I got a new job.

I decided to make a clean break from my kindergarten job. I'm just not cut out to babysit those little tykes. I've got a new full time at an after-school English cram school called 21st Century. I'm teaching older (9-12 year old) kids.

It's just a tiny little four classroom school, but already I like it a lot more than the last place. I feel very at home here, and the kids seem to really enjoy being in my class.

I'm working later in the day (until 9PM most days) which is a bit of a downer, since Ariel finishes her work at 4, and we have less time to hang out than before, when we got finished at the same time.

Apartment/ First Week of Work

Nick and I started at our new job last week. We both teach kindergarten at the same school.His kids are 3 years old and mine are 4. Both of our classes are new students who have never been to school before.

It's taxing. They have no idea how to line up, listen, sit still, or play nicely, let alone how to learn English. I feel much more like a babysitter than a teacher. As of today, week 2, we're unsure whether we have the patience to teach such young kids. It's actually been the cause of a lot of anxiety and lost sleep over the last week.

I'm not sure now what I'll do, but I may end up working at another job.

Also, since a few people seemed curious, I've uploaded some photos of our apartment. These photos don't include Nick's space on the 5th floor, which is probably roughly 200+ square feet, or our roof area. We pay about $260US per month for this house.

The Album.

Taichung

I haven't updated in quite some time, but here it is.

I had a wonderful visit back to Ohio in August. I got to see my family, and some friends too. It felt very good to be back home. It made me realize that I really did put my life in Ohio on hold while I commenced my life in Taiwan. I hadn't thought of those two things as being separate before, but they are in a sense.

All of the people, places, and things that made up my life pre-Taiwan have changed. Upon returning, I had no trouble identifying all of these things and people and places as being part of my life, but they were different, changed. My brothers are older, my house looks different, there are new restaurants in my neighborhood, Bud Light now comes in lime flavor.

I've put all of these things on the backburner again, however, and returned to Taiwan. I'll be starting a new job next week, teaching kindergarten at Marshall School in Taichung. Taichung, a city of about a million, is located about 2 hours south of Taipei, on the middle of Taiwan's western coast.

I feel excited about this new job. I'll miss my old students and coworkers (and to a lesser extent, the town of Linko,) but I was due for a change of scenery.

My roommate, Nick, and I rented an apartment on the 4th and 5th floors of an older building on the city's near west side. We live in an area with a fair amounts of expats from England, South Africa, and North America. We live within a couple blocks of a canal, a department store, two parks, two temples, and dozens of small shops and restaurants.

My girlfriend, Ariel, lives about five minutes walking from me, and she'll be working nearby too. So it's an all around good deal for me. I'm pretty excited about the next year of my life, and I'll definitely try my best to document all of my noteworthy thoughts here.

Changes

Summertime in Taiwan

It's officially summer in Taiwan. That means typhoon season is upon us. So far, the rain hasn't been that bad, but every Monday for the last month, as if it were a big "eff you" joke, it has rained all day.

Aside from that, June is a pretty eventful month for me. My kindergarten class is graduating at the end of the month, so I've been busy teaching them their performance for the ceremony. The frustration of trying to coordinate a play, a dance routine, and a speech for fifteen little kids is akin to trying to teach a team of cats to play water polo, or something equally as stressful.

My girlfriend, Ariel, has gone to work in Missouri for several weeks, and I'm looking forward to joining her stateside in August. It will be great to see everyone again, and to relearn things like driving a car, eating a burrito, and speaking English in a normal cadence and tone.

One of my best friends from college, Nick Dietsch, is set to fly over here to Taiwan next week. He's packing all of his stuff as I type, and is planning on living here and teaching English for a year. We will most likely find an apartment together in Taichung, about two hours South of where I am now.

So after I return from America in August, I'll have a new location and a new job to look forward to. That plus the fact that I have more friends, more experience living here, and I can speak more Chinese than I did a year ago all add up to the potential of an awesome second year here.

I'll post again soon, as I anticipate a lot more going on in my life in the next few weeks.

Ma Ying-jeou

Today Ma Ying-jeou becomes the new president of Taiwan. His Kuomintang (KMT) Party replaces replaces former President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). You can read about it here.

Free Taiwanese Dog

My Chinese tutor and friend, Iwen, is an avid dog lover. A yellow lab named Bebe, has recently come under her care. Another case of an abandoned dog in Linko, and an example of how older, bigger dogs are abandoned or abused when they are no longer cute and cuddly. Iwen has a few dogs like Bebe already, and would like to find her a new home. I told her I'd try to help her find someone who would want a dog that's on it's last chance.

Her description of the dog is as follows:

"She is 3-4 years old. She is not the most beautiful Labrador, but she is certainly kind, gentle, sweet, and friendly. We do wish to find a good home for her, a family to love her and care for her. She is NOT old, but she has been through too much pain, torture."

If anyone is interested, let me know via email or a phone call. Iwen will be able to pay for all of the travel and medical expenses involved (yes, even to the States) with getting this adorable dog into your loving home.