What Teachers REALLY Want for Appreciation Day
May 9, 2018
Happy Teacher’s Appreciation Week! Thought I’d share how it’s celebrated here in Kinmen…
Dragon Boats And The Word “Vagina”
December 2, 2017
The classic “When in Rome…” has been my mantra living overseas. So, when I heard that foreigners could participate in the Dragon Boat races held at the annual Dragon Boat Festival, I signed my name on the dotted line. No matter that I’ve never rowed a boat in any competition (or with any expertise), let … More Dragon Boats And The Word “Vagina”
Tourist Season & Lion Dances
May 3, 2017
I pull up to the third battery box I’ve visited in the last 10 minutes. Ugh. Another one empty. I wasn’t prepared for all the tourists (mainly from China) that flood into Kinmen this time of year… I just wish that they didn’t all rent electric scooters like mine! This month is packed with celebrations for … More Tourist Season & Lion Dances
Tomb Sweeping Day Feast
April 23, 2017
One of my students’ families has had my roommates and I over for dinner a couple times now and it’s always a feast. They have a large garden and the grandmother is a master in the kitchen. For the Tomb Sweeping holiday at the beginning of April, they treated us to dinner and a traditional spring … More Tomb Sweeping Day Feast
Children’s Day
April 9, 2017
Taiwan celebrated Children’s Day on April 4th. In honor of the occasion, we had special activities for the kids. Movie Day! On Wednesday, we cancelled our morning classes and rented buses to take us to the local movie theater! We saw a Japanese film with Chinese subtitles about a cat who got lost and made … More Children’s Day
Choir Practice
March 26, 2017
In the end, though, I’m really just trying to get my first graders to learn it for me… they’re so much cuter anyway!
Cast of Characters
March 18, 2017
Everyday life is colored by the people we’re surrounded by… let me introduce you to the ones who color mine. The Roomies (from left to right) Victoria – the girl with the “yellow hair” (as marked on her takeout box from a local restaurant we visited). Victoria is the “quiet one”. But don’t let that fool … More Cast of Characters
NZ:Waitomo
March 4, 2017
Waitomo is famous for its caves and glowworms, so we had to check it out! We again seemed to be driving for longer than our GPS initially told us, so I found the number for Glowing Adventures and gave them a call to let them know we might be late for our caving tour. “No … More NZ:Waitomo
NZ: Solscape & My Birthday
February 28, 2017
This morning I woke up to the sun gently seeping through our tent canopy, birds singing…. and a jack hammer being used for road construction on some nearby highway. There it is – my dose of reality. The evening before, we arrived in Raglan at our next stopping point: Solscape; a hippy’s paradise. I booked … More NZ: Solscape & My Birthday
NZ: Hobbiton
February 27, 2017
How could you visit New Zealand and not stop for a cider in the Shire? Unfortunately, I woke up congested… assuming that I picked it up from all the people in my room that were coughing and blowing their noses. Another downside of staying in a hostel. We all dragged ourselves out of bed as … More NZ: Hobbiton
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