Over our Chinese New Year break from school, I went on a mission trip with the Pearl. This trip was a bit of a fulfillment of a dream for me because it was something I had wanted to see the Pearl do for a while. I never mentioned it to anyone, but I have thought for about a year or so that going on a mission trip together would be a really good next step for our church. As soon as our pastor mentioned the possibility, I signed up right away. I didn't really know what I was getting into, which was maybe a good thing. The original idea for this trip was that it would be some sort of music ministry. We have a great worship team, and the thought was that some of them could come on the trip and do some music teaching and performing with the kids. The group of people who ended up going (including myself) had no musical ability. The trip goal had to change a bit to more of an English camp, and I was asked to head up the English workshops. Being in charge of planning English workshops is not as far fetched as doing a musical performance, but it was still a bit of a stretch for me since I have never taught English before. I reluctantly took on the challenge, and found that God gave me everything I needed to get the job done (help from friends, ideas, resources, and time).

We ended up with 7 Pearlers as our mission team. We took the local train 6 hours south to Taidong on Wednesday morning. The train was packed with CNY travelers, and so even though we had reserved seats, it was still cramped and crowded. We arrived to find our hosts eagerly awaiting to take us back to our "home" for the next few days. It was a 3 story building, the first floor was the church room and living space for the teacher's family, and the second and third story was the family's bedrooms and bathrooms. We stayed on the third floor. The church is a ministry to children (mostly) in the community. Many of the kids we worked with come from broken homes where nobody is around to take care of them. There is a wide range of ages among the kids, from elementary school to high school. They seemed to get along well and have fun together. And many of them are amazing musicians because the pastor and teacher are music teachers. As part of their ministry, they teach the children music free of charge. This gives the kids something to be proud of, something to do in their free time, and something to develop as a talent they can use for God. We worked with the kids for 2 mornings, teaching them English, learning a bible story, and learning a bible verse. The first day we focused on the parable of the Lost Son to help the kids to learn that no matter who we were or are, God still loves us and accepts us with open arms. We learned Ephesians 2:10 together, for we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. The second day we focused on the the parable of the Good Samaritan to help the kids to learn that because of who God made us, we should help others who are in need. We learned Matthew 20:28 together, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. We translated everything because the English ability was at zero, and during our "English sessions", we taught them some basic words. We even had to give some of our students English names. They seemed to really like us, and I hope that we can go back again and work with them some more.

In the afternoons, the pastor took us all around Taidong to show us the sights and tastes of the small town. It was really cool. It seemed silly that we were on a mission trip, and after our morning teaching and lunch with the kids, it felt like we were on vacation. We got to see some Aboriginal traditions, eat some yummy food, soak in some hot springs, and just enjoy spending time together with the pastor and our team.

There was one little "glitch", which now we can look back on and smile...but at the time, we were really worried. Other than teaching English, our church went down to help them put on an outreach concert. Remember...our original idea was to send some of our worship team?...well, somewhere along the line, nobody told the church we rented that our worship team wasn't coming. So, on the day of the concert, they were shocked to find out that our music ability was zero. This was a big deal, because somewhere it had gotten advertised as an "American Band" coming to perform. We were nowhere close to that! When the church found out that we were not performing, they were not happy because it made them look like false advertisers. The pastor kept asking us if we could just at least sing one song. We were all sure that we could not. It was a really awkward situation, but the pastor finally called another musical group that he knows, actually I think some of them were his students (he teaches music part time to earn money for the church). It all worked out in the end, the concert was good, God prevailed even though for a short time we were at a loss as to what we could do to smooth over the situation. I even taught the kids a song and dance, which our whole group ended up doing at the concert (and then again when we presented our trip at the Pearl). Singing and dancing is soooo not me, but somehow I did it because we didn't have another option. It ended up being fun even though I felt goofy. I guess sometimes you have to be goofy for Jesus!

Overall, the Pearl's first mission trip was a great success! We had great fun, we all learned a lot, and we were able to bless another church in Taiwan. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to go along, and I hope this is the beginning of the Pearl's outward movement to helping those in need.

Yesterday, Nevada and I got up early and headed to the motor vehicle office to attempt getting our scooter licenses. In order to pass and get the license, you have to do a written test and a driving test. The written test is really funny because the questions are poorly translated. Most of the questions make sense and are fairly easy, but there are a few odd ones that make absolutely no sense. Luckily, the entire test is online with the exact questions and correct answers, so I studied up! Here are some examples of the "best" multiple choice questions:

The most important thing for a motorcyclist is
a. to be ethical and pay extra attention in road safety
b. slow down
c. to be careful of road construction

When a motorcyclist is not happy, he/she
a. is emotionless
b. is not compassionate
c. is angry

I am a good driver, I obey all traffic laws, I want the highway patrol to
a. be more strict
b. be more relaxed
c. just check but not report

There was a sign identification section to the test as well. Most of them were pictures that I recognized (or could figure out), but some of them were in Chinese, so I just had to memorize them. I think I over prepared for the written test because I ended up getting 100%, and all I needed was an 82%.

The written part was not the hardest part of the test though. After I passed that, we had to head to the driving part. For the driving test you have drive through a seemingly easy course. In the first part, you have to drive in a straight, narrow line in 7 or more seconds. The line is not that long, so you have to drive slow and balanced without wavering. This is the part that most people fail (if they fail). After you get through that, you drive around a bend, stop at a stop light, stop at a RR crossing, stop at a pedestrian crosswalk, and then you're done. Nevada and I went early, because on Wednesday morning there is an hour of "practice time" where they open up the course and you can try it a couple times before taking the test. However, we did not know that you have to bring your OWN scooter for that! So we couldn't even practice! That means that the first time I sat (and drove) on my borrowed scooter, I was taking the test. I was so nervous, I was shaking! If you go off the course, there are sensors that make loud sirens sound. Not only that, but a lot of people are watching from the side (especially if you are a foreigner). It is a lot of pressure. I thought I was going to shake myself off the course because I was so nervous. But, by some miracle, I made it and passed on the first try! I didn't expect to pass because most people don't their first time, so I was surprised and proud when I made it! Now, I'm a licensed scooter driver! I'm not planning to buy a scooter anytime soon, but at least I can borrow and rent them legally now.

This morning when I woke up the sky was darker than normal, and as I was getting ready for school, the rain started. In no time at all, it was pouring, and I had to make a decision... how was I going to get to school. Today was the first day of morning rain since school started. I'm in a new apartment this year, so my strategies had to change. I typically ride my bike to school, and I'm not close to a bus stop that would take me the direction of school (which was my old method of dealing with rainy mornings). I could have taxied, but I'm fairly close to school so it didn't seem worth the cost. It didn't take me long to realize that the best method would be "Taiwan style". I changed into sports shorts and flip-flops, threw my stuff into a back pack, grabbed my umbrella, and biked to school in the pouring rain. Balancing on my bike holding an umbrella doesn't come naturally for me, but it has definitely gotten easier as it has become a necessity. Anyway, when I pulled up to school the guard saw me and kept saying "lihai, lihai", which is an expression of amazement like "awesome"! He was very impressed at my Taiwan-ness.

We're in the midst of the Summer Olympics, which, to me, is very exciting. I always enjoy watching the events, cheering for the home team, and feeling the competitive spirit of the best of the bests. I have been looking forward to the Beijing Olympics, not just because the mascots are so cute, but because I'm on this side of the world, so I was excited that I would be in the same time zone as the events. Much to my chagrin, however, the Olympic coverage on cable is quite poor. They seem to only show the events that the Taiwan athletes are in...you know...badminton, archery, table tennis...all the exciting sports. And of course, the coverage they do have is commentary in Chinese, so I have to watch and guess what is happening. I have yet to see any of my favorites...swimming, gymnastics, and track and field. I've had to keep track and read the stories online or conveniently visit my friends with better cable packages. Regardless, I am still enjoying the excitement of the Olympics, and now that I live in Taiwan, I have two teams to root for.

Well, I had another absolutely perfect summer. I was sitting in Pennsylvania at my parents' house for most of it, but it was fantastic. I had a few surges of activity...I was in Nick and Ali's wedding, which was so much fun, I was a "fabulous facilitator" at Dave and Maria's wedding, which was another sweet gig, I went to the Outer Banks with the family over the 4th of July, and I got to hang out with a few of my high school friends. As always, things just seem to work out for the best, God's plan I'm sure, and as I flew back into Taiwan, I was able to reflect on just how nice and relaxing my summer was. My friend, Eve has always said that she has a low boredom threshold; I think I have a very high boredom threshold. I was so thankful for the downtime, and I loved the fact that some of the days' activities were "the sunset" or "the blooming of the evening primroses" or "watching "I Love Lucy"". Coming from the fast paced, high energy setting of Taipei, I was happy for a more simplified schedule for a few weeks.

Some of my favorite days of summer were the spontaneous gatherings of some of my high school friends. In a sort of joking way (as a front of course, because it was totally true), I told them that it warmed my heart to be with them all again. It was especially nice to feel like we had never skipped a beat. Some of them I hadn't seen for several years as we all spread out after college, and at first I was unsure how it would be to hang out again. But we picked right back up and spent time at the pub, playing pool at the g-man, and we even ended up going to Camden Yards for an Oriole's game one lazy Saturday night.

I am so blessed to have two homes that I feel so comfortable in. Now I'm back in Taipei and feverishly getting ready for the new school year. I always love the beginning of a new year because it is always filled with the promise and opportunity of being better than the last. Not many careers have this perk. School starts in 2 days, Monday, August 18...my birthday. Summer's over, back to work!

After several weeks of absolute madness in Taipei, I've escaped to the homeland. I finished the school year, which was a feat! Another year under my belt feels good, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be getting a whole lot easier. In some ways, yes, but teaching is hard work that doesn't let up! Thankfully, though I do still enjoy it, and I have a summer to prepare for next year. I packed up my old apartment and moved into a new apartment before I left. Unfortunately I didn't have time to UNpack all the boxes, so I just tried to organize as much as I could so that I can finish when I get back. I also packed up my science lab and storage room to be moved to a new classroom next year. That will be an even bigger job when I get back. I didn't count all the boxes, but probably at least 50. It was ridiculous, and that was after I threw away tons of junk! Anyway, I'm going to try to relax and enjoy the downtime at home, that way I'll be ready for attacking the unpacking projects when I get back. I have 2 weddings and an Outer Banks vacation to look forward to while I'm here. The "Nali" Wedding is next weekend, so I'll be making my way out to Ohio on Friday. I'm really looking forward to it...my dress is altered, my shoes fit...I'm all ready for my bridesmaid duties. I'm also on the edge of my seat awaiting news about Baby Wu, who is soon to be delivered in Taipei! Lots of exciting things happening this summer...and this is just the beginning!

Ali and I came to Taiwan at the same time. We were tight from the get-go because we worked together, lived in the same building- right across from each other, took Chinese class together, and went to church together. We are a lot alike, and we learned how to live in Taipei together. We joke about how people didn't realize that we were two different people in the beginning because we're both white with blond hair and both of our names start with A. I'm so thankful for Ali because she really helped me through the beginning months and years of being in Taiwan. Ali is getting married to Nick in a little over a month. I had the joy of witnessing their relationship from the beginning. Nick is an awesome guy, and he and Ali are a great match. Their "couple name" is Nali (Nick + Ali), and we celebrated them with a Taiwan reception last weekend. All their Taiwan friends and relatives (Nick is half Taiwanese) were there, so it was a really fun time with a lot of great people. I helped out by making sure the schedule went as planned, mostly keeping track of time by getting the m.c.'s on or off the stage. I sat at the entrance with the guest book and collected red envelopes. I also did the head count and empty juice container count (haha). Ali and Nick looked so nice and so happy. The Taiwanese way to get married is very similar to what Nick and Ali just did. It is more a banquet celebration rather than the ceremony and reception western culture is used to. So a lot of people found it funny that they were going to work the next day. Their real wedding is in Ohio on June 21. I will be at that celebration too, in fact I have the honor of being a bridesmaid. I am super excited to be a part of their American wedding and I'm looking forward to continued friendship with both of them when we all get back to Taipei in August.

This past weekend Ali and I went on an overnight trip as a sort of "last blast" together. It was a really nice 24 hours outside of the city. We have traveled a lot together, so we wanted to make sure we had a chance to travel one more time before she gets married. We went to JiuFen and Jingueshi, about an hour outside of Taipei. In perfect Ali and Adrienne travel style, with got off the bus at the wrong stop and had to wait for the next bus to continue on to the right place. We didn't know where the stop was, so we had this grand plan to get off where the most people got off. That plan did not work, but we still got to the right place. We had the owner of the Bed and Breakfast where we were staying pick us up. He turned out to be a really nice guy, but we were a bit alarmed at his choice of car ride music(ahem). Everything worked out perfectly, we had a lovely dinner at a traditional restaurant in the tiny village where our B&B was located. While we were eating we got to see fireworks and lanterns floating up in the sky as part of an anniversary celebration of the local elementary school. The next day after breakfast, we went to the Gold Ecological Park. We climbed up the mountain to see a gorgeous view of the Pacific ocean and villages below. We went in the Gold Museum and took a tour of the mine tunnel. It was a pretty cool place. Then we went to JiuFen to do some shopping. JiuFen's old street is filled with shops that sell traditional gifts, food, toys, etc. It was fun to walk through. After getting a late lunch at a cafe, we headed back to Taipei. It was a really nice break, and now we're both ready to head into the home-stretch of the school year. We are both moving classrooms and apartments. There is a lot to be done, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel (just like in the Gold Mine!).

I've been here, there, and everywhere in recent weeks. From Spring Break to class trips, the last two months have been packed! I've also helped plan a women's retreat for church and Ali's bridal shower as well as finished my last 2 grad classes for the year. There are still a few more "events" this year as well as two big moves for me: I'm moving to a new apartment and my classroom is moving as well. I had to take a day off today to gather my thoughts and regain my sanity.

Spring Break: This year, on the Monday after Easter, I headed to Malaysian Borneo with Teecy, Amanda, Katie, and Steve. This vacation week started out awesome and ended up terrible. We arrived in Kota Kinabalu to find a city that was both bustling and quaint. We found our hostel and immediately ventured out to the local market to find fruit and crafts. We got foot massages and ate dinner on the boardwalk before checking out the mall scene. The next day, we headed to the pier to catch a boat to one of the islands. While KK is on the coast, it doesn't have any beaches. In order to enjoy the tropical beach life, we had to go to one of the islands off the coast. The water and beaches were perfect, much like most of the other beaches I've been to in South East Asia. The next day, we arranged a trip to the rain forest so that we could check out the canopy walk and tropical flora and fauna. This was the most awesome part of the trip for me because I got to see some amazing tropical butterflies at the butterfly farm, sit in a stream watching a waterfall while eating lunch, walk across the canopy on a rope walk, and see some plant varieties that I had never seen before. What a great day! Unfortunately the next day I got really sick with some kind of stomach bug. I still have no idea what it was, but I was on the beach when it hit. I ended up getting an earlier boat back to the city, and I spent the next three days in bed. I had no energy, couldn't keep any food in, and was miserable with a pounding headache. I missed white water rafting and more beach fun. I was so bummed. My friends were so good to me. They got me plenty of bananas and bread as well as some crazy jungle medicine (who knew that coal can be a fuel and a medicine??). The medicine didn't seem to help a whole lot, but I was happy to survive the flight back to Taipei. I ended up at the emergency room that evening back in Taipei, but they didn't seem too concerned. I got completely over it after a few days; I must have just needed it to run it's full course. Even though the first few days of the trip were awesome, I'm not too keen to go back to Malaysia anytime soon.
photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46913&l=ac793&id=682431022

Freshman Biology Trip: A week after returning from Malaysia, I was off on another trip, this one with students. I'd been working with the biology teachers from our other 2 campuses on organizing a trip to Kenting (in Southern Taiwan) to go snorkeling and to visit the Kenting Aquarium, which is a world class joint. The 9th grade class at Bethany is my "sponsor" class, the class that I advise. I decided to make this into our class trip by extending it one day so we could spend more time together and work on starting the transition process. Our school only goes to 9th grade, so the freshmen students leave us at the end of the year. It's always fun to go on a trip for the first time, especially as the leader, because you don't really know what to expect. The kids kept asking me questions, and I would respond over and over, "I don't know...I guess we'll find out". Thankfully, the trip was a total success! Our 9th graders got to hang out and mix with the other 9th graders, which is really good, because a lot of them will become classmates next year. We got to go snorkeling together, which was a bit chaotic, but when we finally all got our gear on and in the water, we got to see some cool things. I took my life vest off because there's no way I can snorkel with a life vest, but the instructor came over and told me that I needed to ask my teacher if I was allowed to take it off. Wow, I felt so dumb, but I think she felt worse. Then she taught me to "skin dive", and she was impressed with my skill. After snorkeling, we headed to the Kenting Aquarium. They had a whole program for us, including us sleeping at the aquarium that night. It was so cool to be there after hours, and we slept in front of a huge tank with a whale shark, rays, tuna, and other fish swimming by us all night. It was a big observation room, we slept boys on one side, girls on the other, and teachers in the middle...I love teaching in Taiwan! The next day, we headed back to MAK, the Kaohsiung school, where it was just our students for the last night. Our counselor did a transition seminar with them and helped them to start thinking about the moving on process. We had more fun together and then brought the high speed rail home Sunday morning. It was such a great, well-rounded trip. The kids bonded with the other 9th graders, learned more about aquatic ecosystems, and got closer together as a class. All good things to do at the end of the year.
photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49498&l=f4da7&id=682431022

Last weekend was another freshmen event. We went to the Taichung campus so the students could go through orientation for next year. We spent Friday on campus, well, actually the kids did...the chaperons went to Starbucks! They had evening activities planned for us so the kids could get to know the other 9th graders even more. Then we spent the night and stuck around all day Saturday for the Flea Market and Music Festival. The kids were free for the day, and I watched Gemma so that Nevada could direct the choir and band. It was a nice, sunny day so we splashed around in the pool, played on the playground, and took a nap in the grass...all difficult things to do in Taipei. *On a sidenote, I counted that this was my 11th night sleeping on a gym floor with my students THIS YEAR...that has got to be some kind of record! The things I do for my students!... good thing I like them so much. :)

I'm coming off the Pearl Women's Retreat, which was a terrific 24 hours of "down time". We got to play, meditate, learn, and reflect on God's goodness. It was a good spiritual break. There's a lot more to come before summer break, and it's all going so fast. I hope to do a better job of updating on here. In the meantime, check out the photo links to my facebook albums.

Life doesn't slow down. In the last few weeks I've finished my 3rd masters class, ran the track events at our field day, organized the last 9th grade sleepover for the year, finished the first half of the 3rd grading quarter, and within the last week...managed to get sick. Getting sick is not good considering there's still a 7th grade sleepover I'm helping with, an ecology trip to plan, a science fair to put on, the Science Olympiad to oversee, a field trip to the MJIB (the "Taiwan FBI"), etc, etc, etc.

I haven't had a cold this bad since senior year of college. I've been sick for a full week...started with a sore throat and wicked head cold, and it has s-l-o-w-l-y progressed to a nasty cough, and now I have no voice. I missed 2 days of school and barely made it to our system PD day yesterday. All the teachers came up to our campus for job-a-like time. I always talk about how much I enjoy getting together with my fellow science teachers. This time was no exception. Even though I was hacking and coughing and squeaking, we still got some stuff accomplished and had some good laughs together. I'm really hoping to get my voice back by Monday so that I can get back into the swing of school (I really hate missing school). I need to get the 8th graders prepped for the science fair on Wednesday! Exciting times as March is "Science Month" at Bethany.

Oh, and a random interesting story...apparently I brake for rats. The other night, I was biking home from school, and a rat ran in front of my bike while I was coming down the alley. It startled me, so I braked and swerved to miss it. I guess it is Year of the Rat.

I had to dodge a firecracker on my bike tonight!
Mickey Mouse, Ratatouille, Mouse Trap, and other mouse/rat movies have been playing on TV.
I saw several people rifling through their red envelopes on the MRT yesterday.
The pace in the city has been a lot slower.
The trash trucks haven't come around for days.
Shops are actually closed.
Kids are out of school.
Fireworks can be heard loud and clear EVERY NIGHT!

That's right. It's Chinese New Year time in Taiwan. I've had the last week off school. It's been really nice to spend the week in the city despite the rainy and cold weather. We are now in the Year of the Rat, which is why they have been showing mouse and rat movies on TV (the Chinese word for rat is the same as mouse). Younger people get red envelopes from their older relatives which are full of money. Everybody seems to move a little slower on the streets because this is the only time of year that everyone has at least a few days off. Firecrackers are lit on the streets by families and groups of friends, and fireworks can be heard at all times. It is a very special time for Chinese people. For me, I just enjoy the time off as well as the cultural sights and snacks. Tomorrow, it's back to work. It's also back to class as my third graduate class starts tomorrow as well. Good thing I had this week to relax!

Happy New Year (again), everyone!

Wondering what I've been up to? I haven't updated in several weeks, because my life has been a blur of activity!

SCHOOL
I had to "hit the ground running" on January 7 when we returned to school because we had one week to finish up teaching before finals started. I had to give finals in my 8th grade Physical Science class as well as my 9th grade Biology class. It's difficult getting back into teaching and assessing after the break, but it's a crucial time because there were only 2 weeks to the end of the semester. That meant that RIGHT after finals were finished, grades were due. Grade report time is always a stressful time for me because I'm perpetually behind in my grading. I did get all my grades finished, but not without some late nights and "winged" lessons.

GRAD SCHOOL
During this same time of finishing the semester and grading, I was working on my second grad class, Creative Teaching Techniques and Multimedia. This class, just like the first one, met Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 5:30pm-8:30pm and Saturdays from 9am-5pm for two weeks. This class was really good for me because we learned how to film and edit videos, make better PowerPoints, and just be brave enough to try new things in the world of technology. The first week was more lecture style, and the second week was just group work time. Our assignment was to make a memorable 20 min. presentation and present it on the last day. This class was more fun than the first class, but it was more work, or a least a different kind of work. This work was more creative as we were making videos, editing, doing voice-overs, and putting together a final project. In the process I learned a lot!

FRIENDS
A lot has been happening within my friend circle here.
ALI and NICK are engaged, and they have asked me to be a bridesmaid in there wedding. I'm so excited for them and happy to be able to be a part of their big day. They will get married in Ohio on June 21. Then they will return to Taiwan as Mr. and Mrs. Su!
ANDY and AUDREY are pregnant. Their baby is due at the end of June. I'm disappointed that I will miss the end of the pregnancy and birth, but I'll be so happy to be able to help out and be a part of their little one's life when I return in July.
TEECY has decided to return home after this school year. She feels that there is more that she wants to pursue in her life including returning to school. I'm so sad to see Teecy leave Taiwan. She has been such a good friend and "life coach" to me in her 2 years here, but I know that she will succeed in whatever she does. She is a follower of God's will, so I am confident that she is doing the right thing.

WEATHER
The weather keeps fluctuating from cold (50s) to warm (80s). I've had my heater out and my electric blanket on to beat the cold, but then randomly we'll have what seems like a spring day. We haven't had lots of rain that is characteristic of winters in Taipei, but we have been getting some.

UP AHEAD
Chinese New Year is coming up, which means we have another week off school. It seems funny since we just had 2 weeks off for Christmas, but I'll take it! I'm not traveling this year, so I'll just be enjoying the empty city and extra time to do the things I never have time to do normally. Maybe I'll take a day trip or something.

My next grad class, Teaching Students with Special Needs, starts after CNY.

Spring Break is also up ahead during the week of Easter. I'm trying to make plans to go to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Someone from school went there for Christmas and told me I would love it. There are lots of nature things to do: rain forest, monkeys, sea turtles, volcanoes, the world's largest flower, carnivorous plants, and beaches. It seems like a great place, so Teecy, Amanda, and I are looking into tickets and places to stay.

Xin Nian Kuai Le! Happy New Year!

I've had an awesome break so far, and I still have a few days to go! My Christmas celebration began on Christmas Eve day when I gathered with my friends to do a gift exchange and make dinner together. We had a totally chill day with all of the essentials: food, movies, presents, games, and The Office! I stayed overnight at the McKenzies so that I could spend Christmas morning with them. We spent the morning together being entertained by Gemma and relaxing. Then, in the afternoon, we went to Kevin and Nicole's wedding. That was a fun way to spend Christmas evening. They had a combined Western and Chinese wedding with a Western ceremony and a Chinese Banquet. It was fun to spend the day with some of my church friends celebrating Kevin and Nicole's marriage as well as Christmas. The most interesting part for me was the food. It was presented in a loud drum banging, light flashing ceremony. It was an intense display of light and sound, with the chefs parading around with the dishes in their hands. They had lots of seafood (the traditional wedding food) and some interesting combinations at that. My favorite interesting dish was the hot dragon fruit bowl filled with cheese and scallops. I didn't think that fruit and seafood and cheese went together in a hot dish, and actually...I still don't. Anyway, throughout the evening we had fun figuring out the food, chatting together, and admiring the bride's two gown changes.

The day after Christmas, I left with Ali and the McKenzies for the Philippines! We found a cheap flight to Cebu, but it left at 10:50pm, or so we thought. Our flight ended up being delayed until 12:30am, which meant we didn't even get to Cebu until 3am, and then our resort was a 2 1/2 hour drive from the airport! We traveled all night and arrived at our resort at 6am. It was rough travel, but once at the resort, the next few days were total relaxation. This vacation was different from any other vacation I've been on in that we stayed at the resort, which was seemingly in the middle of nowhere, the entire 5 days. We didn't leave, because there wasn't really reason to, and it was expensive to get anywhere because things were far away. We did have some regrets about not being able to truly "experience" the Philippines, but I didn't mind so much because I had done that last spring when I went to the Philippines the first time. We spent each day eating at the little open-air restaurant every meal with the ocean as our backdrop, playing in the pool, snorkeling in the ocean, laying in the sun, resting in the hammock, and chasing Gemma around. Everyone was so nice, and besides some family of one of the owners, we were the only people there for the first few days! It was an incredibly beautiful place with perfect sunsets, great weather, and fun travel buddies. One afternoon we hired a boat to take us out snorkeling and swimming. And another afternoon we got full body massages. Boy oh Boy...I could really get used to that kind of livin'! Our last day we left early and went back to Cebu city to be tourists at Magellan's Cross and do some mall shopping before our evening flight. It was nice to see some city life there as well as spend time in a real, live mall! We don't really have malls in Taiwan, so it was a treat! I got back last night JUST in time to ring in the New Year. I was getting out of the taxi to head up to my apartment when I heard the fireworks start. Taipei has a huge display of fireworks off the 101 building at midnight on New Year's Eve. I can see the top few layers of the building from my roof, so I ran up there to catch some of the fireworks. By the way, while we were gone, it got freezing in Taipei! Well, I guess not actually freezing...but COLD for Taipei! I wore a knit hat to bed last night!

School doesn't start back up until Monday, so I have 5 more days of vacation. I'm actually looking forward to getting caught up in some work, and doing some things I've been putting off.

Here we are at Christmas break...finally. The last two weeks have been packed, but I'm sure you are all tired of hearing that from my blog! (I'm tired of hearing it myself...or maybe I'm just tired) Anyway, I'm preparing for my first Christmas in Taipei! Exciting! Two of our friends from church are getting married on Christmas day, so a bunch of us are staying in town to attend. Since we're sticking around, we decided to have as close to a family Christmas as possible. We exchanged names for a "Secret Santa" gift giving time, assigned foods for dinner, rented Christmas movies, and now we're ready to begin! I'm very excited for this low-key Christmas because it's the closest to a "normal Christmas" that I've had for a while. Just chillin' out, playing games, watching movies, eating...I'm even going to sleep at the McKenzies tonight (Christmas Eve)! It's going to be so fun to wake up and spend Christmas morning with the people I love here in Taiwan. Later in the afternoon, we'll get ready and go to the wedding, which will be fun too, because it will be filled with more friends and more joy! So, I'm ready to start this 2-day celebration. Then on the 26th, I'm headed to the Philippines for a 5-day excursion to the beach, hooray!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Whew! I made it to Thanksgiving break...amazing, but true! This year I decided to organize a Thanksgiving feast with the other young people (singles and young married couples) who were going to be in town. It was so much fun, but somewhat difficult to find all the ingredients for the dinner. There's no Kroger or Giant or Nell's or Grandma's house here in Taipei, it's more like a combination of that one import store, and that market, and that one grocery store that has unusual foods, and that person we can borrow from, etc. It makes living more exciting to have the Great Taipei Hunt for Thanksgiving Ingredients (i.e. cranberry sauce). We did finally find cranberry sauce at Jasons, the import grocery store/rip-off alley in the basement of the 101 building (still the tallest building in the world, by the way).

Anyway, back to the dinner. I assured everyone that I would be in charge of the turkey, if they all brought the sides. I bought a 13 pound turkey (for close to $30USD) and stored it in the freezer at school until a few days before Thanksgiving. It was then that I realized that I had no idea how to stuff and roast a turkey even though I watched/helped my mom many times. It was then I started the great research project, Project Get-That-Turkey-Roasted (like the code name?). Anyway, I got out my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, looked up tips on the internet, called my mom about 6 times, and asked around. I had lots of information when it came time for the big day. The only thing I didn't have was a metal skewer (which seemed key in keeping the stuffing all closed in). My mom did some research on the homefront and suggest sewing it closed! I thought this was funny, but decided to try it, what other choice did I have? So Project Get-That-Turkey-Roasted adopted plan B, which was to sew the turkey closed with a sewing needle and dental floss. It worked! The only other trouble we ran into was that the turkey was still partially frozen at 11am Thanksgiving day. I don't feel too bad about that one because I think it is a common problem that even seasoned turkey roasters face. After soaking it in water for a bit, we were ready to go! Nevada was a big help in holding it while I stuffed it, helping guide my sewing, and seasoning it and preparing it to go into the bag (yes, my mom so kindly sent turkey cooking bags, which REALLY helped the roasting process to go more smoothly and quickly). After all that work, my job was mostly done. I periodically checked the turkey and temped it close to the finishing time. It wasn't actually that difficult. It turned out great! The turkey combined with all the other yummy dishes made for one traditional Thanksgiving feast; it was awesome! And the fact that all "us kids" prepared it was even more amazing! I'm ready to do it all again...in ONE year! :)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Every November our 7th grade students head out on a trip around the island for what is called "Culture Trip". This year I had the privilege of going along as a chaperone. The goal of this trip is to expose the 7th graders to different aspects of Taiwan culture: industry, ecology, history, etc. We left for 4 days, 3 nights last Tuesday morning. I had a lot to do to get ready for being away from my other students for 4 days. It's a hassle preparing for a substitute teacher...especially if there aren't any qualified teachers to sub. Anyway, only by God's grace did I get sub plans finished and my bags packed in time! As we set out, I felt God's peace...it was amazing. I had been sooo stressed up to that point, and as we drove away on the bus I was aware of his provision in getting me to that point. I also became really excited for the days to come, I hadn't really allowed myself time to think about the trip until then. We had an awesome, awesome time! The weather was fantastic- warm and sunny, the kids were so good, the stops were really educational and interesting, and surprisingly enough, it was restful.

Some highlights of the trip:
In Neiwan we stopped at an old movie theater. We learned about the miners who used to frequent the theater and spend their whole day's wages on a movie because they never knew if they'd live to see another day. Their jobs were dangerous, so they splurged on going to the movies even though it meant spending all their money. It is a 2 story establishment that is now a restaurant. It serves Hakka food, so we stopped there for lunch. The foods were quite interesting, I wasn't brave enough to try them all.

In CiGu, we went on an ecology boat tour to an island off the coast. We learned about the symbiotic relationships among the smaller coastal organisms, especially interesting were the oysters, crabs, and the kids' favorite- the puffer fish! We saw the world's FASTEST crab, as well as many smaller crabs that make little sand balls after eating their food. It was so cool! As our tour guide fisherman was showing us the fish he caught in his nets, I made a joke to the kids about how that was our lunch. Then, I realized that it really WAS our lunch, so I stopped trying to be funny. We also ate oysters when we got back to the main shore. It was cool for the kids to see how the oysters are caught and farmed, and then actually get to eat them! This was one of my favorite parts of the trip!

I loved the Taiwan International Ship Building Company in Kaohsiung! It was so cool to wear a hard hat and tour the ship building grounds! These ships are GIANT; I've never seen anything so massive. They were working on ships orders from all over the world. One was ready to be christened the following week. And many others were works in progress.

We also took a ferry to Chi-Chin Island. We walked up to see the lighthouse and an awesome view of the Kaohsiung harbor. Then we spent an hour or two at the beach! The kids played in the ocean, and I collected seashells and rested...until some of the kids came out of the ocean with bloody scrapes from barnacles attached to the rope. I spent the rest of the afternoon dabbing bloody backs, arms, and legs and applying ointment. :) The chaperones and a few of the kids watched the sunset over the ocean while the others were shopping and eating in the beach town. It was a lovely day!

On the last day, as we made our way back up north, we stopped at an aboriginal museum and village. We saw an aborigine dance and ate lunch there as well. A lot of the things we saw and learned reminded me of the Native Americans. The Aboriginal population is decreasing rapidly because they are marrying into the Chinese population. It was interesting for me (and the kids) to learn more about the natives of Taiwan.

Overall, it was a great trip! I was so glad to be able to go along. We slept at the other campuses of Morrison Academy (Taichung the first night and Kaohsiung the the second and third nights). I taught the kids how to play underground church and had devotions with the girls each night. It was a lot like summer camp! It's great that we can do this with our kids. It's something they remember for a long time. The older students are constantly saying, "remember that time on culture trip..." and reminiscing about the fun times they had. I'm glad I got a chance to experience it with them.

I finished my first grad course last Saturday. I was so happy to be done as the workload was difficult to balance. Our last class was tying up loose ends, turning in our final paper, presenting articles, etc. We ended earlier than normal, so I organized a group lunch for my new classmates at my favorite Thai restaurant in GongGuan (right down the street from school). After sharing food, stories, and congratulations at the completion of another class (for most people this was their 3rd, 4th or 5th class) together, I was looking forward to getting home for a nap to recover from the busyness of the last two weeks and to gain energy to prepare for a busy week ahead. I was walking back to school to get my bike with sleep on my mind and a mission in my step, when an older Chinese man stopped me on the street. He said, "are you from Pennsylvania?" I was really weirded out that he had guessed correctly as to where I was from when I looked down and realized I had thrown on my Penn State shirt that morning. I said, "yeah" with a question in my voice. He then replied, "I really admire the quakers...(short pause)...I want to BE a quaker". I was stunned! Who, in this day and age, desires to BE a quaker (he really emphasized the "BE"), especially and old Chinese man on the street of Taipei?? I just said, "really?...huh." I was speechless, and then we both turned and went on our ways. I wish that I would have been in a better state of mind to ask him more about why and what he knew about quakers and what drew him want to BE one. I was so curious and couldn't get it off my mind the whole way home.

I'm smack dab in the middle of my very first grad course, Issues and Influences in Education. I'm taking these courses through Framingham State College in Massachusetts. It is a great opportunity if for no other reason, its convenience. Framingham sends professors over to Taiwan to teach two-week intensive courses, and those classes are held right at Bethany School. Teachers from other American or International schools from around the city come too, so it's a good mix of students. We meet Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings from 5:30-8:30, and Saturday from 8:30-3:30 for 2 weeks. It's quite busy, but do-able. It took me a few days to get back into the swing of being a student again. This course is mostly reading and analyzing articles about educational issues and trends. We write papers, discuss, and present about these issues, so it's actually very interesting. It does take a lot of thought, however, and I wasn't prepared for that on the first night. I was the student trying to be unnoticed in my seat subconsciously chanting "please don't call on me, please don't call on me". I was so nervous because I had forgotten what it was like to critically think and analyze writing. I made it through the first class and even managed to score well on my first 2 papers. I'm more into it now that I've been in a few classes and have seen the value and appeal to analyzing and sharing thoughts. All this to say, taking this course has started me on the exciting path of getting my masters, and in the process has made my life very full as I'm still a full-time teacher with all the normal responsibilities, BUT I'm finding the content very stimulating and interesting as well as useful in my classroom.

This weekend I was a part of an EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools) conference at Taipei American School called "Teaching Science for Understanding". I'm allowed to call it a "nerd convention" because I'm a little bit of a nerd myself. I really enjoy teachers conferences, but a SCIENCE teachers conference is just divine! Part of my joy stems from the fact that I am the only science teacher at my school. We don't have a science department, so I'm a bit of a lone ranger when it comes to science issues at my campus. I love getting together with other science teachers because we "get" each other. There is no (science) language barrier. We can just start talking about topics and issues and ways to teach and do labs and demonstrations and we don't have to explain the mechanics behind the concepts (most of the time). Also, everybody laughs at the jokes!...so I don't feel dumb being the only one laughing at science humor. There is great value and fun in simply putting a bunch of middle school and high school science teachers in a room together!

The conference was lead by Pinky Nelson. He is probably most known for his shuttle missions. I think he's been on 3 shuttle missions, and he showed a "home" video of his last mission aboard the Discovery in 1989, which was the first mission after the Challenger explosion. He had many interesting things to tell us about being in space, which may have been the highlight of the conference. Just learning some of the basic mechanics of a shuttle and how take-off works (and feels) from an astronaut first hand is very exciting. And this was only a small part of our 2-day conference. Pinky is now a professor at the University of Washington. He teaches astronomy courses as well as science education courses for teachers. He is a part of the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), and so he is passionate about improving the way we teach science in the classroom. We spent lots of time discussing the need for education reform especially in science, how to better implement some of the "science basics" in our curriculum, and the idea of teaching "less is more". We also just spent time sharing ideas together, which is always a valuable resource. We did 2 "experiments" in groups as well. I always thought it might be dangerous putting science teachers into groups and having them do a canned science lab, and now I know it's true! My group immediately turned into a group of middle school students straying from the lab to show each other cool "tricks" you can do with the same materials from the lab. Even though I had to give up my whole Friday and Saturday and take a 40 minute bus ride each morning and evening, it was worth it. And on Saturday, TAS was having an International Food Fair, so for lunch I had Indian curry and samosas! Science and good food...what more could this little nerd need?

I got my bike "fixed up" this week, and you wouldn't believe the difference it makes! It sounds silly, because I have a cheap-o bike, but my metal basket had holes in it to the point that small things would fall out as I was riding, the handlebars were not aligned, and my seat was too low. Now I have a brand-new-never-used basket, which helps a lot, because now I can actually carry things in it without the worry of them falling out. Now it doesn't seem like I'm making a sharp left turn when I'm riding in a straight line, which makes biking a lot easier. And now my seat is higher, so I'm pedaling down more than up. I also had a bell added so that I can alert people to move out of my way when I'm coming. All the cool kids have them, and now I'm part of that group. Having my bike in optimum condition is key for me here as I use it everyday to get from point A to point B. I can bike easier and faster now, much to Ali's dismay for now it's harder to keep up with me!

This was the slogan of our hotel in Penghu. We headed back to the archipelago between China and Taiwan for our second annual fall break trip. We added a day and 2 people to our trip this year. We stayed for 3 nights and included Nick, Ali's boyfriend and Jess, the student teacher living with Ali and teaching with Audrey. Oh, and I guess we added Gemma, although she was there in utero last year :). We had a great time relaxing and having fun together. The weather wasn't as perfect as it was last year, but we still had good beach time. The second day was cloudy, so we decided to visit the Aquarium and scooter around. Even though the sun wasn't shining, we had a great day. We revisited the whale cave and found the Geology Museum, we ate cactus ice cream and scootered through the wind of Penghu. October on Penghu is "off-season" as far as tourism goes, so while there are people around, not all the shops are open, and not all the activities are in full operation. But on the bright side, we feel like we have the place to ourselves, and we can truly relax on a seemingly private tropical island beach. And all this is only a 40 minute plane ride from Taipei. It was nice to be there for a second time; we visited some of the same places and found some new ones as well (restaurants, beaches, pubs). It was also fun watching Gemma take some of her first steps. She was getting more and more brave walking back and forth between 2 people. She was a form of entertainment all in herself. She was a great beach baby, that is, when she wasn't eating sand! :)

Now, I'm preparing myself for the busyness of my first masters course, a 4-day culture trip with 7th grade, a 2-day EARCOS conference, end of the first grading period, parent/teacher conferences, oh yeah, and my regular duties as a teacher...ALL happening between now and Thanksgiving. Good thing I relaxed in Penghu...because that will have to hold me over until turkey time! :)