2013→2014 一生一世

This is the first time posting from my smart phone; hopefully this method will help me be more regular in my blog entries.
I have a lot to catch up on. Briefly:
• I went to the U.S. last April and got to visit with my daughters, son-in-law, and granddaughters.
• After five years in Taiwan, I received my permanent residency (APRC) and open work permit.
• My son spent two months with me over the summer; that was wonderful!
• At the end of August I quit my teaching job and moved to the beautiful east coast (Hualien) to study Chinese full time.
• During my first week in Hualien, while my son and I were white water rafting, I met a nice Taiwanese guy, and now we're dating.
• Two weeks ago I adopted an eight-month-old cat named 妹妹 (Mei-Mei).
It's time to go to class now, so I'll  fill in the blanks over the coming days.
I'm loving my life in beautiful Hualien!

Today I irritated the hell out of an old lady

Ah, language blunders…you gotta love 'em.

Before all that, though, I must point out that I'm currently snacking on hot tea and a wonderfully delicious loaf of bread.

It's the one on the left in the picture, made with lemon, pomelo, and chocolate chips, and it's out of this world.

The one on the right is chocolate and tangerine, which is next on my list.

The bakery is called Magie du Levain (樂凡) and it's only a couple of minutes from my work (桃園市永安北路466號).

OK, so here's what happened today.

I'd been out on my scooter, doing errands and on my way home, and decided that I wanted to make a salad for dinner. Instead of going to a grocery store where I'd have to find a parking spot and go inside the store, I thought it would be much more efficient to find a vegetable stand down some back alley. Which I did.

I pulled up in front of the stand, but didn't see any lettuce. There may have been lettuce in the rear part of the shop, but I was feeling too lazy to get off my scooter to take a look. So I decided to be authentically Taiwanese and just sit on my scooter and ask the laobanniang (lady shopkeeper) if she had any lettuce.

(I should point out that previously I'd learned the Chinese word for lettuce as 生菜 shēng tsài. Also, when you look up 'lettuce' in various online dictionaries, the first translation it gives is sheng tsai—just so you know I'm not making this stuff up.)

ME: Qing wen, you mei you sheng tsai? Excuse me, do you have lettuce?

SHOPKEEPER: Zhe bian. Here (pointing to cilantro).

ME: Bu shi, wo bu yao xiang tsai. You sheng tsai ma?  No that's not it, I don't want cilantro. Do you have lettuce?

SHOPKEEPER: Zhe bian you a. Yeah, it's right here! (once again motioning toward the cilantro and starting to get pissed)

ME: Wo zhi dao, zhe shi XIANG tsai, ke shi wo yao SHENG tsai…SSSHHENG TSAI. Um, yeah, I know this is cilantro, but I want lettuce…LET-TUCE!

SHOPKEEPER: (waving her hand and walking away, mumbling obscenities under her breath)

There was nothing to do but leave.

I reassured myself that I had been pronouncing the words flawlessly; it was simply a matter of this short-tempered woman not recognizing impeccable Chinese when she heard it.

I later called my friend, a Chinese language god among men, to ask him where I'd gone wrong. He informed me that, despite Google Translate, sheng tsai actually means any leafy vegetable, so when you ask for it you'll be shown any leafy vegetable the shop happens to have on hand.

Like cilantro.

The actual word for lettuce is 萵苣, pronounced wō jù.  

So instead of a salad I whipped up a delightful broccoli cheese soup. I'm still contemplating whether or not to risk further humiliation by returning to the vegetable stand to explain myself.

Back to life, back to reality

I got the news about my mom's passing through a phone call with my sister. After hanging up and regaining my composure, I boarded a train and headed for the east coast. Watching the surf is my mental therapy.

I arrived in Toucheng (頭城) and walked to a scooter rental shop.

After picking up my scooter, I drove to nearby Wai'ao (外澳) beach. I spent the afternoon and early evening walking along the shore, stopping periodically to sit down and talk to God, myself, the sand crabs—whomever. These one-way chats/rants were interspersed with crying jags and periods of staring blankly at the waves, becoming hypnotized by the constantly moving water.

Today my sister will scatter our mom's ashes in the ocean; she'll be joining my dad who passed away 25 years ago. It comforts me to know that anytime I want to visit them, all I have to do is find my way to the sea.

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The sunset this evening was beautiful.

During our very hectic summer teaching schedule, I only have time to cook on the weekends. Here's what I made tonight…

Despite my recent grief, life continues to be absolutely wonderful and amazing…

A pleasant surprise

After that rant in my last entry, I need to balance the scales and relate an experience that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.

While waiting in the HSBC lobby, I could hear the various employees who were handling my transaction speaking with each other. They continually referred to me as 客人 "guest/customer." Not once did I hear myself referred to as 外國人 "foreigner" as is typical.

This is such an unusual occurrence that it deserved a positive blog entry.

Look, I know I'm a foreigner. I realize that I look different than 99% of the homogenous society here, and I understand that the easiest way to identify me in a crowd is to refer to me as a foreigner. But sometimes it grates on my nerves. It's as if that's the only way to describe me, as if that term sums up who I am. 

What about "That guy in the blue shirt" or "That man sitting near the window" or even "That handsome devil with the come-hither eyes"?

So, thank you HSBC employees, for recognizing that the big-nosed foreigner waiting in your lobby is more than a hirsute barbarian; he's a potential customer and fellow human being.

Four years in Taiwan

I arrived in Taiwan on April 15, 2008.

I fully intended to write something meaningful and memorable to commemorate this day. Heck, I had hoped to do something memorable today. Alas, my celebratory activities consisted of buying myself a new houseplant and some socks.

This blog entry will likewise be just as exciting.

But, there are pictures!

Click on photos to enlarge

Here is the last photo I took on my digital camera before I left the US.

And here's a photo I took while on the plane.

My first photo in Taiwan.

I arrived late in the evening on the 15th and was met at the airport by two of the greatest guys you could ever hope to meet.

Here are some images I captured on that first day as I wandered around.

And in the following years…

April, 2009

 

April, 2010

April, 2011

April, 2012

Hey, that's now! My camera has been broken since February, but here's the last shot I was able to take…

Perhaps mind control rays (which surely were emanating from the aliens responsible for that weird cloud ring) broke my camera.

My goal for year number five? Improve my Chinese—which will be my goal whether I'm here five or fifty years—and enjoy my family, friends, and life as much as possible.

Oh, and find out where I can get my hands on some corn tortillas.

Taiwan daytrip to Bitoujiao and Fulong 04-24-11

你沮喪嗎? Is life getting you down?

Meet Nick Vujicic

Why I don't update my blog

Because I'm lazy!!

Naw, my beautiful daughter has been visiting me over the summer, and I just don't feel like spending so much time on the Internet. Next week summer classes start, so I'll be very busy for a few weeks.

If anyone does read this blog, have patience. I'll update it (hopefully) soon.


Amanda and I at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall (國立中正紀念堂)

Amanda with a couple of cute students

Mahjong madness

omg Omg OMG!

OK, so maybe three OMGs is a bit much. Still, I was totally stoked to find hazelnut syrup and Dr. Pepper in Taoyuan! (on Da You Rd. [大有路], near the entrance to Tiger Head Mountain).

They also had tons of baking ingredients, spices (with English labels), and hard to get items like real pickles, jalapeño peppers, and sour cream. Unfortunately, some of the items are hit-and-miss; so, while they may not have Dr. Pepper the next time I go there, they could very well have tortilla chips.

Had a great day today: Calligraphy class in the morning and mini golf in the afternoon. Read all about it in the next entry. Right now, though, I'm eating Zatarain's red beans & rice and attempting to bake cookies in a toaster oven.

The wine is helping.

2 years in Taiwan

Today, April 15, 2010, marks my two year anniversary in Taiwan. Here are a few nostalgic pictures from my first days here.

Click on photos to enlarge.

My very first photo in Taiwan: The lines at airport immigration. Even that was new and exciting for me.	My friends and hosts, Marc and Zenny, at their welcoming front door.	I was soon introduced to what would become one of my favorite fruits here, 蓮霧, aka "wax apple"

There were plenty of cultural differences to take in, such as the abundance of scooters...	...humorous English...	...and new ways of shopping.

But I discovered--and, two years later, still believe--that the best thing about Taiwan is its kind, hardworking, generous people.



Many, many thanks to my family and friends, in Taiwan and in America, who have encouraged me, supported me, and have made me a part of their lives. Here's to next year's anniversary, and beyond!

The Africa Niche

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p09I9sgEUXk

Trip to USA Photos

Click here to see album!

The mall

Today I went to an optometrist in the mall. I'll pick up my new glasses on Monday. I opted for photo grey lenses since I don't wear my contacts anymore and therefore can't wear sunglasses.

Here's a shot of the mall (台茂 Taimall) exterior. Malls in Taiwan are pretty much just like the malls in the US.

Well, not exactly the same...




Yep, the mall has its own temple. Cool, eh?

How to start the new year...or not

In my case, I'm starting with a cup of coffee, and then it's off to do my laundry. Yeah, that sounds pitiful. However...

I'm thinking of going to Taipei later and attempting to see Avatar. Since all the tickets are sold out, I'm going to try to get my hands on some 黃牛票 (huáng​ niú​ piào) scalped tickets. 黃牛票 literally means "yellow cow ticket."

I've been told to look for older women hanging around the ticket area--they'll be my connection to complete the illicit transaction.

I was warned by some students that the scalper--upon seeing an ignorant wàiguórén (foreigner)--may try to charge me an exorbitant price. In order to prevent the little-old-lady from ripping me off, I was taught a useful word: 強盜 (qiáng​dào​) Robber!

Let the adventure (and new year) begin!

----------UPDATE @ 12:00PM----------
I'm starting this year with a bang, and I don't mean firecrackers.

On the way to the laundromat I got into a traffic accident.

I honestly can't remember all the details, but I do remember that I had the green light. As I was crossing the intersection, an oncoming car was starting to turn left in front of me. I couldn't avoid him quickly enough because I was holding my laundry basket and was using only one hand to drive. My scooter glanced off the front of his car and I went down. I wasn't hurt except for a gouge in my thumb. I didn't note any damage to the guy's car except my paint scraped on his bumper.

Through the language barrier we managed to exchange information. My hands were shaking while I was writing. I tried to call the insurance company but I got an automated menu in Chinese, so I handed the phone to my accident "partner" who listened for a bit and gave up also (frustration with phone menus knows no cultural bounds).

At the time I felt it was my fault since I couldn't control my scooter well due to the laundry basket. But, I was the one going straight and should have had the right-of-way (according to my American thinking; then again, this is Taiwan). So, I now feel it was pretty much 50-50 responsibility. Taiwan's insurance is no-fault, so I guess it won't be a problem. I'm sure the ever-present traffic cameras will sort it all out.

The guy is a real estate agent. He told me his wife would call me; I'm assuming that's because her English is better, and/or she has more free time.

The sucky part is that the laundromat was just on the other side of that intersection.

Even suckier (?) is that I discovered the washers there don't work on coins but on some kind of pre-paid card that I don't even possess.

The suckiest (!) part is that, after leaving that laundromat to search for another, I found one even closer to my apartment, so I could have avoided all of this if I had just spotted that one first.

PS. I just remembered that I got my very first speeding ticket on New Year's Day, 2008. January 1st is obviously an inauspicious traffic day for me.

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[Ignore this. For my own records, before I forget: Accident @ 10:00am, intersection of 仁愛路二段 and 中山路. I was going north on 仁愛路 , X先生 was going south on 仁愛路, about to turn left onto 中山路. X先生 works at 21世紀南崁老加盟店（南福街19號）