I'll also definitely start studying Mandarin ASAP. When I was in Tokyo, it didn't feel so foreign because, due to my previous interest in the countrty, there were familiar things. I recognized some of the hiragana, I could make out words, I knew basic phrases that would help me get around. I also recognized some of the food, and the drinks, and I knew certain things about the culture. All of that culminated to make Japan not feel so strange, whereas Taiwan I have no base of knowledge to pull from. I need to start making it familiar.
I'll probably spend tonight watching American TV, listening to American music, and studying Mandarin and reading up on Taiwan as much as I can.
In other news, I think my hair is going to show its curly side, especially in the back.
LATER:
There was a cockroach IN MY HOTEL ROOM. I love the gritty authenticity of Hsin Jhuang, but I could do with the American demand for quality control in the service industry. There's mold in the bathroom grout and stains on my bed sheets (which have probably been washed thoroughly, but there are still stains) and chipped or dull edges everywhere. >_< I miss America. A crappy hotel room in the US would be decent here. I really, really hope the hotel where I stay in Taipei for training week is better. Even if it's just clean(er) bedsheets and less grit in the bathroom, plus no cockroaches, with maybe some wireless internet, I'd be a happy camper.
Aside from the dubious accommodations, apparently I have to be careful where I eat here, too. One of the teachers who has been here for over a year and taught in China's major cities (aka he's not new to this) got mild food poisoning last week from street food.
So... yeah.
When I'm not tired, though, Taiwan is vibrant and charming. I met the other teachers at the school and they're terrific people. The one girl, Amelia (name changed for privacy), has been here almost a year and is very knowledgeable about the city. When she was done with classes for the day we went to her favorite sushi restaurant, where each plate is NT$30 or about US$1. I had bean paste dumplings, what I think was eel, and some little mackeral that I couldn't finish because I'm still getting used to the texture of seafood and it weirds me out a bit. I'd had spaghetti and meat sauce at another restaurant earlier that day, and I have yet to feel queasy after eating the food, so I'm optimistic about my transition. (Not that this has stopped me from religiously restricting my water intake to that which has been filtered or comes bottled.) Water is very important here. Most of the kids in the school come to class with bottles of water or tea.
Bean paste buns! Yummy!
Eel, I think?
While going to get my picture for my resident visa, I also got to walk the streets with a Taiwanese girl Vy (name changed) who lives here in Hsin Jhuang and has been with the school about three weeks. I think she helps with the classes some, and she does odd jobs around the school, too, like cleaning and filing. She's 18 and a sweetheart, and told me about good places to eat and where to shop. She suggested that we go to downtown Taipei sometime and do some dress shopping, which I think would be fun. Her English isn't perfect, but it's quite good (better than my Chinese, I told her!) and we manage very well.
I watched one class today, from 1:30pm-4pm, taught by Dennis (name changed), whom I think I now aspire to be. He told me that the class I was watching was one of the best he'd ever had--they never get bored and they learn quickly. Still, he's very good at instructing, and his ideas are varied and good at keeping students entertained, so I hope I can do as well as he does some day. I already know I'll be teaching my first class on July 14th, the Saturday after my Taipei training ends, so I'll need a lesson plan by then.
Oh god, I'm really hungry, but I'm so tired and overwhelmed from all the new stuff that I have a headache. It's a bit of a walk to food, too, although the 7-Eleven is nearby so maybe I can get something cheap and processed. Maybe I'll play some games of majong and see how I feel.
At least I'm pretty much used to the money by now. American money is ridiculous, all of the amounts on the coins are written in English. Yen and NT$ are sensible, all the amounts are written out in numbers. Taiwan and Japan also have their street signs for major highways in the local language and English, whereas the American policy is apparently "learn English or don't drive here."
Well, I'm exhausted, so I'm going to bed now. It's 8:30pm.
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