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

****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****

The Road to Yilan

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!****