Taiwan Taichung Youth Hostel

... wouldn't be too bad if I didn't have to get on my scooter.Luckily it is still warm during the day here! I am hoping the weather will get warm next weekend. We are going to Green Island and I am looking forward to sitting on the beaches and enjoying the sun!

Oh, one last thing. I have booked my tickets to Thailand....I leave Dec. 1st! I am so excited. I am going with one of the other teachers here!

That is all for now...Until later.....love ya and miss ya!

After spending that past couple weekends traveling and being very busy. I took this weekend to relax and it was wonderful!

After a busy Friday at school I went out to dinner with some of the foreign teachers to celebrate a teacher's birthday. Though I was really tired and didn't really want to go, I was glad I went. We shared some good laughs and it was a good way to end a busy/stressful week. After a great dinner I was happy to get home ...

... is the equivalent to a dollar store in the states but everything is only $0.30! I love getting things for my classroom here. The kids love stickers and they usually have a pretty good supply at the store. Prizes for my prize bin are great too!

This past weekend we had a combined birthday party for all of the August birthdays. Two other teachers and myself have August birthdays so we figured instead of having 3 different celebrations we should just ...

... the light to turn green. They will begin going when the light going the other direction turns yellow. I have gotten into the habit and that could turn into a problem when I get back to the states!

2. On scooters most adults wear helmets but it is so storage because you will see adults on scooters with kids and the adults will have helmets but the kids won't! I think that is so strange! Don't you think you would want to protect the kids?? Also kids ...

... class or I had to remove the rest of the students. It was exhausting dealing with him so Monday and Tuesday night the roommates and I just laid around watching movies and drinking wine! On Wednesday the school decided that they were going to move this student to another class in hopes of helping him be more successful in the classroom. It was nice because it lightened my load but it was sad to see him go also. I am now down to 5 students for the rest of July!

On ...

... easier for me.

Second Realization: The Language. Learning Chinese won't be a difficult feat. I had the best time practicing my limited and rather embarrassing Chinese with the vendors on the street markets yesterday. In two days I spoke a few phrases, people spoke back, and... I understood them!!! Mind you, it wasn't a long conversation about the politics of Taiwan or anything, only ...

... and have not returned since). However, those who pass the written exam must bring their scooter to their official driver's course where they must undergo a series of tests involving the ability to turn, drive without their feet touching the ground, and proper braking. I do plan on obtaining my driver's license before leaving this island... but wouldn't be surprised if I became "part of the norm" and continued to live life on the edge.

... no safety requirements for such tourist attractions. The first challenge was the high wire walk-through. It required participants to walk across a high wire about five stories above the ground and return to the starting destination. It seemed like a relatively easy challenge that would be a good starter lesson for the zip line a little later in the afternoon. That is, until our guides showed us the "safety harness" that would prevent us from ...

... is on the western side. Therefore, the clouds must make their way over a rather large set of mountain range and typically lessen in strength before it reaches our city. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Taipei (the capital and largest city), which is located right near the coast and often faces some rather strong winds when these things hit the country. Having survived 1.5 typhoons, I must admit that they are impressive forces of ...

... test. We then played a brief spelling game and then it was time to go home for the afternoon. The four students I had on the first day were absolutely fantastic. I love the contrasting personalities these boys have, and yet, they all seem to get along very well. Some are extremely intelligent and are very advanced in their English skills. While others may have more troubles when it comes to reading and writing, it does not bother them ...