Ta Shee Resort Taoyuan

... to the states on Saturday so we all had one last meal out together. <br><br>Saturday:<br>On Saturday I went on a day trip to Yingge. It is a small town just South of Taipei that is known for their ceramics. It was a cute little town. We started right into the shopping. There were so many little shops selling all sorts of ceramic items. Most popular were tea sets. Many of them were made in Taiwan. We had also read how there were some places where you could make your own ...

... talking...which is funny...cuz sometimes I can't get them to STOP talking! UPDATE: I was re-assigned the same class (now grade 8 level) for another semester. The school specifically requested me...which is a nice feeling for sure! Much of the same happened...the perverse students and the non-stop laughter. I got to teach them for a full school year. I wish I could keep teaching them until they graduated, but alas...I won't be in Taiwan forever.

... I discovered that I was steadily losing weight. Just in the month of June, I lost 5 kilos. I don't want to be a rippling pile of muscle...I just want to be healthy and have some definition going on. I also see a lot of co-workers at the gym at night. I see Derek, Beth, Emil and Steve...all pretty cool people. Sometimes we end up laughing more than working out...but then again...we can't all be serious all the time! ;). I will continue my regimen and ...

Sorry for the delay in the update goodness...life has been somewhat hectic since my return from Thailand. So much has gone down since mid-February...where do I start? Alex, who used to live at the dorm and then moved out into an apartment with 2 other dudes originally invited me to go live with them. Apparently one of the dudes was gonna be leaving soon (to return to Canada) and there would be a vacancy. I was excited at this prospect, but my many requests to hop over and see the ...

... well. I am now in the full swing of the routine and what the books I teach from are like and how to teach the material. I am also more comfortable with my students cuz I know them a lot more now than I did (obviously). I had my first 'parent-teacher' meetings on the 27th of November. I was nervous as hell. It's so weird being in that position. I mean...I remember when my parents went to those and how I was always worried what my teacher would say about me...and here I was ...

... here they are... 10. Somaliland: Another country that declared independence and has done better than what it separated from but still remains unrecognized by international society for all the wrong reasons. Yes, United Nation would rather consider Somaliland still a part of anarchic Somalia than giving them any substantial help. Even so, Somaliland still does relatively well and enjoys peace since they declared independence in 1991. As a citizen from ...

... Got the bus driver to drop me off at the QuangHua computer market on the way back to the hotel. Wow! Richard D.(and others ) would be in his element here with four halls of computer gadgets, hardware and software/DVDs etc.. Prices are quite a bit better than even the computer swap meets at home in Australia and the product range is more current and diverse. The competition is pretty fierce in these places with small stalls all under a permanent roof right along side each other so ...

... denominations, although mainly and quite evenly distributed Presbyterians and Catholics in the mountain villages. Villages may have up to four churches, which can be somewhat confusing, not only for the visitor. Christianity was brought to Taiwan in the early 17th century by the Spanish and Dutch missionaries. A large number of missionaries came from Mainland China after the Communists had taken over in 1949 and found a receptive ...

... kind of like turnip but a bit purple inside) and oranges are all important at this time of year. Apparently pineapple is lucky because it looks like a phoenix, which signifies new beginnings. I don't see it myself though! Over the next couple of days a lot of visits to family are made, and Lion Dances are also popular. The Lion Dance is to banish evil spirits and invite good fortune (big surprise...). We 'performed' one for the kids at the New ...

... something wasn't right. When I came home that night, I ran a little fever, had major watery diarrhea for 2-3 days, and had bursts of major stomach cramps out of no where. Since it was a long weekend when we got back, I couldn't go to a doctor until Monday. But Bonnie had to go back to Toronto 2 days later. I didn't know how she got the energy to pack up and run errands, since all I did was sleep for 2 or 3 days ...