Kao Yuan Chung Chen Taichung

It has been another pretty quiet week with no big adventures. I stayed in Taichung this weekend to get some shopping done and celebrate Thanksgiving. There were a couple exciting things from school as well.

This week in class we were learning about facts and opinions. I played a game with the students where I wrote fact and opinion on the board and I called 2 people up to the board. I would then say a statement and they would need to slap the ...

... went out to see the Taichung Jazz Festival. It was opening day for the festival so I went out with some other teacher to see what it was all about. We sat in the grass and listened to some performers. It was nice to just sit back and relax. The festival lasts for the next 10 days. Saturday was a busy day for me with lots going on so I spent Sunday being lazy! It was wonderful.

That's all I have to report for now....until later.....love ya and miss ya!

... for being on yellow and red. This wasn't helping my students behavior because most of them are craving the attention so they will take it however they can get it. So now instead of giving them that attention for negative behavior we are focusing on positive behavior. I have a ladder and throughout the week they want to work their way up to the top. I have seen a big change in some of my students who had the most behavior problems before. I am hoping that the good behavior ...

... that we wanted to ride home in the rain on our scooters without our ponchos. We we went back to our scooters that were parked in front of a 7-11. There were about 10 Taiwanese standing there waiting for the rain to give up a little bit. But we went right out in the rain and hopped on our scooters. We got some pretty funny looks. Riding home the rain hurt, it felt like needles. We laughed the whole way home!

Now the biggest news this week was ...

... and I, who have ventured away from the security of their own homes and into Taiwan with perhaps the same dream as Ben and I, to make lots of money! No, not really. I’m anticipating meeting diverse people during this training, people with perhaps the same type of thinking as Ben and I, who want to experience a new culture and learn about the world. It should be an ...

... located in a glamorous six story building made for the rich and not the meat vendors, seemed like a perfect spot with only a two minute walk from our apartment. We purchased the internet card which would give us unlimited usage for a month for only sixteen dollars, bought a cup of tea, and found a cozy spot in the familiar coffee shop. Everything was the same. The same Starbucks cup, the same ...

Just this past week, it was reported that there was a relatively severe earthquake that occurred off the coast of Taiwan and that there may be a chance of a tsunami striking the island. Thankfully, the earthquake did not cause any damage to the island and no effects were felt in my city. Thank you to everyone who e-mailed with concerns about my safety, but rest assured, there is nothing to be worried about. The city ...

... five stories to an unknown outcome that would probably entail a lot of pain. The guides got us all to huddle up and listen attentively as they explained the proper procedure for putting on the "safety harness." About half way through their explanation, I began to realize that the safety harness that would be preventing us from falling five stories to an uncertain outcome was nothing more than a rope that was to be wrapped around our ...

... Our windows get pelted with rain and the wind rattles our apartment door. I guess the only thing I can compare it to would be a Wisconsin thunderstorm (at its peak, with lots of rain and no lightning or thunder) for about six continuous hours. Hence why our last typhoon dropped nearly 40 inches of rain on Taichung. We have a hole in the roof of our canopy that covers one of our balconies containing our washer and dryer. Last night, Joe and I ...

... they clearly show that they are happy just to be in school. Andy, a short and pudgy little fella, randomly stood up during our phonics pre-test and did a dance right next to his desk. I asked him why he was dancing, and he simply pointed at his test and said, "This one right, Teacher Scot!" and gave me a huge smile. I laughed out loud and asked him to sit still so that the other students are not disturbed. After lunch, I was called into our ...