Reverse Culture Shock Problems

Well, it has been an amazing week and a few days in the USA!  And writing this email while I look off of the rooftop terrace at the Chrysler Building really isn't hurting things.   Unfortunately, that is not the view of my new apartment- but it is where I'm staying for the week.  However, my new Park Slope home does have views of the freedom tower…and pictures to come when I move in August 10th!

Soaking up the sun in Cary, NC (and doing my pre-reading)

My current rooftop view!

For now, let me reflect on this very strange fact:

I DON'T LIVE IN TAIWAN ANYMORE.  

I'm still struggling with this.  I'm also still recovering from my 20 hour flight home.  Not so fun. In case you're wondering, this is what I do on a 20 hour flight:

- Read 3 books

- Watch 4 movies (and I watched Divergent twice)

- Drink bottomless volumes of wine in an attempt to fall asleep

- NEVER SLEEP

So my jet lag is probably not helping my adjustment to the States.  Nonetheless, for those of you pondering your upcoming move abroad (be it from Taiwan, the USA, or anywhere else), I've compiled a helpful list of things that I have struggled with since returning to the States:

- Flight attendants look at you strangely when you ask for hot water

- Everyone around you speaks English! (or Spanish.  But definitely a language you speak.) 

- ...a conversation being in English does not mean it's directed at you. 

- You do not have to look for scooters when you get off the bus

- You don't put toilet paper in the trash can

- Everyone uses Air Conditioning ALL THE TIME

- The storms are called hurricanes, not typhoons

- There are lots of attractive men...

-... but you are no longer attractive based on your citizenship/ different coloured hair

- You may not be the biggest size carried in every store

- You don't need to help your friends put straws in their drinks (this may be preschool-teacher specific)

- Other Americans don't say hi to you on the street just because you're both American

- Fruit is super expensive

- ...But wine is much cheaper

- Your hairdresser doesn't ask if they can instagram you

- All your cough and cold symptoms magically clear up in clean air

- When you spend an hour realizing that you have no water in your house...before you realize you can drink the tap water

- You can't remember a word in English...but you definitely know it in Mandarin!

- You recognize a lot more UN flags

- You get weird looks when you take pictures of your food

- No more mango banana frappucinos at Starbucks

- You find yourself empathizing with tourists struggling to communicate (I've been there)

- You wonder why no one is out at 12pm before you realize that no one has a long lunch break or naptime

- You keep trying to explain things to people that just don't seem logical once you're out of the country (no...I don't know why Taiwan has an independence day if it's part of China...)

- You have to use conditioner again because you aren't living in 100% humidity

- You no longer have struggles directing cab drivers, but they no longer try to talk to you

- Everyone can guess your age again

- No one is planning to go out of the country anytime soon. 

- Take out is no longer $3.

- You forget you don't need to write down everything you need before you go anywhere- you have a smartphone

- You forget that having a smartphone costs $$$$. 

- You forget that your phone even works and attempt to communicate via Facebook message instead.

- You are so excited to see everyone at home!!!

- ...and yet find yourself missing people (even people you thought you wouldn't, like my 5th graders) more than you thought possible!

That's all I got for now!  Let me know if you've got some that you've experienced any similar or different things when you've travelled/ lived abroad! 

New Beginnings?

I'm no longer in Taichung y'all!  And I'm sure I should be excited to be staying in the lovely Novotel at Taoyuan Airport- it is beautiful, well- stocked, and the staff are very nice.

Looks like a good place to sleep tonight!

What better place to watch airplanes than poolside?

But my heart is heavy today.  To be sure, with the news today out of Ukraine and Israel and Gaza (and probably many more places that the BBC isn't informing me about) is enough to crush anyone's spirit.
But my heart is heavy for another, much more personal reason.  Today I said goodbye to my home of one year, St. James'. This is not just emotionally, but physically- I have been living and working there for the past year.

So this week was filled with some joy, like a beautiful wedding…

So much food! There was lobsters…and oysters...

And the bride and groom decided from the balcony in a carriage (yeah, Taiwan knows how to do weddings)

There were adorable babies! 

Time to see old friends (I miss y'all already, Jenny, Tiffany, and Ruby)

Continued roomie bonding (but where is Joy??? why did you go to medical school?)

And my birthday…

Proof I am suited to be a preschool teacher- I act like I'm 5 on my birthday!!!

My co-teacher and I with the presents we have exchanged- two of our favorite things: coffee and whiskey!

I am going to miss these girls sooo much! (but they were so nice to come to my ice cream birthday party!)

(Not pictured…me getting covered with water multiple times during this week)

There was also a beautiful graduation.
*My students will actually graduate next year.  And I am very tempted after seeing this year's graduation to come back to see them!*

My awesome hair stylist and I!!!

Teacher Vicky and I actually look pretty!

Our guest teachers being interviewed!

Principal Susan, being an awesome speech giver!

Our "valedictorian"?  She was super cute!

Some students after their dance performance!

Teachers dance (thankfully, I was not a part of this!)

Graduation selfie!!! (clearly, the children are getting restless towards the end of the ceremony)

I should have more to say about all these lovely events, but for now I will let the pictures do the talking.  I'm still a little too sad to be looking fondly on these events.

Missing these ladies already!

St. James' Family!  I hope we can reunite soon!!!

For now, these are my reflections…

I came to Taiwan pretty broken, after a difficult year in Mississippi and, in retrospect, many questions about my own identity and future that I was trying to run from.  This year has been difficult (what year as a teacher isn't) but has also been healing.  I've found friends in unexpected places, I've found my passion for education renewed, and I've found my love for others has not been entirely buried under my wall of cynicism. This is all good news.  I've learned a lot about teaching…and I would be lying if I didn't say that some of my tears today weren't about my good-byes, but about the realization that after two years, I am no longer a teacher.  This is new for me…and may take some adjustment.  I don't know exactly what's next.  Am I terrified of my move to NYC and starting a new job outside the classroom? Definitely.  But I can't think of anything to better prepare me than the year I've had here in Taiwan.

So for those are who curious, I'll keep this blog up for a few more weeks- talking about my readjustment to American life, fun times apartment hunting in NYC, new job, etc. (if you're interested)!
After that, we'll shut down again until I continue my roaming…whether it's close to home (i.e. Boston or Toronto) or further away (London!  Back to Taiwan?)!


Thanks so much for roaming with me all year!  I hope you've enjoyed my crazy musings and my pictures!  If your curious what life in NC/NYC looks like, keep reading!  If not, see you next time this lama decides to go on adventure!

Good in Goodbye?

Hey y'all!
Greetings from the perpetually sunny and humid Taichung!  It has been an exciting past 2 weeks for me- or really just an exciting past week!  The week before that was actually quite boring, and filled with paperwork.

But this week has been fun for a variety of reasons:

1) New Friends! Christina and Matisse are visiting from the Cambridge-Ellis School in the USA (which is the school that hired me to teach here.)  It has been really fun to watch other people experience Taiwan for the first time, get new ideas for teaching from them (they're both preschool teachers in the States) and just have more people living with me!

Breakfast with the new girls!

2) Canada Day! For those of you not familiar with Canadian holidays, July 1st is Canada Day.  Why July 1st? Because that's the day Canada was united (from 3 colonies) into a single country under the British Empire.  It was a fun holiday to share with my students, especially my youngest ones, who learned to sing "O, Canada' for the occasion.

Also I made Nanaimo bars Tuesday.  Those are gone.  I ate most of them by myself.
Sorry not sorry.

Also, if you don't know "O, Canada," here are some Canadians singing it to try and open the beer fridge. 

3) American Independence Day! One of the awesome perks of dual citizenship is having 2 holidays in one week- the 4th of July and Canada Day (I just kinda ignore the British thing for the week…) and we celebrated 4th of July in style this weekend, with a mini-feast for our students of some "American" foods (hot dogs, french fries, lemonade, pancakes) We celebrated later with yummy drinks and food, then karaoke!!!

Our American feast!

Our flags!

… But these past few weeks have been sad too.
4. Goodbyes  With the clock ticking for me leaving Taiwan (this time next month I'll actually have started my new job on Coney Island…scary) it is time to say some good-byes.  These have taken place in a few different forms- from cookouts with students' families (at the ridiculously delicious Din Tai Fung), fun activities with my elementary school students, who are now on summer vacation, and rooftop barbecues with friends from church.

Volcanoes with my 5th grade students!

Din Tai Fung has awesome dumplings...

Super awesome dumplings...

Really just go.  They have them in California

Church friends barbecue!

Yummy duck at the barbecue!

Another good-bye dinner that included a waffle burger! 

Are you getting the idea that I'm eating a lot?  Because that is definitely true.

… Oh, and I also had to say goodbye to Mexico in the World Cup.  Don't talk to me, Netherlands. That "dive" was wrong and you know it.  Now I'm hoping I don't have to say goodbye to Argentina!

There are many difficult goodbyes to come, and hopefully some happy reunions when I return to the States in two weeks.

This is going to be a very difficult group of co-workers and friends to say goodbye to! 

I likely will post again sometime before I leave, so check back in the next two weeks!!!

Hikes, Sleep Deprivation, and Goodbyes...

Does this sound fun?
Because it is!  Sorry for not writing last weekend!  My life when living in Taiwan can be rather boring. Recently it has involved me drinking lots of coffee and not getting very much sleep.  Why?  Because the World Cup is on, of course!

Leighnae and I are cheering on Mexico!!!

This might be my favorite student!
 (If you didn't know, I cheer for Argentina when not busy cheering on Mexico!) 

Vamos Guerreros ! (and Argentina, and England, but we know how that turned out…) Fun fact: The World Cup is on from 12 am- 8 am Taiwan time, and México (who I cheer for, because they're awesome) keeps playing at 3 am or 4 am.  The things I do for love…

I also made a Gingerbread Man with my preschoolers!

In addition to watching fútbol and giving final exams, this weekend my bible study (aka my co-workers) went hiking.  To Hehuanshan.

Things I knew about our hiking trip:

• It would be very pretty
• It would be sunny and maybe a little cold at the top
• We would enjoy fun, fellowship, and yummy food!

Things I did not know about our hiking trip:

• It would be a 2 hour drive through winding mountain roads (which would cause me to get motion sickness…attractive, I know)
• I would get sunburnt despite my vigorous application of sunscreen
• I would find an awesome pink llama hat (get super excited! I am so ready for NYC)
• It would be as breathtakingly gorgeous as it was:)

Here are some pictures:

…are you jealous yet?

Fun fact…I got sick on this road.  

I made it to the top!!! 

Again…beautiful

Me channelling my mother…visor, sunglasses, hair down…full Brenda look.

More beautiful scenery

That's where I was!  If you're ever in Taiwan, check it out! 

Also, today I went to the house of some friends, Hans and Shirley, to see their new home and to say some goodbyes.  As summer approaches, the expats begin to make their way back home for vacations, and unfortunately that means saying goodbye to many friends sooner rather than later.  While this is certainly bittersweet (I am excited to return to the States, but saying goodbyes are always sad), we had a great time eating yummy food:

(Not pictured…Julie, who we're actually saying goodbye to…FAIL)

I'm really gonna miss these people!

Check back in 2 weeks (sorry, I'll likely be lame again this weekend) for information about how we celebrated Canada Day and the 4th of July, and my observations on saying goodbyes to my 1st and 5th graders!

Oh, and see you in a month!!! I'll be back in NC July 19th-25th and up to NYC after that!  Hope to see you soon!

We Run/Walk/Crawl Taipei and South Korea Adventures!

Hi everyone!
Long time no see!  Sorry for my 2 week absence- I've been busy having amazing adventures!!!  This past weekend was a long weekend for us in Taiwan- we had dragon boat festival!  So it was time for me to leave Taiwan for one last international adventure: off to South Korea I went!

My trip started in Busan, where I met up with my friend Shawnsey, who lives in Ulsan now. Shawnsey and I worked together last summer, and as such, his leaving me at the airport for an hour was especially frustrating, as he knows just how much I don't need quality airport time.
*Shawnsey may try to claim that I have left him at the airport for longer than that, so I will go ahead and point out that he was getting paid for that*

My phone had a very problematic malfunction during our time in Busan (yep, that was scary) so unfortunately I have no pictures! Sorry!  But I went to the beach and that was fun and tried soju, which is gross, but not as gross as baijiu.  After a wonderful day there, I was off to Seoul!

My only picture of Busan! Sorry!

*Don't worry, my phone was working again for pictures by the time I got to Seoul

High Speed Rail in Korea, aka Korail. Busan- Seoul time: 2 hours

Seoul is a crazy city, and I understand why people say it's what Taipei will be 15 years in the future.  Seoul is a city that is all about its shopping and food (which is great, because those are my favorite things too) and I was lucky that I found a place to stay in Myeongdong.  Myeongdong is the western-style shopping area, where you can buy all the clothes and of course, COSMETICS you could ever need.  I have never seen a country with so much make-up as South Korea.
And I will say that while most Korean cosmetics contained whitening products, it is possible to find products without whitening (often cheaper)!  I managed to grab some Bb cream.  The best part is every make-up store you go in gives your free samples, which is how I ended up with some great face masks and lotions (and some whitening products I gave to some Chinese tourists staying at my hotel.

Even Frozen Make-up, so you can be as pale as Elsa.

In addition to my shopping, I also ate lots of yummy street food…mostly while listening to a guy sing K-Pop hits in Cheonggyecheon.  Cheonggyecheon is an amazing discovery I made in my Seoul wanderings- it's basically a river park smack in the middle of busy streets in Seoul.  It's a very cool concept, and a great place to hang out and enjoy some food and music on the weekends!

The market where I bought new glasses

Fried fish something?  It was yummy

The cool river park!

People listening to the concert!

Fried Chicken Stick!

Myeongdong at night!

Me in the market shopping

Banana + Nutella + Crepe + Ice Cream + Corn Flakes = Delicious!

More Shopping!

The view of the Seoul tower from my hotel!

After an exhausting day, I went to sleep in my hotel, and was greeted the next morning by my neighbors blasting K-POP at 8 am.  No problem for me- it was time for me to get up and get ready to go!
So my first stop was Gyeongbokgung, or one of the royal palaces of Seoul.  Mostly destroyed by the Japanese during the occupation (Japan…why did you have to do this to Korea/Taiwan/China?) it has been gradually restored.  It also featured a great museum on Korean history, which was very useful as I have ZERO knowledge of Korean history.  oops.
I also managed to eavesdrop on a Chinese tour group for a lot of my time there, as they mistakenly assumed I couldn't understand what they were saying and therefore didn't try to shoo me away…

The Palace!

A close up!

It's my spirit animal! (That's a horse, y'all!  I'm year of the horse)

Lilly Pads!

Such a beautiful place to visit!

But then it started to rain, so what was a girl to do?  Get some delicious Kimchi for lunch and try out a Jjimjibang!
Jjimjibangs are traditional Korean bath houses- very similar to a Moroccan hammam.  They are gender segregated (of course) and for a very low price (about $8) you can spend a whole day in the jjimjibang and the fomentation rooms.
Step 1, of course is washing yourself and getting scrubbed down.  For those of you who have also had a hammam experience, you know that there is nothing better than getting all your dead skin scrubbed off your body- and after almost four years, it was nice to feel super clean again.
But after that the real fun starts, you put on your sweatpants and tshirt uniform and head up to fomentation rooms.  These rooms are designed to help increase your circulation and balance you- you can choose from many different rooms (like charcoal for arthritis, jade for chronic pain, etc.) and alternate between hot rooms and cold rooms.
I'm not sure if they really work, but it was a really great experience and I certainly felt relaxed.

My super awesome kimchi hot pot lunch

Ready to try the fomentation rooms in the jjimjibang!

…which was great because it was back on the bullet train for me!  A quick stop in Ulsan for dinner and a place to sleep for a few hours, and then it was back to the airport in Busan for me!

The Busan Airport

Enjoying my quality airport time...

…because they have DUNKIN in SK! (it's the little things, y'all)

Also, Air Busan feeds me.  US flights are going to be such a disappointment next year. 

However, after my 3 day week, a very relaxing weekend would have been great…but not what I had planned!

It's Buy One Get One free frappucino week here, so that makes me over caffeinated 

Half marathon, anyone???

It was off to Taipei for the Nike Women's Half Marathon!  Saturday I headed in to Taipei for the half marathon. I had a pretty boring day getting ready for my race, but managed to do a little rainy day exploring.

Shopping in Wufenpu, the wholesale district close to my hotel

Gu + laduree macarons = half marathon prep complete.  What else could I need?

On the storefront of the Nike Store in Xinyi, Taipei, they listed the names of everyone running…super cool!

Can you find my name???

And then race day dawned bright and early at 4 am!!!

So excited to go running this morning!

The course was very flat, well organized, and enjoyable.  However, I have a few observations for Nike!

• If you have an all women's half marathon, I highly suggest we have more bathrooms
• Make sure you have lots of healthcare personnel around to help out
• More bananas please!!!
• Oh, and we don't need a marker every kilometer.  For km 1-10, that's just demoralizing

One thing I LOVED is that we actually didn't get Tiffany's necklaces from firefighters, unlike the Nike women's races in the states.  Not that I wouldn't LOVE  a Tiffany's necklace from a cute firefighter (that sounds wonderful), but it's nice that Nike in Taiwan doesn't assume that women will only run en masse for cute men and jewelry.  They assume that we are actual people and therefore do not need to be bribed.

*unless I sound to high-handed, let me reiterate, I would LOVE a Tiffany's necklace from a cute firefighter and consider that great motivation to run 21km.  However, I like that Nike in Taiwan doesn't assume all women are as shallowly motivated as me. 

It was a great race, except that a young woman near me collapsed towards the end.  Very scary, and I hope she's okay!!!  A reminder that we should all stay safe when we run!

I'm done!!!