It was bound to happen

I am starting to miss things. Some claim this means the homesickness is setting in. At first I rejected this diagnosis, and I thought it was merely a cold. A common cold: occasional sneezes and a stuffy nose.

Then I started noticing my tolerance for stupidity dwindling. This is where I realized it was something far more. Maybe it’s the apocalypse or a French horn being blown into a fan. Then I saw post after post…

Hear ye hear ye. Behold Teri, beautiful Northern Lights dancing through the midnight sky. The one and only Aurora Borealis. Na, na, nah, na, nah. You can’t see it because you moved to the other side of the world where this beauty has yet to touch.

Barnacles!

I am even beginning to miss the magpie you never see but always hear at 5:00 am on the mornings you crave sleep more than the smell of freshly cut grass.

I’m not superwoman. I guess this was bound to happen…

No sense of Ha-Ha

A while back, I was reading a story with my PET class. One of the vocabulary words was stern. So logically, I told them if someone is always serious, my mom says, "They have no sense of ha-ha!" There were some laughs, then we moved onto the next word.

Last week, the kids were being a little unruly, and I was getting a little frustrated.

"Seriously guys, we have to get through this stuff!!!!!"

As I am facing the board, these words came hurdling at me.

"Teacher you have no sense of haha!"

I turned to them. You could see the fear in their eyes. I could not contain myself any longer. I almost cried I was laughing so hard, and they were not far behind me. 

It is time...

Here is a little list of things I have observed and learnt over the course of the last 6 weeks. But today I am saying good-bye to Mr. splint, even if it is a week early. I think it has healed as much as it can, and I don’t trust the advice of the last doctor I had, and I am thoroughly sick of it. Ooooo I feel like such a rebel sometimes!

1. I can no longer fist pump with two hands
2. I have a perma claw…
3. My peace sign looks gimped. I call it the peaceful claw
4. Purse essentials turns from lip gloss to surgical tape and liquid advil.
5. Things are better in twos. There were a few times when I was sliding down a greasy hiking trail backwards that I would think to myself, “Hmm a second hand to grab ANYTHING could be somewhat useful at this point in time.”
6. Front braking on a scooter is doable with a little practice. It also teaches the best head banging techniques.
7. Being a hand-talker scares small children
8. The perfect time to re-tape is while waiting for a meal, and it gets people even more curious.
9. Sneezes sometimes hurt, especially when they catch you by surprise. I have learnt not to flail my hand while I sneeze.
10. Everyone wants to look at it and touch it as if they are all doctors. I felt guilty after rudely jerking away from an actual nurse who wanted to take a look. Don’t worry I let him take a look once he showed me his credentials.
11. I now know that feeling of disappointment most adolescent boys feel when they fail to unclasp a bra with one hand on the first try… Good thing I give myself second, third and sometimes fourth tries.
12. I have had nightmares about family members in the medical professions scolding me for not having a bone density test done on my hand and telling me I am pretty much doomed. 
13. Sometimes I follow my intuition. When I packed baby powder in my belongings, I had no idea what I  might use it for. After 4 days of being in the pouring rain, and my fingers being on the verge of rotting, it saved me. It really did.
14. The splint makes it easier to make puppets with a flashlight as long as I remember how to do it. First try, epic fail and the children knew it. I got better though.
15. This hand is a human magnet. It absolutely is! Even when walking with it against my chest through a crowd, people run into me straight on. Hmm let me rephrase: It gives me invisibility powers. That is why everyone runs into me. Silly me.

I keep posting about my hand. I know it is boring and this is the third one, but my creativity in writing is lacking these days. I think I just need to go for some long walks with my voice recorder (I replaced Teri’s Book of Random Thoughts with this handy device that records faster than I can write), or sit with a fabulous glass of wine and a book. I will post things with more substance soon!

Life can be tough

You know life is tough when at the end of the day the biggest thing you have to complain about is your straw having a crack in it and you having to work a little harder to not become dehydrated. 

How do you know?

Lucky for me, this last Monday morning I met with my third doctor for my third appointment and x-ray on my finger. Oh how I love consistency. This guy was no HOD, but I had to give him a chance.

He starts off the conversation by asking me, “What’s wrong with you?” I should have straight away asked for a second opinion.

“I broke my finger four weeks ago.”

“So you want x-rays?”

I am not sure doctor. What would you recommend when a patient is told to come back for a check-up in four weeks time? I was sent for round three of x-rays.

I came back and he started beating around the bush about whether it is healed or not. I explained to him that last week I had some extreme pain, and I wasn’t confident it was healed because of all the pain with it still in the splint. Then I told him that I was diabetic, which could complicate the healing process.

“Are you sure?”

“That I have diabetes?”

“Yes…”

“Yeah. I have had it for 17 years.”

“How do you know?”

I almost fell off my stool. I don’t know. Maybe I knew after drinking any type of fluids I could get my hands on and sleeping non-stop when I was a child. Or maybe it was when I almost died because it took so long to diagnose me. No, I think I really figured it out when I would get sick if I didn’t inject myself with insulin before/after eating. Yeah that must have been it.

Finally he gave me his opinion. It is not healed. He showed me the x-ray. Ok. Now what? Three more weeks of this splint?

He then proceeds to take off my tape and splint. I wish he would have let me do it.

He was not impressed with the angle the splint and talked as if I had shaped it. Then he pulls and moves my finger. Did you not just tell me it wasn’t healed? Of course it hurts. He surprised that I can barely bend my ring finger. Well sir, I haven’t moved it in 4 weeks. It has been taped to my pinky.

In the end he and the nurse decided together they would have a go at taping my finger. He wrapped this massive piece of gauze around my pinky, but it wasn’t tight. Then he put a piece of tape loosely around it, and then tapes the splint only to my pinky finger. I asked if I could put the tape on since I have ample experience doing it. He said no, and then asked me with a surprised face, “You have tape at home?” No, sir, I went 4 weeks doing all sorts of things without retaping my hand. Yummy…

Here are some pictures of what it looked like. It was a mess and offered no support. This guy was a reminder of why I hate doctors and try to avoid them at all costs. I arrived home frustrated and in a lot of pain. I had a nap before going to work, and the pain got a little better. Let’s just say it was not my finest teaching day.

Teri, what is that large white thing on your hand?

What a nincompoop. Not a chance this is going to do anything.

Fig 1 & 2: How a profession should tape a hand

 

So this got me a thinking. It is just a lil ole pinky. Why don’t we just cut it off? It serves very little purpose. I would save myself from arthritis when I am older, and I may even be able to get a discount on custom made mittens for using less material.

Here’s to three more weeks.

I love...

I love how you read my blog posts... Really I do.

I would love it even more if you left comments!

XOXO

They Call Me Pinky

Most of you or maybe some of you know the story about my finger. I broke it about a month ago. I was in Maolin on a weekend getaway with some friends! It was an amazing trip minus the fact I broke my finger playing football in the rain.

I caught the ball wrong. I thought it was just dislocated, but I wasn’t so lucky. This was Saturday night in the pouring rain in a village with no hospital. No one had tape and it was far too swollen and painful to even try taping my fingers together or have it popped back into place. Ice and Advil had to do for the night.

Maybe I should get this checked out.

The next day was a slow day for pretty much everyone on the trip due to the festivities the night before. We had a wonderful relaxing day before heading back to Kaohsiung. The pain was ok until I started driving my scooter. We were driving through places where the roads were still washed out from the Typhoon three years ago. Every minor bump equalled a jolt of pain through my hand and finger. It was a long drive home. I made it back with Laura, went home to drop off my stuff, and headed to the E.R.

Talk about service! I was immediately taken to the trauma section of the E.R. They taped my name to my chair and I plunked down. It was a pretty busy night. People on beds dying in the hallway. Everyone was staring at me. Oh joy! But what was I staring at?

I was staring at the man in front of me in the wide open with a trache tube. His family and a doctor were surrounding him. He looked in rough shape, possibly dead? Why didn’t they close the curtains for some privacy?

A young chap comes over to take me for x-rays.

“Please spread your fingers.” How about I just deliver a massive Karate chop to your neck. It would not involve me spreading my fingers and would hurt a lot less.

I returned to the E.R. to find Will setting up shop beside me! Hilarious!!! A bunch of messy foreigners in the E.R. after a fantastic weekend. All we needed was Laura with her mangled toe. Will kissed the pavement a few times after crashing his scooter the same night I broke my finger.

Will just loves having his wounds scrubbed out!

My doc came to tell me that it was indeed broke, and I needed to wait for the Ortho doc to figure out what we were going to do. I had a moment of panic. I was convinced my finger was still dislocated. There was no way that it would bend to the side like that if it was only a fracture.

Will and I had quite an enjoyable time playing over all the worst case scenarios. But I was in a lot of pain! All around us there were princesses holding their hands, leg, pony tails, and anything else that could be injured as if they had been hit by a bus. No swelling or bruising. Where on earth is my ice? Then to top it off a nurse comes over to Will and gives him ice for his road rash. Haha ok!?! Finally Will’s people hooked me up.

Apparently it is fun to knock knees with pavement.

I look over, and the man with the trache tube is sitting there talking to his family off ventilation! Ah what? I explain to Will that I thought the man was on the brink of death. So random…

Then this beautiful man walked up to me. Hiyah there. He was my hot Ortho doctor (HOD). Fantastic! He took me to see my x-rays. It was almost fracture the whole way through. That explains the bend to the side. HOD and the other doctors were laughing at my story about how I fractured it. There could have been way better stories that could have resulted in a fractured pinky. Maybe they were laughing because they thought I was some crazy, foreign girl.

Crick, and it was broke, and dat was dat.

He told me they had to put a piece of metal to hold my finger in place. Excuse me??? He must have seen the look of shock on my face because he asked if that was ok. I asked him if the metal would be on the inside or outside of my finger. When he said metal he meant splint made out of metal. Phew!

All splinted up!

Finally HOD splinted my finger up, wrote me a prescription, and sent me on my way with a follow up appointment in three days. My finger hurt prior to the E.R. visit, but I was not prepared for the pain when they forced my pinky together with my other finger. Damn!!!

I would like to introduce you to the Permaclaw!

The next couple days were spent doing a tiny little tasks then having to take a break or nap depending on where I was. I was exhausted and sore! They had only given me T2s for the pain management. Fail! I was pretty excited about the bruising though! I never bruise and here I had a rainbow on my hand!

My camera sucks at catching bruises. This is post scrubbing of the nasty hand.

I arrived at my follow-up over an hour early. Whoops. A nice man helped me and offered to translate the patient information sheet for me while he was waiting for his mother to be seen.

“Are you single or married?”

“I am single”

“Do you live by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Who takes care of you?”

“I take care of myself”

“Oh?”

This was on the actual questionnaire. He checked off boxes after each of my answers.

I looked into the office. There was the cranky nurse and some other doctor. I began wearing my sad face. Where was HOD? Then he came strolling through the waiting room. I went in to see him, and he went through all my medical history.

“You are diabetic too?”

Yes, I know! I am a mess. J

He explained because my finger was crooked, they might have to put a pin in it if the splint didn’t hold it straight. What about the Philippines? I crossed all my available fingers as I went for round 2 of x-rays. I returned to his office, but the other doctor was there. Bah humbug. The new doctor told me the new splint was holding my finger in place! Yay, no surgery.

Now to book an appointment in 4 weeks. He only had appointments for the afternoons. I explained that I worked in the afternoon and mornings would be the only time that would work for me. He gave me bad news. I would have to see the “other doctor.” Oh shucks. Another appointment with HOD. I lied and said it would be alright.

Tomorrow is the big day when I find out if it is healed yet. I would like to say that I will walk out of the hospital with bendy, nimble fingers, but I really don’t think it is healed yet. We shall see though. Being back at work this past week has been extremely painful because I keep using my hand without realizing it. Everyone keeps telling me to put my kids to work. I think I might this week… Suckers!

Luckily I have great friends who help me blend in with a crowd.

I survived...

My adventures to the Philippines was beyond amazing. I did the first week myself. Hiked through parts of the North before I headed South. The following is a video I took after my insane hike to Batad. You can tell it was a long, long day because I couldn't even form proper sentences. For instance, it is "Banueeeeeee Junction" not "Banow crossroads!" Whoops. 

I am extremely proud of myself. I am not sure how I did it, but I survived even with a freshly broken finger. 

I asked my guide at the end of it all if he thought I would actually be able to do it, and he responded with a laugh and a "no." 

BUT I DID!!! And it is something I will never forget!

Lucky Number 62?!?

When I am asked what my lucky number is I find it easy to spout out the number 7. It always shows up in my life in good places. 62 has never held any sort of significance in my life in the past. Not even a little. The number 62 has now consumed my life completely. 124 feet and hands, 620 fingers, hopefully 620 toes (I haven’t counted those yet so it could be plus or minus a few),  62 smiles (sometimes), and 62 completely different personalities. To them I am Teacher Teri and to me they are my new life.

I have been known to be a high-energy person, but sometimes it is difficult to keep up on the best of days with these hooligans!

TEACHER TERI…
This celebrity status is starting to wear a little on me. Those two little words firing out of a tiny mouth followed by 2 steadfast eyes staring straight at me are starting to make me shudder. Teacher Teri, Teacher Teri, Teacher, Teacher. I feel like it never stops. I try to hide away in the basement where our office is, but somehow their voices are still able to penetrate through the walls.

I started my job with six classes.

I have 14 bright-eyed and bushy-tailed munchkins in my B class. They range from 5-7 years old, and they all have very different personalities. Some kids will put up their hands to answer every question even when they don’t have a clue what I am asking. These kids are super polite, and I love them to bits… most days! These kids pack a lot of energy, and most of them don't receive any attention at home unless it is negative, so sometimes they act out in class just because they want attention and a little love.  I think I have mastered some techniques with positive reinforcement to keep them on track.

They constantly seek approval in everything they do.  And I can’t help but smile when a student gets super excited about something that has happened, but doesn’t know how to tell me in English.

My C4 class is full of characters. They love, love, love to add  -ah to the end of every word.
“Teacher, I forgot my Bookah!”

I think they started this for fun prior to my arrival, and now they don’t even notice they are doing it. They are getting better because they really, really want their checks. One good thing about a class of boys is they are very competitive. Sometimes I have to stop and take a moment to catch my breath with them-ah. They are pretty freaking funny, even when they show a little attitude.

To my C5 class all I am is some crazy fool who tries to teach them the story of Ali Baba and how cool the magic phrase, “open sesame” really is. Why don’t they teach this story to B classes that still have a little sense of ha-ha? Seriously saying that something is cool is not enough with these kids. Tough crowd. So I tried to persuade them by saying my dad says, “open sesame” every time he approaches an automatic door. Still not enough. Where do I go from here? Damn!

One last shot before I am thrown to the wolves. “My dad is a cowboy and uses chopsticks to eat everything.” Eureka! That is it! If only I had known this tiny piece of information was vital for my survival in this class.

Oh the KETs. I have never seen a group of students that like to touch each other as much as these kids. They are always poking and prodding. My favourite moment was when one of our stories was the lyrics to a Katie Perry song… Oh yeah. These kids are crazy!

My PET class is junior high-ish students. They are jokesters. I often come in to class to find random post-its in high places they know I can’t reach.  It took a while for us to get to know each other, but I can’t blame them.  They work so hard. It’s these students I don’t mind hanging out with after class to help them with assignments. One of the students likes to put his shirt over his head. He is the Asian version of Cornholio. Of course I showed them a video!

My FCE class is made of students who just want to learn English. They have past all their exams. They read English books at home. This is my fun class. Their English is so developed that we can joke around about pretty much anything.  I have taught them colloquial terms, about gingers, and many other random things. I always come back to class after break to find them streaming hilarious British skits. We created an initiation for this class. All the new students have to try pickles.  Pretty much the funniest group of kids.

Even though there are a lot of ups and downs, I truly love my kids. I have built an incredible bond with them already. After one terrible day, I had one student’s parent talk to my director about me. She said that her son was so excited to come to school because he really liked how hard I tried and how fun of a teacher I was. In my place of employment, we are often hit with only the negative feedback. It is the moments when you hear the positive, that makes it worth it and it even gives you a little warm, fuzzy feeling inside. 

I will next time.

My main man, Charlie, fixing my hiking backpack for me :)

I had spent about two months randomly going places and seeing new things. One day I was driving, and I noticed a huge building with tonnes of junk outside. Yay! Looked like hidden gems everywhere. I whipped a quick u-turn on Eugene and pulled up.

An older man started walking towards me. Oh wonderful! Another creepy man who I won't be able to talk to because I don't speak Chinese. 

Quite the opposite! This was the day I met Charlie. 

Charlie is an older Taiwanese gentleman. His leathery skin flashes years of relentless torment from a fierce sun. Light eyes that could tell a thousand tales glazed with a glimmer of hope. A smile bearing a childish nature and restlessness.

My gateway to lucidity and a profound history the young seem to know nothing about.

The stories from Charlie are endless. Whether he is showing me his latest inventions or talking about his time in the military, he never fails to grab my attention.

I go and hang out with Charlie every couple weeks. The last time I went to see him was right before I left for the Philippines, and I needed the braces shortened on my hiking backpack.

Of course he helped me! Charlie is Taiwanese after all.

He was using a grinder.

“Charlie! Where are your safety glasses?”

He didn’t know where they were. That’s ok, though, because only hard metals hurt your eyes. Rocks and whatever my backpack was made out of would only cause minimal damage if he was struck in the eye with a flying piece.

Naturally I lectured him on the importance of eye safety. The conversation moved to my broken finger. I argued I could live a normal life without my pinky, but eyes, that was a different story. He just laughed. I don’t think I was getting my point across.

When I finished, Charlie simply responded to my persistent nattering with, “I will next time.”

Oh Charlie…

My first...

I had just filled my scooter, Eugene, up with gas. I was sitting at a stop light. This man walked by me. I glanced at him for only a moment. After a couple seconds of processing what I had just seen, my eyes snapped back to him.

Low and behold my first Asian mullet. I am glad I was stopped at a light or I may have fallen off my bike. So close, I could almost touch it! A perfectly straight party in the back, and business with a slight wave in the front.

I can’t wait to tell my future children about this experience.

Similar to this only on an Asian with a little more wave on top.

Sometimes...

Sometimes I feel like I could cry. Not because I am sad, angry, or frustrated, but because I am so damn lucky. 

Things May Dry Up Here Eventually

Last night it poured again. I was in a dress, and it got very wet. Was I bothered by this. No! Why? Because I am so used to being soaked, it is no longer a shock that raindrops keep falling on my head. 

After two weeks of rain, rain, and a tropical storm, it seems as though hot season may be moving in! I love the rain. I love hearing it, I love seeing it, and I more than love dancing in it. But enough is enough! For the second day I have been greeted by Mr. Goldensun, and I am delighted! 

I can handle downpours at night. That is fine, but please let me have my sun in the morning. It serves as a lifeline for me. 

So What if I Live on a Street I Can't Pronounce

Hello Everyone!

I thought I would show you my apartment! Here is a video! I hope it doesn't take too long to load! I am kicking back in Kaohsiung this weekend, so I might work on some writing to keep you in the loop!

Teri

So This is What it is All About...

Note: This blog was written beginning of May. I have just found the energy to post it now… There is more I swear!

Last week was fantastic. Well not entirely fantastic. I was so busy and exhausted I really don’t remember the w’s of my daily activities…

Who? Me I guess. And a few innocent bystanders.

When? All last week.

Where? All over Kaohsiung, Taiwan

What? Hmmm I remember some of this! To start, I was waking up every morning between 5:30 and 7:30. This doesn’t sound too bad until you consider my schedule for the daily schedule for an entire week:

1. Wake up!

2. Eat breakfast.

3. Run errands (ex: pick out scooter, pick up scooter, learn how to drive said scooter, spend a considerable amount of trying to regulate my heart beat and blood pressure after driving my unnamed scooter, sign lease, go from bank machine to bank machine try and withdraw money since my card had been compromised*** I will write about this some other time.

4. Eat lunch

5. Make it to training before 1:00

6. Train with Jeffrey (Note: this is not his real name)…

7. Want to bang my head against a desk while being trained by Jeffrey

8. Refrain from banging head or any other available body part against desk while being trained by Jeffrey

9. Find time to eat and drive over to the branch that I will be teaching at before 4:40 – again, this does not sound too bad, but please read my future blog post about learning how to drive a scooter in a typhoon.

10. Observe, train, and/or lesson plan… until 10:30 pm. That is 8:30 am your time. Yes I still have the brain capacity to make this time change. Please don’t ask me to do it a week from now!

11. Go and eat supper again… This kind of work takes a lot of energy!

12. Attempt to drive and stay awake at the same time. Thank goodness there is wind in my face for the drive home…

13. Arrive home by 11:30 to crash on the hard, hard surface I called my bed.

14, 15, 16, 17... Repeat, repeat repeat.

I wish I could have joined the construction workers who had siestas around 1:00 outside of the branch where I trained every day.

There is the short answer to the “What” section of the questions.

Why? Because I am Crae Crae (A term one of the teachers teaches her students, which means crazy squared!)

It hasn’t been too bad. I was just thoroughly exhausted from last week. I am now in the new apartment and I have DARK curtains! I had to make some careful modifications so I could have a little darkness in my life!

The Curtains?

I slept through the entire night on my first night! Hurray! I woke up around 7:30, laid in bed for a while and decided people die in bed so I got up! Checked e-mails, made notes of everything I had done, and waited for the rest of the household to awake. Ali had coffee plans with a friend (I would like to think it was with a secret lova, but she denies it), and planned to pick me up on scooter after so we could go for some hotpot with some friends. She ended up running behind so I went with Nikki in a cab. I couldn’t figure out why Nikki was taking forever to get ready. Turns out my clock was set an hour ahead.

Lunch was amazing! I met a tonne of people and had Thai iced tea. The kind I remember from Australia! After lunch we scooted over to look for an apartment for three of the gals. Rent is sooo cheap here! At one of the stop lights this lady on scooter started talking to Ali and told her I had beautiful skin. I am glad someone other than me can appreciate the pink complexion!

Mik showing us her new mask. People wear these everywhere! I guess they should be fashionable too.

Then we hit up a couple markets, and I bought a towel. Yes, I forgot one! I know exactly where I left it on my bedroom floor. Not that I had room for it anyway.  There are lots of stores around. Only one problem: Everything is one size fits all. Eeek. I hope I don’t need to buy clothes anytime soon!  After this we went for a quick swim at Kelly’s apartment before heading home for a shower.

We went for dinner at this great little place down the street. They cook everything in front of you. Teppanyaki? I think this place is a hidden gem! Depending where I live, I could myself frequent this place. After dinner, we took a cab over to this parking lot where we partaking in the Hash run. I am not sure exactly what it is, but we walked around following chalk marks on the road all around Kaohsiung! It was extremely hot and humid! At the end of the walk, we covered about 5 km, my new Birkenstocks were well broken in, I was sweating bullets, and I vowed to never wear jeans again regardless of bugs being present. The end of the run/walk is in a park, and they “nominate” people for things and then they have to drink beer. It was extremely refreshing in the heat.  Once that ended the rest of the crew decided to head out for some drinks. I had been there just over 24 hours! I was exhausted! So I opted out of the fun and walked home around 11:30.

We walked most of the evening along love river

Of course I woke up at the first sign of light. Ali took me to breakfast at a cute little place called Calorie. Yes they have a place called Calorie, and they serve fantastic food! We then headed to the junk market where I found a cell phone with a battery, and a charger. Of course it worked for the guy, but of course not for me. It was a dud. I will take it back this weekend.

Not French or in Saskatoon, but it will do!

After this we headed out on scooters to monkey mountain to spend the afternoon relaxing at the hidden beach.  There was just us and a few older gentlemen. I don’t think they had seen many Caucasian people before. This was the location of my first photo shoot. A man was taking pictures of the scenery, saw us, and asked if it was ok to take some pictures of us. This old man then came over. He was super shy, and asked the first guy to ask us if he could take a picture of us. He was delighted when we said yes, and he scooted away to get his camera phone.  

Can you feel the serenity? 

Unreal!

Beach bums! First time I had ever saw black sand.

After hours in the sun, we headed to a small roadside café where we had a little snack. We headed back into the city. On the journey home, this little grey thing scurried across the road in front of us. At first I thought it was a cat, but no it was my first Taiwanese monkey! There were many more staring down on us from the embankment! It was a fantastic day! The scenery here leaves me speechless.

Monday was another early morning. I had some breakfast and waited for Leon to come and pick me up! He arrived with his adorable daughter Betty. We went and had my professional pictures taken. Leon warned me that they do a tonne of photoshopping on them and nothing would be left but white. More white is better. I didn’t believe him. I now officially know what my face would look like without freckles, red cheeks, and less eyebrows than I already have.  The photo also makes me look like a convict. A convict without freckles.

We went to get me a SIM card, and this was where I found out my junk phone was indeed junk. I invested in a new one to save myself from anymore hassle.  We dropped Betty off at her school, and I spent the rest of the day apartment searching on a Chinese website. Needless to say it was time-consuming.

Yesterday morning I was once again picked up by Betty and Leon. We headed to the hospital for my health check. They have quite the setup. Betty is a celebrity there since she comes in with all the newbies. She assisted me in disclosing my medical history to the doctor, and double checked that the doctor didn’t miss finding anything in my ears with one of the ear checking things. The health check was a breeze. All the doctor asked me was how long I had Diabetes for, and then she responded with, “Oh that’s a long time” and sent me on my way.  Oh by the way I am obese in Taiwan. They have this nifty little machine that calculates your weight and measures your height at the same time with invisible laser beams (or so I imagine). It then calculates your BMI, and puts it on a health scale. It ranges from underweight to overweight. The child before me was underweight according to the scientific calculations.

Everywhere!

I spent the rest of the afternoon wondering around. I went to a large park a ways away. It has the gallery of fine arts in the centre. BY the time I finished taking in the beauties of the park, it was almost closed.  There was this murky pond that all these children were staring into. Naturally I went over to inspect the situation. In the pond there were tonnes of turtles, a few ducks, and koi fish! It was interesting watching them all interact with another. I wonder what Jamie would think if I got a pet turtle from the brown water?

This is Michelangelo

The next time I attempt to go to the gallery, I will be less distracted! It was just so gorgeous there! It had rained most of the day so everything was covered in raindrops. There was this older man in a marble shelter. He was playing a flute of some sort. I walked around to the other side of where he was to admire a sculpture. I went back to watch him play his splendid instruments, but he had noticed me already and thought I was more interesting to watch than his instruments were to play. Where is my invincibility cloak?  

I could have listened to him play all day

I am still trying to get used to people staring at me. It is such a weird feeling. Children especially are mesmerized by white skin. I thought people were exaggerating about this, but no, the stares never stop. It is such a strange feeling to be watched by everyone.

I was up at 5:30 this morning, but thankfully was able to fall back asleep till 7:30. My room is too bright in the morning to sleep once the sun starts rising. I will have to purchase blackout curtains as soon as I am settled into my own place. *feel free to make a Monty Python joke here regarding curtains J

Today I went out with Jacki. He is a sneaky, independent agent here that helps people find apartments. Unfortunately he is one of the only options to finding places here. It was a total bust. We are going out with a lady named Lillian tomorrow and with Jacki again on Friday.  And by we, I mean Emily and I. She is an ESL teacher from Colorado. She is super nice, and I just found out that her degree is also in anthro. I hope we have a place by the weekend. Wish us luck! P.S. I saw my first rat this morning while waiting for Jacki and Emily. It was in the shrubberies by the McDonalds where I was waiting. I feel like I am slowly piecing together the story of the ninja turtles. If only I liked pizza and brought my yellow jacket.

Almost got my ducks in a row

So most of my days are filled with wondering around. Ali and Nikki teach in the afternoons until around 9 at night. I can only spend so much time in the sun and walking in the humidity. This leaves a fair bit of free time right now. I really think that this is going to be a great experience. It just feels so right. I will be extremely busy once I start training on Monday! I hope, hope, hope I have a place by this time!

Sketch of Kaohsiung in a cafe.

Park, buildings, and mountains. These are my surroundings.

Rain or shine,

Teri

Where's My Fork?!?

My last 24 hours in Canada were quite hectic, and sleep was not included. There were so many loose ends to take care and a tonne of packing, which still isn’t finished! Good thing I have trusty parents to take care of this for me! They do get some food out of the deal!

I arrived at the airport around 7:30 and was sent off by my family and a couple wonderful friends! I was in a slight panic because I thought they were expecting me at the gate soon, but it turns out I was an hour ahead of myself. I suppose that is what a lack of sleep will do to a person.  I made it through airport security with all my belongings and insulin without any problems, and to my delight, my baggage was going to be transferred the entire way! Yippee!

Good-bye Canada!

The flight to Calgary was uneventful. I had a starbucks and chilled out when I arrived. Just before boarding the plane for Tokyo I was suddenly struck with panic. I don’t think I have ever thoroughly screwed up a Sudoku, but the craziest things happen when you place a 2 in the wrong spot. I regained my composure, finished one more puzzle, and hopped on the plane to Tokyo. I had an entire row of seats to myself, meaning I was able to get a few winks in on the journey. All the children on the plane were quiet. Probably because most of them were in executive class and we couldn’t hear them through the barrier. I am not sure why everyone hates Air Canada so much but I really enjoyed my long flight with them. The male employees though were somewhat unpleasant. I have a few theories on why they were not the friendliest characters I have met.

   

Hello Japan

I think I should take dad golfing here.

There was an array of people on the flight, and at this point I didn’t feel like everyone was watching me. As we reached Japan, I was surprised to see that Japan was not as densely populated as I imagined. There was lots of agriculture land where we flew over. I had the perception there would be people everywhere! After I got off the plane, I had to go through airport security again, and there was this little girl that was completely mesmerized by the snowflake imprinted on the inside of my backpack. I think this made her parents and the airport security lady a little uneasy. Once I arrived in Tokyo, it seemed as though I had to pass through every portion of the airport just to get to my gate. The people were extremely friendly and helpful! I was a little wiped once I got to where I needed to be. It was a very slow-paced airport, which I greatly appreciated.

I felt very welcome here.

Then, I went and had a meal. I have no idea what it was or what was in it, but it was incredible! I also had this amazing iced tea… yum, yum. There was one piece of advice people failed to give me: Take a travel fork until you are competent enough to use chop sticks in public. Apparently those who can’t use chop sticks in Asia slowly waste away. Maybe that is why Prebble was always hungry in Japan! Anyway, next time I travel I have three options. 1- Take a travel fork. 2- Enrol in Tex’s School of Chopstick Higher Learning or 3- I could just become a pro in Taiwan.

I managed to find a plug-in while waiting for my flight.  I checked my e-mails chatted with some people and realized youtube does not work efficiently in airports. I will have to watch the video of the Cordyceps taking on the ants some other time! It looks pretty sweet!

 I thought I was doing extremely well on the exhaustion meter until about 15 minutes before my flight boarded to Kaohsiung. Damn! My eyes were so heavy. I was concerned I would not be able to stay awake for boarding.  I decided it would be in my best interest to stand up and move around. Big mistake! Teri was about to experience her personal bubble being popped. People just started pushing and crowding around the gate. Oh boy. I managed to board the plane. I sat next to what I would say was a nice man. We didn’t talk though. He just observed my weird mannerisms. I passed out before the plane reached its desired altitude, and woke up to a lady coming down the aisle with FOOD! She was speaking Mandarin to everyone, but when she got to me, she sneakily changed to English. Was it that obvious? There were only 2 Caucasians on this very large flight! I just happened to be one of them!

And then I ate everything! Right bottom: Japanese pickles. They tried.

The food looked amazing! One problem. NO FORK!?! But luckily they had a spoon for the ice cream! I ate my dinner with a spoon. The guy next to me must have thought I was nuts. He seemed to be a master of the chopsticks! I really don’t think that many Asian people have an intolerance to lactose just from my observations! Every single person around me was eating ice cream. Suspicious! But then again, how could they resist such a delicious dessert!

I stepped off the plane in Kaohsiung, and was hit with a massive wave of heat and humidity. Within moments, I could feel my back becoming moist. Nice mental image! It was a mad rush to the customs gate. I asked the lady at the help centre if I had filled out everything correctly before getting into the aggressive line. She told me I needed an address for where I would be staying. I didn’t have one so she said a phone number would do. People were extremely pushy in the lines. I was tired and didn’t feel like being in close proximity to people so I decided to wait patiently. Consequently I was one of the last people through. 

On a side note, I think they allow everyone into this country who wants to come! At customs they looked at my form, asked if I had been in the country before and sent me on my way! I exchanged money once I grabbed my bags and walked through the gate where I was met by Leon, the guy who hired me. He thought I had troubles getting through customs because I was one of the last to leave. I explained it was because I was new to this pushing through lines business.  I am sure I will catch onto it eventually.

We packed all my luggage into his VW and headed out. He explained I would be staying with Ali and her roommate. He explained a weird dichotomy in Taiwan! People here are ridiculous when it comes to driving and pushing through lines, but on the other hand they are the friendliest people  to interact with on a personal level. So far I have to agree with this! Even though they stare at me they are extremely polite!

We arrived at Ali’s place. She will be teaching at the same branch as I will be. I was quickly introduced to her roommate Nikki and her friend, Kelly. They were extremely warm (maybe it was just the humidity) and welcoming. Ali invited me out to the fish market, but I felt disgusting and was extremely swollen from the altitude changes. I hope my fingers go back to normal in a couple days! They are extremely sore.

I settled into my room, had the most glorious shower, and retreated to my comfy, air conditioned room where I slept soundly for the entire night. Pff Jetlag???

Old Propaganda photo in my room

Ali has much planned for me this weekend apparently! I am excited and hope I can keep up. Monday I am getting a cell phone and photos with my residency card. I also have been told I have to get a scooter! Watch out!!!

I look down and this is what I see

I know these next couple weeks are going to be extremely busy and tough, but already it has been far easier and more welcoming then I ever imagined possible!

View from the balcony

From the balcony of an apartment that overlooks a city of beauty,

T

P.S. Don't worry my next post will be more short and concise!