Taoyuan Plaza Hotel

... will keep you posted on how the classes go! <br><br>Friday:<br>On Friday the Chinese staff put on a Taiwanese BBQ at school. They had so much food there. All of the food was raw, you had to dish up what you wanted and then you went to one of the little grills and you cooked your own food. The food was really good. I stuck to the "normal" food, chicken and beans. I stayed for a while then I met to meet up with my roommates to have a goodbye dinner for my roommate. She headed ...

... WHEN....LOL). Defeated, Sam put his hand down and pouted for the rest of the class. It's been very interesting teaching these kids so far. Most of the time the two hours are just non-stop laughter. Some of the things that come out of their mouths! They have told me about their childhoods, Taiwanese festivals/customs and favorite books. Every week I give them an assignment of some sort. No written work...which is nice. I just have to get ...

... launch into an ambitious work-out schedule and lose the extra weight I had packed on in Brazil. I also have my 30th birthday coming up in November and I want to look my best. So on top of the personal training (3 times a week), I started swimming twice a week for 30-40 minutes and also going to work out after work (from 9:40 to 11:30 or so). The first couple of weeks were rather rough. I was rather tired and cranky....but when I finally hit my stride ...

... rude *******s Quebequers could be. I guess since I have been out of the country for 3 years...my brain just pushed that fact to the back of my mind and kind of forgot about them. Mr. Blue Eyes: Joel Vinet...was a not-so-nice reminder that yes, indeed they are STILL all pricks. Anyway, I got the hint and just didn't message him or contact him again in any shape or form. If he was not interested, he should have just come out and said so...instead of dancing around the issue. Men...BAH!

... Card on the 14th. This will make life much easier for me...as I will be able to open a bank account here and get myself a credit card (I had to cancel the one from Brazil when my purse was stolen). I also don't have to worry so much about being busted for illegally working here (as I have been doing for the last 2 months or so). That will be a nice weight off my shoulders. Somehow...the big 'deported' stamp on your passport would not be a good thing. :p Item #3: Work is ...

... not because his anti-Bush stance, but because his recent hostility against Taiwan to kiss China's ass), was dropped in this new version of Top 10 list. Though I do believe Venezuela has some very friendly people, I don't think I will put that country back in Top 10 until Chavez leaves office. So, here it is, three openings for my "Top 10 places I haven't been to but want to go." Which three new destinations makes it to my updated Top 10 at this moment ...

... room. The public area was outdoor including three pools - one plunge pool at less than 20 deg, a mid temperature pool at about 40 deg and the hottest pool at 43 deg. A variety of high volume jets could be used to pound down onto your shoulder and arm muscles giving quite a vigourous massage. and then to another handcraft store (courtesy of the arranged tour!!) and out again as soon as possible. Prices are obviously aimed at the uninformed tourist who has not become familiar with ...

... He is the only priest stationed in this village, all other churches are only served on a visiting base.[ Christianity: The Presbyterian church is well represented in the mountains. Although Christians make up only 3.5 % of the Taiwan population, about 70% of the Indigenous Peoples are professing Christians. In the cities the church members are often made up of middle and upper middle class. There are a lot of Christian churches of ...

... a train that day, eek! New Year's Eve Dinner is the rough equivalent of Christmas Dinner - the whole family together, and all kinds of lavish food. A lot of fish is eaten (but in Taiwan, that's nothing new!), and dumplings too. The dumplings look a little like fat ravioli - they are considered lucky because they resemble (vaguely) the shape of ancient Chinese gold ingots. New Year's all about bringing prosperity and fortune... Pineapples, apples, fish ...

... plane to depart. Although the view coming down the escalator after passing the gate was breathtaking. Bonnie by this time was still feeling sick and everything she ate went through her. She still had a fever and was still looking pretty bad. I felt pretty bad for her, but I knew I was coming down with something too. My whole body felt like it was dragging, and even though I was very tired and dehydrated, I ...