The Liquid Rule of Taiwan

Ok, Taiwan, why are you always putting my liquids in a bag? I mean, it's cute how you put the stray through the hole at the top, but I just don't believe that a twist-tie can adequately prevent this from becoming a boba tea geyser.

And don't think that you're off the hook for putting my soup in a bag either.

National Treasure Taiwan: The Secret of Laundry

According to her facebook profile, my old roommate Chloe's favorite quotation is:

"I'm in New York, and to say that it is simply hot and muggy here is to mock Mother Nature's ability to make us feel sticky during the summertime."
- the genius, but anonymous, author of the Discovery blog

Now, I've never lived in "the city," but if saying "it is hot and muggy" in NYC mocks Mother Nature's ability to make us feel sticky in the summertime, describing Taiwan as such must be like repeating that joke that your weird uncle tells at every Thanksgiving, even though you stopped laughing once you stopped wearing Underroos. That is to say, it's fucking hot here and it's getting old.

Of course, I have conquered the heat in small ways--today I figured out how to take the (air-conditioned!) bus from my apartment (or close enough) to my school instead of the bus to the subway to the last stop on the line where I leave my bicycle and ride for 2 miles in the oppressive heat. The ride should have been so easy; the road is flat, but it is tree-less and until yesterday, I had no basket in which to leave my backpack which felt like I was wearing a down comforter under the Taiwanese sun. Now, I no longer have to explain to my students why teacher Vicky is always dripping with sweat during first period. Victory is mine!

But that is, of course, a small victory in the grand scheme of things. In this land of perpetual sweat-stains and NO DRYING MACHINES OR LAUNDROMATS IN SIGHT, I can't even wash my clothes correctly. My attempts to desiccate my laundry using a drying rack, a dehumidifier, and an air-conditioning unit have left me with a wardrobe that reeks of mildew. Which smells slightly like urine. Gross.



Anyone who can unlock the secrets of laundry will gain great esteem in my eyes. Perhaps this hero will even be ranked alongside the great Benjamin Gates (played by Nicolas Cage) of National Treasure. Seriously, think about it.

This American Life: The Giant Pool Of Money

You are now being redirected.

Given all the financial madness that's going down (look! I don't even have to link an actual article, just the nytimes homepage!), I swear that this This American Life piece is well worth your time.

Sarah and Hilary on SNL

You've probably all seen this, but I just can't help myself...

Guess Where I Went Today?

What is this? Where did I find it? Answers to come when I'm not so exhausted...

Meet Your Moon Festival

This post would have been about the upcoming Autumn Moon Festival, which takes place this Sunday, and the mountain of moon cakes (pictured above) we've received for the occasion, but a typhoon has hit Northeast Taiwan. According to my Aunt (who is neurotic), it is ripping large store signs and concrete off of buildings.

Luckily for me, I'm in Southwest Taiwan and it's not projected to hit my area too hard. Even so, the clouds move quickly out here. Here's a quick video of the skies I took on my digital camera:



I'm feeling pretty safe at the moment, though if the storm turns or does something else that's unexpected, I may be locked in my house for a while. That being said, I'm pretty sure I have enough ramen and moon cakes to last me a month. I won't eat well, but I certainly won't starve. And hopefully when this all passes, it will be time for an update about the moon festival!

What's in A Name?

Photo courtesy of Paul Wozniak's Facebook Profile

Today I rechristened a child--he told me his English name was Bobo, and I suggested that he change his name to Paul because "my friend Paul has really cool glasses like you!" When he asked what was wrong with the name Bobo, I just told him it might be cute when he's young, but maybe people would think it's weird when he's a little older. I also suggested the name Ira (as in Ira Glass, host of This American Life), but he seemed to like the name Paul better, which is good because I wouldn't want people to wonder how the hell a Jewish kid ended up looking so Chinese.

The truth is, I have no idea what people are thinking when they give these kids English names. One of my students is a girl named Bass (no, that's not a misspelling. She insisted it was spelled with an "a") and I definitely have a boy named Joy. My roommate Katie has a girl named Pust, and another Fulbrighter told me one of her students is a boy named Baby. It's like some kind of cruel joke. Also, every single class I have taught has had at least one (but often 2) girls named Angel. I've also got a lot of Tinas, which is a name I don't encounter all that often in U.S.

Most kids have decided to keep their Chinese names, which makes a lot of sense. The only problem is, I have well over 300 students who have decided to keep their Chinese names and since my command of Chinese isn't so great, I'll basically have to remember a bunch of sounds that don't mean anything to me and try to match them with faces that aren't exactly as diverse as they are in the US. If I can remember all of their names by December, I'll consider my year in Taiwan a success, though it's looking pretty unlikely at this point....