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!

East Coast of Taiwan: Hualien and Taidong: 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 beautiful. 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.

Hualien 

Taidong

Indonesia: 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.

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.

Bali

Jakarta

Mom and Dad in Taiwan: 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!

Second Semester and the new English Library: 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.

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 J

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 English 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!)

Chinese Lantern Festival: 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.