Post Trump Blues in Taiwan

“I am concerned that Taiwan will end up as a bargaining chip, because Trump is a businessman who cares primarily about his interests,” -former National Security Bureau director Tsai Der-sheng (蔡得勝)

I feel like I physically got kicked in the stomach. I melted, an instantaneous and lingering implosion. I am still reeling. Imagine my funniest robot voice, " Can not compute, can not compute." But there was nothing funny about the US election results in Taiwan. Our office all week has been as depressing as a funeral parlor. My three Americans coworkers (Vietnamese American from Seattle, Black American from Brooklyn and me Chicana from Colorado) obviously did not vote for Trump.

Disappointments aside, there is the messy aftermath, not just at home but all over the world (in Europe especially). How is Trump's victory perceived in Taiwan?

First of all, most Taiwanese I talked to were shocked. As the electoral college results were coming in around lunchtime, all eyes were glued to our lunchroom TV news. Co-workers I've never talked to before (there are hundreds, its a big school), were asking me basically, "What is up with this Trump lead?" The first feeling was shock, impending doom, disbelief.

Taiwanese TV and YouTube have been very comprehensive in publishing footage of both Trump's insane comments against women and minorities as well as Hillary's email scandal. Their debates have aired with traditional subtitles. It really doesn't do Trump (or America) any favors showing clips of his reality TV shows or WWF appearances. Someone even took the time to put Chinese subtitles to both the original Fox news O'Reilly Factor  with Jesse Watter clip of going into Chinatown and making fun of Asian stereotypes and the subsequent backlash on Comedy Central.

Make no mistake Taiwanese media aired Trump's crowd applauding when he vowed to withdraw American support to US traditional allies in Asia (or Europe) until they pay some of the financial burden for American military defense from a very real China/N.Korean threat. Obviously Taiwan sees itself as one of these Allies - although he never mentioned Taiwan persay. Apparently Tsai-Ingwen, Taiwan's first female president recently met with a Trump representative in October.

Taiwanese Young People:

My students who pretty much know nothing in terms of world history or politics, instinctively fear Trump and perceive him as dangerous for Taiwan. I had about 3 boys out of a couple of hundred express happiness at Trump's victory. I asked why and he answered,"He's a man and so am I." You are too smart to be a sexist I told him. His peers looked at him different after that. The others were shouting, "Trump is so handsome." (No he's not! I'm so sick of this reverse racism where all western men are handsome just because they're western or surround themselves with beautiful women).

What was most confusing to my 7th and 8th graders was their disbelief at Trump being the new president when Hillary won the popular vote. If this were Taiwan, Hillary would be president. So I had to explain swing states, the electoral college using the NY Times interactive map. They didn't buy it, meaning, the whole process seemed ludicrous and devoid of the kind of democracy America seems to sell abroad.



The next question was how, how could America which they assume is this good, morally upright melting pot, would chose a xenophobic misogynist? So I showed them this informative video (with subtitles) of how much of an excellent salesman Trump is. How in a minute answer to Jimmy Kimmel, his language, the way Trump constructs sentences, his easy, one syllable, 4th grade level language can hook in listeners who aren't discerning.

Then I showed them what a peaceful transition of power looks like in a democracy and I myself was encouraged my Obama's professionalism and class. They were soon depressed and worried (the juxtaposition of Obama and Trump worried them) so for comic relief I showed how The Simpsons predicted a Trump presidency. I joked with them that I need to find a Taiwanese man to marry so my daughter could have dual citizenship and quipped if they had any rich, single uncles let me know after class. They laughed. They began trying to wrack their brains for single teachers on campus so I stopped them by saying none weren't my type. "Is your type Justin Bieber?" I roared. My loud laughter freaks them out for some reason. "No! He is too pretty! He's prettier than me!" Now they chuckled. So I showed them a picture of Khal Drogo. Hushed disbelief. They'll get it someday.

I found solace teaching. We were making identity charts and three students disclosed they were bisexual and they hadn't discussed their orientation with their parents yet. I felt privileged and gratified that they would feel my classroom is a safe enough non-judgmental space to "come out." It made my week that much bearable.

Taiwanese Experts:

Like everyone else, Taiwanese international relations academics are fearing the worst and hoping for the best. The worst scenario being Trump sells out Taiwan to China in one of his famous deals. The Taipei forum organized a panel of experts to discuss the possible implication for Taiwan of a GOP controlled America and they concluded,  “Our consensus is that we have no idea what he [Trump] is thinking.” Read the entire article here.

Representative to the US Stanley Kow met with Trump representatives and told local press he isn't worried, and that, "Taiwan is a vital asset to America." Read article here. He would not comment on Trump's comments of pulling out of S. Korea or Japan but replied that Taiwan should seek a closer relationship with Japan.

Asia:

 You don't need a degree in politics (I do) to know that Beijing was in full celebration mode at Trump's win. Does he realize how powerful he really is? That even winning, has already destabilized the region?  That's why he was elected I suppose to shake the status quo. While American rednecks are cheering, those of us in Asia just had our blood run cold. A very clear article, "China Just Won the Election," explains China's 4 major victories (and 1 fear) after the Trump victory.

As I already stated, Trump's threat to abandon its Asian allies is beyond frightening.  You know when North Korean state newspaper calls Trump a "wise politician"  regarding his statements-something isn't right. North Korea is telling Trump, "Yes pull out of Seoul so we can unify!" Human rights in the region (and home?) are expected to take a beating. Russia, North Korea and China put on hold a UN Security Council measure to sentence N. Korea on crimes against humanity for their concentration camp prisons. Considering how dissent in the US and people of color are being treated Day 1, it's no surprise, this is the way the wind is blowing.

My Daughter:

When she walked into my office, I told her Trump won and she was also shocked. The first thing she uttered was, "Oh no, now everyone will think my Mom voted for Trump!" Then later that evening it was more questions, "How? Why?" "People want 'change' no matter who it hurts."

She was showing me her Trump impersonations in the car on the way home from school today. I think she's a natural talent, she only just started this afternoon at school. Or perhaps he makes himself too easy to mock, such a living caricature. During their lunch break, they watched Taiwanese news and the local media showed a comparison of footage of Trump's son in the background of his father's victory speech, looking bored and uninterested, juxtaposed with Obama's daughters who were listening attentively, genuinely interested. "Did the news tell you anything about their kids, what did they say?" I asked her. She replied, "No, they let the videos speak for themselves." And then the natural course of the conversation was how she thought Obama seemed like a good father.

The Consensus:

Clearly locals prefers Obama/Hillary and it's not because of some grand media controlled conspiracy, but because Obama and his family are honorable and upright as a family unit and Hillary has decades of political experience. Wholesome family integrity and hard work are very much traditional Chinese principles. A female politician who dedicated her life to politics is very much a Taiwanese ideal, more so than the businessman womanizer. Trump is perceived as a wildcard, ambitious, self serving, an uninformed leader of the uneducated, working class voters, and in an Asian society where education and being informed is highly valued, those aren't positive qualities, let alone anyone to be trusted. (No need to even mention his sexual predatory history which pretty much sealed the deal of his being an immoral leader to Taiwanese.)

12 Ways The U.S. Can Learn from Taiwan

As I am here back in Colorado, enjoying the beauty of the Rocky Mountains with my family, I have a lot to be grateful for. I am satisfying myself with delicious foods I can't eat in Taiwan, like green chili, blue corn tortillas, nitrate free turkey bacon, gluten-free everything, not to mention all the legalized edibles.

Still, for a tiny country the size of Rhode Island, Taiwan has many assets going for it that the US could learn from:

1. Guns Are Not Necessary

Gun ownership by ordinary citizens is illegal in Taiwan, although 4000 aboriginals have the right to carry for hunting purposes (as of 2009). In 8 years I have never heard of a hunting accident or any of the daily US headlines of massacres or guns falling into children's hands. You'd have to be living in a hole not have read the vast comparison between the US and the rest of the world in terms of gun homicides and suicides.

Washington Post 2012

2. Health Care is a Right

A single payer, nationalized health care system (全民健康保險) is a no-brainer. Its not rocket science, there's no ideological debate hijacking half the population by throwing around the word "socialism" and it works. Everyone receives a smart card with their patient history, which is fed into a reader for instant doctor analysis and billing. Taiwan has the lowest administration costs for health care in the world, at just 2%, spends 6% of their GDP on healthcare which is about 900 USD per person. How does the US compare? The US spends more than 17% of its GDP per person, ranking 2nd in health care costs after Switzerland- with millions still uninsured, not to mention the highest infant and mother mortality rates of the developed world. (Read AP's Why It Matters)

On the downside, Taiwanese people maybe overuse it too much and naysayers say the current  NHI system is unsustainable, especially with an aging population. I'm confident the Taiwanese can figure out how to fine tune problems, since they have the experience- its been in operation since 1995. They already improved the payment system in 2002. My daughter and I have been benefiting from it the past 8 years, its wonderful.

As for the citizens of Taiwan, 99% of its citizens were covered by 2004. Did I mention the NHI includes TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and treatments like acupuncture, cupping, herbs which costs the same. Its a flat 150 TWD, which includes the meds. If I need x-rays at the dentist I might pay a few hundred NT more which is still less than 10 bucks USD.

3. Nothing is Wasted

Taiwan has the world's most efficient recycling system, with a rate of 55% (America is 35% ) as 2015. My parents have to pay for their garbage trucks to handle recycled material (which means they and many others opt out). My kid an I feel that not recycling is uncivilized, inexcusable. In Taipei alone 4,000 musical trucks, 5x a week come down the neighborhood blocks. Nothing is wasted, even kitchen scraps have their own green truck that's given to pigs and farmers. The schools also collect this green waste.

4. Squating a Garden

There really isn't a whole lot of academic information on this, but just from my observations, it seems if there is an available plot of land, anyone can come in and cultivate a family garden. Small spaces between a rice paddy and an intersection will maximize the small space with a few rows of greens. I've seen old men set up a 2nd house on the beach, complete, with water tanks and fences, with zero interference. There is an actual government administration, the NFP (財政部國有財產署), but I don't see them ever doing anything over small spaces. If a family can grow their own, pesticide-free veggies, why not? All the power to them. Part of the mindset behind this is homegrown tastes better anyways and Taiwanese are all about food.

5. Bullet Trains Rock

Taiwan's highspeed rail (THSR) has been in operation since 2002 and makes travel along the densely populated west coast (reaching 90% of the population) extremely convenient. I used it a lot when living in Tainan and having to go to Taipei to catch a plane. It uses Japanese technology that has safety measures in place for earthquakes, typhoons and landslides. The bullet trains in Taiwan were so successful they out competed planes by 2008.

Considering the US taxpayers bailing out unsuccessful airlines, high-speed trains would seem like an option, yet the US cannot seem to get 'on board'. Even the definition of "high-speed" in the US is up for debate. Meanwhile, while Americans are still debating, Japan is busy innovating their high-speed rail by having it adapt to its environment with a special reflective coating.

6. Be a Giver

Taiwanese custom is based around gift giving. People have always passed me gifts, some situations more formal or informal. Its good etiquette to receive (and give) gifts with both hands. I think its a considerate social practice. It gets tricky when the receiver is required to turn down the gift several times (because humility is valued) and its required to be reciprocal. From a western perspective, if a gift has strings attached, is it really a gift? But often the Taiwanese spirit is generous, while being pragmatic. I think if the whole world re-gifted extra goodies they didn't have need of, the world might be a happier place.

Keep in mind there are certain gifts you must not give in Taiwan, like watches or anything with the number 4.

                                                                              Oops!

7. Birth Control in a Snap

Teaching kids about sex is still extremely difficult for parents and educators in traditionally modest Taiwan. Fortunately birth control and the morning after pill is so cheap and available that they can be found in any pharmacy, without moral judgments on women's decency. Oral contraceptives are a low monthly cost of 100 TWD ($3 USD) , the morning after pill is a few hundred NT more. Birth control is so successful in Taiwan that women are having less children every year. Having said that, the dark side is that medical abortions are also considered birth control. Perhaps the vacuum left by parents and educators about the availability of contraceptives and condoms is to blame. Forget the pill, getting a 5 year copper coiled Intrauterine device in Taiwan will cost about 1000 TWD (32 USD), compared with 500-1000 USD, maybe because American women still don't understand all the benefits of the IUD.

8. Bilingual Kindergartens

Its a competitive world, Taiwanese parents want their kids to have an edge, and that means learning English (ideally from a white westerner). The law is vague, in that its technically illegal for kindergartners to learn English, yet everyone does it. Some of my students' parents were judges and lawyers, so its a law parents and businesses choose to ignore. As a teacher its risky, we have dodged out windows and back doors, into secret rooms when the government inspectors dropped by ("raid!"). Even so, the societal value placed on education and the multilingual brain are invaluable. If it were an equal value in the States, most kindergartens in America would be half day English, half day Spanish or Mandarin, because a bilingual brain is more focused and pliable. (Read Psychology Today's article).

9. Female Heads of State Rule

As America is on the verge of electing their first female president, Taiwan did it first. Read about it here.

10. Fast Food Is More than Just McDs or KFC

Sure Taiwan has McD's, KFC and even Subway. We might eat at one of those once every two years, but why would we when Taiwan has this amazing street food culture?

Eating out in Taiwan is cheap and convenient in comparison to America.  It a working single mom's go to when I don't have the time to whisk up dinner in between coming home from work and taking Z to music class. You can pay anywhere from 2 bucks to 20 bucks for a bowl of beef noodle soup. Then there's the whole night market culture where people nibble on a variety of foods, like tapas. Street food in Taiwan is now becoming widely celebrated in foodie culture, as it should be.

11. GMOs are just wrong

Unlike the U.S (and the rest of the world), Taiwan requires by law all its food to be labeled if it has GMOs. The Taiwanese public and government are so distrustful of genetically modified food that they banned them from all public schools. But most Americans, like Taiwanese also want to know whats in their food and supported GMO labeling. The state of Vermont made GMO labeling mandatory, then the federal government got involved and when everyone was watching the Dallas shooter at the BLM protest, Congress passed the Dark Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know). Obama just signed it into law.

12. Paid Family Leave Act 

Taiwan like most of the developed world, values new parents and babies at the critical time after birth. In Taiwan, all fathers receive nine days ( five workdays including two weekends) of paid leave after labor. Mother receive eight weeks paid leave to be used either before or after birth. That time has been amended to include more time for OBGYN visits. Both parents can apply for unpaid sabbaticals up to 3 years after their child is born, including adoptive parents. Financial penalties to employers were raised to combat gender discrimination against childbearing women in the workplace. (For more info read Gender Equality Act Amended...).

How does the US Compare?

 American workers are guaranteed their jobs for 12 weeks of unpaid work since 1993. Doesn't sound so bad until you read the US is in the same bracket as Swaziland, Papau New Guinea and Lesotho for NOT paying their workers after the birth of a child. Considering the US pays so much for health care while not getting so much in return, women and newborns are the ones to suffer.












America is so obsessed with itself, like a teenager or narcissist, is it no wonder the upcoming election has personalities like Donald Trump on the GOP ticket. My country would be wise to look at whats working in other democracies, like Taiwan. More pragmatism, less ideological wars.

All Hail The Chinese Speaking World's Most Powerful Woman

Today will be in the history books. I watched the first hour of  Tsai-Yingwen's inauguration with my 9th graders and caught her speech with my 8th graders. By all media accounts she has quite the monumental task at hand: keeping her constituents happy and not provoking Beijing. Unlike most other female leaders in Asia, she doesn't belong to some family dynasty. In fact the BBC said Taiwan is the best place to be a woman in politics, its so normalized now. As for Ma he released a comical, self-deprecating video, which won him a lot of praise, but was hardly original. He just copied Obama.

What was impressive about the ceremony wasn't what the new president was wearing (despite what Taiwanese news may say), but that the ceremony was bilingual. It felt more global. There was a whopping amount of repetition on how Taiwan values its democracy. My students were impressed by the air-force command's blue and red streams of smoke flying over the crowd, cameras were attached to the fighter jets. The ceremony was inclusive of aboriginals throughout the entire production. At one point they all sang a song,"Ilha Formosa" that was banned in 1979 during the White Terror years and some of the older generation in the crowd were crying, waving green flags, presumably victims or having family victims that disappeared or died during that dark time of martial law and suppression.

I was curious why was the person with the wild afro on stage holding the, "GET OUT" sign. Get out who? Ma? My extreme sports friend Erin explained, "I know the woman with the crazy Afro. Her name is Banai. She'said a singer/ activist who works on stopping nuclear waste from being dumped/stored at Lanyu, the traditional homeland of Tao Moot tribe. She's holding the "get out" towel for that cause. The guy beside her is a HaKa singer song writer called 林生祥. He sings in HaKa dialogue and promotes the love of land in his songs." 

My 9th graders

 Although I couldn't really understand her speech,  the English translation was made available immediately afterwards (My boss wasn't too impressed with the quality of the translation). I am impressed with her footnote on transforming the education system but I was hoping she would of gone further in her social safety nets section beyond just pensions. She brought up the recent slaying of young children but didn't say anything about the decapitated victim's mother's grievances of the gov't helping working parents. Overall, her speech was painstakingly comprehensive in its overview of what kind of policies she hopes to implement. I can;t help but feel hopeful for Taiwan.

The elephant in the room is China. What will they do now?  Beijing had already begun  their backlash even before she officially assumed office: they warned her to steer clear of peaceful independence (or else), less mainland tourists has already put a dent in the local market (some say), the whole Kenya drama where Taiwanese citizens were extradited to China, stealing diplomatic relations with Gambia, and increased coastal invasion simulations opposite Taiwan (read Tensions in the Taiwan Strait). Another risk is the same young voters who voted her in could also as easily vote her out (read Taiwan's Kids Are Not Alright).  What Beijing can't seem to understand is that Taiwan is a democracy and Ing-wen is a servant of the people. Just juxtapose the young, "Yellow" idealists, bent on change and national sovereignty with shady characters like the "White Wolf" who is pro-China, and already criticism from feminists that her cabinet is too male (I agree). She has quite the juggling act.Ultimately, everyone in Taiwan is crossing their fingers she can perform some kind of miracle with the market and stimulating growth.

As for the US, American "neutrality" is about preventing unification (Chinese superpower a done deal) and war (regional instability and US troops for sure). Sooner rather than later America will have to chose which side they are on. I have been all for normalizing Taiwanese sovereignty since my first stint here in 2001. Surprisingly, many of my Taiwanese friends- who voted for Tsai Yingwen feel less hopeful than myself. They are pretty grounded with their expectations. They believe she wont make Taiwan the worse for her leadership, and that's about it. I certainly hope she exceeds their expectation. Their apprehensions are partially based on the global community's lack of formal recognition.

Immigration Headaches for APRC parents in Taiwan

I have shared this with my students and Facebook posts, so I better also share to a wider audience. The current Taiwanese immigration system is like most, flawed, confusing and in need of reform. Long standing APRC holders who have been a positive influence in Taiwan are being punished along with their family members because nothing has been done to improve current laws.

My friend Toby is a perfect example of an upstanding long term expat whose family is suffering under the current immigration system. Tomorrow he is meeting with Taiwanese immigration to see if they can change his son's visa from 90 days to 180. Watch this video posted September 9th.

My friend's son will be 20 soon and they are trying to figure it out. Basically if I am still here when my daughter Z is 20, she is no longer my dependent and yet cannot apply for an APRC herself. She can't legally work here despite being in the school system since preschool. She would have to do Hong Kong runs to renew her tourist visa, or stay as a student under a student visa. But perhaps if I transfer her visa before she turns 20 I might be able to secure something. Ask a different immigration officer and you get a different answer.

There is a FB group Foreigners for Taiwan Immigration and the private Taiwan DREAM group for parents. On one of the most recent DREAM posts (Sept 10), supposedly there is a new law, that no one including the immigration officers know about, which is confusing. The father whose 20 year old got an ARC dependency status recommended an immigration officer named Eric who was willing to help anyone in this situation. A month before his son turned 20 he turned in the paperwork that his son has been living in Taiwan for 10 years and applied for a Dependency ARC, but apparently this only works if you transfer an existing visa, not if your child has already been enduring visa runs, like my friend Tobie. [NIA Officer Eric Chen. 886-7-623-6334 E-mail: eric817@immigrations.gov.tw.]

There has been a petition in the past, and since this law isnt' legit for every child of an APRC holder, I am thinking of organizing a letter campaign with my students to write to the main immigration office. Taiwanese people need to stand up for long-term foreign friends and call elected officials to rewrite some of the current immigration laws. Here is an excellent article published September 10th to share with your Taiwanese friends.
 

Smell You Later Kindergarten!

Today doubtlessly was my last day of teaching kindy. Its such a relief not to teach kindergarten and I love that age, with kids' brains like sponges its gratifying as a teacher. Yet teaching kindy in Taiwan is such a game show despite just leaving one of the better bosses. There were times the past 7 years (bloated graduation ceremonies on steroids, monthly telephone teaching, gate duty, leading morning exercises, PTA meetings, testing 4 year olds, irrelevant staff meetings) when I had to suck it up and grit my teeth.

Teaching kindy in Tainan and here in Yilan  (at Chung Dau and Maple Leaf) I can see what works for me and what doesn't. Share Fun in Tainan was full day English with the same class, with a focus on project/theme teaching, so I had a lot of freedom to take them as deep as I wanted and incorporate our theme into other classes, like art, science, reading, phonics. There weren't so many books (yet they could read) and the kids were busy cutting, gluing, painting, cooking and language was natural and holistic because our theme was reinforced in different subjects. I found reading material that had to do with our specific theme.

 For example, we did a K2 theme on flowers, so I focused on the two most commons flowers in Tainan, the lotus and orchid; we made vases for mother's day, had a drama area of a flower shop, learned the parts of a flower and took 2 field trips one for lotuses and one for orchids. We baked vanilla bean cupcakes, vanilla is an orchid and made vanilla bean ice-cream in zip lock bags.

 

In Chung Dau I was one of many teachers the kids were exposed to, so that was good for them listening to a Kiwi or South African accent, but too many books in my opinion and hardly acceptable ones, they seldom did art, and I never met any parents. Maple Leaf my (last school) ran like a well oiled machine, no need for staff meetings, all materials provided for, I just plugged in, but they also had tons of albeit, first rate text books. They crammed so much material in one morning at the expense of art, play, hands on science and cooking; which I suppose is the sacrifice for half day English. They had one PE class a week and one Art or Cooking class, which isn't enough. I tried to incorporate as much art as I could, and my boss encouraged me to be as creative as I wanted (yipee), but it was almost too difficult with their merciless curriculum. The books at Maple Leaf are superior, but overkill. For example, The Hooked on Phonics books of course are classic, kids need phonics to read and for pronunciation, but you don't necessarily need books for that.

A lot of what's lame about corporate kindergartens in Taiwan comes from paying parents having unrealistic and dare I say cruel expectations of their kids "performing" (come speak English for your aunts and uncles) at the expense of health and play, despite play being the ideal form of learning at this age. Having a shitload of books justifies the parents paying a majority of their paycheck to a kindergarten that sticks their foreign staff at the front gate. I may sound harsh on parents when they are victims of the system too, but they are the consumers and should have more of a say. On a personal level, most of the parents of my classes were well educated, well traveled, high earners who appreciated a holistic project oriented learning. I pretty much was blessed with great parents every semester, which isn't always the case. It was easier having a relationship with parents in an all day kindy, I missed that working part time.

Another example of a K2 theme/project was devoting a month to Foods of the World, I only remember doing Mexico and India. For the Mexican week, our reading was a Salsa recipe, which we made, along with burritos, a pinata, cactus art and we learned the Mexican Hat Dance.

 

 In Tainan I had to give my kindergarten classes (including K1 and K2) midterm and final exams including written and oral sections. We had to record the oral exams with video cameras and when the school extorted crappy results (big surprise because its no fun having a camera in your face) they started using mp3 recorders. Parents need evidence you see, or at least that's what the manufacturer/managers believe. Its end results focused and not valuing the process. Unfortunately it turns kids off learning all together. There are funner ways to assess young learners.

Other things that suck about teaching kindergarten here, is the Taiwanese staff working longer hours for less pay (sure they get much fatter Chinese New Year bonuses, a month's wages) and well its plain illegal for kids that young to learn English. I certainly wont miss jumping out doors with my indoor shoes on, in the rain because the government showed up without warning, despite having an APRC. Good riddance to all that.

Nevertheless, teaching kindergarten has its rewards, of course the kids, I got my daily fix of hugs and singing and dancing, but also its a great schedule. I have been lucky as well, my bosses were decent too. My first Sharefun boss sponsored Z's airfare one trip home and bought me a new refrigerator. There were times I needed loans for a trip and I never had a problem. My second Share Fun boss gave me a nice bonus my last year and would of doubled it if I stayed on. Of course I am highlighting the positives. On the negative side, there was little trust between management and teachers, it wasn't transparent and teachers got different treatments. The manager I worked for was an abusive, sadist and I saw dozens of good foreign teachers (with teaching licenses) leave solely because of her. Finally at Maple Leaf, it was my first time working under a foreigner, a Canadian and he was down to earth, mellow, easy going and also gave me loans and extra hours when I needed it. In fact I was happy to stay there until my new employer hunted me down and swept me off my feet.

What could improve about kindergartens in Taiwan is:

1. Make it legal, as everyone does it anyways.

2. Educate parents on the importance of play, exercise and enjoying the outdoors and incorporate this into the school's style and class curriculum.

3. Let teachers have regular raises. Years of loyalty should be respected. I know what its like to feel like a slave, being chained to a school for 5 years so I can apply for an APRC. Bonuses would be nice. Extracurricular activities at night or Saturdays, like telephone teaching or graduation ceremonies should be paid. This is time away from our families and self care. I don't think signing any contract that stipulates a monthly salary includes these kinds of activities is legal for one thing. That totally nulls the contract in my opinion and can be contested by higher powers.

4. Educate parents on how diet and lack of sleep affects their kid's ability to focus and learn in class. Inadequate sleep is a social travesty that cuts across all generations here and the problem is totally unrecognized.

I am looking forward to Monday morning and not trying to be late for punching in my time card. I have another month of this morning bliss.

young yoginis 

The End of a Beginning Chapter

Z at her graduation performance

The night before our 2 week holiday began, and Z and I would leave for Malaysia, it was her kindergarten graduation. This is always a seriously big deal for our school and any respectable private kindergarten in Taiwan.  As a teacher at this school I have had 2 graduating classes myself which means when they leave me they are fluent in English and can write complete sentences and are pretty much cognitively prepared for their suffering career as elementary school students in the rigid, competitive, soulless Taiwanese educational system. (As for their souls that's an entirely different matter, but I try to be as holistic a teacher as possible).

It was a bit of a different experience as a parent--and worker. For example, during her flawless performance when she was the feline reporter Kitty Mitty in her class' play, I was "backstage" behind a curtain. My sole job was ushering the kids from the stage to the back door and hallway. An hour of that (speeches+ 3 class performances) I was then the parent and watched her receive her "diploma" from  the school's founder.



Z's official grad photo

I  always thought the Taiwanese even having a graduation ceremony for kindergartners was a perverse superficial sentimentalism, or a cheesy demand of parents who fork over a substantial amount of their salaries to schools who at the end of the ride have to prove their worth.  And it is that.  But there is also this deep human need for ceremony for marking within the bond of community different phases of our life's growth, stages, transformations.  I happily was denied kindergarten. I stayed at home or rather I ran around wild most of the day in the rattlesnake infested fields of  the outskirts of a blossoming Phoenix Arizona, taking rides with the neighborhood teenagers on the back of their dirt bikes, playing with my best friend Brandy where development met the desert. My mom taught me how to read and I didn't go to school til I was  in 1st grade in Aurora, Colorado.

A few months after we moved to Tainan

 But that  wasn't Z's reality. We moved to Tainan when she was 2 1/2 and she went to nursery school until  present. She is still going to my school (my place of work) in their summer program. I hope she will be weaned from here once she starts elementary school so I can start saving what I pay in her tuition.

I admit that on that graduation night I was overwhelmed by thoughts that kept well under the surface had made their way to the forefront of my mind's eye. Namely, I asked myself if this would be my only child, my first and  last baby. At age 6 she is still so baby like, her chubby cheeks and pot belly. She is going to real school soon, growing up and I might loose this "babyiness" forever. I asked myself things like if I would ever nurse a child again. If her father and I had worked out, what other beautiful children we might have had. Crazy things like figuring out how many child bearing years I have left (that would be 5, my cut off age is 42, but that might change).  I didn't have so much time to process these thoughts, the next day I was taking us both on an early am bus to Taipei to catch a flight to Malaysia and our return to Borneo. That's ok, I'm gentle with myself and nonjudgmental. As I have learned in my young life so far, a whole lot can happen in a year.  I hope I am savoring her childhood more.

The Hakka People 客家

You do not know how a violin sounds before you play it. You do not know how deep a river is before you go across it. You do not know if a new bottle leaks before you put water in it. You do not know if your lover loves you or not, but how to test it?

hien tsii mang ki mang ti in

vun shiui mang ko mang ti chhin

sin mai phun theu nan tset shiui
sin lien ko tsii nan tset sim

(a Hakka mountain song)

Hakka center in Tainan

The Chinese characters for Hakka (客家) literally means "guest families" (kejia). Hakka history states that their ancestors originated from Shāndōng (山东) or Shānxī (山西) provinces in northern China. They began their first wave of migration between the 4th and 9th centuries and eventually settled into south Jiāngxī and inland Fùjiàn (福建). They are known for their wandering, hardworking, thrift, distinctive salty, oily cuisine, and hill songs (mountain yoddeling).

In Taiwan, Hakka people comprise about 15 to 20% of the population and form the second-largest ethnic group on the island. They even have their own TV station (HakkaTV). The MRT in Taipei and Kaohsiung say the automated stops in Mandarin, Hokkian (Taiwanese), Hakka then English.


 

I first came aware of Hakka people and culture when I worked in Taipei some time ago. My then Taiwanese co-teacher was Hakka and could speak the language. When I first moved to Tainan my friend drove us to Meinong to see the fields of cosmos flowers fill the valley with white, pink flowers with this blue mountain backdrop. It was then that I ate some of my first Hakka wide rice noodles. Meinong is outside of Kaohsiung and it population is 95% Hakka and also has its own Hakka museum (as does all major cities in Taiwan.) Other large populations of Hakka in Taiwan are found around Hsinchu, like Beipu. The photos below are from a Hakka restaurant we had lunch at in Neiwan's old street, just outside of Hsinchu.  

Hakka flat rice noodles

Kiu nyuk (扣肉, sliced pork with preserved mustard greens

lei (“pounded”) tea 擂茶





Hakka Parasols



Last November my preschool class made a field trip to the Hakka Center in Tainan. Its located next to the big park down Yongua St heading towards Mitzokoshi. Its a small collection of Hakka farming tools, food, calligraphy and a map showing their migration and diaspora.

Me at the Tainan Hakka Center

Resources:
http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/hakkaint/
 http://www.asiawind.com/hakka/
http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=159424&CtNode=1337
http://www.hakkaonline.com/
http://www.mhps.ttct.edu.tw/hakkafa/hakka.htm
http://www.hakka.gov.tw/


Online Hakka lessons

http://www.chinalanguage.com/content/index.php?c=content&id=711
http://www.hakka.gov.tw/lp.asp?ctNode=408&CtUnit=173&BaseDSD=7&mp=233&ps=
http://guhy.csie.ntust.edu.tw/~hakka/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23TQYaW1dpg

Online Hakka dictionaries
http://www.chinalanguage.com/dictionaries/hakka/
http://sii-tien.lomaji.com/
華語廣播-客家話 (Radio in Hakka)
http://big5.cri.cn/gate/big5/gb.cri.cn/chinese_radio/kejia.htm
BCC (中國廣播電台) - online radio in Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka
http://www.bcc.com.tw/
Taiwanese Hakka Association of the USA
http://www.softidea.com/twhakkausa/

What to bring to Taiwan

If you have been living in Taiwan and are returning home for holiday or family obligations, then your friends and co-workers will have already given you their lists. My friend went back to London and brought me back some Harrogate of Yorkshire loose leaf. But if  you are a newbie and have kids you still might not know what to bring. A new friend moving to Taichung with her daughters recently asked me what to bring and about making friends for her daughters, etc.

This is a bit of my email back to her:

Usually when I go to a new country or travel its very quick for me to connect w/ kindred spirits. But this time it took me about 6 months to find people I connected deeply with and find people my age w/kids. But thats me, I would not say that will happen for you. Most of my coworkers are 10 years younger than me and no kids so we dont have so much in common, but I do have some very close friends now. Most of dear friends here are Taiwanese. I lived in Taipei, Tamsui for 1 1/2 years in 2000-2002 to pay off my undergrad loan and I made friends for life there, who still come visit me and vice versa.

Hiring a maid or even an older auntie to help w/the kids is very cheap. You dont need to bring anything, no bedding, clothes, electric equipment uses the same voltage as in the States and you can find anything and everything here. I do recommend bringing  vitamins, supplements, essential oils as what you can find here is sparse and not good quality--there are no Whole Foods here and the small mom and pop health food stores dont have big supplies or much variety. Also if you are very tall, have big feet or in my case a big butt you will find alot of the clothes wont fit, but in bigger cities like Taichung and Taipei there are neighborhoods w/alot of foreigners and stores that carry bigger sizes. Taiwanese women have flat asses and I definitely dont so that can make for probs buying pants. All the bras here are super padded w/lots of under-wire, I just cut the under-wire out as for me I think its unhealthy. I-phones are cheaper in the States, if you brought some back you could make some $ in Taichung w/ the foreigners for sure!

I think if you join a gym, chinese class, tai chi or an english speaking church, etc you will meet more foreigners. Take your girls to the park and you will meet the same kids and their folks everyday, thats how I met my Chinese "parents". Taiwanese are super-friendly and they absolutely adore kids, you will actually be annoyed at how much attention you all get. Its very bothersome to always be bombared w/ attention, strangers touching your kids faces, taking their photo w/ their cellphone w/o asking etc. You will get so much attention and invitation to tea, dont worry about meeting people and making friends, it will definately not be a problem for you or your daughters. Taiwanese parents actually force their kids to talk to me or my daughter to practice their English so I dont think finding playmates for them will be a problem.

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.

Easter and Tomb Sweeping Day in Penghu

(For all the photos click here)
I really did not have the money and I failed to plan ahead to get flights out of Tainan, but I decided to go somewhere I havent been before in Taiwan, the Penghu Archipelago for our only 3 day weekend of the year. Sure we could of taken a boat from Chiayi, but that would mean a train to Chiayi and taxi to the port, when it seemed easier to have the Kaohsiung airport shuttle pick us up at our home and drop us off at the check in counter. Who would of thought that Easter and Tomb Sweeping Day would fall on the same weekend? Kind of creepy. So flights to Makung were full of locals returning to fulfill their filial duties. Our flight left Kaohsiung at 7:30 am which meant the airport shuttle was at our doorstep at 5am.

We arrived in Makung around 845am and the owner of the home-stay Mr. Wu (Makung Traditional Homestay) was waiting with his car. He was a local who was retired after a career in Taipei at some agriculture and fishing government position. He married a woman who was 10 or 15 years his junior from Makung and their 2 unmarried kids were still living in Taipei. Their home belonged to his wife's mother who they are caring for and they recently renovated it. It was located on a narrow alley, about 10 paces from the oldest temple in Taiwan a 16th century Matsu temple that looked her age (older than Lugang's well preserved Qing dynasty Longshan temple). He charged me 2200NT p/night including breakfast, didnt enforce the checkout time and helped reserve all my boat tickets and scooter rental.

The weather was much colder than I anticipated and our summer clothes were insufficient. This would not be a weekend to explore all the wonderful white sand beaches. Our first day after our arrival and breakfast we took a boat outside Makung to some floating fish farms in the sea. We pulled up and exited our boat, sat down and the people started lighting the coals on our table BBQs for us to eat unlimited amounts of oysters. Of course Z doesnt like seafood (she loves fish) and the fire scared her so we were left with watching the male tourists trying their hand at catching various sea animals (if they caught, they would pay by weight and then the boat chef would cook it up for them). One of the fisherman decided to help Z give a go at catching a squid. We had no idea that as they are being taken out of the water they start shooting steady streams of water, squirting at us. Z and the man were reeling in this squid, but its wiggling, squirting body freaked her out, she dropped her pole and ran. After what seemed like the longest, most boring 2 hours of me trying to eat oysters and entertaining Z who was playing with the oysters instead of eating them, a glass boat pulled up and we sat down below deck and tried to make visual sense out of the cloudy, murky water. All visibility was gone from the storm, which was disappointing because I wanted Z to see the pretty coral the way Ive seen it from my diving days.

The rest of that first afternoon we spent walking around Makung which is a great place to explore on foot, so many beautiful temples, a wonderful park by the beach, old crumbling walls, very pretty winding, medieval side streets to get lost in. I held Z a lot, too much as she got tired of walking (but not tired enough not to run in the park). We found a cheap but tasty noodle and dumpling place and fruit stand that made fresh shakes, which is all I needed.

The next day bright and early we went island hopping to the 2 largest outlying islands and rented some scooters. First we went to Wang'an, saw an empty Green mossback turtle preservation Center, and the very interesting and ghost town like Chungshe old dwellings. We also found some caves that the Japanese had built a military base during their occupation which had a very beautiful coral shore with views to smaller island rocks and pretty moss green patches everywhere.

The cool thing was that traveling with a kid was to my advantage (finally!). Although I came on a crowded boat full of tourists from Makung and there were other boats doing the same thing, it took me longer to get going; I was the last one to get my scooter and then we had to hit the toilet before setting off, so we never went with any crowd and when we stopped and got off our scooter to check something out we were the only ones there, I dont know where everyone else went, especially some of these mega tour buses I saw driving around. It was magical that way, having these islands to ourselves, it felt very free on the scooter to be the only ones on the windswept, grassy, very un-Taiwanese roads with feral goats everywhere and surrounded by gorgeous, wild turquoise water and islands out on the horizon. Z and I yelled our bleats to the goats who responded back (I used to be a goat herder so I can do a pretty good goat bleat).

Z was keen to see the famous 2 heart stone weir on Chimei island, a ring of stones to catch fish at low tide and shaped like one big heart and another smaller heart. Most couples come here to get their picture taken of the heart shaped weir in the background. When we got there, she said, "look its a Mommy heart and a Zenaida heart!" Which to me summed up not only our 3 day Penghu getaway but our dharmic existence together. The lone woman selling coral and shell trinkets took our picture and I was so very aware and so grateful that I do have this immense love, this child, a mother's love for her child, my love for Zenaida. It was really a private moment for me, no words or tears or anything, no one else to share it with, maybe the shell trinket woman saw as witness, its good to be awed by the mundane. I get so caught up on cooking, cleaning, washing, all for her, yet she herself, being with her is the supreme priority and joy.

On our third day we rented a scooter in Makung and drove to the aquarium which was closed because it was a Monday, so we drove to the picture perfect Erkan Old Residence, on the other side of the island. Its a century old Fujian, Japanese fusion village, eclectic, partially inhabited in the middle of nowhere. It has this artsy vibe, that made me think of Taos, New Mexico, the outside of the homes were adobe-esque, the landscape, more desert, grassy, prickly pears and aloe, no Taiwan like bamboo jungle and just lots of individual attention to detail and creative expression. It seemed like a nice place to retire if you were an artist. On our way to Erkan, we stopped to eat prickly pear ice cream and marvel at the 300 year old Tungliang Banyan Tree that canopies the Lungte temple and its courtyard. We also bought some roasted peanuts for a snack. Its local tradition to eat roasted peanuts on Tomb Sweeping Day to ensure a year of robust health. Then we went over the impressive Trans-Ocean bridge, impressive because the views of the ocean on either side, and the sky were amazing. Its was almost stormy so there were so many shades of blue, the salt in the air, the ethereal lit sky, little Z sitting on the front of our smart and new scooter, it was almost heaven.

The whole weekend was a bit too cool for our warmer weather clothes, I wish I would of packed appropriately. (But everyone I talked to in Tainan all said the same thign about how hot it would be). I bought myself a beautiful teal scarf with silver threads, and new jeans that were altered, but for Z I just had to layer her up and didnt find clothes I would of liked for her, so I was always a bit fussing inside if she was warm enough because she sat in front and the air blasted her (she wouldnt wear my scarf).

After Erken, we stopped to check out Lintou beach, a white sand beach bordered by a 1 hectare pine forest. It was too cold to swim so we just played in the sand for a bit and returned to our home-stay. After we packed, I paid our bill and the Mr. Wu drove us back to the airport but not before they took some photos together with Z. The flight back to Kaohsiung was in business class, which was nice for a change, lots of room on our 30 minute flight.The shuttle driver could not find us which was annoying because we are the only foreigners standing around waiting, and he was the dude just chain smoking outside looking like he was waiting for someone to come pick him up.

So was it worth it? I paid more than I thought, much more than I anticipated. But writing this months later, having suffered financially these several months (first by my return from the US in March and my Penghu 3 day weekend) it was worth it, to share it with Z and talk about it later. On our first day in Makung, I bought her this handmade stuffed zebra that is the sweetest thing I ever saw (Zebras being her favorite animal coz they start with "z".) She named it Zoe and sleeps with it every night (Osito and N2 her bunny have some competition). I had fun just taking so many pictures again.

Taiwan never ceases to amaze me. That these small, tiny islands could have so many destinations worth going to. There are still so many Taiwanese natural wonders on my list waiting, calling us to come.

Resources:
http://tour.penghu.gov.tw/English/Tour/Tour-1.asp
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taiwans-islands/penghu
http://iguide.travel/Penghu