As an American in Taiwan, many things seem extremely foreign. This week, though, I've finally experienced the most un-American thing of all: national health insurance. And, the naysayers were right; two weeks in and I've completely lost the incentive to work, and I have to go to government-mandated, bi-weekly death panel screenings. But seriously, everything is pretty much exactly the same (except a root canal costs $8 instead of $2,000).
Damn it feels good to be a socialist
Life in the DaKeng mountain area remains magical (it's a lot like camping, but with a lot more 7/11s). Last week, Sydney and I stumbled upon a small town in the mountains that is completely mushroom themed, complete with mushroom stores and mushroom-shaped streetlights (like Hershey, Pennsylvania, but more fungus-y).
Can't complain about the commute
Does one really need to color-coordinate their scooter and helmet? Yes, yes one does.
Some people might say, "but Bradon! You shouldn't drive down a desolate mountain, alone, on a scooter, at 2 AM in the rain!" To those naysayers, I reply, "but 7/11 has chicken nuggets." Chicken nuggets, man.
One night, Mari and I pulled into a random restaurant-looking area in the mountains just hoping to find anything edible. As it turns out, we had accidentally stumbled onto the birthplace of badass. At this downright spiritual establishment, entire chickens are thrown into a wood-fired pit and roasted.
When someone hands you an entire chicken and tells you to put on 2 pairs of gloves, you don't ask questions.
The question you didn't ask before ("wait, what?") bounces around in the ol' thinker as you rip off the head of a chicken.
On the subject of food, I am continued to be surprised and impressed by the cuisine here. Just today, we found an italian pizza restaurant in the mountains with a legitimate wood-fired brick oven. Half-owned by an Italian guy, it's more authentic (and delicious) than any pizza I have had in the United States, and I've put in my research.
On the other end of the spectrum, an administrator at my school gave me a "sandwich" from a very famous bakery. My palate broke down in confusion at some point, but I am pretty sure I at least tasted American cheese, butter, mayonnaise, and sweet whipped cream. That's right, I finally did it: I found a sauce sandwich.
You're god damned right I ate the whole thing.
Outside the realm of whipped-cream-butter-american cheese sandwiches with extra mayo, I was lucky enough to be invited by my landord David to a Moon Festival barbeque. We ate steak, crab legs, lasagna (from my Sicilian neighbor), and a slew of other food. It looked like this:
Also, papaya milk is still the nectar of the gods, and this is what I look like immediately after waking up every Saturday morning:
If I stare long enough, I'll learn Chinese
Teaching is going very well, though I have to teach Halloween to over 1,000 students (and therefore the holiday has been forever ruined for me).
I asked my 4th graders to name their teams after scary Halloween monsters. "The Mummies" were narrowly defeated by "The Angry Mothers."
Outside of class, three of my fellow ETAs and I are still teaching English "camps" once a week. Our topic is "going to the movies," which is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, 40 minutes of the camp involves teaching the lyrics and a dance for the song "It's Always a Good Time" by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen, which isn't always a good time.
Coming soon to the most awesome theater ever.
Also, they keep sending us to camps in the most beautiful places ever, which is a nice perk.
School in the DaJia area of Taichung, an hour's drive north.
It's not all work, though. Last weekend, most of us ETAs visited the science museum and the botanical gardens here in Taichung.
The exhibit on ancient Chinese technology was particularly interesting
If you're wondering how to build a rain forest bio-dome in Taiwan, the answer is this: just build a bio-dome and then open all the windows.
Science.
Those are the cliffnotes since last time. This week, this is happening:
Invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to celebrate National Day (10/10) in Taipei. Some important people should be in attendance.
I'll do my best to update next weekend. In the meantime, as a bonus for making it to the end of this particularly-long blog post, here is a picture of the greatest clothing store that also keeps you updated on the status of a bear:
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