japan

japan subways are like a bee hives. one wrong exit can leave you lost inside for an unimaginable length of time. they are like entire cities underground. everyone in tokyo seemed to walk as if they had a mission. they knew exactly what they were going to do that day, how to get there and do it. wondered--when will i have that caliber of self awareness

Taiwan Sunsets

Taiwan sunsets are brief, but powerful. Right around four o'clock, everything becomes so much more vibrant. It brightens, yet contrasts. Today I decided to take a short scooter ride around the neighborhood by my school and I saw cranes and an heron floating above rice patties, elderly chatting and strolling, a hidden temple, and a mansion.

The weather was beautiful today. Too bad it will probably rain tonight.

before a couple gets married, it's popular in china and taiwan for them to take fancy pictures together--to show they are happy and they are beautiful.

i see these pictures every now and again. on the bus train from yilan to taipei, there is a television advertisement for them. the pictures are nicely composed and the settings, costumes, and make-up are fantastic. there are scenes of the man leading the woman in a waltz, the couple riding in a hot air balloon, the couple holding hands in a park.

but it's just a fantasy. it's just make-belief. these pictures are made so that they can show others what a "perfect" relationship they have. underneath the surface, it's all a facade of adulthood--that the couple knows how to love and how to live and how to think for their families. i see these pictures, and i feel a cloud of disappointment because this is exactly the kind of facade my parents want from me. it's a fairy tale that cannot come true.

cool breeze 涼爽的風

i woke up a tad late this morning. forgot to change my alarm from yesterday's jiaxi hike. skipped breakfast 'cause time was running out...and headed out to my glorious, scenic route to hu shan elementary school. i got there at 8am sharp.

immediately after exiting my apartment doors, i noticed something different. it was colder, yes--quite noticeably cooler than the previous two days (which, by the way, have been a pretty dramatic shift from scorching pre-mid-autumn)... but not only that, something in the air smelled...familiar.

the cool air brought with it a nuanced smell of moist dirt, asphalt roads still under construction, rust, and fresh grass. it smelled like an earlier southern california morning; kids totting their backpacks dutifully heading to school. i was reminded of my elementary school days, and the mornings where my mother made me 粥 and where i enthusiastically headed to school fifteen minutes before the school bell to chat with my friends--about whatever.

rain and thunder

rain and thunder in yilan right now.

mid-autumn festival has just passed so the temperature has dropped significantly from scorching hot to cool.

it's a drastic and rapid shift.

the little hairs on my arms have been raised all day.

and the mosquitoes are multiplying.

i am glad i decided to stay home tonight.

目前在宜蘭下超大雨，閃電霹靂聲音非常地吵。

中秋節剛過了，而溫度聰火辣變成很涼爽。

是個很國際，突然的轉折。

--

what a great day.

spoke with the special education teacher at Da Hu, one of my elementary schools and learned about the countryside/city disparity in special ed.

spoke to the farmer at Er Hu, a famous pineapple plantation by Da Hu. we talked about everything--taiwanese vs american women, attitudes towards the mainland, attitudes towards america, my family, their family, school gossip, farming pineapples

rainbow at turtle island

I live and teach in Yilan County, a one-hour bus ride south of Taipei. I live in Yilan City and work in Yuanshan Township. This is Turtle Island. It can be seen pretty much anywhere off the coast of Yilan and it is open only a few months out of the year due to environmental protection efforts. By the way, Yilan County is known for it's beautiful scenery, clean water, and environmental protection efforts. While it may be close to Taipei City, this scenic county offers a stark contrast to the hustle, bustle, and smog of Taipei.

a common sighting: people sleeping on train rides.