The Taiwan Apartment

View from my window during the rain.

We (the other new teacher and I) arrived at the new apartment building to discover that it still wasn’t finished. But we moved in any way, as our apartments were mostly finished. As I unpacked, they came and installed the TV, refrigerator, and washing machine. The banister still needs to be put in on the main stairs and floor needs to be laid in the building’s entry. We were promised internet and cable TV, but the cable wasn’t working and the internet goes off the cable. The landlord painted scooter parking places on the ground floor in the “lobby.” But we still don’t have mail boxes.

After getting a few things settled in the apartment, I met the TAs from my school. We drove the forty minutes to the third largest city in Taiwan, Taichung. There we hit beloved Daiso, Asia’s equivalent to a dollar five store. I stocked up on things for my apartment. We then ate some fried pork cutlet, very similar to Korean style, but instead of served with gravy, it was served with egg and caramelized onions with broth and rice.  Quite good!

The girls then took me to a store to help me purchase the essential female products and we drooled over shoes, purses, dresses, etc. When we left the mall at 6:30, it was already dark and the neon lights were dancing down the streets. It made me miss living in a city. I was sad to leave it and come back to quiet Hemei.

Luckily, the girls wanted to see my apartment and walked me to my building. The brilliant designer added a deadbolt to the building’s entrance, but it can only be unlocked from the inside. So we were locked out of the apartment for twenty minutes until we could finally get enough pebbles against the upstairs window to get someone’s attention. The landlord could not seem to fathom why the deadbolt couldn’t be unlocked from outside and why someone would bother locking the deadbolt.

Sunday was spent scrubbing the apartment. Apparently, it is very difficult to clean up after yourself in building projects. They didn’t really clean the access grout; in fact, there are grout hand prints on the walls. There was still glue and grout on the facets. I still have to wash the walls in the main part of the apartment, but at least the bathroom is clean.

My apartment is on the third floor and I chose the biggest apartment for a whole ten dollars more a month than the smaller one. It is very, very, very basic with white walls, white tile floors, a hard Taiwanese bed, air conditioner, a desk attached to the wall, a built in wardrobe, mini fridge, washer, sink and shower head. There is no hob, and I miss it already. But it has some nice features too, like the fact it came with curtains, an electric kettle, garbage cans, and a light switch above the bed, so I don’t have to get up to turn off the light if I am reading. Also the washer has a built in lint trap—how cool is that!?! Another perk is that it is right behind a temple and a grocery store. I’m a ten minute walk to a bank, twelve minutes from 7- Eleven, and fifteen minutes from work.

I unfortunately look right into my neighbors, but at least I cannot reach into their window, so that is at least a high point. I actually have screens on the windows too, that slide out of the way so I can hang my laundry out on the clothes line. The only issue is to grab the clothes before the rain starts, not after, and to shake and pat down for any cockroaches or locust. But you must be careful not to kill a gecko that may have climbed in your clothes to explore.  

I’m in seventh heaven trying to win over the neighborhood cat who likes to sleep on scooters and the baby geckos that climb around the walls outside of my window. I think the other new teacher thinks I’m a bit “special” as they say in Asia.   

More photos to come soon!

Taiwan, Week One

My trip started well. The sky was clear and Portland was having good weather, so I got a beautiful view of Mount Hood. Portland was shining beautifully as we landed, making me wish I was staying in Portland instead of heading to Taiwan.  I killed my four hour layover in Portland by being that girl with the giant backpack who parks herself in the middle of the bookstore and reads. It was Powell’s Books, can you blame me?

The rest of the journey was uneventful, thank goodness. I arrived in Taipei a little late. I stood in line at immigration for over an hour (the one time no one wants to make friends), and then, successfully found my bags. I wheeled them out and looked for my driver. I found my name, but no driver, after a few initial mishaps I found the correct driver. By this time it was nearly midnight and I was exhausted from lack of sleep. I opened the car door to be greeted by a giant cockroach on my seat. Instead of screaming or jumping like I normally do when confronted by a giant bug, I merely brushed him off the seat and climbed in the car—a sure sign I was going to pass out soon.

Nor did I seem to panic when the driver just kept driving and driving and nearly two hours later, showed up in this little village. I got out of the car and stood in the middle of this village trying to blink away sleep. Luckily my boss came and introduced himself; otherwise, I may have spent the night on a scooter. I had made it to his parents’ house finally!

My boss and his wife left me after a few minutes of explaining phone numbers and schedules. I nodded dumbly and after the door closed I collapsed onto the bed—sitting up instantly, cradling my arm and ribs. I had been wishing for a hard, firm bed, well I got one! I’ve discovered that beds in this country are extra- firm box springs with a bamboo mat/board on top (you are apparently supposed to sleep on the board without any sort of covering). I scanned the room until I found a duvet, which I folded as much as I dared to give me some sort of cushion. I laid down much more gently after that.

My back and ribs woke me seven in the morning. I had to lie in bed until I could actually feel my limbs, as my fingers and toes randomly go to sleep when I am on these beds. Then the morning ritual of stretching out the stiff muscles began (so no worries about not doing yoga). After getting dressed, I went downstairs where I met my boss’s parents and half of the village. One woman knew “beautiful.” Even so, they made it quite plain that I was supposed to eat pears and drink the tea and we all shared a few uncomfortable laughs.

I explored the small village (name unknown), but it is ten minutes from my town of Hemei. Mama Giant (as we call the boss’s mother) insisted that I carry an umbrella to protect my skin from the sun. I felt like Mary Poppins visits Asia as I wandered around the village a bit. I was greeted by many curious people, but who were all friendly and didn’t once point and gawk like I had three heads.

So far Taiwan reminds me of a very muggy and hot Vietnam/Korea mix. There are a lot of neon lights. Korean culture is very popular here so young men and women are dressed in South Korean fashion. There are 7-Elevens and Family Marts everywhere. But the buildings are the tall concrete colonial style.  Also street food is king, cheap and mostly delicious. However, it isn’t recommended for the squeamish, as internal organs are part of a complete breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Changua County is a mixture of agriculture and industry. A few years ago everyone worked either growing rice or making all those clothes we pay so dearly for. Now that China has moved the clothing industry to China, sewing machines are rusting in the corners of everyone’s home and factories sit rotting next to rice patties. However, there is still a working Velcro factory and a factory that dyes the fabric used to make Nike shoes.

Orientation started on Wednesday. Orientation consisted of class observation, going over learning materials and syllabi, and trial lessons. The school is three stories, with six classrooms. We have a central teachers’ room that six TAs, the principal, and four full time Native English teachers, and one part- time English teacher share. The kids are completely, normal kids, bouncing in and out of the teacher’s room joking with the teachers and TAs. The school is conveniently situated between two vegetarian food stalls, a coffee cart, a street baker, a bank, and 7 Eleven.

Saturday was moving day. I got up early and packed my things, walked around the village one last time, and then said goodbye to the boss’s parents, who fed me again. They are the typical parents, making sure their children are never hungry! They sent us off loaded with mangos, water, coffee packets, hangers, and even a pair of trousers for me. 

Quick Trip Home

I managed to keep the fact that I was coming home a secret until the day before I was to arrive home. It was great to surprise everyone.  However, jet lag really wiped me out this time. I was just about recovering when Mom got pneumonia and was out for over a week. My first couple of weeks home were spent sleeping, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of animals, and taking care of Mom.

After Mom had recovered, I headed up to Lewiston to visit Katy and Oliver and meet their new baby. It was fun spending the entire afternoon with them. It was especially entertaining playing hide and seek with their two year old son who is still learning not to shout, “Carmen, I’m hiding in the closet!”

After visiting them, I headed up to Moscow. It was a fairly calm week in Moscow. Everyone was very busy packing and working, so we were all too lazy to party and hang out at the bars. But this gave me time to do some shopping and get paperwork done.

I did a lot of driving around, testing out my new Nikon CoolPix P310 (a reward for surviving Russian winter). I took many of the back roads around Moscow and Pullman and realized, not for the first time, that the Palouse is my favorite place to be during the late spring and into summer. The sky is so blue in the morning with giant fluffy white clouds that cast shadows on the rolling hills covered in green knee-high wheat and alfalfa fields. In May, the green is usually broken by yellow canola fields. In late summer, the wheat and alfalfa turns a golden brown, and the winter wheat has grown into a green sea. There is always a wind blowing on the Palouse which makes waves in the fields. With the many rolling hills, the Palouse looks like an ocean on land. Of course, even the Nikon can only capture half of the Palouse’s beauty.

I took a trip to the University of Idaho Arboretum, sadly a little late in the season, but the trees were still beautiful. Also, unfortunately, I discovered that the battery indicator on my camera is a bit sneaky and doesn’t give enough warning that the battery is going. Luckily a friend had a back-up SLR to finish off the photo shoot.

One evening I headed on what would have been quite a romantic evening, if it had been on a date. A friend and I drove to Paradise Valley to the reservoir to watch the sunset. It is quite beautiful there this time of year, before the pond plants and scum overtake the place. The older goslings love to frequent the docks. No matter how cute they are, it is best to keep away from them, their mothers are still a bit protective and cranky. Just sit down at the end of one of the docks and enjoy the sun set over the mountain, but don’t go directly after the sunset, because you may find two bald eagles out to catch their dinner.

I came back from Moscow to find our old dog, Ebby, very sick. The poor Rotty mix was 15 years old, really old for a Rotty. Unfortunately, we had to put her down. She is missed.

Friday the household got up bright and early for a drive up to Joseph Plains. You access Joseph Plains by going down the Salmon River and drive up the side of the mountain. The switchbacks all the way to the top where the mountain flattens out and you are greeted with lush prairie. Most of it has been protected from agriculture because of the harsh winter, so it is one of the few places on the Camas Prairie where camas still grows. If you aren’t amazed by the prairie and grand vacation homes, perhaps you will be awed with the view across the Salmon River to the Seven Devils, or the view across Idaho to Eagle Cap Mountain in Oregon. 

 

Saturday morning, I got up early one more time to go to Missoula, Montana with Jess. The drive down the Clearwater River to the Lochsa River was quiet and peaceful dotted with several deer. The rivers were still quite high, turning the waters muddy instead of their usual clearness.  We avoided the music festival that crowded Lolo Hot Springs and headed straight to the mall in Missoula.

The mall was pretty much a major bust. Missoula was pretty much a bust. But Jess and I got our much needed girl time and a nice night swim in the hotel pool. On Sunday we gave up shopping early in the afternoon and headed back to Grangeville. Surprisingly, we saw a black bear right alongside of the road and even a coyote up on the prairie. Strange to see them in the heat of the day. What also might be deemed strange to some is the gathering of Mennonites we passed in Kamiah. Mennonites are a religious group who separate themselves, women dress in long dresses (much like pioneer dresses), and cover their heads—one might picture them as relaxed, modernized, Amish.

The last week passed quickly, with Mom hemming clothes for my trip and me hurriedly packing. We finished up my shopping in Boise, and I got on the plane to start my year-long journey through Taiwan.