The Allen's Online Blog

Today was my first Saturday not working since I've been in Taiwan. We were excited for the time off and for the time together. So, we decided to spend the day in the mountains. (The mountains of Hsinchu are supposedly some of the most beautiful in Taiwan.) We packed a picnic lunch and scooted off around 11 a.m. After driving a good 40 minutes longer than we expected, we finally arrived at a mountain spot filled with extravagant worship for the oven god. There were beautiful temples, a market place, dancers, musicians, and lots of Taoists pilgrims. We followed the road to its end, where there was a hiking "trail" for those who wished to continue to the peak. This trail was about six inches wide, and looked like it had not been hiked in a very long time, or at least not very often. Any other foreigner probably would have taken the hint and turned back, but not us. We accepted the challenge and charged into the woods full of excitement to reach the peak. After a few minutes, we wondered if we were really on a trail at all, but we hadn't seen anything else that could've been the trail, so we carried on. It wasn't long before we were scaling mud and stone walls and sliding down small cliffs to follow this "trail." After about two hours, any hint of a trail was gone, and we were lost. We tried to call our friends, who we were having dinner with later that evening, to tell them we were lost, and might be late, but the cell phone battery was dead. So, we were somewhere on the top of a mountain with no phone and no direction and nothing but sharp cliffs to follow. We decided to try and find our way back the way we had come, always a good idea, but having lost the trail, it was a bit difficult to know exactly where we had come from. There's no way to describe the peril we were in without making some sort of action film. We were literally holding on to the side of the mountain as we trekked along the edge of a cliff, wandering in the hopes of making it off the mountain before dark. There were several times were the trail would give way under our feet and we were only saved by grabbing onto some tree branch or other sturdy plant as we were plummeting off the edge. One time, there was a landslide under my feet, but I had already been holding onto a tree branch with both hands for support. What a frightening thing it must have been for Phillip to hear the land collapse beneath my feet and turn to see me literally swinging from a tree branch with nothing underneath me. There were several times when I thought Phillip was going to take the quick way down the mountain as well. It was a bit disconcerting at the time, but now I wish we would've taken more pictures... maybe even a brief film.
Eventually, we did find our way back to some sort of trail, but we weren't entirely sure where it would lead. It lead us to a man who lived in a cave. We're guessing he was Hakka, because he couldn't understand anything we said in Chinese (then again, it could've been our horrible accent). After some vivid attempts at communication, he threw all of his belongings into a bag and led us down the mountain. Apparently, it was so easy even a cave man could do it. ;)

I was waiting in line in the cafeteria when the fourth grade teacher approached me and asked if I danced. I told her that I had taken lessons when I was little. She then asked if I would choreograph the Christmas musical. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised. I reiterated the fact that I hadn't danced in a long time, but she responded with the fact that she's never taken dance lessons and she's been doing the school choreography for the last few years. Finally, I acquiesced to her request. "I knew you looked like a dancer," was her satisfied response.
Apparently, Taiwan can make you a lot of things you're not: a choreographer, a biker chic, a first grade teacher. I feel like I'm living in a world of make-believe where every step is not my own. This attitude, however, does make me feel more confident. After all, if something goes wrong, it's just a glitch with the role. I really think I would be willing to try just about anything, at least, while I'm living in a foreign country.

Labels: work

I started my new job on Monday. Most of you are probably wondering, "What new job?" Well, that's what happens when you live around the world with no international calling plan! While I was enjoying my job teaching English at the Hess language school, it wasn't going to cut it financially. We could've gotten by ok, but there would be no way of saving enough money to fly back home. An international school in the area was desperate to find a first grade teacher, and they found me. So, now I am teaching at Hsinchu International School. The children are from all over the world, but all of their classes are in English. It's pretty much the same as if I were teaching first grade in the States... which I would never do.
So, I started Monday with a bad cold, no energy, no voice, 17 energetic first graders, and two full time jobs (each afternoon, when the kids went home, I went to Hess to continue teaching until 9pm). It was an interesting beginning. The first day, I appointed "line leaders" for lunch and recess. The kids thought it was a reward, in reality I had no idea where the cafeteria and the playground were. I don't think they believed me that I didn't have a voice either, they thought it was some sort of whispering/listening game. Oh, well. I think I'd rather their parents get this translation anyway.
Phillip and I got up early Saturday morning so we could decorate the classroom before I had to go to work. I'm working on a fun Dr. Seuss theme. Phillip has been really helpful in assuring my survival through all the craziness. Now, the worst part is over. Saturday was my last day at Hess, so starting tomorrow I'll be a normal teacher with only one full time job. Overall, things are looking up. I'm excited about the new job, and we've been finding some more food options that make life a little more comfortable. With my MUCH improved salary, we're even going to be able to travel a bit. We booked a vacation for Boracay, an island in the Philippines, for Christmas vacation. (I would not have had any Christmas vacation with the old job, but now I have two weeks, paid.) I can't wait!
Actually, I'm hoping to spend some time reading on the beach while I'm there, but I've already finished all the books I brought, and it's hard to find good literature in English here (although, I can get the Harry Potter series in Mandarin ridiculously cheap). Has anyone read anything good lately that you'd want to mail to Taiwan? :) I'll return it!

Labels: work

No I am not talking about Jennifer... well she has some of the above.... nevermind. Ok so we STINK at posting. A lot has happened since our last post.... I have been asked to Blog about the latest addition to our family. A nice, ok not so nice, scooter.
Scooters are all the rage here. They are really the best way to get around. But since they are soo popular they are all over the place. So it is a bit hard to drive, worse then NY but with scooters and cars mixed together. Our little scooter was actually an opportunity for a local missionary to get to know someone better. We met him through one of our contacts here and he knew a guy who sold scooters. So we went and looked at scooters. A few days later since we really needed a scooter (jennifer was driving 12 miles a day to work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), we bought one. We found one in our price range and with a big enough engine to get us around (it is hard for smaller engined scooters to get up the mountains nearby). But like most cars we own, it was a clunker. It smokes a lot and it is a sight that causes sore eyes but it gets around. We paid around 13,000 for it. That is New Taiwanese Dollars where 1 US dollar equals 32 NTD. We will try to post some pictures of it later!