tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80912940934695255522024-03-18T21:07:59.724-07:00Sara's Fulbright Year: Taichung, TaiwanAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-45604760904817408932016-07-01T01:58:00.000-07:002016-07-03T14:18:42.076-07:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is July once again.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Transitions have always been hard for me. As I sit here in the airport, suspended between two worlds, I am trying to come up with the words to express my thoughts in a meaningful way that isn't cliche! It's hard. And so, to follow in the pattern of my blog this year, I will let the pictures speak for themselves.</span></span></div>
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Saying goodbye to Claire and Sandy (and their family), sisters who have been amazing friends this year</div>
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Final get-together of the "Taichung International Singing Group," where we spent hours singing together one last time</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Last few times with my Taiwanese family - giving the grandkids their gift and soaking up every last second with this amazing family I have seen every week for Chinese lessons and whole-family-plus-Teacher Sara excursions</span><br />
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Last dinner with Fulbright Taichung ETAs - the <i>best</i> group I have ever been privileged to be a part of</div>
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School goodbyes - on the last day yesterday, I went around to every class in the whole school to say goodbye, to give each student and teacher a note and candy, and of course, to take pictures!</div>
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My English club - they chose to come to the English Library twice a week, always eager to come again as soon as they could. Together we read books, wrote stories, laughed, ate candy, and spoke in English (I quickly lost count of how many times I pushed them, saying with "NO CHINESE!!!"). Their English is amazing, their dedication and hard-working nature admirable, their humor adorable, and they are 8 Grade 4 students I will very actively miss as I leave.</div>
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At the final whole-school morning assembly, the principal and dean presented me with gifts, and several classes came up and gave me cards and hugs.</div>
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In each classroom with each teacher!</div>
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The teachers told their classes to all hug Teacher Sara </div>
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My goodbye love notes</div>
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Blessings and goodbyes - I include these to share a snapshot of Taiwanese phrases, the amount of "stickers" used (even in the workplace), and to show the love we have all received from the Taiwanese people all year long.</div>
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From my Taiwanese family</div>
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From Patty, one of my co-teachers and an amazing friend</div>
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From a lovely woman I just met last week</div>
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From my 10-year old friend I recently reconnected with after meeting her and her family at a jazz festival back in October </div>
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From Claire</div>
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And so it is with such love, appreciation, and blessings that I leave Taiwan. It is with very mixed emotions, as I cannot help but constantly play back every detail of what is now my life but will soon become memories. </div>
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But armed with this love, new insights, an even deeper passion for teaching, countless stories, and appreciation for and knowledge about yet another amazing place in this world, I look toward the next step with excitement and eagerness. I am forever grateful for the amazing opportunity that was this past year, and I look forward to taking it with me as soon as my plane lands tomorrow night.</div>
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Thank you to everyone who has followed my blog and shared their thoughts in response to my posts this year. I would love to hear from you and I look forward to reconnecting with everyone!</div>
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Love and blessings to everyone, always.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-68020714334946062762016-06-05T00:25:00.000-07:002016-06-05T00:25:53.781-07:00<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Below are some thoughts to share before this update!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a fascinating little report about trash collection in this country. So interesting ... and gives us something to think about in terms of the sheer volume of trash we generate in our own country (especially in comparison to Taiwan). Please listen: </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/separation-anxiety/">http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/separation-anxiety/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the newly updated Fulbright ETA website: <a href="http://taiwan-etaprogram.org/">http://taiwan-etaprogram.org/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is the "Teaching in Taichung" page: <a href="http://taiwan-etaprogram.org/teaching-7">http://taiwan-etaprogram.org/teaching-7</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Every week at school I have two storytelling periods, where I read English books to Grade 1 and Grade 2 students. Twice each month I also read to Kindergarten and Pre-K students at our school, and this past cycle was one of the best yet. They have clearly become familiar with the basic expectations I set each time I am with them: raise your hand, listen quietly when Teacher Sara reads, and otherwise shout out as many English words as you can when you see one you know in our story! They are so energetic and engaged, and perhaps the best part is seeing them in the hallway and on the playground - they get so excited and scream "Teacher Sara!!!!" in their little 5-year-old voices. Then they speak to me in a mix of Chinese (that I can usually understand!) and blurt out all of the English words they remember from our most recent storytelling. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">One major project recently was the Reader's Theatre event last month, which is hosted annually by our school. 118 schools in Taichung City and Taichung County prepare a group of students to present short plays. While students can dress up and use props, the focus is on their English pronunciation and intonation, not the drama. One of my co-teachers and I MC'd the entire event: 20 schools in the morning, 20 in the afternoon, for 3 full days!! It was exhausting but so amazing. Not only did the students do wonderfully, but they were also super engaged when we asked them brief comprehension questions during transitions between each 5-minute performance. It was great to see them excited about presenting an English project they had been working on for so long. </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">P.S. Taiwanese people LOVE taking pictures so that is why, for the pictures where I am standing with the principal and deans and judges, we are striking many different poses ... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last weekend, I traveled to two cities in the south of Taiwan. Talia, an ETA working in Yilan County, was my travel companion, and we co-wrote the following about our trip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kaohsiung</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After finding a small Taiwanese restaurant and enjoying traditional noodles (vegetarian of course!), our first expedition in Kaohsiung was to Cijin Island. Cijin is a small but bustling island, 10 minutes away by ferry. There we quickly found the beach, wooden walkways above the sand, tree-lined pathways, and tunnels through mountains. The scenery was gorgeous and it was so refreshing to be by the water. At the top of one hill is a lighthouse that was built by British engineers and a fort with Chinese-style cannons that was eventually destroyed by the Japanese. It was neat to see the mix of architectural styles from different time periods, situated at the top of a hill with a beautiful view of the island and the ocean. The day was SO HOT but surprisingly not at all humid, and it was a beautiful way to spend a few hours. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later in the day we walked along the water by Pier 2, and found a nearby craft market. We noticed that people there used English much more readily than where we are each living this year, and that their English level was high. As English teachers for the year, we were glad to see that the country’s push for English education has some pay-off!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course we went to the night market that night, as no trip to any Taiwanese city would be complete without that experience! It was quite large and it was fun to walk around and see everyone else who was out enjoying the night as well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On our second day in Kaohsiung, we walked from our hostel to Love River. We passed a young music group performing at a restaurant on the water, and found a little boat that went out on the river. From the boat we were able to see the city from a different perspective and enjoy the combination of high-rise buildings and natural beauty along the water.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That afternoon we visited Lotus Pond, a beautiful pond with many lotus flowers and with </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so many</span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> different types of temples! We were struck by the detailed work in each temple’s design. We also noticed that there seemed to be a lot more tourists visiting these temples than people who were actually praying there. One highlight of our visit was walking up to the 6th</span><span style="color: magenta; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">floor of a temple to get a view of the whole lake. Another favorite temple was shaped like a dragon. From the inside, its snaking walls were filled with beautiful murals. It was amazing to see the sheer beauty of the local architecture combined with the water and surrounding city and hills.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tainan</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just north of Kaohsiung is Tainan City. You might recognize the name from its mention in international news back in February when it was rattled by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake. Though the earthquake was devastating, it seems like life in Tainan is back to normal. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our first stop here was to a restaurant owned by an Israeli man! This restaurant was a recommendation from another Fulbright teacher, and by the end of the night it was high on the list of highlights from the whole weekend. When we walked in and greeted the owner of Imma (Hebrew for “mother”) in Hebrew, he was delighted and spoke to us for the rest of the night in a combination of Hebrew, English, and Chinese. In addition to satisfying our craving for Israeli food (we had amazing soup, salad, falafel, hummus, babaganoush, limonana, and rugelach), eating at Imma also provided much-appreciated interaction with Israeli folk. Whereas Taiwanese people are known for being indirect, Israelis are stereotypically direct and straightforward. Interacting with someone from a culture so familiar to us was AMAZING, and we had a lot of fun observing the clash of cultures between this restaurant owner and the Taiwanese patrons at the next table. He approached them loudly and spoke the same mix of Chinese, English, and Hebrew, and many of them giggled behind their hands and didn’t quite know how to respond to him. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But beyond the entertainment, it was fascinating to hear this man’s perspective as a Jew living in southern Taiwan, where there aren’t too many others. We found it interesting that he described his experience as a Jew, rather than as an Israeli, grouping us in the same category as him despite our different nationalities. He spoke to us about how even though Taiwanese people and Jews share three core values - family, education, and money (haha!) - the way these values play out is different. However, he felt that the different views both hold validity because both the Chinese and the Jewish people have been around for a long time. He said that if he were American or European, he’d recognize that the Chinese have been around for longer and must therefore know what’s real more so than him. However, because he is Jewish and because our people have also been around for thousands and thousands of years, he knows what’s real too, and feels justified expressing his opinion when it clashes with Taiwanese culture. It was fascinating to hear him speak of his travel experiences with his Taiwanese wife (whom we met!) and the cultural challenges he faces because his three children attend Taiwanese schools. It was overall an incredible experience, and when we thanked him at the end end he hugged and kissed us both, reminding us that our meeting was not only a meaningful experience for the two of us but for him as well.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Right after dinner, we went to the Tainan Flower Night Market. It was different from the one in Kaohsiung because it was set up on one huge parking-lot-like, square-shaped paved area rather than running along city streets. Food truck after food truck after food truck, game after game after game .... It was such a Taiwanese experience - that we are now very familiar with - to be amid the swarms of families, couples, and friends out enjoying a fun time together.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next morning we stopped at a large and beautiful Confucius temple. It was right off of a major road, but as soon as we passed through the gates we felt as though we were in a different place altogether, as it was quiet and the trees and pointed rooftops created an air of peacefulness. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Afterwards we went to Anping district, where we explored Fort Zeelandia. When the Dutch colonized Taiwan in the 1620s, they settled in Tainan, and building this fort was one of their first priorities. Today, the only part of the original structure that remains is the outermost wall, but the inside has been restored. We enjoyed walking the grounds and taking in the view of Tainan from the top of the watchtower. We also had a chance to see some Dutch art on site. Seeing Western art for the first time in a while felt out of place at a historic site in Taiwan, where we’d usually expect to see more Eastern style art. However, we realized that this colonial history and culture is nonetheless a contributing factor to what Taiwan is today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just down the street from the fort, there is a “Tree House,” but it’s not like any tree house we had ever seen before. In fact, neither of us had ever seen anything quite like this anywhere else in the world- check out the pictures below to see why! </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves because we weren’t able to take away much history at the Tree House, as the types of information that the signs offered are quite different than what we’re used to reading at historic sites and museums back at home. This is pretty common throughout Taiwan, so we wanted to share a couple of signs that we noticed at the fort because they’re such perfect examples of the information boards we tend to read at museums and historic sites here. You’ll see in the photos below that English translations are sometimes riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, while in other cases, there are simply funny-sounding phrases that native speakers wouldn’t use, such as “portraying the beauty and sadness of olden days.” It’s a good reminder to us that cross-cultural education isn’t just about learning information about or the language of another culture; it also involves being open to having that information presented in a foreign way. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">Closing thoughts</span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One idea that we’ve both noted in our blogs before is the importance of expanding our worldview. Our worldview certainly expanded ten months ago when we made the switch from simply learning about Taiwan from afar to experiencing it firsthand. But our understanding of Taiwan also grows each time we travel to another part of the country. Earlier in the year, we might have assumed that most of Taiwan is like our home county, but now we are getting a better feel for the diversity that Taiwan encompasses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This weekend, we saw a wide variety of environments. We walked along narrow winding back roads to get to our hostel, yet also passed countless open fields during our train rides. We spent time in nature as well as in bustling downtown districts. Throughout our trip, we were trying to figure out how to describe Kaohsiung and Tainan in a nutshell, especially as compared to our home counties in northern Taiwan. Again and again, we circled back to the idea that it is hard to generalize because there is always so much individual difference within one whole. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A <a href="http://kaohsiung%20%20after%20finding%20a%20small%20taiwanese%20restaurant%20and%20enjoying%20traditional%20noodles%20%28vegetarian%20of%20course%21%29%2C%20our%20first%20expedition%20in%20kaohsiung%20was%20to%20cijin%20island.%20cijin%20is%20a%20small%20but%20bustling%20island%2C%2010%20minutes%20away%20by%20ferry.%20there%20we%20quickly%20found%20the%20beach%2C%20wooden%20walkways%20above%20the%20sand%2C%20tree-lined%20pathways%2C%20and%20tunnels%20through%20mountains.%20the%20scenery%20was%20gorgeous%20and%20it%20was%20so%20refreshing%20to%20be%20by%20the%20water.%20at%20the%20top%20of%20one%20hill%20is%20a%20lighthouse%20that%20was%20built%20by%20british%20engineers%20and%20a%20fort%20with%20chinese-style%20cannons%20that%20was%20eventually%20destroyed%20by%20the%20japanese.%20it%20was%20neat%20to%20see%20the%20mix%20of%20architectural%20styles%20from%20different%20time%20periods%2C%20situated%20at%20the%20top%20of%20a%20hill%20with%20a%20beautiful%20view%20of%20the%20island%20and%20the%20ocean.%20the%20day%20was%20so%20hot%20but%20surprisingly%20not%20at%20all%20humid%2C%20and%20it%20was%20a%20beautiful%20way%20to%20spend%20a%20few%20hours.%20%20later%20in%20the%20day%20we%20walked%20along%20the%20water%20by%20pier%202%2C%20and%20found%20a%20nearby%20craft%20market.%20we%20noticed%20that%20people%20there%20used%20english%20much%20more%20readily%20than%20where%20we%20are%20each%20living%20this%20year%2C%20and%20that%20their%20english%20level%20was%20high.%20as%20english%20teachers%20for%20the%20year%2C%20we%20were%20glad%20to%20see%20that%20the%20country’s%20push%20for%20english%20education%20has%20some%20pay-off%21%20of%20course%20we%20went%20to%20the%20night%20market%20that%20night%2C%20as%20no%20trip%20to%20any%20taiwanese%20city%20would%20be%20complete%20without%20that%20experience%21%20it%20was%20quite%20large%20and%20it%20was%20fun%20to%20walk%20around%20and%20see%20everyone%20else%20who%20was%20out%20enjoying%20the%20night%20as%20well.%20on%20our%20second%20day%20in%20kaohsiung%2C%20we%20walked%20from%20our%20hostel%20to%20love%20river.%20we%20passed%20a%20young%20music%20group%20performing%20at%20a%20restaurant%20on%20the%20water%2C%20and%20found%20a%20little%20boat%20that%20went%20out%20on%20the%20river.%20from%20the%20boat%20we%20were%20able%20to%20see%20the%20city%20from%20a%20different%20perspective%20and%20enjoy%20the%20combination%20of%20high-rise%20buildings%20and%20natural%20beauty%20along%20the%20water.%20that%20afternoon%20we%20visited%20lotus%20pond%2C%20a%20beautiful%20pond%20with%20many%20lotus%20flowers%20and%20with%20so%20many%20different%20types%20of%20temples%21%20we%20were%20struck%20by%20the%20detailed%20work%20in%20each%20temple’s%20design.%20we%20also%20noticed%20that%20there%20seemed%20to%20be%20a%20lot%20more%20tourists%20visiting%20these%20temples%20than%20people%20who%20were%20actually%20praying%20there.%20one%20highlight%20of%20our%20visit%20was%20walking%20up%20to%20the%206th%20floor%20of%20a%20temple%20to%20get%20a%20view%20of%20the%20whole%20lake.%20another%20favorite%20temple%20was%20shaped%20like%20a%20dragon.%20from%20the%20inside%2C%20its%20snaking%20walls%20were%20filled%20with%20beautiful%20murals.%20it%20was%20amazing%20to%20see%20the%20sheer%20beauty%20of%20the%20local%20architecture%20combined%20with%20the%20water%20and%20surrounding%20city%20and%20hills.%20%20tainan%20%20just%20north%20of%20kaohsiung%20is%20tainan%20city.%20you%20might%20recognize%20the%20name%20from%20its%20mention%20in%20international%20news%20back%20in%20february%20when%20it%20was%20rattled%20by%20a%20magnitude%206.4%20earthquake.%20though%20the%20earthquake%20was%20devastating%2C%20it%20seems%20like%20life%20in%20tainan%20is%20back%20to%20normal.%20%20our%20first%20stop%20here%20was%20to%20a%20restaurant%20owned%20by%20an%20israeli%20man%21%20this%20restaurant%20was%20a%20recommendation%20from%20another%20fulbright%20teacher%2C%20and%20by%20the%20end%20of%20the%20night%20it%20was%20high%20on%20the%20list%20of%20highlights%20from%20the%20whole%20weekend.%20when%20we%20walked%20in%20and%20greeted%20the%20owner%20of%20imma%20%28hebrew%20for%20“mother”%29%20in%20hebrew%2C%20he%20was%20delighted%20and%20spoke%20to%20us%20for%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20night%20in%20a%20combination%20of%20hebrew%2C%20english%2C%20and%20chinese.%20in%20addition%20to%20satisfying%20our%20craving%20for%20israeli%20food%20%28we%20had%20amazing%20soup%2C%20salad%2C%20falafel%2C%20hummus%2C%20babaganoush%2C%20limonana%2C%20and%20rugelach%29%2C%20eating%20at%20imma%20also%20provided%20much-appreciated%20interaction%20with%20israeli%20folk.%20whereas%20taiwanese%20people%20are%20known%20for%20being%20indirect%2C%20israelis%20are%20stereotypically%20direct%20and%20straightforward.%20interacting%20with%20someone%20from%20a%20culture%20so%20familiar%20to%20us%20was%20amazing%2C%20and%20we%20had%20a%20lot%20of%20fun%20observing%20the%20clash%20of%20cultures%20between%20this%20restaurant%20owner%20and%20the%20taiwanes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back%20at%20home.%20this%20is%20pretty%20common%20throughout%20taiwan%2C%20so%20we%20wanted%20to%20share%20a%20couple%20of%20signs%20that%20we%20noticed%20at%20the%20fort%20because%20they’re%20such%20perfect%20examples%20of%20the%20information%20boards%20we%20tend%20to%20read%20at%20museums%20and%20historic%20sites%20here.%20you’ll%20see%20in%20the%20photos%20below%20that%20english%20translations%20are%20sometimes%20riddled%20with%20spelling%20and%20grammatical%20errors%2C%20while%20in%20other%20cases%2C%20there%20are%20simply%20funny-sounding%20phrases%20that%20native%20speakers%20wouldn’t%20use%2C%20such%20as%20“portraying%20the%20beauty%20and%20sadness%20of%20olden%20days.”%20it’s%20a%20good%20reminder%20to%20us%20that%20cross-cultural%20education%20isn’t%20just%20about%20learning%20information%20about%20or%20the%20language%20of%20another%20culture%3B%20it%20also%20involves%20being%20open%20to%20having%20that%20information%20presented%20in%20a%20foreign%20way.%20%20%20closing%20thoughts%20%20one%20idea%20that%20we’ve%20both%20noted%20in%20our%20blogs%20before%20is%20the%20importance%20of%20expanding%20our%20worldview.%20our%20worldview%20certainly%20expanded%20ten%20months%20ago%20when%20we%20made%20the%20switch%20from%20simply%20learning%20about%20taiwan%20from%20afar%20to%20experiencing%20it%20firsthand.%20but%20our%20understanding%20of%20taiwan%20also%20grows%20each%20time%20we%20travel%20to%20another%20part%20of%20the%20country.%20earlier%20in%20the%20year%2C%20we%20might%20have%20assumed%20that%20most%20of%20taiwan%20is%20like%20our%20home%20county%2C%20but%20now%20we%20are%20getting%20a%20better%20feel%20for%20the%20diversity%20that%20taiwan%20encompasses.%20this%20weekend%2C%20we%20saw%20a%20wide%20variety%20of%20environments.%20we%20walked%20along%20narrow%20winding%20back%20roads%20to%20get%20to%20our%20hostel%2C%20yet%20also%20passed%20countless%20open%20fields%20during%20our%20train%20rides.%20we%20spent%20time%20in%20nature%20as%20well%20as%20in%20bustling%20downtown%20districts.%20throughout%20our%20trip%2C%20we%20were%20trying%20to%20figure%20out%20how%20to%20describe%20kaohsiung%20and%20tainan%20in%20a%20nutshell%2C%20especially%20as%20compared%20to%20our%20home%20counties%20in%20northern%20taiwan.%20again%20and%20again%2C%20we%20circled%20back%20to%20the%20idea%20that%20it%20is%20hard%20to%20generalize%20because%20there%20is%20always%20so%20much%20individual%20difference%20within%20one%20whole.%20%20a%20fascinating%20article%20we%20both%20recently%20read%20about%20cultural%20difference%20in%20the%20workplace%20supports%20this%20by%20noting%20that%20“...it%20makes%20much%20more%20sense%20to%20talk%20about%20cultures%20of%20professions%2C%20rich%20versus%20poor%2C%20free%20versus%20oppressed%2C%20than%20about%20cultures%20of%20countries.”%20it%20is%20not%20always%20accurate%20or%20appropriate%20to%20group%20things%20together%20based%20on%20what%20might%20be%20their%20most%20obvious%20differences.%20we%20are%20grateful%20for%20trips%20like%20this%20one%20which%20enable%20us%20to%20move%20beyond%20simply%20contrasting%20the%20broad%20differences%20between%20the%20us%20and%20taiwan%20and%20push%20us%20to%20instead%20reevaluate%20our%20understanding%20of%20taiwan%20to%20account%20for%20its%20diversity./" target="_blank">fascinating </a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://kaohsiung%20%20after%20finding%20a%20small%20taiwanese%20restaurant%20and%20enjoying%20traditional%20noodles%20%28vegetarian%20of%20course%21%29%2C%20our%20first%20expedition%20in%20kaohsiung%20was%20to%20cijin%20island.%20cijin%20is%20a%20small%20but%20bustling%20island%2C%2010%20minutes%20away%20by%20ferry.%20there%20we%20quickly%20found%20the%20beach%2C%20wooden%20walkways%20above%20the%20sand%2C%20tree-lined%20pathways%2C%20and%20tunnels%20through%20mountains.%20the%20scenery%20was%20gorgeous%20and%20it%20was%20so%20refreshing%20to%20be%20by%20the%20water.%20at%20the%20top%20of%20one%20hill%20is%20a%20lighthouse%20that%20was%20built%20by%20british%20engineers%20and%20a%20fort%20with%20chinese-style%20cannons%20that%20was%20eventually%20destroyed%20by%20the%20japanese.%20it%20was%20neat%20to%20see%20the%20mix%20of%20architectural%20styles%20from%20different%20time%20periods%2C%20situated%20at%20the%20top%20of%20a%20hill%20with%20a%20beautiful%20view%20of%20the%20island%20and%20the%20ocean.%20the%20day%20was%20so%20hot%20but%20surprisingly%20not%20at%20all%20humid%2C%20and%20it%20was%20a%20beautiful%20way%20to%20spend%20a%20few%20hours.%20%20later%20in%20the%20day%20we%20walked%20along%20the%20water%20by%20pier%202%2C%20and%20found%20a%20nearby%20craft%20market.%20we%20noticed%20that%20people%20there%20used%20english%20much%20more%20readily%20than%20where%20we%20are%20each%20living%20this%20year%2C%20and%20that%20their%20english%20level%20was%20high.%20as%20english%20teachers%20for%20the%20year%2C%20we%20were%20glad%20to%20see%20that%20the%20country’s%20push%20for%20english%20education%20has%20some%20pay-off%21%20of%20course%20we%20went%20to%20the%20night%20market%20that%20night%2C%20as%20no%20trip%20to%20any%20taiwanese%20city%20would%20be%20complete%20without%20that%20experience%21%20it%20was%20quite%20large%20and%20it%20was%20fun%20to%20walk%20around%20and%20see%20everyone%20else%20who%20was%20out%20enjoying%20the%20night%20as%20well.%20on%20our%20second%20day%20in%20kaohsiung%2C%20we%20walked%20from%20our%20hostel%20to%20love%20river.%20we%20passed%20a%20young%20music%20group%20performing%20at%20a%20restaurant%20on%20the%20water%2C%20and%20found%20a%20little%20boat%20that%20went%20out%20on%20the%20river.%20from%20the%20boat%20we%20were%20able%20to%20see%20the%20city%20from%20a%20different%20perspective%20and%20enjoy%20the%20combination%20of%20high-rise%20buildings%20and%20natural%20beauty%20along%20the%20water.%20that%20afternoon%20we%20visited%20lotus%20pond%2C%20a%20beautiful%20pond%20with%20many%20lotus%20flowers%20and%20with%20so%20many%20different%20types%20of%20temples%21%20we%20were%20struck%20by%20the%20detailed%20work%20in%20each%20temple’s%20design.%20we%20also%20noticed%20that%20there%20seemed%20to%20be%20a%20lot%20more%20tourists%20visiting%20these%20temples%20than%20people%20who%20were%20actually%20praying%20there.%20one%20highlight%20of%20our%20visit%20was%20walking%20up%20to%20the%206th%20floor%20of%20a%20temple%20to%20get%20a%20view%20of%20the%20whole%20lake.%20another%20favorite%20temple%20was%20shaped%20like%20a%20dragon.%20from%20the%20inside%2C%20its%20snaking%20walls%20were%20filled%20with%20beautiful%20murals.%20it%20was%20amazing%20to%20see%20the%20sheer%20beauty%20of%20the%20local%20architecture%20combined%20with%20the%20water%20and%20surrounding%20city%20and%20hills.%20%20tainan%20%20just%20north%20of%20kaohsiung%20is%20tainan%20city.%20you%20might%20recognize%20the%20name%20from%20its%20mention%20in%20international%20news%20back%20in%20february%20when%20it%20was%20rattled%20by%20a%20magnitude%206.4%20earthquake.%20though%20the%20earthquake%20was%20devastating%2C%20it%20seems%20like%20life%20in%20tainan%20is%20back%20to%20normal.%20%20our%20first%20stop%20here%20was%20to%20a%20restaurant%20owned%20by%20an%20israeli%20man%21%20this%20restaurant%20was%20a%20recommendation%20from%20another%20fulbright%20teacher%2C%20and%20by%20the%20end%20of%20the%20night%20it%20was%20high%20on%20the%20list%20of%20highlights%20from%20the%20whole%20weekend.%20when%20we%20walked%20in%20and%20greeted%20the%20owner%20of%20imma%20%28hebrew%20for%20“mother”%29%20in%20hebrew%2C%20he%20was%20delighted%20and%20spoke%20to%20us%20for%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20night%20in%20a%20combination%20of%20hebrew%2C%20english%2C%20and%20chinese.%20in%20addition%20to%20satisfying%20our%20craving%20for%20israeli%20food%20%28we%20had%20amazing%20soup%2C%20salad%2C%20falafel%2C%20hummus%2C%20babaganoush%2C%20limonana%2C%20and%20rugelach%29%2C%20eating%20at%20imma%20also%20provided%20much-appreciated%20interaction%20with%20israeli%20folk.%20whereas%20taiwanese%20people%20are%20known%20for%20being%20indirect%2C%20israelis%20are%20stereotypically%20direct%20and%20straightforward.%20interacting%20with%20someone%20from%20a%20culture%20so%20familiar%20to%20us%20was%20amazing%2C%20and%20we%20had%20a%20lot%20of%20fun%20observing%20the%20clash%20of%20cultures%20between%20this%20restaurant%20owner%20and%20the%20taiwanes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back%20at%20home.%20this%20is%20pretty%20common%20throughout%20taiwan%2C%20so%20we%20wanted%20to%20share%20a%20couple%20of%20signs%20that%20we%20noticed%20at%20the%20fort%20because%20they’re%20such%20perfect%20examples%20of%20the%20information%20boards%20we%20tend%20to%20read%20at%20museums%20and%20historic%20sites%20here.%20you’ll%20see%20in%20the%20photos%20below%20that%20english%20translations%20are%20sometimes%20riddled%20with%20spelling%20and%20grammatical%20errors%2C%20while%20in%20other%20cases%2C%20there%20are%20simply%20funny-sounding%20phrases%20that%20native%20speakers%20wouldn’t%20use%2C%20such%20as%20“portraying%20the%20beauty%20and%20sadness%20of%20olden%20days.”%20it’s%20a%20good%20reminder%20to%20us%20that%20cross-cultural%20education%20isn’t%20just%20about%20learning%20information%20about%20or%20the%20language%20of%20another%20culture%3B%20it%20also%20involves%20being%20open%20to%20having%20that%20information%20presented%20in%20a%20foreign%20way.%20%20%20closing%20thoughts%20%20one%20idea%20that%20we’ve%20both%20noted%20in%20our%20blogs%20before%20is%20the%20importance%20of%20expanding%20our%20worldview.%20our%20worldview%20certainly%20expanded%20ten%20months%20ago%20when%20we%20made%20the%20switch%20from%20simply%20learning%20about%20taiwan%20from%20afar%20to%20experiencing%20it%20firsthand.%20but%20our%20understanding%20of%20taiwan%20also%20grows%20each%20time%20we%20travel%20to%20another%20part%20of%20the%20country.%20earlier%20in%20the%20year%2C%20we%20might%20have%20assumed%20that%20most%20of%20taiwan%20is%20like%20our%20home%20county%2C%20but%20now%20we%20are%20getting%20a%20better%20feel%20for%20the%20diversity%20that%20taiwan%20encompasses.%20this%20weekend%2C%20we%20saw%20a%20wide%20variety%20of%20environments.%20we%20walked%20along%20narrow%20winding%20back%20roads%20to%20get%20to%20our%20hostel%2C%20yet%20also%20passed%20countless%20open%20fields%20during%20our%20train%20rides.%20we%20spent%20time%20in%20nature%20as%20well%20as%20in%20bustling%20downtown%20districts.%20throughout%20our%20trip%2C%20we%20were%20trying%20to%20figure%20out%20how%20to%20describe%20kaohsiung%20and%20tainan%20in%20a%20nutshell%2C%20especially%20as%20compared%20to%20our%20home%20counties%20in%20northern%20taiwan.%20again%20and%20again%2C%20we%20circled%20back%20to%20the%20idea%20that%20it%20is%20hard%20to%20generalize%20because%20there%20is%20always%20so%20much%20individual%20difference%20within%20one%20whole.%20%20a%20fascinating%20article%20we%20both%20recently%20read%20about%20cultural%20difference%20in%20the%20workplace%20supports%20this%20by%20noting%20that%20“...it%20makes%20much%20more%20sense%20to%20talk%20about%20cultures%20of%20professions%2C%20rich%20versus%20poor%2C%20free%20versus%20oppressed%2C%20than%20about%20cultures%20of%20countries.”%20it%20is%20not%20always%20accurate%20or%20appropriate%20to%20group%20things%20together%20based%20on%20what%20might%20be%20their%20most%20obvious%20differences.%20we%20are%20grateful%20for%20trips%20like%20this%20one%20which%20enable%20us%20to%20move%20beyond%20simply%20contrasting%20the%20broad%20differences%20between%20the%20us%20and%20taiwan%20and%20push%20us%20to%20instead%20reevaluate%20our%20understanding%20of%20taiwan%20to%20account%20for%20its%20diversity./" target="_blank">article</a> we both recently read about cultural difference in the workplace</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> supports this by noting that “...it makes much more sense to talk about cultures of professions, rich versus poor, free versus oppressed, than about cultures of countries.” It is not always accurate or appropriate to group things together based on what might be their most obvious differences. We are grateful for trips like this one which enable us to move beyond simply contrasting the broad differences between the US and Taiwan and push us to instead reevaluate our understanding of Taiwan to account for its diversity.</span></div>
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Before I formally start this blog post, here are 3 wonderful websites that I ask you to visit for at least one minute! These are all projects and ideas that have caught my interest over the past few weeks. Part of my goal for this blog is to further help facilitate cross-cultural exchange, which often simply means encouraging exposure to new ideas. I love giving updates as to what I have been <i>doing </i>and <i>seeing </i>and <i>experiencing</i> here in Taiwan, but it is also my hope to inspire others to stop and think for a minute about a new idea (or two or three...)</div>
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1) This is a nice way to quickly see a wide variety of sites in Taiwan. I have been to many of these places - please take the opportunity to gain a visual sense of this fascinating country via photography:</div>
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<a href="http://www.srune.com/lists/100-reasons-to-visit-taiwan/43">http://www.srune.com/lists/100-reasons-to-visit-taiwan/43</a></div>
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2) I have been working with one of my co-teachers to coach a Grade 4 student in preparation for an upcoming storytelling competition. Like many Taiwanese students, he tends to be shy when in the spotlight and we have found it challenging to help him present the English narrative in a more dynamic, engaging way. I came across this article as I was doing research about strategies for reaching students like him, and I find this to be an amazing story. I hope that you will take a minute to read about the power teachers possess when they truly BELIEVE in their students, and about the wonders that that power can bring about.</div>
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<a href="https://www.dramanotebook.com/the-shy-child/">https://www.dramanotebook.com/the-shy-child/</a></div>
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3) Someone recently posted this, and the video at the bottom of the webpage (as well as the book described throughout!) is so exciting. These are the kinds of projects we discussed regularly during classes for my Master's in urban education last year, and it is refreshing to read about a program like this one. I find it incredibly inspiring to read about other people who believe in meeting students where they are, and who strive to TEACH THE WAY THOSE STUDENTS WANT TO LEARN! Enjoy:</div>
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<a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/what-white-folks-who-teach-in-the-hood-get-wrong-about-education/">http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/what-white-folks-who-teach-in-the-hood-get-wrong-about-education/</a></div>
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And now for updates from Taichung!</div>
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This is my second year realizing first-hand that springtime is a particularly special time of year to be a teacher. This is especially true because this year, I have literally taught and worked with every single student in our school. It is my second year as a teacher at a school that is new to me, and it seems to be around April that things start to settle in a powerful way. I know all of the students and they know me, and while that was already true after the first month of school, I have continued to develop so many more personal connections with students, as well as opportunities to spend different kinds of time with these INCREDIBLE children. </div>
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<u>Purim</u> Two weeks ago, I taught about the Jewish holiday of Purim. Like Chanukkah last semester, I was able to teach every class about this holiday! We also made over 400 hamantashen (traditional Purim cookies), so each student had a taste of Purim as well :) Pictures below include hamantashen baking, singing a Purim song in class, my whole-school presentation about Purim, and Grade 4 students performing a Purim song for the whole school.</div>
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<u>Scooter highlights</u>: Challenge: in the first two pictures find the baby, and in the third picture find the dog ...</div>
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<u>English Library</u>: We finally have mats on the floor, a full bulletin board, a sign on the door ... Our English Library is feeling more and more like a communal space and I am working hard to keep that environment going! Last semester we wrote to students at a school in Namibia where I interned 3 years ago, and last week the return Pen Pal letters arrived from Namibia!!! Below are pictures from the <i>incredible </i>40 minutes we spent together reading the letters. I asked all of the English teachers to come, in addition to two other teachers whose English is excellent, so that the students could ask questions and have help with translation and clarification. Several students even started writing back right away, and you can see them sprawled out on the floor as well, excitedly drafting their responses. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do ... After all, the experience of bringing teachers and students together in this manner was unforgettable: teachers and students sitting side by side on the floor, all of us with our shoes off (common practice here to keep the room clean), and working together on an academic yet personal pursuit, was something that I know will be with me forever. </div>
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<u>Roomates!</u> This past week was the first dry week after a month of rain ... here is our typical driving gear when we need to drive our scooters in the rain :)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-44814584036481776432016-02-29T06:33:00.000-08:002016-02-29T06:33:40.068-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Winter break from schools here is 3 weeks long, so after not writing for a long time, I have many updates and pictures to share!</div>
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<u>East Coast of Taiwan: Hualien and Taidong</u>: I traveled with my Taiwanese friend, Claire, to the east coast of Taiwan for a few days. We were along the coast the whole time and it was <i>beautiful</i>. We went to Taroko National Park, which was absolutely gorgeous. We rented a scooter (yes I was the passenger everywhere we went!) which made everything more convenient and do-able.<br />
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Hualien </div>
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Taidong</div>
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<u>Indonesia</u>: I traveled with Kathleen, another Taichung ETA, to Indonesia for a week. First we went to Bali, which was very touristy and so beautiful. We stayed along the beach and were there for five days. Most people there are Hindu and we visited temples and saw statues of gods, shrines, and offerings everywhere we went. We had wonderful conversations with taxi drivers and fellow travelers, tasted delicious Indonesian food (very spicy!), and went on a bike tour through a residential rural area filled with rice patties.<br />
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The second part of our trip was to Jakarta, the capital city, and there is far less English spoken there. Most people there are Muslim (like most of the rest of Indonesia) and it was fascinating to see such a religious culture. Luckily we were able to connect with someone I went to Clark with, and she showed us around her home city! We even got to meet her family when she went home to pray; I sat at their big round kitchen table, sweating and drinking tea with her 90-year old great-uncle, his wife, and their daughter. It was an amazing experience to discuss religion, raising children, cultural awareness, language learning, politics, and education with these wonderful, gracious people. For me, it is always the highlight of traveling to have honest and meaningful conversations with new people, and I was so grateful to stumble upon this opportunity in Indonesia! Also along our travels in Jakarta we took the public bus (traffic is CRAZY in Jakarta!), went to the national monument and a small museum, and went into the biggest mosque in Southeast Asia.<br />
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Bali</div>
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Jakarta<br />
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<u style="text-align: justify;">Mom and Dad in Taiwan</u><span style="text-align: justify;">: My parents came to Taiwan for the last week of winter vacation! Needless to say it was wonderful to see them, and such a great opportunity to show them the context of what I’ve been doing for the past 7 months. We met many of my Taiwanese friends and their families, traveled to nearby counties, and I even brought them to school with me one day!</span></div>
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<u>Second Semester and the new English Library</u>: The
past two weeks have been busy and exciting. Our school has cleared out an old
classroom and turned it into an English library! Over the past few weeks we
have been bringing students there to help clear and clean it, and then last
week I was able to begin setting it up and making it a welcoming place.</div>
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Last week I was finally able to bring students there! By the end of next week we
will have brought all of the Grade 1, 2, 3, and 4 students to “the English
Library” to take a tour, to spend a few minutes looking around, and to sit and
relax for a few minutes with an English book! I also brought the students to
the English Library for storytelling, which was definitely a reason for extra
energy but worked out very well. I look forward to establishing a new routine
for the students, and to continuing to create a space where the students like
to spend time. To help achieve this I have added a section of games that the
students can use during breaks between classes. I’ve been thrilled to see that
even in the first few days of using the library, several students have
repeatedly come to the English library to play Uno, toss around a ball, and
blow bubbles <span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> </div>
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It
is my hope that this new space can accomplish two things. First, I hope to make
English a little bit less intimidating by providing a place where students can easily
read books in English that are fun and accessible to them. Second, I want them
to come and use the space to play. That way, the idea of an <i>English</i> library is not a scary idea and
the environment can be one that is familiar and comfortable. I have been
keeping the doors unlocked and wide open, and so far it is working: students
keep coming to ask if they can play in the English library! Though I know it
may take a lot of effort to maintain this environment and to keep this momentum
going throughout the semester, I am so happy to have this project to work on
and I think it will greatly benefit our students. (A side benefit is that I now
have my own classroom!)</div>
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<u>Chinese Lantern Festival</u>: Last week was the Lantern Festival, and at Chongcing we had an evening program for
students and their families. We were around 250 people in total that night, and
it was great to have another chance to talk to so many parents and
grandparents. One of the deans and I hosted a riddle contest, which is a common
way of celebrating “Yuen Shao Jie” ("Lantern Festival" in Chinese). Our principal wanted to give us the
opportunity to dress in traditional clothing worn by royalty during the last
Chinese dynasty, so we wore these costumes all night. I welcomed everyone in
Chinese, and then she and I performed a short, silly skit before beginning to
ask the audience riddles and give out prizes for correct answers. Other
festivities included eating tang yuen and going for a long walk. We all paraded
around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes, which was a great way to bring
energy and good wishes to the neighborhood. Throughout the walk everyone
carried lanterns, students performed a traditional lion dance, and we all
called out happy new year to neighbors, families, and shopkeepers who came out
to watch.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-10589692115981370892016-01-13T06:15:00.001-08:002016-01-13T06:15:59.133-08:00<u>Calligraphy Class</u>: Recently I went to calligraphy class with our Grade 3 students! It was a wonderful experience to sit at a small desk amid the students, and to have them guide me through each stroke. They LOVED having the chance to teach Teacher Sara :) The teacher, JiYen, is one of my favorite people at Chong Qing. She has been not only an interesting person who shares many of the same values, but also a great friend who is passionate about sharing culture and discussing new ideas. It was great to be a part of her class and see how she interacts with the students. It was a double period, so the students worked on their calligraphy for an hour and 20 minutes. After her introduction, which took about 20 minutes, we all got brushes and ink and set to work. The class was very free-form after that; JiYen sat at the front and students came up to her for help, and we all chatted, painted, and drank tea :)<br />
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<u>Cultural lesson</u>: Now that finals are underway and winter break begins next week, the semester is winding down. In our English classes throughout all grades, we have an extra class period after students finish their exams and before we end school next week. This means one very exciting thing: we have time for a random cultural lesson, completely unrelated to anything in our curriculum! I recently came across a wonderful video that shows snapshots of students and teachers in classrooms across the world, and I have been very excited to use this in the classroom these final two weeks of the semester. I have created a geography/culture lesson in which I show students this video, teach them where the 7 continents are and how to say their names in English, show them pictures of classrooms in Africa (Namibia) and Europe (the Czech Republic) where I have previously taught, and discuss the differences they see in thevarious classrooms portrayed in those pictures and the video. Please take 3 minutes to watch this awesome video!<br />
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<a href="https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/schools-around-the-world">https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/schools-around-the-world</a></div>
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<u>End-of-Semester presentations</u>: Since the semester here ends at the end of January, last week we had the last of our bi-weekly Fulbright ETA workshops. All 10 of us paired with at least one of our LETs (Local English Teachers, i.e. our co-teachers) to give a 5-minute presentation. We showed pictures and described the English programming we have organized at our schools this past semester, which include activities such as storytelling, pen pal programs and other international activities, holiday lessons, whole-school presentations, and extracurricular activities. It was wonderful to hear in detail what the other 9 Taichung ETAs have been doing! I enjoyed presenting about all the things I have been able to do because of how open-minded and supportive the administration is at Chong Qing. I am also lucky because the LET that came with me, Patty, is a great partner and she was fun to present with. Her English is excellent and she is comfortable speaking in English with foreigners (something not all that common here). Patty and I have a great relationship, both professionally and personally, and I love working with her at school. During this presentation we bounced off of each other, building on what the other had said and telling relevant anecdotes that came to mind in the moment right then and there. I am happy that our presentation went so smoothly and that it came from both me <i>and</i> Patty, and not just from me.<br />
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<u>Rain in Taiwan</u>: Last week it rained quite a bit, and as I was parking at school one morning I took the picture below of the rows of scooters and raincoats. Everyone here is SO CUTE. Yes it is very functional (and necessary!) to wear a raincoat while driving a scooter in the rain ... but it still strikes me as endearing the way everyone wears brightly colored raincoats and wears their hoods tucked under their helmets.... So this is what a parking lot looks like on a rainy day in Taiwan :)<br />
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<u>New Year's and Sun Moon Lake</u>: New Year's is a big event here, much like at home; everyone wishes each other happy New Year and people travel to different cities for the holiday. Driving home on New Year's there was <i>so </i>much traffic, and later there were fireworks all night long. Then over the long weekend I went to Sun Moon Lake, a GORGEOUS spot about an hour and a half east of Taichung. It was wonderful to be surrounded by nature and so nice to get out and hike! Here are some pictures of sunrise, a bamboo garden, and the beautiful view of the clouds across the lake.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-32456767621564722642015-12-21T00:27:00.001-08:002015-12-21T00:27:31.391-08:00I will begin this post with the heads-up that it has A LOT of pictures! Schools here typically take tons of pictures, which they use when they submit lesson plans to the government and on their websites. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<u>English Camp</u>: We are now finished with English Camp for this semester. Schools here continue school through the end of January, when there is a 3-week long winter vacation before second semester starts at the beginning of February. These pictures are from the last two schools we went to, where the students were particularly sweet, engaged, and eager to learn. I have absolutely loved traveling and working with a new group of students almost every week. I will miss camp over the next two months but I am happy to have many varied experiences under my belt now that I can share here.<br />
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<u>Teaching Chanukah to an entire elementary school (!!)</u>: This is definitely one of the most exciting opportunities I have ever had in my life. <span style="text-align: justify;">The
past two weeks have been the most exciting (and the busiest!) this semester. I have been able to teach about Chanukah for a full two weeks; I have taught every class in the school about
Chanukah. The teachers and administrators at Chong Qing have been curious
to learn and helpful to me as I planned all of our Chanukah programming. For each class, I presented a powerpoint that included an
introduction to concepts such as ‘Jewish people’ and ‘Hebrew language,’ and
explained the basic story of Chanukah. I also presented key vocabulary, taught
a Chanukah song, and showed pictures of Jewish students from my mom’s
kindergarten class in the United States. After presenting the powerpoint, I
taught the students how to play dreidel and then gave them a chance to spin and
play this exciting Chanukah game. Following this, I reheated pre-made latkes, a
traditional Chanukah food, and each student was able to eat a piece.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Before all the pictures ... Here is an article about <a href="http://www.pacificnews.com.tw/shownews.php?postnewsid=19&titleid=81632" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Chanukah </span></a>at Chong Qing</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> (</span>http://www.pacificnews.com.tw/shownews.php?postnewsid=19&titleid=81632<span style="text-align: justify;">) that was published in an education newspaper</span><span style="text-align: justify;">. It's all in Chinese, but it's worth a quick look! Everyone here has been so excited to learn about a new holiday and it's wonderful to see that the school made sure this article was published. Several teachers said to me "I'm so glad our kids can learn about something other than Halloween and Christmas," and both teachers and students alike have eagerly been asking questions about this new culture/religion :)</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Every
day during Chanukah, during the 10-minute break between 1</span><sup style="text-align: justify;">st</sup><span style="text-align: justify;"> and 2</span><sup style="text-align: justify;">nd</sup><span style="text-align: justify;">
period, the teachers made a school-wide announcement inviting all students to
come to the front gate. There we had set
up two posters of a Chanukiah (the traditional candelabra we light on each
night of the 8-day holiday), and each day I called up a different student to ‘light’
the newest candle. I had other students come up to write the date and count “Today
is Chanukah day number ____.” On some days I also had students come up to hold
a toy Chanukiah and several dreidels while we lit each big Chanukiah. Then we
gave all students a little cookie after they had said “Happy Chanukah.”
Needless to say it was a very energetic 10 minutes where the students were very
excited to participate and learn new Chanukah phrases. On some days there was
Hebrew music playing in the background, and every day the sounds of students’
laughter and Chanukah greetings could be heard around the school.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">We
had other whole-school activities as well. At the end of the week we took the
longer 20-minute break between 2</span><sup style="text-align: justify;">nd</sup><span style="text-align: justify;"> and 3</span><sup style="text-align: justify;">rd</sup><span style="text-align: justify;"> period to
organize many simultaneous games of dreidel. The teachers made another
announcement and students came flocking to the front gate, sitting in front of
the Chanukiah posters in circles on the floor. I briefly re-explained how to
play dreidel, we gave each group a dreidel and some playing pieces, and
students were free to play. Many teachers came to watch, and all of the English
teachers were there to help facilitate and answer questions. Many students
remembered and/or were able to figure out exactly how to play … and though
there was definitely some confusion, students enjoyed themselves nonetheless
and came up with their own creative ways to play. It was wonderful to see these
Taiwanese students excited about playing a Jewish game I grew up with!</span><br />
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Then
on Friday of the first week, I was able to take about 15 minutes of our weekly all-school
assembly to present a Chanukah program. First I showed an abbreviated version
of my powerpoint. I was addressing an audience with a wide range of Chanukah
knowledge; many students had already had had their Chanukkah lessons, many were
not scheduled to have those lessons until the following week, and none of the
teachers had seen anything yet. Then I welcomed one of our Grade 4 classes to present some Chanukah introductory sentences in both English and Chinese and then to sing I Have a Little Dreidel. I taught this song to students in Grades 1-4, and this particular class was very enthusiastic about performing it, complete with hand motions, for the whole school. Then lastly, I showed a video I made that included clips of Chanukah activities from our students here, from my mom's kindergarten students, and from 8th grade students at the Jewish elementary school I attended from 4th - 8th grade. My 5th grade teacher and I have been compiling and sharing videos of our students engaged in Chanukah activities as part of a cultural exchange project, which was a wonderful addition to our Chanukah programming here. </div>
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On
Monday of the second week I was able to put together what was definitely one of the highlights of
the whole experience. During the 20-minute break in the morning, I set up skype
with my mom! She was projected up at the front of our audio-visual room, and
students and teachers came to see Teacher Sara’s mom! Some students sang the
Chanukah song I had taught them (“I have a little dreidel”) and a few more
students asked her some questions. Then, when everyone was there, we watched as
my mom lit the Chanukiah (with real candles!), showed us different dreidels,
sang the Chanukah blessings … and showed everyone our pet rabbit and cat. The
students loved it, oohing and ahhing at the Chanukiah and dreidels, calling out
the different colors of the candles, and waving hello and goodbye to our pets.
The teachers, too, were interested, and some even stayed afterwards to
personally say hello to my mom. It was quite an exciting morning and it was
wonderful to see how much everyone got out of the skype call – including
students, teachers, and my mom.</div>
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On
the whole, this experience has been incredibly exciting for me for many
reasons. My school has been nothing but supportive and interested in helping me
bring something new to this community. Many people at my school have a
surface-level knowledge of Judaism (if any at all), and most have never met a
Jewish person before. To be able to give 400+ people a positive experience with
a Jewish person, Judaism, Hebrew, and Chanukah specifically, has truly been a
remarkable opportunity for me. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-29976175328203960592015-11-29T23:24:00.000-08:002015-11-29T23:44:40.476-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I have now been in Taiwan for 4 months! Contemplating this specific milestone over the past few weeks has been an interesting process. I have been fortunate to have had many opportunities to travel internationally before this year: Israel in 11th grade and the Czech Republic and Namibia during my junior year of college. All were for one semester - 4 months. Right now is the period during which, in the past, I was getting ready to come home.</div>
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At times, the realization that I will be here for many more months is daunting. At the same time though, I believe very strongly in making cross-cultural awareness a part of my life, and here I can do that EVERY DAY. I am committed to continuing to learn how to teach the value of open-mindedness, and this year is an amazing opportunity to dive head-first into that process.</div>
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Last week for my birthday, our whole group and some other friends surprised me by showing up to the shaved ice shop (a yummy dessert here) when I thought I was only going with one friend!</div>
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<u>Interesting tidbits</u>: Before I discuss life here in Taiwan, I would like to first share two things that have been on my mind the past few weeks.</div>
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1) I saw this recently and think it is priceless, which on one hand seems silly because I am not actually a parent yet ... but being a teacher really must be quite similar because I found myself laughing out loud as I read these. If you like children, click on this link and enjoy!</div>
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<a href="https://www.upworthy.com/15-hilarious-parenting-comics-that-are-almost-too-real?c=tpstream">https://www.upworthy.com/15-hilarious-parenting-comics-that-are-almost-too-real?c=tpstream</a></div>
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2) I also came across this Facebook page all about the amazing activities one teacher organizes for the students in his special education classroom. He posts videos of the creative ways he teaches them life skills and I have found one idea more inspiring than the next. This teacher plays his guitar and uses music therapy to encourage students to express themselves, spends time complimenting each student, tests their comprehension not by giving tests but by asking students to act out what they have learned, connects his students to other special needs students around the country, and more. Please take a minute to read about this fascinating and inspiring, classroom environment:<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/specialbooksbyspecialkids/">https://www.facebook.com/specialbooksbyspecialkids/</a></div>
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Now for some updates about life in in Taiwan!</div>
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<u>English Conversation with Chong Qing teachers</u>: There are several staff members who faithfully come to our English Conversation each week. One woman is retired and she volunteers in our library. Beauty's English is about as good as my Chinese, but she and I have nonetheless formed a special connection despite the language barrier. I love talking with her because she is determined to have a conversation; I use the little Chinese I know and therefore can practice and improve, and it's a great opportunity for her to do the same with her English. She is very patient and with the help of pictures, and body language, we always have very interesting conversations. Beauty is the woman in the bottom left of the picture below.</div>
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Our weekly English conversation is a wonderful experience. I love it and the teachers seem to gain a lot from it. It is also quite a challenge; I am responsible for guiding a conversation among a small group of teachers whose English levels range from very very very basic beginner to complete fluency along with much awareness of U.S. culture. I usually begin the conversation nervous about how to ensure that everyone is somehow involved and minimally uncomfortable ... Our teachers are great and so it always works out well, with much informal chatting, informing each other about cultural norms and linguistic tidbits, and of course, translating. This "Conversation Time" is a both a weekly struggle and success for me. I wonder/worry if I am providing enough opportunity for the teachers to practice their English, if everyone is interested and engaged, if I am doing all I can to help people feel comfortable and not embarrassed to use their English, if I vary the topics enough from week to week ... and so on :) Below is a picture from one recent English Conversation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyTnzKhidbAmunLXHt-ekfmyDa0qFGaKG-kAkAOe_HjqXncipUcwyBDvP1mK86i0mCXzEeYenpOAW0JIJINaOV2nRNaU1nSUPobMw9FKJQYgblg1-uHD9Cmm9tT3gfwZV0bLB8uvWPR_d/s1600/1447760922271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyTnzKhidbAmunLXHt-ekfmyDa0qFGaKG-kAkAOe_HjqXncipUcwyBDvP1mK86i0mCXzEeYenpOAW0JIJINaOV2nRNaU1nSUPobMw9FKJQYgblg1-uHD9Cmm9tT3gfwZV0bLB8uvWPR_d/s320/1447760922271.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Chong Qing staff</u>: Last week, the Academic Affairs Department went out for lunch. It was nice to spend time with teachers, interns, and administrators outside of our office.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-xBv2myk9HA7dv5hISftzHEMycYfxHN-Lt6OgSWCK8sEWS_awPl6RYqLARiOpbZFZgSyydbK9vpeWMRY_R1HfFFGVNAMShaVOVwbraYpz1A9hkSTcbU4Uvw8RVICZB8zwk9Ip98wvfFk/s1600/1448446983174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-xBv2myk9HA7dv5hISftzHEMycYfxHN-Lt6OgSWCK8sEWS_awPl6RYqLARiOpbZFZgSyydbK9vpeWMRY_R1HfFFGVNAMShaVOVwbraYpz1A9hkSTcbU4Uvw8RVICZB8zwk9Ip98wvfFk/s320/1448446983174.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>English Camp</u>: I LOVE this aspect of being a Taichung ETA. English Camp is set up differently for ETAs at each site; ETAs elsewhere in Taiwan have students who come to them in the same place each week. Since we travel to different schools each week, we have the opportunity to see many varying parts of Taichung, different school buildings and set-ups, different school atmospheres, and different staff. It is a fascinating experience and I have learned so much more about elementary schools here from physically seeing so many. It is a wonderful experience to see how much these students and staff appreciate our coming and providing a brief, fun, and interactive exposure to English.</div>
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I have also grown personally through this experience. The average group size that we work with is 50 students, and not only do we present our lesson to them but also to all of the teachers, administrators, and principals who come to see what we do with their students. It is quite the audience. I often laugh at myself for choosing the path of teaching because I don't like to be the center of attention, and as teachers that is exactly what we do all day long! I have grown more comfortable speaking in front of staff who are there to watch us, and in front of students I do not yet know (though we make sure that the ice is usually broken withing the first 10 minutes of our English Camp curriculum). </div>
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I co-teach with 3 other ETAs each week, and we each lead one period. I lead the first period, which means that I am the first ETA to address the students, break the ice, quickly gauge the students' overall English ability and comfort level, and introduce what we will be learning and doing that day. The very beginning, right as I take the microphone and double-check that it really is time to start, is always a bit nerve-wracking for me, though less so as time goes on. This is a great personal challenge for me that I am grateful to have the chance to work on each week. Below are two pictures from the first few minutes of English Camp a few weeks ago; in the first picture I am introducing the concept of English Camp and in the second picture I am leading a demonstration of a quiet cheer that we use to get the students' attention.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3ky0hq3qEZYUcjKFEX82pqS9FO19UXog9Bq1pf9LXLw94f_RZFVzlpNg-8-QLt-sz_CVEiEAihH1sl6sQ8RbWd-s1GiPeaSgLAqDr4Y9MGOtTn6PcbQIT5Vci7amutVD6iN62_QHy0sb/s1600/1447749594464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3ky0hq3qEZYUcjKFEX82pqS9FO19UXog9Bq1pf9LXLw94f_RZFVzlpNg-8-QLt-sz_CVEiEAihH1sl6sQ8RbWd-s1GiPeaSgLAqDr4Y9MGOtTn6PcbQIT5Vci7amutVD6iN62_QHy0sb/s320/1447749594464.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yes, the students come in and sit in rows often separated by boys and girls! We do our best to offer them a different experience by encouraging them to sit randomly in a group, thus creating a more informal atmosphere and lessening the gap between teacher and student. Often by the end of the day this is very successful and well-received.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_zxaB90GFBaQAdtgAnABr3rDqwuoHu1IW1NMGYsr57VUlCG3GXv8w6cKj-VoWhIc__137rEKR3dNB_5MQJnm6a6R-ViAPCBzzOKpeOd3vQz-9ZeFhF9sBB5Vql-wI24lVXar6My4waWj/s1600/1447749597012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_zxaB90GFBaQAdtgAnABr3rDqwuoHu1IW1NMGYsr57VUlCG3GXv8w6cKj-VoWhIc__137rEKR3dNB_5MQJnm6a6R-ViAPCBzzOKpeOd3vQz-9ZeFhF9sBB5Vql-wI24lVXar6My4waWj/s320/1447749597012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Winter in Taiwan</u>: It is getting cooler here! This is the first place I have seen people wearing winter jackets, gloves, hats, and scarves when it is 60 degrees Fahrenheit, or 15 degrees Celsius, as people 1use here. The sky continues to be beautiful (though in part that is because of pollution) .... People are so cute, warning each other that it will be cold and reminding us foreigners to wear our winter jackets.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvlbWdq6NUP02sgiMZ-9dc-lyW_n-xaF_yvNx47p0JQW84nGzEHLG1Mt7jEwYt4gUJcJWdVtF5VZzIaK3c88FOqIH3bbsvdZz52uMaybIbxs6NnsfHqZs33PCauoLqhIVK1KxAjUliiP4/s1600/20151111_164340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvlbWdq6NUP02sgiMZ-9dc-lyW_n-xaF_yvNx47p0JQW84nGzEHLG1Mt7jEwYt4gUJcJWdVtF5VZzIaK3c88FOqIH3bbsvdZz52uMaybIbxs6NnsfHqZs33PCauoLqhIVK1KxAjUliiP4/s320/20151111_164340.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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I know that it is already cold back at home ... wishing everyone a warm and healthy winter!!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-19107457383080264652015-11-11T07:16:00.000-08:002015-11-11T07:16:11.909-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It's been several weeks since my last blog post ... time is beginning to fly in the way it does when routines become better established ... I continue to love my time here in Taichung and am excited to share more here on this blog.<br />
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Last
week at school we celebrated Halloween, which is something that many schools do
here. At our weekly whole-school assembly, I talked a little bit about
Halloween and then some of our Grade 3 and 4 students sang and danced to “A
Witch on Halloween.” One of my
co-teachers and I had been teaching this song for the previous two weeks, and
the students were so cute and funny about it. Afterwards we all took many
pictures, some of which I have included here.</div>
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I
have started hosting a “Tea Time” period one morning every week during the
students’ 20-minute break. The students choose to come, so it is always a nice
small group of students who want to be there. We have a little snack and I organize
informal games and activities that help students practice speaking and writing
in English. It has been a nice way to form personal relationships with students
outside <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>of class, and it is also great exposure for them
to have a little bit more time during their day when they are challenged to
speak English.</div>
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<span style="color: red;">(So sorry but for some reason I simply cannot make the text in this paragraph agree to be black......) Two weeks ago, there was a jazz
festival in Taichung. Every night for about a week and a half, thousands of
Taichung residents gathered outside on a big lawn in a park downtown to enjoy
the jazz performances of musicians from all over the world. Many people spread out blankets and had picnic dinners. Among the musical highlights were a jazz a capella group from Hungary, a Taiwanese singer, and an Israeli jazz quartet. It was an unbelievable experience to be sitting outside under the stars with thousands of Taiwanese people there to appreciate music and companionship. I went with my friend Claire on the last night of the festival, and because it was so crowded we were sitting very close to everyone around us. There was a family right in front of us and their little girl, Connie, shyly let me know she wanted to talk to me in English. Needless to say I was probably even more excited than Connie was, and over the course of the evening she and I exchanged names, hobbies, birthdays, Chinese/English vocabulary, and took many videos and pictures. </span></div>
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This
past weekend my roomates and I finally made it to Gaomei Wetlands, which is a
well-known spot here for catching beautiful sunsets. We had tried to go a few weeks
ago, but we left too late and turned around after watching sunset from the road.
The scooter drive was about an hour long, which was really fun (!) and a great
way to see different parts of Taichung. Being at the wetlands at dusk was a
beautiful way to end the weekend.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-25796966260523430572015-10-11T00:45:00.000-07:002015-10-11T00:45:02.094-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the past three weeks I have been able to see even more of Taiwan, as well as everyday life here in Taichung. I have started attending a yoga class with one of my LETs (yes it is completely in Chinese!), I am singing in a choir and helping to create a local a capella group, I am more comfortable ordering and/or asking for things in Chinese now, I have started going regularly for acupuncture, and I continue to take my language class twice a week. The list goes on ... It is a wonderful experience to be here and to meet all of the wonderful people whose paths I have been blessed to cross.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><u>English Camp</u>: This past week we went to a wonderful school where the teachers took many pictures. Below you can see some of the activities we organize for our "English Camp" students each week, including a version of "Simon Says" and other games that help students practice using new vocabulary.</span><br />
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<u>Scooters</u>: I realized that I have not yet posted about my scooter! Many Taiwanese people ride mopeds, more often called scooters in English, and it is a very convenient and practical way to get around the city. I love my scooter and have been getting more comfortable driving it more and getting gas :) Below the 3 pictures of my scooter, I have included a picture of a typical family scooter situation - notice the child's seat in the front foot area!<br />
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<u>Chong Qing Elementary School</u>: Below are pictures of my desk the "Office of Student Affairs." I love being in the middle of everything, and the teachers I share the office with are so wonderful to be around. We are preparing for Halloween festivities, as can be seen on my computer screen ...<br />
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<u>Play-Doh ABCs</u>: I recently tried an activity we learned about during our training in August: having students physically make the new letters they are learning about ... with Play-doh! These Grade 2 students LOVED it. It was a fun, alternative approach to helping them internalize letters a through e, specifically targeting more kinesthetic learners (students who need more physical activity in order to better retain new information). Each time we made a letter, we talked about its name and the sound it makes, so it was a review of our phonics in addition to a silly way to recall which letter is which. It was a great opportunity to teach new words in English, such as "Make a <b>ball</b>" in between each letter, and "Roll your Play-doh into a <b>string.</b>" It was also a chance to practice "Thank you / You're welcome" as they received their Play-doh and handed it back to me at the end. The activity also provided a chance for everyone to experience a different form of learning; we played a purposeful game, students interacted with each other, and the teachers (both myself and my co-teacher) were no longer at the center of the lesson. As soon as we started, my co-teacher ran out to get her camera and to tell the homeroom teacher what was happening in her class, and both walked around taking pictures and interacting with the students. Below is visual proof of how much fun we all had :) </div>
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<u>Kenting, Taiwan</u>: Recently we had a a three-day weekend because of the Mid-Autumn Festival (also called the Moon Festival). This holiday comes from the ancient Chinese tradition of giving thanks to the moon and celebrating the harvest. Please click here to read a bit more about the festival: <a href="http://ttf.ncfta.gov.tw/en-us/Season/Content.aspx?Para=8">http://ttf.ncfta.gov.tw/en-us/Season/Content.aspx?Para=8</a>. Because everyone gets an extra day off to celebrate the festival, we were able to take a longer trip. 8 of the 10 ETAs in my group went to Kenting, which is the southern-most point in Taiwan. It has beautiful beaches and was a wonderful place for a bit of a vacation!<br />
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Fireworks at a night market to celebrate the Moon Festival</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-25940083586286656292015-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:002015-09-20T00:21:04.351-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are now 3 weeks into the school year! I have been so very welcomed by everyone at Chong Qing, and now that all of the students know me a little bit more, they call out "Teacher Sara!!" when they see me in the halls :) Chong Qing is a wonderful school with a strong emphasis on and regard for English language learning. I teach all students in Grades 1-5 (the school has students up to Grade 6), two weekly storytelling periods for Grades 1-2, and a weekly "English Conversation" period for teachers and staff.<br />
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Half of the school building is currently under construction, so this semester we (the 5 of us English teachers) do not yet have our own classrooms and we go around to teach in the students' homeroom classes. This has its ups and downs; I love having a desk in the middle of a busy office where I can be a part of things, but I also look forward to settling into a classroom and being able to display student work. Overall it has been a wonderful first three weeks and I am very happy to have been placed at this school!<br />
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This is the school's website: <a href="http://www.cges.tc.edu.tw/">http://www.cges.tc.edu.tw/</a><br />
Here is the website in English: <a href="http://www.cges.tc.edu.tw/english/index.html">http://www.cges.tc.edu.tw/english/index.html</a><br />
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<u>Chong Qing Elementary School</u>: Elementary schools here are physically very open; you can see from the pictures of Chong Qing that hallways are covered but totally open to the outside. There is air conditioning only in one multi-purpose room, but there are fans in every classroom and office. </div>
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<u>English Camp</u>: We had our first "English Camp" this past week! As I explained in an earlier post, there are two groups of us who travel, at least twice a month, to facilitate<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"> one-day English workshops for students at different schools all around Taichung. These are all schools that do not have "foreign teachers," as we are referred to here, and so they applied to the Ministry of Education to be granted one day of programming led by native English speakers. We will be visiting a wide range of schools throughout the year, including tiny schools and schools in the mountains. This past week our group worked with 38 Grade 6 students, and it was a success. We taught about the 4 seasons, and though we definitely came away with aspects of our curriculum and teaching methods we would like to tweak and improve upon, both the students and all of us had a BLAST and gained a lot from the experience. At the end, students wanted our autographs and then all hugged us and made it hard to leave :) Below are pictures of our group and the view from the drive up north to this small school.</span></div>
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<u>Hiking at Da Keng</u>: Da Keng is a scenic area close to my apartment, and two weekends ago I went hiking there with one of my co-teachers. We took an easier trail but it was still beautiful!</div>
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<u>Fulbright Orientation, Taipei</u>: Last weekend, all of us gathered for an orientation conference in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. Fulbright grantees in Taiwan this year include 76 ETAs (English Teaching Assistants) and about 30 scholars (including Master's and Doctoral students and grantees doing research).</div>
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<u>Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei</u>: This museum details the life and rule of Chaing Kai Shek, who served as the political and military leader here from 1928 to 1975. It is a beautiful building and museum! </div>
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<u>National Palace Museum, Taipei</u>: This art museum is a gorgeous building, featuring many different types of Chinese art from calligraphy to paintings to artwork that incorporates jade and other stones. </div>
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<u>Walking around the streets of Taipei</u>: Below is an old gate in downtown Taipei.</div>
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<u>Taiwan is such a fascinating place!!</u> On our way home from English Camp this week, I noticed this sign at the train station and wanted to share it. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-40303342564532146912015-08-30T21:07:00.000-07:002015-09-05T17:08:51.244-07:00I want to start this post by sharing two articles!<br />
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First is an article published in the Jewish Exponent over the summer:<br />
<a href="http://www.jewishexponent.com/headlines/2015/07/doylestown-resident-heads-to-taiwan-as-a-fulbright-scholar">http://www.jewishexponent.com/headlines/2015/07/doylestown-resident-heads-to-taiwan-as-a-fulbright-scholar</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRe2nhiDnOlCo7OjbHfMkVszP_zx2CwFlHjRaB1leJKnxKm2rnI3ik4-DX0AhEYwA5bewMz21Kq48QNmmw2NPQdVLTeYgHeOOMHyF4cDXYuNC8qtU0NuDVRB7UA2kA5oZ7tT0K2H-VhKjh/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRe2nhiDnOlCo7OjbHfMkVszP_zx2CwFlHjRaB1leJKnxKm2rnI3ik4-DX0AhEYwA5bewMz21Kq48QNmmw2NPQdVLTeYgHeOOMHyF4cDXYuNC8qtU0NuDVRB7UA2kA5oZ7tT0K2H-VhKjh/s200/Capture.PNG" width="200" /></a></div>
(Minor corrections to this article include: there are 76 Fulbright Grantees here this year, and many schools here go until 4:00 pm, after which many students go directly to "cram schools" for additional lessons.)<br />
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Next is another article that may be of interest, published this past week in a San Diego Jewish newspaper:<br />
<a href="http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2015/08/27/jewish-fulbright-scholar-teaches-english-in-taiwan/">http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2015/08/27/jewish-fulbright-scholar-teaches-english-in-taiwan/</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOTErME6PzrQO2TZupSTe8B2-NB5Fx-kgBDncOYAr6yjGuniVF10OJwiVH7kRP9nNeo2XcS1qEfpdAa4cO_YQKlEo1NhjJGm9fNe3Wrlh_xGZMGVGhfO7SO5QEI2Ysp7Hs7t_iKimVOjK/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOTErME6PzrQO2TZupSTe8B2-NB5Fx-kgBDncOYAr6yjGuniVF10OJwiVH7kRP9nNeo2XcS1qEfpdAa4cO_YQKlEo1NhjJGm9fNe3Wrlh_xGZMGVGhfO7SO5QEI2Ysp7Hs7t_iKimVOjK/s200/Capture.PNG" width="200" /></a></div>
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This week has been our transition week. We finished training this past Monday and start school this coming Monday. We have been busy preparing, meeting with our co-teachers and administrators at school, continuing to further set up and settle into our apartments, and using our bit of less-scheduled time to explore the city.<br />
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I spent most of the workday at school on Friday, and I am so excited to begin working at Chong Qing. The teachers and staff have all been very welcoming, and we had the chance to start working together yesterday. The school is trying something new with Grade 5 this year. In years past, it has been difficult to teach classes that are made up of such a wide range of abilities, so this year Grade 5 students will be split into three classes according to their English language skills. Yesterday I worked with Patty and Pauline, two of my LETs (Local English Teachers; our acronym for our co-teachers) to develop the screening test that we will use on Monday. It was great to have the chance to be able to help these teachers during the last-minute craze of getting school ready for the students, and a wonderful experience to collaborate on our first project together. Six of us also went out for lunch, and it was nice to get to know everyone a little bit more.<br />
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I have a bicycle now! Chong Qing had one they lent to the ETA who worked there last year, and it is now mine for the year. Patty has been so helpful in teaching me how to ask for everything I needed to do to get my bike set up. I successfully used Chinese to get air in the tires, buy a helmet and lock, and have the seat raised. I rode the bike to school yesterday, complete with my new bright yellow, full-body raincoat (meaning it is wide enough to go over me + my backpack, and long enough that it covers my legs as well)! It is quite the adventure to ride on the road alongside cars, trucks, and scooters, especially in the rain ;)<br />
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<u>Food</u>: As expected, the food here is amazing!! Below are noodles, dumplings and soup .... mmm.... I am greatly increasing my chopsticks skills, which includes building muscles I didn't even know were in my hands :) It is very common to eat out here; restaurants are EVERYWHERE and very inexpensive. Some people say it is more expensive to buy and cook your own food, and it is part of the culture to pop into a noodle place for a quick lunch, for example, and it is very common to see people eating alone. Restaurants are small and the service is quick, so it is very practical to eat there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzuHDXTpsTU_B69bsZppgzCS6xJsaIe63bCgjVdOO4V4ds3qkMbmyik3fVeHhvUjZG7g7zErj2UuODdJFhVoYZYea-kVTAphobqRDUKYEJYdgL2Mwl4iNrEnuvtZb9jouGJUBtQI-7ATq/s1600/20150822_202450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzuHDXTpsTU_B69bsZppgzCS6xJsaIe63bCgjVdOO4V4ds3qkMbmyik3fVeHhvUjZG7g7zErj2UuODdJFhVoYZYea-kVTAphobqRDUKYEJYdgL2Mwl4iNrEnuvtZb9jouGJUBtQI-7ATq/s320/20150822_202450.jpg" width="179" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOR8L2GSHYYfYhr7K3AhnIAQes3pl7TnKRPwZzoJjuChy_OV6NU9t2D7PN7Vh_F3orkZmkwqNcQMlEQa2oST9eUO880coK2E-G4g3ajSx_Ikhke2IM7fMcllfSAZ6M6JNs9aQj1X1WcCup/s1600/20150823_192744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOR8L2GSHYYfYhr7K3AhnIAQes3pl7TnKRPwZzoJjuChy_OV6NU9t2D7PN7Vh_F3orkZmkwqNcQMlEQa2oST9eUO880coK2E-G4g3ajSx_Ikhke2IM7fMcllfSAZ6M6JNs9aQj1X1WcCup/s320/20150823_192744.jpg" width="179" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCdbAiT4-91CkE-EfcVVHFUxvBrJBYkhSeZ2EZpEDGp6yXbR0pfuwMmtPkE88bX3cPbAMThEkvMibv7H_lAoidycdiPHmf8R3zguay3p-Jhq4zkSCXQ15om7qZWHtHnl4bcpxTFQCFW6F/s1600/20150825_115109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCdbAiT4-91CkE-EfcVVHFUxvBrJBYkhSeZ2EZpEDGp6yXbR0pfuwMmtPkE88bX3cPbAMThEkvMibv7H_lAoidycdiPHmf8R3zguay3p-Jhq4zkSCXQ15om7qZWHtHnl4bcpxTFQCFW6F/s320/20150825_115109.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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<u>Funny signs</u>: I thought this was great ~ this is the alcohol section of a general, all-purpose store. It seems "Don't drink and drive" is taken very seriously here. We have been studying to get our driver's licenses here (for scooters) and that is something that comes up often in the materials we are studying from, both as a general rule of the road as well as something for which there are major fines.<br />
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<u>Rain</u>: It's been raining so much lately! I love having roof access at our apartment :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2A_z5Dz2oEf7UKFfRmIktRe48wJX5UaUEErw4ftDlsBU3myBp8-qKSc0h9I32gHau2E3D18vHUS83lh8S9QENFDEYUMF0pGx8kJHMhnUsfJDhDENa-8p1GtxBlVt4IrswBmL81y4lkzr/s1600/20150828_173301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2A_z5Dz2oEf7UKFfRmIktRe48wJX5UaUEErw4ftDlsBU3myBp8-qKSc0h9I32gHau2E3D18vHUS83lh8S9QENFDEYUMF0pGx8kJHMhnUsfJDhDENa-8p1GtxBlVt4IrswBmL81y4lkzr/s320/20150828_173301.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1woCsvAlwziAtra1I9HF3uRkU0liMcEAGo0SzlpGdJUcPtmpvQgMmPmBGBeyi34TD72gn8MA4cAkyHSPqlvRq4hZTKnPAOWByYzuvXSklBgWrysaE7MVUhrNSmLzXvQ0LHr1odmG-UdH/s1600/20150828_173307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1woCsvAlwziAtra1I9HF3uRkU0liMcEAGo0SzlpGdJUcPtmpvQgMmPmBGBeyi34TD72gn8MA4cAkyHSPqlvRq4hZTKnPAOWByYzuvXSklBgWrysaE7MVUhrNSmLzXvQ0LHr1odmG-UdH/s320/20150828_173307.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Next time I post, I will officially be writing as "Teacher Sara" :) </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-63030336512549688382015-08-22T23:57:00.000-07:002015-08-23T00:40:04.345-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It is the end of my third week here. In just a few days we will be finished with training, and school will begin one week from tomorrow! </div>
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Just for fun, here is an old picture I forgot to post, showing 8 of the 10 of us Taichung ETAs - fresh from our 15-hour flight 3 weeks ago ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwL01n0QnV-RJAADhwKkaSF_vL8HdNkf3scOFg1ztSwgUQfiDakKizeAPfS__NNZS9eQRvpsX9w8EpEw7M8S7JIgFS-sHvIQ_jmVJPCXLPh2TEULc1IHieZeYq5vx5tc_PwSQzt_24G4n/s1600/1439796579687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwL01n0QnV-RJAADhwKkaSF_vL8HdNkf3scOFg1ztSwgUQfiDakKizeAPfS__NNZS9eQRvpsX9w8EpEw7M8S7JIgFS-sHvIQ_jmVJPCXLPh2TEULc1IHieZeYq5vx5tc_PwSQzt_24G4n/s320/1439796579687.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have been placed at Chong Qing Elementary School, a school that has 435 students in grades 1-6. I will be teaching English to students in grades 1-5. I have already met some of the teachers and am so excited! </div>
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At least twice a month, I will also facilitate what Fulbright calls "English Camp." Along with 3 other ETAs, I will lead one-day English workshops for students at different schools all around the county. These are all schools that do not have "foreign teachers," as we are referred to here, and so they applied to Fulbright to be granted one day of programming led by native English speakers. We will be visiting a wide range of schools, including tiny schools and schools in the mountains. Our group is currently working to develop our curriculum; we will pick one topic and then modify it as necessary for each school visit (depending on students' age and English-speaking ability).</div>
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I have enrolled in a basic Chinese class, which starts on the first day of school! I have also found a language partner whom I met this past week. She is wonderful and her English is fluent, so we plan to exchange Hebrew and Chinese lessons :)</div>
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<u>Temples</u>: I very much look forward to learning more about religion here, as well as going inside some of the beautiful temples. This is one that we pass every day on our walk to orientation, and I thought the picture was worth sharing.</div>
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<u>The Wonderful people of Taiwan</u>: Before I came here, everyone I talked to told me that the Taiwanese people are EXTREMELY friendly and helpful. This has proved to be 100% true; I have heard about and experienced so many acts of kindness already! Two great examples before I get to the explanation of the picture below: 1) One of our program coordinators accidentally left behind a folder with money and important information in it; someone found it, called her, and returned the folder without touching anything inside. 2) Another one of our coordinators had a friend who parked a scooter and forgot to take the keys out of the ignition; the friend later came back to find that someone had removed the keys and thoughtfully left them in one of the scooter's side compartments, out of sight from anyone who might have stolen it.</div>
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My story is from last weekend, when 4 of us were trying to hail a taxi on our way home from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art. We passed by a bakery that was closing for the night and admired the bread we could see through the window. Moments later a man came out and asked if we wanted some bread. He immediately ran inside and came out with an entire loaf of bread, wishing us well and returning back inside. We thanked him and waved to all of the other bakers watching from inside the bakery, who waved excitedly back at us. After a minute, once we had turned and continued walking, we heard the man again - running to catch up to us, holding out 3 more loaves of bread! Again we all thanked him and he smiled and left :) Oh the privileges of being a foreigner here ... It was such an interesting and thought-provoking experience. Most people here love foreigners from the U.S. and go out of their way to be welcoming and treat us kindly.</div>
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<u>Scooter Highlights</u>: I have seen so many crazy things on scooters, and this is definitely one of the highlights. The picture isn't zoomed in enough and it's not too clear, but if you look closely at the scooter father away from where I was standing on the street corner, you might be able to see the little pink step-stool on the floor of the scooter. This mom has her child strapped to her with a little seat belt that ties them both together, and the boy's feet are resting on this step-stool! Other things - funny yet practical - that I have seen on scooters include: dogs sitting at their owner's feet and balancing to stay on, kids standing up in the front, and two kids in front and one behind the parent/driver :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGgyD71obLXu0Ml0xu-toKdhD-C63V-2ym83qy9r6H6aCz7ODeZRVRz4oH_Web7OsIeclfGgJwnL_1zIsmgXHhM_GRtRfyaZCPVOtY7435T5bXxC-mDFhtGQVn7vxP9dBvKtn3H30qWrP/s1600/20150819_081429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGgyD71obLXu0Ml0xu-toKdhD-C63V-2ym83qy9r6H6aCz7ODeZRVRz4oH_Web7OsIeclfGgJwnL_1zIsmgXHhM_GRtRfyaZCPVOtY7435T5bXxC-mDFhtGQVn7vxP9dBvKtn3H30qWrP/s320/20150819_081429.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<u>Discovering food</u>: Part of our orientation has been trying soooo many new foods! It is quite simple to be a vegetarian here; people are very happy to make any dish without meat, and many other people here are vegetarian as well. The picture below shows mango shaved ice, which is similar to water ice but with fresh fruit mixed with flavored syrup and plain ice. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfTycKTOmSSF7hDteoDh4k4SDnP8M7xbRDhHDFSaMU1bl3j0Os_EM8F80F1jZO2rMculKWZiaHVz-LBwk9chLs7B3s6qlRMblKGGdjFCASnNac75aokSXyaWBZUh59PqVj8tdgn-_APhI/s1600/20150810_201438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfTycKTOmSSF7hDteoDh4k4SDnP8M7xbRDhHDFSaMU1bl3j0Os_EM8F80F1jZO2rMculKWZiaHVz-LBwk9chLs7B3s6qlRMblKGGdjFCASnNac75aokSXyaWBZUh59PqVj8tdgn-_APhI/s320/20150810_201438.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Skies</u>: Of course I have taken many more pictures of the sky than most anything else ... Here are a few that show sunset at a night market, clouds over the nearby mountains, and the busy city streets under the cloudy sky.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjm8wu9OdKFaW59j2g_JCxS9iGkVINCkCm6yGT5ArwK1QZ_U4JjkEYVwh8BYq4QkQbk_FA8pmpvZ6-1N-kNR8PeRWxaADUlSp0AdADn-GrtwaX4N8jPosjSvHpmFkZpFAzbF0iVG4CFrk/s1600/20150812_182832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjm8wu9OdKFaW59j2g_JCxS9iGkVINCkCm6yGT5ArwK1QZ_U4JjkEYVwh8BYq4QkQbk_FA8pmpvZ6-1N-kNR8PeRWxaADUlSp0AdADn-GrtwaX4N8jPosjSvHpmFkZpFAzbF0iVG4CFrk/s320/20150812_182832.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rjCd8Gziq3LhDSXoMfcrLpJGfOOBHQVXJwArW824CzEiy2zZ_6GBG0WzOoTpCpZA_sHhb44T3VsDBI-B9VA921CVJLO6xiPXPT58Zb2MDseGIqI2BRvu_BG3f2Qr7cYgV6ZmF7V9gIsS/s1600/20150813_102527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rjCd8Gziq3LhDSXoMfcrLpJGfOOBHQVXJwArW824CzEiy2zZ_6GBG0WzOoTpCpZA_sHhb44T3VsDBI-B9VA921CVJLO6xiPXPT58Zb2MDseGIqI2BRvu_BG3f2Qr7cYgV6ZmF7V9gIsS/s320/20150813_102527.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaX9rt-Flqja1CSjraTbeZwdPiZSFI3LtL3xwQakHSC9rQGaYmVuPJIOO3rAvEmMa8jtGyfcZYxNVhyphenhyphenFy06beFgJcDbBoaqa5yKJbLSMWAsrW9z5MCBhIOsfYqzubZlTyfPTCZHxgiEiV/s1600/20150816_175650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaX9rt-Flqja1CSjraTbeZwdPiZSFI3LtL3xwQakHSC9rQGaYmVuPJIOO3rAvEmMa8jtGyfcZYxNVhyphenhyphenFy06beFgJcDbBoaqa5yKJbLSMWAsrW9z5MCBhIOsfYqzubZlTyfPTCZHxgiEiV/s320/20150816_175650.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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That's it for now ... Please feel free to post below so that I (and others!) can read your thoughts/responses to anything I have shared. I would love to know what you think!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-55631484900004898962015-08-09T02:06:00.000-07:002015-08-09T02:06:00.974-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_sYtyoWQaDfH-kGSmg6Rlt8oFNZknPCIH1E8dGslW6EC-N9_yDd9YVzGICO08gGBNiFYElUpj9UXch6gUa1Flp-i3h0W3W4FWe_uV109muLTvl1oRtmp1QRCHqy6_UWptsKc9Lq-QHCv/s1600/20150806_1734555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_sYtyoWQaDfH-kGSmg6Rlt8oFNZknPCIH1E8dGslW6EC-N9_yDd9YVzGICO08gGBNiFYElUpj9UXch6gUa1Flp-i3h0W3W4FWe_uV109muLTvl1oRtmp1QRCHqy6_UWptsKc9Lq-QHCv/s320/20150806_1734555.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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N<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">ĭ hăo </span>(hello) from Taichung!</div>
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It has been quite an exciting first week here. We just completed our first week of training, which will continue through the rest of this month. Training so far has included workshops about education in Taiwan, Chinese language, classroom management, teaching English as a foreign language, and Taiwanese culture. Our coordinators have also helped us accomplish settling-in tasks such as getting Taiwanese sim cards for our phones (we were in a tiny shop for 2 hours trying to figure out all of our phone plans!), buying bus passes (the bus here is free!), and opening local bank accounts.</div>
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There are 10 Fulbright ETA (English Teaching Assistant) Grantees in our group in Taichung. There are about 60 ETAs in all of Taiwan; we are spread out in 5 locations around the island and will meet formally all together in a few weeks. In our group, nearly everyone has just graduated this past May with their Bachelor's degree, and I am the only one who has my Master's. This helps to balance things out because I am also the only one who has never been to Asia or studied Chinese! Everyone in my group has studied Chinese at the college level, studied abroad and/or traveled in Asia for an extended period of time, and/or has family who lives here. So the 9 other Taichung ETAs have the advantages of knowing the language and culture well, and I have the advantage of significant experience in the classroom. It is a good balance and so far we have all been sharing and learning quite a bit from each other. Not surprisingly, it is an <i>extremely </i>intelligent, well-traveled, and motivated group. I look forward to continuing to work, learn, travel with the other Taichung ETAs!</div>
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Below are some pictures to illustrate a bit of what Taichung is like.</div>
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<u>Everyday life in Taichung</u>: Mopeds are called "scooters" here, and there are so many!!! It's great to see parents riding with their kids, dogs balancing on scooters, baskets piled up by drivers' feet ... people here make anything and everything fit onto their scooters.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACn2CEOREKxFM-tsVUJkxZFWAMtbhzD4mNraienmDg2Thnns6pq1E1_MnxXRLdIiOV-oYaSXx7o7bz_WLtycWD-YbLMDdz6Spxp7p5OBqH1mPIW98j7wflvvfdw4NGqfuLY8RV3HJBDzp/s1600/20150805_093118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACn2CEOREKxFM-tsVUJkxZFWAMtbhzD4mNraienmDg2Thnns6pq1E1_MnxXRLdIiOV-oYaSXx7o7bz_WLtycWD-YbLMDdz6Spxp7p5OBqH1mPIW98j7wflvvfdw4NGqfuLY8RV3HJBDzp/s320/20150805_093118.jpg" width="180" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X0UtZmy26u725zIlWanNyAMYVB442k79Egkf7AQU6t9tMc4Or1PrVPOHIk_iRfbVMmTV1jogX3xT-13A3onFC9RxZLHszRkR-k4U5nv5AaavXoZEArb3rPrHXjsCoKcfMGV3MM5_cAg5/s1600/20150807_183917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X0UtZmy26u725zIlWanNyAMYVB442k79Egkf7AQU6t9tMc4Or1PrVPOHIk_iRfbVMmTV1jogX3xT-13A3onFC9RxZLHszRkR-k4U5nv5AaavXoZEArb3rPrHXjsCoKcfMGV3MM5_cAg5/s320/20150807_183917.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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<u>Greenery</u>: The city has quite a lot of plants and trees, which is nice to see. Still, I look forward to hiking in the nearby mountains!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatsB6ufPsbwpdmHCbeTXM-tC1rcYmMvbScz4WFQtEnvVbDLbHIxtfNmDQCjEDWP-TQzQnlWe1LjaTkDtvIvilrbjxWBvVzzwp7LQbFfifhO5nqF1xU2cYi6ScoCZBGm28NOsVNL4dNa4o/s1600/20150807_183916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatsB6ufPsbwpdmHCbeTXM-tC1rcYmMvbScz4WFQtEnvVbDLbHIxtfNmDQCjEDWP-TQzQnlWe1LjaTkDtvIvilrbjxWBvVzzwp7LQbFfifhO5nqF1xU2cYi6ScoCZBGm28NOsVNL4dNa4o/s320/20150807_183916.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<u>Taichung Park</u>: There are many parks here, and Taichung Park is a big one! One night this week a group of us walked around the park and played frisbee in the fading light :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUY9G7wSIZHdODFyO5YwgBkgw2CVxWJFu62HDk5tHhm5eZKMSUYvoc3NUWxLmFzMoGKHc6arW_gH4scxn_WJpGFq4uMX29yZjs9NwRpCLx6Uu5M2vSdlm50L6IaBNoNaw_aL71mwTWGCV/s1600/20150805_181232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUY9G7wSIZHdODFyO5YwgBkgw2CVxWJFu62HDk5tHhm5eZKMSUYvoc3NUWxLmFzMoGKHc6arW_gH4scxn_WJpGFq4uMX29yZjs9NwRpCLx6Uu5M2vSdlm50L6IaBNoNaw_aL71mwTWGCV/s320/20150805_181232.jpg" width="180" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-FmKPdPt0fgk-PWPGXc9JYIseRNm9fmfMLqunJzNueAA-b_9QSQJV2q86IE2M8HsGNwkQD9oJTh052CBze7xLF4GCZ-_qGftx5b-jifoW0ihgbOLqP7_ueIM3skewwLV2H3vTr8OZqxQ/s1600/20150805_181619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-FmKPdPt0fgk-PWPGXc9JYIseRNm9fmfMLqunJzNueAA-b_9QSQJV2q86IE2M8HsGNwkQD9oJTh052CBze7xLF4GCZ-_qGftx5b-jifoW0ihgbOLqP7_ueIM3skewwLV2H3vTr8OZqxQ/s320/20150805_181619.jpg" width="180" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3qVfQVfA5vZckx0K058CtMoxt8EG5Py082eKkFxMEaLQ9zj3YLd-9-QAq_RUa35ppE2lDTeWMK2PlS96CoVEqdvjXTz46fWAFkI_d1ISg6TMv7xd5i4H6cdOdnNroCauCbU_uLZuuPJW/s1600/20150805_182059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3qVfQVfA5vZckx0K058CtMoxt8EG5Py082eKkFxMEaLQ9zj3YLd-9-QAq_RUa35ppE2lDTeWMK2PlS96CoVEqdvjXTz46fWAFkI_d1ISg6TMv7xd5i4H6cdOdnNroCauCbU_uLZuuPJW/s320/20150805_182059.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<u>Chinese/English:</u> There are many little mistakes made here when translating words to English. Here is one funny example: the yogurt is 100% natural, "Born with only natural ingredients!" Now I am not one to complain, as I came here knowing NO Chinese ... but still I am appreciating the challenges of speaking a second language! I look forward to enrolling in a Chinese language class, which I plan to do as soon as possible. For now though, I have been learning as much as I can through osmosis :) Everyone in my group have been wonderful teachers, looking out for me and guiding me through the basics of everyday Mandarin!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPujAF130H50n0nkNey9mUTdGyDfcAo8Q1yN_LaLSKOuExlXX7zZceTHApccKJMEjbIjSJfhbuD_ecaECJCZMbjZozmuPbkqOZi6GUChJMbIkCw63c6xNNGYckGEWZe7GKETtkN3TUg5e-/s1600/20150807_180540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPujAF130H50n0nkNey9mUTdGyDfcAo8Q1yN_LaLSKOuExlXX7zZceTHApccKJMEjbIjSJfhbuD_ecaECJCZMbjZozmuPbkqOZi6GUChJMbIkCw63c6xNNGYckGEWZe7GKETtkN3TUg5e-/s320/20150807_180540.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<u>The view from up high:</u> For our orientation, we have been hosted by a local elementary school. One night this past week, one of the deans (Dean Min) invited us to her house to eat dinner together. While there, we met other teachers who teach at Shangshi Elementary School as well as some of their children, and enjoyed a delicious meal and a gorgeous view of the city!</div>
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Sending my best to everyone ... until next time!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11357826002900283629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091294093469525552.post-54264156926530586092015-07-08T12:59:00.000-07:002015-07-09T17:52:17.199-07:00Pre-Departure Thoughts<div style="text-align: justify;">
Welcome to what is officially my first-ever blog post! In about 3 weeks I will be leaving to start my year as an "English Teaching Assistant" (ETA) in Taichung, Taiwan, and I am excited to share my adventures with you over the course of the coming year. </div>
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I welcome questions and thoughts you may have after reading anything I post here. I look forward to the discussions that will arise throughout the course of my year abroad; a significant part of the reason I am traveling across the world is to increase "cross-cultural awareness" (a big buzz-word right now!) and to spark those discussions. </div>
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As of this moment, I know only what I have read regarding Taiwanese culture, but soon enough I will learn first-hand what life is like and what makes this country so special. Similarly, there are many people in Taiwan with whom I hope to discuss the joys and challenges of living in the United States, and I look forward to this as well. </div>
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It is a goal of mine to facilitate curiosity, to open up conversation. This is an important value that I work to create in my classroom, and I strive for communication in all other settings as well. So please, ask me questions, search online for more information, look closely at my pictures --- learn something! Our world is beautiful, fascinating, and HUGE. Part of my responsibility this year is to try to bring even just a little bit of awareness to the people I encounter - both here at home and in Taiwan.</div>
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Below is the link to an article that was released by Clark University earlier this summer:<br />
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<a href="http://news.clarku.edu/news/2015/06/24/clark-u-grad-receives-fulbright-heads-to-taiwan-to-teach-english/">http://news.clarku.edu/news/2015/06/24/clark-u-grad-receives-fulbright-heads-to-taiwan-to-teach-english/</a></div>
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Stay safe, enjoy the middle of the summer, and I will be in touch again from Taiwan!<br />
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Sara</div>
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