Living a life lost in translation

So... Today is Thanksgiving and I'm missing my family like crazy. I have been a little sick this week, and it feels like I just can't ever get back to 100% while working at this job. Even when I have to weekend to sleep and veg, I am so strung out. It sucks.

Pamela and Dan sent me cute portraits of the twins and it just makes me want to cry thinking I could be holding them right now... I feel so grateful that I have Lindsay and Bradley, and that I'm not completely alone... We're going to chill tomorrow and play Mah Jong here at my place. It will be nice.

I just really hope that my next job here is not like this one... If it is, I don't know that I can teach in Taiwan. Katie once told me that some people live to work, while others work to live. I immediately thought I was someone who lived to work. I would be happy to live only to teach. Teaching is who I am. But now I realize what living to work really is, and it's not who I am. The only thing that really gets me up to go to work is two of the girls I teach, Ilitta and JoJo. They are so amazing to me.

Since I was sick this week, they asked me how I was feeling, and gave me suggestions on how to feel better (like drinking more water). They are six years old! JoJo came back from nap-time yesterday to give me a big hug and ask, "How are you? Do you feel okay?" That a little girl would care about me in this manner makes this whole mess worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I miss you...

Here I am! Did you miss me? Things have been the same here. I don't have much news to report, but I'll share my latest Taiwan adventure with you.

For some reason lots of parades come down my street regularly. I know that one of them was a funeral for a very important Taiwanese millionaire that died recently. Yesterday there was a parade setting up on my street and I thought, "What the hay? I'll go take some fun pictures." It was definitely a funeral. It was a very cool funeral though. I would definitely love to have a Chinese funeral, because no one seems to be mourning. Every seemed somber but they also seemed to be celebrating. There were a few traditional things that went down, such as a dragon on sticks, a warrior dance, and the "giants" as I like to call them-- which I think represent death.

The dragon was very cool. It was made of a bunch of people carrying sticks that attached to a huge dragon. They ran in circles and in and out of the circle-- even did a cheerleader-like pose with a few people on others' shoulders. Very cool. After the dragon came a band and then a whole buttload of firecrackers. A random lady warned me to "find a place to hide" but of course I didn't take her too seriously. Taiwanese women here tend to be squeamish. Man, was I wrong! I got a picture but only at the expense of my hearing! Haha. Next was the warrior dance, which seemed to represent a water-carrier weaving his way through life. I was very impressed by these guys. Last was the huge giants that took a walk around the hearse. That's right. The hearse was in the parade.

I took pictures of everything, so check it out on my flickr page. I am not quite sure if it was appropriate or not to take pictures. There was a man taping it, so I think it was okay. Although, this man came up to me and asked, "You know this is a funeral?" Uhh... duh. The hearse is a dead give away (pun intended).

Here's a teaser:

So I gave my two months notice officially today. Let's hope everything works out for the best. I feel very confident right now, but I also have no ARC card (which means a no bank account and no scooter) and no job lined up. Oh, the trouble I get myself into.

Today I finally realized that I am indeed brave. Thanks to Lindsay's words: "Just because things aren't going so well doesn't mean you're not brave. You made the decision to come here. That's bravery all by itself." Yay :o) I am brave.