Catching up with the craziness!!!

Too much to tell!! Life in Taiwan is going fast! There's always something to do and I love it!! I'll try to summarize and still give you the full effect of awesomeness and ridicule.

- ShauLiuoSho = Little Island. Beautiful place, first camping trip in Taiwan, great food, Taiwanese babies, snorkeling, jellyfish attack!, weird marine species... AWESOMENESS!!

Here we are. Six girls on scooters and motorcycles on our way to adventure. Don't tell, but we got lost on both the way there and back!!

This guy let us pet really cool animals: Blue and Green Sea stars, a huge red slug thing... cool stuff!!

- Aida! my roommate's mom, came to visit! I had known for a week before she surprised Anna! As you can imagine, it was a hard week. The Babbaganoush has never felt as hommie as when she was here = great food, clean house, motherly touch, fun, fun, fun!

Aida cooked for us and Anya had her tutoring class over for dinner. We ate, played games and learn the moves to the famous "Sorry, Sorry" song by Super Junior! It's hot stuff in Taiwan!

- During her stay here we went to DongGang for a boat burning celebration that only happens every 3 years. The event went from 2am until 6am or so. The ceremony started at the temple followed by a parade towards the ocean transfering the boat and all its parts and ended with the burning after long hours of waiting.

Where the ceremony got started! Lots of colors, sounds, smells and people!

The burning boat!

- Weekend of hell: 1. Helmet got stolen, 2. Fell down and hurt myself pretty bad, 3. Helga, my scooter got stolen, 4. I was asked to find a new job. Reasons why I'm not sad anymore about any of this: 1. got a cooler helmet, 2. I fall all the time. the only thing special about this one is that I have a cool story to tell now. 3. I got my scooter back!! The police found Helga close to my house and now it's back and running! 4. now that I don't have this one job, it seems that I can get an even better job where my friends work. Also, I wasn't fired because I'm a bad teacher - just politics.

- Said goodbye to my favorite class. I will miss them.

Joe, My favorite! He always knows the answer. Sam, a bit of a whiner. Vivian and Angel are twins but oh! So different. Vivian will be a famous artist some day.

- Celebrated the ridiculous Halloween holiday with cool friends, awesome costumes and lots and lots of dancing!!

The Newsy. The Russian Spy. Frida Kahlo. Emo Dude. Dirty Mexican. Gypsie Queen

I am happy here. Things are not what I expected. But at the end, What did I really expect? I wanted an adventure, something different, an experience to remember. This, I am getting. Remember me over here and write from time to time.

Much love!

Scooting my way away.

Last week I had my first scooter accident. I freaked out! Nothing serious, but never pretty. I've been meaning to write about it... you know, how the other scooter crossed my path and made me loose control, and how I impressively jumped off the scoot right on time to land on my feet and escape victoriously with only an ugly bruise on my upper right thigh. It was going to be an awesome entry. However, only in a weeks time I have an even better story to top that first one: My second scooter accident!!

Yes! It can happen twice! and in my case, the second time was worse. I was peacefully driving to my high school job when this guy comes out of an underground parking lot to the side of the road and thinks it's a good idea to make faces and the car coming behind him instead of looking at the road, where, oblivious, was I. So, with no time to break or get out of the way, the car crashed on my scooter and there I go to the floor, being dragged by inertia under my scooter, rubbing my right leg all over the pavement. The pavement was ok... my scooter was a little damaged... but the scrape on my leg says it was not a pretty accident! But it's ok. Hopefully this one will be the last. But... doesn't the alchemist say that if something happens once, it will not happen again. But if it does happen again, then it will certainly happen a third time? Oh! No! Lets hope he was wrong!

Anyway, other than a bruised and very scrapped right leg, life here in Kaohsiung is still awesome. Last week Team Armenia (our team) rocked the Charity Olympics, which featured sports such as Limbo, put the head on the cockroach, frisbee golf and pillow fighting. It was a hot and sweaty day, but most definitely fun.
Our team being INTENSE!! and my and Anya doing the Limbo!!
This weekend was also very fun. We needed to get out of the city for a while, so we decided to ride on our scoots and Anthony's new motorcycle and drive to Kenting, an awesome beach town on the very south of Taiwan. The drive there was beautiful and the town brought to us a glance of our former lives in OB, San Diego... peaceful, chill and salty. We swam, we tanned, we walked, shopped and ate... pretty perfect!

This is our hotel room. We got a sweet deal for sharing the 6 person room. Good thing we are good friends!
We also saw some cool natural fires in the middle of the mountains. It's weird! They just kinda burn, forever. We think there's natural gases coming from underground and when ignited, they just burn... maybe? Not sure, but pretty cool nonetheless. And of course, what do you do if you have eternal fires burning? A natural phenomenon? Taiwanese make popcorn! And not just any popcorn, but jiggle corn!!

Love from Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Everyday wonders

It's September and I've been here for almost two months now. Life has taken its course and even though it is still exciting and different, now it's just life. My heart doesn't race as hard as it used to everytime I see a toddler and a dog riding a scooter with mom and dad. Although I was still highly impressed this past weekend when I saw a family of five riding in one little scoot - yeah, that's my record so far. However, it feels good to be more like a local just living and working and having fun.

I have left my first school and I am now teaching at two other places. One of them is right across the street from The Babbaganoush, our home, and it's a small school where I am the only English teacher. It's a bit of pressure, and I'm still getting used to the new dynamic, but I like it so far. The second job is at a public high school. It's a bit of a drive there, but oh so worth it! It reminds me on junior high in Mexico - dirty buildings, smelly teenagers, chalk boards, classes of 38+ kids - pretty fun. Their first questions are always: "Where are you from?" "Do you have a boyfriend" and "Do you like stinky tofu". Some of them are also fascinated by my nose ring and one of them asked me "how many kilograms you are". Translated: "how much do you weight" - I guess I am significantly larger than the average taiwanese 16 year old - obviously! The big classes are challenging, but I really enjoy it. I never thought I would feel comfortable teaching older kids, but it has actually been better than little ones. I am now mildly terrified of young children.

I have kept 2 of my classes at the first school. One of them is a small class of 8 older students preparing for the Enlglish test provided by the government. They are my favorite. I've gotten to know them pretty well by now and I find them so interesting and loving and cute. It will be sad to leave them, which i will unfortunately have to do because I do not qualify for an ARC (Alien Resident Card) because of my mexicanness and this one school is not willing to risk having me without one... i know! The trials of the Latinos follow me to Taiwan. But it's ok, I'm not the only one who can't get an ARC in this country and as long as I have a job, it will all be ok.

Besides work, living here is awesome. Going to the beach, water spa before class, walking around the Love River, hiking literally surrounded by monkeys, eating great food, riding on scooters, parties, friends - bottom line, it's a great place to be. Here are some pictures of these past few weeks.

This is part of a festival that has lasted about a week. They set up tents outside and people just come, pray, sing and burn incense and yellow pieces of paper and offer food to one of their gods. From what I understand as my students explained it, they do it as a prayer for prosperity.
This is up one of the mountains 10 minutes from our apartment. Mostly old people climb it - some of them barefoot. It seems like a place to hang out with friends, pray and even do some stretching exercises.

These are some of the residents at Monkey Mountain. They hang out and walk next to you. One of them almost attacked me and we have been warned not to take anything crunchy (bags, food, drinks) because they will jump you and take it! Not even joking!Oh! The Love River. Bike riders, food, pretty cafes - beautiful place.My Anya - roommate, friend, sister.
What's left of the Kaohsiung World Games '09 decorations. They used to be everywhere!
The beach after the typhoon. Trees just floated and now are stranded on the beaches. It's a beautiful sight. It smells like wet wood and ocean, the sounds the hollow logs make when they are hit by the waves make it seem unreal - it reminds me of something like a dinasour's graveyard. Taiwan has mostly recovered after the typhoon, but things like this remind you of the damage that was done.
This is our group out having Thai food for dinner celebrating Cooper visiting. He's Anya's friend from high school and our first visitor from our former lives - it was good to share our Taiwanese world with someone else.

So, come visit!
More to come later. I'll try to not dissapear for too long.
Much love.

After the storm

Well, as many of you know, the Typhoon Marakot hit Taiwan this past weekend. This is not the first one that Taiwan sees, but it was certainly the first one for us. This is a picture from our balcony on the 15th floor. The white fuzz is not fog, it's rain.
Thursday night we were told about it by our schools and were told not to go to work. "Slumber Party!" we all thought. So Ben, Courtney, Anthony and Danielle all prepared a night bag and came over to the Babbaganoush for what we thought would be a night and day of fun. We didn't think that a day would become three days and three nights of staying in because of the non-stop rain and crazy wind! So the cabin lock-down started Thursday night, accompanied by wonderful Jack Bauer (24 fans, you understand), lots of food, whisteling of wind, ratteling of windows and wet shoes. At the beginning for us, it was just a time to hang out and have fun. By the third day though, we realize how bad it was. On a trip to the grocery store we saw some of the destruction: trees on the ground, the sign of the store on the floor, rain inside of the market.

The good thing is that apparently we are in a good area of Taiwan - the South's got it better than the north. I was looking at some news websites this morning and attention is finally being paid at the disaster! There's docens of deaths and hundreds of people missing. Now we realize that we survived a Natural Disaster.The storm is over now, but there are still a lot of people suffering from the aftermath of this. Hopefully help will come to restore our fellow Taiwanese citizens since this is our home now.

The skies cleared out right on time for me to renew my visa. I had to do my first ever visa run this weekend, so Sunday I flew to Macau, Republica of China. It wasn't the most fun ever, but it was interesting to see a new place and a different culture that is only 1 hour and 30 minutes away from here.

Macau is oficially Portuguese territory on loan to China, or something like that. It's a complicated govermnent history, but the point is that it looks like a mix of a Colonial Mexican town, with portuguese and chinese writing everywhere and Las Vegas... yes, Vegas!

Here are a few pictures of my trip to Macau. Random city, but so beautiful.
The Casinos! These people take seriously their gambling and their shopping. Pure Tourism.
The main plaza where people just go sit, talk and eat next the fountain. Oh yes, and shop.

These are some of the ruins of Sao Paolo. I mastered the timer in my camera for these ones.

I am an English teacher! Not even joking!

Today was my first official day as an English teacher. The challenge has just begun and I am already exhausted... I went from teaching 3 year olds in the morning to 17 year olds at night - not one is easier than the other, although some are funner.
My first class has 2 students - a little boy named Eric and a little girl name Angel. Yes, I am getting paid to hang out with 2 little kids and I love it! It was challenging to keep them going, but such a fun time. Then, after the fun came the storm - the biggest challenge in the school - third and fourth graders with bad attitudes! Sounds scary? Well, it was! I was told by my only foreign co-worker that getting this class to care would be one of the greatest victories in the school - I call that a challenge! 7 kids that hopefully will care about learning English by the end of the year - it can't be that bad, right? (ok, this is the time when you all send me suggestions and comforting words because I a truly freaking out!)

My last class was my favorite. I have always been scared of teenagers - mexican, american, or any other nationality that I can think of. However, it seems like taiwanese teenagers are not as scary as I thought! This, I learned today. My last class (which, incidentally, ended at 9:00 pm) was doomed to be the worse hour of my day. However, it was the best. I sat down and talked to a 16 and a 17 year old about life, did some reading and laughed a ton! The class is supposed to duplicate by the end of the week (four whole students!), which means that I'll get to have fun with them. Their focus is to pass this one test that the taiwanese government issues twice a year to demonstrate their English ability. It's a big deal, and I now get to be part of these kids lives. I'm excited.

Overall, it was a great day. I am exhausted but so so hopeful. I couldn't help but remember my English teachers in elementary school. Teacher Marlene was my favorite. She was a hippie girl that wore long skirts and thick Dr. Matin boots - oh! she was my hero. And now, many years later, I am that person - minus the Dr. Martin's, or any shoes whatsoever. I am hopeful that someday they will be completely fluent and that their lives will be better because of this little part that I have invested in their lives, and most of all, that I will grow through this experience. I think those two things will make all of this worth it!

and... I live in Taiwan

Kaohsiung, Taiwan is the place I now call home.

Me and Anya finally moved into our new apartment. We decided to name it The Babbaganoush because of the awesome decorations and Mediterranean feeling to it. It fits us well. We made a video so that you can check it our by yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5c-Vdw9M9Y

It is true, Taiwan is different from what I am used to. Nevertheless, I love it. I love the crazy traffic and the adrenaline rush you get from riding a scooter. Seriously, at the end of a ride I sometimes find myself shaking or just thinking about the time another driver stepped on my foot and the implications that this could have had if I had been stepped on by a tire instead of another foot. Instead of thinking of the danger though, we see every ride as an adventure... some crazier than others. Like last night... we were driving to a bookstore, confident on our ability, not really worried anymore... when the universe decides we are bored and need more excitement.. and something just flies off our scooter. Was it the motor? a mirror? the alternator? oh! no! It's just the gas cap! yes, the gas cap flew off our scooter in the middle of one of the biggest intersections in the city. Oops... i guess we'll keep driving and just come back at 1am, when traffic has slowed down and our lives are in minimal danger, so we did. And that's the story of how we rescued our gas cap, in the middle of the night, long hours after we had lost it, where it was faithfully waiting for us.
(a little video of our driving adventures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRZn5wrktwA)

We do not like the humidity, but appreciate it as the price we have to pay for such a beautiful landscape. SO MUCH GREEN! And not just green, but luscious green, shiny, exotic green. Mountains covered with it, everywhere. So, we appreciate the humidity regardless of our uncontrollable hair, our sweaty bodies and shinny faces. Everyone looks the same anyway!

I also love the people. Such kind people everywhere. Me and my fellow travelers have not encountered a single negative interaction with the locals. They are helpful and friendly and patient, they even try to teach us Chinese - we have learn to ask for Green, milk and black tea so far, even though every time I try to use my little Chinese I am encountered by a confused look and usually a response in English. I will keep trying though, I certainly will.
We have hit the two weeks mark today, and I can call this my home. We feel acquainted with the city, we have cell phones, we drive like locals and wear the fun outfits (including rain coat and masks), and most of all, we have jobs! Yes, i am an American educated Mexican teaching English in Taiwan... probably not the first, but still quite exciting. I went through three different interviews to find the perfect fit for me. I will start work on Monday at a tiny school where I am one of four English teachers - there is Michael, the owner's son and director of the school; Trent, a nice Australian who has been living here and teaching at Focus Learning Center for the past 2 and a half years; another Taiwanese man whom I haven't met, and myself. It sounds promising and I think I am going to love it. I am sure I will have fun stories to tell about my students. I got to demo this week to see if I was qualified for the job and I loved it! The kids are not only super smart, but so funny! Of course, they asked me if I had a husband, and when I told them that if I did, I would have a ring on that one finger, they decided to count all of the rings and earrings I had one... we got to 10... it was fun.

Bottom line, i love this place. It will be my home for the next year and I cannot think of a better decision for me at this point in my life. Stay tuned for more adventures!

Let the Adventure Begin

Caminate

Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino, y nada más;
caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace camino,
y al volver la vista atras
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino,
sino estelas en la mar.

-Antonio Machado

TAIWAN '09!!
Y asi empieza esta aventura...Sali de Los Angeles el Martes 14 de Julio a la 1:40am y aterrice en Taipei Taiwan con mi amiga Anya el Jueves a las 6:00am. Un viaje increible!

Estos fueron nuestros primeros momentos En Taiwan al aterrizar despues de 13 horas de vuelo! We rearranged pretty much the whole plane in order for me and Anya to sit together. it was so worth it!

Once we landed it was a shock to leave the airport and the magics of A/C! WOW!! It's so humid and hot here! We had to stop for a second take it in. It is going to be a while until we can get used to this weather, but it will happen. I'm sure.

The city was impressive. Huge buildings, lots of traffic, losts of people and shops, and food. It was fun to walk around. Anya got a new camera, I got a toothbrush. We ate really good food - noodles, gooy soup and a taco/omelett looking thing. Quite different, but so good.

In our hot hot walk we found a cool park and definitely took a nap. 15 hours difference can mess up your sleeping schedule, you know? The park had little temples, it was next to a museum. It also had a beautiful stone foot path - I tried walking it but it hurt way too much. Anya ventured out and she managed to get pretty far. I just took pictures and laid on it. it was actually pretty comfortable.
At the hostel we had our first casualty! Little Anya's toe got butchered by our room door. Pretty funny, but kinda sad.
After this long day we got back to the hostel at about 6pm and passed out! It was hard to sleep through the whole night. We kept waking up feeling ready for the day, and then we would look and the clock and notice it was actually 1am, or 5am. At one point we just got up and went to see the sunrise. Quite a nice view from our 13th floor hostel. This is a picture of the nice Taipei sunrise... the city looks so calm at this hour - so not a representation of the real Taipei!

The next day we took the train to Kaohsiung, the second biggest city in Taiwan and our home for this next year. Locals found it amusing to see us sitting surrounded by luggage, we agreed with them on this one! (as you can observe in the picture, there is definitely no leg room whatsoever... not as uncomfortable as it seems though)
After 4 hours, we arrived into Kaohsiung and took a taxi to our friends Danielle and Anthony's apartment.

The world games are going on in Kaohsiung and in this picture we are at a Starbucks next to the Love River with the Netherlands' Yujitsu Team. Kinda cool to have this going on here.

A few hours after we had arrived, we already had a scooter!!

It's so fun driving it. A little intimidating, but so so fun. People drive like crazy in this scooter town. Everyone gets into everyone's way and you just have to keep your eyes open all of the time. The stradelling part is also very amuzing, especially when we went to our job interview in nice clothes.

This are us ready for our job interview! As you can see, we are pure professionalism!

Our friends Danielle and Anthony driving around. I'm stradelling, so I get to take pictures of them.

And talking about scooters and adventures, so it happens that they can brake at the least expected moment... and it happened to us, in the middle of the night, when it was pouring rain! Our friends didn't see where we stopped, so they lost track of us and me and Anya were alone, drenched, and had no idea where we were. So, we parked the scooter and started walking on the street that we thought might take us home... why not? After about 20 minutes walking in the pouring rain, we found a Family Mart (very similar to 7/11, although not as popular here) and entered. As it happens often, the worker put a face of surprise and mixed with fear as soon as he saw a couple of foreigners, especially since we were completely drenched! We saw him and I immediately went: Scooter! Died! Call! Taxi! All of this, of course, accompanied by signs! It might have been super funny, but the point is that he got it and we got a taxi home! What a night!

This is us at the beginning of the night...

This is us at the end of the night...

As you can see, it's been quite intense few days. Lots has happened, and we are loving it. Every minute! We looked around for apartments today and we finally found one! It's really cool, hardwood floors, on the 15th floor, great decorations, awesome vibe. We think it was a good decision - it felt like home. We move in on Monday!

Lots of more things will happen. I will try to keep this full of fun stories and pictures. I don't want to fill this up with pictures, so I'll keep putting the bulk of them up on my Picasa Albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/sandra.gtrz - check them out and live this and many more adventures with me!

With much love and excitement from Kaohsiung, Taiwan!!