Dear friends,
This week was Halloween. Chia-Ling, Ashley, and I had our students make face masks. We made basic face masks out of paper plates and had them decorate them last week. This week, they could wear it in class and if they said, "Trick-or-Treat," they got candy. We also showed them a short video about celebrating Halloween (See Teaching Tab for more details). Many of the students made excellent masks. We gave prizes to the cutest and scariest masks.

Ashley & Chia-Ling were witches for Halloween and I was a vampire (who didn't have vampire teeth). One day though, Ashley was an angel =D. You can find more pictures of Halloween in this album.

Dear friends,
I went to the final baseball game of the season last Sunday. The Taipei Elephants Brother were up against the 7-11 Tainan Lions. The Taipei Elephants Brother (yeah, the name has some weird plural thing going on) colors are yellow and black. The Tainan Lions colors are true to the 7-11 colors, orange and green (they took out the red).

You can find more pictures of this event and the people I went with in this album. The Taipei Elephants Brother lost this time by one point.

The stadium we were seated in is the largest in Taiwan. It holds 20,000 people, which is fairly small compared to U.S. sports stadiums. Some differences between American baseball and Taiwanese baseball:
1) There is no 7th inning stretch like in America,
2) Taiwanese snacks include hot dog, bento box (basically rice + meat + vegetables in a box), shrimp chips, and an assortment of Taiwanese snacks,
3) The fans' cheers are all very organized and lead by some people in the front,
4) The fans are incredibly loud, and
5) There are cheerleaders to the side unlike in America where baseball usually has no cheerleaders

Thank you Coach Bao for getting all of us tickets to the game. Selena, Katie, Kate, and I went with around 10 other people from my school. It was fun to watch the game and to also see my co-workers cute little kids!

A few of us outside the arena stadium (see inflatable teletubby-look-alike behind us?)

Dear friends,
Yesterday I went to the opening ceremony of the Taiwan National Athletic Event. It was very interesting because the mascots for the Athletic Event look like teletubbies. These inflatable teletubbies were hilarious. They bounced around, bumped into each other, and if they fell on the floor, they flailed their arms and couldn't get back up. Although the dancers during the ceremony were pretty cool, I  think the highlight of the event was just watching these little teletubbies bounce around. Some couldn't get through the arena doors and some even deflated! And of course, the event wouldn't be complete without flying teletubbies...

Yep...flying teletubbies that seemed to only be held by their costumes

The National Athletic Event was a little bit like the Olympics because these teletubby-like things escorted the athletes into the stadium and then they all lined up in the middle like so:

And then, there were fireworks:

The Kaohsiung Arena Stadium

You can find more pictures in this album here. After the opening ceremony ended, all of us went to eat and dance at a Mexican restaurant in Taiwan.

By the way, I got my hair cut. You'll notice in the pictures that my hair is much shorter. I will say more about my hair cut in another post =D.

Dear friends,
Do you remember when I wrote about my trip to Mei-Nung? Well, when I was there, I made my own pottery. Here is the product that just arrived yesterday in the mail!

Making my cup.

Ta da! I just made the shape. The experts who helped me wrote my name, painted it, and put the neat little lining decor on it. It was a lot of fun and now I have a cup  that has special meaning because it came from a Hakka Village in Taiwan!

Dear friends,
My host family took me, Dan, and Dani to make dumplings at their house today. We boiled the dumplings and they were delicious. Afterwards, we tossed/kicked around a ball before heading out to Kaohsiung Seaport. The seaport reminded me a lot of New York's Pier 21. Kaohsiung's seaport is an industrial cargo port, though, whereas New York's pier is mainly a fish pier if I remember correctly. The area we went to had many factories and coal firing plants. My host mom told me that the villagers that used to live there were paid to leave by the government because it was not healthy to live near the large factories. The pier was still pretty and peaceful, despite the pollutants in the air.

All of us making dumplings

At the seaport, the control tower is shaped as the Chinese character "Gao" for Kaohsiung. After we visited the seaport, we went to a special place where you can watch the airplanes land & take-off while drinking beverages. I thought it was a bit strange at first, but once I saw what this special place was, I liked it very much. The special place is basically an outdoor cafe right beside an airplane landing strip.

It's very cool because they played music from the movie Cape No. 7 (see previous blog) while you were sitting outside sipping your mango sherbert drink or cafe latte. I never thought I'd be excited watching an airplane land & take-off, but it was pretty amazing. You can see pictures of the outdoor cafe in this album.

Dear friends,
Last night I went with my school's basketball coach and some Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) to watch a baseball game. It was so much fun! This was probably the first time I actually payed attention to a baseball game for the entire nine innings. Back in the States, I usually get bored after the fifth inning and want to leave because the game is taking so long. But this time was much more exciting. I think it was more exciting because at the baseball game, the fans had organized cheers. The teams that played against each other were the Taipei Elephant Brothers (yes, that's their full name) and the Kaohsiung La New Bears. Taipei's colors are yellow and black and Kaohsiung's colors are teal and white. We initially thought we were going to cheer for La New Bears because it was Kaohsiung's home team, but apparently Taipei has a larger fan base.

The crowds had organized cheers and would wave their little yellow horns/sticks that make noise. Taiwanese baseball games are pretty noisy, but I think that's a good thing because then people like me don't fall asleep! I enjoyed the cheers very much. There were a lot of cheers that involved saying "Chuan Lei Da!" for "Home Run!" In the end, the Elephant Brothers (Taipei Team) won by one point.

A popular player on the Elephant Brothers team, #23, scored three home runs at the game prior to the one we watched. #23's nickname is Cha-Cha. At last night's game, we saw one home run made by #52 whose nickname is Electric Fireball. It was pretty sweet.

Outside the baseball stadium after the game

Kate, me, and Coach Pao

Kate, Selena (remember her from my previous posts? Her brother owns the Modern Toilet Restaurants), and me

You can find more pictures of the baseball game here.

All the students + me + Tai-Shia

Dear friends,
This afternoon I visited Xiao Gang Senior High School for two hours. My Host Mom teaches English at this high school and she invited me to come speak to one of her English classes. The students prepared 41 questions to ask me! Some of the questions we discussed include:
1) How are you adjusting to Taiwanese life?
2) Why did you choose to come to Taiwan?
3) Have you faced any racial discrimination since coming to Taiwan?
4) How is the education system in the United States different from the Taiwanese?
5) What suggestions do you have for preparing a speech?
6) What is the current economic situation in America?
7) How is the food different in America?
8) What is college life like in America?
9) Have you been to any pubs in America and what are the differences between pubs in America?
10) What is your favorite food in Taiwan?

In answering these questions, I delved into issues of:
China-Taiwan relations (Northern Taiwan is more blue or pro-China + Taiwan relationship and the South is more green or pro-independence), American identity (what does it mean to be American? Must you have white skin, blonde hair and blue eyes?),
Differences in American and Taiwanese students (American students: very vocal, may challenge the teacher, Taiwanese students: more obedient & respectful of the teacher),
Obesity (America has larger portion sizes than Taiwan),
Voting (Taiwanese can only vote in person, not by mail),
Teaching styles (American teachers ask students for input a lot--why do you think this? Why do you think that? Taiwanese teachers teach by memorization of sentence patterns),
UV (ultraviolet) Ratings (In America, the UV rating is zero. In Taiwan, the UV rating is seven. So, lots of people in Taiwan where funny arm garments to cover their skin when driving in the car and walking down the streets. Parasols and sunscreen are also very popular. Needless to say, I have already bought myself a parasol, sunscreen, and funny arm garments.)
Scooters (There are virtually no scooters in America, but in Taiwan, they're ubiquitous. I explained to the students that people in America drive motorcycles and they wear leather clothing to protect themselves if they get into an accident. The students did not understand why Americans wear leather because scooter drivers only wear a helmet and the funny arm garments that protect against the sun in Taiwan. If they get into an accident, they deal with the scars.)
and many other topics I can't remember off the top of my head.

I spoke to the students with a microphone, which is very common in classrooms. You're usually teaching about 30 students in each class so a microphone is necessary. When break time came, the microphone automatically turned off to signal to the teacher that it's time to let the kids go. Break time was actually sweeping time, a time where all students clean their school. I think that sweeping is such a great idea because it teaches the students how to keep areas clean and to be responsible for your own messes. I think American schools should adopt sweeping times to make it easier for the school janitor.

I forgot to mention to the students that in America, we not only don't have sweeping time in schools, but we also don't have nap time. Taiwanese students (elementary to high school) all take naps from 1pm to 1:30pm. Additionally, I forgot to mention that the Taiwanese calendar starts on a Monday whereas the American calendar starts on a Sunday. I've been teaching my fourth and fifth graders about those two differences, "no nap time in America" and "calendar starts on Sunday."

Here are some pictures of me with the high school students.

Speaking to the students. On the far right was the student host who selected questions to ask me. All the students wrote questions for me.

Another pictures with all the students

Me with some of Tai-Shia's English students

Isn't this part of the high school so cool?! The students told me that during break time, they'll stand and just look out into the distance on this cool "bridge hallway."

Ashley, Chia-Ling, and me

Dear friends,
It has now been about a month since I've been teaching and two months since I've arrived in Taiwan. I can say without a doubt that teaching and living in Taiwan is incredibly meaningful and fun. If you can't tell from my blog, each weekend is filled with so much activity!

Teaching has been going very well. Depending on the time of day, some classes are more responsive than others. I co-teach thirteen classes--four classes with Ashley (four fifth grade classes) and nine classes with Chia-Ling (four fourth grade classes & five sixth grade classes). I also co-teach first, second, and third grade classes each week with Chia-Ling for half an hour. Additionally, on Thursdays and Fridays, I teach a special English class for fifth and sixth grade students who are behind in class and/or come from disadvantaged backgrounds. You may be thinking that this is really a full schedule of teaching! It is and I enjoy it very much because the students make it very meaningful.

I was requested recently to write a little piece on my teaching experience for a news article. Billy helped me translate some of it. Please forgive my mistakes in Chinese. I do not know if this will ever be published, but I am putting it here on my website for my students and school to see. Also, thank you Oliver for helping me fix a few errors and putting the post in traditional Chinese characters.

高雄，您好！我叫李詩媚，我的學生都叫我Shiela老師。雖然我已經來這裡教了兩個月的英文了，但是我依舊非常喜歡在華山國小教英語。這一點都不誇張，華山的校長、老師、職員和學生們全都很友善，他們也很熱情地歡迎我，讓身在國外教英語的我能很順利地適應。我很愛我的學生，在我的心目中，他們有一個很特別的地位。無論是在學校內或者在路上，當學生遇到我的時候，他們都會很大聲地叫我"Hello Teacher Shiela！"為了提高他們的英文寫作能力，他們還會寫信或著發電子郵件給我。儘管他們的英文程度有限，但是他們依然很願意跟我談話。他們對練習說英文的興趣真的是非常地感人。

雖然我覺得學習單字和文法是很重要的，但是我也認為我應該培養學生們對學習英語的興趣，這樣一來，他們會更努力地學習英語。我已經在我的學生身上看到這種轉變，他們學習英文不只是為了考試，很多學生透露給我聽他們學習英語的原因是為了可以跟我或著別的外國人聊天，還有可以到別的國家去。因此，我會嘗試在不同的場合跟我的學生們練習英文。比方說，我們會在路上、走廊、教室裡或著籃球場說英文。我每個星期二都會跟我的學生打籃球，這樣他們可以多學和籃球相關的單字。我希望這學年結束的時候，我的學生們會更有自信地說英文。

 Hello, Kaohsiung! My name is 李诗媚, but my students call me Teacher Shiela. I have been teaching English at Hua Shan Elementary School for two months now and I do not exaggerate when I say I love teaching at my school. Hua Shan’s principal, teachers, staff, and students have been so welcoming and friendly that they have made my transition to teaching in a foreign country very easy. Hua Shan’s students, in particular, are very special to me. They not only always give me a loud, excited English greeting at school and on the street, but they also initiate writing me letters and emails as a way to improve their English. Even though they speak very limited English, seeing these student’s enthusiasm and motivation to learn English is very meaningful.

While it is important that students learn proper grammar and vocabulary, I think it is also important that these students develop an interest in English．If they are passionate about learning English, they will be more motivated. I already see this in my students. Many of them have expressed an interest in learning English not just for the sake of an exam, but so they can speak with foreigners like me or go to an English-speaking country. Because of this interest, I take advantage of any and all opportunities to help my students practice English. For example, on the street, in the hall, in a classroom, and even on a basketball court. I play basketball with the basketball team every Tuesday so I can have some fun and teach them basketball terms．I hope by the end of this year, they will speak English with more confidence.

Here are some pictures of me co-teaching with Chia-Ling. I will post pictures of me co-teaching with Ashley later. We didn't have time to take pictures of our class this week.

Grade 6, Class 2

Chia-Ling and I explaining the Rabbit & Turtle Race Game. Basically, it's a game modeled after the American board game Candyland. However, in order to roll the dice, two students have to correctly say the dialog.

Two Grade 6, Class 2 students practicing a dialog:
Student 1: "How do you feel?"
Student 2: "I am sick. How do you feel?"
Student 1: "I am excited!"
The students get to choose out of the limited vocabulary words they are learning the emotion they are feeling (e.g. excited, tired, sick, bored, hungry, thirsty, sleepy)

Little first graders yelling, "BINGO!" We were playing BINGO with numbers...

Also, I've helped Chia-Ling set up her own website, check it out: www.chia-ling.weebly.com

Ashley has a website, too. Check it out: www.wretch.cc/blog/ashley53077

Thanks for reading!

Dear friends,
The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited all the Fulbrighters to Taipei to celebrate the national holiday, Double Ten (October 10). We had to look all spiffy for this event so if you check out this album, you will find all of us in cocktail dresses and suits. A special guest was at this event, President Ma Ying-Jeou! It was such a surprise because all of us didn't know the President was going to be there. A few of us shook hands with him; I only got a few good pictures of him.

The reception was outdoors and the food was laid out buffet style. Many different restaurants came to exhibit their dishes including Din Tai Feng. The food was very good. At the reception a few us got silhouette portraits done for free. I've never had a silhouette picture of myself before and our whole apartment is going to hang them above our television for decoration =D.

The day after 10/10, a few of us went to the National Palace Museum and the National Taiwan University campus. I've already been to the National Palace Museum, but the last time I went I only had an hour or two in the museum. This time around, I spent more time in the exhibitions.

Given I only had two days in Taipei, this trip was pretty packed with fun activities.

Dear friends,
As promised, here are the basketball cheers I do with the Hua Shan Elementary School basketball team every Tuesday. I practice with them once every week and I finally got the girl's and boy's cheer down. Take a look at the little movie I made of their cheers =D:

Hua Shan Elementary School
Basketball Cheers (Boys & Girls)

BOY'S CHEER:
Leader: He-Xio!
Teammates: He-Xio!
Leader: He-Xio!
Teammates: He-Xio!
Leader: Hua-Shan [our school name]!!
Teammates: Jia-You! [literally, "add gas!" or "Go!Go!Go!" in Chinese]

GIRL'S CHEER:
All team members: Hua-Shan [our school name]!
--Clap--Clap--
All team members: Hua-Shan!
--Clap--Clap--
All team members: Hua--Shan--Guo--Xiao!!
--Clap-Clap--Clap--Clap---Clap
--Clap-Clap--Clap--Clap---Clap
--Clap-Clap--Clap--Clap---Clap
--CLAP!!