Meet me on the rooftop

Last weekend I discovered 'the roof' of my apartment... And what a discovery, I tell you. One of the things that have really been bugging me since coming to Taiwan is that I seemed to have lost my ability to wake up early. (for those of you who still don't believe I'm a morning person...GET WITH THE PROGRAM...I was a teenager ok!!)

Anyway this week I have been waking up at 6am and going to watch the sunrise on the roof. I have also been enjoying long conversations with the Son. What a blessing. There is a lovely morning breeze up on the roof, which is normally really hard to come by in Taiwan, and it is setting a really good tone for each day. Although I haven't had the best week it still feels good because my mornings are good...THANK YOU LORD!

God has been blessing me out of my slops (its too hot for sox) up there... every morning new blessings. This morning was Psalm 34 "rest assured in God looking out for you" God my comforter.

one more thing...

Today also happens to be the first time I heard the new Arctic Monkey's album, incidentally named 'HumBUG' (and there's a song called 'Secret door' I think you would be blind to miss the links here...right?)

I was late for work because I was busy downloading it onto my MP3 player, the potential (but unreceived) grousing from the boss was SO worth it

!!!what what what this album is too cool!!!

My favourite part so far, from a song called Crying Lightening...

..Your past times consisted of the strange
and twisted and deranged...

Tick-tack-toe

Today was the first day of the new school semester and year actually. So all my classes went up one level and I have a new working schedule. Needless to say the day was HECTIC!! My new timetable states that I teach 4 half hour classes every morning instead of 2 1hour ones, WOW!!! its hectic, you feel like you are doing a morning relay marathon, except you the runner stays the same, the track just keeps changing...good times. I don't know if its a good thing but I keep motivating myself with Abba's 'Money, Money, Money'.

To add to the hecticness of today, with all its new classes, new books, new new new... the police decided to do an inspection of the school, to check that they aren't breaking any laws (which they are) so half way through teaching one of my afternoon classes I was informed that I needed to hide... (no I'm not making this up)

So was ushered out the schools little 'backdoor' onto some unused ally behind the school with about 50 kids and Nandi, the other foreign teacher.

Let me explain quick. The school is all about making money so it always says yes to parents who apply, thus said they have more kids in reality then they are allowed and the parents know and the government knows, but they have to do these faux inspections where we are warned in advance and the inspectors pretend to be as thick as two bricks. The reason Nandi and I have to hide is because in the ROC it is illegal for kindergarten kids to be taught English, therefore kindergarten kids are not allowed to be taught by foreigners. But there are at least 2 English teaching kindergartens in each small town, and 99% of the foreign teachers in Taiwan teach kindergarten at least once a day.

My reaction is to not think about it too hard and shrug my shoulders. When in Rome right? Okay before you think that hardcore Jos is becoming a push over, I am picking my battles. I have prayed about it and am standing my ground on things which I can actually effect. Unless I went home, there isn't anything I can do about the teaching legality.

Okay that said, why the tick-tack-toe title (besides that dazzling little alliteration) well I plonked down on a little ledge in the ally where I was hiding with a band of noise kids, and about half way through noticed that it was crawling with ticks... GREAT!! ok it wasn't crawling, but there were quite a few and i kept on noticing more. So for the rest of the day my skin was crawling and I kept on imagine ticks making their way lazily up my legs... uhhhh...

The first thing i did when i got home was give myself a full head to toe examination for stray blighter's... there weren't any but if you suddenly get news me keeling over, then you know I taken for a tasty tit-bit by a Tricksy-Taiwan-Tick... (The joys of alliteration never seem to ware of)

ok signing out!

1 month in - Week 5

This pictures is of me on the bus

Week 5 -

Ok so i have updated you on my comings and goings, now more recent news. This weekend I decided to brave the foreign languages and go to Taichung to go to church. I was plenty nervous because if I caught the wrong bus or missed the right bus who knows how I would have asked for help. Needless to say I got into Taichung with only a few hiccups ( I got the bus schedual wrong, so instead of leaving at 8.30 I left at 9.30) but no biggy and I managed to get to church on time, although only just.

Also when I finally did get on the bus i was the only person on the bus, with a driver who wouldn't stop looking at me, and told me that I was beautiful at one point. The South African in me couldn't help mutter a prayer and feel a little stressed. Its really safe here, so I just had to put that little South African away.

It was really great to go to church and meet some new people. Some ladies invited me out for lunch with them, and I went with, it was pretty cool (although quite expensive) it seems that living in the proper city costs significantly more then living in one of the Townships (which is kinda like a suburb, which has a city centre)

It all went great until I had to catch the bus home again. I went to the bus stop where I had got off the bus and waited, and waited and waited. An hour and half later, I phoned the bus companies English line and they said that the bus didn't travel on the road i was on. THe woman gave me another bus stop but I had NO idea where the road was or how to get there. I will admit to feeling seriously sorry for myself having sat there for an hour and a half and watched tons of buses go by, but not one on the route i needed and not one was the bus I needed. Luckily i found a little restaurant ( i dont know if you can call it that. more of a stir-fry shop) and they let me sit at one of their tables without buying food, which was great cos i had no idea what they were cooking. and it didn't smell to good ;)

Eventually i phoned the pastor (Chuck) of the church I went to (who speaks fluent English) And he came and helped me out.

He eneded up driving me back to ChingShuei because he couldn't make heads or tails of which bus i should go on. Apparently it was some sort of religious holiday yesterday so not all the buses were running. which was SO great, I cant tell you how happy I was to finally get home. And yes, ChingShuei has become home of sorts. I felt my whole body relax when I started to recognise landmarks in my area.

The good part about this whole thing was that Chuck drove me home on a really easy route, so when I get a scooter it will be easy for me to drive to church, And i'm pretty sure I wont get lost.

Ok this all brings me up to the present. I have a few more posts I would like to write, with photo's about the markets and about everyday life here, but its 10pm and I have work tomorrow, so I am going to bed. I hope that these updates have satisfied all those who were grumpy with me for not updating.

Much love Jos

1 month in.... week 1, 2 and 3

So its been awhile since the earthquake post, I think it might be time to update this thing again... I'm sorry I haven't been more diligent at this... i actually dont have an excuse. I just haven't got around to it.

Those of you who I have spoken to will know more about what is going on so excuse me if I am repeating myself.

So i am a month in, let me re-cap what I have done over every week.

Week 1 - was all about getting to know the school. I did observation for a few days, which was very helpful. (I slept the first weekend away to try get over my jet lag, which was pretty bad) I think my previous blogs cover this week pretty well.

Week 2 - My first week of teaching (although it wasn't a full day, because I had observation of my night classes) On Friday I started with a seriously sore throat, Saturday was proper flu, and i literally slept that weekend away.

Week 3 - This was my first proper week of teaching, i taught a full day from 8.30am till 7.00pm. (there are considerable breaks in between, but its still quite hectic)I got an ear infection during the week, so the weekend was spent sleeping...AGAIN!!