Gone to the Dogs

Bogart the Wonderdog!

Bogart the fambly dog. My parents adopted him from a shelter in Amsterdam. He is half-Maltese and half-Jack Russell. This is him wearing his orange and getting ready for Queen's Day in Amsterdam :)

Bogart as a puppy with his favorite rubber chicken in Zandvoort.

A photoshopped image(to look like a painting) of Bogart in the snow with his plaid fleece coat at a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) in Dresden

I know nothing! Well nothing that can be put on a blog that is interesting.

Although, I want to start volunteering at this organization that helps street dogs and cats find homes. They are set up at one of the parks here every Sunday and boyfriend and I go and lament at how bad we each want a dog but no money, no space and my landlord won't allow it, plus I am out of the house most of the day everyday and it gets soooo hot in my apartment that it wouldn't be healthy for the dog.

But...when I do what needs to be done and move out then I should be able to get one! I really miss having a dog. My parents' dog, Bogart, is the best! My parents got him at a shelter in Amsterdam when he was a puppy. He is soooo spoiled, but we love him so much! I miss him (yes, mom I miss you guys too!! haha!) terribly and tried to replace that feeling of having a dog with a super soft terry/cotton fabric toy dog...He's good to cuddle with at night, but alas, it is not the same.

Boyfriend has been thinking about getting a dog. He always sees this half-Husky half-Golden Retriever mix and has fallen for it! He always wants to ask the guy if it is for adoption but doesn't want to be rude. But finally, he asked the guy on Sunday. I think it is up for adoption, but since my Chinese is limited and the owner guy was laughing and joking with me and speaking very simple English, I don't know if he was serious or not.


So anyway, now I am always going to the sites to see what dogs are up for adoption and to see about volunteering opportunities. I emailed them but they haven't emailed me back. Maybe I need to send a CV?

I was talking to mom about this and she has been lecturing me that I need to start meeting people and making friends. The thing is, I have been a hermit for the past couple of years trying to get myself and my life sorted that I have put friends on the bottom of my priority list and still am.
I also think that this has to due with my past experiences in Elementary, middle and high school. At those times, a lot of my good friends moved away and most of the others weren't good friends and were usually mean to me or made fun of me or spread rumours about me for whatever reason. So I've learned to detach myself...I'm not saying that it is a good thing, but it is my self defense.
Also, when you live abroad, friends come and go so easily! They move to different countries or go back to their home country and none truly stay forever. You try to email and stuff but soon it all fades away and you mesh back into your own life..moving on.

But thinking about volunteering for this group would be good for the doggies and kitties and good for me as well. I want to help those animals find good and loving homes just like Bogart did and hopefully one day I can adopt one of my own. I think it will help me because I can do some good and hopefully meet people with one of the same interests as me: DOGGIES!! :)

I know I am very busy with teaching and I still love it of course, but I really want to help doggies and kitties find good homes!


As for why you should NOT buy from pet stores, here is the wiki on that in Chinese, English and Dutch ironically!

Don't buy a pet from a pet store...adopt from a shelter or something! Here's why!

Chinese Version: http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B9%81%E6%AE%96%E5%A0%B4

English version: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppy_farming

Dutch: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broodfokker

Some Taiwanese websites:

Taichung Paws: http://www.taichungpaws.org/contents/eng/index.htm

Animals Taiwan (Taipei): http://animalstaiwan.org/index.php

savedogs.org: http://www.savedogs.org/english/index.html

If any of you who read this have any positive information about street dogs in Taiwan/Taichung or know of any more organizations that help these dogs, please feel free to comment. Even if I am not accepted to volunteer at this organization I want to contribute in any positive way I can!

One more thing...here is an American site where you can buy nice gifts, clothes jewelry, fair trade products, coll things made form recycled material and etc. Everytime you buy something from the animal rescue site, they will donate a certain amount of food to animals in shelters. I bought a few things from there and they donated like a 100 or so bowls of food from my purchases.

you can also donate to the rainforest, Breast Cancer fund, Child Literacy, Child Healthy and etc. Hmmm maybe I can ask mom if she can order me something from there ;)

http://shop.theanimalrescuesite.com/store/site.do?siteId=310&origin=1460

Rainforest: http://shop.theanimalrescuesite.com/store/site.do;jsessionid=20E96467764AC17655BC31DC306B3008.prod-a?siteId=221&link=Store_Header_ARS_to_TRS

Literacy:
http://shop.theanimalrescuesite.com/store/site.do?siteId=2001&link=Store_Header_TRS_to_LIT

Child Health:
http://shop.theanimalrescuesite.com/store/site.do?siteId=314&link=Store_Header_LIT_to_CHS

Breast Cancer:
http://shop.theanimalrescuesite.com/store/site.do?siteId=224&link=Store_Header_CHS_to_BCS

Hunger:
http://shop.theanimalrescuesite.com/store/site.do?siteId=220&link=Store_Header_BCS_to_THS

Same Ol' Same Ol'

Snorkeling Pics from Green Island-bad quality but has motivated me to buy an underwater digital camera!!

I haven't written in a while because there is nothing exciting to talk about. Nothing that would be of any interest for a blog anyway.

I have been making plans to go to Kenting for my birthday in July. I am also trying to convince Boyfriend that snorkeling is amazing and he needs to do it! I am also researching Thailand for the end of October. Boyfriend hasn't had a NON-business (longer than a day) vacation in a loooooooooooong time so I am killing the proverbial birds with one stone and using this as a chance for him to relax and a chance for me to see Asia finally! Plus, as I had said in an earlier post, my 10 year HS reunion is in October and my better would be better spent going to Thailand (relaxation, beaches, shopping, snorkeling, nature, romance with Boyfriend) than going back to Ohio and drinking myself into a stupor and cursing out all my classmates and the American education system at some bar that EVERYONE frequents in my hometown. Oh lord...the thought of going back there...ugh...and the talk about marriage, baby spittle and cleaning products...I'm not ready for that!!!!! And the second I would mention having lived in Amsterdam and parents are there you know what they will say..."Dude! Amsterdam! You can get high there! Isn't that like in...Germany?" (Author's note: Most of my friends who knew me in uni KNOW that getting high isn't the only thing there and know that Amsterdam is in the Netherlands a.k.a Holland)

Anyway...
So as for Thailand...I'm thinking Koh Samui...good shopping, good beaches, good snorkeling and good nature. Boyfriend wants to do Elephant trekking and stuff, but after doing some research, I can't bring myself to do it. They abuse these animals for purely entertainment purposes and all of them claim to "save" animals when it is the COMPLETE opposite! I just can't bring myself to pay money to support this kind of behavior! Now, I don't know if it is true and I NEED to do more reading before I make any claims, but I READ that these elephants aren't even native, they are just shipped over so that companies get money from tourists. BUT don't quote me on that...I'm still researching that!!!!

Sooooooooo....I have decided to visit the Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park.

It looks nice! And I need to convince Boyfriend that this is a LOT better thank seeing malnourished elephants and monkeys on chains being forced to do stupid things for humans...I mean..I have to admit..when I first saw pics of these tourist things I was naive and assumed that they were taken care of, but after doing some research and seeing more pics...I can't do it. I would only go IF the elephants were in a habitat where they didn't have to lug people around and the babies weren't separated from the mothers and tortured into leanring how to paint pictures.

I heard the place to go to see the real Elephant Sanctuaries is Chiang Mai and as much as I want to go, they don't have beaches there so I have rejected this idea for now!

Well...I don't know anything special. Colored my hair and got it cut and love it! I only paid NT1500 (€30) for it too! Boyfriend and I went to Yi Jong Jie to get our hair cut and then went to those Japanese photo booths and got some crazy pics!!

My First Real Vacation Alone

and it was to Ludau (Green Island) in Taiwan!

Here is the wiki on Ludau:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Island,_Taiwan


So here are my travel post recorded each day:
Green Island Day 1, May 7, 2008

I rode the train from Taichung to Taitung and it as so nice! I love riding trains! Then I waited at Fugang Harbour for the ferry and when I got on it and it started, all I could see was blue! It was so cool and I could see little flying fish! The sea looked like dark blue, wobbly "jell-o".!

Then I got to the island and then things got weird. So this guy with betelnut stained teeth (not as bad as his friends which will bementioned later) pickes me up along with his friends (who, I might add, was drunk I'm sure) and kept shouting at me and pointing, "Motorcycle! Motorcycle!" I kept trying to tell this guy in many simplified of ways of English that I knew that I wanted to drop off my stuff at the hotel first THEN get my scooter!!!! So I kept saying, "Hotel number 1, scooter number 2!" Then we arived at the hotel, checked in and went to my room. I looked out to see the view that I paid an extra NT$500 (only€10) and although my room is nice, the view is shite! I kept thinking, "I paid an extra NT$500 for this?!?!?!"But even though the view directly looking out my window was NOT what I expected, I noticed that when I was laying down on the bed...all that shite disappeared and I actually got a good view of the mountains! So then, betel nut guy takes me to get my scooter. It's an OLD orange Mio, and I actually wanted to buy a brand new one of these, same color and everything!

This scooter was a P.O.S. but I quite enjoyed riding it! :)

But after we got gas, the damn thing stalled and so betelnut guy took me to where his friends were until my scooter was ready or whatever. And these guys own a small diving company right by my hotel. Their teeth was even more stained from betel nut! And all I could think was, "If these are my 'hot' Aboriginal snorkeling guys, I quit HERE and NOW!" And so, this one guys keeps trying to tell me in Chinese that there are deer on the island and I haven't a damn clue what he is trying to say so he decides to show me by miming...it was sooooo hilarious!! Finally he drew me an even more hilarious picture of a deer (Chinese pinyin should be Hua Mei Lu) and at that time, it was time to go get my scooter.

This was definitely turning out to be an adventure!!

Then I finally got my freedom and drove around half the island (it only takes about an hour to ride a scooter around the entire island)

Click on the map to enlarge it

After driving around and taking some pics, it started to look rainy cloudy and I was getting tired from all the traveling (5 hours on train, 1 hour on ferry) so I took a nap and slept so hard and good! After I woke up, the hotel manager took me to a BBQ place where you BBQ at your table. When I entered EVERYONE in the place gave the look: "Who the hell is this foreigner, why is she here and what is she doing alone?" (On a side note: I had about 15 people ask me if I was traveling alone. And a few them said "Oh, you are so brave!" These were all Taiwanese people and apparently Taiwanese girls don't travel alone but whatever) It was very awkward and I got sick from food poisoning that Sunday (Doctor said it was probably from fish and the hot pot I had the night before) so the though of frying my own fish sounded soooo good and at the same time sooo bad! But Igrilled up some yummy veggies and got the hell outta there! Plus, the Taiwanese college kids there were drinking and singing really bad KTV/Karaoke and this was NOT turning out to be my Holiday of "PEACE and QUIET!"


Green Island Day 2, May 8, 2008

So I got up and my hotel breakfast consisted of a piece of coconut toast and a small glass of juice...I was a little disappointed at first seeing as I am a spoiled traveler, but got over it fast. So then I took my scooter and drove around the whole island seeing the sights and taking pics! It was so much fun!!!!! I went to Guanyin cave and prayed, met some nice Taiwanese women and took some pics with them on the shore, saw Sleeping Beauty Rock and Turkey Rock and then...did my favorite thing in the world...SHOPPING!!!!!! :) At 14:00 was snorkeling and beforehand I was soooooo nervous!! But my snorkeling really was a "hot Aboriginal guy"! Haha! But I am happy with boyfriend so there actually wasn't an attraction. So it was me, this American guy and his Taiwanese woman. Since "hot Aboriginal guy" had limited English...VERY limited, the couple had to translate for me and although the woman was nice the man was like most westerners here-stuck-up and grumpy looking. So for snorkeling in Taiwan, most wear wetsuits and lifejackets because most Taiwanese can't swim apparently. But the thing is, I really enjoyed having the wetsuit and lifejacket on, plus our snorkeling guide pilled us around while we held on to round lifesaver thingies so that we wouldn't have to do alot of work...I really enjoyed that-haha! Most Westerners do it sans wetsuit I assume, but I liked having wetsuit. As for my FIRST time snorkeling...it was AMAZING!! The sights were gorgeous, the fish were gorgeous and the coral was amazing!! We saw this one coral that was probably 7-8 ft. tall (I estimate this because our guide swum down to the bottom of it and it was WAY over his head) and this giant piece of coral grows about a cm a year! Unfortunately the only pics I took with my underwater camera were of the fish we were feeding before we saw all that damn cool coral!! :( If I'd known, I would have waited.

But...WOW!!!!! I HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN!!!! (Author's note: I am going to pick up my snorkeling pics from the photo store today and I am praying they came out!!!!)

After that, I showered and went to the hot springs. The hot springs on Green Island are saltwater and only one of THREE in the WORLD! The other two are in Japan and Italy!!! So I went down to hot spring area(there are only 3 hot spring pools there) and there were some people there and so I went to the empty pool and put my foot in (which had been sunburned earlier that day) and OW!!! So effin hot!!! The people in the pool in front of me were laughing and at the faces I was making every time I put my sunburned feet in there and they finally told me that there was a cooler pool(but still warm)close by so I went over to that one and it was soooo nice!!! So stayed in there for a bit and relaxed. until dark when I drove back to hotel.
Green Island Day 3, May 9, 2008

Sitting in a tiny pavilion(beautifully shaded, I might add)overlooking the beach. The hotel manager gave me a free ticket to the "Sika Deer Ecological Park"and when I arrived I was really the only one there (well, it was only 9am) so this one girl at the park showed me all around. She took me to see the deer, so cute!! They also grow screw pine there which is a type of fruit and so I got to try the juice of course!
Ling Tuo Guo?? Screw Pine

And their adorable little dog, Ito kept following me around and when I sat down to have some ice cream and screw pine juice, he would jump up on the picnic table and then sit next to me and even laid his head on my lap a couple of times! I wanted to take him home! So I just got done walking down the bach collecting small shells and tiny pieces of volcanic rock or coral...I don't think you are allowed, but oh well. The sound of the waves is so nice and the sahde feels good on my poor sunburned face! I have about an hor and a hlaf before I go catch the ferry back to Taitung and I should go to 7/11 to get some snacks and a quick lunch, but it's too hot!! And I pray my snorkeling pics come out! So I got to wade my feet in the water and didn't have to worry about jellyfish after all!

I'm Happy!!! :)




(Author's note: Snorkeling pics (if they turn out) and slideshow of pics coming soon! )

Funny Things My Students Say and Do part 1:

This is a picture my student made for a small project: "I'm really scared of:" All the other kids copied my example...they drew ghosts, sharks, jellyfish and spiders as did this one but this kid went a step further to confess that he is indeed afraid of falling off Tapei 101...
(I think you can click it to see a bigger image)

Unfortunately as teachers, we don't have to time to record EVERY funny or hilarious thing our students say, do and write, but I have been trying. I haven't recorded any in a long time, but here are some of my favorites. You have to understand though....these kids write and talk about "poopoo" or kissing and killing. BUT...I would much rather them talk about something such as killing and joke about it and KNOW that it is wrong and NOT do it! My students are awesome and are ALL good kids and make me glad to be a teacher!


OK on with the crazy quotes and stories:

These are from my former upper level class that I taught. I left EVERY class laughing hysterically!

A question one of the boys thought of for an oral test:
"Do you prefer an emergency or a car accident?"

I mean...how in god's name do you answer such a question?! But it made me laugh so hard!

"If I don't do what Jim say he will hit me, so he is really pushy."

"I always count my fruits because everybody give me fruits"

"The evil scientist will kill everyone if no one catches him."

"Jim alway count his money because he is very cheap."

"Jonathan was counting mosquito which he had killed yesterday."

It is these gems that I find in the homework or hear in class that show that these kids are trying to be creative and express themselves...and make my job a lot more interesting! We know that kissing(actually all of my students seem to be pretty disgusted with the thought of kissing-haha!) or killing or even poopoo aren't the ONLY things they think about, but they just want to be funny and break the mold of the doldrum school life and I am fine with it as long as it doesn't go too far. They are learning and trying and as long as they have that and keep working hard then it's fine.

Maybe you don't agree, maybe you do, but it is how I feel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyway, I did buy a new scooter! I love it! It is so liberating...although my fear of left turns will never seem to fade. Even when I drove a car I hated left turns and my scooter is no different...so I try anything I can to avoid left turns if possible.

Boyfriend was in Osaka and Tokyo for the week on business and had to work on his birthday, but he got to do some sightseeing in Tokyo this weekend and I can't wait to see the pics! I am planning that if he ever goes back to Japan on business that I might tag along and do sightseeing while he is working and if he has time off do sightseeing with him...that'd be cool!!!

I've just been so busy and next weekend one of my friends is coming to visit me, but I am so nervous because I am not sure what will happen...I have an itinerary, but no back up itinerary.And I don't know my way around Taichung by scooter well enough so am not sure where else I can take her...:( I'm so nervous! I hope she has fun!!! And on Sunday I wanted to take a bus to Dakeng, but seeing as my Chinese is limited it is damn near impossible for me to find information and times!! Public transportation does suck in Taichung unfortunately :( I was so spoiled in Amsterdam: buses, trams, metros and the night bus system were wonderful!!!!! Taichung's MRT won't open till 2017 supposedly...*sigh* So at least I have a scooter now :)

but I did do some shopping yesterday and today I deep cleaned my apartment only to have shattered an unopened bottle of the homemade strawberry wine we bought in Dahu :*( I was so distraught as it was so yummy PLUS it got all over my floor!! Ok, I am going to go get some dinner and come back and start grading HW! VERY VERY busy week!!!

And the week after next week...LUDAU/GREEN ISLAND!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!! Thank god!!! My brain is fried! I love teaching so much BUT I need a vacation!!!!!

Introducing My Students Episode 2 and My TEN YEAR High School Reunion...

OK here are some more pics of my students during a Performance Day for the parents..this is one of my fave classes! These students are upper mid level and are a blast!



These pictures are from a KTV/Karaoke Contest for the lower/basic levels (or Kid's Club as we call it). These kids are just starting to learn English. These pics are my students and I'm so proud! Be warned: These pics are definite cute overload! I couldn't be there because I was at Sun Moon Lake otherwise I would have taken video.

The girls singing "Teddybear" You know the song, "Teddybear, teddybear turn around..."

The boys from my former class singing "Bingo"

The girls from my former class singing my favorite song for teaching English, "There's a Hole in the Middle of the Sea." such a fun song and the kids LOVE it!!!

So today I was browsing through Myspace to see what people from High School are doing and saw that there is a special page for 1998 graduates so I went there and saw that there is going to be a TEN YEAR High School Reunion in October.

I've thought about this for years now. What I would wear, what I would say. I even thought about drinking too much and cursing everyone in the place and cursing the American education system, BUT...I threw that idea out the window right away!

And now the time has come for me to make my decision: To go or not to go. Actually, after seeing it today it only took me 5 minutes to come to a decision and my decision is No, I'm NOT going....

Why?

1. I have to save a buttload of money for what? To fly 16-20 some hours to my hometown to a bar (Yes, the reunion is being held at a bar of all places) for one night that would probably be shite for me anyway as I didn't have a good high school experience.

2. Said money that would have to be saved is going to be going towards a trip to Phuket Thailand in November....

Let's see here: Dreaded 10 year HS reunion in crappy hometown or a VERY possible holiday with Sunny warm beaches, palm trees, Thai massages, coconut chicken, AWESOME temples and cool shopping in Phuket...What would you decide???

Think about it: US$1,000 which is about NT$30,000 gets me a 4-5 star hotel, breakfast, roundtrip flight, possible snorkeling and etc in Phuket (besides, I only plan on spending NT$20-25,000 for this trip-although it could be 30,000 including food and shopping)

The flight ALONE for this trip to my hometown for this reunion is probably US$1,000. Then I pay for the reunion ticket, food, drink, etc etc. It wouldnt be much but it would still be more than Phuket.

Yeah, I want to see my family in my hometown and in the states, but it's just too much money for me right now. Plus, my goal is to travel Asia! It is something I have been wanting to do for years and now I have the chance!

Plus: I feel like if I go back it is taking a step back in time to a time where I was miserable. And seeing these people married and with kids...I'm not sure I'm ready for that. That whole pressure and to hear them talk about the latest cleaning products, baby spittle and how they are all probably going to vote for McCain and I can just imagine some of them freaking out that I'm converting to Buddhism/Taoism and not a Christian anymore. I just don't want to deal with it. Yeah, I could not mention all of that stuff and try to "fit in" but that is what I did in HS and it did NOT work!!!! I'm weird, I like to be different-it is just who I am.

Anyway, enough babble. My decision is made and I'm OK with it. So now I have to make this Phuket dream come true!!

Our Weekend at Sanyi and Lavender Cottage

Temple in the Mountains

A spectacular view

The view from atop Lavender Cottage

This weekend was Tomb Sweeping Weekend where families reunite to clean their family tombs, burn paper money for good fortune and put paper money on top of the tomb and secure them with rocks which I think is also supposed to bring good fortune.

So after Boyfriend did that with his family on Friday he surprised me by taking me to Sanyi-the woodcarving village. He's been wanting to go there for some time and I've just been wanting to get out and see more of Taiwan!

It was very interesting! We didn't go to the woodcarving museum, but there were lots of stores and each store had statues big and small of Guanyin, Buddha, the God of War, etc, etc, etc. So Boyfriend bought me a Buddhist bracelet with the Chinese character for Buddhism and Guanyin on a lotus flower carved into each bead of the bracelet. Guanyin is the goddess of mercy and is a great goddess to me.

So then we went to this Hakka Lifestyle store and they sold this stuff with the brand name "Lavender Cottage" it was nice stuff and so Boyfriend and I each bought a sachet with fresh lavender to put in our apartments. Then we picked up a postcard and saw that this was actually a place nearby so we bought a postcard so that we could go there and visit one day. Then, we ordered some Hakka dough balls(I had mine covered with chocolate) and Hakka tea that is Green Tea mixed and ground with rice and red beans. It's called in pinyin Lei Cha (擂茶) and here is the wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_cha

For some wiki info on the Hakka people go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka

So then on our way home it was getting late and as we were driving home, I saw a sign for Dahu. I've been wanting to go to Dahu because they are known for their strawberries. So I saw the sign and said, "Oh, Dahu!" and Boyfriend said so spontaneously, "Do you wanna go?" and I said, "Now?! Are you serious?!" Apparently he was because that is where we went! Unfortunately when we got there everything was closed, but this stand that sold strawberry dumplings(but they stopped selling the dumplings for the evening..shame :( ) But after we had mentioned that I wanted to buy some strawberry wine (and the stores were closed) the guy at the stand went and found a guy who makes and bottles strawberry wine on his own!! So while we were waiting for him, the guy's mother or mother-in-law and this other woman and man were there so they asked if we wanted to try the strawberry liquor-50%. So we said yes. I took a sip and WOW!!! It may be strawberry, but that stuff was harsh!! My chest was on fire! So I decided against the strawberry liquor. When the guy came back he brought back another guy who must make the wine and two bottles. So boyfriend and i taste tested both wines and they were good! Super sweet like strawberry jam, but oh so yummy! Perfect mix with champagne and/or sparkling wine!

so after that we were back on the road and Boyfriend wanted to take me to a rest stop where they supposedly have a nice view of Taichung at night. But...not Taichung City like I thought...Taichung County..and well...much to my dismay the view was more of the parking lot and darkness in the hills...so not much of a view I'm afraid. But we did eat dinner there and saw the shark tank there which, doesn't it figure has sharks that are found where? Green Island which is where I'm going in May and these sharks are found in shallow waters by the coral reefs WHICH is where I will be snorkeling!!! Boyfriend loved teasing me about that because now I'm scared! I've never gone snorkeling before and this makes me nervous!

So then on Saturday, we got up late and decided to go somewhere else! We were going to go to Sun Moon Lake to admire the cherry blossoms, but it would have been 17:00(5pm) by the time we got there and that is too late, plus the 3 hour drive back. So Boyfriend mentioned going to this "Lavender Cottage" place so that is where we went!
Lavender Cottage
http://www.lavendercottage.com.tw

Little Blessing Cards people put on the trees and plants at Lavender Cottage

Lavender Ice Cream made with REAL Lavender....YUM!

Needless to say, this place was in the middle of the mountains and the drive was so beautiful and breathtaking for me (and a pain in the ass for boyfriend with all the winding roads up the mountain and narrowness). So then we got there and walked around and it was soo relaxing! We got to see many flowers and lavender and I even got to eat Lavender ice cream which was so good!

So then at night we decided to stay for the firefly tour which first started off as an informational thing where a guy talks about the firefly. Then he warns you that there may be poisonous snakes on the walk...Man! I'm just starting to become adventurous aren't I? snorkeling with sharks, walking around areas with poisonous snakes...this is a braver me than 10 years ago! That's for sure!

So anyway, the walk was beautiful!! When we got to a point to see the fireflies it was like we were in a fairy land. It was so dark, but the clear night sky(the clearest night sky I have seen in Taiwan and have seen in months!!!) and being in the mountains made it so breathtaking! The fireflies looked so much different than when I was a kid. It seemed so much more magical. And the sounds of the frogs and crickets made it so much more amazing!

This is the only video I could get of the actual fireflies. You only see a couple flashes from the fireflies in the beginning and then you hear me "Ssshing" Boyfriend because I hate talking on video because I always sound dumb! Which this time is no different-haha! I sound so ridiculous-anyway...here is the video:






So basically, that was my weekend...a lot more happened but I've typed enough here anyway. I did buy a scooter helmet though-it is pearlescent white with a black silhouette of a butterfly on each side and with a purple tinted long visor and the guy also threw in a mirrored UV short visor for free. So...I have scooter masks, I have a scooter helmet...now all I need is a scooter and to learn how to drive one!! So Boyfriend and I are planning on going next weekend to start comparing prices. :) Yay! I need me a scooter!

OK...talk to you soon!

My 5 Year Plan

Last night, my mom and I were on the phone and the subject of me learning Mandarin came up. She always says that if I became fluent in Mandarin that I could really go places and find good jobs and couple probably make a lot of money.

Sometimes us kids think that is all our parents care about is that we are rich and successful and that they don't care about us. And when she first said that it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like she was saying "If you don't do this, then you will go nowhere. Maybe you are going nowhere now..." But then I put myself in her shoes.

She has had so MANY struggles to get where she is today and had many downs before many ups. My stepdad as well!!!! After my parents divorce, my mom and stepdad started from pretty much nothing and worked their asses off (not to mention suffer a few heart attacks) to get to where they are today: in a comfy home near Amsterdam and having the opportunity to travel, see the world, experience new things and etc. with the BEST dog in the world no less :)

So these comments that she makes are because she doesn't want me to miss out on the wonderful things that are waiting for me. She also just wants me to be happy and to be able to support myself and my (possible future) family if that ever happens. She wants that my future children won't have the aches and pains we have had with college tuition.

So I think when most parents say things like this, it may come out as being selfish, but maybe it really isn't. It is just concern for our happiness. They love us and my mom and stepdad are ALWAYS telling me how proud they are of me!! :)

Another thing she asked me was if I was sure that I wanted to stay in Taiwan. She said that after 6 months being here that I am still in the "Honeymoon" phase of living here. But I do disagree with that. Usually after 3 months is when expats in Taiwan go through "Culture Shock" and it seems a lot of expats here are miserable. But I'm not! Of course there are shitty things about Taiwan: the pollution, the stupid ass driving and traffic here, the fact I can't get an ATM/Debit/credit card without having someone I know who is Taiwanese sign some paperwork for it and etc, but there are bad things ANYWHERE you go!!! It is how you handle them that makes your experience good or bad.
It's the good things about Taiwan that make me realize it is a good place. The people, the cultures, the history, the temples, the festivals, the traveling(I mean I can travel to BEAUTIFUL places here in Taiwan or go to beaches like in Thailand or the Phillippines, go skiing in South Korea in the mountains, have an electric experience in Tokyo, see all kinds of awesome nature and animals ANYWHERE!)

I think I would LOVE to live here and then just travel everywhere else whether for business and/or pleasure! I mean I don't know if I will be here forever, but hey if it works, it works!

Another topic we talked about was me getting my Masters here. I am seriously considering it and my mom also mentioned that I devise a professional 5 year plan. I've never done one before but know that it is a good idea as most employers will ask you that dreaded question at job interviews "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

So I am not sure if this is how you do it, but here is my first draft of my 5 Year Plan:

My 5 Year Plan

6 Months

1. Higher level in Chinese speaking and writing proficiency
2. Continuing to work hard at my current job
   
3. Researching Universities in Taiwan for Masters Programs in English
4. Saving money for said Masters Program
5. Stay in Taiwan

1 Year

1. Higher level in Chinese speaking and writing proficiency
2. Close to that 2 year experience point at current job
   
3. Continuing University research
4. Continuing saving money
5. Stay in Taiwan

2 Years

1. Higher level in Chinese speaking and writing proficiency
2. Applying at Universities for Masters Programs
3. Continue to save money for Masters Program
4. Stay in Taiwan

3 Years

1. Higher level in Chinese speaking and writing proficiency
2. Masters Program
3. Job hunting for after graduation
4. Stay in Taiwan
5. If no Masters Program yet, then possibly DELTA certificate first

4 Years

1. Higher level in Chinese speaking and writing proficiency
2. Masters Program
3. Job hunting for after graduation
4. Stay in Taiwan

5 Years

1. Continue to become fluent in Mandarin Chinese
2. Masters Program (if 2-3 year) or hopefully graduated from
3. Working at a good company making good money so that my (possible) family and I can be financially secure, and if I have a child, have enough money to put away for college.
4. Stay in Taiwan