along the Dongshan River (冬山河). This festival is a month long event that showcases a variety of cultures from around the world. The park was complete with a Chinese Top Museum (historic Taiwanese pasttime: the little toys on strings you spin that even has a competition culture here), a Cultural Museum (some displays of Taiwanese modern culture such as drugstores, candy shops, etc. with a 1950's feel), and markets with cultural toys and arts.
****History of the Apparently Beloved****
****Taiwanese Cultural Dance****
****The Ceremony included a race, male against male, female against female, and then the winners bamboo pole to bamboo pole; race-up and first one down with the feather's a winner****
The amusement waterpark included a bouncing arenas that felt like waterbeds covered by a giant octopus, water slides, a water halfpipe (sit backwards on a tube and go straight down, up the other side, and down again - guys, don't forget to tuck them up before you hit the middle at the bottom; still sore), and my favorite part - a 20mX20m fountain area that served as a dancefloor, aside from other things. The scene was completed by incessant dance music (water rave?) and jets, sprinklers, and hoses pouring water over everything. It really was a riot, even in the rain.
****Jules/Mitcho - Evidently Serious Business****

****Early Evening WaterPark********Jules********Dance Floor Jets****

***Dance Floor at Night****
****Octo-Bounce Floor****

A little bit about Taiwanese water culture:
For those geographically challenged, Taiwan is an island. It's interesting position at the Northernmost region of the Indonesian Islands, Southernmost tip of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands, and off the coast of China have made it a strategic and coveted political and economic region through much of history. The culture is imbibed with a long history of fishing, seafood, and typhoons, thus the Taiwanese have a healthy respect for the ocean.

The spiritual culture of the island also encourages a healthy respect for levels of existence often overlooked elsewhere; Taiwanese are often to a slight degree superstitious, and this cultural feeling extends to the water. Though there are a great wealth of areas ideal for diving and snorkeling or even just swimming, many Taiwanese prefer not to submerge their whole bodies in water. They believe that underwater they are particularly susceptible to attacks or possession by spirits.

This does not mean that they avoid the water. They love their hot and cold springs (a mountainous island, there are many areas ideal for collecting this refreshing water; upscale hotels in these parts have hot spring water flowing directly into rented rooms, and I've heard rumor that some of the more illustrious private residences have channeled the water as well), are often found near the beaches, and know how to have a good time at a waterpark.

The main differences can be seen in attire. Most Taiwanese wear t-shirts and other clothing while swimming and prefer long shallow beaches that they can wade in and keep their heads above. Some go in full attire, like this little one:

"Real Live Kids"

2007-08-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

****Playground at the Crab Musuem: Photo Courtesy of K80****

Today we had our first teaching experience with what someone referred to as "real live kids" (as opposed to counterfeit or dead ones?). Class will not start for another 10 days (at which time I will have been assigned to an Elementary school and teach grades 1-6, 2 forty minute sessions per grade each week - reminds me of a fun art teacher I know in Athens who gets all the best of all the grades in her fun class). This was an English day for the winners of a speech contest in Yilan last spring, known as English Easy Go! The children thus came from the top of the English speaking class, and so were not necessarily exemplary of the average class at their age. However, it was a great learning experience, and really motivated me to get into the classroom.

The ETAs (12 total) were divided into two groups (3rd and 4th graders, 5th and 6th graders) and given 3 hours of instruction time in the morning. Our group (5th and 6th) decided to have an hour of introductory lessons (vocabulary, get-to-know-you games), an hour and a half of "centers" (four centers with different topics, all emphasizing certain language aspects - reading, writing, listening, speaking, total physical response/TPR), and then a culminating activity to bring together all of the knowledge from the day.

As aternoon plans involved informal education as we accompanied the children to the Crab Museum (Taiwan has a great marine culture), we chose a beach/sea theme, and thus modeled our activities and vocabulary off of this. Each student was given a "passport" to be stamped when they went to their centers. The centers included a Fun and Games Center (TPR), Mural Drawing, Environment Comics, and a PhotoBooth (like one would find on a boardwalk). If you only know me from the blog, you might be inclined to say I would have wished for a hand in the photo booth, but for those who know me, this should be easy.

My comics involved students appreciating concepts like "environment," (Me -"Why should we protect the environment" Student - "Because some people want to do bad things to it" Me - "Exactly, and since we all live in the same environment, the earth, we have to protect it!"), "recycling," and "litterbug." We all discussed the words, then read a model comic strip I made up (way too late in the evening last night), and finally had the students make their own strips (fill in the blank) in their groups.

****Comic Strips****

Some notes on what I learned and would do differently in the future:
Things that Worked
-Group Discussion (small size) is great. If I cannot sit with every small group like today with 6 teachers in the room (ie, most of the time teaching), it would be beneficial to devise group work that encourages students to talk amongst themselves about a shared task.
-Acting out words with realia, or real life things, is a great way to get vocabulary across. Luckily I had a leftover milktea cup from breakfast and used this over and over during my "litterbug" example.
-Do not allow lesson planning to let you overlook spontaneous classroom environment use for helping with concepts. I had students show me where the recycling bins were in the room (Like I've said before, the recycling program in Taiwan is much more developed than the US, with bins in a semi-outdoor tiled area in every classroom; students rinse out old cups and lunch box materials and sort on the spot), and used these bins with each group during my center.

Things to Improve
-More prep time! Sometimes extensive lesson planning can bog down a lesson or remove an organic feel. However, I need to find that line between rigidity and having a lesson plan that will satisfy both my and the school's objectives despite slight alterations. Even here I'm being difficult. What I mean is: work out what words and/or concepts I want them to understand and know them in and out so that even my "spontaneous" dialogue and ideas encourage this. Things worked out today, as the students all seemed to pick up on "litterbug" and why being one is bad, but realizing how much they learned without as well-thought out a structure as it could have been, I know I can teach them more.

Our culminating activity really showed that the kids learned and had fun (the two most important objectives). They played a version of Jeopardy, gunned for the high points, aced all the answers (using all their new vocabulary), and smiled the whole time. It was a great way to reinforce listening and speaking while reviewing what they did at every center.

So, go "Real Live Kids;" I'm definitely excited for this year. Look for more on lessons soon!

Crab Museum Fun Facts:
****Disclaimer: Being hearing impaired, I reserve the right to withdrawal all statements inaccurately translating facts from everyday speech, even if it is from my own native language; listening is hard****
-2,000 Varieties of Crab around Taiwan
-Portonus varieties are the most edible, with paddle like back legs used for kicking up off the sand
-Dorippidae Varieties have carapice ridges and four legs pointing up (opposite their walking legs) designed to carry stones when building homes
-Claws are used as weapons and for dancing (nature's link between physical capacity for violence and sexual attractiveness?)
-The flying crab, the fastest crab (featured at the museum at least), can hit 3.4meters/second, however can only maintain this speed briefly
-Xanthidae crabs are the most poisonous with no known antidote. However, it is not the crab itself (and thus its pinch or bite) which is poisonous, but the internal buildup of poisonous algae consumed regularly; don't eat them.

****Just for Fun: Easy Rider Does Taiwan****

Typhoon Day (For Real this Time)

2007-08-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday the team was in lock down because of "Super Typhoon Sepat," complete with 160mph winds. We all battened down the hatches and settled in for a long day of, well, bland noodles, online television, and (not) lesson planning, all with a smidgem of cabin fever.

The first two typhoons that came across the island since we've been here turned out to be duds, at least for our region (see previous post "Typhoon Day in Taipei" to see how we might not take this one seriously). Knowing this one would be bigger, we counted on staying indoors all day. Prep in Taiwan for a typhoon includes taping up the windows to prevent shattering, stocking up on dry food (instant noodles) and water, and making sure candles are within easy reach.

The wind blew intensely all day, and rain came down in varying torrents off and on; I was in an apartment in Luodong, where the whistling of the wind through the windows was the worst part. Apparently one of the Yilan apartments had some degree of leaking and a bouncing kitchen ceiling.

Here are a few photos:

****Feigned fight against the wind and rain in the apartment lobby - was really blowing though. Photo courtesy of K80********Wind against the trees, out the window****
****Kate with Windows Taped****
****More Taped Windows; Necessary Precaution****
****Laptop, Cheap Wine, and Charades'll Get you Through****

****Uprooted Trees the Day After****

Sum Food

2007-08-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at a little bit of the good food in Taiwan. We are surrounded by fresh seafood, noodles of every variety, hotpot (personal pots of boiling water for your chosen ingredients, dipped in your selected sauce), steamed dumplings, egg pancakes, and Japanese style lunchboxes (rice, pickled veggies, egg, mini-eyes-staring-at-you fish, delicious tofu, etc.). There is much to say about the food here, so I will let the photos do the talking. Look for future posts on desserts, vegetarian dishes, etc.

****HotPot Buffet - note the seafood (squid, octopus, shark, etc)********Mushrooms, Taro, Fish Products, Green Beans, Yum****
****Fill up your plate as you please, add desired spices to pot, boil, and voila!****
****Different Restaurant: Deep Fried Tofu (Doufu) - less heavy than it sounds; light and crispy on the outside, warm and soft inside****
****Tea and Pastry - lots of good bread and pastry stores here***
****Night Market Steamed Dumpling Deals****

More on Ghost Festival

2007-08-18T04:29:00.001-07:00

Great Website about the Keelung Ghost Festival, including origins, mythology, and photos from past events:
Ghost Fest!

Ghost Month via Luodong Night Market

2007-08-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

****Click on Photos to Enlarge****

****Not Dead/Only Sleeping****

I'm going to preface this with part of an email I wrote two days ago; it describes the basics of Ghost Month in Taiwan. Afterwards, look for photos from my experiences day 2 of the month.

"Last night was the beginning of Lunar Month July in Taiwan, which means that mid-month (15th) falls on Sunday, August 26.

Ghost Month is unique to Taiwan. It is marked by the opening of the gates of hell, and all "hungry ghosts" (Rough Guide 2007 52) come out to haunt individuals. Taiwanese do not want to talk about the ghosts, because they believe it attracts some of the angrier spirits; that is why we were not told about the parade or start of the holiday yesterday. To appease the spirits and show respect, people pray, burn incense, and burn money in offering daily, though only three days are mandatory for shelling out the cash, the beginning, middle and end of the month (Vickie and Anita).

Not all of the ghosts are bad, or at least, not guaranteed to behave maliciously. According to Kelly, they are not called ghosts, as this attracts the negative ones. They are instead talked about as "hao zhong di" or "hao peng you" (good brother or good friend).

The Ghost Festival in the middle of the month involves the burning of boat effigies and (of course) more money, as well as offering of flowers and fruit, and sacrifices of chicken/duck, pig, and fish (Rough Guide 2007 52). In Keelung, thousands of water lanterns, small floating boats or something of the sort, are released at night over the river with the special intent of calming the spirits of the drowned."

The group participated in a three-team scavenger hunt through the Luodong Night Market this evening, looking for assigned food items that are native to or a specialty of Luodong. Night markets are an important part of Taiwanese culture. They are carnival like in feel, with lots of noise, food vendors, knick-knacks for sale, and games, games, games for kids.
****Julie Playing a Marble Game/Drinking Bubble Tea****

However, they offer quite a bit more in the way of commodities, as a lot of clothing, accessories, and household shopping can be accomplished. There are many families, including grandparents, attending simply out of necessity, looking for practical purchases at the best price.

social development, acting as a neutral ground where groups of teenagers can meet and be asThey offer similar social functions as carnivals or fairs in the United States as well, and are leaned on for these roles more frequently (night markets are nightly, as opposed to the annual county fair). For example, according to one of our Taiwanese advisors, people, particularly teenagers, do not really date too often in Taiwan. Night markets provide a playground for equally interested in each other on a one-on-one level as if they were dating. There are plenty of good things to eat, fun stuff to buy, and friends to talk to, and so it provides an ideal relaxed environment. Many parents bring children to the markets as well, making them quite familiar stomping grounds by the time you are a teenager and looking for anywhere that could possibly allow you to feel confident in front of others.

The Luodong market had a number of fascinating additions in honor of Ghost Month, which included long tables of fresh foods, dead animals, and unopened beverages all arranged delicately and surrounded by clusters of constantly burning incense.

****Fruit/Incense/and a Note written about Next Year (97)****

****At the front of each road/aisle was a slaughtered/flayed pig, complete with writing on the side and a pineapple in the mouth****

****The tables were laden with detailed carvings as well, such as this apparent sage confronting a tiger****

****Some Images were carved out of Standing Watermelons and lit from inside****

****In addition to sacrificed food, people offer incense...****

****...and burn paper money and other paper for appeasement****
We bumped into Ellen, one of the co-teachers, with her 7 year old daughter and 10 year old son. They were on a crowded corner in front of a small grocer. In the middle of the intersection was a stage, blaring music out of mediocre speakers. Songs were sung by nearly-nudes, and everyone was in rapt attention. The majority of onlookers were young or middle-aged males, but couples, children , and young girls were not exempt. Thongs, an open changing room at the side, and music at that volume seem to catch everyone's attention. Both of Ellen's stood with their ears covered, the youngest girl transfixed by the naked bottom on stage. Sex sells because we're human; smart business to take advantage of instinct. Anywhere under the patriarchy and it's typically female sex being sold by males; clearly they train them young as well. Ellen tells us that the women and song are a feature of Ghost Month; apparently the dead don't mind being reminded they have no bodies for the food or sex they see during the month.

****Too Loud For the Performers on Deck****

****Too Loud for the little one, but she can't look away****

****Laura Happy - Loves Ellen's Kids, Not the Girlies****

Field Trip to Dong-ao

2007-08-15T10:37:00.001-07:00

The second half of orientation today involved a field trip to Dong-ao Xiao Xue (Elementary School) in Nan-ao township. Within 2 weeks, the 12 ETAs will be assigned to different schools throughout Yilan County, 5 in Yilan City, 5 in Luodong, and 2 in outlying townships in predominantly aboriginal communities. The indigenous groups on Taiwan are primarily of Austro-Indonesian background. Their population is just over 440,000, about 2 percent of Taiwan's 22 million people. However, the vast majority of Taiwanese have some degree of indigenous blood from a long history of marriage integration. Like minority aboriginal groups throughout the world, they face many challenges, but have seen steps to securing more rights within the past few decades, and more recently have been included in a revival (or initial development) of interest for local cultures amongst the average Taiwanese.

The Fulbright teaching program is designed to allow for the maximum impact, which is why part of our commitment will include designing instructional materials and resources for English teachers throughout Taiwan; with any luck, we'll leave much more than a year's worth of teaching when we finally depart. While this facet of the program encourages extensive impact, the move out to the indigenous communities is aimed towards a more intensive impact. Two of us will be welcomed into a community described as close-knit and very appreciative of the Foundation's assistance. In the 3 years of Fulbright education at Dong-ao, children's test scores have increased, as well as their appreciation for learning English.

These teachers will receive as much as they give, as the curricula in these schools emphasize appreciation for and education of traditional indigenous culture. At one school, student's are all required to participate in music, athletic, and dance programs of traditional cultural significance; elementary student dances here are known island-wide.

My first impressions of the community were all very positive. With a population of just 3,000, there is a lot of room for close interaction with the community and substantial subsequent personal growth. I myself would still be confident that there would be many opportunities to practice mandarin within the community, as the majority of students speak mandarin at home, unless, we are told, they are talking to grandparents or elders, in which case they may use and indigenous language. The environment may offer more language reinforcement, as I am sure to develop deeper friendships with community members while simultaneously avoiding some of the distractions of the large(r) cities. My interactions with other ETAs would also be more infrequent; I would be sure to miss out on the company and fun, but see the advantages in regards to my language skills. I'd be willing to make the trade-off, should the situation arise, which is why I am confident that this will be a positive year. I am free to allow my portion of the co-teacher selection (co-teachers are affiliated with specific schools and will be close colleagues, mentors, and ideally, friends throughout the year) to rely on a personality match, an essential element to a successful year.

Rest assured, there is much more to say about both the program and about the indigenous cultures, but I will wait to share in more detail as I learn.

For now, here are some photographs of the trip out to Dong-ao (comfortable charter bus on difficult, winding, cliff-side roads that spill over to the ocean) and the community.

****Out the window during the ride****

****The school is small in population (around 125 children) but beautiful; nestled between mountains and cooled by the breeze of the nearby ocean, the buildings are large and aesthetically pleasing. The grounds are built to exhibit nature as well, harboring a revered, more-than-century old tree amongst other natural goodies. This is a view from the second floor****

****The Elementary school strives to be a bilingual environment, evident of the support for the English program********Ronald making sure everyone washes their hands properly; found in the courtyard that also houses the protected tree, the poster provides an interesting contrast****

****RFCB****
****Jeannie/Joanne****

Catching Up

2007-08-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

****Meg's Cartwheel****
****Fruit****
****Stingray****
****Japanese style Cabbage Pile o' Amazing****

****Celebrity Dog and His Pal****
****Night Market Sushi in Yilan City****
****好吃****
****Dr. Wu Likes Food****

Assorted

2007-08-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

****Mitcho/Megan at the Fulong Station****
****Jules at the Blue Bar**** Blue Bar's the only game in Yilan City. There you can find all the foreigners, all three of them.
****Luodong Night Market Bikers****
****Luodong Apartment View****
****Motel****

Cloud Patterns

2007-08-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Some more from my window; color variations due to manual camera setting adjustments

Movie

2007-08-13T10:07:00.001-07:00

The Bourne Supremacy sucks in Asia too. ****photo courtesy of mitcho****

KTV Photos

2007-08-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

KTV is a popular pasttime in much of Asia. It involves renting out a private room for any number of friends and singing karaoke displayed on fancy tvs. Food, drinks, horrible songs are all part of the experience. This is from Holiday KTV this past weekend.

****Laura****

****Mitcho in Japanese****
****Jules****
***Jules/Jeannie/Meg/Casey/Jenny/Laura****
****Jules/Avril****
****K80/Mitcho****

Typhoon Day in Taipei

2007-08-09T10:57:00.001-07:00

Orientation for the past week has been running a little something like this:
8:50: Board the bus by the 7-11 on the corner (you can navigate by 7-11's here, which they call "7's" as in" 你要去７嗎？/You want go 7 ma? - for example, "Turn right at my 7, walk straight down Taishan Lu and turn right into the apartments by the next 7"). The bus is a special education bus, which I hope someone in Taiwan derives amusement from; our group may be more aptly named Foolbrights or Halfbrights (a couple of puns provided by a Vietnamese Fulbrighter back at OU a few months ago).
9:00-12:00: Deal with assorted orientation details. One day was a long discussion about the educational system in Taiwan, certifications for teachers, politics in relation to public schools, etc. We have also been running errands applying for Alien Resident Cards (IDs), Bank Accounts, and SIM Cards for phones.
12:00-1:30: Lunch and emails.
1:30-4:00: More orientation, such as Chinese practice or more errands.
Evenings have been free, but full of tying up loose ends from the orientation bits and returning to destinations pointed out during the day to further explore. Of course, we eat well too.

It's not really as cut and dry as it seems, and this is only for the first week. The next two weeks will involve practice teaching, pedagogical information, and getting to know our co-teachers, with whom we will be paired one-to-one and working exceptionally close with in the following year.

"Be Flexible":
How so not cut and dry? Of course, with any type of program abroad, it is impossible to cover all angles, so there's always some unexpected fun. The immigration office reversed a couple of numbers from my passport, so my ARC is currently invalid and the bank account, not yet acquired. No problem as I have enough cash to float for now and all will come in due time.

The special ed bus also blew out a tire on one bus ride home. Indicative of the great network of relationships that commerce runs on in Taiwan (known as guanxi/relationships), all the driver had to do was wheel it across the road unannounced to the nearest Dunlop place, wait half an hour for the repair, and start her up again. The service industry is infused with cultural attitudes about establishing and maintaining relationships, such that I've heard taking the time to know your scooter salesman creates the opportunity for free repairs on small items in the future.

****Bus at the Dunlop Place pre-op****

The group saw this while purchasing cellphones the other day. The Nokia dealer knew he was about to sell 12 phones. Appreciating past and current business with the Fulbright foundation, and hoping for future sales, he was glad to offer discounted prices on phones, present our Foundation advisor with a gift (some phone accessory from off the wall), and offer us discounted minutes all year. Business like that is logical; you keep your customers coming back. However, the formalities such as initially asking a slightly higher price than both buyer and seller know the item would ultimately go for, the buyer offering profuse thanks for the eventual reduction to the final, fair price, and the exchange of personal name cards/mingpian/名片, all work to further personalize a typical purchase. Straight capitalistic exchange does not require much dialogue nor give berth to much creative interaction between the buyer and seller; a burger's a burger and you're looking for 99cents. However, this exchange is one that builds a relationship/guanxi that works out to everyone's advantage.

****Another example: we all purchased bikes from these lovely men who annually give Fulbrighters a great deal, work efficiently to help out with repairs whenever its needed, and buy them back at the end of the year. I'd say not a friendlier couple of guys on the island, but most I've met have been so.****

So orientation has been a broad process of settling into Taiwanese culture and visiting relevant locations in the new city well beyond the classroom/handout orientation aspect. Our academic advisor, Dr. Timothy Collins, frequently says that to "be flexible" is the best thing you can do to get along in Taiwan. With that lesson in mind I turn to the topic mentioned in the title.

Typhoon Weather
Taiwan was hit by a couple of typhoons recently(Pabuk: Tuesday/Wednesday and Wutip: Thursday) which were more rain than wind intensive (we broke out the window-tape for reinforcement anyway). Truth is, they missed their predicted mark (Yilan, where we are staying) and ended up further South. Pabuk was mostly rain and Wutip, well I didn't see any of it. We were given the day off from orientation today in preparation for it, and it ended up being splendid weather. Fog days in high school don't compare to getting a beautiful day off because of a predicted typhoon while living in Taiwan.

Taking advantage of the Day Off:
So two days ago we ran internet through the apartment; my two roommates and I spent an unnecessarily lengthy amount of time scratching a computer-itch that had been unspokenly neglected, I'm sure, since all of us began traveling. A few hours of writing, emailing, surfing, and so forthing later, I headed off to bed, leaving my computer up and on (Mitcho, the mac/computer whizz in the house set it up as broadcasting wireless hub for the others to feed from until we purchased a router; fascinating thing number 7,231 I didn't know you could do with this computer).

When I woke up in the morning, the computer was frozen; restarting it presented only a gray screen with a flashing file-folder and question mark on it - a sign that the computer could not find a hard-drive or had some sort of corrupt system file. Mitcho tried a variety of alternative start-up methods, such as booting from an install DVD and running the PRAM startup, all with no success. While I was convinced that the neighbors (heavily tattooed young men, who clearly must be gang members suspicious of us moving in and setting up wireless internet) hacked into my computer and stole my system, Mitcho didn't agree and suggested we go to an Apple store in Taipei. His computer was dealing with screen problems as well, and so we considered this our best chance to wrangle a working computer between us.

The trip to Taipei to fix the computers turned out to be quite an informative and efficient adventure. Mitcho and I had the experience of navigating the train station, riding the hour-forty to Taipei, hopping off and quickly onto the MRT Rail system, finding Xinsheng Zhong Rd and the impressive computer district, and entering the trendy Youth Apple Store.

****Myself with the hanging "mice" in the computer district - reminiscent of hanging duck in restaurant windows. Photo courtesy of mitcho****

Harddrive? What's that? Why would I want one of those?
A young Taiwanese named Bryan tried to turn on the computer twice, and announced quietly "your harddrive's dead. we can give you a new one." Really simple; no fuss; just dead. I asked about recovering data, which he said would run 1,800NT and didn't guarantee they were able to recover anything. After diagnosing Mitcho's trouble, I told him I would like to try to make the recovery. He offered to try for free, and only charge me should recovery of any data be successful, which was great because I was torn about the attempted recovery. Most of everything is backed up in the States. All I really lost were photographs from San Francisco (sorry Shelbs :-/ ) and the first few days in Taiwan, and contact info from my address book (of all things to neglect backing up). Also, all the settings that I used over the past 6 months to personalize my interface are gone, going, gone, everything gone, give a damn.

In some ways, this was quite the bummer, but at the same time, it's quite liberating. My new harddrive is stacked with plenty of applications (almost all that I had personally downloaded myself, plus many I've never heard of). Initially, everything was set in traditional Chinese. I have since reverted most to English, though login pages and some applications are in Chinese only. This is actually a good incentive for me to keep studying. Being here for even this brief amount of time has really enhanced my passion for Chinese; I am determined to learn traditional characters, read an entire menu, and listen and speak with fluency. It may take a while, but I'll get there.

****A little tip for anyone else studying Chinese: start studying traditional! They are tougher characters, but it is much easier going from traditional to simplified than the other way around. Also, check out the Taiwanese phonetic system, bopomofo or ㄣㄆㄇㄈ; it will really help with your pronunciation!****

MRT
While I left the camera at home, I also left my Taipei MRT card for riding the rails. This meant that I purchased single use chips each time. Jerry (new friend and Fulbright advisor in Taipei) tells me later that these chips are really new, perhaps just a few weeks. It's an interesting system. You pay 20/25/30NT for a blue plastic chip. Apparently it is electronically tagged for just that amount, and it scans as you enter the paid area (past the yellow line where you surely must not chew gum). You just deposit it on your way out and they are reused. Voila. Quite a nifty system.
****Manual for the ultra-new bluechip system; fun-fun****

So, computers taken care of (I walked away with my new harddrive as well as a trendy cover for the keypad that takes care of palmrest smudges - darn white macs - spills and damage, as well as has the bopomofo system written on the keys! ) Mitcho and I enjoyed an excellent dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant: Seafood Pancake, Kimchi, Steamed Cabbage and Onions, and a plate of lamb and beef. The meat comes out raw and you place it on the grill in front of you, with veggies steaming on the side. Truly one of my favorite ways of eating and a throwback to the Shandong, China trip 3 years ago (a regular staple).

Dinner Gossip
We enjoyed an interesting conversation with Jerry and Ellen from the Fulbright office, learning much about Taiwanese politics (storefront signs can be politicized: stripped down and simple, blue for Kuomintang - Nationalists fled China 1949 post-CCP uprising - and reunification, green for independence - of course, it's never that simple, but you get the gist), Taiwanese friendship (often avoid discussing heavy issues, especially where one could be polarized from your friend, ie, politics, where you can be deep blue, light blue, light green, or deep green), Dr. Wu in the Fulbright office (famous psycholigist - every Taiwanese kid had to read one of his books in middle school - and artist/performer - invented a major dance genre famous in Taiwan), and about where to find the most scantily clad betel nut girls (apparently Yunlin, according to Ellen - why she offered the information, Mitcho and I still are not sure).

****More than likely unintentional, but a lot of green in one place caused me to pull out the camera; I'm seeing color politics in everything now****

So that's the gist of a typhoon day: spectacular weather, good friends, easy travel, excellent food, and so on...I told Mitcho I couldn't imagine being happier to crash a harddrive.

The View From My Window

2007-08-07T05:02:00.000-07:00

The group is currently split between four apartments, two in Luodong and two in Yilan City (both places in Yilan county). I am living with the two other males in the group, Mitcho and Josue in a three bedroom. The apartment is clean, partially furnished (beds, dressers, desks in each is very friendly (studied professional music in Italy - quick with a smile, too), and is coming by to supply us with blinds for our shower windows (I've been playing exhibitionist for a few days, though not that that is a problem), but she says she will "think about" getting us something to cook on. I am hoping this is just this culture's way of saying "of course I will do that, but I do not want to give in too much on first meeting." All of us like to cook (I'm sure I have much to room, a fridge, wooden chairs and two small tables) but we currently lack a stove. The landlady learn from the roomies here) and don't want to eat out every night. This apartment arrangement is just until school starts on the 30th, at which time we will receive permanent housing arrangements at the apartment closest to our assigned schools. We are all just happy to be here, willing to be flexible, and will certainly make do.

For now though, here are a few shots of the view from my balcony:
The Track on the right hand side of this one is part of a high school and becomes active around 5AM with joggers, walkers, runners, etc. Morning exercise, even light stretching or simple, slow Tai Chi is very prevalent here.The view arches around the whole Western skyline. I've yet to venture up there, but the roof is apparently open, so I should have some sunrise pictures sooner than later.

Formosa – Portugese for beautiful

2007-08-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

***Note*** New to blogspot? Pictures can be enlarged. Just click on them.

For those of you who don't know yet, I am in Taiwan. I have just begun an 11 month commitment to the Fulbright Foundation for Scholarly Exchange (FSE) during which I will teach English to Elementary children in Yilan County (North Eastern Taiwan). There are 11 other English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) who received the same grant from the US. We will be living together in small groups in Yilan and Luodong and teaching at different elementary schools. We will also be responsible for designing course materials, creating teaching aids, and assisting with curriculums that emphasize local cultures. Look for a later post that outlines the details (after I receive them myself).

The people here are all extremely friendly. The stares of a few (curious or irritated?) senior citizens aside, I have not felt like the obtrusive tourist I do in other countries (even while toting a not-so-small camera and trendy caribener clipped water bottle). Everyone associated with the FSE has been more than welcoming, from the young welcoming committee at the gate to the senior administrators in the office. Taiwanese on the whole are cheerful and quick with a smile, and in fact, some of the funniest (either they are particularly quick-witted or their humor gels well with mine) people I have ever met.

The care has been both extensive and intensive so far. We were picked up at the airport by a wonderful welcoming staff, taken to the Jade Hotel, where everyone was given a large room (mine with a glass-walled, black tiled bathroom with a Jacuzzi style tub) to recuperate. The FSE building is a gem of creative architecture and design, with white walls and floors accented by multi-colored criss-crossed lines that resemble subway maps across a city, tons of natural lighting, computer resources, conference rooms, und so weiter. Well fed throughout the day we were given an introduction to the plan for the next week and for the temporary housing for the next month, as well as a healthy “settling-in allowance” in NTD. All physical needs are being met, and the good company and excitement of the positive work well be doing in the year continually nourish the spirit.

A little bit About the Island:
It is a subtropical island, with winter weather dipping into the 45s at night and summer weather jumping above 100. The humidity is so thick it seems to weigh down on you, like the pressure of an interior planet whenever you're outside. Okay, it's not that intense at all. I actually really enjoy the high humidity. Walking through the palpable air kind of sparks the senses and snaps your mind into awareness of the immediate environment. I feel very much alive in such a place.

Much more to come on About the Island (food, languages, outdoor recreation, natural beauty, religious/spiritual culture) – look for near-future posts on what I am looking forward to in Taiwan.

And Taipei:

We are in Taipei (the capital, population 2.7 million) at the moment, where the FSE building is located. The streets are punctuated with large palm trees, lined with scooters (in seemingly random parking spaces).

Construction:

The buildings are littered with advertisements (I'm curious about regulation or lack thereof), such as this one, which I call camera alley (the Nikon store on the corner caught my eye – fingers-crossed for cheaper lenses):

The streets are busy with construction, pedestrians (walk forward, don't look left or right - "Just go gonzo" says Dr. Collins), scooters, and cars.

Bubble milk tea costs a dollar (trendy-city residents will note they can run 5 or 6USD in the states), so go tapioca balls!

No-No’s
There are a few minor things you are not allowed to do in Taiwan, which has led to some fun already. You may not chew gum on the subways, as one sign warns (below a picture of Chinese chess pieces on opposite signs of a yellow line similar to that you cross entering the subway area) “it doesn't matter whether you are a king or a pawn, once you cross the yellow line it is against the law to chew gum in the paid subway area." Interestingly enough, I very obtrusively offered gum to all of the other ETAs and our guides as soon as we sat down in the subway the first time. Actually waving the packet in the air between handing out pieces, it took four of us violating this rule before an FSE assistant told me “you know, you actually can’t do that. I would put that away and just don't chew the whole time.” Taking stock of my surroundings I saw a middle-aged woman wearing a stern but amused look and taut, motherly lips (when she knows you're goofing off like you shouldn't be), who pointed to a sign that indicated a potential 15,000 NTD (New Taiwan Dollar – about 300USD), fine for food or gum. It was on the walk out that I saw the large chess sign.

There are also heavy regulations about separating trash (recyclables must be in specific containers – even during private trash collection). Look for a future post on the details of the trash system and what the US could learn from Taiwan.

Here's a shot of a trash can at the Taipei Botanical Garden (note the red for plastics and babies and the yellow for aluminum, etc.):

Also, most public places are equipped with large “no-no” signs. At the gate to the botanical gardens a large board full of park rules is coupled with a set of pictures (like various no-smoking signs) that clearly indicate you shouldn’t touch the turtles, step on the plants, swim in the lotus pond, etc.

There are also strict regulations about what ID photos must look like (such as for our Alien Resident Cards): no teeth in the smiles, hair pulled behind ears, body centered correctly.

Regulations such as these are really minor details that essentially ensure a uniform level of formality in citizens and in fact enhance a sense of civic-duty. There are many more positive no-no’s, most of which I am sure I am unaware, as the absence of violations have not brought them to my attention. One example is no ashing cigarettes or leaving butts in the streets. While littering is against the law in major US cities, you could swim in the curbside cigarette butts making their way to the drains. I've yet to see a cigarette butt on the ground in Taipei.

Photos

2007-08-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

***Note about Pictures*** I am using a Nikon D80 SLR camera as of two weeks ago. I've always enjoyed taking pictures and feel that I have outgrown the limitations of the digital point and shoot. Most of the pictures you will see on this blog from here on out will have been taken with this camera.

It’s a new toy and one which I’ve yet to master (the camera itself; photography is a lifelong thing arguably never mastered). I plan to showcase many pictures on this website, as well as eventually getting a full photo website up and running. Please, enjoy!

Here are some early shots:

Vino Tinto, Marysville

Alex, Marysville

Frances, Marysville

Buca di Beppo,Worthington

Leslie, Marysville

Church, SF

Hummingbird, SanFran

Shelby, SF

Profile Picture

2007-06-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Looking to add a profile picture to the blog and don't have a website to pull it from, so for your viewing pleasure - here's me:

"equally a coming Buddha"

2007-05-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share this excerpt from Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums, one of my favorite books in high school and at every reread. These two fella's are buddies throughout and represent Kerouac himself and one of his ramblin' beatnik pals; all of his books are chokked fulla brief meaningful and not-so-meaningful-but-still-so-meaningful interactions with people in his life.

Try reciting the prayer he mentions, like a mantra, over and over, and picture everyone around you...equally a coming Buddha

'That's the glacier what's left of it. Either that or this rock tumbled here from inconceivable prehistoric mountains we can't understand, or maybe it just landed here when the friggin mountain range itself burst out of the ground in the Jurassic upheaval. Ray when you're up here you're not sittin in a Berkeley tea room. This is the beginning and the end of the world right here. Look at all those patient Buddhas lookin at us saying nothing.'

'And you come out here by yourself ...'

'For weeks on end, just like John Muir, climb around all by myself following quartzite veins or making posies of flowers for my camp, or just walking around naked singing, and cook my supper and laugh.'

'Japhy I gotta hand it to you, you're the happiest little cat in the world and the greatest by God you are. I'm sure glad I'm learning all this. This place makes me feel devoted, too, I mean, you know I have a prayer, did you know the prayer I use?'

'What?'

'I sit down and say, and I run all my friends and relatives and enemies one by one in this, without entertaining any angers or gratitudes or anything, and I say, like 'Japhy Ryder, equally empty, equally to be loved, equally a coming Buddha,' then I run on, say to 'David O. Selznick, equally empty, equally to be loved, equally a coming Buddha' though I don't use names like David O. Selznick, just people I know because when I say the words 'equally a coming Buddha' I want to be thinking of their eyes, like you take Morley, his blue eyes behind those glasses, when you think 'equally a coming Buddha' you think of those eyes and you really do suddenly see the true secret serenity and the truth of his coming Buddhahood. Then you think of your enemy's eyes.'

'That's great, Ray,' and Japhy took out his notebook and wrote down the prayer, and shook his head in wonder. 'That's really really great. I'm going to teach this prayer to the monks I meet in Japan. There's nothing wrong with you Ray, your only trouble is you never learned to get out to spots like this, you've let the world drown you in its horseshit and you've been vexed ... though as I say comparisons are odious, but what we're sayin now is true.'

Suburban Sprawl

2007-05-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

A friend loaned me an interesting book called Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream by Andres Duany, et al. It advocates going back to city planning similar to America's initial development, where zoning was highly integrated and arose from the organic demands of citizens. These places are more aesthetic, pedestrian friendly, and living efficient than the current model of single-use zones, which necessitates automobile use, results in traffic congestion and unimaginative landscapes, and perpetuates a system of suburban sprawl. Already at a point where we are past peak oil production, I hope that city planning will turn back to high-density housing (versus the single family home) and organic systems that allow residents to work, eat, play, shop, and live all within a five minute walk.

Just a couple of fun things from the book:

An interesting quote from Zev Cohen during a lecture in 1995: "People say they do not want to live near where they work, but that they would like to work near where they live." Apparently contradictory, I think this statement is both a paradox that shows how perspective influences our desires and revelatory of a human desire to put home over work. We want to have work spaces that are conveniently close to where we have our homes and live our lives, but don't want to be ushered into living spaces because of the demands and proximity of work.

Naming suburbs: I've always found it interesting how suburban developments and streets are romantically named after elements of wilderness, often the same ones that the developments replace. You have "Lookout Glen" or "Eagle's Nest Lane" or something of the sort, and everything looks like the same damn suburb. I've never seen an Eagle's Nest or been to a glen with a stunning lookout (okay, maybe I have, but not in the suburbs), but you can read the names all over the place.

The book pointed out a really interestingly named suburban housing community which reflects its own identity confusion. Symbolic of how a suburb can't even make sense of itself, heads or tails for a front or back, a part of Atlanta calls itself "Perimeter Center". I managed a smile at that one; this place hasn't the foggiest about what it really looks like.

Drunk Baseball Players

2007-05-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

I left the house at 7:45 this morning and came home ten minutes prior to midnight. It was a long day of classes, tests, and meetings. The apartment below ours is having a luau style party, complete with six kegs and the majority of the OU baseball team. In the space of five minutes watching them from my porch I saw 2 keg stands, 2 guys throw up 4 times, and heard the following:

"Drink it you fucking pussy!"
"He's puking! He puked! I saw it! Woooo!"
"Vance is puking! Ahh haha! Vance is down!"
"Where the FUCK is my beer!" Grabs his beer, repeats "where the Fuck is my beer!"

The women at the party mostly stood silently, taking pictures with smiles on their faces, or talking quietly to their friends, while the males screamed, gave stumbling celebratory high-fives for shows of excess consumption, and swore profusely.

It's midnight. They are all outside. This neighborhood is small. The boys have a regional tournament that they leave for tomorrow. Good luck to them.

Waking Up Refreshed

2007-05-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

I dreamt last night
I yelled to you across
A crowded auditorium

And you, at the podium,
Began to pour your heart
Out in words
into the microphone.

Everyone's smiling faces
Turned from me to you
Then blended into one around me,

And as they blurred together
You were there
Sitting next to me in the theater seats.

Did you say all that
You needed to last night?
I wish I could remember

All the important things
You let me know,

But as it is,
I feel better knowing we talked,
And I awoke this morning
With a fresh feeling.

Is concrete living?

2007-05-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Every piece of life is living
but humans, in concrete,
do not make living,

though art and narrative,
and all can be argued art,
creating living-like exchanges
between here and there
dead and living
present and changing,

and these structures,
social conventions, government and taxes,
sidewalks,
are intended to help us
in living
and making living.

We all, plants and people,
sparrow, squirrel, and you,
have the same basic drive,
to keep on living
by making (more) living,

and our intentions should be clear;
the mind of humanity being society,
culture,
history,
is segmented off into conflicting emotions,
morals,
values,
but all with an innate desire
to keep making living.

We'll have our naysayers,
wayfarers,
rhythm and blues,
but as a whole, our interconnected
minds,

that is, society (you & Me)
communicating with
sign and symbol,
language and narrative,

in every construct, from
television to kitchen,
classroom to nutrition,

form a single entity,
staring and caring,
striving to keep making living,

and its intentions are clear
(like all those other living things)
;

we'll keep moving foward
in competition with everything
because that is preservation
and leads to proliferation
of living.

But what does it mean to the world that humans and their way of making living can include replacing the traditional living (plant and animal and earth) with the narrative living (concrete and story and terabyte upon terabyte of the history of human existence in no-space)? Will we go as far as we potentially can and link all these narratives together into a single narrative consciousness, that knows everything? Will we evolve in linear time, the process of being god outside of the single eternal space that is/n't god? I think we will. But at what cost to the traditional living world? Not to say we can kill it all off, for it will evolve in its own ways after us, but is our place in it prescriptively written as done for in a thousand years? Will we exist solely as conscious entities afloat in a wash of everything we(all)'ve ever known? Too much still to learn from terrestrial living, I believe. Too late to figure it out? Possible to figure out?

Test Run - We'll Have some Fun

2007-04-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

New to the blogging thing, I decided I needed to get some experience in preparation for my next step after graduation. I would like to keep in contact with as many people as possible, so this is mostly a networking place. Maybe we can exchange a few ideas as well.

I will be graduating from OU in June. Done be the undergrad. Done be the Athens townie. June will be spent relaxing in the apartment and packing things for storage. July will be spent traveling, visiting friends and family, and preparing for August. And August, August begins an 11 month commitment in Taiwan where I will be teaching English and studying Chinese. I will be in Taipei for August and then live in Yilan County, a NE coastal county, for the remainder of the year.

After that...who knows.

Again, I'd like this to be a networking kind of blog. I'm going to add links for traveling resources, links for Teachers of English as a Foreign/Second Language, and links to friends. Anybody ever flying anywhere near my way is welcome, as I'm sure I will someday impose on you.

That's all for now. We'll see if I really begin to utilize this thing or drop it like many of the other activities I pick up and leave so frequently.

late night - it's a tough quarter

2007-01-30T04:53:00.000-08:00

These are ramblings from staying up reading Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, writing a paper, then hitting up Eliot's "Burnt Norton" of Four Quartets:

I have eyes that know and feet that have touched the Earth. I am a barefoot swami and many have opened up to me. You will do the same when we meet, and not because of anything I do, but because I am. I do not anticipate it nor do I gain pleasure from it. My life is to walk and be a touchstone, and your stories neither plague nor empower me. When we walk together, for you, you will feel release, and I, I will watch yours and my emotions flow through the air and disappear into the vastness that is windswept and windfree non-being. Walk with me. This garden is pleasant, and long you have to dwell (do well?) in it before you are ready to be free.

fun new words for me:
nascent - just coming into existence and beginning to show signs of future potential
ablutions - the act of washing oneself
salutary - producing beneficial effects (esp. if in reference to something negative)

1/29/07
You are constantly in the process of embarking on a journey, the likes of which you haven't seen yet, but the destination only where you've been, the end you've stood upon but not understood or seen. this journey through life is a single birthing process. you come out the other end alive for having been alive. alive for laughing and having contributed to the uproar of the giant laughing buddha, wiggling belly full of jelly, laughing at the shape of nothingness. he says "i am being, and because I am being, I cannot have that" and that being nothingness. ness can not have nothingness and it all makes so much perfect sense, of course you will deny it, laugh and continue to create. and nothingness does not fight back or argue. this is the big laugh. it cannot fight back.

Laugh loudly and shake the big buddha belly, for it is all absurd and perfect. We've already won, but we can't win. it is insane. in this mix it is absurd.

We've all already won, because nothingness can't fight back. Ignore for now his roaring silence that taunts he doesn't need to.

Laugh loudly and shake the big Buddha belly while you can. We've all already won, because nothingness can't fight back. Ignore for now his roaring silence that taunts he doesn't need to. Continue to laugh loudly.

4:04:18 AM whiterabbit172: battles go to bed
4:04:34 AM sheistefunkplus: i never sleep
4:04:39 AM sheistefunkplus: cuz sleep is the cousin of death
4:04:40 AM whiterabbit172: sleep is for the dead
4:04:55 AM whiterabbit172: i know a girl who battles monsters in her sleep
4:05:03 AM whiterabbit172: with all varieties of imagined weapons
4:05:09 AM whiterabbit172: using all varieties of imagined killing skills
4:05:18 AM whiterabbit172: she struggles to stay alive while dancing with the cousin of death
4:05:32 AM whiterabbit172: and i know her only during the day as living
4:05:56 AM sheistefunkplus: dale
4:06:00 AM sheistefunkplus: ...go to bed.
4:06:07 AM sheistefunkplus: jejejeje
4:06:13 AM whiterabbit172: can't...english papers
4:06:19 AM whiterabbit172: virginia woolf....great stuff
4:06:23 AM sheistefunkplus: ah word
4:06:30 AM sheistefunkplus: yeh i pulled an allnighter last night
4:06:35 AM sheistefunkplus: about two hours of sleep
4:06:42 AM sheistefunkplus: and now i'm at the shift
4:06:46 AM sheistefunkplus: it's tough
4:06:58 AM whiterabbit172: such is the grind
4:07:02 AM sheistefunkplus: palabra.

5:58:39 AM sheistefunkplus: i guess woolf describes the working middle class as "modest, mouse-coloured people"
5:58:56 AM whiterabbit172: haha
5:59:10 AM sheistefunkplus: apt band name
5:59:11 AM whiterabbit172: and so we are all are
5:59:19 AM whiterabbit172: *all are
5:59:25 AM sheistefunkplus: yeh dude
5:59:29 AM sheistefunkplus: werkin niteshift
5:59:33 AM sheistefunkplus: feelin pretty modest mouse
5:59:57 AM whiterabbit172: hiding in our little rooms and little houses like cracks and holes in the wall
6:00:02 AM whiterabbit172: feeding of the bits that get dropped down to us
6:00:12 AM whiterabbit172: via youtube and shitty overpriced drugs
6:00:21 AM sheistefunkplus: laughs
6:00:31 AM sheistefunkplus: warm beer and cold women
6:00:37 AM sheistefunkplus: it's real
6:00:47 AM whiterabbit172: quite real, warm beer and cold women
6:00:51 AM whiterabbit172: we're conditioned to like it
6:00:53 AM whiterabbit172: but i still like it
6:01:02 AM sheistefunkplus: jaja that makes two of us
6:02:30 AM whiterabbit172: life is absurdity and one big long conversation that never ends but just gets put on hold
6:02:36 AM whiterabbit172: i'm holding this one to quit buggin you
6:02:39 AM whiterabbit172: and get myself back to work
6:02:43 AM sheistefunkplus: word
6:02:52 AM sheistefunkplus: hard to remember we're alive for the last time
6:02:59 AM sheistefunkplus: good luck on the papski
6:03:17 AM whiterabbit172: i'll take it

Make each moment a constant stream of profundity, like Dylan as Ginsberg describes him at one time being a channel of air through which his voice was in the moment and ever present. Oh, what fun, these words. I've carried thoughts of all of you over that space I hesitate to enter, sleep, where you're
not guaranteed tomorrow.
You are my weapons, my army against sleep. Damn you, death's cousin.