Illnesses Galore

I get sick about every two weeks here in Taiwan. I’ve probably been to a doctor more times in the past year than in my entire life in the States. My biggest moments were probably the ten-day hospital stay due to a bacteria infection and getting H1N1 aka swine flu, which I caught from my students.

My allergies have also gotten ten times worse due to the humidity and the mold in all the old buildings so I’m always getting sinus infections.

And let’s not even get started on stomach problems. I always seem to have monthly stomach problems, and if it’s a bad day, it’ll result in a stomach virus like it did a couple of days ago, but thankfully that passed quickly.

But that’s living in a country without health codes for you. Boy, do I miss those pieces of paper with a big number hanging in restaurant windows, telling you that their place is fit for human consumption. I need to hit up the night markets soon so I can build up my immunity again. (Just saying that sentence kinda disgusted me a bit.) If you completely forget how tasty night market food is and really think about how clean they keep everything, you might not eat there ever again. But the tastiness level of those candied tomatoes and blood-on-a-stick easily lets you forget about all those insignificant details such as how often they wash those cutting boards and how much foot traffic goes by their stand hanging out in the open air.

Readjusting to a whole new climate and bacterial system is tough on a body. I suppose another factor of me not taking vitamins or not exercising at all doesn’t help, which is why tomorrow I’ll be hitting the gym after the winter hiatus. (Not only for health reasons, but also for the fact that I’ve been told that I’ve gotten fat by about half the residents in Taipei this week. Especially from the lady who does my nails whom I haven’t seen in a few months, and she even narrowed it down to “gained at least 2-3 kgs”. SIGH)

2010
03/19
CATEGORY
cultural
food
medical
personal
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Heathens

I remember when I first took a Spanish class in middle school, my classmates were horrible to the teacher. They were obnoxious and rude, and they just seemed to treat the class much more differently than math class or science class. Maybe it was because they realized that they probably wouldn’t use Spanish much in their future so why bother taking it seriously now. Or maybe it was because they really had no interest in it since the school forced us to pick a foreign language as part of our curriculum. Whatever the reason, they were disrespectful to the class and the teacher, who also happened to be a recent graduate and in her 20’s. I remember there were days when she would get so furious at us or get so frustrated and just be reduced to tears. But to us back then, it was all fun and games. Teachers didn’t really have feelings.

Every time I teach my second group of junior high students, I think of my middle school Spanish class. It’s surprising at how familiar it all feels, except this time, I’m on the other side. There seems to be some sort of unspoken immunity in a foreign language class. Since it’s foreign-language-only, the students assume anything said or done in their native language is safe. They can say whatever they want to the teacher, about the teacher, at the teacher, but because they can’t even understand the foreign language when reprimanded, it’s like they’re really not in trouble.

Being a teacher is hard work. Being a teacher of a foreign language to a group of kids who don’t even care is harder work.

To my eighth grade Spanish teacher, I apologize for our terrible behavior because now I finally can understand what horrendous heathens we must have been. And yes, teachers do have feelings too.

2010
03/16
CATEGORY
teaching
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I Am Taiwanese American

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I’ve been busy busy with GMAT studying and whatnot. But a real quick FIY, on April 1st (aka Census Day 2010), if you’re a Taiwanese-American (like me!), then make sure you put yourself as that. For more info, go here.

2010
03/05
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
1 comment

Year of the Tiger

First off, Happy Belated Chinese New Year’s/Valentine’s Day.

I get two weeks off for the holidays: last week and this week. The boyfriend got ten days off last week too, but we were kept busy due to an unfortunate event so there were other things on our minds besides enjoying the break.

I’m surprised that this little island of ours hasn’t drowned and disappeared into the ocean yet. It’s been cold and raining nonstop for the past two days, which also means that I haven’t left my place in 48 hours which will be going on close to 72 hours. Because it’s Chinese New Year, and everyone takes a week off, there’s also not much stores or shops open either. I ordered a lot of pizza on the first night and have been living off that for awhile. Kinda feels like college again, especially the lounging-in-sweats-and-eating-cold-pizza-while-studying-occasionally part.

Why the studying? I’ve finally signed up for the GMAT. I’m taking it on March 9th. I’m one of those people who just work better under pressure and deadlines, so I figured if I didn’t actually sign up, then I would never really get around to taking it no matter how much I studied. Technically, I’ve been “studying” on and off since last April. Ergo, a deadline is necessary.

Anyways, I was born in 1985, the year of the Ox, so this is my forecast for this upcoming year.

Forecast for 2010
The Ox loves methodical planning and everything working out in the correct time. The Year of the Tiger will throw all this to the wind with it’s fast pace and unexpected developments! People born under this sign may find 2010 a challenge but in a good way. The Ox will have to adapt to new routines, delays and obtacles thrown in his way, but he will be well able for any task and may find new hidden talents and personal power he didn’t know existed. Hobbies, relaxing pursuits and friendships will all be beautifully highlighted during the Year of the Tiger and will provide a welcome relief to any stresses he may face. Home improvements and redecorating plans will move forward smoothly with excellent results. Career opportunities will present themselves from April to June, while exciting, intense romantic encounters are likely in July, August and December. An important aspect for those under this sign in 2010 is to be mindful and caring of loved ones. It will be crucial to listen to them and also to accept any help they may offer during this changeable year.

Hey, that sounds pretty good to me. I’ve always had a thing for horoscopes, but I do have a sneaking suspicion that they only sound so accurate because I can always think of something in my life that applies. Is that the point? Or are they really just that good? Let me know; you can find out yours here.

2010
02/17
CATEGORY
cultural
holiday
personal
2 comments

Digital Perm

I got a digital perm last weekend because I got tired of my straight straight hair which I’ve worn for years. Usually when I get tired of my hair, I usually just cut it short, but this time I decided to do something really different.

I kind of made an impulse decision to get a perm or something that would give my flat and straight hair some volume and body. So after a couple of hours of research online, I decided that I would get a digital perm. (This blog post pretty much helped me make up my mind.) Basically, a digital perm, which started in Japan, is a hot perm applied to the ends of the hair so you get big curls and/or loose waves. A cold perm is close to the head and produces small tight curls.

This is what my hair looked like before my appointment.

When I got to the salon, they applied creams and such to my hair to protect it, then they hooked me up to this contraption where the heat is kept at a certain temperature based on what kind of hair you have, i.e. thin, coarse, thick, fine, etc.

The whole process took five hours (partly because the salon was really busy that day), and it cost $4500NT ($140USD), but I got a 50% discount cause I had a coupon. After the stylist dried and styled it, it looked like this.

Now, I can just wash it, put some curl-enhancing product in it while it’s damp, and then let it air-dry. The waves appear when it dries. Then if I want it a bit more curlier, I can take a curling iron to the locks in front for a few seconds, and voilá!

2010
02/15
CATEGORY
beauty
3 comments