good bye taiwan

over the course of 48 hours this week , i packed up my apartment, sold my car and scooter, wired money home and got on a plane back to NYC. i arrived saturday afternoon.

it was a very difficult decision but one that needed to get made. i miss my students and friends there tremendously but i am happy to be surrounded by the love and warmth  of the city  i love and with my family and friends here.

since  i have gotten home, dozens of students have friended  me on my teacher facebook account thanking me for being their teacher. i am so touched but so sad.

Here is a note from one of my 11th graders after i wrote her an email saying i was not returning to the school:

I was so shock this morning when I heard this news, and also feeling pity that we didn't really have a chance to say goodbye to you... We all like you very much and we will miss you a lot, you really brought us a positive impact to all of us, we founded the travel experiences you shared with us are so amazing! And you were a really good teacher, you were always been very kind and patient when we couldn't finger something out, even that we knew you have teaches the whole day and feeling very tired :SAll in all, instate of a teacher I think u r more likely our friend, you really teaches us a lot of things but not only on math, and I hope you can have a wonderful and happy life in USA, and keep sharing ur amazing life experiences to some other students, and keep brining some more positive influences to more children in this world:) I guess that's why u r so passion about teaching:) We love u so so much!!! And we will miss you!!!

awww

my neighborhood

the park a block away from my house

check out the pollution. kaohsiung has one of the highest pollution indexes in the world. eek!

When you get into a car accident in Taiwan:

1) you have to find a taiwanese friend to come to the location of the accident to translate your statement to the police.

2) you have to wait 3 weeks for the police to determine who is at fault

3) it is understood that if a car gets in an accident with a motorcycle, the car driver is blamed. the report places you 100% at fault, even though the motorcycle driver was speeding.

4) the victim has 6 months to claim damages. he must try to contact the victim

5) your mechanic calls the "victim" after the police report comes out and  the "victim" demands $5000, more than the retail value of the bike. the mechanic says you are away from taiwan at the time and that he should try to call you on your number.

6) the "victim" never calls back

7) 4 months after the accident occurs, you get a letter in the mail from a lawyer demanding $6500, $1000 of which are for psychological damage. you must meet in a court for a mediated negotiation.

8) you have to hire a lawyer to write a document to the court explaining your side of the scenario.

8a) you take the motorcyclist's repair estimate to  a mechanic and his estimate is 40% lower than what was being demanded.

9) you stress out for 3 and a half weeks, waking up in the middle of the night, worried that, if a settlement is not reached, you have you will be taken to criminal court.

10) if taken to criminal court, you could spend at minimum 30 days in jail. the get out of jail free card is $30 for each day in
jail.

11) you show up at the court and the lawyer tries to hustle you out of all the money. you negotiate and bring the price down 25%. While you try to keep your cool to negotiate, the lawyer keeps threatening to take you to criminal court. you reach a settlement that is tolerable but still was more than necessary.

12) you are relieved that this 5~month headache is over.

13) throughout this whole debacle, you only understand about 20% of what is happening because you cannot read or speak chinese. must have someone to help translate at all times.

Dulan and the East Coast

Drove over to the east coast with my friend Monica on Wednesday night and stayed in a quaint hotel overlooking the mountains from one side and the ocean from the other. The east coast is much less developed than the west and the scenery is just magnificent. Calm beaches, varied plantlife, surfers, tree-covered mountains and a very relaxed vibe. The owners of the hotel were eager to chat with us and offered us a tour of their farmland and tastes of the fruits growing on the property. We spent the morning at the beach, took a drive along the coast, chatted over lunch with a French baker, hiked over the "eight-legged bridge" to a quiet island then joined some colleagues for a South African dinner and some Stella. Yesterday we had a leisurely breakfast, went swimming then headed back home. Good start to a 4-day weekend that is continuing to be relaxing.

Jialeshui

Secluded beach town. Surfers. Swimming. Tanning. Setting up camp. Pizza at the night market. Bonfire. Wine. Fireworks. Sleep. Brunch. Beach. Tea. Drive home.

My job can be really great sometimes.

For the last two Fridays, I have been greeted by loving messages from my 11th graders. They are so sweet!!

One of my best days in Taiwan

Had a day off today. Packed three friends in the car and drove down to the beach last night. Camped under the stars. Met some great people. Went night swimming. Spent the day swimming and tanning. Amazing day!!

Pingxi Lantern Festival

Write your dreams and wishes on red lanterns and set them off into the sky with hundreds of others. Eat local food in the small mountainside town then camp under a pavilion with a few good friends.

Pingxi

Emi~Toria Took Taiwan

An unbelievable adventure with my wonderful and amazing friend, Emily!!! I am glad she has arrived home safely and I already miss her! An album below of our many adventures around the island of Taiwan.

Emi~Toria

Gorges, Stinky Tofu, KTV, Hot Springs, Beach

We have had a full and memorable last few days.

Train rides along the coast.
Hour-long foot massages.
Hiking to waterfalls, pagodas, and bell towers.
Hair washes.
Night Markets.
Drinks and KTV with my KTown friends.
Hot Springs.
Water and Fire Cave.

Great trip. Love having Em in my apt. So happy she is here!!

Today we will head to the beach.

Taipei

Had a very packed and relaxing day in Taipei with bestie Emily. Emi~toria's taking Taiwan by storm on day one. Walked through the historic quarter, visited Chiang Kai-Shek's Memorial, ate amazing soup dumplings and shumai, went to the top floor of Taipei's tallest building and went to eat dinner at a Taiwanese friend's home. Topped off the big dinner with some dancing at my friend's. Not a bad day!

Heading to Taroko Gorge tomorrow, the country's premier national park.

Wonderful time in NYC

Colud not have had a better time with all my loved ones in NYC! I am truly blessed!

Arrived in Taipei last night with my wonderful friend Emily. We will explore the city today.

Finally on vacation.

This has been an incredibly long semester. 21 weeks straight teaching a nine hour school day. I understand that this might not sound that crazy to a non-teacher, but this has been one of the most exhausting 5 months of my life.

Very much looking forward to my month off and my many adventures planned. Tomorrow I head to Singapore to visit a friend. We will head to a beach in Indonesia for 3 days then I am off to NYC to visit family and friends. Then back to Taiwan with one of my besties to travel the island for 10 days!!!

Can't wait. All I have to do is make it through this ridiculously painful end-of-semester meetIng where the principal is rambling on in Chinese, reading off a 98-page powerpoint slideshow. Whoopie!!! Taiwanese bureaucracy, I will absolutely NOT miss you over the next month.

You know the world is crazy when...

You meet someone for the first time and, completely soberly, they tell you they want to father your children and get married.

Hours of DrivIng through the Alishan Mountains.

The original plan was to drive to the Sandimen waterfalls. I made a wrong turn on the highway so we decided to drive north to the Alishan Mountains. Some friends and I enjoyed locally picked oolong tea, went for a hike through the forest and enjoyed all the beautiful vistas as we drove through the clouds.

Alishan

A great New Year in HK

Spent 4 days in Hong Kong for the New Year with an old friend. It was my first vacation since September and I relaxed, ate delicious food, drank good wine and enjoyed my excellent company.

It was rejuvenating!