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