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