School, Apartment, and bicycles!

Squid anyone?  This is the extra large squid...usually they are much smaller and served on a stick..or cold on your plate of rice.  Not a fan of them yet...however, we did eat some sort of squid on a stick and it was good...no tentacles or suction cups. 

We went to the National something Museum.  It was quite stunning!  They had huge, gorgeous gardens that we didn't get to explore b/c it started pouring down rain!  However, inside we saw artifacts that date back to 1500 BC!  It was amazing!!!

This is a temple near our school.  There is a very small one directly beside our school, but this is the closest large one.  We are going to one on a mountain tomorrow on a field trip with the kids!  They want us to explain all the items in and around the temple.  I think it'll go something like this.."Ummmm..Jesus?"  

Sara on the lovely streets of Tucheng!  They are full of scooters, bikes, people, and venders!  We now have our bikes and feel like we are playing Frogger every time we enter the streets!

This is us at Danshui, the north western side of Taipei county.  It's right where the river meets the ocean!  There was a canoe carved out in the stone walkway, so we decided to take advantage of this little photo op :o)  We hope to bike here and also kayak sometime soon!  We can't wait to hike that mountain in the background!  Although, Taiwan takes the direct route up approach to hiking trails..so we have to work up to some of the taller peaks.

Kelly and her K2 students!  They are my favorite class!  The little boy in my lap, on the right, is Eddie!  He is one of my two favorite kids in the school!  They are all so sweet, and love to learn!  They catch on so quickly..it's amazing!  I have learned the value of games and songs during instruction and review!  They're easy, quick, and super effective!

This is our sweet red kitchen!  We even found Boston Red Sox hand towels to go in there!  I'm still getting used to no oven, and a gas stove top...but I've been able to make some yummy dinners :o)  I'm so thankful we have a kitchen!  In Taiwan, an apartment only has a kitchen if it has two or more bedrooms...usually three or four.  Most people here eat out, so they have no use for a kitchen.  They also rarely have refrigerators!  Ours is a little bigger than the one I had in college...haha!  It does the job though, so we're happy!  We've learned so much about reusing and recycling..and being resourceful with what you have!  We love the culture here, and have learned a lot from them already!

Sara and Hayden and Jay who visit us every evening!  Cuties!  Notice the rubber chicken made its way to Taiwan :o)  The kids love it!

Our first week...

Well, we are adjusting to this new culture pretty well.  We have gone from driving everywhere to walking everywhere...we're trying to find a pedometer to track our steps, b/c we're pretty sure we're walking about 20 miles a day!  We stumbled upon a hiking trail about 3 blocks from our temporary apt. that takes you up a VERY steep mountain.  We have hiked that a few times, and love it!  We especially like seeing all of the 60-90 year olds pass us, and bebop their way up and down like it's nothing.  Sara went one morning without me b/c it was 5 something AM, and I wanted to sleep ;o)...she said when she got to the top there were these 60-70 yr. old ladies swinging from pull-up bars laughing and doing pull-ups and hanging upside down!  We've got a lot to learn from them!  Yesterday, we gave our legs a break...Sara's knee and my calves were in a lot of pain, so we took a break.

They have a really nice metro system here that we use daily.  We have been getting off at each stop, and exploring the little town.  Each one has its own vibe.  There are many Night Markets here, that are full of hundreds of vendors...any type of food, textiles, and jewelry you could want.

We are fond of the many delicious pastry shops, 7-elevens, the couple organic stores, fresh juice, RICE, RICE, and more RICE, veggies, and watching the mopeds weave in and out of traffic and not wreck!

We'll add more later...miss all our friends!  XOXO

10 Signs You're in Taiwan

10.  Near death experience by a moped
9.  You're greeted with "Good Morning" at all hours of the day
8.  Rice, rice, and rice.....and more rice
7. Do I hear the ice cream truck? PSYCH, it's the garbage man
6.  People twice your age bound passed you on the way up a steep mountain
5.  Three 7-elevens are in view at all times
4. You are " too wide" for clothes
3.  To relieve yourself, you have to squat over a hole in the ground
2.  You'll find yourself wondering, "where are the trashcans?"
1.  You see beauty all around