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I've got the working man blues
I took the job I have now 6 months ago. I picked the company I work for because the preparation time was minimal and they don't have papers to grade, etc. That's the benefit of teaching conversational English: you read an article and discuss. For that reason I was willing to get paid less than the average salary in Taiwan. I wanted to be able ( Read more... ) -
Parting gifts
A student in my Tuesday, Thursday Advanced English class is leaving Taipei to go to school in southern Taiwan. His name is Frank and he will be studying to be an Architect. While our interactions in class have just been simple, I find myself thinking of him as one of my best students. He is attentive, always participates and is just a genuine ( Read more... ) -
"I've come to rely on the kindness of strangers"
Adjusting to living in a new country has been quite the experience for me but I have found the people of Taiwan to be quite kind and giving ( Read more... ) -
Don't block my Qi, but please, block the sun.
In traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy the concept of "Qi" is very important. Much like the "force" of "Star Wars" fame, Qi is an energy that allows people to function. If ones Qi is blocked, then one cannot do as well as one wants. Blocked Qi can be a cause for illness and other things. Allowing for the proper movement of Qi is ( Read more... ) -
"Man who catch fly with chopstick accomplish anything"
Mr. Miyagi says that to Daniel in the "Karate Kid" [see the YouTube clip]. I didn't catch a fly, but something interesting did happen the other day ( Read more... ) -
Pop my balloon
The last 2 chapters for this semester have been hard. I have not understood the grammar and barely remember the vocabulary. Last week I got a low score on my dictation and 20% on my test. This week my grade on my dictation was a Question Mark. Yes, in place of a grade there is a bog, fat red ( Read more... ) -
Speed Racer, Taiwan Style
In a former life I drove a 9 foot wide, 31 foot long bookmobile. So when I criticize the bus drivers in Taipei, I think I do so with some authority. I have one thing to say: SLOW DOWNIf the stops are less than half a mile or a quarter of a mile apart, why do they insist on pulling across three lanes of traffic to the left hand lane after each ( Read more... ) -
Observations
Summer vacation is upon us. This means lots of little children unsupervised wandering around Taipei. I encountered some the other day at a Coffee Shop, around 15 of them loitering around, playing cards and just generally being little kids. It did not bother me so much, but was interesting to observe ( Read more... ) -
Teaching "English"
One of the perks of my job is sometimes having very strange and interesting conversations with my students. Especially about me and America in general. This last week a student asked where I was from (this poses a difficult answer for me because I was born and lived in California for 8 years, lived in Michigan for over 15 years and then in the ( Read more... )
