Living and Teaching in Taiwan: One month later

So it's been a little over a month since I got here in Taiwan and what was once a dream has increasingly become a reality. After one month almost two in fact, I'd have to say that the life of an expat is a mixed bag. For me a lot of things that other people expressed concern over have been a non-issue such as the legality issue, teaching material qualities or finding edible food. You definitely should develop a taste for asian food if you plan on living here unless you plan on cooking your own food all the time or eating at Burger King or McDonalds for most of your meals. Movies and television are readily available and if you'd like to see an English movie they tend toward subtitles for English a real bonus for the movie buff. The club scene is there for those who are interested but if you're like me a place where you can chill out and drink a beer or two your best option is often the local 7/11.

Teaching is a mixed bag, I would have to say that the curriculum at our school is quite solid and our staff is quite professional and decent about informing us about upcoming events. We always know well in advance of any upcoming events as well as any work we'll need to prep for it. The kids are generally decent and the work is usually pretty simple. That being said the simplicity is sometimes frustrating and your ability to recall petty details is a lot more important then giving a consistent and whole description of the children. Our trainer is also somewhat caught between worlds, between teaching us and trying to discipline the teachers. There hasn't been any problems yet but he is constantly waving threats above our heads about not talking to him enough which is really a case of his generally surly attitude. I've heard some similar stories about Directors at other schools and the simple fact is that most people who wind up directors are not usually professionals but more often those who have devellopped their skills teaching at the schools for a great deal of time. The negative aspect of this is that their theoretical and leadership skills can be somewhat weak but they've always maintained an excellent degree of professionalism if not always an open dialogue.

As for social activity I have been dividing my time between going for language exhcanges, resting and working out. The language exchanges have not been as fruitful as I had originally hoped. I have been doing Language Exchanges consistently for the past month with little to show besides some numbers and a handful of pronunciations. They have been good opportunities for meeting other people and talking about general stuff, I imagine they will prove more fruitful once I start Mandarin classes properly in November.

I miss home at leastonce every day, my friends, my family, and the cool air of Canada funny enough to say. I miss wearing jackets and sweaters and seeing people going about their day in Toronto, the MRT here just doesn't have the same feel to it as the good ole' TTC. I miss having conversations with the people back home. But I think this has been a good experience, an eye opener and I am constantly finding new things out about myself. It changes you I think and I hope that when I go home the people I care for will still be relatable, I think that's thing that concerns me most that when I go back I won't fit there anymore then I feel I do here.