Hello everyone!! I know it's been a while since my last post but things have really begun to pick up here!! I have been taking on a lot more classes!! Also, I have been substituting preschool aged kids in the morning. I think I like the preschool kids the best because they are so much fun!! Every time I go into class, all the kids ask why my hair is curly and blond and why my eyes are blue. At first, I would try to explain that foreigners are like this, but then I realized the potential to make this explanation much more interesting!! So, one day, when I went back into this class, I told the kids I was from the moon!! At first, they were a little skeptical, but after a little while, I had them all convinced I was actually from the moon!! There was a minor set back when they said that aliens are green, but I explained that those aliens were from Jupiter. With this same class, we went on a field trip to a farm where the kids got to see and play with some vegetables.
Aside from classes, I went to one of the beaches near by the city with a friend. The day we went was cloudy and cooler, which is fine because normal it's really hot. I found some neat shells too!! Also, a bunch of other teachers and I went one a rafting trip on the other side of the island!! We had so much fun!! It was my first time rafting and I had a great time!! I had to act as translator for the group because my chinese was the best, and also because the taiwanese friend that was with us didn't want to do it, haha!! The rafting trip was in Hualian, on the east side of Taiwan. We took a train to get there on saturday the 9th, went sight-seeing, stayed the night, and went rafting on the 10th on October. Train tickets were too difficult to get on the way back, so we all took a bus back to Taipei. Recently, I did a commercial for this big up and coming event called the Tapei Flora Expo!! It was lots of fun!! I met some really funny people and also I got to meet the most famous super model in all of Taiwan!! Her name is Lin Chi-Ling (i think that's how you spell it). So I guess I could say that I'm a part time model now, haha!! Hope everyone is doing well at home!!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
After training ended, it was time to move into my apartment!! During training, we were told where we would be teaching and that the school would help us find an apartment near by. It was a little crazy going from training all day to looking at apartments at night, but it must by done!! By the end of the search, I decided on a place close to my school and in downtown Taipei. A little pricey but a great location!! (and still cheaper than what I would have paid at home) On August 5th, we all had to leave the hotel and go to our apartments or cities, for those of the teachers that were placed else where in Taiwan. It was a sad day watching everyone part ways but we all still talk in one form or another.
After a short taxi ride, I arrived at my apartment. However, the room I signed on to rent still have someone living in it, so I lived in an empty room down the hall. The transition room was much bigger than the room I was renting and kept forgetting that I would not be living here for a year. I spent half a week in this room before I could move down the hall into my real room. During this time, I met with teachers in my school and was shown around the area by the director of the schools in that area. Her name is Vicki and she helped me get adjusted into the new life I was about to start. I live near Taipei 101 which is one of the tallest buildings in the world!! Also, the Living Mall is a 5 minute walk from my place and it 8 floors with a movie theatre in one of it's 2 basement levels. I explored some in my first few days, and watched lots of tv too!!
I also began to observe other teachers teach class and got the chance to take notes on what they did. Eventually, I began to teach half a class with a more experienced teacher. This helped out a lot. Soon I began to get the names of the students and become better at lesson planning. A week or so later, I began to teach a class alone. At first it was a little rocky, but gradually got better. Every day I am learning new and better ways to teach English and become a better teacher!!
After a short taxi ride, I arrived at my apartment. However, the room I signed on to rent still have someone living in it, so I lived in an empty room down the hall. The transition room was much bigger than the room I was renting and kept forgetting that I would not be living here for a year. I spent half a week in this room before I could move down the hall into my real room. During this time, I met with teachers in my school and was shown around the area by the director of the schools in that area. Her name is Vicki and she helped me get adjusted into the new life I was about to start. I live near Taipei 101 which is one of the tallest buildings in the world!! Also, the Living Mall is a 5 minute walk from my place and it 8 floors with a movie theatre in one of it's 2 basement levels. I explored some in my first few days, and watched lots of tv too!!
I also began to observe other teachers teach class and got the chance to take notes on what they did. Eventually, I began to teach half a class with a more experienced teacher. This helped out a lot. Soon I began to get the names of the students and become better at lesson planning. A week or so later, I began to teach a class alone. At first it was a little rocky, but gradually got better. Every day I am learning new and better ways to teach English and become a better teacher!!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
After about a day long plane ride, I got to Taiwan!! The weather was hot, as was expected, which didn't help my stomach after I got a little sick on the plane flight over. There was a van waiting to take those of us on the plane to the hotel where we would be the entire duration of training. Fortunately, most of the new teachers on the plane all met together at the gate before take-off and we all got to know each other. It was a fairly short ride to the hotel were we all dropped our luggage and waited for the rooms to be ready. While we waited, we decided to explore the area around the hotel. We went into a coffee shop for a bite to eat, then stopped in a nearby park. After several hours, we returned to the hotel and were given keys to our rooms. I stayed in Room 537. It was a nice room but the beds were very firm. My roomate was Tom, who happened to be on the plane with us. We were all tired the first day so after our first adventure, we all went to sleep early.
Training began the next day. The training classes were held in the main office of Hess. It wasn't very far from the hotel, so everyone walked there every morning. Good Exercise!! Training lasted until August 3rd. Everyday, except for the weekends, we got up early and didn't get back the the hotel until abou6:30 or 7 each night. Yet, we all still managed to find time to do fun things like go to karaoke!! Training was essentially a crash course on how to teach all different age groups and which method works for each. It was very helpful but a lot of information was packed into every session. Early on, the trainers divided the new teachers into smaller groups which we stayed in for the duration of training. My group consisted of Aimee, Brandon, Laurel, and I. We were Group 11. After groups were made, the trainers would play games with us to see which group could amass the most points. Initially, Group 11 didn't get many points and were falling behind everyday, until one day when that changed. We began to play every game and volunteer for everything!! Soon, we were in second place!! Unfortunately, this story does not have a Cinderella ending. The last day of training, there was a trivia game involving a lot of points and we did not get very many, but the most important thing was that we became good friends and still keep in touch. Our entire training group became close to one another and maintain contact. Those of us in Taipei City see each other a few times a week.
Training began the next day. The training classes were held in the main office of Hess. It wasn't very far from the hotel, so everyone walked there every morning. Good Exercise!! Training lasted until August 3rd. Everyday, except for the weekends, we got up early and didn't get back the the hotel until abou6:30 or 7 each night. Yet, we all still managed to find time to do fun things like go to karaoke!! Training was essentially a crash course on how to teach all different age groups and which method works for each. It was very helpful but a lot of information was packed into every session. Early on, the trainers divided the new teachers into smaller groups which we stayed in for the duration of training. My group consisted of Aimee, Brandon, Laurel, and I. We were Group 11. After groups were made, the trainers would play games with us to see which group could amass the most points. Initially, Group 11 didn't get many points and were falling behind everyday, until one day when that changed. We began to play every game and volunteer for everything!! Soon, we were in second place!! Unfortunately, this story does not have a Cinderella ending. The last day of training, there was a trivia game involving a lot of points and we did not get very many, but the most important thing was that we became good friends and still keep in touch. Our entire training group became close to one another and maintain contact. Those of us in Taipei City see each other a few times a week.
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