Familia Ante Omnia: Holiday in Colorado

While in Yilan I had made a plan of trails I wanted to hike, errands I needed to run,
places we could all take the kids, but I certainly didn't do everything I planned, let
alone see old friends I wanted to see. This trip was shorter than last summer's by
a week, and we spent more time in New Mexico visiting extended family. Nonetheless,
it was priceless to catch up with my family, to put up our feet and rest.

My kid contemplative, Georgetown, CO

Most people, my relatives, friends, neighbors would ask me the same two questions. The
first, was why I liked to live in Taiwan so much, I mean we have been living abroad on
this island for ten years. I told them, it was the high quality of life. I'm not making
enough money to save a nest egg, but the health care system, safety, kind people are
envy worthy (read about Taiwan's path to single payer health care system). In fact,
Taiwan scored #1 by expats for quality of life and #3 for personal happiness.

I was hoping I could get a SIM card, to make catching up with friends easier.
Traveling around Asia, its cheap and convenient to get a SIM card with a local
number and internet at the airport, but in the US this doesn't exist. I read that
Walmart sells T-Mobile's "Tourist Package" but they didn't and whatever I got
wasn't compatible with my unlocked phone. I wasn't able to get a proper refund,
but only its worth as a gift certificate. In hindsight, my Dad was right I didn't
need it, free wifi was everywhere.

So this was the first trip home, where Z was actually wanting to return to Taiwan.
Shocking, but I guess she is growing up and can see that Colorado (and extended
family), America isn't this enchanted Utopia she had thus far believed. The
rose-colored glasses are off, reality is complicated. Perhaps its the pain of grief too,
her cousin who passed, that still stains her perspective. This time around we visited
two cemeteries in two different states.

She missed her friend (who is in her junior high class), she missed her bedroom,
she missed the dogs she missed our cat. It's more simple here in Yilan, maybe
that's what I missed. What I realize, that she doesn't, is we are missing out on being
a part of my nieces and nephews growing up. They are so much younger than her, she
couldn't really appreciate her young cousins.  I, on the other hand, tried to soak up as
many hugs and stolen kisses I could. Of course, they were all about grandma and grandpa.

I also saw how dependent my brothers were on my parents, for childcare, for little
things. As a single mom in a foreign country, I can see from the outside how fortunate
my brothers and their kids are to be so close to each other, to my folks.

My sister-in-laws are fabulous, hardworking, ambitious full time working mothers.
They appreciate all the childcare my folks do. One pays my mom and the other just
took my mom to Mexico for a week (for a much-needed vacation no doubt!)

We arrived on a late Saturday afternoon and the next Sunday had a family BBQ
with all four of my brothers. Since everyone is working, it was only one of two days
we were all together. One brother left the next day for a scuba diving liveaboard off
of Panama for a week, doing reef rehabilitation, and when he returned, he was working
long hours.

Georgetown Train Loop

I was able to have a hike with my youngest brother but spent most of my time with my
two middle brothers.  Fortunately, everyone lives within a 5-mile radius of each other,
which makes dropping off their kids or my folks picking them up from school easy.
Most days the house was full of them laughing, crying and my mom running around at
their beck and call, getting two of them to nap. I am glad to be out of that phase, but
it's sure nice when they are well fed, content and wanting a cuddle.

My second weekend, we took the Bustang from Union Station to Frisco (2x daily $12) to
stay with my fabulous friend Caren. Her daughter is my daughter's age and they got
along like 2 peas in a pod. Tragically, there was a traffic accident on I-70, a young girl
died (her mom was drunk driving) and the highway was closed for hours, we arrived in
Summit County late, but made the best of it with beer and pizza.

The next day Caren took us for a hike at tree line above lake Dillon. It was more like a
graduated walk- which was perfect for our Taiwanese adapted, sea level lungs. I could
totally feel the altitude (in a good way), the thin air on my vocal chords felt noticeably
different, I was getting breathless. We have been gone too long. Before we returned to
Denver, we went for a swim in a freezing lake near their home. Thankfully the fierce sun
was blazing, burning. It was so cold I was afraid to swim to shore, unlike my friend who
did it three times.

Road Trip

Soon after coming down from the mountains, we were packing for a road trip with my Dad
to see his family in New Mexico. On our way to Albuquerque, we ate brunch at Cracker
Barrel (餅乾桶) in Pueblo, which is a kind of road trip tradition and treat for my family.
The food is all country style, Southern, heavy cooking and a chance for my Dad to eat
childhood favorites like his beloved grits. My kid was all over their meatloaf,  mashed
potatoes and gravy and I couldn't get enough of the turnip greens cooked in bacon
drippings. My kid and I love their gift store which has a large nostalgic candy section of
candy from my childhood you just can't find anywhere else. (Same goes for their
traditional handicraft sodas.) American food is so carb heavy and salty, but so good.

My kid shocked my Dad when she told him why they call themselves 'Cracker Barrel',
"Because everyone who eats there is white and fat!"

View from my grandmother's grave

We made a stopover in Santa Fe to see my grandmother's gravestone inside the

National Cemetery. She died last year and was buried there because my grandpa is a
veteran. (He will be buried beside her.) Unlike most of the cemetery, her spot didn't
have a cross because her place is so close to a residential neighborhood and the homeowners
complained. Nonetheless, it was very peaceful, and the pinon was fragrant as soon as we
got out of the car. My grandmother is remembered by her tirelessness, independence,
and straightforward talk. I admire her because she was basically a single mom for 12
years (like me now) while my grandpa was doing eight tours abroad or traveling to
different bases.

Brunch in Pueblo had filled us up until we met my aunt, cousin and uncle at a restaurant in
Albuquerque called, Casa de Benavidez. The food was filling, heavy, and delicious. My aunt
and I washed it down with a margarita. My daughter still wasn't impressed with Mexican
food and by the end of our NM road trip our guts were crying from too much of a good
thing.

My father's younger sister is bearing the brunt of taking care of my grandpa.
His retirement home is a minute away and she is there daily catering to his whims, while
also working. Before I left Colorado, my veteran brother made sure to have me ask my
grandpa three questions, which I did. He answered the two relating to his 21 years of
active service.

Unbeknownst to me, my grandpa was also called Eli and people also call him Ben.
According to my brother, when he was being trained as a Ranger, he was told his grandpa
Eli Benavides was a POW in Northern Africa. His plane went down in enemy territory.
He and his crew (he was a tail gunner) were captured and tortured. Somehow he escaped-
twice- only to be recaptured having failed to free his crewmates, which he refused to
abandon. During this time, the locals were like, "Who is this kid?" and he learned Arabic
and French and eventually with local help he and his friends escaped. Sounds pretty epic
and you can't find any info to back up the story anywhere, because my grandpa was
enlisted in the OSS at that time (which was a secret intelligence gathering department
that preceded the CIA). I've seen tried to find his story in the National Archives
but can't his name or aliases anywhere. His incredible story doesn't end there.

We took my grandpa for a walk around Old Town and then had a BBQ feast at my aunt's. My uncle grilled pineapple, salmon, beef, my aunt had handmade corn tortillas and queso fresco from the Mexican market. It was pretty perfect. We reminisced about recent memories of passed loved ones;  my niece Emma, of my grandma, and shared moments of quiet reflection and moments of laughter.

After a few days in Albuquerque, we were on our way to Roswell, to see my uncle, my dad's childhood home in the hood and of course the UFO Museum where my grandpa's photo is hanging. What we hadn't planned, but was on my bucket list for some time, was to have a swim in the Blue Hole two hours east of Albuquerque and on the historical route 66 in the small town of Santa Rosa.

The Blue Hole was public, so it was free and we changed clothes in the dingy bathroom nearest the pool. When we arrived, there were some girls a few years older than my kid coaxing her to jump. soon she got the nerve to jump from the highest rock. The water was absolutely freezing. This spot is a good place for local divers to take their tests and practice skills, while also having perfect visibility. Yes, I jumped in a couple of times, but its too cold for me and no fish. I was expecting it to be bigger, as wide as it is deep. Still it was worth the detour. Santa Rosa also has several lakes, a Route 66 car museum, and a Billy the Kid Museum. From there we headed south.

In Roswell we went took lunch at a trucker type buffet, serving more "white people food." It had a chocolate fountain and cotton candy machine, so my kid thought it was "fancy." We took a break from Mexican food and were right back to stuffing our faces with mashed potatoes, meatloaf and gravy. I had a slice of pumpkin pie. For my kid and it was perfect.

My grandpa's testimony hanging in the UFO Museum

After lunch, we went to the much anticipated UFO Museum. My kid is an X-Files fan, so she has been looking forward to this, to hearing her great-grandpa's close encounter and seeing his photo in the display. My grandparents used to live in Roswell, my Dad was born there, my grandpa was stationed there working at Walker Airforce Base. His job was to guard weapons and he was on site and involved with the "Roswell UFO Incident" (羅斯威爾飛碟墜毀事件). I first heard about this in my early 20's, my then living grandma told me his story in the car, while my grandpa nodded in agreement. He was still much too scared to talk about it himself. This time around, inside his retirement home, I got the story from the source.

There was an electrical storm, a young rancher, a University student home from Texas found the wreckage on his father's land. There were alien bodies, some were dead, two were still alive, my grandpa described them having this horrible stench. The living ones were murmuring and taken to the base hospital. My grandpa's men detained the young man for a few days, he wouldn't go into details about what they were holding him for.

The UFO museum was interesting. It had displays of different versions of the story as well as the official US government version (high altitude weather balloons). It had a display on the Nazi's flying saucers. Some of it was hokey too. There was a display on aliens in movies, crop circles that sort of thing. What I found interesting was evidence of god-like alien contact with early or primitive cultures; Australian aboriginal rock art, Hopi Kachinas, and a very convincing Mayan glyph.



After the museum, we headed to my Uncle Mike's to catch up. He's a funny guy and it's been a couple of years since I saw him. I wish we had more time to tag along on one of his famous fishing trips, my kid loves fishing. Grandpa was sure to take her trout fishing at least once this trip.


We returned to Albuquerque had coffee and donuts with my relatives, said my goodbyes to my Grandpa who said as I hugged him, " This will  probably be the last time we see each other." I told him he had 10 years left, as he always brags how his father lived to 102 or something. Still, I felt tears welling up and promised to write him more. Then we were back on the road to Santa Fe.

Smiling Sydney and my Dad shooting his camera

We were in Santa Fe specifically to see my good friend Sydney, a jewelry artist and teacher. I met Sydney years ago on the island of Banda Ache, Northern Sumatra (Indonesia) when my kid was 3 or 4. I knew she was one of these incredible people, the moment we met; her life is pretty full of supernatural ups and downs. Based in Kuala Lumpur at the time, we stayed at her upscale, modern condo several times during the many times we traveled to Malaysia (cheapest direct flights from Taipei). What a joy to see her in her beatific home/workshop utterly flourishing in the arty vibe of my ancestors.

My daughter tryon Sydney's handmade specs

It just so happened to be the annual "Indian Market", which is not a very PC name for North America's largest gathering of Native artisans. There were talented street performers galore on every corner, dancers, drummers and we happily gave each of them a couple of bucks. I have never seen, or held in my hand so many expensive, pieces of jewelry before (other than Sydney's). A single piece of jewelry was worth 15,000 USD or more. We had dinner at a food truck down the street from her home, drank beer brewed on site and listened to live jazz.

Sydney's home/art studio

The next morning we said our goodbyes to Sydney while she dug through hidden treasures to gift Z, and then we fed her prairie dog neighbors some leftovers before we hit the road. My daughter didn't know what prairie dogs were, which blows my mind. "Like meercats, just watch out for rattlesnakes."

On the road again

Final Daze
Our last Tuesday, my folks, one sister-in-law, one brother, and all of the little ones went to Georgetown to ride the historical steam train between the former gold mines mines. There was a small train museum, gift shop, we panned for gold and took a mine tour. It was an amsuing half day, all the kiddies passed out in the mini shuttle bus my Dad rented.

Our last night, there was a free concert in the park. The Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks tribute band rocked. I was impressed! I was not expecting the muscicans and singer to be so professional. The park was packed. My brother wanted to go right down in the front of the so speakers so my hearing impaired nephew could feel the vibrations. My nephew was mesmerized.

Next Time

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.
 

So long 2014

 Tung Flower Festival, Sanzhi

In this 4 day weekend, today my Saturday, I for once didn't do much of anything, which is kind of strange, and irregular for me, but necessary. I took pause to reflect on the year that's just faded into memories and photo albums. It was a busy year, but there are just a couple of stand out experiences I am forever grateful for. In chronological order:



1. Chinese New Year in Myanmar

Just getting there was a trip, I missed our flight from Singapore into Yangoon. I loved Burma, the people, so many ethnicities, and the food was better than I expected. It was hard traveling for Z, we covered a lot of distance in a short amount of time, which meant night buses galore coming into town at 5am. She's a seasoned trooper, literally the best travel buddy I've ever had. (Full Myanmar photo album here).

 In Myanmar, I have to say my 39th birthday was amazing. We went into a teak plantation and hung out with working elephants who were making a camp for that spring until the rainy season came. We rode their little troupe and watched a mom play with her baby (she is free from work the for 3 years while caring for her baby).

The elephants and their handlers were making a temporary damn for the elephants while they worked there for that logging season. They cut down a majestic, old grandfather tree by hand, which pained me to see such a grand old tree fall, then the elephant dragged it back to their little damn. We watched from the elephants back, their handlers were kind, there were no canes or whips, just clucking and speaking to them. They are handlers of the same elephants for life and its the elephants who pick their handlers. Their wives and children all live together in a little camp of 2 or 3 huts by the river. As for "tourists" there was just me, my daughter and a French lady. It was hardly the kind of elephant set up "rehab" I've seen in Thailand. This was no walk in the park. We were tagging along while they worked-and this was their day off, making a little damn. There were no trails in this teak rainforest, the elephants were bush-wacking with us on their backs. I was just worried the tree would land on us as we were right next to it while they used muscle and an ax, but they were experts. They have been loggin teak with elephants since ancient Thai and Burmese kings considered it the royal wood for palaces and temples, since British colonials increased the demand. Unfortunately the demand for teak continues. Though the handlers told us they replant so as to not over log, I fear money and the military junta's hand will continue to play a negative part in order to feed the insatiable demand by Scandinavian furniture makers.

For lunch we went to a little auntie's place across from the local school; a one room dirt floor, 3 bamboo walled hut with 3 classes, big kids, little kids and those in between. Being surrounded by their smiles made my incredible birthday.

Z putting thenaka on my face while lunch is cooking

The school house 

Of course Inle Lake was amazing, colder than we expected but an adventure exploring by boat. Then there was Bagan and exploring the endless tamarind tree fields littered with old temples,  and Mt Popa, the Burmese Mt. Olympus. One day we rented a horse cart and the driver gave Z the reigns the whole day. It was great fun.

One of the most memorable Burmese experiences was our "hell train" adventure. We took what I thought would be a 6 hour scenic train from outside of Inle Lake (Shwenyaung) through the mountains to Thazi.

All smiles as our "hell train" left in the morning

It took 15 hours, our train was at a standstill in the middle of nowhere for sometime as a train further down the line broke down. The last 4 hours were freezing. The train was a living relic from the British Empire, wooden, and looked like it hadn't been cleaned since colonial times, it was covered in rust, dust, open windows, the toilet was a muddy hole cut into the car.

 I was nursing a kidney infection and met a friendly and knowledgeable Israeli acupuncturist who smartly got out in the next stop 4 hours from Inle.





We pulled into Thazi at midnight and were stepping over sleeping bodies in the dark sprawled all over that station. The stars were amazing. We walked to a roadside motel and crashed hard after a hot shower. The next morning early we took a local bus (van packed like sardines) to Lake Meiktila. I paid few pennies extra to sit in front with the driver, Z got car sick and he slowed down, but we made it.

 






2. I got my APRC!

Finally after 5 years I could apply for my coveted Alien residence card. Thanks to my friend and Chinese tutor Kevin for fronting me the 10,000NT in March to get it.(See Congrats To Me! I'm legal!)

3. A Family Visit

My parents and brother Ed visited Taiwan for the first time in July 2014. It was the first time my mom and bro have been out of North America. Unfortunately, when they visited there was a heat wave and it was the hottest at the suburb of Taiwan (Banciao) we were staying at. Of course they were troopers, sweating buckets but just grateful to be together again, to be with their granddaughter.

They really didnt have enough time to learn to appreciate the local food. My Dad and bro only stayed a week, my mom stayed a few weeks longer and helped watch my daughter and pack my things while I worked my last weeks at Share Fun.

After a few days exploring Taipei we went to Jiaoxi for a few days exploring the local waterfalls, hot springs and we took a boat to Turtle Island to see the dolphins. Then my Dad rented a car and we drove to Taroko along the scenic but dangerous Suhua Highway. Afterwards, we all headed south to Tainan.

In Tainan I showed them the Confucius Temple, they enjoyed eating at the western food restaurants by local expats (Funkoo, Tin Pan Diner). It was crowded at my little apartment, and hot, so my Dad moved my mom and bro down the road to the Tai Landis Hotel next to Mitzuokoshi. Before my Dad and bro took the highspeed back to Taoyuan, we did a family group photo session which was good fun, at least my daughter was in her element.

4. Starting a new life in Yilan

Thanks to my co-worker Steve for getting me this job. He was a big help during the interview process, settling here and getting into the swing of things at school.

Moving was not easy, in fact it was harder than I expected- and I moved around my whole life so I thought I was used to these things. I went through bags of books, clothes, giving them away and still I had so many things I had accumulated from 6 years of living in Tainan. It felt great to say goodbye to my job as I felt stuck there, and yet compared to my job now in Yilan, my job down south was so much easier, less stress. I loved teaching the kids there and building relationships with families, with the community there. That was hard turning my back on, and yet life is temporary, our lives in Taiwan are temporary. 

We took a chance on Yilan and getting used to the life here was also more difficult than I expected. I knew it wasnt going to be easy, that it would take a few months to find my groove, learn a new system, but I think for all the increase in workload, I am more productive and am learning a helluva lot in terms of teaching and planning. I'm teaching junior high, elementary and kindergarten of all levels which requires a lot more planning, prepping and flexibility. There is good and bad at every job, of course this one is no exception, but when I stop learning then its time to change my outlook or change my scenery. As for my daughter she is learning English and Chinese. Her Mandarin is fluent, but I was starting to get concerned for her English writing, so I hope she can improve in this area.

Exploring Yilan has been good fun and having a car, finally after 6 years is so much more convenient than my grass cutter scooter. Parking in Yilan City is no picnic, but at least we are dry when it rains. Speaking of the rain, I don't have enough fingers to count how many people warned me of winters here, that I wont see the sun for months, and yet the weather has been pretty good, good enough to explore on the weekends. Living in Anping I didn't really see the mountains like I do every day here. On my way to work I look at those mountains everyday and every day they look different, I also see Turtle Island and the ocean right before I pull into work, cant beat that. Its a small dose of positive energy before I have the dreadful task of parking.

I should mention the apartment I have now is a big step up from the old one I had in Anping. This place is outside the congested, small laned city center across from the massive park on the grounds of the County Government Building and is 3 years old, furnished and bright. My drive to work is a straight shot down a non residential-commercial area. I feel blessed.

5. My Santa Cruz Consort

My dearest was my neighbor in Anping, my good friend and this past year he continued to be my kind, patient, sacrificial partner when I needed him most. Andrew helped me move, he helped my buy my car and drove it here from Tainan, he visits on weekends whenever he can. He is a great blessing and positive male energy for me and my daughter.

For these 5 above blessings, 2014 has been a predominately positive year. Other standout experiences of 2014; visiting my old friend of 14 years north in her home in Sanzhi, Saturday yoga with the ladies in Anping and a Single Mom and Daughter Dragon Boat Weekend in Kenting.

 I also have to mention that this year we were divinely free from sickness and robustly healthy, so we were physically able to enjoy these blessings, which is something not to be taken for granted. You can eat clean, exercise, meditate, sleep well and then have what the news headlines recently called, "bad luck." As for us, it's more than good luck that sustained us this past year, it was lots of prayers by family and friends back home, simple prayers by us here and busy angels raining heavenly love.