“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” - Saint Augustine

Monday, September 26, 2011

I just have one thing I wish to complain about. I think America needs to jump on the bandwagon with THE REST OF THE WORLD, and use the same measurements as THE REST OF THE WORLD. You have no idea how many times I want to know exactly how hot it is outside. I look at the thermometer and I literally say "Oh, that's right, I learned an equation to convert this...because I learned fahrenheit." I'm really sorry, all the science teachers I have had, but I am not going to sit here and do an equation each time I want to know the temperature. So, once I get use to measuring everything in cm, kilometers, liters, milliliters, kilograms, ect. I have to go back to America where everything is different. Oh, well. Roll with the punches, right?
Any who, Taiwan is great.
Close your eyes (after you read the description). Imagine a place where you don't have to chain your bike up. A place where you can leave shopping bags unattended on your scooter to go into another store, and come back out, and they have been untouched. A place where I haven't heard one bad thing said about another person. A place, where there is an abundant amount of trust in people (strangers or not). You, my friend, would be imagining Taiwan.
Can you imagine high school without drama? I know I certainly can't, and that's a sad truth. Or, I couldn't, until I attended school here. Girls here, they actually like and get along with each other. People sit with each other, regardless of who you are. You know if there are three seats and one was occupied by a complete stranger, you would skip a seat and then sit? Well, here, if there are three seats and one was occupied by a complete stranger, you'd find yourself talking and meeting a stranger. In Taiwan, there is so much respect and trust. Sometimes, I even question my host sister. I will be like "Um, shouldn't they be watching the money box?" or "Aren't they going to put those pineapples up for the night?" and she'll just say "What's the point in that? Too much work!"
As far as culture shock goes, I haven't experienced any. That just means when I get back to America, I will have what's called reverse culture shock. So, we will see how that goes. Wish me luck; good thing I still have nine months.
Basically, I am in love with this amazing island. I am going to some lake next week with my host sister. (Sorry for such a sentence "some lake" but I forgot the name) So, you should expect a picture or two and a good post about it. Hopefully, it will make up for this short and sweet one. For now, I am off to bed.

Monday, September 5, 2011

学校.

I started my first day of school on August 31st 2011. It. Is. Awesome. Everyone is so nice and understanding. I like the way school functions in Taiwan. The students stay in the same classroom all day, and different teachers come throughout the day. If I am correct, Mexico does the same thing, right Mrs. Triplett? Any way, we get to school around 7:30 in the morning and everyone has their breakfast that they have purchased or made from home, and we sit around and eat breakfast together. I like it a lot. It's different than buying your breakfast at school in America, then sitting in a crowded cafeteria that's loud with people tossing their cereal everywhere. We buy our food from a cafe, then bring it to school, and sit with our calm classmates, talk and eat. After we are finished, it's 8:15 by now, we, the students, clean the classroom. So, you can already see where this is going. So, since the students clean the classroom, nobody spits spit balls, throws balls of paper, ect. I have mop duty. So, after we clean the classroom, we all sit in our assign seats and study. Like, I never thought it was possible for a bunch of teenagers to sit, be quiet, and actually work with no teacher in the classroom. That's right, I forgot to mention, there usually isn't a teacher in the classroom until 10:00 when classes start. And, yes, all my classmates do sit in their seat the whole time, and the only time I have ever heard any talking at all was if someone needed a piece of paper. It's amazing, because they actually have the desire to want to learn and be taught, I definitely see that American teenagers take education for granted. Then we have eight classes. (I haven't got my schedule yet, so I am sitting in with the kids that are studying mainly foreign language, English. So, I have a little group that can speak English enough where I can understand them, and they teach me the ways of the Chinese mastery of Chinese Characters...Until I get my new schedule, which will include things like cooking, braiding, ect.) We have PE every Monday and Thursday and somehow I got signed up for the volleyball club today? We played volleyball and when my team was up, they made me serve first, so I did, and as soon as I hit the ball everyone in my class said as plain as day, in English, "Oh, my God." I started laughing. So, after PE was over and we were walking back to class the Coach came up to me and informed me that I was now in the volleyball club...so, yay? I am very proud of myself, actually, because I am starting to piece together words that my teachers say in Chinese that I know and I can put a sentence together, then they keep talking faster and faster then they lose me. But, what matters is that I am catching on. So, *Clap* *Clap* for me! Also, I love my town. I ride my bike with my host sister and every time we go out all the little shop owners or miscellaneous people will wave at me and shout "Ni hoa!" (the way you say hello in Chinese) and I shout back and wave for as long as I can, because it's hard to ride a bike with one hand. They have all been very kind and amazing people. I <3 Asia! But, for now I have caught you up to an extent on what's new in Yunlin, and I must be on my way.