Resident Visas Ahoy!

An open-ended visa for Formosa

Whoop-de-do! We have finally received our resident's visas. We are officially citizens of one country and residents of another. So they can't officially kick us out. Well, that may be stretching the truth. I'm sure they could very easily kick us out if they were determined to wade through the bureaucratic swamp of Taipei. But having resident visas will make it a touch harder.

Lisa and I are enjoying beer and sunflower seeds on our bed (not tim-tams, as the above photo may suggest). We've become quite the sunflower seed enthusiasts, so much so that our bedroom floor resembles that of a large birdcage. It's been a long day of teaching and we're looking forward to our one day off - the Sabath. Tomorrow we will visit an independent artists festival and perhaps find a local gym for some well needed exercise. The weather is becoming very tropical in Taipei - hot and humid. Thankfully nearly every interior space here has air-conditioning, the catch22 being of course that the power used for air-conditioning will exacerbate global warming. 'Tis the dilemma of our age.

The Social Democratic Tradition in a Hayekisian Australia

"...Hayek’s polemic against the left was an axiomatic component of his advocacy of a radical, neo-liberal alternative – one which argued the absolute centrality of the market; a role for the state as a protector of that market but little else besides; and apocalyptic warnings that any political interference with the integrity (even ‘sanctity’) of the market would place the entire national project on the “slippery slope” to totalitarianism...

It is important to state clearly the essential elements of the Hayekian orthodoxy. Hayek’s political philosophy is premised on a stark view of human nature that social democrats find confronting. In his Australian lecture, “The Atavism of Social Justice”, Hayek argues
that the altruistic feelings human beings had for one another in small tribes in primal society are rendered redundant by the impersonal demands imposed on human beings in more complex societies through prices determined in the market....

...In other words, social justice, whether it is taken maximally to mean equality of outcome, or more minimalistically to mean equality of opportunity, has absolutely no place in the Hayekian scheme....

...Social democrats have a range of objections to the market fundamentalism of the Hayekian system – a system which represents a radical departure from the schema expounded by Adam Smith two centuries before in the Wealth of Nations... Hayek is in every sense, therefore, a radical... whose philosophical system continues to drive much of the intellectual and policy software of the Howard Government, together with the bureaucracy that serves it...

...Furthermore, Hayek remains oblivious to the fact that social democrats are ultimately shaped by Smith (among others) rather than Marx. Social democrats have always respected and accepted the creativity, the efficiency and the wealth-generating capacity of markets.
But social democrats, unlike Hayek’s neo-liberals, have never been blinded by free market fundamentalism. Social democrats, by contrast, have always recognised a positive role for the state in performing functions the market cannot...

... Social democrats reject Hayek’s a priori assertion that altruism is a primitive value which can and should be purged from human consciousness. Social democrats accept the Smithian view that human beings are equally self-regarding and other-regarding and, as noted above, both should be reflected in a social democratic political economy. To the self-regarding values of liberty, security and prosperity should be added other-regarding values of equity, solidarity and sustainability. Properly constructed, these latter values are also market-enhancing
rather than market-detracting. Furthermore, this spread of values embraces social democratic concepts of both negative and positive liberty – not just the absence of coercion of the individual but equally creating the opportunity for the individual to participate fully in economic, social and political life..."

- The Hon. Kevin Rudd, MP
An Address to the Centre for Independent Studies
As Shadow Foreign Minister
Sydney, November 16 2006

Meanwhile...

Meanwhile, the national debate surrounding the name change from "Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall" to the "National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" still rages...

(Photo: Taiwan News) - http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/gallery.php?highlight_id=760680&category=14

Lazy Fridays, Taipei

Today Leese celebrated her first day off for the week (after 4 days, 10-12 hours each) - exciting stuff! We were finally able to spend some time together, with Sim also enjoying the luxury of an afternoon off. We spent the day lounging about drinking coffee and trying out a bunch of Taiwanese food that we've yet to try.

i. We were hugely chuffed when we found this huuuuge packet of Arnott's Tim Tams sold in a pharmacy here (yes, chemists sell Tim Tams.) Amazing, and discounted, too!

ii. We also went to a noodle house, where we tried some amazingly fresh beef and veggie noodles over Asahis... While watching the chefs throw about the noodle dough, twisting and kneading like nobody's business. Awesome stuff.

Leese poses for the Papa

iii. We also finally decided to try "Beard Papa", the Taiwanese sweet store! Beard Papa is a Japanese concoction, a little stall which sells pastry puffs filled with vanilla and strawberry... Absolutely delicious!

iv. Summer is most definitely on its way - it was 38 degrees here in Taipei today, absolutely steaming. And we're set to experience the humidity which comes with the typhoon season, also set to begin soon. On the upside though, we did enjoy some delicious mango and starfruit today, to celebrate the beginning of the mango (and avo!) season.

v. We also realised that the two-and-a-half year mark just passed us by... Woohoo! (Note: We're still celebrating with Asahis, just like the good old days.) :)

Photos soon! x

Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall name change

Under-wraps: a plaque that has caused quite a furore.

Yesterday the Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall, a tribute to the infamous dictator who maintained martial law in Taiwan for 38 years, was officially renamed the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (國立台灣民主紀念館). The name change sparked demonstrations at the site as supporters and critics of the name change clashed in minor brawls. Barbed wire fences were erected around the newly christened Democracy Hall and hundreds of police were deployed to quell the unrest. The Sunday edition of the Taipei Times showed the image of an old Taiwanese man with his pants down, apparently proclaiming that President Chen Shui Bian (陳水扁) had no balls. Upon the unveiling of the new plaque President Chen said that the move was a step forward, away from the country's authoritarian past.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/photo/2007/05/20/2005068893

When Lisa and I visited the site today there remained a signficant police presence, with a dozen police guarding the entrance to the Hall. The sweeping grounds that encircle the Hall, however, were surprisingly peaceful. It was a cold, wet afternoon in Taipei. Perhaps the rain extinguished some of the controversy surrounding the name change, albeit temporarily. A lone camera-crew from one of Taiwan's news agencies took footage of the lonely square for the evening news. Apparently they were happy that Lisa and I arrived so that at least they'd have some footage for tonight's bulletin. Lisa was asked a few questions but was conscientious not to put her foot in it. Although she did say that it was a good thing without elaborating on her opinion. As she rightly said, this is a Taiwanese issue, a very sensitive issue, and one that foreigners should refrain from putting their large feet in.

A sole reporter finds reprieve in some foreign faces.

We have been asking our Taiwanese friends about the name change in the past few days. Most have been critical of the move, with the more pragmatic denouncing the move as a waste of taxpayer's money (the name change will require the amendment of tourist information and provincial/MRT signage). Some have said that the name change is an ill-fated attempt to change the nation's psyche and that, in the minds of the people, it will always be Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

The name change is part of a broader campaign by the Democractic People's Party (DPP) to dilute the legacy of Chiang Kai-shek and remove idols of the once-dictator from the Taiwanese landscape. The Chiang Kai-shek International Airport was recently renamed Taoyuan International Airport. In March Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the DPP issued an administrative order to rename the Chiang Kai-shek Culture Center to the Kaohsiung City Culture Center. The Kaohsiung government also removed a large statue of the former dictator from the centre.

As bright as...

Karma Cola Musings

"To go from the monomania of the West to the multimania of the East is a painful business. Like a sex change. Too many visitors discover that changing their names does not inevitably lead to a change in their vital organs...

The Eastern Master, when asked, "What is the Answer?" has traditionally replied, "Who is Asking?" In that lies a central difference between Eastern and Western thought. The East is not concerned with intellectual aggrandizement, so much so that Jung testily called the Eastern mind childish, a mind that didn't ask questions, but simply perceived them. In a tradition where the question asks itself and the answer replies itself and all that remains is to establish the identity of the asker..."

- "Karma Cola"
Gita Mehta

Teaching - Musings - Week Two

It's so strange to be getting into the swing of a full-time teaching career. We're both working 20 hours this week, with at least another 10-15 hours preparation time, plus travel time, which all adds up. I have two twelve-hour days in which I have to travel between the branches, which is tiring and a little frustrating. I much prefer being at Shilin, the northern branch, where the majority of my classes are. The vibe there is pleasant and the other teachers are really lovely.

Most of my classes are really fantastic. With my advanced students, I can choose any topic that I feel is relevant/interesting to both the students and I, and prepare material on it. The freedom on not having to work to mostly mediocre English language lessons is great; the more we find out about the students, the more "tailoring" can be done, and the more we enjoy it. Mostly, though, its the freedom to speak in a complex manner, explaining concepts and ideas, that we love. For example, yesterday my topic was 'job fulfillment' - instead, we ended up musing over definitions of "fulfillment" and "contentment" using Maslow's theory of hierarchical needs. Since most of the students are university-level psychology students, it was great!

We also have private students who we see either in small groups, or one-on-one. Twice a week I have a group of three housewives who are absolutely lovely, and we talk about children, child-rearing, parental expectations, and Taiwanese husbands! Fascinating stuff! Likewise, I have a class with a senior lawyer at one of Taiwan's biggest law firms. Talking about his expertise is also really interesting and keeps my brain ticking over.

I'm ranting a little from the fatigue of it tonight. I have one particular class in which I'm not sure how much the students are enjoying it. They seem fine, but really, it's so hard to know! Because they are intermediate English students, its takes more time to explain everything (which is a little tedious) and it generally takes more out of me. At this stage of their language learning, students require far more from their "role-model" and confidence-building exercises. Afterwards, I feel like crumbling into a heap from the sheer energy that it takes to muster these students into a comfortable space with their conversational English.

Also, I feel that the risk that the materials/exercises/games are too difficult for the students is much higher with the intermediate level. I'm told that at this level, students require a set structure of the class above all else. This makes me feel somewhat hesitant about trying new methods of engaging them - something I'll have to work on.

So it takes time. For the minute though, we'll keep taking deep breaths and throwing ourselves in head-first.

Happy Mum's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the fantastic, incredible mothers and women in our lives; we love you dearly! In our thoughts today, and all our love. x

Spot of Leunig on a Saturday Afternoon

Must say, absolutely loved this piece from Leunig courtesy of today's Saturday Age... "Is journey neccessary?"

"...If we are inclined to the view that life itself is a journey, the question of its necessity is also worth answering. If the answer is no, life is not necessary, we can then see beyond its apparent urgency and regard it as a mysterious stroke of amazing good fortune, or amazing grace... a liberating vision that can make it more beautiful and poignantly funny, as well as more bearable when... the owl of despair hoots in the night crying, "What's the point, what's the point?

I recently shared a dinner table with a man who had grown up by the Mediterranean Sea, and we discussed life's bearable and unbearable nature at some length.

"In the town I come from," he said, "when people meet each other in the street, they begin with, 'Shit, what's the point?' Right at the start, they go to the heart of things, and this allows real conversation to happen."

It seemed like a lovely, earthy social convention to me, and a very practical idea, but I know it's not likely to catch on in Australia. And I don't know how a man with a background like that was allowed to immigrate to our shores, where sunny, positive thinking is compulsory and negative capability is regarded as a brain disorder...

Teaching in Transition

So, aside from everything else, there are some options that we're considering at the moment.

At this point, our lives feel so transitory. This is liberating and a little frightening, though each day we've felt more at ease in this context.

Our first paycheck is tommorrow, and though it won't be much, it'll keep us afloat in the meantime. In the following few weeks, we should be able to settle down a little bit more, as we'll have enough money for a deposit on an apartment, and will no longer be living in this hostel.

Aside from that, though, the question is: What do we want to concentrate our energies on? English teaching is enjoyable, but is it enough to sustain us? Teaching in this style of cram school, where the focus is on the student as a consumer that needs to be "satisfied with a product," is markedly different to any actual education system, we feel. The students consistently need to feel as though they're "getting their money's worth", as ultimately, it's an extra-curricular activity for them. For this very reason, there are no tests, no certifications, no real rules in the class and not much actual authority in the hands of the teachers. It's our job to make these students (clients?) feel as though their English has improved, whether or not this is the case. It's interesting, to say the least, but we can see how it won't be enough for us to be "service providers" full-time.

Teaching, rather, "tutoring" in this way, is immediately "rewarding" in that you can see how some students warm to the opportunity to speak to a native speaker. Gaining their trust, allowing them to feel as though they can make mistakes, is "rewarding" in that sense; but, on the other hand, I'm not sure if a number of "little satisfying moments" actually add up to an honest sense of job satisfaction. By which I mean, we derive so much joy from reading about the state of the world, polarization and globalization, all that boring stuff :) - but that's what we love, and the sense of satisfaction that we derive from that just doesn't compare. Learning Chinese is also in that bracket. We're really really looking forward to having a steady paycheck so that we can pay for lessons during the mornings, and teach in the evenings.

We can see how being good for the "business of supply and demand" will enable us to have other options at hand. But we can also see how you could become so involved with it, that other goals like learning Chinese and taichi and more about Taiwanese local culture could just fade away. Ultimately, we have to stay true to the people that we are and hopefully, this transitory period will allow us to do that. As the lovely George Smith told us... We just have do all we can to "just be happy."

The Power of Less

"In a letter to the philosopher Sidney Hook, Robert Frost stressed that an essential difference existed between grammatically correct sentences, and a living sentence. He could not define the difference, but suggested that a living sentence could be identified by its undismissable effect... Living sentences allow us to listen with our whole selves and not just the eyebrows up. The words last as written words or speech because the unimitable knows no substitutes. It lets itself be known by the heart, which is the best form of knowledge because it confirms an ongoing presence...

I do not make this statement to denigrate the language of statement, which does serve a neccessary purpose. However, it is not language at its fullest. Once its serves its purpose, it evaporates. This is the language which dominates our public life...

The American poet Henry Carruth once identified poetry as "the great voice within us" - within all of us. Why is this voice missing in our public discourse?... After all, a society exists when human beings live not in isolation but in conjunction with one another and where they individually and collectively face all the trials that "flesh is heir to", while simultaneously striving to perfect those abilities whch distinguish them from all other creatures i.e. speech, imagination, reverence for life, etc...

It would seem that in such circumstances "the best words in the best arrangement" (T.S. Eliot) would help them live in harmony whilst inspiring them to live justly and fully. But as long as people see themselves not living in a society but in an economy, they become more prone to regard themselves simply as consumers, purchasers, assets... In time this language becomes the language of quantity, not quality - the language of abstraction and generality and not the language of felt thought. It becomes the language of inhumanity.

Caminante, no hay camino.
Se hace camino al andar.

"Wayfarer, there is no road.
You make the road as you go."

- Antonio Machado

Reading or hearing words in this way - experiencing these felt thoughts - eases something in us. It reassures us that we had the right to feel the way we do. We live, thereafter, quickened and deepened. It is, what Robert Frost called, "a momentary state against confusion." True language is a momentary intensity, like kisses or tears, they have no past or future tense. Like telegrams, they eschew the superfluous and treasure the vital. They emphasise the power of less."

- "Poetry and Public Speech: The Power of Less"
Samuel Hazo, Director of the International Poetry Forum
Speech delivered to the University of Pittsburg,
February 1, 2007

Some musings on Urban Taiwanese Architecture

"When the Guomingdang (KMT) first arrived, they believed that they were ultimately going back (to China), so it was a transitory period that probably made Taipei that haphazard place that it is today. Taiwan is still a very transitory country. The mentality is, "we're going to send our kids abroad, then we're going to move out"... There are too many variables that don't allow for a sense of pride of place..."
- Phillip Huang, EG magazine editor

"The traditional Taiwanese home - made of red brick and built around a courtyard in the Northern Chinese style (si he yuan) is deeply inappropriate for the subtropical climate. The Chinese style remained the same because it was a symbol of the power structure - that was more important than comfort. The more you move away from the centre of Chinese culture, the more interesting the architecture becomes..."
- Roan Ching-Yueh
Associate Professor of Architecture at Shih Chien University

Jarring Aesthetics - Expressway, Taipei City

"If one stays long enough on the island, the jarring aesthetic is gradually tempered by the people one meets, the preoccupation with making a living and the delights of Taiwanese food.. homey feelings which take over from the rational and compensate for you."

- Meldrum, W. Taiwan Review, March 2007.

Taipei City at Night

The city in which we live

View of Taipei City from the balcony of our hostel