24°09′N 120°40′E

Temple close-ups

2012-01-26T17:46:00.001+08:00

incense

intricate paint

jiaobei, or moon, blocks

Tea eggs

2012-01-24T17:35:00.001+08:00

A pot of tea eggs brewing away at 7-11. Wikipedia says this about tea eggs in Taiwan:

"In Taiwan, tea eggs are a fixture of convenience stores. Through 7-Eleven chains alone, an average of 40 million tea eggs are sold per year.
Also some people would say that the tea eggs' flavor is very addictive. It tends to linger in one's mouth because of the star anise used in the preparation. This spice has also commonly been used in teas from other countries, where they also report a similar addictive quality. Tea eggs can be made with or without cracks, but will still have the same flavor, but a different appearance. The most traditional way to prepare them is simply to make cracks in the shells after they are finished hard boiling, but before one soaks or boils them in the brine made out of tea, sugar, soy sauce, star anise, and cinnamon. All of these ingredients can be modified depending on a person's preference. Soaking the eggs for longer will result in more flavor."

We haven't tried them yet, but will soon!

Happy Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T21:15:00.000+08:00

Saying goodbye to the rabbit and hello to the dragon. We celebrated yesterday with friends with lots of food - bbq for lunch and all sorts of traditional foods for dinner!

Cheeto fail

2012-01-16T20:41:00.000+08:00

Seaweed flavored cheetos. We bought them. Ate a couple. Decided they were gross. In a moment of desperation ate a few more and confirmed they were gross.

Voting day

2012-01-14T16:33:00.000+08:00

People lined up down the street from our apartment to vote in Taiwan's presidential election.

Next Stop...

2012-01-10T07:10:00.002+08:00

Kathmandu! Over winter break, Allison and I flew to Bangkok with baby T and were offered jobs to teach in Kathmandu, Nepal. We'll be sad to leave our friends in Taiwan, but can't wait for the next step of our adventure.

Missing home

2012-01-08T21:05:00.000+08:00

This was the first Christmas both Jeremiah and I spent away from our families. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year with Tegan, however we definitely missed our families and Portland.

Having a baby in Taiwan

2011-12-29T21:06:00.007+08:00

In the last year we've learned a lot about having a baby in Taiwan, heck, we've learned a lot about having a baby in general! We went the doctor/hospital route, so I don't know anything about other forms of prenatal care and birthing. I'll outline what we learned... if anyone has questions feel free to contact me.

Medical
When we decided to have a baby here we didn't know where to go at first. A representative from Kuang Tien had come to our school and explained their international program for foreigners - translators and specialized services offered. Translators in particular caught our attention - if we were going to have a baby we wanted to make sure the doctor and we were communicating clearly (not always the case when you go to the doctor here, though most do speak medical english). The hospital was a bit of a drive away from us, so we decided to try it and see if it was worth the drive - it was. There are, however, lots of hospitals and clinics available.

I called the international phone number at Kuang Tien and asked for an appointment with an obgyn. The man who answered the phone didn't know what an obgyn was: maybe not the best translator, but once I told him the point - we wanted a baby - he figured it out. I told them the times I could come in and he recommended a doctor for me who had clinic hours at the times I could come in - turns out he picked a great doctor for us (we'll always be grateful for that choice).

Once I was pregnant we went in for doctor visits on the same schedule as one would go in the states. I got an ultrasound every visit so we got to see our baby a lot. At first we had a translator that went with us to each visit but our doctor's english was great so we didn't need the translator. Almost all visits and treatments were covered under the national health insurance NHI. We paid about $3US a visit, and out of pocket for a few extra optional tests (maybe $30US? - not much). I wrote more about a typical prenatal doctor visit in my last post.

We flew back to the states around 20 weeks and back to Taiwan around 28 weeks - we got a letter from the doctor in english and chinese saying I was safe to fly during that time but had no problems with the airlines. We also got copies of medical records to take back with me in case something happened while I was home.

When it came time to have the baby we requested private rooms. At our hospital women labor in a common room with curtains and then are moved into a delivery room. We preferred our own room - we paid extra for this and are glad we did. We also paid extra for a big private recovery room and again were happy with this choice.

I had asked our doctor earlier who would deliver our baby if he wasn't available - he laughed and said it was his job so our course it would be him, and it was. I'm not sure if this is always the case or if we were a special circumstance.

It was important that though labor, delivery and recovery we advocated for what we wanted and how we wanted things to go. We noticed people got stuck on doing things a certain way simply because that's how its been done before and some of what we expected was different from what the nurses and doctors were used to - anything from bigger medical decisions to simple baby care - and we had to request for things to go a certain way (I'm sure everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we were finally discharged :).

Typical hospital stays after birth are 3 days or 5 for c-section. We had our baby room in with us and nurses and doctors were always coming and going. Often when only 1 nurse was required 2 or 3 would come so they could pool their english knowledge. Doctors would come and translate forms for us, and once even a young ENT resident came to translate for us. There was a place for Jeremiah to sleep and he only went to work the last 2 days (much to the nurses dismay - who would take care of me??? um.... them!). Breastfeeding was supported and encouraged.

Insurance
We have National Health Insurance - NHI. It covered almost all my prenatal visits, though when I went over the standard amount of covered visits our cost was still only about $9US each visit. Health insurance for the baby is covered under mom the first 2 months (this is the same for Taiwanese moms/babies too). However, foreigner babies have to be in Taiwan for 4 months before they can get NHI. This leaves a gap of at least 2 months (we're having a hard time determining if it is 4 months from birth or 4 months from the time they get their ARC). We looked into private insurance to cover the few months in case something went wrong but this proved difficult. We will pay out of pocket for health care until NHI kicks in for her. The out of pocket cost of the birth for us was under $100US and we had the added expense of the private rooms we requested, though this still was so cheap compared to home.

Clothes/Supplies/Stuff
I bought maternity clothes from home. Sizes and styles here didn't really suit me. I also bought my prenatal vitamins from home though I did see them available at our local pharmacy (not sure of the quality or what is in them though) and a friend bought some at costco here.

As it got closer I packed my hospital bag with recommendations from folks in the states. Some supplies needed were not provided by the hospital but we could purchase there so we did that.

We bought a Chicco carseat at SOGO. We mostly see moms here holding their babies in the car (I was told a law is changing this) and a few people laughed at us when they saw we had it in the car early in case I went into labor. We bought most of her clothes from the states - baby clothes here can be expensive or just not what we are used to. We also brought basic medicines from home as well as cloth diapers. There are many baby stores in Taichung that are well stocked with just about everything you could want - some familiar brands and many Taiwanese brands. Our nursery is furnished from Ikea.

Legal
Soon after birth we went to AIT for her passport, SSN and consular birth certificate - their website is very helpful in figuring out all you need and though you can't call to ask questions they are very quick in responding to emails. what the website doesn't say is you may have to prove that you lived in the states for a period of time (even if both parents are US citizens) and I was told college transcripts is the easiest way to do that, though they didn't actually ask to see ours when we went. Passport came in the mail in a few weeks, SSN a few weeks after that. Our employer applied for her ARC (we were told this must be done within 30 days of birth). The hardest thing about all of this was getting a suitable passport photo of a newborn - we took about 100 pictures to get one of her that met standards.

Other miscellaneous cultural things
-I think our baby will never be dressed warm enough for the moms and grandmas we meet.
-I was asked many times who would take care of my baby after she was born - typically the month after birth is a time for the mom to recover and she has help taking care of the baby, sometimes even staying at a special clinic. It appeased some when I told them my mom would come visit for awhile.
-No one ever came up to me and touched my belly as often happens in the states but many people were curious and had questions
-Warm water is always better than cold (as is the case also when you are sick) though I stuck to my ice water and cold drinks
-Special foods are given to mom to help her recover from birth - soup is key.
-People laughed when they saw all the baby furniture we had and our nursery set up.
-We get a lot of advice from people when we go out with the baby

I admit I was nervous at first about having a baby abroad but as soon as I met my doctor and got some information I felt very comfortable and we are so happy with the way everything turned out.

*Edit: we also found this forum helpful: Parent Pages

Prenatal care in Taiwan - visiting the doctor

2011-12-27T19:40:00.001+08:00

Since I have gotten many questions about what our health care is like I thought I'd share a typical prenatal appointment experience. I also posted this awhile ago on our other blog.

We have been going to Kuang Tien Hospital and work with the international department who provides assistance to foreigners - a huge plus for us! For this particular visit, I emailed the international coordinator and asked her to make an appointment for me, I received an email back the next day telling me I was #9 for August 2nd and could show up any time after 9:30am. We got to the office a little after 9:30 and the nurse checked me in - weight, blood pressure, etc. She then took my file, baby book that tracks my development and health card to the doctor and we went in a few minutes later.

In the doctor's office I had an ultrasound (I have one every visit). He measured Baby O's head size, femur bone and abdomen to help determine due date (still around October 22nd). He measured the heart rate (normal) and checked for any problems (none). Finally, we discussed that she is breech and what that may mean down the road. For now, however, she has plenty of room to turn around.

After the ultrasound we went to the computer where he noted information in my file. He explained the blood test that I was to get next and sent us on our way with a nurse to get my blood test, and for Jeremiah to get his blood type determined since we didn't know it.

The nurse took us to the blood drawing area and we took a number. After about 10 people it was our turn and the nurse translated for us when needed. The nurse took us back to the obstetrics waiting area while they processed Jeremiah's blood type. 30 minutes later they called us in and told us I would need to get a shot today and one after I give birth. The nurse walked us to the pharmacy to pick up the injection (she waited in line for me to get it) and then took us to the injection room. We took a number and waited our turn. This was the craziest part of the day - I was called into a good sized room that was filled with people. One man was sitting in a chair getting bandages on what looked like road burn on his back and arms. There were 5 beds with people in them getting various treatments - a young boy getting an IV, someone getting a burn bandaged, an old man getting blood and a few others. Everyone out in the open. I was showed to a bed and while everyone else was out in the open getting more intense procedures than I was, the nurse closed the curtain around us, then gave me the shot in my arm and we were sent on our way home.

We paid about $3US and it included everything. The interactions with the doctor were all in english and the nurse who took us around translated for us when the other nurses didn't speak english. A productive and satisfactory visit. We have found that with the right doctor, who understands there are some cultural differences in medical practices between America and Taiwan, and is flexible around those differences, everything can go very smoothly. We are very fortunate to have such doctors.

Missed us?

2011-12-21T11:35:00.000+08:00

So apparently being pregnant and then having a baby means I cannot maintain a blog - or at least not 2 blogs (see: www.teamosullivan.blogspot.com). In case anyone is wondering we are doing well and enjoying new baby time. I'm thinking I will do a post soon about having a baby in Taiwan from an expat's perspective in case there are others in our shoes. And as we start to get out again more there will be more fabulous Taiwan pictures and stories to tell!

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

2011-09-12T17:59:00.000+08:00

In case we had forgotten why we had the day off from school today, google reminded us:

Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival is today, the 15th day of the eighth month following the lunar calendar. In Taiwan many families celebrate with moon cakes, pomelo fruit and BBQ.

Sample platter for teachers at school. Some moon cakes are sweet, some "salty" (usually meat-filled).

We like the sweet ones!

Tea for two

2011-09-11T14:33:00.000+08:00

Tea served in two very different ways, both found in Taichung:

Green tea served in heavy cups along with rice and hot pot

English black tea served with milk and sugar in delicate tea cups

along with crust-less sandwiches and scones

A slice with a side of clam

2011-08-19T19:59:00.000+08:00

Your local Italian place in Taiwan may not have pepperoni pizza, but there's a good chance they will serve a seafood pizza. Often with a sprinkling of corn for good measure.

Sunny New Hampshire

2011-07-18T11:51:00.002+08:00

We spent the last 10 days visiting New Hampshire and some of Jeremiah's family. We started at Stout Oak Farm in Epping with cousin Kate and her husband Jeff and then went to Uncle Ron and Aunt Barbara's summer house at Emerald Island on Lake Sunapee.

We helped Kate where we could on her farm - weeding, harvesting, washing and taking the organic vegetables to farmer's markets. We caught up over crops of onions and snap peas. It was a great learning experience for us to see all that goes into growing and preparing organic foods and having fresh vegetables for meals everyday was amazing.

Jeremiah and his aunt weeding

Eight ball zucchini, garlic and scallions ready for market

At Lake Sunapee we took relaxation to whole new level. We chatted, read, kayaked, swam, and ate ice cream. The weather was perfect, the house amazing and the company wonderful.

We are now back in Oregon now and have been greeted by rain. This weekend we head to Central Oregon and at the end of the month we head back to Taiwan.

All-American Fourth of July

2011-07-06T04:40:00.000+08:00

Family + BBQ + games + homemade cake and ice cream + fireworks = a happy 4th!

Napa and Sanoma - wine country

2011-06-22T01:37:00.000+08:00

Vineyards

Olive oil tasting - perfect for the pregnant ladies

Flowering Cactus

Hot pot galore

2011-04-26T20:27:00.000+08:00

All you can eat buffet hot pot - how can it get any better? You pick your soup broth, veggies, proteins, sauces and then add some side dishes (dumplings, salad, lo bao gao) and finish off the meal with some mochi or ice cream. Delicious!

Happy Earth Day

2011-04-23T19:35:00.001+08:00

(...a day late)

(taken at a local elementary school by our house)

Oh, Baby O!

2011-04-19T11:17:00.000+08:00

13 weeks!

(Don't worry, this will still remain a travel blog, but if you'd like to watch us take on the daunting and exciting task of becoming parents, come on over to Team O'Sullivan!)

Passport photos

2011-04-18T15:19:00.000+08:00

Fall flashback?

2011-04-12T18:31:00.000+08:00

New flavor of Pocky hit the shelves this month:

Weird, but delicious.

Where we dress up and play chauffeur/spirit guardian

2011-04-09T14:46:00.000+08:00

Last weekend our good friends Scott and Mini got married. It was a wonderful mix of Taiwanese and American culture. We were especially lucky to be a part of the ceremony that takes place at the bride's home. To start the show Scott had to pass three tests (drinking some nasty tea, sorting corn kernels and soy beans, and finally writing "I love Mini" in Chinese characters), profess his love for Mini loudly and then the couple kneeled infront of Mini's mom and I assume asked for permission to get married (this part was not translated for us but was the most emotional, even for me and I didn't even understand it!).

I was given the role of what Mini said translated roughly to "spirit guardian". My job was to block the sun using a bamboo circle. I did this when they left the house and then again when she went into the church. After that she was fine to be in the sun again.

Jeremiah was the official chauffeur. We carefully squeezed all of Mini's dress into our small backseat.

With our cars decorated in traditional red bows traffic was a bit more forgiving to our caravan than they normally would be. On the way to the church and the reception groomsmen lit firecrackers in the street.

The ceremony at the church was much like we were used to a home, though because few people are Christian in Taiwan a church ceremony is uncommon. We moved on to the reception, where like the other Taiwanese weddings we've been to there was more food than we knew what to do with; though the addition of a dance floor and garter toss made it uniquely their own.

Thanks Scott and Mini for letting us be a part of your special day!

Come on summer

2011-04-07T19:09:00.000+08:00

While Jeremiah likes the cool weather, I am ready for the sun to come out! Today was beautiful and I'm hopeful it sticks around. Snapped this photo while we were on a walk around the neighborhood - without our coats on!

Fire Drill

2011-03-19T12:22:00.000+08:00

Need a quick escape from a burning building? In Taiwan you won't find ladders or stairs, rather you will see a system of ropes and posts. We practiced this at school and found it to be a bit of a lengthy process if you haven't done it before. Basically a rope is looped around your chest and you lower yourself from a post that hangs out the window or on a balcony. The fire fighters were careful to remind us if you do this to keep your arms down (so the rope doesn't slide up and off!).

Jeremiah volunteered to test the system out - I'm happy to report he made it to the bottom safely!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-18T11:25:00.000+08:00

Things have been busy here - but we certainly took the time to make sure we wore green yesterday.

Dragon fruit

2011-03-03T18:54:00.000+08:00

Dragon fruit innards are sometimes white and sometimes this amazing purple - impossible for me to tell from the outside. This purple is always a shock when I cut into one. When the fruit is perfectly ripe we love it, get it just a little off however and it tastes pretty flavorless, especially compared to other fruits in Taiwan.

Mochi

2011-02-19T13:51:00.001+08:00

Mochi is glutinous rice cake used a lot in Japan. We were given these hand-made mochi stuffed with sweet fillings. They were delicious! I learned an important lesson with these though - don't just pop a whole one in your mouth, they are so sticky that they get lodged in your throat causing a momentary panic attack when you can't breath. My advice: take small bites (and don't wear black, they are always covered in flour that gets everywhere no matter how careful you are).

Roses are red

2011-02-14T19:48:00.000+08:00

We haven't had the onslaught of jewelry commercials or Hallmark greeting cards but with roses and chocolates for sale at school today there was certainly a festival mood, and, just like at home, I will probably go to bed with a stomach ache from too much chocolate.

Apple sidra

2011-02-14T10:04:00.000+08:00

I love this apple flavored soda! If you come across it I definitely suggest you try it - just look for the bright yellow label and the tag line "without chemical ingredients".

first time we've seen it in a glass bottle!

Our lucky charm

2011-02-12T20:57:00.000+08:00

Last year we took chinese lessons then after summer break never started them back up. Turns out we are now terrible students. However, we had a wonderful teacher who, despite our failures in studying, still does sweet things for us - like giving us goodies for moon festival and making this:

In the note that accompanied she told us that this is a "ping-an" or lucky charm which will bring us good luck and protect us from anything bad all year round.

Thanks so much Katie!

Taroko Gorge

2011-02-10T17:28:00.000+08:00

Taroko Gorge is beautiful. We spent only a day there and would love to go back. We first did a popular hike along the river then took a shuttle bus around the park, getting off to walk a stretch wearing very fashionable, and required, hard-hats.

Luckily the effectiveness of the hard-hats was not tested. We did, however, experience the reason why cars are only allowed into the park at certain hours after sitting on the bus waiting for traffic to fight it's way through single lane tunnels. Slow goings! The good side of the wait was it allowed for more time to appreciate the scenery.

My favorite part was the water - it's so blue! And of course the hard-hats.

Lantern send-off

2011-02-08T20:15:00.001+08:00

During Chinese New Years many people write their wishes onto paper lanterns then send them off into the sky. The lantern festival is technically a little later in the chinese new year, but we decided to do one while we were in Hualien just in case we don't make it to the festival (or it's too crowded to do our own!). We took a short video on our phone of the lift off:

Hualien trip through an iphone

2011-02-06T18:16:00.000+08:00

We just got back from a few day trip to Hualien on the east coast of Taiwan. We were warned not to travel during Chinese New Year because of traffic but in fact had no trouble. The highlight of the trip was seeing Taroko Gorge, but until I edit those photos here are some others from our phones:

Tea and dessert

Citrus tree - popular at Chinese New Year

Market food - candied tomatoes and strawberries

Rice served wrapped in a leaf

7-11 character dressed for the year of the rabbit

Art from Irawaddy restaurant serving food from Myanmar

(good food, but not very true to Myanmar dishes says our friend who lived there)

Chili flavored ice cream - so spicy!

(found at a "chili world" rest stop between Hualien and Taipei)

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-02T21:11:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

Fruit market

2011-02-01T14:39:00.000+08:00

Jujube (I think), bell fruit and buddha's head

Wedding bliss

2011-02-01T14:00:00.000+08:00

This weekend was full of marriage celebration - Saturday was our 5th anniversary and Sunday we went to a co-workers wedding.

Jeremiah helping me down the stairs after I tripped on my dress

Our co-worker and husband toasting with guests

Dinner

2011-01-30T20:04:00.000+08:00

Waiting for teppanyaki goodness - the food is

fast, delicious and cooked right in front of you

Chinese New Year

2011-01-28T16:32:00.001+08:00

We celebrated Chinese New Year at school this week - parents brought lots of delicious food and explained some of the traditions.

Tangerines symbolize luck; oranges wealth - go here to read more about what foods symbolize

Red envelopes traditionally filled with money, these had chocolate coins

We learned some calligraphy

And now we're on vacation for a little over a week to celebrate New Years. Xīn nián kuài lè!

Who wants a burger?

2011-01-24T17:37:00.000+08:00

If you find yourself in Taipei looking for a good veggie burger (or real burger if you are into that sort of thing) look up KGB Kiwi Gourmet Burgers. Veggies can choose from 9 burger varieties with a lentil/walnut patty while the meat eaters among us can peruse the 10 beef, 10 chicken and 1 lamb options. A sampling of their menu from their website:

CC Heaven – smooth creamy camembert cheese covered with cranberry sauce. It’s thanksgiving on a burger. Great with beef or chicken or the walnut lentil patty.

Satay – Indonesian style peanut satay sauce is perfect on chicken but really it goes with anything.

Lamb Burger – a NZ lamb patty with honey lemon feta, tsaziki and a sliced cucumber.

Bacon Avocado – crispy bacon on top of fresh avocado.

KGB Aioli – Aioli is a delicious Spanish ginger and lime mayonnaise.

The Tower – a stack of freshly grilled vegetables including egg plant, red pepper, yellow pepper, mushroom, lettuce & a ginger lime aioli.

The Classic – mustard, ketchup, pickles and melted Gouda cheese.

Little Piggy – bacon and Gouda cheese – the classic cheeseburger.

These were so good Jeremiah wished later that he had eaten 2 while he had the chance. We recommend you check them out!

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Does this mask match my shoes?

2011-01-20T11:16:00.001+08:00

One of the first things I noticed about all the scooter drivers in Taiwan was all the masks they wear. This is to help prevent breathing in the fumes and pollution in the air. Now, who knows if that actually works at all, but there are a few other benefits to wearing a mask. #1 - they keep your face warm when you drive in the cold and #2 - yet another chance to accessorize your outfit.

Add sunglasses and my face disappears!

1, 2, and 3

2011-01-18T10:11:00.000+08:00

After a lot of discussion, Allison and I have decided that we're going to stay in Taiwan for a third year. Even though we haven't even been here for a year a half, as international teachers, you have to plan ahead so the schools have time to hire other teachers at the job fairs. We love it here and we're looking forward to exploring more of the island, hanging out with our friends, and working at our school.

Stepping back in time

2011-01-15T15:47:00.002+08:00

Across from the Taipei Train Station is an odd looking entrance to a place called Taiwan Storyland (more information here). We had walked by it a few times, and then had a recommendation to check it out, so we did. Taiwan Storyland is a replication of what Taiwan looked like in the 1950's-70's.

There were streets with storefronts (think dentist, barbershop, school, clothing stores, tea houses, etc.) and some shops where you could go in and buy things. My favorite was looking at the posters they had hung all over the brick buildings.

We enjoyed looking around and would recommend it to people interested in Taiwan's past.

East meets geek

2011-01-13T21:26:00.000+08:00

Santa brought these awesome lightsaber chopsticks to our stocking this year. We may need to have a follow-up purchase to get the other colors...

Wedding gifts

2011-01-11T20:09:00.000+08:00

Today we received this box of goodness. Food gifts are given often for all sorts of occasions, complete with cute boxes and always given to the recipient in the bag. The occasion this time? A coworker is getting married and these are her wedding cookies. Brides give out elaborate boxes of cookies to all her friends after getting engaged. These look particularly delicious - can't wait to dig in!

Toto we're not in Taiwan anymore

2011-01-05T10:32:00.000+08:00

Before heading back to Taiwan in a couple days we are savoring all things "home".

Frost on the windshield after a night in the cold central oregon air

From us to you

2011-01-02T10:21:00.000+08:00

We're so tricky

2011-01-02T02:36:00.001+08:00

So we lied. We told everyone we were staying in Taiwan for Christmas then going to Bangkok for New Years. We had lots of very good reasons why we needed to stay and couldn't come home this year. And for awhile, those were true. Then suddenly things changed and we bought plane tickets, rented a car, found a $200NT ($6US) santa suit and didn't tell anyone we were coming. That last part was the hardest, but the pay off was awesome.

Jeremiah's mom and dad were first up on Christmas Eve, and dressed up in the santa suit Jeremiah was hard to recognize. Even his mom had a hard time; as he stood there she stalled with the dragged out "oh you" desperately trying to figure out why a santa was standing in her walk-in closet with her. It took a few seconds but she was soon asking "what are you doing here?!" and the tears were flowing. His sister had a similar reaction with tears and hugs.

Jeremiah sneaking up to his parents house, and the reaction at his sister's house

Our next stop was Allison's family on Christmas day. When Grandma opened the door to her house I announced "special delivery" and then had three sets of eyes - grandma, mom and aunt - staring at me in bewilderment. What felt like a few minutes, but Jeremiah tells me was more like 20 seconds, nobody said anything. I yanked off the beard and nobody missed a beat with the tears. (Sadly there were no pictures of me in the santa suit, though a video of me running up the street with the santa pants [that I had pulled on over my jeans] falling off without me knowing would have been priceless.)

It will be hard to top this in years to come.

Santa comes to Taiwan

2010-12-30T14:49:00.000+08:00

Looks like he was running late... wonder where he was headed next? Oregon maybe?

Thanks ya'll!

2010-12-23T20:40:00.000+08:00

All your votes paid off - we won Taiwanderful's popular vote for Best Personal Taiwan Blog and Best Central Taiwan Blog! Thanks so much for all of you who visit and appreciate our blog. This whole thing started, and still is primarily for, our families but we've definitely gained a lot of readers in the last 6 months. I'm glad that we are able to share some of Taiwan and our travels with others.

Speaking of travels - we set out for Bangkok in a few days so probably no updates on the blog for a bit. Happy holidays!

Dreaming of....

2010-12-21T22:14:00.000+08:00

Downtown Portland

Expat christmas

2010-12-17T22:16:00.003+08:00

While our stockings may not be hung by the fire with care, our silver tinsel christmas trees, unique ornaments collected from near and far, and paper cut-out stars have made an appearance in our effort to be festive. I'm on my third viewing of The Family Stone, and of course Elf is in the queue. Hot chocolate, marshmallows and candycanes are in the cupboard. All these things don't quite make up for the fact that we will be half-way around the world from our families on Christmas, but makes it a little easier to swallow.

Are you an expat? How do you celebrate the season in your home away from home?

Read our blog and like it? Go to Taiwan blog awards and vote for us. Just click the "+" sign under the number box.

Are your ears burning?

2010-12-14T17:35:00.000+08:00

I'm afraid this guy's is going to be soon!

Read our blog and like it? Go to Taiwan blog awards and vote for us. Just click the "+" sign under the number box.

Longshan Temple

2010-12-12T10:45:00.000+08:00

We were in Taipei Saturday and got off the MRT at Longshan Temple stop, not knowing what Longshan Temple was but headed for a restaurant we wanted to try (more on that to come). I'm glad we stopped by the temple itself to check it out - it's huge and ornate, and there was a lot of activity going on inside.

Along with burning incense and candles there was a lot of food offerings:

Outside there was a waterfall and fountains, these little girls were checking out the dragon and the koi:

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Long-Tien Butterfly Museum

2010-12-10T17:23:00.001+08:00

Taiwan has many different varieties of butterflies, about 377 in fact, maybe more. When I was in Taitung for a field trip we visited the Long-Tien Butterfly Museum. While this "museum" wasn't much to look at on the inside (though the family running it were very helpful and clearly passionate about butterflies), outside we were able to see many varieties of butterflies in all stages up close and personal.

Pretty awesome!

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Rainbow Village

2010-12-07T19:40:00.003+08:00

An old military dependents’ village in Taichung has been transformed by Huang Yung-fu, an 86-year-old veteran, into what is now known as Rainbow Village. Apparently he had some time on his hands and saw the walls of these drab buildings as a huge canvas.

Recently the buildings were slated to be torn down, but after protests Taichung Mayor Jason Hu promised it would be preserved.

This area is tiny, two small alleys, but every inch is covered with paintings - it's amazing.

From the articles I've read it seems it's all been painted very recently, and he may even still be working on it.

The area was a little tricky for us to find, and luckily we found another person who showed us the way. If you are in the area and would like to check it out yourself have a look at the map:

View Larger Map

The map and the picture below are the entrance we were shown - there may be an easier way to get there. Follow the arrows (you will go through a small walkway between this green wall and the fence and feels a bit like you are trespassing) keep walking, veer right, and soon you will see the bright colors.

Not the most welcoming entrance, but this is your farewell image:

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Double your wardrobe

2010-12-06T14:22:00.000+08:00

Awhile ago I wrote about preparing for cooler weather in Taiwan. I failed to mention that you can also follow local fashion and simply wear tights or leggings under your shorts!

Food vendor

2010-12-05T13:20:00.000+08:00

I think the pearls are a nice touch

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The mutual love bean?

2010-12-04T11:03:00.001+08:00

When I saw this necklace on shu flies' blog I remembered the seeds I had safely stored in a dish on the shelf, not sure what else to do with them. I was given the seeds at the Jhihben National Forest Recreation Area by a guide who in broken english explained to me that they were special because they were shaped like hearts. I looked them up last night and they are Saga seeds, also called love seeds. They are often used in making jewelery because of their amazing color and in China they are known as xiang si dou (相思豆), or "mutual love bean" (I don't know if they are known by the same name in Taiwan - perhaps someone out there knows). I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with mine, but I sure love the color.

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At the airport

2010-12-02T19:37:00.001+08:00

Read our blog and like it? Go to Taiwan blog awards and vote for us. Just click the "+" sign under the number box.

Taiwan blog awards

2010-12-01T08:20:00.002+08:00

In the spirit of spreading the Taiwan love around, and promoting great Taiwan blogs, Taiwanderful.net is again hosting the Best Taiwan Blog Awards. If you've read our blog and like our stuff, consider voting for us: visit this link and click the little plus sign under the number box. Like last year, each person can only vote once per day. Thanks so much!

(If those of you are wondering what happened to the Go! Oversees voting that happened awhile back we were ranked 4th - yay!).

Leave the gum at customs

2010-11-29T19:21:00.000+08:00

Being in Singapore almost felt like we had left Asia. This is largely due to the people living there - a large part of the population (42% wikipedia tells me) are foreigners. Walking down the street you see people from all over the world, and we heard languages ranging from Chinese to French with a lot of English. On our hotel TV there was a channel in Chinese, one in English, one in an India language (I'm not sure which) with a variety of subtitles on each. We also felt the British influence - people drive on the left, signs ask people to queue, and people spoke in British English.

The city was pristine (except for that gum I ironically stepped in after our cab driver told us it is true that gum is not allowed in Singapore). The metro was easy to use to get around the city. Everybody was very nice and helpful. All things that make for a great trip. And it was a great trip. Except... the malls. Now I admit our hotel was located on Orchard Road, the shopping area, so our vision of Singapore may be skewed compared to others'. But there seemed to be malls where ever we went. Upscale, really nice, expensive malls. On a 15 minute walk home we counted 3 Dolce and Gabbana stores. The feeling of constant consumerism wore me out.

What did we love about Singapore? The food, the diversity, the colors, the pretty authentic feel of the Little India area, the reverse bungee ride, and the view of the city at night. And amidst all those malls were Christmas trees and decorations, which, being a sucker for Christmas decor, I loved.

Thanksgiving Abroad

2010-11-28T20:43:00.000+08:00

Since we were working through our Thanksgiving holiday break, the chaperones of the trip decided to celebrate with as traditional of a meal as we could get. Luckily, Singapore had options for us. We ended up at the Hyatt Hotel where in addition to their normal menu, a special Thanksgiving set meal was served.

Everyone walked away satisfied and almost uncomfortably full - just as it should be on Thanksgiving. We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Greetings from Singapore

2010-11-24T14:29:00.000+08:00

Hey folks, that's right, we're in Singapore for work. Can't wait to post some of the pictures we've been taking - let me tell ya, Singapore is ready for Christmas!

PS Hello to all the new readers from Matador Abroad!

Best tofu ever

2010-11-18T21:56:00.001+08:00

We eat at a Japanese restaurant near our house often - sometimes a few times a week. The menu is all in Chinese, so we've depended on the kindness of the staff to help us and boy have they come through. I communicated early that I was vegetarian and for quite awhile I stuck with udon noodles and a tofu that wasn't my favorite. One day Jeremiah came back with sān bēi dòufu - three cup tofu. In its normal form this dish is sān bēi jī - three cup chicken, but our friends at the restaurant offered to make it veggie for me (though to be quite honest I'm not sure how veggie the sauce is that they cook it in). It is now one of my favorite dishes - cooked in an earthenware pot and chock full of basil, whole cloves of garlic and ginger (which I don't usually like but it works for me in this dish).

Team waiguoren

2010-11-14T15:28:00.001+08:00

This weekend Jeremiah and a friend played in a badminton tournament. They play with a group of Taiwanese people and always joke about how bad they are compared to everyone else. So naturally, they went in pretty sure they would get smashed but held their own and ended up winning one of their games.

Have an announcement?

2010-11-12T09:40:00.000+08:00

Share it with the world, or at least those passing by, with these awesome signs. I'm pretty sure they are used for weddings and funerals, perhaps more. Whatever the occasion, they sure brighten the sides of the streets!

Guava

2010-11-06T23:24:00.000+08:00

I'd never had a guava before, and when I first got one at the market shortly after arriving in Taichung I didn't like it. But lately, paired with plum powder, this is my favorite snack. I've gone through 4 this week! I scoop out the seeds, but some of my students have told me they like to eat them. I've heard there are pink varieties in other places in the world, I'm keeping my out to try them!

Attracting a crowd

2010-11-04T21:40:00.000+08:00

Dried plums

2010-11-01T20:53:00.000+08:00

The package says "it tastes sour and sweet" - they aren't joking about the sour part. I hated these at first but they've grown on me. They are kind of like the candy warheads - sour on the outside but once you suck on them long enough they are sweet. I enjoy them just as they are; sometimes they are served in tea (yuck!) and even in the middle of candies.

I'm pretty sure you can get these at asian markets in the states - I encourage you to try, just for the experience.

Le Jardin du Petit Prince Restaurant

2010-10-31T09:19:00.001+08:00

Finding new restaurants in Taichung is always a good thing, because we often end up going to the same ones over and over. Yesterday I was taken to a new vegetarian restaurant - Le Jardin du Petit Prince - and I really hope it stays open because I loved it.

Between the 4 (and 1/2) of us, we ordered Fried Rice with Pinenuts, Risotto with Porcini, and the Quesadilla. Each meal came with a salad chock full of fruits, soup and bread, sesame pudding, brownie, macaron and drink (juice, tea or coffee) for around $380NT each. It was all fabulous.

Logistics (taken from Compass Magazine):
(04) 2295-6488
178, ZhongPing Rd
Hours: 11:30am-9 pm
(closed Mondays)
Credit cards not accepted.
*There are dairy products used in many of the dishes

View Taichung in a larger map

Then and now: Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T07:51:00.000+08:00

Then:

Pumpkins carved in 2005

Now:

No pumpkins to carve? That's ok -

there's an app for that - "carving" pumpkins on our phones

What do I bring to Taiwan?: Cool weather wardrobe check

2010-10-28T20:26:00.002+08:00

We often get asked by people moving to Taiwan what they should bring. It's a hard question to answer. But, as we go through this second year I'm able to get some perspective on the things that we found important. I'm hoping the "What do I bring to Taiwan" posts can help give some ideas to those moving here about what to pack.

Last year at about this time I started wishing that I hadn't filled my bag with only shorts and tank tops, because it started getting chilly outside. And worse than that, I quickly found out it was often cooler inside than out (I guess when you have tile floors and concrete walls you should expect the cold to stay). We're more prepared this year - each with a few long-sleeve overshirts and sweater/sweatshirts.

The last few days it has cooled down a lot in Taichung (currently 67 wunderground says); people are bringing out their pants and sweaters. Not this cold yet though:

Cool rainy day in February

Tea-licious

2010-10-19T19:34:00.000+08:00

Wonderful things can be done with green tea, here are a few of our recent discoveries:

Green tea flavored ice cream - wasn't J's favorite, I love it.

Green tea black sesame frappuccino - we both love this!

Green tea kit kats found in Japan

(photo from here because I ate mine before remembering to take a photo)

Safety first

2010-10-16T15:20:00.001+08:00

It's amazing how much of a different feel you get of the city when you see it from a scooter rather than a car.

Sometimes I get moments of panic when holding onto Jeremiah though. I wish I was one of those kids with the super over-protective parents riding their bikes with full gear - helmet, knee and elbow pads, and wrist guards. But I think maybe I could also use shin guards on my legs and some for my forearms too. Just in case.

For now I'll hold back on the excessive protective measures and stick to my helmet (plus sunscreen).

Lantern love

2010-10-13T20:00:00.000+08:00

I just can't get enough of the lanterns, I love them!

Midnight escapades

2010-10-08T14:26:00.000+08:00

My second day in Yokohama was full of volleyball games and activities (including a dinner where I accidentally ate chicken cartilage) so by the time I got back to my hotel I was ready for bed. You can imagine my upset when I was so rudely awoken at 1:00am by a constant knocking in the hallway. I tried to stick it out wishing I had brought earplugs, but finally I crawled out of bed to investigate. Through the peephole I could see a man who appeared to be locked out of his room. Nothing too unusual, but I had to stop myself from laughing out loud because not only was he locked out, but he was locked out with no clothes on! No clothes! How does that happen? It got better a few moments later when I heard voices. I thought maybe someone had finally let him in. But no, it was only the couple next door who had come home. They stood only a few feet from the naked man but pretended like he wasn't there at all! He persisted knocking for at least another good half and hour and soon after that I fell back asleep.

In the morning I was glad to see he was no longer in the hallway but I did really have to think to remember if it actually happened or if it had all just been a dream. We've enjoyed coming up with many different ideas about how he came to be in the hallway sans clothing.

Yokohama

2010-10-05T16:38:00.000+08:00

I went to Yokohama this weekend as the coach for our girl's volleyball team. Most of the time this was my view:

But I did get out a little to see some of the sights:

We will certainly have to go back to Japan to see more than just the inside of a gym and the airport!

Simply adorable

2010-09-28T19:06:00.000+08:00

We went to a 1st birthday this weekend, and this little cutie was rocking the best tutu ever:

Then and now: books

2010-09-25T13:08:00.001+08:00

Then:

Unpacking and shelving our books after moving to the Hawthorne area in Portland

Now:

Jeremiah's is on the left (the newer version) and mine is on the right.
We LOVE them! Very travel friendly

What does that say??

2010-09-24T16:35:00.001+08:00

It can be very difficult to look words up in Chinese because of the characters. Mostly we just don't worry about anything that's written or have someone read it for us, but occasionally you really need to understand something and no one is around. I've found a website - nciku - that will let you draw the character without knowing the correct order of the strokes. It can be tedious with more complex characters or if you have many characters to read, but if there are just a few words this tool can be very helpful. Now, if a button accidentally gets pushed on our air conditioning remote I know which one to push to get it back.

Zhōngqiū jié kuàilè! - Happy moon festival!

2010-09-22T00:17:00.001+08:00

Mid-autumn festival, or moon festival is upon us. During the last week we have had many sorts of mooncakes - red bean, taro, pomelo, pineapple and a few others that remain a mystery. Most we like, some we don't, but like steamed buns it's always a risk biting into one as the middle could be anything (including meat)!

Today we topped all those desserts off with BBQ at a friend's house:

The wheels on the bus

2010-09-20T23:10:00.001+08:00

I knew that bus travel can vary significantly depending on country, city, cost, etc. but I never really thought about differences in school buses. The buses I took to school were complete with uncomfortable bench seats, no AC and bus drivers yelling "quiet" and assumed that was every kids' experience with getting to school.

The school bus I was on this weekend for a volleyball trip is not even in the same ballpark as those yellow buses. School trips have a whole new meaning when the buses have reclining seats, DVD players, karaoke and multi-colored disco lights.

And in case you are thinking this is far too much like a party bus, please note the grandma-inspired doily head rest protectors.

Windy city

2010-09-19T07:40:00.001+08:00

The whole island is covered in orange/red now. The winds are making our windows rattle.

**Sunday evening update: Not a whole lot more than wind today, seems Fanapi decided to head south.

Typhoon Fanapi

2010-09-17T23:06:00.002+08:00

Looks like this typhoon will hit us tomorrow evening:

Easy bake oven

2010-09-16T22:10:00.004+08:00

Homemade cookies have been a thing of the past while in Taiwan, but for Jeremiah's birthday I decided to change that. We recently got a toaster oven (thanks Lisa!) and I had heard rumors that others had successfully made cookies with one. I pulled out our favorite peanut butter cookie recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance and went in search of the ingredients. I found almost everything at Jason's import grocery store and since there was no baking powder to be found I borrowed some from a friend. With Jeremiah at badminton practice I set to work.

I halved the recipe below and made really tiny cookies. The first batch cooked way too quickly and ended up in crumbles.

But the first batch is always the test batch right? I wasn't discouraged so I tried it again. Second batch worked like a charm. The perfect setting? About 175 degrees, bottom rack and only the top elements on. Then take them out and let cool until they harden enough to take off the sheet.

I was rather pleased with the end result, and more importantly, so was Jeremiah at 12:01am on his birthday when I surprised him with them.

Here is the original recipe. I halved it and left out the vanilla because I didn't want to buy a huge bottle of it for this experiment. Now that I know they will work perhaps I will invest in one. I'm looking forward to trying out other recipes!

Crunchy Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies (from Vegan with a Vengeance)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup chunky all natural peanut butter (salted is okay if you like a salty peanut butter flavor)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

(For a normal oven preheat oven to 350 F.) Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Toss together the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl (a big one because you're going to add dry stuff it it) mix together the oil, peanut butter, sugars, soy milk, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix. The dough will be very firm and moist.

Passion fruit

2010-09-15T22:10:00.001+08:00

A little plain looking on the outside, passion fruit is anything but plain on the inside. Just looking at this makes my mouth pucker! Throw some on a salad, put it in your ice green tea, top a bowl of ice cream with it or my favorite - cut it in half and eat it straight with a spoon.

A few of my favorite things

2010-09-13T19:37:00.001+08:00

We've been in Taiwan a year now. Looking back I'm so impressed at how much we've learned, experienced and seen. We certainly made the right choice in coming to Taiwan for our first international teaching jobs. When we set out on this journey we got so many questions about why we were leaving our families, friends, jobs, house, and the known behind. It certainly was hard to say good-bye to many of those things, but it was the unknown that excited us. We wanted to actively seek out situations that would be totally different from what I was used to; we wanted to be uncomfortable. Crazy? We certainly don't think so.

I look forward to things being more familiar this year and being able to appreciate the things I was too overwhelmed to appreciate last year and seek out the things I know I love. And what are those things you ask? Here they are - my favorite things about Taiwan thus far:

1. Food. Sure, I get tired of the same things over and over, and I miss food from home, but there is some fabulous food here and it has been very easy for me to eat vegetarian. At the top of my list is lo bo gao, the tofu from Thai Yun, and pineapple cake.

2. Chopsticks. There are so many different kinds, colors, designs. And they are small so you can collect a lot of them!

3. HSR - High speed rail. Trains are one of my favorite ways to travel. Taiwan's HSR is pretty great as far as trains go; it's so fast, clean and efficient!

4. Exploring new towns. This is harder because often english is in short supply but that's part of the adventure. I can't wait to find more this year!

5. And last but not least, the people! Everyone, and I feel pretty safe in saying literally everyone, has gone above and beyond to help us out when we need it (case in point: the phone company lady).

This is not a complete list, but some of the things that I looked forward to while we were traveling over the summer. What are your favorite things about where you live?

Like our blog?

2010-09-12T20:28:00.000+08:00

Go! Overseas - site with info about teaching, studying and volunteering abroad - has listed us as one of the top blogs in Taiwan and now you can vote for the best one (we are hoping you pick us). Click here to vote before the 20th. Thanks ya'll!

Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do

2010-09-12T18:50:00.001+08:00

I like protecting nature as much as the next person. I try to use natural products and stay away from harsh chemicals. I appreciate we have taken over other species' habitat and so insects and animals may need to share our homes.

It seems I draw the line with all of these things at cockroaches and mosquitoes. I've tried cohabiting with them and I just cannot. At school I can easily get 30 bites on just one leg, and recently have been finding little baby cockroaches in the kitchen. After trying more natural methods of keeping them away from me, I've pulled out the big guns. Really, they left me no choice (these scientists may be mad at me for my decision).

Now those baby cockroaches are dead (and I haven't seen a big one in the house yet) and the mosquitoes held at bay with bug spray and an electric bug bat. The ants seem to still be hanging out, but I'm ok with them (unless they start to take over my kitchen!)

Fishing at the market

2010-09-10T17:56:00.001+08:00

This girl is hooking turtles with a small pole and loops

taped to their shells - the night markets never cease to amaze

Phone company

2010-09-04T13:50:00.002+08:00

Dear Chunghwa Telecom employee (I think your english name may be Vicky),

We've seen you about 6 times in the last month. Probably 15 in the last year. We have had lots of questions about iphones, contracts, bills, wait-lists and repairs. We've used American credit cards that seem to add 30 minutes and complications to any purchase. You had to fill out our forms for us because we couldn't write our own address. We speak no Chinese. You've translated for issues that I am sure are outside your job description. We've brought friends with us promising them you would be able to help them too. We always come in at the end of the work day when you are probably tired and ready to go home.

While you probably curse under your breath when we walk in, you always appear to be happy to help. Your English is fabulous despite your protests that it isn't. You always explain our options to us rather than just saying it will be ok. Sometimes your co-workers try to help - but really you are the best.

Thank you so much. Xiexie.

Your waiguoren friends,
Allison and Jerry

DIY cooking

2010-09-01T18:09:00.001+08:00

Sometimes you don't realize you miss something until you have it again. Recent case in point: bbq. A couple weekends ago a group of us tried a new grill-your-own restaurant - kind of like the buffet hot pot places but with a grill in the middle of the tables - called Water Frog.

A whole lotta meat going on here

I ate all my veggies before I took the picture!

There were all sorts of meat and vegetables, sauces, and even desserts. It was great and the best part is that we didn't have to clean up the mess!

Finding this restaurant was timely as I had just run across these pictures as I was cleaning off my old computer:

vegan bbqing!

fun times with ali, leslie and b!

House of unique stink

2010-08-28T22:17:00.001+08:00

Before coming to Taiwan our friends Dan and Debbie invited us over to watch Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. One of the bizarre foods he tried was stinky tofu. Stinky tofu in different variations are everywhere, there is a shop just down the road from us (and trust me, when you walk by you can't miss it). So we've tried it a few times - me taking small bites and Jeremiah actually consuming most of a serving. However, the restaurant Andrew Zimmern went to looked to be just about the stinkiest of the stinky tofu you can get.

Video clip from the show - an introduction to stinky tofu; Andrew's visit to

Dai's House of Unique Stink starts at about the 5:00 minute mark.

We knew at some point we would make it to Dai's House of Unique Stink to see for ourselves just how bad it really is, and it just so happened that we found ourselves in Taipei with some time to kill when our moms were in town. Lucky them right? Right.

It took us a couple minutes just sitting in the restaurant to acclimate to the smell. It about knocks you over when you walk in. Ms. Wu herself came to take our order and recommended two varieties of stinky tofu - one that comes cold, soft and raw, and another that is fried. We tried the soft one first:

Folks, this is the grossest thing I have ever eaten. Think of the worst sewage smell you have ever experienced and imagine that being in your mouth. I thought some of us weren't going to be able to swallow it. We had chasers of dark, strong, juice that we quickly drank but the taste doesn't leave your mouth that easily. Next came the fried stinky tofu and Ms. Wu showed us how to prepare it.

Compared to the raw kind, fried was a piece of cake. Smothered in sauce it was manageable. Manageable as in I would probably never again eat it on purpose but if made to I could do it without gagging. Jeremiah rallied and went back for seconds of the raw type, and I think even ate a whole square of the fried one by himself.

Now whose ready to try some?

The price is right

2010-08-26T22:50:00.002+08:00

Bargaining is an essential travel skill that I lack. Not only am I not good at it, but I dread the whole process. I'd rather be labelled the silly foreigner than have to go through the process. But Jeremiah has absolutely mastered this skill and thoroughly enjoys the game aspect of the whole thing. It was clear during our first few trips to the markets that I simply cannot be around once bargaining begins. I try to be helpful, really I do, but as it turns out I'm more helpful to the vendor than Jeremiah. He can laugh at a price on their calculator and walk away like he genuinely doesn't want the product and I get nervous that he's not just acting but that he might actually walk away from the whole deal (and let's be real, it's usually something I want that he's trying to get). So now we discuss what we want under our breaths or through looks and eyebrow raises and then I walk away. I try to watch nonchalantly from a distance where my anticipation can't ruin it for him. Because we buy very few things for ourselves the items we choose are usually those we are very excited about having; so after money has changed hands and whole exchange is over, Jeremiah's walk back to my hiding spot has a victory lap feel to it. And I can breath a sigh of relief.

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

2010-08-22T11:44:00.001+08:00

Love this shot J took. Sunshine (or suntan) on shoulders is not always appreciated by the people in Taiwan.

Harold and the purple dumpling

2010-08-16T17:59:00.001+08:00

We got a surprise when we opened our order of take-away dumplings

Photo op

2010-08-13T22:38:00.002+08:00

For those of you who may be missing our smiling faces

I think the man that took this picture secretly wanted to be a photographer, he took our picture at least 18 times in front of the Taj Mahal. By this point in the trip I was used to having my picture taken, because throughout our time in India, especially in Delhi, strangers were taking our picture all the time. Some would come up and ask, some wanted to be in a picture with us, and others just took them from afar. I liked to wave at the camera when I caught them doing it. I think we only said no to a picture once. We had entered a mosque in hopes that it would be less crazy than the market outside where I thought I was going to have a breakdown if I stayed in the insanity for even one more second. The mosque unfortunately wasn't any better. The man who asked for a picture simply had terrible timing. I was hot, thirsty and trying to escape the stares and get quickly back to my shoes as the ground was searing my feet. I had just been called a rather mean name (though in retrospect I'm sure the young person who said it didn't really understand what it meant). I was also feeling self conscious in the comically bright pink floral muumuu I was given to cover my already very conservatively dressed self. Looking back it is humorous how ridiculous the whole situation was. But at the time I didn't feel any need to mark the moment with a picture of me and a stranger. So I declined. Jeremiah did however take a picture of the madness before we returned to it to get cold water and a rickshaw.

Delhi

Holy rats

2010-08-08T19:36:00.000+08:00

Before I even stepped into the temple I knew I wasn't going to like it. I hesitated before putting my bare foot down, hiked my pants up, and thought about what exactly I was going to be stepping on and contemplated turning back. I looked up and saw the temple filled with people calmly walking through and decided if they can all do this, I can too. While everyone in the temple was praying to their god, I was praying that I could keep it together enough to not scream if a rat ran over my foot. Ahead of me I saw a man jump away and decided I could allow myself that much if one got too close. Behind me Sanjay was reassuring me, again, that the rats are holy so they won't bite.

These little guys are everywhere. They cover the edges of the room and crisscross the floors between people's feet. They climb gates so when you turn your head there are rats at eye level. I'm not sure what I had expected but it wasn't what I saw. I do know that when I had read the word "rat" in the guide book in my head I had pictured the rats in pet stores - nice and clean. These weren't like that. We are told some of them were feeling hot and resting, though I'm not so sure they were simply sleeping. Death is certainly the fate of these rats if they chose to escape the temple; they are only holy when living inside. But why would they want to leave when they rats are fed a steady diet of sweets and sugary milk?

Jeremiah handled it much better than I did. He seemed as calm as the others and was willing to stop and get close to them to take pictures. We searched unsuccessfully for the extra special white rat that is supposed to be very lucky to see. I personally was glad to leave the temple and I'm okay if I never experience that again.

Cows and Camels and Monkeys, Oh My!

2010-08-06T21:41:00.003+08:00

Summer break is over and we are now back to school. We've only been back a few days but it feels good to be getting back into a routine of some sorts. We had a fabulous time in India and have been sorting photos and retelling stories to our friends and family. One of the things in India that continually blew us away were all the close encounters we had with animals. The sightings started slowly, goats and cows pulling carts in the busy markets of Delhi, and quickly gained momentum. By the end of the trip we had seen rats, camels, goats, elephants, monkeys, peacocks and cows... lots of cows.

Soon after setting out on the highway we saw herds of goats and sheep crossing the road. Cars slowed to a stop for cows who decided that the road would be a good place to stop for a sit-down break. Water buffalo crossed the road with cars weaving between them (our driver informed us while he laid on the horn that cows will move for cars but the buffalo just stand their ground). This highway traffic is different from what we are used to, but not too far out there. When we got to town it was the same story though. Cows, goats and pigs just kicking it in the road, in front of stores, crazing on piles of garbage. This means that while walking through town you would have to walk within feet, inches even, of cows and bulls with big horns. We wondered with all these cows roaming around town, how did their owners know where they were? The answer is that Indian cows (and their owners) are smart. The cows are milked in the morning and then let free to roam town to find food. Cows are holy in India so often food is left out for them. They may also sift through the trash on the street or find some patches of grass. Then in the evening they find their way home to be milked again.

I had one close encounter with a bull when I passed too closely and it turned its head and his horn got me in the arm but this is nothing compared to the camel ride that left me sore for days.

Camel sightings became frequent a few days into our trip and we just couldn't get enough of these weird looking animals. Up close they are pretty big and intimidating so our camel rides had me nervous. We got on successfully, I let Jeremiah get on his first to test the waters, and held on as the camels get themselves up from their folded sitting position, first standing up on their back legs then straightening their front legs. It was a rocky start and we had to hold on tight. We headed out to the dunes to watch the sunset.

My camel and I were doing pretty well together despite the fact that I didn't have a guide sitting with me. He stopped a few times to get a roadside snack of leaves and berries but with a few tugs I got him back on the right track. I become aware that we are suddenly in the middle of a bunch of cows when out of nowhere a cow comes headed straight for my camel. Trying to avoid being hit by the cow my camel maneuvers out of the way and in doing so nearly knocks me off. I slid to the right and my glasses fly off my head. It's quickly over but my heart is racing. Visions of the camel falling on top of me had flashed through my head. I gripped with my legs so tightly that I felt like maybe I pulled a muscle. I got props from our new friends who were impressed that I stayed on and didn't freak out too much. Over the next few days I had some very sore leg and ab muscles.

Needless to say after my cow and camel interactions I was nervous the couple times we came across groups of monkeys, especially when they were fighting amongst themselves; I am happy to report we had no run-ins with the monkeys. They were pretty cool to watch though. Apparently there is a monkey god and many people feed the monkeys in tribute to the god, so there were many groups around some of temples we visited as well as in the holy city of Pushkar where we were visited by a bunch them during dinner. They were content with their meal of leaves high in the trees and were finally chased off by the owner's 5 year old son.

I mentioned we also saw rats... but you'll have to wait for the next post to hear that story.

Our moms tour Taiwan!

2010-07-09T13:38:00.004+08:00

Whew folks, summer is flying by and we have been busy busy busy. Since leaving Portland we have been showing our mom's around Taiwan. It's been a mixture of taking them to our regular hang-outs, being tourists and a whole lot of trying new foods. It's been so nice to be able to show people from home what our new home is like. Here's a little of what we've been up to:

Bubble tea!

Went to the top of Taipei 101

Eating hot pot

Big buddha in Taichung

Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei

White Beach, Kenting

Feeding the birds in Leofoo Village Theme Park

Stuck in Leofoo

Our new friends we met while sampling green tea in Yingge

Watching a movie in style

Tomorrow the moms have to head home, and we are on our way to India! When we get back Jeremiah will give you a full account of our latest stinky tofu adventure (yes, the moms had stinky tofu with us) and I'm sure we will have plenty of India stories to keep you all entertained.