the rain has started. i could feel a light drip drip this morning, as the glass awning in the hostel common area is a bit leaky. apparently there are two typhoons headed this way, supposed to hit the south, but the island is prepared for the worst. schools will close if necessary just as they would for a snow day in the US, and umbrellas are a popular accessory, as well as sold on most street corners. helen and i were hoping to travel to taichung tomorrow, but we will wait out the storm. ... there was also a small earthquake last night at around 1:30am... though i thought it was one our dorm mates making babies, or at least making the bed shake like crazy.
perhaps with the upcoming Moon Festival this weekend, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, we have all been knit-browed and wondering what the new season will bring. this is supposed to be an important chinese holiday, deriving from several legendary stories involving monks, monkeys, moon goddesses, jade rabbits, elixers, lanterns, and rebellions with secret messages hidden inside moon cakes. the taiwanese celebrate with family, friends, and lovers, posting up on the sidewalks and hunched over a mini grills (chopsticks picking charcoal) barbecuing meat and veggie skewers. moon cakes are eaten (small, round, and filled with redbeans, pinapple, ect.).
we met with a friend named Eileen. she is an old friend of Helen's sister in-law, and though she is "quarter life," she doesn't look nor act a day over 25. she took us to a puppet show followed by peaking opera. i liked the stringed puppets; the dancing and singing controlled by two friendly looking taiwanese stagehands. the puppets sang of lovers and hopes for a new year; played ball, and watched the 'lions dance' (two mini chinese dragons shaking their bums a lot!) the second half was a spectacle of brightly clad characters (spider queen, monk, pig, monkey, rooster king). lots of dancing and stage fighting, and though the choreography was a little off, and the actors a little cheesy, it was funny nonetheless. also according to Eileen, i was sitting next to the head ceo of Acer (huge pc dealer in taiwan).
this past week has been another flurry of resumes and interviews. one interview was conducted by a young taiwanese (lived in LA went to school in Minnesota...), half his head was shaved, wearing red velor filas and who sent his 'secretary' to come fetch me (wearing zebra stripped leggings) twenty minutes late. kindergarten is the target market here in taiwan... despite rumors of it being illegal. another interview was for a much larger organization with several chain schools around taiwan. i felt like i was in an interrogation room... bright light, bombarded by hypotheticals, (ex: what would you do if you were out of tp and had to ask a local.... really?). it lasted an hour and a half. i felt drained. helen went to the same interview. her's lasted two hours. she's a champ... can talk her way in or out of anything... and she came back to the hostel smiling all over.
we've been having more luck ordering food. one night, all three of us famished, nose pressed to windows, were stopped by a man on the street who told us to go to the popular noodle soup shop on the corner. we couldn't read the menu and checked a random box on the ordering ticket. pleasantly surprised my soup had bits of delicious beef, helen's liver, and ashley's a mixed bowl of gnochi noodles and beef bits. i still like the lunch boxes here with mixed greens, assorted meat pieces, rice, and tea egg. shindao night market is my favorite for street vendors... fried chicken (big tender fillet), scallion egg pancake, fresh squeezed juice. helen and i also went to a famous buddhist buffet... picking from a spread of variety tofu, mock meats, all sorts of veggies, even sushi, they weigh it by the pound. the woman said free soup... the soup we ladled in our cups was not the free stuff. she said it would be a gift. i picked the mushroom medicine soup. it may be the best thing i've tasted in taiwan.
i am making plans to work in the mountains on a tea farm for a couple of weeks. the girls are doing great... ashley has more job offers and helen's determination is seething. we came to this island with different motivations... and for each it will draft differently. in the mean time we are still processing.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Ashley Navigates the Healthcare system
Ashley had an earache. I think it must have hurt very much. Saturday morning she rose early, without waking us she went in search of a pharmacy or emergency room. She'd heard from the Aussi that there was a private hospital run by 7th Day Adventists that was very good and spoke English. When she arrived at the hospital she was informed there was no one who could see her (this makes sense as it was the Sabbath for this crew) and she was given directions to go to Cathay Hospital and told to take a cab. She went to Cathay. In the emergency room there were several triage windows but only one with a woman who spoke English. Ashley was seen by an ear specialist, given three kinds of prescriptions (antibiotic, ibuprofen, and eardrops) and paid and picked up her drugs in no time. Total cost (including doctor and drugs and emergency room etc...) was $NT 500 which is less than 15 dollars US. She was back befor I woke.
h
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Ficus Microcarpa
The trees of which I wrote earlier, the ones that line the streets and seem to shoot out of the cement rather than grow up from it, are called Ficus microcarpa, miniature fig, or Chinese Banyan.
There is an elevator which takes me to the hostel. It often reaches its weight capacity, which means no more than four people at a time. I take the stairs a lot. A large delicate cockroach died in the stairwell a few days ago and its body has greeted me every morning since.
Sometimes I forget I am on an island in the Pacific, so engulfed am I in the city and its distractions and opportunities, film, music, food. Then I look down one of the man made canyons of department stores and on the horizon I see the mountains. In fact, mountains can be seen from every direction. It almost feels like Taipei is sitting in a giant crater.
I met a woman selling bananas with Ashley. I had heard how delicious these were because they are grown on the island. I don't think I'd ever eaten a banana that hadn't flown at lease 2ooo miles. The woman wanted to know where we were from. Discovering that we were Megoren (Americans) she put out her left hand "Taiwan" then her right, "America" and clasped her hands "Pongyo (friends)." Scenes liked this happened more than once with older people and also with poorer people.
Wealthier people I've met seem noticeably to avoid talk of politics. I get the sense that even broaching the subject would be taboo. It is a very difficult habit to break.
Last night I was walking with an Aussi and Megan. Zach is his name. He is here studying Chinese and is a rather nice chap. We walked past a large map engraved into the side of the wall, we were in the business section of town and this was just outside the World Trade Center. I was struck by the map and said "hey, that map is backwards." Joking of course, because i'm used to seeing north and south america on the center left and aisia on the right and this map had asia focused in the center left and north and south america were being crowded out the edge of the right hand side. Understandable. Then the Aussie chap looks at it considerately and says "yeah, there is something off about that map" "that's because your maps are upside down." i said.
KTV is brilliant. I understand why it is so popular. We went to a place called "Party City". Everyone was dressed to the nines. You are in a private room and the staff comes in with pitchers of ice, casese of beer and to take your order for noodles and dumplings when you are peckish. there is a large semicicular couch and a table in the middle and the television screen at on end of the cozy room. Also a private bathroom for each KTV room. with a remote control you can make your song selections from the karaoke book. There were two microphones in the room but I'm sure more could be had if needed. And there were some kind of sound effects on the microphones that made everyone sound amazing, like it was autotuned or something.
One friend of Weiwei's who we have decided to call "cool Jeff" (he introduced us to Taiwanese hiphop, even rapped for us a bit) was so surprised when I explained the rough and humiliating way we americans practice karaoke. He was positively frightened. "you mean, you are in a public place? and everyone can hear you? what if you are bad! oh that sounds so horrible!"
There is an elevator which takes me to the hostel. It often reaches its weight capacity, which means no more than four people at a time. I take the stairs a lot. A large delicate cockroach died in the stairwell a few days ago and its body has greeted me every morning since.
Sometimes I forget I am on an island in the Pacific, so engulfed am I in the city and its distractions and opportunities, film, music, food. Then I look down one of the man made canyons of department stores and on the horizon I see the mountains. In fact, mountains can be seen from every direction. It almost feels like Taipei is sitting in a giant crater.
I met a woman selling bananas with Ashley. I had heard how delicious these were because they are grown on the island. I don't think I'd ever eaten a banana that hadn't flown at lease 2ooo miles. The woman wanted to know where we were from. Discovering that we were Megoren (Americans) she put out her left hand "Taiwan" then her right, "America" and clasped her hands "Pongyo (friends)." Scenes liked this happened more than once with older people and also with poorer people.
Wealthier people I've met seem noticeably to avoid talk of politics. I get the sense that even broaching the subject would be taboo. It is a very difficult habit to break.
Last night I was walking with an Aussi and Megan. Zach is his name. He is here studying Chinese and is a rather nice chap. We walked past a large map engraved into the side of the wall, we were in the business section of town and this was just outside the World Trade Center. I was struck by the map and said "hey, that map is backwards." Joking of course, because i'm used to seeing north and south america on the center left and aisia on the right and this map had asia focused in the center left and north and south america were being crowded out the edge of the right hand side. Understandable. Then the Aussie chap looks at it considerately and says "yeah, there is something off about that map" "that's because your maps are upside down." i said.
KTV is brilliant. I understand why it is so popular. We went to a place called "Party City". Everyone was dressed to the nines. You are in a private room and the staff comes in with pitchers of ice, casese of beer and to take your order for noodles and dumplings when you are peckish. there is a large semicicular couch and a table in the middle and the television screen at on end of the cozy room. Also a private bathroom for each KTV room. with a remote control you can make your song selections from the karaoke book. There were two microphones in the room but I'm sure more could be had if needed. And there were some kind of sound effects on the microphones that made everyone sound amazing, like it was autotuned or something.
One friend of Weiwei's who we have decided to call "cool Jeff" (he introduced us to Taiwanese hiphop, even rapped for us a bit) was so surprised when I explained the rough and humiliating way we americans practice karaoke. He was positively frightened. "you mean, you are in a public place? and everyone can hear you? what if you are bad! oh that sounds so horrible!"
Friday, September 25, 2009
tantalus
taipei jobs are like lining up for a watering hole. first come first serve, large trample small, drink up drink up! i feel like the mythological tantalus though, so thirsty yet the water is ever so slightly out of reach. so the past five days we've been on our desert hunt for water. emailing, phone calls ("do you speak english...?" "no... well i would like to apply to teach english here.."). the schools have funny names too: Dear English School, Eurocentre, Joy English. consumed in the frustrating, funny, boring, nerve racking, ridiculous... has resulted in lots of cigarette smoking (tuna can ashtrays) and now lots of slacking (walking, walking, walking). though i have steered from planning day trips, i have found myself lazing in Da An park, as well as tagging along on my friends' mini pilgrimages- first to a mosque, then to the catholic church. i can see how necessary it is to have comfort in ones sanctuary; that your confident in what it's about even in the most remote of places... taiwan.
thursday, after a flurry of emails... and no replies, helen and i walked. we taught ourselves how to count on our hands, which makes all the difference here. we lost ourselves in high rise maze of streets. apartments with barred windows, and potted plants. a district filled with massage parlors, medicinal shops, and acupuncture (advertised by foot meridian charts). i like to take the MRT (subway) station at the Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall, though not the closest stop to our hostel. i love walking through the expansive plaza with the beautiful theater (promise to put pictures up soon) and gigantic archway. there is also a cornered pond encircled by rocks, and you spy lots of people feeding the orange and white coy. lots of old men sit by themselves here, and i've been told to bow my head out of respect when we pass.
my favorite past time now, is getting lost in the alleyways . unlike alleys in the states, which are trashy, dark backstreets that smell of urine, taipei alley's are mapped out and have the best finds. mini flower shops, mechanics, and the best street food. taiwanese vendors are smart here. they usually set up during rush hour (which ranges from when kids get out of school 3pm, to when they get out of the bushiban 7pm, to when adults get out of work... around 9pm here). our aussie friend had good advice... see what food vendor the kids go to cause they have good taste and little money. brilliant. my favorite so far has been the pork dumplings... steamy, plump, juicy goodness for less than a dollar. i've also taken to bubble milk tea (... hey! it fills you up and quenches your thirst!).
yesterday, i felt a little defeated in the job market. ashley has already begun teaching (in her pink socks and mary janes). she is teaching very young kids, in a very small class, and said that they throw their shoes a lot. she met the parents yesterday and had to put a demo on. she only works about 6-8 hours a week, but makes 650 NT hr. which equals out to round 20 dollars! helen showed me the bookstore. i felt instantly relaxed surrounded by the new book smell, soothing classical music, and air conditioning. most of the books are in chinese, but they do have an english section, and good finds too... Oscar Wao! most people were sitting on the floor reading, some sipping tea (which is usually in a small plastic bags... more convenient to carry as trash cans are scarce). the art/ architecture section was massive. we got turned around going home, which happens to me frequently but, unlike helen, i am so thankful to the taipei map that was gifted to me before i left and have no qualms breaking it out on a crowded street corner. getting directions seems to lead us in the opposite direction, as most people don't seem to take the MRT. the average wage here is around 80 NT hr., like our new friend Adams who works 40 + at TGI Fridays!! this weighs very heavy in my heart when i think of how much we will be making as simple english teachers.... hopefully.
- megan
thursday, after a flurry of emails... and no replies, helen and i walked. we taught ourselves how to count on our hands, which makes all the difference here. we lost ourselves in high rise maze of streets. apartments with barred windows, and potted plants. a district filled with massage parlors, medicinal shops, and acupuncture (advertised by foot meridian charts). i like to take the MRT (subway) station at the Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall, though not the closest stop to our hostel. i love walking through the expansive plaza with the beautiful theater (promise to put pictures up soon) and gigantic archway. there is also a cornered pond encircled by rocks, and you spy lots of people feeding the orange and white coy. lots of old men sit by themselves here, and i've been told to bow my head out of respect when we pass.
my favorite past time now, is getting lost in the alleyways . unlike alleys in the states, which are trashy, dark backstreets that smell of urine, taipei alley's are mapped out and have the best finds. mini flower shops, mechanics, and the best street food. taiwanese vendors are smart here. they usually set up during rush hour (which ranges from when kids get out of school 3pm, to when they get out of the bushiban 7pm, to when adults get out of work... around 9pm here). our aussie friend had good advice... see what food vendor the kids go to cause they have good taste and little money. brilliant. my favorite so far has been the pork dumplings... steamy, plump, juicy goodness for less than a dollar. i've also taken to bubble milk tea (... hey! it fills you up and quenches your thirst!).
yesterday, i felt a little defeated in the job market. ashley has already begun teaching (in her pink socks and mary janes). she is teaching very young kids, in a very small class, and said that they throw their shoes a lot. she met the parents yesterday and had to put a demo on. she only works about 6-8 hours a week, but makes 650 NT hr. which equals out to round 20 dollars! helen showed me the bookstore. i felt instantly relaxed surrounded by the new book smell, soothing classical music, and air conditioning. most of the books are in chinese, but they do have an english section, and good finds too... Oscar Wao! most people were sitting on the floor reading, some sipping tea (which is usually in a small plastic bags... more convenient to carry as trash cans are scarce). the art/ architecture section was massive. we got turned around going home, which happens to me frequently but, unlike helen, i am so thankful to the taipei map that was gifted to me before i left and have no qualms breaking it out on a crowded street corner. getting directions seems to lead us in the opposite direction, as most people don't seem to take the MRT. the average wage here is around 80 NT hr., like our new friend Adams who works 40 + at TGI Fridays!! this weighs very heavy in my heart when i think of how much we will be making as simple english teachers.... hopefully.
- megan
no map.
Often I have know idea where I am until after I've been there.
This is what comes from not taking a map or a guide book.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Taipei
This is some of what I've seen.
This is what comes from not taking a map or a guide book.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Taipei
This is some of what I've seen.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Taipei Hostel
In the Lonely Planet guide book, our hostel boasts a rooftop garden. Like so many boasters it is full of hot air. The roof top garden consists of 10 wilted potted leafy plants, and two big yellowing aloe vera. And mice.
The hostel occupies the 6th and 7th floor of a tenement. On the 7th floor is a deck, maybe 30feet long topped with a dingy glass roof which turns the area into a sweltering sauna. There is a breathtaking (read: suffocating) view of a tall granite building (the Sheraton Mansion). Popping your head over the side you see layers of other roofs and laundry and steel and cement, layers of buildings. 25 feet of deck is devoted to the sheets from the dorms that the Philippine woman, Leslie, is always washing and hanging to dry. The mice are rather scarce in the day light hours. The mice do enjoy the garden tremendously though and every night you can hear them dancing in the plants. There are somewhere between 40 to 50 beds in this place and it is always booked. Many nights the rooms are filled with people just passing through from Germany, New Zealand, Mainland China, Japan, UK, Argentina, Korea, Canada, Australia, Sweden and the occasional Yank. There also seems to be a small contingent of people who stay here for protracted periods, the Canadian who has been here for three years is the most extreme example. Most of the others who stay for a number of weeks are usually in our position, people looking for jobs. Right now there is an American named Kevin, in his 40s from northern California; a blonde haired blue eyed Miami 30 year old, Josh; a man named Johnny, almost 40 whose parents come from Ghanna and Nigeria: all of these people are looking for jobs. There are others too but I have not talked to them, or seen them.
Yesterday as Megan and I walked down the street practicing our numbers and the particular hand gestures which accompany them, a young white guy stopped us to correct our gesture for the number 9. We were surprised because we've found that usually when we encounter white guys on the street they lower their eyes and run in the opposite direction. This guy was a Swede. He told me of a job, some work, under-the-table. I gave him our contact info.
Ashley has work again today. She spent the morning making a lesson plan. Today she meets the parents of the class.
When she returns, this evening we will meet with our friends Adam (from Richmond) and Wei-wei, his ladyfriend. It is Weiwei's birthday and we are going to a place to do some KTV, which is a private Karaoke room.
The hostel occupies the 6th and 7th floor of a tenement. On the 7th floor is a deck, maybe 30feet long topped with a dingy glass roof which turns the area into a sweltering sauna. There is a breathtaking (read: suffocating) view of a tall granite building (the Sheraton Mansion). Popping your head over the side you see layers of other roofs and laundry and steel and cement, layers of buildings. 25 feet of deck is devoted to the sheets from the dorms that the Philippine woman, Leslie, is always washing and hanging to dry. The mice are rather scarce in the day light hours. The mice do enjoy the garden tremendously though and every night you can hear them dancing in the plants. There are somewhere between 40 to 50 beds in this place and it is always booked. Many nights the rooms are filled with people just passing through from Germany, New Zealand, Mainland China, Japan, UK, Argentina, Korea, Canada, Australia, Sweden and the occasional Yank. There also seems to be a small contingent of people who stay here for protracted periods, the Canadian who has been here for three years is the most extreme example. Most of the others who stay for a number of weeks are usually in our position, people looking for jobs. Right now there is an American named Kevin, in his 40s from northern California; a blonde haired blue eyed Miami 30 year old, Josh; a man named Johnny, almost 40 whose parents come from Ghanna and Nigeria: all of these people are looking for jobs. There are others too but I have not talked to them, or seen them.
Yesterday as Megan and I walked down the street practicing our numbers and the particular hand gestures which accompany them, a young white guy stopped us to correct our gesture for the number 9. We were surprised because we've found that usually when we encounter white guys on the street they lower their eyes and run in the opposite direction. This guy was a Swede. He told me of a job, some work, under-the-table. I gave him our contact info.
Ashley has work again today. She spent the morning making a lesson plan. Today she meets the parents of the class.
When she returns, this evening we will meet with our friends Adam (from Richmond) and Wei-wei, his ladyfriend. It is Weiwei's birthday and we are going to a place to do some KTV, which is a private Karaoke room.
"You have to die once in a while".
Ashley got a job.
For the last few days we have all been sending out emails. There is a message board called tealit.com. Ashley and Megan followed up places with a phone calls. One place called Megan to request an interview. She said she was interested. The woman on the other end of the phone gave her directions "take a train to Taoyuan" (this is another town 30 minutes, outside of Taipei, very industrial) "then get into a cab and give the phone to the driver". er... Rather than go to this interview she and I looked for a park.
Yesterday I got a phone call from Ingrid. I spoke to her briefly and she said she would call me for an interview. Then Ashley called Ingrid and got an interview for the following day (yesterday) from Ingrid. I accompanied her to to the appointment. We had to take a metro train and then "Get off at the department, walk 50 meters to the department, get on a bus, it free, go to the other department. Across the street". When one is unable to read what is on street signs or bus signs and neither does one know which direction to walk finding the free bus to "the department" is difficult. 'what departmetn' ooohhh. department store. SOGO. Turns out that little phrase book I bought has a phrase in it "where is the bus to the Sogo Department store, please". It is a magic phrase book.
Anyways. Ashley had the interview. She was called later that evening and asked to work the following day. Today she taught classes of kindergartners what a lighthouse was, what a water fall was, and how to sing Jingle Bells.
Megan and I being unemployed dilitants wandered the streets. Sat on a park bench. Fretted and talked nonsense. We walked many miles to out of the way English schools and secured business cards and promises of consideration.
I learned a great trick from the street sweeper women with the orange hats: some of them tie CDs to the backs of the bicycle baskets to serve as reflectors. Very smart.
I learned that the homeless people who sort through the garbage are able to take their recycles to a facility, where they are given a receipt and that is good for an evening's accomadation.
I saw beggars laying facedown in the street butting their head against the pavement.
I saw that many public bathrooms have an emergency help button installed in the stalls and I think that is strange.
I went to the Botanical gardens where plants are arranged by idiom and folklore, I walked down a street that was all dentists officies, a street that was all photo shops, a street that was all coffee sellers, a street that was all paper shops, a street that was all tailored men's pants, and a street that was all tea.
I visited the Holy Family Catholic church, walked around the mosque and the 7th day adventist, walked by store front temples and incense sellers, walked by old temples and fruit sellers and fancy gyms, and so much good food and a cafe called Helen's Coffee.
I learned that Taipei is big but not so big as I thought. Tonight we go to another night market.
Apparently, eating is discouraged at the Shilin Nightmarket where we went the other night. There is no running water there ever.
I am still alive.
I met a man last night at the hostel. He had to leave the Philipines for a night because of his visa. He is back there today I am sure. He loves the "slaughterhouse" that is Manilla. Encouraged me to go in fact, because he said with his thick Czec accent "you have to die once in a while".
For the last few days we have all been sending out emails. There is a message board called tealit.com. Ashley and Megan followed up places with a phone calls. One place called Megan to request an interview. She said she was interested. The woman on the other end of the phone gave her directions "take a train to Taoyuan" (this is another town 30 minutes, outside of Taipei, very industrial) "then get into a cab and give the phone to the driver". er... Rather than go to this interview she and I looked for a park.
Yesterday I got a phone call from Ingrid. I spoke to her briefly and she said she would call me for an interview. Then Ashley called Ingrid and got an interview for the following day (yesterday) from Ingrid. I accompanied her to to the appointment. We had to take a metro train and then "Get off at the department, walk 50 meters to the department, get on a bus, it free, go to the other department. Across the street". When one is unable to read what is on street signs or bus signs and neither does one know which direction to walk finding the free bus to "the department" is difficult. 'what departmetn' ooohhh. department store. SOGO. Turns out that little phrase book I bought has a phrase in it "where is the bus to the Sogo Department store, please". It is a magic phrase book.
Anyways. Ashley had the interview. She was called later that evening and asked to work the following day. Today she taught classes of kindergartners what a lighthouse was, what a water fall was, and how to sing Jingle Bells.
Megan and I being unemployed dilitants wandered the streets. Sat on a park bench. Fretted and talked nonsense. We walked many miles to out of the way English schools and secured business cards and promises of consideration.
I learned a great trick from the street sweeper women with the orange hats: some of them tie CDs to the backs of the bicycle baskets to serve as reflectors. Very smart.
I learned that the homeless people who sort through the garbage are able to take their recycles to a facility, where they are given a receipt and that is good for an evening's accomadation.
I saw beggars laying facedown in the street butting their head against the pavement.
I saw that many public bathrooms have an emergency help button installed in the stalls and I think that is strange.
I went to the Botanical gardens where plants are arranged by idiom and folklore, I walked down a street that was all dentists officies, a street that was all photo shops, a street that was all coffee sellers, a street that was all paper shops, a street that was all tailored men's pants, and a street that was all tea.
I visited the Holy Family Catholic church, walked around the mosque and the 7th day adventist, walked by store front temples and incense sellers, walked by old temples and fruit sellers and fancy gyms, and so much good food and a cafe called Helen's Coffee.
I learned that Taipei is big but not so big as I thought. Tonight we go to another night market.
Apparently, eating is discouraged at the Shilin Nightmarket where we went the other night. There is no running water there ever.
I am still alive.
I met a man last night at the hostel. He had to leave the Philipines for a night because of his visa. He is back there today I am sure. He loves the "slaughterhouse" that is Manilla. Encouraged me to go in fact, because he said with his thick Czec accent "you have to die once in a while".
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