mooncake OD

Lesson Plan (Sunday, Sept. 26)
Warm-up: Why we BBQ on 4th of July (5 minutes)
Activity 1: Moon Festival (15 minutes)
     Objective: Transition from warm-up. Ss will understand the international concept of "unrelated holiday BBQing".
Activity 2: Taipei trip(s)  (15 minutes)
     Objective:  Ss will understand one's potential reasons for going to Taipei.
Wrap-up: Self-Reflection  (5 minutes)


Warm-up
I opened Friday's 6th grade English lesson with the question, "Did you bar-be-cue on the Moon Festival?"  The Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is celebrated with family BBQs and mooncakes - little 420-calorie balls of every flavor goodness. While the "tradition" of Moon Festival BBQ spawns from a relatively recent advertising campaign, it led me to consider, aloud in front of a class of unruly Chinese-speaking 6th graders, why we Americans have 4th of July BBQ.  This led to a translated, super-simplified American history lesson:

"a long time ago, there was no America like there is today.  There were Native Americans and people who came from England.  The English people wanted their own country, they wanted America.  American and England fought in a war.  Who won?  America.  The Declaration of Independence was written and on July 4th, 1776 America became a country.  Now we BBQ steaks, hamburgers and hotdogs, and light fireworks and some people drink a lot of beer."

This led to a Chinese-language discussion on contemporary Taiwanese politics - will there, one day, be a Taiwanese Declaration of Independence?  An interesting idea.  My students, captivated.  My co-teacher, thrilled. Aaaand then it was back to the real world, big-test-based lessons of phonics...


Activity 1
In another wonderful expression of Taiwanese hospitality, Jodi's family threw the Yilan ETA crew a Moon Festival BBQ at their house.  In addition to her mom's AMAZING homecookin', we spent a solid 3 hours BBQing meat and meat and more meat over two open grills in Jodi's driveway, while her grandpa looked on.  Despite being unable to communicate with us (he spoke only Taiwanese), he was so happy to have people over that he stayed up and observed the party from his chair, Taiwan Beer in hand.

To continue the celebration, we ate pomelos (another traditional Moon Festival food) and mooncakes and finished the meal with grilled marshmellows topped with banana.  We ate to the point of bursting.  In other words, it was an awesome night.

 Another Taiwanese Moon Festival tradition is to wear pomelo peels on your head.  Really.

Grandpa posts up beside the party.  (This photo wasn't edited)

The BBQ setup

So what does BBQing have to do with looking at the moon?  Just about as much as it has to do with Mister T.Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence.

Activity 2

This year's Fulbrighters have been officially invited to a VERY formal dinner on 10/10 Day (National Day of the R.O.C.,October 10) to which many very formal and very important people from all over the world will be attending - including THE PRESIDENT OF TAIWAN.  

My immediate concern: what do you wear to dinner with the president???!!!

This led to a group trip to Taipei in search of the arguably best suit-maker (featured in GQ, he's that good) in Taipei, a man named Johnny.  A few of us went up to Taipei early Saturday morning to watch Dante's students preform (on stilts!) at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall.  They totally killed it, despite the billion degree heat.  

 

Dance crew walking to the stage! 

 

SO impressive 

Next, we seriously devoured some much-needed Mexican food before heading out in search of Johnny the Suit-Maker (the search for Mr. Johnny was MUCH easier than the search for Mr. Mexican Food, as it turned out). Johnny quoted me $200USD to have a dress custom made, fitted, and ready to wear by the evening of 10-10, but I need to make my decision by Thursday.  And if you give a girl a formal custom made dress, you know she'll want some ... ... ... NEW SHOES to go with it!  Ohhh the possibilities!

Afterward, the group parted and went our separate paths - mine and Dante's led to the biggest ferris wheel in all of Asia.  Talk about prime scenery.

Wrap-up

I now have a Flickr account, which I'll be uploading photos to as often as I can (still computer-less).  The link's at the top of the page.

Gil's coming to visit on 10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Saturday nights are always poppin' at the ZhongShan apt.  And on Sunday, we listened to Justin Bieber slowed down 800% while watching silent videos of the African savanna and sharks eating seals.

we are the elephants!

The lovely Yilan ETA crew at the Fulbright banquet in Taipei.  I'm not sure what was going on behind the camera to inspire Harry and Mr. Glen to make such awesome faces but it must've been good.

Soon to come: more on Zhong Qiu Jie, a very brief story of a very brief overview of why we Americans always BBQ on the 4th of July (answer: I have no idea), and yesterday's hurt-so-good acupuncture session.  Keep yo' eyes peeled, my dear friends.

photo upload OVERLOAD! pt2

three of my students from 6D. not having the expected typhoon holiday was rough on us all...

more 6D students

FIRST GRADERS!!! we read Chicka Chicka BOOM BOOM

the first graders break it down during daily morning exercise break

and for life outside of school...

fave tepanyaki restaurant

macro'd leftovers

teacher eric is so strong! uprooting trees post-typhoon

photo upload OVERLOAD! pt1

 calligraphy master at work in his studio

works discarded

a lesson on how to make tea:

 

1. get some tea

 2. boil water

3. pour boiled water into teapot

4. steep

5. transfer to serving pot

6. enjoy

here's a lesson on how to make sure your angry ancestors return to hell when the gates close

1. build a series of giant towers out of bamboo. coat them in oil. place lucky flags at top.

2. scale said towers. at midnight.

Thanks, Darby

I find myself with extra computer time this morning since my English classes were rescheduled, so here’s an update that will hopefully hold ya’ll over for a while.  Photos to follow at some point in the hopefully not-too-distant future.

After a grueling 3-day workweek (I kid, I kid), the entire Fulbright Yilan crew headed out for the official orientation in Taipei. We stayed in the Howard Plaza Hotel, a 5-star hotel in the Shibuya-esque shopping district of Taipei, where each morning began with a perfectly prepared Western breakfast buffet complete with BACON and real coffee. Over the weekend, we got to know the other Fulbrighters- the researchers as well as the Kaohsiung ETA crew, who are all super awesome.

The Foundation hosted a fancy dinner on Friday night where we were able to meet and chat with all the important people at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) aka 'the embassy that is not technically an embassy' since Taiwan is a country that is not technically a country. The banquet was hosted on the 33^rd floor in the World Trade Center building, with an incredible view of neighboring Taipei 101, the surrounding mountains and sprawling city.  This magical night of city livin’ was followed by Saturday at the National Palace Museum and another fabulous 10-course meal. Taiwanese know how to do food, seriously.

      

On Sunday, I went surfing with my buddy Cool again. The surf shop people know me and now give me nice discounts on board rentals / hook my friends up with free lessons.

Thinking of discounted surfing leads me away from my chronological account of my weekend to the broader topic of Taiwanese hospitality. Taiwanese people, at least in Yilan, are incredibly hospitable. I’ve met countless people everywhere who are willing to go above and beyond the typical American perspective on the call of stranger-ly duty to help my friends and me out – whether that means giving us free surf lessons, pulling over and offering us rides to the train, remembering our curry orders, putting free cheese in our fried pita sandwiches, inviting a few foreigners to participate in a traditional tea ceremony in somebody’s someone’s brother-in-law’s art studio, helping me painstakingly fill out Chinese language forms for something as stupid as a Carrefour card, and slyly skipping scanning items in the grocery store line. Loosen up, slow down, make some friends, drink some bubble tea...

But for now, it’s back to school! As we in the 6^th grade begin Lesson 2 “Where are you from?” in the thrilling (that was sarcasm) Hello Darby Level 7 textbook, cultural understanding abounds. Yesterday, we looked at a map of the world and discussed (in Chinese) the reasoning behind the Union Jack motif on Australia’s flag, the language differences between North and South America, why Russia is no longer called the Soviet Union, the possibility of standing with one foot on either side of the international date line, and whether Brasil should be known for its soccer or samba. While this didn’t lead to much English speaking in either class, it was encouraging to have students openly questioning, volunteering answers, and considering the world around them. Thanks, Darby.

 Since textbook-based lessons aren’t always as fulfilling or stimulating as the first day of “Where are you from?” I’m allowed to design my own textbook-free lessons for weekly English Club and Storytelling class. This week, I polled my English Club students (again of widely varying English levels) to find out what they do and don’t want to do in English Club this semester. Here are the results:

#1.  Listen to American music / make American food (tie) 14/16

#2.  Learn about America / watch American movies (tie) 13/16

#3.  Read English-language stories 11/16

#4.  Watch American TV 10/16

#5.  Practice speaking English with other Americans (Maria’s friends) 5/16

This provides me an excuse to bring PB&J supplies to class for a PB&J making seminar later this semester.  We began English Club with a lesson about The Beatles, learning the lyrics to “Help!” and that John not only married a Japanese woman but was later shot dead.  As it turns out, the English word for “gun” is a homonym for the Chinese word for “fuck.” This not-so-excellent discovery was quickly announced to the class, who all thought it was especially funny that a “gun” is what killed John Lennon.

I taught first-grade storytelling this week. We read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and practiced our alphabet.  This was the conversation between the first graders, my co-teacher Jackie, and me:

First grader 1 (FG1): “THERE ARE TWO TEACHERS! TODAY THERE ARE TWO TEACHERS!”

All first graders (all FG): “TWO TEACHERS??!!! THERE ARE TWO TEACHERS! TWO TEACHERS!!!” (in English) “HELLOOOO TEACHER! HELLOooOOOoooo!!!!”

FG1: “WHY ARE THERE TWO TEACHERS? TWO TEACHERS??!! WHY??!!!”

Teacher Jackie: “You’re right, today we have two English teachers!”

All FG: “TWO TEACHERS?!!! WHY???!!!! WHY TWO TEACHERS??!!!”

Teacher Jackie: “Because today is special. Today, you get to meet Teacher Maria.”

Teacher Maria: “HELLO! My name is Teacher Maria!”

FG2: “Teacher Maria…....... are you FOREIGN?”

Teacher Maria: “Am I foreign?  I am, you are right!  I am from America.”

All FG: “OOOOOOOHHHH….. AMERICA!?!! AMERICA!!!!! AMERICAAAAAA?!!”

FG1: “........Teacher Maria, did you walk here from America?”

I love first grade.

It’s moon cake time of year again and I’m addicted, fiendin' for the purple ones in particular.

http://www.fulbright.org.tw/dispPageBox/CtEn.aspx?ddsPageID=FOSEENG04&dbid=3852968141

Teaching in action!

My computer broke last week, so I've been kind of M.I.A.

Here's some photos my co-teacher uploaded to my computer over the weekend while I was in Taipei on official Fulbright business.  

Teacher Harry and I break it down in the dance studio

6th grade teacher

Me with my school's awesome principal at my welcome ceremony

Beach bums and emailz

It's back to work after a wonderfully chill weekend in Yilan.  After resting up on Saturday and hosting family dinner for the ETA crew, a few friends and I headed up north on Sunday to Wai Ao beach to learn how to surf!  We all rented boards and I ended up getting a 2-hour free lesson from the shop owner himself, named Cool, who is now my surfing shifu (meaning kung-fu style "master").   I'll definitely be going back soon- hanging out and speaking Chinese with native Yilaners on a tropical beach while surfing and skimboarding is my kind of Sunday.

The view from my beach chair, Turtle Island in the back

Chicago-boy Parker's got it down!

And so begins my second week of school.  I've still got it pretty easy as clubs and extra classes don't start until the 3rd week, so I'm only teaching 6th grade again this week.  From what I've heard and observed, the main challenge with teaching 6th grade English is the obvious skill-level gap between those students who have studied English in cram school and those who haven't, and the resulting lack of motivation that many of the lower-level English students encounter at this stage.  This skill-level gap is primarily a result of socio-economic circumstances: those families that can afford to send their children to cram school do, while many families can't afford the extra expense of weekend, summer, and after-school classes.

In all four of my classes, there really is a huge disparity in students' English levels which makes teaching straight from the textbook an even bigger challenge.  My goal for this year is to give my students the confidence and motivation to continue studying English despite their current skill level or outside circumstances.  Last week, I provided two homework options: students were to color a DIY book about the weather and could write me an email in English for extra credit. 

Dear  Teacher Maria:

 

I′m  Candy.   

 

How  are  you?

 

You  are so beautiful.

 

 

˙ˇ˙                      6C   Candy

This was the only student email I received over the weekend, but I think it's a good start to the project.  :-)

I've got an exciting week lined up: 

Today, I start Chinese classes at Fo Guang University.  Switching from simplified to traditional characters is rough.

Tomorrow, I'm going to a Ghost Month festival called "Grappling with the Ghosts" at Toucheng Beach, in northern Yilan county.  Here's the only info I could find on the festival, which sounds pretty crazy (from go2taiwan.net):

"Another not-to-be-missed festival is "Grappling with the Ghosts" in Yilan's Toucheng. The festival was suspended for seven years due to safety concerns and was only resumed in 2004. Uniquely among Taiwan's ghost festivals, Toucheng's festival is not only about making offerings to the dead, but also serves as an opportunity for worshippers to give alms to the poor. Another aspect of its uniqueness is the strength and agility required of participants in the ceremonies. Before the closing of the gates to the underworld at the end of the seventh lunar month, structures called Gupeng are built for the festival. The Gupeng consist of twelve thick wooden supporting pillars, each about 30 meters tall, on which is a platform surmounted by thirteen cone-shaped bamboo structures, each more than 30 meters tall, called Gujhan. Offerings in the form of pastries are hung on these Gujhan, and they are crowned with a flag and a gold medal called the Shunfong Flag. The finishing touch of the Gupeng is the greasing of the twelve supporting pillars, making them even more difficult to climb.

The "Grappling with the Ghosts ceremony" starts at midnight. Teams of young men compete with one another to climb up the Gupeng. Whoever climbs up onto the first platform needs to topple the pastries and offerings there before continuing to climb the Gujhan. In the old days the poor on the ground would compete to garner the fallen pastries and offerings, while nowadays people try to catch them for good luck. Finally, the first climber to climb the Gujhan and cut off the Shunfong Flag and retrieve the gold medal is the winner of the festival."

Finally, all the Yilan Fulbright crew will be heading into Taipei on Thursday (3 day work week, yeeeah!) for our official September orientation, where we'll meet the rest of the Taiwan Fulbrighters, including the Kaohsiung ETA group and the researchers.  The highlight of the weekend, at least for yours truly as an Asian Art History major, will be the private tour of the Palace Museum with the curator himself.  Once in a lifetime opportunity? Definitely.  Thank you, Fulbright!