A bullet-pointed year in review

In case I lose you somewhere within the next few "paragraphs" I will make this announcement at the beginning:

Check out this website: http://www.ediblecommunities.com/upcountry/blog.htm and bask in the delicious sound of "the Seasonal Kitchen: Pumpkin Soup for the Winter Soul" as written by the talented Whitney "Mr. Magoo" Gerhard.  I've yet to try it myself, but I expect a batch to be concocted when I visit!  After all, it's dishes like these that made me begin my "adventurous eating phase" in the first place.

***

It's my first New Year's with a blog and I feel as though I should write a 'year in review' themed entry; I feel compelled, really.  It's no wonder, though, considering my beginning the year as a bookseller in Walnut Creek, going to Prague with intentions of living and rounding out the last third of the year in Taiwan.  Let's retrace the journey together, in the form of a highlight reel of favorites:

• Purchase 
• Plane ticket to Prague

•  Honorable Mention: ticket to Coachella Music Festival.  Nothing welcomes in the warm weather like a sweltering Jimmy Eat World dance party in the desert!

• City
• Boston: a trip during the springtime was planned with a friend, and it did not disappoint.  I was immediately sucked into all things Boston, and I'm sorry to say that this included wearing a Red Sox hat (I plead peer pressure, and an insufficient will to win in Oakland).  This New England city saw me eat lobster raviolis (when in Rome...er, kinda), wear a crab-shaped hat, and act like an seven-year-old on a sugar high--jumping around with all kinds of excitement while waiting in line at Fenway.

• Prague: obviously.  This Czech city made passing the time simple and majestic; I never could spend the day inside...many explorations were had, and many discoveries were made.  The Czechs satisfied my appetite (meat and potatoes...*gargle*), and my quest for adventure.  Also (lest you forget), there was an entire church made of bones in the city's outskirts--I'm not really sure if anything can top that.

• Taipei: I've become strangely at home in Asia--despite my lack of language skills.

• Hostel (excluding the one I essentially lived in)
• Tiger Tim's (Budapest): first off, the name; secondly, the proximity to a delightful Indian food restaurant (where I dropped my wallet in curry...just one of the many chuckle-worthy events that took place there); third, the entire room of good-looking guys we awoke to on the last morning (ah, those mixed dorms).

• Job
• Teacher: though the employee discount at Barnes and Noble was enticing (perhaps a little too much so), I have become partial to the occupation of teacher, over bookseller.  I find this reassuring  given that I've been planning on teaching as a permanent occupation for quite sometime--oh, and because I moved to Taiwan to do it (good thing I enjoy it).

• Movie
• "Moneyball": Michael Lewis' book of baseball finances centered around the A's caused me a little worry when I heard the movie was in production.  The book was brilliant but, as anyone feels when a movie is made about something close to their heart, I was concerned that it wouldn't capture the magic of "the Streak" or that it would just be terribly inaccurate.  My mind was eased upon viewing the film in a Taipei theater (two months after it premiered in Oakland); I laughed, I cried (don't judge), and I fell in love with the A's all over again.  And, fun fact, I was watching this movie at the exact moment my nephew (an A's fan by inheritance) was born!

• Honorable Mention: "Midnight in Paris"

• Book
• the Book Thief by Markus Zusak: a tough category, with a clear winner.  I read this book during the first months of spring, and thus sat outside in the sun for most of it but still had chills.  I had borrowed the book, but ended up buying my own copy about a quarter of the way through because there was so much I wanted to underline and mark.  The year's obvious winner.

• Honorable Mentions: Life (Keith Richards), the Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett), Fever Pitch (Nick Hornby), Just Kids (Patti Smith), Bossypants (Tina Fey), Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh)

• Album
•  "Suck It and See" (Arctic Monkeys): ignore the crude title...this album was awesome, and I've had a hard time shutting it off since it came out.  I love those Arctic Monkeys, but they don't feel mutually about me...if they did, they wouldn't have waited until after I left the country to tour with the Black Keys.

• Honorable Mentions: "Elsie" (the Horrible Crowes), "El Camino" (the Black Keys), "Pink Strat" (Bahamas), "21" (Adele)

• Favorite song to finish the year: "I Only Want to Be With You" (Amy Macdonald, covering Dusty Springfield)

•  TV Show
• "30 Rock": still the easy winner with another successful season; Avery Jessup was a delightful new character.

• "Up All Night": Maya Rudolph + Will Arnett + Christina Applegate = my neighbors thinking I'm the strangest person in the world...not that I'd understand them if they made any remark about hearing my constant laughter through the walls.

• "Arrested Development": yes, I've hopped on the bandwagon; yes, I've giggled through my journey; yes, I've finished all the episodes; yes, I've done the chicken dance in front of not one, but two of my lower level classes.

• Food
• I regret to inform you that I am unable to pick a favorite from the entire year--also, at the risk of engaging in an "F.G.N.Y." I shan't devote any more space to food...at least for today.

• Biggest Disappointment
• Missing Jimmy Eat World's "Bleed American" tour: in order to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their album, the band went on tour to play "Bleed American" in its entirety.  One show was slated to take place in San Francisco in September...when I wouldn't be there!  That's ok, Jimmy--the album was only the soundtrack to my teenage years.  And to add insult to injury the show took place at the Fillmore, which is only the coolest venue!  No, no, it's cool...why don't you add a second show just in case I wasn't hurting enough.  You did?  Thanks.

• Honorable Mention: the Oakland Atheletics' 2011 season...no surprise there.
• Cutest Baby
• Isaac Elliott:

***

 So there it is; my year, my favorites.  And I'll show you out with this little number:

Happy New Year's!!!

Official Report: 'Svelt Lindsay' may be a myth.

It's been long enough...I shall now devote an entry to my favorite Taiwanese food item: the "handheld omelet".  Phonetically it's pronounced "chung yo bing" and once I managed to remember that Chinese phrase I knew I would have no chance of going hungry here.  Given my desire to use this Asian/mystery meat experience to morph into 'Svelt Lindsay' (a characterization that I failed to embrace fully in hearty Prague), the discovery of what I call "a handheld omelet" has become both a gift and a curse.

Here it is in all its glory:

 

 Allow me to expand on the above visual as the full delicious appeal is too glorious for photography (and the lighting in my apartment flatters nothing and no one); the outside is some sort of crepe/croissant-y situation.  Complete with green onions this shell is fried to perfection and beat with a spatula to create the ideal texture (note: I believe the beating to be unnecessary; I have an untested theory that it would be even more amazing if it was left in its non-abused form).  Given Taiwan's tendency to add egg to everything I originally embraced this because I couldn't communicate it any other way--but embrace it I did!  An egg is fried on the hot-skillet and the crepe/croissant-y shell is placed on top of it.

With just these two ingredients (shell and egg) I have been more than satisfied on many an occasion, but it is not yet a "handheld omelet".  In order to complete the final process one must add bacon and cheese...which, fortunately for me, are pronounced in Chinese very similar to the way they are in English.  Once the latter two ingredients are inserted into the center the treat is folded over--ready to be enjoyed with enthusiasm and a smile on the consumer's face.

This "omelet" is typically a breakfast food, but I went through an astonishing amount of time able only to consume it at the night market stand where it was originally discovered (lacking cheese and bacon).  Once the official (yet not as creative) title was successfully researched the boundaries of consumption expanded to include the morning (when it is meant to be eaten), with a break in the afternoon before the night market man set up camp.  And then one shop changed everything.  There is a seemingly rare, yet utterly delightful, 24-hour breakfast shop a mere ten minute walk from my apartment building.  Actually they have more than breakfast food, but breakfast is what I am currently most concerned with...and (the most important part) the owner speaks fluent English.  Originally this was rather discouraging, for I attempted to order my meal in Chinese and she responded in English.  I quickly realized what a gift this is; I can ask her what certain appealing items are called.  I have been working on my aspiring position as a regular with a focus only food can provide me.  The relationship looks promising.

I wonder if there is any country where the potential of a 'Svelt Lindsay' actually exists...

The road to a Taiwanese Christmas.

Today I received a package full of Christmas spirit...California style.  The box was practically exploding with candy, a stocking full of the traditional Boggs family stuffers (items including but not limited to: various accessories; oral hygiene kit; gum; headphones--cheeseburger headphones, to be exact; Milk Duds--witnesses will attest to an unrivaled enthusiasm in regards to this caramel delight; other goodies), wrapped gifts (which will stay wrapped until Christmas in a true test of the ultimate will-power) and all-around holiday cheer from home.

 

In an effort to document the cheer of Taiwan for those who are unable to experience it, I have taken to photographing all of the Christmas trees that I come across in my daily activities.  I had imagined this to be a simple (and not creepy) task before the season was in full swing; a picture of the tree at school, and maybe the blow-up Santa Claus at the school down the street...but how wrong I turned out to be.  One should never assume a country that doesn't celebrate Christmas would be opposed to the usual over-the-top decorative tactics.  Trees began popping up all over my daily routes and other locations I found myself in around the city; they may be fake trees, but their decorations are nothing short of festive!  The result of my documentation is a possibility that I now have a reputation amongst the MRT station agents as "the" crazy for the amount of trees I've had photo shoots with while compiling this seasonal portfolio.  The following are the gems from my collection of photos entitled, "Taiwan's Spirit: the Journey to Christmas" (and yes, I'm aware the formatting is less than stellar):

 ***

 On a note entirely unrelated to Christmas in any way, shape or form:

The woman drinking tea across the way at the coffee shop I am currently camping out in has her cat in a Baby-Bjorn; she is caressing its paw whilst she sips her beverage.  Her purse is also emitting a curious, animal-like tone.  If I could find a way to sneak a photo I would share it with you all and the world, but alas!  Damn her awareness of my glances of curiosity.

I'm doing my best to ignore her death stare; it's as if she knows I'm dying of laughter--on the inside.

I just had to tell someone.

Getting down on Friday

Due to a confusing and ill-timed situation involving a sports day in the morning and a late afternoon class I was able to/was told I should switch my Saturday morning class to Wednesday night—which means that it is a proper Friday for me today!  The exciting prospect of lounging tomorrow morning was dampened slightly when I was told that the Internet guy would come for an installation anywhere between 9-5.  No culture shock for this situation—but I’m happy to do whatever it takes if it means that I will have Internet in my apartment (more on this later).

The joyous feeling of a proper Friday was overwhelming and I got a little goofier than usual with my Yo-Yo class.  After I teased them through English time I pulled out the all-magical Playdough for a “Funtime Activity!”…demonstrating how one makes a giraffe (it turned into a giraffe/camel hybrid) I set them loose to create their own animals.  It didn’t last long because they’re toddlers and Playdough animals are hard; soon they were showing me circles, squares and balls—but it was English and thus a success!  One of the kids with the most, ahem, spirit created a microphone and offered to let me sing.  I accepted!  Molding my own microphone I broke out into a unique(?) rendition of Bowie’s “Young Americans”—which in retrospect probably wasn’t the most appropriate choice for a class of three year olds, but I mumbled the whole thing anyway (Bowie, himself, wouldn’t have understood the lyrics).

The Friday glow followed me through the afternoon, allowing me to act loose and relaxed for the class that is most out of control.  By the end of the first hour I had caused three of them to cry—‘Stickyball’ can be both a gift and a curse.  But by the end of the second hour they became their usual uncontrollable selves.

And now, to relay the internet story…

I suppose technically it began on our post-TEFL certification course jaunt to Budapest; while walking home to Tiger Tim’s Hostel one night we happened upon a row of restaurants filled with twinkle lights.  Naturally we took a seat.  A waiter wearing a t-shirt with the official restaurant logo came over to take our order.  We weren’t ready and so he left—a few minutes later a man in an ambiguous stripped shirt appeared to take our order; we wouldn’t have thought much of it, but he didn’t seem to know the menu (or anything) at all—begging the question, “Does he work here?”  The meal continued; he failed to know more menu items; we noticed that he wasn’t serving any other tables.

“Does he work here?”

Then the final factor—he left.  We saw him greet a group of friends and we watched them all walk off together—into the night.

“Does he work here?”

He eventually came back and we proceeded to interrogate his whereabouts of the previous ten minutes, but he denied any unusual activity.

“We have a question—um, where did you go?”

“What do you mean ‘where’?”

“You were here, and then you walked that way; you were gone for ten minutes and no you’re back.  So, uh, where did you go?”

“I don’t understand.”

There was a ‘likely’ story involving a car and a closing parking lot and blah, blah, blah…but the question has been reoccurring.  Even in Taiwan.  There was the guy at the night market who tried to trick me into purchasing two pair of glasses for my ‘Waldo’ Halloween costume…taking them behind the kiosk’s sign to give them a thorough shine—and by ‘thorough’ I mean close to five minutes, without so much as a word.

“Does he work here?”

And most recently there was the Internet company man who was returning my call to the English department.  First, he tried to set me up with an email address, but I informed him I wanted the Internet…in general.  I was then told that I needed to purchase a router.

“Why do I need to buy a router?”

“Because we provide the service, not the equipment.  And once you purchase the router you have to call this number and they will walk you through the install.”

“I’d rather just schedule an appointment for someone to come out and install it for me.”

“Oh, we don’t do that.  You have to call this number—they walk you through it.”

“What is that number for?”

“To the blah-blah company.”

“Another company—not you guys?”

“Correct.”

“So if I have to buy the equipment, and call another company to set it up, and install it myself—what exactly is it that you do?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I buy the equipment.  I install the router.  I set up the wireless (with another company’s help)—what does your company do?”

“We provide the service.”

“Sure.”

I decided to scope out the electronics store across the street on my way to a different Internet company.  It was still cheaper to buy the router and use this (strange) company than go to the big organization.  So I purchased the cheapest one I found (US$20).  The front door had barely closed behind me when my phone rang.  It was the Internet company returning my call.

“No, someone already called me.”

“Ok, did you set up an appointment?”

“He told me you didn’t do that.  He told me to buy a router.  I bought a router.”

“Why did you buy a router for one computer?”

Silence.

“We can have our installation technician come out on Saturday to install your wireless.”

“That would be nice.”

Did he work there?

Classroom antics (and other amusements)

The "Yo-Yo" class began a new unit yesterday, "At the Zoo!"  And as with every new unit there is a new window display.  My intention is not to toot my own horn (except that this is exactly my intention), but I drew this monkey free hand.  Don't act like you're not impressed.

I won't lie and say that I didn't use the monkey design from our storytime book.

And as if to reward me for my amazing artistic abilities there is a field trip scheduled next Tuesday...to the zoo!  I declare it to be the easiest money I will every make in my life.

***

On Friday night I had my level one class, full of rambunctious nine year olds...including one of my favorites, Gary.  I like Gary for reasons two-fold:

1. He has hipster glasses without meaning them to be hipster.
2. No matter what I say to him outside class time I receive the same answer, "My name is Gary."  Without fail.

As I begin every class I asked them what they wanted their team name to be.  Instead of the usual "Team iPad 2" and "Team Angry Birds" this week they were feeling rather creative:

• Team "Good Job!"
• Team Michael Jackson
• Team T.G.I.F.

Note: the third team name came at no prompting by me...and the kid knew what it stood for.  Bonus.

***

The following is a list of what I love about my apartment complex:

• When it's not raining a group of kids can be found playing either stickball or soccer in the center area
• There is a group of old men that sit chewing the fat in my building's lobby on weeknights
• The library hosts a variety of events including meetings, conferences, and dance classes
• Note: I enjoy this when I don't want to use the library's internet access, as I am doing right now
• There is a small "restaurant" on the first floor of my building that serves phenomenal fried rice
• 7-11 is located fifty feet from the lobby of my building
• The all exclusive and eventful trash time (as previously discussed)
• The community ping pong tables where every morning a group of three women play together; one of the women wears a sweatshirt that says "the Smipsons"--complete with a picture of the Simpson family
• Sometimes there is a group that does tae kwon do in the mornings
• Fun Fact: My realtor is a part of this group and came over to say hello to me whilst I was skyping into a South Carolina Thanksgiving, causing much confusion and amusement on the South Carolina side.

My building is on the left.

A quintessential "Dude, Taiwan" story

Saturday evening it was decided that an overnight adventure was deemed necessary.  The location: Juifen.  Situated about forty-five minutes east of Taipei (by train) this seaside town was built on the hills, and full of what I have decided would be classified as 'typical' Asian teahouses.  The hilly construction of the buildings shouldn't have been that impressive to a person familiar with the landscape of San Francisco, but alas--I was awed.


Our arrival was on the later side, but it was a miracle we made our train at all, so I was content with anything.  The town was fifteen minutes up an intimidating hill from the train station, which we traveled by bus.  I use the word 'intimidating' conservatively because I am currently at a loss as to which word would be best to describe said road.  It wasn't quite Lombard Street, but it was in the same category.  The difference between the two roads are threefold:

1. Location: San Francisco vs. Taiwan
   
2. Scenery: trim and landscaped vs. naturally wild
   
3. Laws: limited vehicles vs. any vehicles

The seven of us had spread ourselves about the nearly empty bus--myself choosing to be a 'back-row untouchable' (obviously).  It only took a few minutes for me to realize that this would not be a relaxing, luxurious ride--I had to hold on and try to focus on the scenery that was flying past.  I chose to believe that the bus driver had been driving this road five times a day for the last twenty years, because it made me feel better but in reality I had no idea; he certainly didn't seem to have any reservations about taking the curves at his chosen speed.  The important thing is that we made it to the top of the hill/mountain(?), stopping for a milk tea before heading in the direction of a hotel (obviously our priorities were straight).


During this walk it was realized a wallet had been left on the bus.  Now I'm not going to say that this particular individual can't keep track of anything but in the two months that I've known her a metrocard, a phone (twice) and a wallet (now twice) have been mysteriously misplaced and found under the bed a week later (give or take a few days).  In any case there wasn't much mourning time over the wallet, and the night progressed (before you reach an extreme level of concern I will say that we come back to this issue and the conclusion will make you exclaim, "Dude, Taiwan!").


With our arrival on the later side the shops and most everything was shut down (Saturday night be damned), but even this didn't prevent us from a wander--scoping out places to explore the following morn.

Many photos were taken; many laughs were had; many strange meals were eaten (or attempted, in my case).  The night ended with an interactive viewing of "Paranormal Activity: 2" (one of the few non-Chinese/non-kung fu movies on television)...and by "interactive" I mean full of sarcastic comments, heckling, piecing together of puzzles, etc--just the way scary movies are supposed to be viewed.


But wait!  The suspense of the wallet mystery!  Allow me to put you at ease.  Once it was decided that we would head back toward the hotel we turned our sights upon the gnarly hill we had to conquer (the end point was 7-11, of course).  Halfway up the hill a bus pulled around the corner with the same speed ours had embraced when navigating the curves.  The owner of the missing wallet instinctively put her arm up to wave the driver down--the bus screeched to a halt beside us.  The doors opened and before the question could escape her lips the driver had tossed over the wallet--complete with all the money, cards, and personal items that belonged.  A quick review is necessary before stating the only two words that can be said at times like this:

• it was pitch dark
  
• the bus was the only car on the road
• we were the only people on the road
• the bus was flagged down without the bus number having been checked to see if it was even the same route--let alone the same bus

Two words: Dude.  Taiwan.


It's simply the norm here.  Occurrences such as this have become commonplace.  Dude, Taiwan.


The next morning we awoke to a view we didn't know we had (we had checked in long after dark).

We set out to walk around the winding streets and explore the shops--after breakfast, of course.


The first two adorable teahouses (with amazing views) we stopped in wouldn't begin serving food for another hour--we couldn't/wouldn't wait.  We finally settled on a spot with a balcony, but no view--no matter, the primary goal was food now.  Our party member who spoke Chinese placed our orders and we began to sip our coffee.  Content with life in Asia.


Out of nowhere I felt a hand rub my back and Chinese words were spoken directly into my ear.  Jumping about a foot out of my seat I found an old woman smiling at me (with what teeth she had remaining).  She started firing Chinese at me, ignoring my confused expression and overall white appearance.  There was more patting, confusion, smiling, confusion, speaking, confusion and an almost hug (I wiggled out of the surprise attack).  I turned to the Chinese speaker of the group to find out what was going on.  "She says you look like her granddaughter."  Um, how?  It was extracted (through the babbling) that the alleged granddaughter lives in America--and I'm assuming has at least one Caucasian parent.  The lady went on speaking for quite some time before leaving me to to enjoy my coffee in peace.  The peace was short--for she snuck up on me again with more to say.  Evidently she wished she could talk to me directly and felt the need to voice her frustration to me about this in Chinese (this was told to me via translation, and not by the magical powers of Taiwan that you've been led to expect at any moment).  I was grateful to the Chinese-speaker at the table for not offering to translate for the two of us in full conversation format.


The frustration with language of the old lady led her to sneak in a half-hug (I was too slow to defend myself this time) and she was gone as quickly as she had appeared.  I turned to the two seated at the table, "A little warning, guys.  Just would've been nice."  I guess my long-lost grandmother is a rapid old lady--they both claimed not to have seen her heading over.  I sat on edge for the remainder of the meal.


The morning's explorations were brief before it was time to catch the (terrifying) bus back down the hill/mountain.  Despite the quickness of the trip to Juifen I did find a few Christmas presents--success!  And we vowed to come back and attempt a hike up one of the daunting hill/mountains to reach the gazebo at the top.

There wasn't enough time to handle it this trip--we had to get back to Xizhu.  There was a 'turducken' to eat!


My HNST (head native speaking teacher, for those outside 'the know') and his wife had invited me (and a group) to their Thanksgiving celebration where a 'turducken' would be attempted--in a toaster oven.  I was not about to miss this.  Since there was no shortage of cranberry sauce from our modest dinner on Thursday we decided to supply the 'turducken' with out brilliant leftovers.


This was a Thanksgiving done the right way; all the fixings, three types of pie, two types of biscuits, the biggest plastic plates I've ever seen and a huge bird(s) draped in bacon.  Solid feast.  I gave it my all in the form of eating participation--sparing nothing.  And it's not my fault that I couldn't turn down the leftover apple pie that was forced upon me.  Yes, apple pie--I've got a whole new eating palate here.  The phrase you're searching for is, "Dude, Taiwan."

Thanksgiving in a land without ovens.

Taiwan doesn't believe in ovens.  Taiwan doesn't believe in turkey.  Taiwan doesn't believe in pilgrims. Riddle me this.

Question:  How does one celebrate Thanksgiving in Taiwan?

Answer:  Find the only store in town with cranberries, tweak your apple pie recipe to not include crust and improvise.

Today was the magical day.  My favorite holiday.  Thanksgiving.  We taught the kindergarten kids that in order to honor the day when the Indians shared their favorite recipes with us we eat a lot--we also mentioned gratitude, but that didn't get the same reaction as the food (the watered down version is the best version for the small bilingual children).  To show them the steps for cooking a Thanksgiving meal one has to start at the beginning--the catching of the turkey.  In order to accurately portray this catching my fellow teachers felt that the most beneficial storytelling activity would involve them running around dressed as turkeys, while small children "hunted" them by pelting them with soft balls.  As I had training the last few mornings they didn't realize that I would be there today and thus there weren't enough "costumes" for me to be a turkey (insert sarcastic exclamation here)...I decided I would devote my attention to making sure the children aimed well.

The turkeys have a strategical meeting prior to battle.

A blurry shot of the tail feathers while the turkey runs for cover.

I was finished with work after one class today, thus being able to devote my attentions to the problematic issue of cooking.  Having decided last week that Thanksgiving dinner would be attempted to the best of our abilities we hit the store that has everything--Carrefour; an hour and a really, really heavy bag later we had (almost) all the fixin's.  Back to the kitchen to give Thanksgiving on our own a go.

Note to reader: the most important thing to keep in mind while scrolling through these (delicious) photos is that previously I had never had a more important job than peeling the potatoes for past Thanksgiving dinners.  Not only was today's feast taking place in Taiwan and with minimal resources, but I was one part of a two person team to create said feast.  I think we did damn well.  Enjoy, as we already did.

Our full spread (please notice the extra large bottles of milk tea to complete the meal).

Makeshift stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Sweet potatoes, cooked carrots and asparagus.

Miniature croissants and squash (filled with butter and brown sugar).

Much as cinnamon was to me in Prague, so squash turned out to be in Taipei...something I never liked until I went abroad.  I wonder if I'll still enjoy squash when I return to the States, or if it's exclusively a Taipei miracle of food.

Cranberry sauce glamor shot (the stuffing snuck into the background).

As you can see we had to make due without some essential Thanksgiving staples; gravy and, oh yeah, the turkey.  But other than that I think we did pretty well for our first Thanksgiving in charge!

Dessert was a bit more tricky; after the hunt for some sort of pie crust (or pie crust substitute) came up short it was decided that the apples would be treated as if they were intended for a pie, and then placed on top of a scoop of ice cream instead.

It turned out to be delectable.

The key for this year's Thanksgiving dinner was the same key to my past few months: embrace the different and taste the new.  Before dinner there was a really quiet moment while the three of us stared at our plates...so aware of how different this holiday meal was.  We decided to go around the table and say what we are grateful for this year:

• Divine safety, comfort and protection wherever I may be
• the ultimate love and support of my family
• the joy I feel when in front of a class...and the amount of fun I have with the kids
• all of the amazing people that I have met since my adventures began in August (in both Taipei and Prague)
• the beautiful addition to my family (whom I can't wait to meet!)
• the friends that I have moved to Taiwan with, and the adventures that we have encountered along the way

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!!

(may yours be as delicious and joyous as mine) 

Quiet! This is a library.

I appreciate that through this (obnoxious) time without having wireless in my apartment that the complex has a quaint little "library" which provides me with a place to check the internet; what I don't appreciate, however, is how social this "library" feels the need to be.  The chairs lined up around the wall of windows are not as inviting as they are intended to be when there is a meeting, dance class, old man exercise class, or function of any kind--as there usually is.  Thus I have been regulated to the lobby of the apartment building next door, creeping out the residents of this building as a loiterer...which, let's face it, has become a specialty I've perfected as of late.  Taiwan has turned me into a habitual loiterer.  I loiter around wireless hot spots, food carts, bookstores (looking for the English section), coffee houses (long after the last of my latte settles comfortably within me), etc.  It's a label that I'm becoming familiar with, letting the strange looks roll right off of me--I pretend they're looking at my hair's (insert sarcastic adjective here) reaction to the humidity.

Here's something about Taiwan that I appreciate: nobody bothers me on the street.  There are constantly people passing out fliers or newspapers and raising awareness, among other things.  They don't even attempt to persuade me to listen...it's wonderful.  The only downfall of this is that I don't get many opportunities to practice one of the few (*cough*five*cough*) Chinese words I know.  "Boo-yow" (or however one would sound it out) means "I don't want that"...I know this because it's what the Yo-Yo toddlers say to me when I attempt to force-feed them their snacks in the morning (as it turns out Asian children are a lot less amused by the "airplane coming in for a landing" in their mouths).  This lack of social interaction on the street, among other places, has led to a spiked increase in the amount I talk to myself while at home alone, but they are rather nice when I am in deep thought while walking (and by deep thought I mean concentrating on not being run-over by a scooter).

On the opposite side of those who rightfully assume I don't speak Chinese are those that speak to me in rapid-fire Chinese despite my confused expression (foreign appearance, foreigner tendencies, English responses, etc.).  The following anecdote took place last week:

The train station had lost power, thus making it impossible to swipe my 'EasyPass' to get onto the platform.  There was a sign explaining what to do in this event, but it was in Chinese (rightfully so...this is Asia).  The station agent was speaking to another woman about how to deal with this situation, and I (honest commuter that I am) tried to listen in instead of attempting to sneak by.  I realized the sillyness of this behavior--the explanation was in the only language you might expect it to be in.  My hesitation in passing through the gate was obvious to a friendly looking older-woman, who turned to me with a smile; pointing at my 'EasyPass' she explained the situation...in Chinese.  Rapid-fire Chinese.  I shrugged my shoulders and smiled apologetically, thanking her (the one phrase I'm confident enough to say with volume).  She smiled and turned away--at least she tried.  I decided to walk through anyway, dealing with the payment at my destination...maybe that ticket agent would be able to interpret my mimes.  While walking up to the station platform the helpful older-woman again turned to me--she was determined to be successful.  Only this time the words flowed from her mouth in perfect English.  "There is a power outage; the station agent at your destination will be able to deduct the appropriate amount."  Well, why the hell didn't she try that to begin with?!  If I spoke Chinese I would've been able to understand what the ticket agent was saying; I wouldn't have needed her help.  Of course I didn't say this to her; thanking her again, I continued up the ramp chuckling to myself.  I guess that I appreciate her giving me the benefit of the doubt that I might just be better off in terms of communicating than I actually am.  Thanks for that, lady.

On a different note, the following photos are works of art that my students created for my personal enjoyment:

Yuki, from my crazy/entertaining Treehouse class, finished her workbook early allowing herself time to draw this lovely portrait of me.  I must say that it was slightly quite accurate to how I looked that day (this accuracy mainly pertaining to the helmet hairstyle).  The likeness has earned Yuki brownie points due to how generous she was regarding my weight...Teacher Lindsay is not so svelt in real-life.

The 'listening comprehension' portion of this homework instructed all of the students to draw a picture of a pig.  I can't be sure that Terry here truly understood the instructions, but I gave him credit anyway for creativity.  The feet do bear a pig-like resemblance.

An apartment complex, bonding through mutual garbage

Five nights a week at 8:15pm a calming instrumental track of traditional Chinese music (or what I assume is traditional Chinese music) plays over the loudspeakers in the halls of my new apartment complex, signifying that it’s garbage time.  The people flow out of their respective buildings (twelve in all) to throw their pink garbage bags into the truck that is parked at the entrance; tonight I was initiated into the neighborhood club as I threw my heavy pink bags into the truck bed, with minimal help from a man in a funny hat.

And now, for the main event: the apartment photos.

I should have gone with a brighter sheet for my suspicious looking futon.

It gets more home-y by the day.

I can play my music again in the mornings!

Please note the baseball on television.  It's always on!  This time it's a Taipei Brothers Elephants game.

Yes, that is "A Room With a View" on top of that book stack.

My makeshift indoor "kitchen", because I don't trust the one on the balcony.  Yes, I have an outdoor kitchen.

The necessities: Hawaiian Punch packets, Scooby-Doo fruit snacks, peanut butter and my new favorite cereal.

Obviously the A's reign supreme on my coat rack.

My "30 Rock" calender is displayed proudly.

I'll bet my coffee table is fancier than yours.

Don't be deceived by the awesome bedding...the mattress is hard as rock.

The most organized my clothes have ever been.  In my life.

And a small shelf for my bathroom/"kitchen" sink.

The bridge below my balcony (taken from the river walk behind my building).

My apartment building is the one on the right; photo taken from the driving range across the river, where I spent a nice Sunday afternoon pretending I knew how to play golf.

And also, my wish has come true: E-Coffee, a block from my apartment building, serves a tasty latte for the same price as 7-11, at NT$55 (US$1.81) and has seating!  It’s not quite the calming atmosphere of Dante Coffee, but I can dig it; still no luck on the Chinese language skills though.  However, I do know how to say, “add egg” which has proven key for my breakfast ordering skills, as evidenced by this tasty rice “burrito” wrapped in a fried egg.  Thank you, Taiwan.