Shopping Day at the local market

The local market is down the hill and across the street from my dorm...still a death defying walk when you're trying to dodge cars, buses, and a large number of scooter drivers (many of whom I am convinced do not have a license to drive or to pursue pedestrians). While I no longer have a microwave and I'm one week short of picking up the toaster oven, I still have my hotpot to boil water and the small fridge for keeping foods cold. I needed my fruit and nuts and food for lunch today. I bought my first baked sweet potato, and divided it for two days...really yummy. There are sweet potato bakers scattered all about the streets in Taiwan, but I've either been too early or too late to buy from them. I also bought what I thought was half a baked chicken. The seller actually chopped up a quarter of a baked chicken with her cleaver and cleverly made it look like more by including the baked foot underneath everything...which I did not taste. It is actually pretty dangerous to eat a chicken that has been hacked with a cleaver. The bones splinter, and you are constantly spitting out splinters of bone remnants! I bought my 3 packages of nuts from my usual seller, and she knocked NT$100 off the NT$600 selling price. I coughed because my throat was dry, and she gave me something black and preserved, indicating it would help my cough. Then she threw in the rest of the package for free! I did eat one, and it wasn't half bad and I did quit coughing! I also treated myself to 4 mini custard filled cream puffs for dessert for today and tomorrow The pictures that are attached will tell you why that's all I usually buy in the open market that is at least 2 blocks long in the alley between buildings. There are lots of things to "buy" besides food. I do feel sorry for the caged chickens and live fish waiting to die for customers who want their food to be REALLY fresh!

The broken microwave and Spring Fair

Last week before I left on spring break, the microwave I purchased less that 2 months ago quit. I decided to make the 24 hour turn-around trip to the big city to return it. I graded on Friday morning, and jumped the train with my 40 pound suitcase in order to go to B&Q, the DIY store modeled after Home Depot...it is even orange! Unfortunately, the taxi card I had meant I made a trip all the way to Neihu, a suburb of Taipei, when I could have gone to one closer to Tian Mu...another TM. After 30 minutes waiting for each level of the hierarchy to hear what my problem was, then proving I was not lying by plugging it in after going for an extension cord, they agreed to credit my card. I could not face carrying that heavy load back to Neili, so I decided to purchase a small toaster oven. Back I went on the long taxi ride to Tian Mu, C waiting with wine and cheese and crackers to fix my worn spirits. Ms. Leanna, their cleaning lady who also babysits for them on most "daddy date nights," took one look at my box and said "oh no! I have a toaster oven to give you from one of my other clients." Unfortunately, she could not bring it until Monday, so I will take the 24 hour trip to the city AGAIN next week to pick it up...and make another return to B&Q. A plus? They are supposed to deliver C's reupholstered couch on Thursday, so I may...I repeat, may...get to see it. I spent the evening seeing "Date Night" and having a margarita at Chili's on my own as K & C had their date night and went to see "It's Complicated." K will be gone to Ireland this week for meetings after the most recent Dell restructuring. C says she will definitely accompany him the next time he has to go to Ireland!

Saturday was the Spring Fair at TAS. A and I walked over early in order to look and shop before the huge crowd gathered. A was dressed in her dance t-shirt, and we were prepared to see her dance at the scheduled time, 11:50. C & I arrived at the dance floor in plenty of time...but this year they were ahead of schedule, and she danced early. I told her I was in tears behind my sunglasses when I found out we missed her. She said "Gram, I had tears in my eyes when I looked out and you were not there." I really was ready to throw up after that....and so many people said "A, I saw you dance and you were great!" in front of all of us sad people. It was hard to take, but I will get to attend her dance recital where they will perform two dances.

I'm attaching pictures of some of the fair that will not do it justice. The cafeteria was full of vendors, the yard was full of things for the kids to do, and food was everywhere. I cannot tell a lie...I bought beautiful jewelry made in Shanghai from Di Halliday, one of C's Aussie friends that I like so much. I bought my lucky lion and the money god carving for my office. I bought a gorgeous modern painting of 3 ladies in cheongsams standing under umbrellas in the rain. I confess...it was hard to drag everything home AGAIN...but I love every single thing. K is going to bring one big suitcase home for me, and I have almost reached my limits. Remember, I still have hand puppets and some pottery vases on my list...and that is before Beijing, Bali, and Phuket! He says he may have to go to the US twice...so maybe?????

Back to work Wednesday/Thursday

I left early for my 2 hour trip back to Neili on Wednesday morning. I first stopped to pay for my ticket to Beijing, a trip planned for the first week in May. I am still waiting to hear from my tour guide in Beijing...one highly recommended by the Ks and my travel agent.

On the train ride home, a Taiwanese couple from LA talked to me about my experiences. They have lived in the US for 43 years. He has a Ph.D from Michigan state, and is the current President of the Taiwanese Lion's Club. She teaches at a 7th Day Adventist school, and knows Renee Peterson, Di's daughter, and one of my former students at the Singapore American School. They come home each year during the Tomb Sweeping holiday to visit relatives and show their respects to the deceased. They collect hand puppets and pottery. They visited a wholesale puppet supplier 3 stops from Neili. He is going to provide me the name, and I hope to visit and finally get my hand puppets! They got off at Yingge this time in order to purchase pottery for their collection. His wife said "you are very brave to travel alone" as they left. Hmmmm....travel alone or stay home alone? No option there!

A young lady who had been listening to our conversation moved across the aisle to talk with me when they got off the train. She is Philipino and married to a Taiwanese electronics engineer. His local employer regularly sends him to Saudi for 2 months stretches, and she is left to care for 2 children while he is gone. She worked in the factory when she met and married him, and only goes home every 2 years. She clearly was very lonely, but I was glad she shared her story with me. The conversations made for a very, very interesting ride home.

Thursday was seminar day. I really have enjoyed teaching that class....and I am finally on schedule to complete my required 6 classes this month. I had been getting e-mails all spring break week-end from a US PhD student who said he had no access to the powerpoints and learning packets I had the lead professor put up on the portal website over a month ago. Despite a half dozen e-mails concerning the issue, the only English speaking secretary assured me, the lead professor, and the concerned student that all materials were on the portal. I sent them to the student personally because he disagreed with their assertions. A HUGE TM occurred when more than half the class told me during the class break they were unable to get the materials for the class. Imagine trying to teach 55 unprepared students....ARGHHHHHH...all of us were frustrated. 3 students were still not on the official class list. I told them to talk to the lead professor to make sure they were getting credit for the seminar. We finally decided that there were actually FOUR portal websites for this class, and only one site had the material. I have NO idea whether the office was able to solve this problem or not. I have since sent 2 weeks of material to the 4 students who contacted me this week-end asking for them...ARGHHHH again! TMs are falling from the sky! Remember, I am only a guest lecturer and have absolutely no access to the website despite being required to give mid-term grades....ARGHHH again!
ADDENDUM: Who knew? The mystery is finally solved. There are TWO lead professors for this class, unbeknowst to me until now. The second professor received my e-mails, and has posted the final seminar power points and leader packets...a TM with a happy ending for the students and for me!

Spring Break Tuesday

Everyone was back to school and work today except me, so I went on my final Museum tour at the National Museum of History. The building is magnificent as you will see in the pictures. Unfortunately, only two floors of the four floors were available for touring (another TM). I liked the musuem store, and wanted to purchase a picture, but it only came already framed (another TM...I know other people asked for unframed prints). Back to Tian Mu via the MRT, and I walked to a tea room...and yes, it was open. I had a lovely lunch and TEA at last.

Tomb Sweeping Day & Easter Monday in Taiwan (story included)

We planned to go to the lily flower fields, but found out they were not open on this government holiday. This event is one I am very unhappy to have missed during my stay. Plan B took us via local bus and MRT to Danshui, the northern most stop of the MRT. Ch taught us how to ride the bus to the MRT station, a new experience for me. The ride north was not too crowded as you will see in the pictures. You will also see why I LOVE taking the MRT...I wish we had more public transportation options in the US. The girl next to A on the MRT is wearing glass frames without any glass...we think it is a fashion statement, but we are not sure! I don't believe it would be so much fun to wear them if they held prescriptions lenses required to see!

Danshui has been compared to the "Jersey Beach." I'm not sure how close that describes it, but it was hectic, dirty, crowded, loud, interesting, fun...all of the above. It is "famous" for its seafood, especially the squid prepared in numerous ways as you will see from the pictures. I still am not convinced I want to eat tomatoes on a stick that have been dipped in candy a la a candied apple (see picture). I took pictures as we walked along the water. Please note that a Chinese opera was being performed in the midst of all the activity. Can you see the musicians and helpers? All are on stage and doing their own thing as the performers are working...including smoking and drinking!

Ch ate his way down the beach, A shopped her way down the beach, and we arrived at the ice cream cone store together. A had already told me about the ice cream cones available for NT10 (around 35 cents). I stood in line to get my mango ice cream cone. 3 people sit facing 3 machines...mango and lemon, green tea and vanilla (?), and chocolate and vanilla. You point to one of 3 pumps...in my line mango, lemon, or mixed. The worker never turned around as I placed NT10 in her hand and pointed to the plain mango pump. S/he hands you a cookie cone with ice cream twists that are almost 10 inches high! The ice cream was absolutely delicious...see pictures as we are chowing down.

We boarded a boat to take the round trip to Bali Island across the bay. We walked along the boardwalk to the end, dodging countless bicycle renters of all ages who drove like Taiwanese taxi drivers on learner permits! The boardwalk allowed us some sense of safety as the bicyclists were "supposed" to stay on their path, not ours. Please note the soldier/outerspace statue at the end of the boardwalk. I tried my darnedest to find out what the statue was called, but found nothing. You are invited to use your imagination as I did. I must tell you that C often rides her bike from Tian Mu to Danshui to have lunch with friends at a Mexi-restaurant with good Margaritas! It's a 15 mile ride, and the Ks have also done it as a family. I will stick with the MRT, even though the Ks have 5 bikes, including one that C won.

All in all it was a very fun day, and we ended it with our curry dinner.

Easter in Taiwan

The Easter bunny did an admirable job of filling the baskets and hiding the eggs that A and I had colored on Saturday. The Ks went to church, and I joined them downtown for lunch at one of their favorite Italian restaurants. It was right around the corner from the Far East Shangri-La Hotel, their home-away-from-home in Taipei before they moved into their apartment. Sorry...no pictures from lunch...how did we manage that?

We took a taxi back to Tian Mu to look at some art that C was thinking of buying (no deal today), and the Ks had their pictures taken for the ARC renewal. We walked to the movie theater (where I bought a new umbrella), and enjoyed "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3-d...my first movie in Taiwan and my first 3-d movie using the new digital technology...all very enjoyable. We did take some pictures outside of the theater in front of some "greenery"...attached...and had quite an enjoyable family day together.

"Spring Break" Update

Here I sit trying to recall my adventures. I must have had a great time as I had no time to sit down and write. Nor did I have time to take many pictures...the options on my camera are limited at best, so bear with me.

I went tearing into Tian Mu on Thursday morning, dropped off my bags, and took a taxi to the National Palace Museum. It is one of my favorite museums in Taipei as it holds the booty that Chiang Kai Shek and the Kau Ming Tang forces (KMT=the Chinese Nationalist Party) brought with them when they fled the mainland after being defeated by the Communists. I arrived around 11 AM to view my favorite rooms, the pottery room and the small treasures storage boxes room, when the building became INUNDATED with busloads of tourists and students. Trust me when I say the tourist buses were visitors from the Mainland. China is allowing them to travel to Taiwan now, and the Taiwanese government is welcoming them and their tourist dollars with open arms. They behave much worse than the "ugly Americans" who earned their tourist reputation in earlier times. I found I could not walk or even turn around without being roughed up by the gangs of mainland tourists, so I opted to leave and go to the Puppet Museum...just not worth the trauma of bruises and prospective broken bones! I am very intimidated now after an elder gentleman from Taiwan knocked me half way down to the ground at the Flower Market. K had to get between me and the "gentleman," or I would have become the ugly American!

I honestly thought the taxi driver would never find the Puppet Museum. It is downtown on a very busy, very old street in a very old building. The ground floor holds a rather large room where they carve puppet heads and sew their embroidered clothes...and I would love to have had a tour of that room and their operations. A walk up four floors of very steep, very scary stairs led me through carved wooden storage boxes, old portable puppet stages, and all manner of puppets. The Taiwanese are famous for their hand puppets, but the museum also had examples of puppets on strings, shadow puppets from Indonesia, and water puppets from Vietnam. There was a very cramped room that showed what happened to the puppeteers in the PRC during the cultural revolution...not news to me, but still very frightening to hear the video stories. Let me be frank when I say the museum needs a new location in order to highlight the importance of this art. When I returned to the first floor, they had a puppet stage set up and were starting to practice a new story. They also had puppets for sale, but none like the ones I saw being made, so none of them came home with me. Two museums...enough for one day...and I had a deep desire to get into the kitchen and cook...and I had NOT felt that need since December!

I grocery shopped and made White Bean Chicken Chili (with beans from scratch...something I had never been successful at before), Two-Bean Red Chili (with ground chicken for the base...white meat looks odd floating in the red broth, but it still tasted good!), mexi-pork in the crock pot (enough for lunch tacos and a pan of enchiladas for the freezer). I made vegetable curry, chicken curry, and vegetable salad before I left. A and I made and frosted Easter cookies, and I gave her a lesson in making Kerry cookies. I even made an Apple Cake for Candace to take to the Dell Wives' luncheon. OK...so I'm over that urge now!

On Friday I went to the Museum of Fine Arts. They had four visiting shows that were very interesting, yet I'm always disappointed when I cannot see any of their permanent collection. The architecture show of Richard Rogers' work was really incredible. I believe it had already been to the Louvre. There were lots of students at the exhibit, many taking pictures up close and personal of the wonderful 3-dimensional displays and stories. I did say "no" to the honor of having my picture taken with 2 of the young women, but I'm sure I made it on their cameras anyway. The second was a collection of paintings by young Korean artists, many of them I would have liked to have in my home. The third was a room full of wool, hand-crocheted ultra-modern clothes designed by a young man who is winning many honors for his work. The last one was a display of photos by a famous Taiwanese photographer from the 40s-60s that was absolutely fascinating. His history of local family life and some of the famous religious holiday celebrations were irreplaceable. He was also invited to preserve history by the anthropologists who documented the lives of the indigenous tribes as civilization was moving in on their old life styles. One visitor told me he was a member of one of the tribes, and "these are my sisters and brothers."

One of the local western tourist magazines had an article on tea rooms in Taipei, so high on my list of things-to-do-on-my-break was to have a luncheon tea. One taxi driver sweated out a very hard to find tea room in one of the many lanes in downtown Taiwan. When I finally figured out how to get into the building, they told me I had to wait 2 hours before I could be seated...a TM for sure. The room was reserved for a private office meeting. Low and behold, my taxi drive followed me in and berated the staff and owners as someone outside had told him I would not get seated. He didn't wait for me to jump back into his taxi though! I walked out to the street to get a taxi to another tea room on the list, and he left me at #21, Lane 27 on the SOUTH side of the road...wrong end of town...another TM when the people at #21 told me what had happened. The taxi drive was lost and so was I. It clearly was NOT a tea room, and I was the one who was embarrassed! Another taxi ride to #21, lane 27 on the NORTH side of twon got me to the tea room that had absolutely no where to sit down and have lunch/tea. There were plenty of tables, but the crowd was sitting with empty beer bottles and drink glasses and clearly were not ready to depart...another TM. I ended up at a Japanese restaurant for a rice and chicken lunch with coffee...no tea...another TM...and home I went!

Saturday found us cooking and baking (see list above). C wanted to view a garden stool and umbrella stand that she "needed" for her new decorating turn in her living room. The shop...in which she had spent an unexpected 15 minutes when she spied the potential purchases...was four stories of objects crammed everywhere with hardly a place to walk. Everything we professed interest in had an incredibly high price with no room for bargaining. We ended up on the top floor outside in the rain and mist...still more pieces, both broken and whole. Working our way back down, C settled on a price she was willing to pay for the two pieces she needed out of the dirty mess. We continued to look and try to bargain, then announced we were going to leave. Truly, our heads were ready to burst and I know my hair was on fire! And there were NO other customers in sight. SUDDENLY, they accepted C's offer, and also reduced the price of a vase I was looking at by one-third. I was unhappy enough that it killed all interest I had in the vase (and I think I can get it much more cheaply in Yingge). We left them to clean up the pieces C bought, and headed to Sogo's to buy one more pink stool for A's new table. We hopped in a taxi, picked up the newly cleaned and wrapped pieces, dropped them off at the apartment, and headed to the American School to watch A's basketball game. WHEW! Success after all, and you will see the stool in the Easter picture under the new zebra console table next to the new bedroom table in the Easter pictures...coming up next!