Jason's Marketplace

We had time to kill on Saturday after seeing Wrath of the Titans before our showing of The Hunger Games started, so we decided to explore the mall a little bit more.

We'd heard from another foreign teacher, that you can buy Western brands of food in the basement so we decided to check it out.

It was true!!!! Jason's Marketplace was beautiful.

There was real cheese and Captain Crunch ($9 a box, but still), and margarine (as close to butter as I think I'm going to get out here) and even Babybel cheeses. I geeked out over these. Craig thought I was nuts.

Right as I was going to check out, I saw a spice rack with Italian seasoning. And minced onions. 2 things that I had, that very day, put on a list for my family to send to me in their next package. I use the two to doctor up my Prego sauce, which I managed to purchase here. I'm so excited for a taste of home. I giggled to Craig and he thought I was crazy.

We also found Dr.Pepper and A&W Root Beer that we haven't found prior to now. At first we thought each can was $125NT or over $3 each and decided we weren't that desperate yet. We saw another sign later that said each can was $35NT, or a little over $1 USD.

It was exciting to be sure. I want to go back this week and see if there's some fun stuff to make for Easter dinner next week. We saw some stuff to make mini-pizzas, and might do that. It won't be the same as ham and delicious potatoes, but it will still be a treat.

3D

We saw Wrath of the Titans in 3D today while we waited for our showing of The Hunger Games to start. The movie was so-so, but the 3D glasses were pretty legit.

Exercise Period

Every week, one of the foreign teachers is in charge of running an exercise period. There are 2 songs, one the children dance to, and the second they do stretches to. Last week it was my turn.

I think the kids really enjoyed it. The songs I used are posted below.

Song # 1- Twist by Patty Shukla


Song #2 - Reach by S Club 7

Field Trip to Zhunan Station

One thing I'm quickly realizing as a teacher in Taiwan, lesson plans and schedules mean nothing here. Not a day goes by, that something doesn't get switched around or changed.

Take last week's field trip, Craig and I found out about it the night before, after work. Totally threw off my teaching schedule. Anyways, we get to the train station and I fully expect a guide to come out and show us around.

But no, my friends. I was the guide. They all said, "Miss Kristi, meet us downstairs at 10:30 (the wrong time, by the way), show the kids around."

Ethan

Hank

Ian on the bus home

Thomas

Okay, I'll show these kids around a train station I've been in fewer than 10 times. It was ridiculous. I hat feeling unprepared and for this I was just walking around pointing at things. "This is a ticket machine, this is also a ticket machine, a trash can, another ticket machine." It was thrilling stuff, people. I wish you could have been there, I'm sure you would have been riveted.

Thomas, Beckham, and Ian

The kids seemed to enjoy it, even though we didn't see even one train in person, just a few in old pictures.

When it rains, it pours

Saturday Craig and I had to walk to the school to attend a demonstration in Hsinchu. It was pouring outside and both of us had left our umbrellas in Hsinchu the previous weekend.

Lucky for me, I have a smart mom who asked me no less than 3 times if I had bought a poncho. I thought about buying one, but my mom really sealed the deal. This pretty pink poncho kept me dry, while also keeping me humble. I got laughed at for sure!! Mostly by Craig...

That awkward moment when...

A Chinese-speaking taxi driver asks you , an English-speaking customer, a question and you respond with "Si." Language fail.

Learning Folders

About once a month we, as home room teachers, have to put all the kids' work into binders that they brought from home. After that, the students take the binders home to show off to their parents all the stuff they've been doing at school.

Part of our jobs is to design covers for all of the learning folders. We needed to have their name, the class name, the year, and a photo. Here's what I came up with- I have one for girls and one for boys.

I wanted something bright and relatively simple, as I had to make these at home off the clock. Lucky for me, Word had some decent border clip art to choose from. I think it turned out pretty good. Now I just need to print them out and tape them on tomorrow. That will be one more thing checked off my list.

RT Mart Swag

I thought I'd share my bounty from my most recent trip to RT Mart.

I scored some candy for my classroom (the top right and bottom left photos). A flash drive to make printing out my lesson plans and worksheets way easier. Emailing them to myself just wasn't cutting it, as the internet at school can be pretty sketch.

A 4-pack of packing tape to laminate some posters for my classroom and the kids learning folders (I'll explain learning folders in a future post), a pack of batteries for my iPod speakers I brought to school so my kids can listen to music after nap time, and a spindle of blank cds, to be used to make kickin music discs for exercise period on Thursday. It's my turn to host this week, I'll let you know how it goes.

The Dove box is full of these chocolate sticks with a hazelnut filling similar to Nutella. They're delicious. Like really.

Finally, Craig and I each bought a pair of slippers to wear in the classroom and for quick jaunts outside when we take our kids to the bathroom. The school just put in wood floors and has made it a policy that no shoes should be worn inside. It killed me the first few days, my feet were SO sore. I still don't love it, but I'm adapting slowly.

Downside is that the slippers were a little too small, but only cost  $40 NT, which is a little more than $1 USD. So we didn't feel too slighted

The grand total for my legally-gotten gains was $779 NT or around $26 USD. Cheapy McCheaperson! Things really are less expensive here. Love it!

It Grows At Night...

Take a gander on what I saw growing on my favorite pair of zebra print flats after pulling them out of my wardrobe. What's that you ask? What's on it? Are those green spots, you ask? Yes, those are green spots. That is mold on a pair of my flats!!!!

The humidity here is causing crap to grow on my shoes!! I saw it a few days ago, and I was like "Seriously!? Really?"  It was sad. I'm trying to figure out the best way to work out this moisture problem in my bedroom. Surely, the good people of Taiwan have thought of a way to rise above such injustices. Just one of the many joys of living abroad in another country!!

Scream Fest

Last night, Craig and I walked to this downtown area near the train station. It's pretty legit. There are lots of food stands and little shops. There's even a drugstore, Cosmed, where I found Nyquil-like capsules to help me feel better. It kind of reminded me of a Walgreen's without the candy and fun As-Seen-On-TV section.

Anywho, on the walk to the station, both of us listening to our iPods, I heard a loud noise. I turned around and I realized that it was barking. Wild dogs are rampant in Taiwan. We see about 10 every day. After turning around, this thing comes bolting around the side of a building. I screamed bloody murder. My eyes didn't even process that what I was screaming at was a Pug-like pup. It might have well as been a pitbull for the way I went on. It was small.

Craig, hearing my scream, ripped out his head phones and turned around, "What? What is it!?" He looked at me, then the dog, and just laughed. He laughed his head off. Seriously, he couldn't breathe.

I might have said a swear word and then become really embarrassed that I behaved like a ninny-pants about such a small dog.

But see, this is the thing, I had no idea it was a small dog. I thought it was going to be massive. And it was running straight at me. I really could only scream, right?

Needless to say, I continued on walking in shame to the market, while Craig would just start laughing again every few minutes. Oh, life. How you like to laugh at me.

Catch Up

The following posts are in no particular order. I don't remember the dates, but I thought the stories were fun! So here I go, catching up on my life in Taiwan!! Read up.

Shoes

At the laundromat.

Think of all the places your shoes have gone. All the things they've experienced. 

My shoes navigated the ice-slicked streets of Rexburg, Idaho. They have clomped down the old-town avenues of Clovis, California. They have traversed the rural backyard of Taiwan. They've seen so much. 

Am I the only one that thinks like this? That actually sits and ponders these things? About where my shoes have been?  Maybe I'm weird, but I think it's something cool to think about. Think about where all of your things have gone. It's pretty crazy.