Splendor Taichung

... our big Halloween carnival this weekend! It could be a little crazy. It was advertised all over Taichung, even on the radio. The mayor is coming and we have a costume contest for the kids with the first prize being over $150, 2nd place $100 and 3rd $30! First prize is about 2 weeks pay for some families here! Things could get a little crazy! I am sure I will have some interesting stories next weekend! <br><br>Until later....love ya and miss ya!

... to be on a Sunday night. We got lined up at the volleyball court and we played a couple games against some Taiwanese high schoolers. We won our first 3 games and then lost our last 2. I had a lot of fun and it actually was a nice night. Normally it doesn't cool down much at night, it is just constantly HOT here. But tonight it cooled down and there was actually a cool breeze. I felt like sitting outside all night.<br><br>It has been a nice ...

... here!! <br><br>On Monday morning there was an earthquake felt throughout Taiwan. I was at school when it was felt but I didn't feel it. There were some teachers that were able to feel it. This was the strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan this year. It had a 6.5 magnitude but in Taichung County it only registered as a 3.0. There was no immediate injuries or damage from the quake. Also there is a new tropical storm that has developed in the Pacific. As of ...

The days seem to just fly by. I can't believe that this week is almost over already. It has been a busy one. I was able to get out and see some more of Taichung. <br><br>In my last blog I forgot to write about my first Costco experience. Yes they have a Costco here! It is going to be a life saver this year I am pretty sure! :) We went on a week day and it was pretty crowded. There were lines to get the food samples. I guess on the weekends there are crazy long lines to get the ...

... a little while until we came to a waterfall with some cliffs that you can jump off. The cliff was pretty high but I figured I made the trip out there I might as well jump....so I did! It was a lot higher than I thought and I was hanging in the air a lot longer than I thought I would. I had a nice entry into the water, preventing a sore butt from landing wrong on the water like one of the girls. We did some swimming and exploring. Somehow I managed to slip on one of the rocks ...

... was available here). Following Fridays, we joined with Brent and walked to a night market. The night markets here are similar to the games area of a carnival. They sell all sorts of random things you never knew you needed until that day. They have a variety of fried food (as well as some local delicacies that include chicken feet and snails). In addition, they have carnival games all over the place where you can win stuffed animals and toys. We ended up ...

... the couple entered to loud music. It was really a fun sight to see! The food we ate was rather unusual. There were thirteen courses of all sorts of Taiwanese dishes ranging from fish and shrimp to tofu and chicken soup. Although there was definitely a lot of food, a lot of it was items that just did not suit my fancy and I elected to grab a bite to eat at a local restaurant near my apartment after the feast was overwith. While we were eating, there were aboriginal ...

... plain do not care about the summer Olympics. I have a few theories about the lack of enthusiasm for the games. One could be the fact that China is not really looked very favorably upon by the Taiwanese due to economic, political, and historical reasons. Or, two, the fact that such a small island has a very limited number of athletes who have very little chance of medaling against athletes from much bigger countries like the US and China. It could be ...

... Katie is a first year teacher who went to school in Minnesota. Although I think she had similar mixed feelings when it came to the sudden shift to team teaching, we get along well and organized our class so she taught the first half (while I helped out the struggling students), and I taught the second half while she corrected papers and helped out students as well. My "Ducks" classroom blended in very well with her ...

... and ready to roll. Early in the second game things were looking rather bleak. It was a back and fourth affair with no side claiming victory. However, just as my team was about to pull away with the win, one of our players lost his footing and slipped. I immediately seized control of the situation and filled-in for his position and we ended up winning the second match. The third and final round was as intense as things have gotten here in Taiwan. A loophole ...