Living a life lost in translation

So Collin is coming tonight! Well technically Collin is coming right now. He's somewhere over the Pacific probably watching a movie he's seen before and eating food that really doesn't taste all that great.

I am so excited for him to come because it means 1.) I get to see a friend from home and 2.) I have a traveling buddy! I plan on taking him to a hot spring up in the mountain, to Taipei for New Years, and maybe down south where it is supposedly warmer. It's 50 here and overcast, but I know I shouldn't be complaining-- especially to the people who read this that are from Chicago.

Collin is staying until the 30th which means he won't be here for my birthday, but I'm sure we'll celebrate it anyways. Haha. I can't wait to share how crazy Taiwan is with him. I wonder if I'll see things go through his head and think, "Yeah, I remember that feeling." Of course, it's all a bit different when you're just visiting. Eventually he will go home to Lux.

As for me, not much to say. I'm still searching for a job, but I have a couple of leads that I think might happen. I told a lot of you but not all of you that I had an interview a couple weeks ago. I guess they went with someone else. It's not that big of a deal; my heart wasn't really in it. It sounded like a huge challenge. I am okay with getting a job that will challenge me, but maybe not right now. I'm already being challenged because I'm in a strange place.

On a side note, one of the only kids on my floor has taken to screaming very loudly at random intervals of the day. She's doing it right now. What are you so upset about honey? And why don't your parents explain to you that screaming really isn't the best way to get what you want? Kids.

So this month I learned that I had overstayed my visa. This sounds like a serious offense but I promise that it's really not a big deal. So I booked a ticket to Hong Kong to renew my visa. I knew it would be a challenge to go to a big city in a foreign country ALONE, so I took my time in researching where I would stay, what I would do, and how I would get around.

Well, I might as well have gone on a whim because everything that I planned was thrown right out the window. I managed to make small mistakes like losing my printout of my ticket, but I bounced back from those fairly well. What I couldn't overcome was that fact that, little to my knowledge (or my travel agent's knowledge), there was a huge expo going on in Hong Kong this week. So that nice hotel I picked out? It didn't have any rooms. All the other hotels in Hong Kong? Charging a monstrous amount of money because they could get away with it. I managed to find a "deal" of only $100 American which ended up being a tiny room barely bigger than my bed.

Renewing my visa went... fairly well. I don't know, I'm taking it well, but potentially it's not that great. Basically, I went to all this trouble to get various documents together, even figured out the subway system in HK, only to get to the visa office and have the lady tell me, "You know the visa you got in the U.S. is a multiple entry?" In other words, I didn't have to come to this office. The only thing I HAD to do was leave Taiwan for a day because I had broken a rule. I could have effing gone to the Phillipines people! Oye. Wouldn't I give for a sunny beach.

ANYWAYS, after all of these problems a few more-- I decided to cut my losses and leave Hong Kong earlier than planned. It's funny how once I decided this things started going my way. I can boldly say that I didn't particularly have a good time in Hong Kong, but at least I learned a few things. I'm back in Taiwan now, and that's really all that matters.

Sorry it has been so long since I updated! I know a lot of you are wondering how I'm doing. I am really doing well. Taiwan is finally growing on me. I'm not saying I don't have times when I'm down, but I would have that at home! Things here have really picked up, and I have even traveled a bit. Last weekend I went to Yingge, a town where they have a really old Buddhist temple. The temple was gorgeous. So much history, and so much beautiful architecture. Bradley says that the temple has been under renovation for over 100 years! There was also a downtown with lots of cool shops and lots of old things to look at. Lindsay took lots of pictures which I have now posted on my flickr site, so check it out. Here's my favorite:

If I recall correctly, this drum was beat upon to thank the souls of animals.

This weekend was the Christmas Party. All my students had to sing and dance to a few songs, and I'm happy to say they were perfect! It's strange how much Asian culture puts pressure on little kids to be perfect, so I'm glad the did so well. Their parents all told me how great it was.

I've had a couple parents tell me that they are sad that I am leaving, and I have to say I am as well. I won't miss the crazy rules and lies, but I will certainly miss these kids. I told them that if they ever want to see me they can. When I told them this, JoJo (one the girls I just love) said, "But my Mommy doesn't have your phone numbers!" I truly hope her mom lets us hang out :o)

I also made a new friend who happens to be from Wisconsin. His name is John and he's been living here for a year and a half. The reason I mention him is he brought up that even if I'm on my own a lot I should go see places outside of Hsinchu, even outside of Taiwan! The thought terrifies me to be honest. I would LOVE to go see other parts of Asia, but I feel like going alone would be foolish... He said that if I stayed in a hostel I could meet other people, but still. I dunno, what do you guys think?

Before I go I want to say that I will be missing my family so much come Thursday, as this is the first ever Christmas I won't be with family. *sigh*

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.