About Me

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Yilan, Taiwan
I just returned back to the States after 11 years in Taiwan with my daughter. Taiwan is an excellent base for us explore Asia, while living in relative (gun free) safety, while benefiting from a cheap and efficient national health care system. The people are amazing too. I have Taiwanese friendships that are 20 years old and I'm always making new ones! My coworker here in CO is from Taiwan.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Dear potential travel show producer

On the bullet train to Taipei to catch our flight to LAX

Ordering dinner at the local noodle shop after ballet
Visiting Alisse at her hospital before we left Taipei
Hey Potential Travel Show Producer,

Here is an original idea for a travel show. Instead of some young, hot, upper middle class, single chick that can only speak English and gets all her info from LP, why not a single mom with a cute and hyper -intelligent 4 year old that is fluent in Mandarin? Or instead of another white dude who is middle aged and stays at nothing less than a 3 star hotel in Europe, what about a Chicana who was an illegal migrant in western Europe for 2 years and speaks lots of languages (at the very basic level). How many of the ones on TV have survived San Fermin w/o a hotel room, or been in the middle of a gun battle between Kashmiri extremists and the Indian army? Or maintained a vegetarian diet in S. Korea? Or was classed as an American spy and had her passport seized in Sudan?

Traveling when you are young and flexible is one thing, but with a kid, a 4 year old who cant be forced to move beyond her own pace, who likes to try Indian curries and wants to eat snails at the local market, who sometimes refuses to walk by herself and has to be strapped to my back, things can really get interesting, especially when you as a parent haven't had a good nights sleep because one thing or another... That's when the expert travelers are separated from the comfy, holiday makers. Teaching her to be kind when she is tired of all the attention of being the only blue eyes kid in a 50 mile radius,or when we both are sick of the extra attention and just flat out ignore the people, life can get real. Explaining terms like carbon footprint, answering her question if she is indigenous, watching her speak Chinese beyond my level, it gets surreal.

It would definitely make for an entertaining travel show. We could show people what they can do on a budget with their kids (or childlike friends.)

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Kindy Graduates





All good things come to an end. I'm an expert in meeting wonderful people and then leaving our separate ways. In July I had to let go of 16 beautiful souls.

The kindy class I had for 2 years are now off to elementary school. Some of them gave me so much grief, a bloody lip, numerous headaches, stiff neck aches, a couple of common colds and an enormous vacuum in my heart when they left and had to grow up.

I know every teacher believes their kids are the smartest, but mine really are. They all became fluent, we had deep conversations everyday about life, God(s),health, family, going pee, keeping our hands to ourselves and walking with scissors.Two of them were vegetarians from religious beliefs, one was the friend of cockroaches, one's mother was going through Chemo and his family remains a living testament to the power of Grace and selflessness. Their parents were the absolute greatest support. They all took their children's education and emotional health as first priority. They were gracious with me and Z, especially when we first arrived and didnt have anything. I received a used microwave, blender, kitchenware, kid clothes. Gifts continued on during holidays up until I was showered with bouquets and more presents on our last day of the semester.

I am not the crying type, but even I, the Dark Queen (as my loving bro John calls me) got emotional during my good-bye speech. My co-teacher Pauline (the bad cop)cried like a baby, and the stupid camera guy had her blubbering almost during an entire song on the 2 big screens on either side of the stage.

We had to rehearse the first act of a play, plus songs with movement. This is in their element, they can hear a song one time and nearly have it memorized. Of course the graduation performance was a smashing success, the other 2 graduating kindy classes also did well. They did a traditional tea ceremony with their parents and that was also highly emotional (for the parents and even for me as the observer.)

I am still recovering from my separation from some of them who I adored. I didn't exaggerate when I told their folks on stage I knew they are already making the world a better place.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Weekend in Lukang





I was supposed to meet Sherry around Changua High Speed train station, but somehow we ended up in Yunlin. She and her brother Michael picked us up and we had hot pot for lunch then drove to their friends home in the country. It was a beautiful home, a real house, as opposed to apartment buildings, condos, triplexes, etc. The owner a friend of Michael's and his wife retired there and are turning it into a cafe. The owner who spoke excellent English, studied in San Fran, was full of pompous, patronizing comments the whole time. He was overcompensating for something. His wife was kind. Since we were his guests I just politely bit my tongue and tried to just be with Z.

There wasnt much to do that first day we just walked around the carnation and veg farms. We went out for dinner, the home had no kitchen or food. I dared a bit of Michael's pig brain soup. It actually was tasty and buttery, melted in my mouth, but it seemed kind of dangerous, mad cow, mad pig, there is some mad goat disease happening here at the moment. I didnt sleep very well that night. Michael and his friend talked loudly til midnight. Z and I slept on some hard wood furniture and she peed in our sleeping bag.

The next day after some much needed cup of coffee we were off to explore and ended up in the living museum of Lukang. Michael's friend made a comment how fast I drank my cappuccino which really annoyed me. I felt like saying, "dude if you would of made it hot the way its supposed to be and not lukewarm, then I could drink it properly." He really prided himself on his coffee, so I just said I drank it fast for medicinal purposes,(I didnt sleep.) I was happy to leave there and start seeing some new parts of Lukang.

Lukang reminds me of Tainan; west coast harbor town, old Matsu temple, the oldest Qing dynasty (and best preserved) Longshan temple. There were Western style buildings from the Japanese occupation I am guessing. Michael dropped us off near the Matsu temple and a street that reminded us of Tamshui, had a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, lots of touristy trinket stands, etc. There was so much action at the Matsu temple, so much commotion that Michael got stuck in traffic and we were walking around in the hot sun, melting for a while. We got a chance to see some more folk rituals. Apparently some local gods from a nearby temple paid Matsu a visit. The doll like gods are carried by men in sedan chairs, and there is a lot of firecrackers and Chinese instruments, loads of people. I was carrying Z on my back the whole day, one hand around under her bum and the other hand taking photos and videos. This Matsu temple is a pilgrimage site every 3rd lunar month. Devotees follow her around, as she is carried out of her temple and to the surrounding 50 towns for a week long.

We walked around the old market, looking for a place to eat lunch. We went to the infamous "breast touching lane". A lane so narrow a person can pass only one at a time. A true gentleman waits for the lady to pass first. Michael was keen to get his photo taken under the sign for this lane and Sherry wanted to go back the lane and actually see what would happen. I walked back to the car. It was a fun day. They dropped us off at the train station and we had to wait over an hour for the next train and 2 hour slow, ride back to Tainan.

I always love connecting with Sherry, and with Michael we always eat well and in abundance.