Another butterfly along the way...

Wulai, Taipei County - Hot river springs

Today we headed out to a little aboriginal village called Wulai in Taipei County. About 30k out of the city, it's famous for its hot springs (hooray, says Leese!). The waters are heated by a semi-active volcano in the region and are similar to those in Beitou in that they're sulphurous and said to be good for the skin. Unlike Beitou, however, where we bathed in the local public baths, this time we bathed in the Wulai River at the base of the mountains.. A stunning backdrop and water so warm, it was fantastic!

After relaxing in the riverbed, we headed out for some lunch in a cafe overlooking the river, before catching the "Wulai small train" up to the famous waterfalls of Wulai... Stunning! We headed back to Taipei City this afternoon feeling refreshed and happy....

First Classes

Cancel that! Jobs started... tonight!

Just a quick post. We got a phone call this afternoon from our school asking me to be a substitute teacher for some advanced classes this evening. It was a fantastic experience though fraught with a few obstacles (as to be expected). I taught two classes to separate groups of students. Though I'd been told that they were both 'advanced' classes, they seemed at very different levels in terms of their vocabulary and their confidence to speak up.

The first group I felt I'd overestimated their level of advanced English and perhaps the material was a little too difficult, at least, explaining 'emotional intelligence' wasn't as straight-forwarded as I'd hoped. I was using the material that the regular teacher had provided, which has its drawbacks, as it feels rather foreign. I'd expected to have access to the internet at work so I could cover a little more about Gardner's '7 intelligences' (thank you, year 12 psychology!) but it was down when I got there, so materials were a little short on supply. That said, I think it went okay.

The second group had a better grasp on idioms and the like, so too were they much more confident to speak up. They were largely business students who had years of English language training under their belts; all of whom sought to improve their English in order to take advantage of broader job opportunities. Following the absent teacher's instructions, I was all set to teach another round on 'emotional intelligence' - only to find that it had been taught a few weeks earlier! So... rather embarrassing, though I guess being an emergency substitute is not an ideal situation in the first place. So instead I offered to do a review of their earlier topics, or have a general chat (remembering that its a coversational class) which was actually really great. Everyone had travelled widely so we had a good chat about cultural awareness and bridging cultural barriers - good stuff.

That said, I'm absolutely knackered - all that talking and consistently thinking on your feet! So the lovely Simon took me out afterwards for beer and a gorgonzola pizza (which is honestly one of the best things we've ever eaten - it's amazing!)

Simon got an email back from the Hess Educational Institute (the largest English chain in Taiwan - they're just everywhere!) saying that he'd been hired! So the next few days will be interesting as we decide whether to take on both major language chains. Either way, it's great to know that we're getting started... hooray!

Leese, on the shuttle train that was really a shuttle truck

Native Australian Mammals

Native Australian Mammals

Mister Rhino

Mr. Local Rhino

Just hangin' out

The Butterfly House

The Butterfly House

Formosan Macaques

Formosan Macaques... cheeky little things!

Formosan Leopard - Taipei Zoo

The Formosan Leopard

A beautiful member of the big cat family, he paced around relatively unfazed by us!

These guys live in western and central parts of Taiwan, around 1,000m above sea level. Their numbers are steadily increasing in captivity, but they're still considered extinct.

A day for the soul - a day at the zoo

I'm pleased to say that we have great news... We have jobs! Yesterday we found out that we are now both employees of one of the largest chain of English schools in Taiwan. Both are fantastic positions, as we'll be teaching adult conversational English classes in the evenings, to small groups of 6-12 students. The school is well-known here, with over 20 branches in Taiwan (half a dozen or so in Taipei) and with a good calibre of over 45 foreign teachers. We're now in the process of organising our resident visas, which means that we won't have to risk deportation by overstaying, nor will we have to travel in and out of the country. Last night we attended 'observational classes' just to ensure that it was what we're after, and we were both seriously impressed. All in all, fantastic news! We start next week.

So we decided to celebrate Anzac Day in style by heading out to the National Taiwan Zoo! The zoo itself is an absolute marvel. It's on a sprawling estate (hectares and hectares!) on the outskirts of the city, close to the mountains. It's so big that at one stage, we had to catch the "zoo train" (which was a truck with carriages on wheels!) just to get around. Most importantly though, there's plenty of room for all the animals (ourselves included). The zoo itself attracts over five million visitors a year, so we were lucky to be there on a quiet weekday. Most of the time we felt that we had the wilderness all to ourselves.

Mostly, it was great to run around like little kids, squealing "look! look!" Sim got to play wilderness photographer, which he loves, and I'm sure you'll agree, he's certainly got a gift for. (His enthusiasm for the 'insectorium' couldn't have reminded me more of Mark!)

We're still feeling a little woozy from this strange weather (32 degrees yesterday, 16 degrees today). That said, hearts and minds definitely appreciated being back in nature. Tomorrow, we go house-hunting and enjoy the last few days of unemployed bliss!

"So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten..."

le Today is a sad day for us here in Taipei.

Last night, Simon decided that the three intense interviews that he had to undertake for this particular English teaching position had affected his confidence that the school would have faith in his abilities as a teacher. So, this morning, he was offered the position but declined to take it, and was assertive and honest with the manager of the school as to his reasons why. It wasn't easy though, and we still can't help but feel that we're in an increasingly precarious position. It's something that Simon is (and should be) proud of, that he has enough confidence in his capacity to be a great teacher and that he would need to stand by certain conditions if he is to be happy here. I'm sure - we are sure - that it will pay off in the long run. He's at another interview this afternoon, so we'll see how that goes.

We've been feeling pretty homesick over the past few days, if only because we'd envisaged having a phone line that would allow us to have long chats with our loved ones back home. I really miss speaking to Emm, Schmools, Tee, Sel and Dan and my family, because you each play such an important role in my/our lives. Instead, we've got the occassional email and text message, I wish I could say it was enough right now.

Today I found out that a friend that I had gone to high school with, my friend Rowan, died tragically at the Golden Plains Music Festival last month. Jules and I saw him and hung out a little in what I now realise was the last few hours of his life. He had planned with his boyfriend to travel this month to Madagascar as part of his medical internship. He was 21.

Tonight I was meant to start my training at our new school - instead I called and cancelled. At the moment, I'm waiting for Simon to arrive back from the interview, with the same school, and we'll spend the night together, quietly, in the little privacy that we have here.

And on a final note, for the past few days here the weather has been warm and lovely. Today, fittingly, it's rained and rained. Another good reason to curl up inside and get ready to face another brighter day tommorrow.

Apologies for the confusion....

Ever get the feeling of déjà vu whilst reading this blog? Due to Simon's accidental blog deletion Lisa has re-posted some earlier photos from our trip. The LATEST posting, however, prior to this is the 'Danshui' post, which can be accessed via the menu on the left-hand side.

Ximending

Ximending,

Something like Tokyo, perhaps?

The heart of the youth district in Taipei City

Museum of World Religions, Taipei

The Museum of World Religions

(世界宗教博物館)

Taipei Times - November 5, 2001

The NT$2 billion museum represents the culmination of efforts by both professional museum workers and religious figures over the last decade.

The museum is the work of a Taiwanese Buddhist group based on Lingjiou Mountain near Fulung, Taipei County. A relatively new but fast-growing group on Taiwan's religious scene, the Wusheng Monastery (無生道場) is home to more than 100 monks and nuns.

Unlike some other Buddhist organizations that devote their time to studying sutras and reciting prayers for the dead, or adding temples to the nation's skyline, the Lingjiou monastics are better known for practicing a modern form of "engaged Buddhism."

"If I had been building a temple, hospital or even a bridge, it would have been easy," explains Master Hsin Tao (心道法師), Wusheng's abbot. "But because I want to spend money presenting the glories of other religions as well as Buddhism, some people opposed the project."

The Museum of World Religions started as a collection of Buddhist artifacts and items relating to Taiwan's popular religious practices. It now claims to evenhandedly present "the world's 10 major religions" chosen by size and antiquity. These are Hinduism, Shinto, Judaism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, ancient religions (initially represented by Egypt) and indigenous religions represented by Mayan beliefs.

Such an approach has made Hsin Tao unpopular among some who feel he risks diluting traditional ideas. There may also be a measure of envy in his detractors, as this "broad church" has attracted a following of hundreds of thousands.

Love is Hsin Tao's by-word (his name means "way of the heart") -- the core of his own awakening seems to be that "love is the common ground of religions" -- and the Museum of World Religions has the slogan "Love is Our Shared Truth; Peace is Our Eternal Hope" translated into 14 languages in its lobby.