Sevilla Boutique Hostel Taichung

... On Sunday I went with 2 of my roommates to Metropolitan Park just outside the city. It is a huge park with a beautiful view of the city. It was a nice getaway for a couple hours. We walked around the park and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather. It was 80 degrees and sunny, a little windy, but really enjoyable. I am loving the fall weather here! It feels like summer/fall back home. It is cool in the mornings, gets pretty warm during the day ...

... weekend before my crazy week. This week marks the start of all my classes. Besides my 3rd grade class that I teach 3 days a week for 2 hours I have my extra classes starting. I will be teaching 2 writing classes each 1 day a week. One will be for first and second graders and the other will be third to fifth grade. I also do kindergarten supervision 1 day a week and I will be tutoring four kindergarten students 2 times a week. And it that wasn't ...

... it doesn't look like it will be hitting Taiwan and we are hoping that it doesn't given that areas are still recovering from Typhoon Morakot. As of now we have just been having a lot of heat here. We have been in the 90's all week! I hear it has been pretty cool back in the states, wish I could share some of this heat with you!

One last piece of news, I finally got my ARC which is my work visa that allows me to stay in Taiwan. With my ARC means I got ...

... samples. It is like a weekend outing for some people and they go there to eat their meal in free food samples. I have heard it is something that I need to experience at least once. I think I will save that experience for a later date!

On Sunday my roommate and I headed out to breakfast at a little place called Early Bird. They serve normal Western breakfast (pancakes, eggs, potatoes). Almost as good as Perkins! ;) It was a little taste of home! We then met up with 2 other ...

... fall....with my camera in my hand! Everyone was so concerned about me but all I was worried about was my camera....luckily both me and the camera are ok now.

We ended our Saturday we a group dinner at Bollywood, an Indian restaurant. It is so nice that everyone gets along so well and we are able to go do all sorts of things as a group! There are no plans for Sunday...maybe going out for breakfast and doing some more exploring!

Until later...love ya and miss ya!

... taste, the same tables, the same smell, everything was the same. I sat there for at least two hours on the computer as I would have in Arizona. It felt good. In this distinctive and unusual land I now know where to go when the need to feel a little piece of home creeps into my heart. Thank goodness for Starbucks!

"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries." - Aldous Huxley

Election fever has hit Taiwan! While there is a very tight race going on back home in the United States between Senators McCain and Obama for the presidency, there may be another tight race going on right here in Taichung... There is a small parking lot in the back of our school where all staff members park our scooters each morning. This parking lot is right in front of a small town hall where community organizers meet every Tuesday evening to brainstorm ...

... as we all know, gives people a chance to act like James Bond for a brief moment of their life by jumping off of a tower and sliding across camp down a wire to a sand pit on the ground. We all were given our rope that we would be sliding down the wire (many of us were given rope that was ripping into pieces which made me nervous as well) and made our way to the top of the tower. The first three people who did their zip went quite smoothly ...

... I was the only one who went as far as to try a tentacle, which was a little bit crunchier than the other parts. I feel that it would taste a bit better if it was a little spicier or had some hot sauce (which the vendor offered to put on, but I wanted us to try it without what can be a sometimes overwhelming Taiwanese hot sauce on the palate). After we flossed our teeth from the squid (which left a strong taste in my mouth for the remainder of the afternoon), we ...

... that would take us through the city. Due to the fact that many of these kids live in the city, it is very hard for them to find some open space to get out and ride their bikes. Many of them ride their bikes in the hallways of their apartments (trust me, I know) because there is no grass or open space for them to ride on without their safety being endangered. Although this seemed like a rather simple field trip, for many, this was the ...