Teaching began!!!

Sept 08, 2007
6:41 pm
Donutes coffee and cakes
Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

I have finally started teaching. Today was my first day, and I taught five hours. Three classes. I can say that the last hour was the best and that I grew more comfortable as the classes proceeded, but I think it will be a while before I feel truly at home in the class room, if that ever happens. Next week I will teach a class on Monday, Tuesday, two on Thursday, one on Friday, and three on Saturday for a total of 15 hours. However, there will also be a fair amount of preparation planning going on since I'm still so new to this.

Its hard to describe what I feel for Taiwan right now. It seems like a place where I could lose track of time, and suddenly find that weeks or even months had gone by. And it doesn't seem that foreign. Perhaps that's strange, but it feels a lot like the U.S. to me. Maybe because when you live somewhere and begin to get into a habit, you stop noticing the oddities. Of course, I haven't explored at all really. Got to get a scooter for that. I really look forward to heading down to the beaches at Kending, or up to Tainan, the Cultural capital of Taiwan. But who knows when that will happen. Hopefully soon!!! :)

Overall, I think Taiwan is a really ingratiating place. Most of the people have been really helpful. It's great if you know Chinese, though.

Speaking of which, ny Chinese class is going to be pretty sweet, but bites having to get up at 7:15 in the morning so I can bike the 30-45 minutes to class. And its crazy biking along with all the scooters. Very few people bike around in the main streets. It seems that if they want to go very far, they usually take a car or scooter. And on the way to and form class, I have to bike up a bridge over the train station. Oh, its a killer ride. I feel like a Tour DE France sprinter, biking as hard as I can for about 30 seconds. then i coast over the top and pant and get my breath back as i coast down the other side. Who knows that all the Taiwanese people think. "Whats that crazy foreigner doing biking over the bridge." Probably not. Most have been really nice. Yesterday, on my way to class, I stopped at a red light and a Taiwanese man who was also stopped at the light smiled and asked me where I was from, and what I was doing in Taiwan, and how long I had been here. I had just enough time to reply before the light turned green and we both went zipping our own ways.

We started learning actual grammar and vocabulary in class. I can now say, "I am a teacher." It is like this, but with different intonations: "Wo Shi Laoshi." I've got a lot to learn, but so far, its pretty fun.

Tonight there we may end up going out with some friends. My legs are pretty tired from teaching, but I'm totally jazzed that tomorrow is Sunday. If anyone reads this, I'm really sorry for not getting pictures and video up yet. I will hopefully very soon.

To my family and friends,
I miss you all very much!!!!!

Jonathan