Killer Bans: Death By Oatmeal and Bye to GMOs

Oatmeal was in the news here recently for being yet another American product banned by Taiwan over health concerns. Previously, Taiwan banned US beef for six years partially from Mad Cow Disease and the use of ractopamine-an additive that promotes leanness which is banned in 160 countries, yet still used in the US. Consequently, Taiwan banned US pork containing ractopamine. That ban still remains, despite US pressure.

Having grown up on rolled oats for breakfast, I was a little curious to this most recent ban. I still occasionally ate oats and rye flakes, thankfully not Quakers. Since the announcement was made at the end of May, I haven't eaten the oats I bought at the local health food store. I'm totally turned off by it.

This WHO listed carcinogen, glyphosate, is created by Monsanto (never a good sign) and is the most common herbicide used in the world. It is used by GMO grown oats, wheat, corn, soy, cotton and barley. Despite Quaker's claims of its oats going through a washing process, glyphosate can't be removed.  Glyphosate has been known by Monsanto and the US government since the 1980s to cause, "Severe liver and kidney damage + Chronic kidney disease; Disruption of hormonal systems which can potentially lead to multiple organ damage and hormone-dependent cancer; Developmental and reproductive toxicity, including damage to sperm and miscarriage and premature birth + Disruption of beneficial gut bacteria, favouring the growth of botulism-causing bacteria in cows; Damage to DNA; Birth defects; Neurotoxicity; Cancer...Even at very low doses of exposure, glyphosate kills placental, embryonic, and umbilical cells. Glyphosate is associated with genetic damage (mutations), including chromosomal aberrations, even at doses below those recognized as "safe.” The herbicide acts as a potent endocrine disruptor, which can affect future reproductive health of young boys and girls. "

But it gets worse, Quaker's wasn't the only culprit. Nine other oat products including my beloved Bob's Red Mill's oats were also found to contain glyphosate. When I first moved to Tainan I had bought and consumed several batches of Australia Fine Oat Flakes, also on the list. Fortunately my daughter hates oatmeal (oh how I tried!).

Kudos for Taiwan.They have a zero tolerance for glyphosate and for GMO products. In Taiwan all GMO products must be clearly labeled (which is one of five points in their Food Act Amendments). As of December, 2015 Taiwan legislated all GMO products  banned from public schools, beginning the coming semester (January 2016). It raised each child's meal by 15NT and lower income schools had to be given more financial support, but its a cultural consensus, especially here in Yilan to eat whats grown locally. 

Remember glyphosate isn't just found in breakfast cereals. It was found in 15 German beers, conventional (non-organic wines), and women's hygienic products, like bleached cotton tampons. Even scarier it shows up in breast milk. The farmers that use it and the surrounding countryside are the real victims, in terms of still births, contaminated ground water and depletion of soil nutrients.

Fight the power Taiwan! Stay green. If the US government chooses to turn a deaf ear to global scientists, maybe they will listen to smart consumers. 

Resources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/053897_Quaker_Oats_glyphosate_instant_oatmeal.html
http://glyphosate.news/
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/05/27/2003647215
http://www.healthnutnews.com/taiwan-recalls-quaker-oats-after-finding-traces-of-glyphosate/
http://ecowatch.com/2016/01/13/taiwan-ban-gmos-schools/

First Time Visits To Yilan

Biking Trails, Yilan City

Dragon Boat weekend is around the corner and several sets of friends from Tainan, Taichung and Taipei are asking me the same questions. If you have never been to Yilan before than there are some "must sees" but you'll have to deal with crowds from Taipei. Holiday traffic really can take the joy out of a commute, as many of the roads into the beautiful mountains for fun in rivers, lakes or on the trail are one lane nightmares. Best to know where you're going, how your'e going and go early. Scooters rent out fast.

If you have absolutely never been to Yilan before than consider what activities you want to do. I wrote a post about visiting Yilan before and this has specific info on how to get to Yilan and some of the same restaurants I mentioned here (although Piggy's is since gone).

1. Wai'ao for Surfing or Hanging at the Beach (Easy Day trip from Taipei)

If you want to rent a surfboard than stay in Wai'ao. Rent a board at Super George Surf who is active with the local community elementary school kids in Toucheng. There is cheap accommodation and boards at Rising Sun Surf Inn, where you can camp and use their showers (because they are always booked), or try the Hi Surf. Either way check out the pizza and live music at Drifter's run by two California surfers. Many of these expat/surfers have regular beach cleanups (followed by a party) so check their Facebook events. You can also hang-glide from the mountain backdrop onto the beach. If accommodation is booked, stay in Jiaoxi or Toucheng.

Yilan County Government Building

2. Fulong (Easy Day Trip from Taipei)

Fulong is closer to Taipei so expect the crowds.  It's one of the only places in Taiwan, besides Kenting where you don't have the slate grey beaches, but golden sands. You can also rent a surf board (better waves in Wao'ao) or a SUP. For a more budget friendly option, rent a bike and circle the 27 km cape (beware the sun! Read my post on me biking the cape with my daughter). There is also the famous Caoling Historic trail you can start this hike at the next train station north of Fulong. If you are a diver there are some wicked sites my coworker frequents. Contact Canadian owned diving shop ScuBar. Nigel is a friend of a couple of my friends, I don't know him personally but he answered my questions quickly when I was considering getting my daughter certified.

3. Jiaoxi 

I would recommend to stay in Jiaoxi your first time in Yilan as there are loads of accommodation options, and all the hotels have natural mineral water pumped into their bathrooms. The best way to get here from Taipei is by bus (90NT.) Its an easy train ride from Jiaoxi to the beach in Wai'ao (3 stops north) and a nice scooter ride into the mountains in Yuanshan if you have time. Check the availability at Atayal Xiang BnB. I stayed here before when my parents visited, and Paul the owner (also a surfer) will go out of his way to make his guests feel welcomed, providing taxis and car rentals and tips for sightseeing.

The Wofongci waterfalls are a must-see. Tour buses come here so beware. If you are driving there is a nice big parking lot next to a beautiful grassy river. Its a great place to cool off after a sweaty 20 minute walk to the last platform of waterfalls. If you have time and are fit enough try the other trail to the more remote waterfalls. Its not recommended for small children. I actually did this with my daughter and my friend and his family, and at the last pool we had to leave our kids with his wife as the last 100 meters were too Indiana Jones for even the 12 year old.

Other fun things to do in Jiaoxi are to hit the fish foot spas and hot springs. Hot springs don't sound so fun in summer, but many of the spas have cooler water pools as well as hot ones. In summer, if you have kids do not miss the Art Spa Hotel. They are a 5 minute walk around the corner from Jiaoxi train station and have a 4 story winding water slide that is super fun for adults too. They also have a  playground submerged in a kiddy pool that is in viewing of the adults cool water bubble spas. A win-win for everyone in the family. If you need saunas or piping hot herbal baths they have this too.

For ladies in the winter, I recommend the Japanese style hot springs up the path from the public baths. Its almost exclusively outdoors ad hidden behind bamboos and trees and blissfully relaxing. They have a freezing cold pool, tepid and piping hot pools. Accommodation in Jiaoxi range from big hotels near the station, to smaller boutique like inns, to chain hotels like the Evergreen. But the top place to stay, if you have the money and want something romantic, with the top swimming pools and spas with sublime views of the mountains is the Royal Chiaohsi Hotel. They are just down the road from the waterfalls.

Ok let's say you've done Wai'ao and Jiaoxi before and want to see a different side to Yilan. Where do you go?

Jimmy Park, Yilan City

4. Loudong

Ten minutes out of this city, the suburbs of Loudong are over run with BnBs and minsus. Many of these places provide bikes and there are paths amid green rice paddies with the blue mountains in the bakground. Take your pick of places. My Australian friend has a place right outside Loudong city. There is Plum Blossom Lake, Renshan Botanic Gardens, several short hikes to waterfalls, tea picking and if you like crowds, the Loudong Night Market. Visiting Suo'ao and the cold springs and the beach at Nanfang'au is an easy 20 minute drive from here. If you are sick of Taiwanese food try Spice Land.

5. Yuanshan

Its ten minutes into the mountains from Yilan city and has several lakes, rivers, hiking and fishing to get off the beaten track. More tour buses are starting to discover here and roads are one laners so come early. Better yet, rent a scooter from Yilan station and check it out. Follow the river, park off the road, hike into the emptiness and pitch a tent, but beware of snakes.

If you have more time for more waterfalls and hikes, check out "Yilan Whats Not to Do"

6. Yilan City

There's not so much to do in the city per say, but it does have some great restaurants and is a central location to use as a base to explore Wai'ao and Jiaoxi to the north and Loudong and Su'ao to the south, as well as Yuanshan inland and the lonlier beach and beach bike paths of Zhuangwei.

Some great places to eat for Western Food is Slobber, just a ten minute walk from the train station, and the French restaurant Le Temps, across from the station and adjacent to Jimmy Park. Next to them is the very slow Cafe Slow Train with their delicious sandwiches and beers. If you have your own transportation, than drive or take a taxi to Balagov's Ukrainian Cafe, Tavola's for Italian, Little Mexico and the Japanese colonial Le Grand Bleu in front of Luna Plaza. Luna Plaza itself has budget dining on B1 (like Sushi Express,KFCs and lots of Taiwanese shops) and higher end dining on the 4th floor (Tasty's, Cafe Grazzi, etc.)

There are cheap hotels across from the train station as well as the Hero Hotel between Yilan Train station and the University. I've seen Taipei families "camp" on the grass of Yilan Sports Park and if that's possible, I don't see why you couldn't pitch a tent at the more sublime grounds of the Yilan County Government Building.

If camping is your thing there are "official" sites outside Loudong as well as unofficial, North American style spots (for a future post.)

The Season of School Birthdays

Bird on a wire, fishing village outside Fulong

Last month all the schools around Yilan celebrated their founding year with a Saturday activity. The following Monday was off to preserve the 2 day weekend. The different schools did it on different days so that for my neighbors it a hodgepodge of comings and goings. The oldest elementary school in Yilan is Zhongshan, which was founded in 1896.

My daughter's school celebrated their 38th year mid May with many speeches, a performance by each grade that ended with a massive pot-luck feast. The early morning race around the lake was canceled because of the rain. One of the mothers was Vietnamese so I made sure to sample her spring rolls and fish sauce. A Canadian father baked three different scones, I had brought bland potato salad (that Z and I made together) but the kids were happy gorging themselves on pizza and ice-cream.

I parked near the house of my child's classmates home, and her gran gave us several of these veggies.

The most notable performance was from my daughter's class (of course) playing a traditional Chinese clay "flute" (aerophone) called a Xun (塤) that dates back over 7000 years from the Stone Age. Its associated with loneliness, respectable hermits, ladies in sorrow and was played in palaces. She played the tambourine as well. I adored the "Chinese Yo-Yo" (扯鈴) class performance and solo. I wish I had the time to learn this myself.

My school had their big bash the end of May. The students had been rehearsing their class dances the past few weeks. It was a terribly hot and humid day. We escaped to our office AC several times when it was unbearable. It was set up like a night market with each class selling different snacks. 




The Environmental Science table was my favorite; they demonstrated how to collect and filter rain water, gave me a free succulent and sold edible cacti drizzled with raw honey. I ended up buying more little succulents for my balcony. 

With my following Monday off, I wanted to do something that I couldn't do on the weekends because of the crowds. So I pulled my kid out of school and we took the train to Fulong and biked 27 km around the Sandiao Cape. We rented bikes for the day (100 NT)  and started at the Old Caoling Tunnel, looping around the Lighthouse, returning near the free beach. Despite having hats and sunblock we still managed to get patches burnt- human candy canes. My daughter had a bit of an accident near the end and is recovering from a nasty cut that became partially infected fairly quickly after washing it (hard to dry out in this climate.) We want to try to bike the loop again in the Fall from the other direction.

Yilan Coast from New Taipei City, biking the Fulong Loop Bike Trail 

We were so hot and sweaty, shaved ice (bing) was in order as soon as we returned the bikes. Z was extremely exhausted from the bike ride that she didn't even want to cool off with a swim!  This worked out, as the sky started pouring as soon as we took the train back to Yilan. She slept in my arms the whole time. This was the highlight of my Fulong venture.

Next Semester: 3 Teaching Jobs in Yilan

1.Maple Leaf Education Center

Position Available:

Monday to Friday 8:30 - 12:00
20 classes per week (30 minutes each) with the same class
ARC, Health, Statutory Holidays
A Bachelor's Degree Required
Experience Teaching Young Children Essential

Start Mid July/August

Salary 30-33,000 per Month Depending upon Experience
Afternoon Hours may also be Available

Contact: r_l_chew@hotmail.com

(include Maple Leaf in the subject heading)

2.English Teaching Job at Hu Shan Elementary School. It is a government job.

(https://www.google.com.tw/…/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0000000000000…)

Teaching Certificate Required
Salary (based on degree) 62,720 - 73,025 per month
Housing Stipend 5,000 - 10,000 per month (w/ spouse)
Sick or personal days up to 14 per year
One month bonus on completion of contract
Airfare stipend up to 80,000 (can include spouse)

Teach grades 1-6 (20 classes per week)
Help Coordinate English Events (up to 4 classes per week)
English Events may include English Club or Speech Contests
Help create an Bilingual Environment
Teachers will also be required to help with Website Management, Festival and Event Planning

Hu Shan is a small school with less than 100 students. It is located in Yuanshan, near the mountains but still close to Yilan City (10 minutes away)

The staff is very friendly and the students are all very eager. They have a new principal starting in September and he is very active and has a lot of great plans.

Please email r_l_chew@hotmail.com (include Hu Shan in the subject so he can spot it among all the spam)Thanks in advance.

2. Teaching Positions at Huey Deng High School, Yilan Taiwan (where I work)

About the School:
The vision of Huey Deng High School is to incorporate international educators to teach several content areas in English. Additionally, Huey Deng is increasing its ability to prepare its students to attend university in English-speaking countries abroad. This vision is based on facilitating teacher and student exchange opportunities between Taiwan and foreign countries.Huey Deng is located one hour from Taipei at the hillside of Yuanshan Township, next to Jiao-Xi River, surrounded by natural environment. The school enrolls approximately 2,400 students from grades 7 to 12. Up to 90% of the school’s students are accommodated at the school’s three residential dormitories, with the goal to cultivate the student’s independence and leadership abilities. As a boarding school, Huey Deng makes every effort to ensure campus safety and provide quality residential life on campus.
Huey Deng High School is seeking qualified candidates to fill teaching positions in English Writing, Reading Comprehension, Environmental Education/Biology and Math, beginning September 1, 2016

Job duties:
1) 20-25 in-class teaching hours per week (overtime pay after 20 hours); 
2) 15-20 office hours (lesson planning and student advising); 
3) administering tests, grading papers and participating in faculty meetings and school events.
Other responsibilities include working effectively with Taiwanese teachers, developing curriculum relevant to all grade levels. Working together, foreign and Taiwanese teachers will identify, adapt, and develop appropriate materials to support and assess student learning.
Grade level: 8-11
Class size: approximately 25 students / per class
Monthly salary: starting TWD $67,000-$ 72,000, commensurate with experience.

Benefits:
1) Reimbursed round-trip airfare, up to USD $1,500.
2) Sponsored Taiwan work visa.
3) Housing assistance. 
4) Teachers are required to enroll in the National Health Insurance Policy and the Labor Insurance Program, and are obligated to pay, in accordance with the laws, at his/her own expense, a portion of the insurance premium in the amount equal to 35% of the total premium charged to him/her under the National Health Insurance Policy.
5) Contract may be renewed contingent on successful teaching performance.
Qualifications:
1) Native English Speaking Teachers with a valid teaching (or substitute teaching) certificate in the subject area or related area. 
2) Native English Speaking Teachers with a valid APRC or JFRV
2) Prior teaching experience. Experience working with youth in other contexts will be considered.
3) Teaching experience with English Language Learners.
Application Procedure:
Send the following to the Center for International Studies at Huey Deng High School at cfis264@gmail.com:
1) a letter of interest describing your teaching philosophy, your vision and conception of being a teacher in a foreign context, and your abilities to be an effective teacher to those learning English; 
2) your current resume;
3) three references.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
(**Please note that only qualified candidates will be contacted)

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.

Ballet Homecomings and Second Chances

Tainan 2012 at my daughter's first and only recital

A breakthrough, answered prayer hit me this evening. After my ballet class (I recently started again after 25 years) Z says to me she really wants to take ballet!

 I forced her for a few years during preschool and kindy (Read Biker Ballerina) I started when I was 3 and it was the best thing my parents ever did for me. Of course I wanted her to feel that magic. 

Her paternal grandmother danced with the most  prestigious Academy in Paris. It's in her blood. Even on a physiological level, she's built for it more so than I am with her long legs, creating these long lines. (At puberty I stopped growing tall at 14 and just grew wider). 

 This  studio around the corner from my home requires the girls to take 2 hour classes twice a week. And its not cheap. It will make a serious dent in monthly finances. She already takes flute 2x a week  (her choice).

 But I'm not worried, my Dad was the best example of Providence and juggling bills in action.  With 5 kids, 1 whom is disabled and constantly under the knife; somehow my Dad paid for 13 years of dance classes (ballet, tap and jazz) 4 nights a week. I was a better tap dancer than ballerina but I could still do endless pirouettes and I loved to jump. What joy!

My first tap recital

When I turned 16 my folks said I had to choose between a car (and thus a part time job) or dancing. Obviously I chose the car (and worked at Subway). Its a decision my mother now regrets (they never asked my brother to give up basketball). So at this age I was pretty much was smoking weed and partying with my friends. Looking back I was probably filling the massive void of not dancing with ganja and hiking. I made "growing up" synonymous with quitting ballet, and I didn't exactly "grow up" particularly trouble free . I wasn't going to be professional after all.

Ever since, ballet was like this sensitive, painful area I ignored for years. I dreamed about it all the time, dreamed about pointe shoes. Of course I never quite dancing entirely, When I was 18  I started to take Nigerian dance with this little old man from Nigeria (who happened to be my father's coworker) and this amazing drum circle, as well as Flamenco and Mexican folk.  When I moved to Tainan my gyms had some amazing teachers for Latin and Striptease (there's nothing worse than a terrible yoga or dance teacher). But they moved on and I never did.

I pretty much gave up hope that my daughter would want to take classes again. I cant say I inspired her in anyway either. But last night an older jiejie (sister) was practicing in the lobby where Z does her homework, and she got bit by the bug. Its never too late. There's some University students in my class that are complete beginners and they keep coming back for the same reasons I do.

Tutu time, 5th grade

The teacher speaks in Mandarin with occasional English, but it isn't necessary, all the ballet terminology (in French) is the same. Dance teachers are all the same, they demonstrate visually and we visualize what our bodies must do until muscle memory takes over. 

As for me, I still remember all the steps, but the little muscles that TRX or yoga can't get to are having to work after many years of neglect and I'm dripping in sweat, sore the next day. If only it was twice or three times a week, and some tap classes, my body would change dramatically. That alright, my spirit is being fed. Now that I'm dancing again, I am connecting with the most jubilant part of my childhood. For that 90 minutes I'm in this intimate sanctuary, like people must feel at church. I can't believe it took me so long to restore what was once so meaningful.

Closing, "Yee-haw" to our country inspired tap dance

Now that my daughter is impassioned to start (which is nothing short of divine intervention, a miracle) she will try her first class Monday night. I just hope she gives it a chance. I am going to stand back and not live vicariously through her. I am already back in ballet slippers myself, I got my own thing going on.  I just hope after Z playing her recorder for 4 years and graduating to the flute she has the maturity to realize anything worth doing well, takes intention, time and loyalty.

Music Teacher Changed Her Tune

Since meeting with the principal, Z's music teacher, homeroom teacher and English teacher (translator), I have to exhale a massive sigh of relief that all is well. Progress and resolution happened. It required tears and not anger. My daughter has had 2 music classes since and music teacher has been cordial, talking to her with a "normal" tone, so I am grateful she did have the EQ capacity to reflect and change. Thats more than most adults can do, or her previous homeroom teacher at Kai Shuan Elementary. It just renewed my gratefulness at this school in the mountains.

My coworker advised me, "have no expectations" which was sound wisdom. During the meeting itself, Music teacher was full of excuses, how her comments were directed at another (imaginary) kid and not Z, it was more of saving face for her and thats ok. Whatever, everyone in the room knew, she knew we knew. I didn't get an apology, and actually that's ok too. 

The important point was that a kid who LOVES music and music class now hates it and is scared; so from a teaching standpoint she blundered somewhere along the way --she was willing to accept that she failed in this regard.

 I got emotional at the end, at least my eyes filled with tears and was handed tissue. My coworkers and I joked that I had to muster up the Emmy winning performance of a single mom in a foreign country and win over her sympathy. I told them my acting skills are non existent, but in the end, end of the week fatigue, frustration, hormones helped. I sincerely cried, and didn't have to pretend anything at all. Finally getting my period had some benefits.

 Z is super sensitive to rejection anyway, given her history (her father AWOL as a newborn +and living in alone with just me) she really needs to be loved. You can't argue with a mothers tears. I told her I believe she could redeem the situation and Z can love (her) music class again. The principal was amazing. My translator could relate to my situation because they lived in Brazil for many years and her son also had similar issues and had to move back to Taiwan (to be nearer family.) No balls were necessarily busted, but I feel like it was a productive meeting.

Maybe I changed my tune a little too, winning the war and not the battle, burning no bridges, all by showing my vulnerability.