Traveling, Typhoons, and other mundane reasons for living!

Howdy folks.  It's been a while since I traveled the dusty halls of blog land. Things are...well...things.  The exciting/terrifying/eagerly anticipated (which may be the same thing as exciting, but what the hell) thing that is going on, is that on Friday, I will start my new job. I will not start teaching on Friday because these folks are very serious.  I will start a month long orientation to prepare me to teach for Kang Chiao International School.  This, my friends, is a real job.  I haven't had one of these in a long time.  Now, while I am looking forward to the challenge, I am also thinking to myself, "Holy crap! I'm actually going to have to do some work!"  Talley Ho! and what not!

Last week, Rebecca and I joined her co-workers on a company sponsored trip to the eastern coast Taiwan cities of Hualien and Taitung. There were about 40 odd folks on the trip from the two branches of Rebecca's company including employees and their families or friends. Now, I've never actually been on one of these scripted tours where you are at the mercy of the schedule, which led to my being a tad grumpy the first day because things were moving faster than I would have preferred.  Rebecca however, put and end to that by telling me to suck it up and go with the flow. Me, being the dutiful husband...cough...gasp...did what I was told and ended up having a good time over all.  I knew I loved that woman for some reason.  Anyway, we toured part of Toroko National Park that Rebecca and I hadn't been to before (see previous post). The Baiyang Waterfall Trail is a winding trail through a deep gorge marked by a number of tunnels blasted through the cliffs that ultimately leads to an underground waterfall that you can stand if you wish.  I wasn't so interested in the waterfall, but there were a number of places where the water in the river at the bottom of the gorge pooled in such an inviting way that I really wanted to go in. Unfortunately, sheer drops of 50-100 or more feet generally discouraged this. It's beautiful country regardless, and if you ever travel to Taiwan, it is well worth the visit.

The next day, we headed off to a clam museum. I opted to wander around outside since the whole thing was in Chinese, and I really don't like clams that much. One of the things that you could do, was jump in a pond and dig for clams. Once you got the clams, then you could bring them to the little restaurant area, where they would cook 'em up for you and you could have a feast.  Fortunately for me, many of Rebecca's co-workers are beer drinkers, so while they ate their clams, I got to drink beer. This is always a good thing. After the clam thing, we all got on the bus, and the tour guide broke out the karaoke machine. Now, I was not aware of this (although the clues have been there now that I think about it), but my wife is a karaoke queen. She even has a pretty decent voice.  The bottom line is, Rebecca LOVES karaoke (we were on a Noraebus, for my Korean friends, lol). I did my duty and sang a couple of songs, but the fact that it was the middle of the day, and I wasn't blind drunk, my singing voice was not at it's best. We finally arrived at the hotel - all the hotels were very nice - but this one was kind of like Disneyland.  It had a swimming pool, a bar, game rooms with billiards and table tennis among other things, and live music (I often want to ask the guys that play in these hotel cover bands what they do for "real" music, but a gig is a gig I suppose. After going for a swim in the pool, Rebecca and I met some of her co-workers and proceeded to down three cases of beer in one of the rooms. Now Rebecca is not what you would call a drinker by any means, and in truth, she does not approve of my predilection for the the sweet, delectable, barley and hops beverage.  However, she is a good sport and only gave me a couple of sideways glances.

Too be continued (with photos)...

What happened America?

I don't understand my country anymore.  A country built by immigrants that now hates immigrants.  A country that claims to respect the individual freedoms of all its citizens but truly only respects the rights of those citizens who can pay for them.  A country that believes in liberty, freedom of speech and freedom of religion but only as long as it is the RIGHT kind of speech or the RIGHT kind of religion. A country that spends trillions of dollars to send young men and women to fight and die in stupid, useless wars yet can't find the cash to properly care for those young men and women when they come home crippled and maimed.  A country that says, "Hey. You're poor? FUCK you!  A country built on compromise and intellectual ideas that now seems to believe that compromise is a dirty word and that ideas and intelligence are some sort of cancer. A country that will will get all gussied up this coming weekend to celebrate the independence of a nation that no longer knows who or what it is.

That makes me sad.

Sunday Morning

Well, it's a lazy Sunday morning.  I'm having my coffee, watching baseball, and doing some laundry. The real decision to be made is whether to start studying for the Chinese test I have tomorrow or take a nap ... zzzzzzzzzzzz ...

Random thoughts

I have found that being out of work for an extended period of time can actually work your nerves a little bit. I find myself happily cleaning the bathrooms, mopping to floors and taking random walks along with hours of wasted time playing around on the computer.  I'm sure that a couple of months after I start working again, I will be pining for the lost hours of freedom, but at the moment, I'm simply bored.

One way that I am going to relieve the tediousness is by taking what I think is an absurdly expensive intensive Chinese course at the Chinese Culture University Mandarin Learning Center. While the name of the place is certainly a mouthful, I have read some pretty good reviews about their courses.  It's going to be a challenge because it's three hours a day, five days a week, and I think it's going to be one of those courses where missing one class will put you almost too far behind to catch back up.  Anyway, I'm up for the challenge. The main reason I want to do this is because I've been spending a lot of time with Rebecca's family and while they are super friendly and try to include me as much as possible, their lack of English and my lack of Chinese means that I am often the odd guy out.  I can't expect Rebecca to translate everything. So we'll see how it goes.  Maybe I'll actually become proficient in Chinese.  Of course I said that about Korean as well and after 14 years living in Korea, couldn't hold a conversation to save my life.

Not much else going on really. Just killing time until my job starts in late July.  ...And so it goes.

Random Stuff

First of all, for all you who may be interested, I am now employed.  I will be working for the Kang Chiao International School.  I'll be teaching English.  Mostly I'll be teaching TOEIC and TOEFL stuff, but the school offers a lot of English literature classes as well as social studies classes which I may also get the opportunity to teach. I'm thinking this is going to turn out to be a really good job.  The only thing I'm not thrilled with is that I'll have a two hour commute each way which will make for a long day.  That said, I'm actually really excited to get started.  I'll begin July 25th.  In the interim I'm going to have to find some things to do to keep me from going cock-eyed with boredom.  I figure taking a Chinese class will be part of it, but I don't know what else yet.

The other thing that happened to me is that I discovered my sciatic nerve. Now those of you who have had experience with this wonder of the human anatomy know very well that it is literally a pain in the ass. Anyway, Rebecca sent me off to the National Taiwan University Hospital to get myself checked out.  This was an adventure in and of itself.  Following the signs that supposedly lead you to the Family Health Care clinic, I walked through a door which led me too a hallway that had a ceiling only an inch over my head.  Not only that, but as I'm walking around I'm noticing that there's not much in the way of hospital type stuff going on, but that it's mostly small restaurants and convenience stores. So here I am, crouched over because I can't stand up straight due to the ceiling height, staring at people slurping up nodles and wondering what in the Hell have I got myself into.  I finally find another sign that has an arrow pointing up some stairs and says Family Health Care.  I follow and wind up in what seems to be the oncology lab.  The first person who looked like they worked there that I talked to sort of looked at me and ran.  So I did the next logical thing and called Rebecca, so that she could talk to someone and get me headed in the right direction.  I finally get sent to the hospital lobby.  Now when I got to the lobby, I was immediate reminded of a really crowded night market.  There were five different sets of windows all labeled cashier and five million people milling around in what has to be some sort of organized fashion but at first glance was simply chaos.  I stood in the middle of this, staring around in all directions and just laughing to myself thinking, "What the fuck do I do now?"  Finally, Rebecca sent me a text with what I was looking for written in Chinese, and nice little helper woman got me pointed in the right direction.  I got to the doctor, she told me I was suffering from a pinch sciatic nerve and prescribed some mild painkillers.   This led to my next adventure.

The painkillers weren't doing much good, so Rebecca suggested that I should try acupuncture. I've never tried it before but had always heard positive things. Given that my hip was bothering me in a big way, I said, "What the Hell."  I got to the clinic this morning and in short order was talking to the doctor who spoke excellent English and explained the process to me.  It was all very civilized.  The only kink in the works came when I had a fit of giggles thinking of the picture I must have presented laying there on my side with needles sticking out of my butt. Laughing makes your body move. Moving makes you able to feel the needles, which is a tad uncomfortable.  So far, the pain is gone, but we'll see how long it lasts.  The Doc said to go back Monday if the pain persists, so I will do that.

That is all for now...

Vacation Photos

Here they are:

Rebecca and I getting married for the second time.

The Del Norte County Clerk reading the wedding service.

The deed is done! Everyone...laugh?

In front of the Flynn Administration Center where we got married.

Rebecca, my sister Shelle, and I on the road to Sonoma.

Rebecca's Latte bowl!

The Marina District and Fort Mason, SF.

Heading out on a Bay Cruise. The weather was nice when we left the dock.

Saw some sea lions.

Then it started to rain.

Got some good photos and had a good time despite the rain that, of course, stopped the minute we got back to the dock.

Being tourists in Chinatown.

You have to take the cable cars!

Taiwanese (?) tea franchise in SF.

Fisherman's Wharf

Thus tells the tale of our time in California for what amounted to the most expensive visa run in history.  had a great time with my family and my fabulous wife!

Post Post Vacation Post Post

The other thing you do when you go home is shop.  When you live in Asia and are a man of my...ahem...stature, a trip back to the land of the large every couple of years is necessary. That and the fact that I have big-ass feet means that I can't find shoes that fit in Asia. So, I got to California and hit all the hot spots: Walmart, Target, Sears and stocked up on enough of the necessities to last me until my next adventure to, as my buddy Ian calls it, "The Land of the Great PX." It really is shocking to shop in America.  I'm in awe every time I go back to visit a supermarket, wandering down the cereal aisle or staring, mouth agape and drooling, at the ridiculous number of choices in the cheese section. I simply can't imagine how someone from a country not known for its abundance feels when they first step into these hallowed halls of excess.  It must be mind boggling.

Now, personally, I don't like to shop.  I go shopping, especially for clothes, out of necessity and try to get it over with as quickly as possible.  Rebecca, on the other hand, LOVES to shop.  During our stay I think we hit just about every mall between San Francisco and Oregon border. Fortunately for me, Rebecca understands my aversion to shopping and, rather than listen to me sigh heavily every time she wants to try something on or wants to venture into just one more store, usually parks me and a book in a nearby coffee shop or pub while she peruses the merchandise. Our greatest adventure was in the search for everything Coach.  Coach products seem to be very popular among Rebecca's circle of friends but are much more expensive in Taiwan than they are in the States. Thus, Rebecca and I hit every Macy's, Coach store and outlet we could find looking for deals on bags and wallets requested by friends and family.  I somehow came out of this the proud owner of a Macy's card which I will probably never use again. I'm not sure how many bags we came back with, but it was a lot.

All in all, it was a great trip.  I got to spend some quality time with my mom, and with my sister, I ate a ton of great food - I made my pilgrimage to Los Hermanos; the home of the world's best burrito, and got a lot of new clothes.  Good times!

Photos to follow.

Post Vacation Post

There are two truths that are undeniable about traveling to the US. One, the only thing that loses weight is your wallet, and, two, your sleep cycle is going to hell.  I went to bed at midnight last night after 18-19 hours of traveling only to wake up at 5:00 am this morning.  Only it wasn't 5:00. It was 4:00 because I forgot to set my watch to Taiwan time after our layover in Tokyo.  It was even worse when Rebecca and I got to California at the beginning of the trip.  I think it took almost a week before we started sleeping less than about 14 hours a day.

As far as the diet is concerned, you pretty much know that you are going to put on an extra 10-15 lbs when you are greeted at your mother's house by a 22 lb turkey with all the trimmings and only four people to eat it. There is also the thing about portion size.  I am always amazed how much food you get when you go to a restaurant.  I wonder if I thought the portions at restaurants were unusually big before I went to Korea or if they felt normal?  Now I go home, and I'm thinking, "Holy crap!  How the hell am I supposed to eat all that?"  I usually manage to find a way to shovel all that food in because you know... you don't want to waste anything...starving children in Africa and all that. Anyway, I got to eat a ton - maybe literally - of great food while I was home, and it was awesome!

To be continued...

First World Problems: The No Sound Blues

Sound.  Think about it for a minute.  Sound. Then...No sound.

Computers are fabulous things.  You can do so many things with them, from sending emails to looking for work to doing research.  However, computers lose a great deal of their intrinsic entertainment value when the sound quits. Think about how absolutely you take for granted the sound that emanates from your computer every time you use it.  Be it a squork or a bleep or the ever-so-comforting-until-it's-gone Windows start-up sound. When it's gone, desolation follows.

If you are like me, you have whittled your entire entertainment world into a storage space the size of a paperback book because it's easier and much cheaper than hauling 50 boxes of books, cds, DVDs, and lps around the world.  Your family may be willing to store them in an attic or garage, but may start to look askance when you come to visit every couple of years but never seem to leave with any of the boxes.  Then, of course, you start to pray that your chosen sibling or parent has become so entrenched in your storage space that they will never have to actually move your crap for you.  Maybe they'll forget about it altogether. Ultimately, you simply have to downsize.

The problem with having all of your entertainment packed into hard drives is that you need a computer to access it.  That computer also needs to have sound. Playing a music or movie file on a computer with a malfunctioning sound card is an effort in futility only akin trying to eating a bag of Cheetos without turning yourself and your immediate surroundings day-glo orange.

Needless to say, my inability to fix this problem is working my already frayed nerves. Fortunately, I have my iPod, which is stuffed with enough musical goodness to get me through this oh-so-trying time.

Captain's Log: Star Date 2014/03/07 - The Island of Formosa

Here I sit, in a strange new land, in a strange new life, on what may become a typical Friday night: the wife and her sisters playing mahjong in the living room, and me sipping on a beer, listening to music and banging away on the keyboard. This blog has been neglected far too long. - Ooops!  Forgot the beer! Yikes!

It's an odd thing, starting a new life.  Moving away from the familiar into uncharted waters.  Why did I stay in Korea so long? The answer is pretty simple.  Staying was easier than going. Despite all the crap that I complained about, for most of the time I was there, the options - or lack of options - elsewhere, made Korea the best choice.  To a certain extent, it was the only choice.  While I'm not uncomfortable with change, I am a man that likes a certain amount of routine.  Sometimes my routine led to stagnation.  The last four years in Korea are proof of that.  Yet when you hit that comfort zone, it can be a hard thing to break out of, and I accept that I'm the only one who can break that cycle. The cycle has been broken, and it is good.

There are things I will miss about Korea. I made some really great friends in the years I was there (you know who you are). There's part of me that will always be waiting for Ian's call on a Saturday afternoon to decide which animal was going to be killed, grilled, and eaten and whether we were going to take the bus or cab it to Gung-dong.  I'll miss Mr. Ho saying, " I LOVE / HATE Jaegermeister!" depending on whether he beat me at pool or not. Hell, there's even a part of me that will miss arguing with the KAIST students over their horrid music tastes.  Over all, the fourteen years I spent in Korea was a great experience.  Sometimes when you're stuck in the middle of it, it doesn't feel that way, but hindsight is always 20/20, and I'll remember my time in Korea fondly.

There will be routine here in Taiwan as well, and I'm liking the way this routine is starting. Waking up in the arms of someone you love deeply is a wonderful thing. It's almost as if Rebecca and I are starting a new relationship in spite of the fact that we've actually known each other for almost ten years and have been married for a year and a half. It makes me realize that I've been alone for a long time. I'm happy.