Hey all, I'm back at this address as I said.
Well, the weather in Taiwan is finally starting to show it's nasty side. It started heating up this last weekend. At first it was okay as it was dry heat. But then just like the flick of a switch, HUMIDITY!!! And it's not even that high yet but to me, who is from So Cal, AKA what used to be desert, totally notices. Alright, alright. I'm just whining. It's not as bad as Florida... YET.
In other news, teaching is smoothing out as I'm getting the hang of the whole thing. One thing I didn't bargain on, though, is the amount of time I spend grading shit and prepping lesson plans. And I don't get paid for that. That's a little, actually, really it is, quite annoying. But that's the way it goes. I hear that as you do it a while, you learn shortcuts to cut down on the time it takes.
This last weekend I went down to Kaohsiung , which is on the southern tip of the island. Took us aboiut 90 minutes on the high speed rail which goes 280 kmh. Figure that out in miles and it's pretty fast. It's a quieter city than Taipei. We went to the zoo, looked around at night at all the lights for photo ops, and got some food. We also got a massage at 3 am in the morning. Where else can you do that? And I'm talking about a real massage, not something nasty. LOL. All for only 700 NT for an hour which is like 22 US dollars. Not bad at all. Sunday we lounged around the beach all day.
So on your left you can see pics of the zoo and night shots and the beach. And also the famous Night Market of the island. Actually, Taiwan has many many night markets, but this one is one of the two famous ones I think. Basically, it's a big outdoor corridor that sells all kinds of junk and food. And as the name implies, it only happens at night. Basically, every friend food you can think of is sold here on a stick and every kind of trinket you can think of, and probably don't need, is at the night market!
That's all for now.
Until next time.
5 comments:
Well, finally I am home from Australia after ending up there for a total of 6 weeks. Sorry, Dave, I didn't get a chance to stop over in Taiwan. I couldn't get flight that was reasonable. Literally, I would have had to travel to Auckland to Taipei then back to Sydney then back to Auckland then to LAX. Whew! All for $3K in addition to what I paid already.
The Land Down Under beckons and I can't wait to start a new life there. I've met a group of nice mates who have kindly offered their assistance in finding a place to live and offered theirs while transitioning. It is a different life Down Under. People are a bit more relaxed and there is less bullshit like here in San Diego.
Meanwhile, I've left Sharp Health Care and starting a new job for the State of California at the Department of Health Services. It's a stress-free job and I only get to work 4 days a week. I'll keep the job until I get all the things (house, car, personal effects) settled before my BIG MOVE which will probably occur now in December or early January. The Australian government is pretty lenient once one gets a permanent resident visa. So, I actually officially entered Australia on February 28th and just filed permission to leave the country for 6 months. I need to enter the country again before August, spend a few weeks then file again for another extension.
Sounds like you are settling down quite nicely in Taipei. It must be fascinating for the American in Taiwan to see those exotic foods, etc. I've been there and some of that stuff is really quite exotic (bordering on gross, some of them). Have you tried the one day old chick? It's quite yummy actually. Hahahaha!
Well, this is all for now. I've taken the rest of the week of and pick up my last paycheck on Friday. Then I am done at the hospital. (I think this calls for a toast!)
This is all for now. Please keep in touch.
Soon to be a Bloody Aussie,
Ramon
Ramon
Ramon
Ramon
Ramon de la Fuente
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