Hola, El Salvador

I have been in El Salvador for almost two weeks now. The first week was mostly getting settled for both living and working in a new place. I filled out a lot of paperwork and went to trainings. I saw my classroom and started getting ready for the first day of school. Everyone has been super nice and helpful. There were lots of shopping trips to get everything settled for my house too. The second week we had off, because it is Agostinas in San Salvador. The week is used to celebrate Jesus, the patron saint of San Salvador. Here are some of the other adventures I have been on while in El Salvador. 

1. The Beach

El Salvador is the only country in Central America that does not border the Caribbean Sea. It still has plenty of beaches though. My first Saturday in El Salvador we took a trip to the beach. There are five other new international teachers and four teachers who are part of the welcoming committee. We loaded up two vans and went to the beach. The school pays a membership to a resort called Atami. We rented a couple of cabanas for the day, then spent our time by the water. There were pools, wave pools, and of course the beach. It was beautiful and relaxing. 

2. A Volcano

There are twenty-three volcanoes in El Salvador. We visited the San Salvador volcano, which is located in El Boqueron Park. We can see this volcano from the complejo. It was about a forty-five minute drive. We drove most of the way up and then took a short hike up to the four view points. The volcano is 5,905 feet high. The crater pictured is about three miles in diameter and 1830 feet deep. There was also a small museum about the last eruption of the volcano in 1917. On the way down we stopped at a restaurant called La Pampa, which had good food and a great view of El Salvador. 

3. The Market

I have been to two markets so far. The one pictured is a local food market. We got warnings that you will "get gringoed" and get charged more. I don't think we did though, because I got a ton of fruits and vegetables for $11. I'm excited to start cooking again! We also went to the main downtown market (on the walking tour below). It had food, clothes, and miscellaneous things, kind of like a night market in Taiwan.

4. A Walking Tour (And Lots of Churches)

As I was looking for things to do for our week off, I found a free walking tour of the downtown area. I went with four of the other new teachers. The walking tour company was called EC Tours. The company was originally started to fight the negative stigma of El Salvador being unsafe. They even promote tourism in El Salvador with the hashtag #dontskipelsalvador. Before the tour, we had been given some general warnings about being safe in the downtown area. During the tour, our guide congratulated us sarcastically about surviving the most dangerous part of San Salvador. On the tour we learned more about the history of the country. We also visited several churches. El Salvador has a Catholic heritage, but religion in general plays a big role in the culture. According to the CIA World Fact Book from 2014, 50% identify themselves as Catholic, 36% as Protestant, and 12% as not religious (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html). I met someone who said she lived by a church. She had to time when she left and arrived at her house, because 10,000 people attend the church services. The church pictured above is the Basilica Sagrado Corazon de Jesus. The church was built between 1900-1913. The church structure is made of metal. It was designed and shipped from Belgium. 

 Here is another church we visited on the walking tour. From the outside, it doesn't look like much of a church. The Iglesia El Rosario was designed by a sculptor and finished in 1971. Though it doesn't look like much on the outside, the inside is beautiful with  rainbow colored glass windows lighting the sanctuary. It is the #1 site on TripAdvisor in San Salvador. 

This is the view looking out from Iglesia El Rosario. Much of the downtown area is currently under construction, because the mayor wants to revitalize the area and promote tourism. 

5. Agostinas

As I mentioned, this week we have had off because San Salvador celebrates Agostinas. Some of the other teachers and I went to one of the celebrations. It reminded me of a fair back home. It was very crowded. There were buildings with vendors. Outside there was bandstands with music and performances, rides, and food stalls. One ride in particular was very entertaining to watch. It is called Tagada. People sat on the inner edge of a bowl-shaped ride. There are no seat belts or restraints. The ride spins and then will bounce and jerk around. It was entertaining watching people trying to hang on and trying not to fall into the middle. We also saw part of a hot dog eating contest and a man with a pet squirrel. I didn't take my phone, so I don't have pictures. :(

Here's to many more adventures in El Salvador! #DontskipElSalvador

Turtle Time

"Turtle Time!" A man yells running up from the beach. 
Everyone stops what they are doing. Card hands are left on the table mid-game. I pause the podcast that my mom and I are listening to together. The guides put out their cigarettes and lead the group with flashlights towards the beach. This is the moment everyone on the island has been waiting all day for. 

Ten Hours Earlier . . .
My mom and I were sitting on a small jetty in Sandakan, Borneo with a bunch of other strangers. We all seemed to be eyeing the docked boats warily wondering if we would be getting on one of them. Our guide, Darwis, picked us up from the hotel earlier in the morning. We were running late, but Darwis ensured us that the boat wouldn't leave without us. He told us to sit while we waited for his signal. Mom went to the bathroom and came back quickly, saying she could wait. He finally gave the signal, a small wave, and we carried our baggage to the small motorboat. It was about an hour ride to the even smaller island off of Borneo called Selingaan Island, or as it was nicknamed Turtle Island. 

We had arrived in Borneo three days earlier. I had decided to go on one last trip in Asia, before going home for a few weeks. My mom met and came with me. This is a poor life choice, I had thought to myself as I was taking the bus from Taichung to Taipei for the last time. It had been an emotionally draining week. I had said goodbye to my students, my friends, and the country that had been my home for the past year. I am not a crier, but I started crying almost immediately when I woke up. It continued on and off for most of the day. Though by evening on the first night in Borneo, I was glad that I had chosen to go to Borneo before going home. It was a place that I had looked into visiting even before I had left for Taiwan. It provided a good distraction, and animal distractions are the best. 

When we arrived on the island, we were met with beautiful sandy beaches. Before we were shown to our rooms, Darwis pointed out a board hanging over the dining hall. It showed various statistics on the turtles on the island, including number of nests made and the number of eggs laid during the year. It also showed the time that turtles had come to the beach to start laying their eggs. The previous night it was recorded at 10:50 pm, so we could possibly be in for a long night. We had a couple hours of downtime before lunch, so Mom and I went to our room for a bit. 
       "Do you know what this reminds me of?" I asked as we walked to our room. 
       "What?" Mom responded.
       "A bunch of strangers meet on a secluded island. Only one boat on and one boat off. I've read this book and seen this mini-series." 
My mom didn't believe me that someone was probably going to get murdered within the next twenty-four hours. I told her to just wait until someone didn't show up at mealtimes. Everyone showed up to lunch in the dining hall that I noticed.  

The sunset on Turtle Island. 

In the afternoon, most people on the island went to the beach. You could rent snorkelling equipment, but we opted for just straight swimming. It was a good choice, because the allocated beach area was very shallow. It was hard to swim without knocking into or stepping on some coral. After swimming we walked around the island. It took us less than an hour to circumnavigate the whole island. Darwis took us to the beach to watch the sunset and explain to us what would be happening this evening. As he was talking to us, we saw some turtles start climbing onto the beach. We had to leave the beach, so the turtles could start building their nests. There would be nobody allowed on the beach from 6 pm to 6 am, except for the rangers who helped collect the eggs.  Before dinner we watched a brief video on the history of the island's turtle conservation. The hatchery was started in 1966 to protect the endangered green sea turtles and hawksbill turtles. Both species are endangered, largely due to people selling and eating their eggs. Everyone showed up to dinner. After dinner, we just waited until a ranger spotted a turtle who had laid at least five eggs. It didn't take long.

"Turtle Time!" A man yells running up from the beach. 
Everyone stops what they are doing. Card hands are left on the table mid-game. I pause the podcast that my mom and I are listening to together. The guides put out their cigarettes and lead the group with flashlights towards the beach. This is the moment everyone on the island has been waiting all day for. We run to the beach following the flashlights. There are a couple turtles that we notice, but we are told to keep moving until we get to the one with the ranger. The turtle had a small pile of eggs already in the nest. They can lay between 80-165 eggs in one night. The mother turtle is working hard to push all of the eggs out. The excess salt from the green sea turtle's salt gland make it look like she is crying. When she is finished, the ranger collects her eggs in a bucket. The mother works on burying the nest, not knowing that her eggs are no longer there. The ranger then checks her shell for any harmful coral that needs to be scraped off.The ranger also checks the tracker that is on the turtle. It has been seven years since she has last been to the island. She moves about a foot in front of the nest before taking a rest. We are led off the beach to the next part of the program. 

The mother turtle is working hard to lay the eggs. 

A ranger helps collect the eggs and helps the mom make her way back to the ocean. 

Earlier in the day, we passed a gated area with green material in holes. We were told it was where the eggs stayed in the hatchery. It was unclear how this worked though. For the second program, we get to see it first hand. The ranger takes the eggs that have been collected from the mom and puts them in one of the holes. Then they get buried in the sand. The green material around the hole protects it from any predators. The eggs need to incubate for two months, before they will finally hatch. A stake marks the number of eggs and the date and serves as their "birth certificate." "Congratulations, you are all godparents now," one of the rangers says. 

One of the two hatcheries for the eggs. Each hole marks one nest. 

The final program is releasing the baby turtles into the ocean. The ranger has a basket of turtles that hatched during the day. We surround the babies in a semi-circle. They put a light on the ocean to help guide them, but some turtles need a thumb to help rotate them to the right direction. It takes several tries for some of them to make it to the ocean. Only about 4% of the turtles will survive into adulthood. The put the light on the water and we can see all of them swimming around. 

One of the baby turtles making its way to the ocean. 

Before we go to bed for the night, Darwis gathers up our group. He tells us that we are not allowed on the beach until 6 am, but there was a chance that we could still see some turtles laying eggs after that. He says that we could take a morning walk, just for the chance of seeing more turtles. The next morning we wake up and start walking around the beach. We make it about halfway around without seeing any turtles. We questioned whether or not to just go back to our room. Then we see a ranger waving towards us. We both start running as we saw a turtle making its way to the ocean across the beach. We get there just as it goes back into the ocean. It is followed by another turtle. Closer towards the middle of the island, I see some sand being thrown. I go over to investigate and spot a turtle burying its nest. There are two other turtles that we find still on the beach. We watch them until it is time for breakfast. The board shows that twenty-nine nests were made during the night. The rangers collected 1945 eggs and released 452 hatchlings. It was a memorable twenty-four hours and a highlight of our Borneo trip. Each day it got a little bit easier to be away from Taiwan.

One of the turtles making its way back to the ocean.  

Dear Taiwan

Somewhat related song: 

I have binged listened to all of Miley Cyrus' covers since "Malibu" dropped. This one is fitting. 

In two weeks, I will be leaving Taiwan. It kind of feels like a break-up. How does one say goodbye to a country? It is out of mutual respect and love that I would like to announce our conscious uncoupling. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It's not you, it's me.  I'll just write a letter. 

Dear Taiwan,

I remember the first time we met. I was dressed comforably in a black pinafore. I had just endured several layovers and long flights. I felt gross from spending countless hours on planes. I'm sure I had dark circles under my eyes from the minimal sleep. You didn't seem to care that I wasn't at my best though. There you were waiting for me as soon as I got off the plane. 

I fell for you all at once and hard. Everything was a new experience and an adventure. You took me to places that I had never seen before. You guided me to the brightly painted walls of Rainbow Village, the carved gorge of Taroko, and the Lotus Pond of Kaohsiung. You pushed me out of my comfort zone to try new experiences I never would have been brave enough to do on my own. I tried a blind massage. I drove a scooter through winding mountainr roads. At night markets and restaurants, you held up chopsticks and spoonfuls of food that were sticky and from questionably edible body parts. I tried them, mostly. You also humored me when I just wanted Western food. You'd ask how the tacos were. I would smile and tell you good. I didn't have the heart to tell you they weren't quite the same as other tacos.You tried so hard.  

You were just so helpful, kind, and patient with me. Going out of your way if I needed help, sharing your umbrella with me when it was raining and I didn't have my own, or moving scooters next to me so I could get mine out. Most of all, with you I felt safe. I let my guard down, because nothing seemed like it could go wrong when I was with you. 

Of course, it wasn't always easy. The honeymoon period eventually ended. Things that I used to find endearing were now a source of annoyance. At first, it had been fun to furious type on Google Translate and pass our phones back and forth. It had been like we were passing secret messages that only the two of us could see. Eventually it began to seem like a chore. You'd say, "I don't know how to say it in English." I'd say, "Well, I don't know how to say it in Chinese." We'd sit in our silence, not bothering to pull out our phones to try and find words that weren't quite the meaning we intended. There were conversations you had with your friends, where I was left out picking out only scraps of words. I'm sure there were times when you felt left out too. There were times when I was talking with my friends, and it just seemed like too much work to stop and explain the joke we were laughing at. 

We also disagreed on how to solve conflicts. I had never been the confrontational one, until I met you. Just tell me what is wrong! Where is this coming from? Let's talk about this. I would tell you, tugging on your shirtsleeves. You'd say that nothing was wrong and put on a smile that came nowhere near your eyes. Behind the face of that smile, I knew something was bothering you. Sometimes I wanted to put you in a headlock or trap us inside an elevator until you told me what was wrong. Even then, I knew it wouldn't do any good though. I would always want to dig, while you would always prefer to keep things buried. 

You call me a foreigner. Do you like me because I am foreign and different or because I am me? Maybe you think the same thing too. There is no way to answer this question, because there is no way to separate the two entities. Still sometimes, I think you saw me how you see all the other foreigners---as American, English teachers. I'm not just an English teacher though. I went to school and was trained as a teacher. I'm not just someone who wanted an adventure and met the bare requirements of being able to speak English and looking like a foreigner. Still, there were times when I didn't recognize my own privilege and acted entitled. I know I wasn't perfect either. 

There were days when things just seemed unneccesarily hard. Why did it seem so hard? I brought up my exes of the United States and Namibia. It was easier to do (fill in the blank) in the United States. This wasn't a problem with (fill in the blank). There was never regret though. Even with all of our disagreements and frustrations, I still love you. When traveling to other countries, I couldn't help but compare. I would see pieces of you in other places that just reminded me of you. Others just seemed like a watered-down version of you. It was you that I was always anxious to come back to. My shoulders relaxed and I exhaled when I made my way back to you. You were my home. Even though I am moving on, a part of my will always love you. I will continue to think and look back at our time fondly. So even though I am leaving for now, I hope we can remain friends. Then one day, I'll come back to visit you and we can think back to the time we had together, my Ilha Formosa. 

Love,

Kristin

Here I am on the beach in Kaohsiung. Picture taken by Tyler.

Friends Are The Family You Can Choose

Somewhat related song:

This song is in the Lego Batman Movie. It is probably one of the catchiest songs about friendship I have ever heard. 

        There are some nights when I can't quiet my mind enough to fall asleep. I ask myself the same 2 a.m. questions.  In Taiwan I can walk around by myself and feel safe. Will I be safe in El Salvador? Will I like my school? Will I be successful there? My mind inevitably circles back to friends. I used to worry about making friends, and I still do. However, now I worry more about what will happen to my frienships when everyone will be living in a different country. What happens when we no longer have proximity or have the commonality of living and working in the same place? Will we still keep in touch? We will ever see each other again? Do they value my friendship as much as I value theirs? 

         In the song "Friends are Family," it says, "friends are the family you can choose." This has certainly been the case this year. Michael, Tyler, and Josilin, in particular, have been my support system and family while I was far away from my own. We celebrated our birthdays, went to IKEA to celebrate Thanksgiving, and went on so many adventures together. Living abroad isn't always easy, but it sure is a lot easier when you have good friends by your side. This year we worked together, lived in the same apartment building, and spent most of our free time together. Three Americans. One Canadian.  This sitcom is basically writing itself. These are the people who I have spent almost every day of my year with. I'll miss our adventures together. There was the time we went to Pingxi together to see the lantern festival. There was the time that Josilin and I got locked inside our apartment. There was the time that Michael and I went to Sun Moon Lake together. There was the time that Tyler and I rode around Cijin Island on a scooter bike and pretended to be tour guides. Maybe even more that that, I'll miss the quiet moments. We spent almost two, full days together playing games, watching TV, and talking over two typhoon days. I'll miss the times we met after every big trip to debrief. I'll miss the walks and talks with Michael. I'll miss having late night talks with Josilin sitting on the floor outside of our rooms. I'll miss singing duets with Tyler during KTV, in the office when no one else is around, and in taxis. I don't have pictures of these quieter times.  Most of all, I'll miss having these people as a constant in my life. 

Just some of the memories from this year including (clockwise from top left): Rainbow Village with Josilin, scooting to Sanyi with Michael and Tyler, Hong Kong Disney with Tyler and Josilin, and the  Pingxi Lantern Festival with Tyler, Sophia, Kara, Michael, Josilin, Hannah, me, and April)

         When you are younger, it is so easy to just assume that you will have the same friends forever. It didn't seem like a big commitment to buy precut jewelry to declare who was your best friend forever.  It has five years since I graduated college (How?), and am approaching ten year high school reunion (Gasp! But really, how?). As I have gotten older, I have come to understand that it is work to maintain a friendship, even in an age with social media. There are people in both high school and college that I was close to, but that I don't hear or speak to anymore. There are the toxic friendships that were purposely ended, but also friendships that slowly fell away over time. I'm still not sure what it is that keeps a friendship besides effort and a mutual respect. Something that makes me hopeful is the friendships that have grown stronger by my being abroad. There are friends that I contact more now, than when I lived in the United States. I also was fortunate to have many friends come visit. These friends were from different times in my life and I had differing levels of communication with since living in the same place as them. 

         My high school friend Jess came to visit at the end of March. She currently lives in China, so she visited for a long weekend. We spent a couple of days in Taichung before going up to Taipei. One of my favorite parts of Taipei was staying in the space-themed hostel. It had been almost two years since I had seen her, because she had been living in China. I enjoyed catching up with her as well being able to talk about similarities and differences between living in China and Taiwan. 

         Family friends of ours visited to go to a wedding in Taipei. I was able to spend the day in Taipei with Jim and Leigh in April. I also was able to see their son, Matt, briefly before he had to catch his flight. My family did a lot with the Donaldsons family when I was younger. They moved to California when I was in elementary school. The last time I saw them was a few years ago when visiting my parents when they lived in California. With Jim and Leigh, I went to the National Palace Museum, Din Tai Fung, and Taipei 101. It was so much fun spending the day with them and catching up. 

See Matt off to the airport with Leigh! Jim was taking the picture. 

         My next friend to visit was Sloane. We have been good friends since we were eleven. I took the week off of work and we spent the week traveling to different places around Taiwan including Taipei, Green Island, and Kaohsiung. It was really nice being a tourist for a little bit. Sloane had found a free walking tour and I learned so much more about Taiwan. Another highlight was going to an old sugar factory, which had been converted into a drumming studio. We had a woman show us around and give us a free drumming lesson. Even though I talk to Sloane regularly, she got to connect names to people and places that I had talked about. I feel like now she understands more about what my experience of living here has been like. 

The woman who was giving us the private tour took our pictures with the drummers. 

        In October, I went to visit my friends Amanda, Makara, and Patrick in South Korea. In May, they all came to Taiwan to visit! First was Amanda, who I was able to meet up with in Taipei. We got to experience KTV (karaoke) Taiwan-style this time and also go on a walking tour. Just like I was able to get a slice of her life visiting her, I was now able to show her a little slice of my life in Taiwan. The following weekend Makara and Patrick visited. I worked with Makara in the PLU Archives during college. It had been about six years since I had seen Makara and her husband Patrick, and now I have seen them two times in one year! I showed them around Taichung for a couple of days. Then we headed up to Taipei to watch some of the Dragon Boat Festival. Makara competed in dragon boat, so it was fun to get her perspective. We had a great time and they took notes for their next trip back to Taiwan. 

Makara, Patrick, and I at Taipei 101. 

          It was really great getting to catch up with all my friends who visited. Even though I have not been in constant contact with them over the years, it makes my heart full knowing that we can still connect after time apart. We didn't pick up where we left off, instead we picked up at a completely different stop. The reunion was all the more sweeter knowing that we have grown and are in different places in our lives now. My friends here and important to me and I want to stay in touch with them after we all leave Taiwan. I am hopeful that we will. I know that even though they might not be an every day constant, good friends always have a way of coming back to each other. 

I Feel Like

       Conversations with my friend Jacob will sometimes fall into a pattern. He will bring up a topic. 
       "I feel like . . ." will usually be my response with my opinions on the topic. 
       "You feel?" He asks jokingly. 
He has the right to joke about this. I say this a lot. Usually because I am just saying my opinion or because I am not quite sure whether my facts are correct. Still when I could say "I think" or "I believe" or "in my opinion," but it always comes back "I feel." 
        Earlier in the year, after many of these conversations, we compared our Myers-Briggs personality inventory. We had similar results. He was a INTP, while I was a INFP.  The one letter difference is on how we supposedly make decisions. He is a T, said to make decisions with thinking and logic. I am an F, said to make decisions based on feelings. We laughed that once again it circled back to how I feel. At first I was skeptical of this result. As a woman especially, I have felt that I often show the correct emotions at the correct times. I don't cry often. I am not overly expressive, except around those that I know very well. It takes a lot to make me angry.  How could I make decisions based on feelings, when my range of feelings feels so small? 


        While thinking about this more, I found it is is true. I do make decisions based on feelings, it just isn't based on my feelings of emotions. My feelings take the form of a voice in my head. Now when people usually mention voices in their head, it is as a joke about mental health issues. Whether you call this voice your conscience or God or your inner compass or just your brain, that voice is valuable. It tells me "this is right" or "it is time." It gives me all the feelings I need. In one Facebook post(https://www.facebook.com/GilbertLiz/photos/a.356148997800555.79726.227291194019670/1188021294613317/?type=3), Elizabeth Gilbert writes about that inner voice that she also hears. She mentions a friend in academia who was interviewing accomplished women on their success. She asked them questions how they had gotten so far they gave the usual answers. But then, they asked to turn off the recorder and go off the record. Every single one of them said that they heard a voice telling them what to do next, and they listened. So, I listen to this voice inside. 
           Although sometimes, that voice goes dormant. I listen to it, but it doesn't respond. I get anxious. I don't know what I want. I can't make decisions. The voice eventually comes back though, even if it is just a whisper saying "not this." So,  it says "not this" and I will leave a job without having another one lined up. It says "not this" and I will pack up and move to a new city. It will say "not this" even though I don't know what I want, but I know it isn't this. (Elizabeth Gilbert also has a great post on this that I revisit frequently. Read it here. (https://www.facebook.com/GilbertLiz/posts/1004594839622631:0)

Here is a poem by Shel Silverstein, that also talks about the inner voice. 

        In January I had to make the decision of whether or not to stay in Taiwan at my current position. I was offered a contract in November. I didn't hear the voice and I couldn't make a decision. I move so much, wouldn't it be nice to stay in one place for awhile? Leaving would mean saying goodbye to my students and a country I love. In December, I heard the voice say "not this," so I said no without another job lined up. I interviewed for a school in Germany and was offered a position. I did not have a good feeling about this school. The voice told me again "not this." I said no even though I had no other offers or any other prospects of jobs. I was discouraged, but trusted that something else would come along. I had a few interviews, but I wasn't having strong feelings about any of the schools I talked with. 
       Then, things started to click into place. I had signed up for two international job fairs. Although I could not physically attend the fair, schools could access my profile and contact me for interviews. While in Japan with my parents, the first of these two job fairs was happening. I was discouraged because these schools would likely hire everyone at the fair. While in Japan with my parents, I got several e-mails from schools. None of them seemed appealing. They were mostly in places I didn't want to live or go to. I told my mom that I had heard from a school in Honduras, but was going to turn it down because I wanted to live somewhere safer. 
       "Kristin, we really liked when we went to Honduras. You should research these places before you automatically reject them. They might not be as dangerous as you think." 
         I researched the city where the school was located in Honduras. It was up until very recently the murder capital of the world. I e-mailed them back saying I was not interested, but was at least trying to keep an open mind. I heard from a school in Columbia. I was keeping an open mind. I e-mailed them to ask some follow-up questions about the school. They said they would prefer to answer the questions over Skype. I skyped with the principal. The school was in a gated, mining community of 3000 people. Hard pass. At the end of the interview the principal asked when when I would be getting to the fair (this was the second fair now). I told him I wasn't able to go. He said I should let the fair know, so they could update my profile. I let the fair know. 
        When my parents were in Taiwan I got an e-mail from a school in El Salvador. I was keeping an open mind. The school said that they saw my profile. They were very sad that I wasn't attending the fair, but wanted to do a Skype interview. They said I matched what they were looking for in a candidate. I got up very early to have a Skype interview. The next day I interviewed with the elementary principal. She asked me where their school was on my list. I said it was my top pick. She said that I was their top candidate.  The director of the school had worked in Shakopee and Fargo. It was a third grade position, which is my favorite grade. Finally, I had feelings. Finally, I heard the voice that said, "this is right." They offered me the job and I accepted. 

This was taken at the Pinxi Lantern Festival shortly after I accepted the job. Picture by Tyler. 

Shortly after I accepted the job, I went to the Pinxi Lantern Festival. During this festival, people will write their hopes for the new year on a lantern. They light it and then it floats off into the sunset. The colors represent different meanings. The white is for a bright future. I write all of my hopes for the rest of this school year and the upcoming school year on my lantern. A man helped me light it. "1,2,3, . . . dreams come true," he said as it floated into the air. Although El Salvador is going to be very different from Taiwan. The voice inside my head tells me "this is right." I feel like it is the right decision and it will be good. 

A Comparative Education

Every year during January and February, I get nostalgic for the time I spent teaching in Namibia. I taught in Namibia through a course in my university where teachers could do two months of their student teaching in a placement in Windhoek, Namibia. The course was called "A Comparative Education in Namibia." The experience made me think about differences in education between the United States and Namibia and education on a global level. The experience in Namibia is what made me want to pursue teaching abroad again. While in Taiwan, I have had time to once again compare teaching in the United States, Namibia, and Taiwan. I thought that I would take some time to compare the education in Namibia, the United States, and Taiwan here. These comparisons reflect only my limited, personal experiences. It should also be noted that while there are differences, I am not saying one system is better than the others. Rather, each place has a complex education system with different strengths and weaknesses. 

Here I am with some of my 5th grade students in Namibia.

Getting to School

United States

The majority of students will take the bus to school. Students may also be dropped off or walk to school. 

 Namibia

Students usually walk, sometimes for miles, to get to school. 

Taiwan
There are no school buses. Instead, there are vans that provide transportation for kindergartners. Parents mostly provide transportation through cars, city buses, or scooters. 

My class last year in the United States on a Peace Walk on the last day of school. 

School buildings

United States

The schools building ranges depending on the location in the United States. Classrooms range in size and usually contain desks or tables. Students typically have lockers to store their belongings. Most schools have a gym, library, music room, art room, cafeteria, and playground.

 Namibia

Schools are typically portables. There are not usually playgrounds, but a large open space for students to play and eat lunch. At my school, for example, there was a field where students played soccer. In different areas there are mobile tent schools, for families who are herders. The tent schools will relocate with the cattle. 

Taiwan

From what I have seen, the school buildings in Taiwan are pretty similar to the school buildings in the United States. There is a large outdoor area typically where students have gym and time outside. 

My classroom in Namibia.

School schedules

United States

The time that schools starts varies, but it is usually a 6-7 hour day. Students are taught English, social studies, math, language arts by a core teacher. Students usually stay in one classroom, except for specialist and lunch. Students have a specialist (gym, media, art, or music) once a day. There is also a break for lunch. Schools start in August or September and end in May or June. Students get a winter, spring, and summer break. 

 Namibia

School starts with an assembly where teachers take turns leading religious songs. Students stand in line with their classes. Students rotate from class to class, but there is no bell to tell when class finishes or starts. Students learn English/reading, social studies, math, science, life skills, religion, and a language. Schools start in January. 

Taiwan

The amount of time in school ranges depending on the day. There are days when school ends around lunchtime. Many students will then attend additional classes at another school or get tutored privately. Many will attend cram schools to learn English or prepare for upcoming tests. I teach at a school that students will go to after their regular Chinese school. Some students will also take classes in swimming, ping pong, art, badminton, or piano on weekends. Students will also attend regular school on Saturdays to make up for a day given off for a national holiday. Like Namibia, school also starts with an assembly, where students sing the school song and other patriotic songs. School starts in the beginning of August and end of June. Students get a break for Chinese New Year. 

My third grade class in Taiwan on the first day of school in August. 

Focus of Instruction

United States

There are set standards for each grade level that are the supposed framework for the curriculum. These standards vary by state, although many states have adopted the same standards with Common Core. Curriculum to cover these standards also varies by district. The United States is criticized for the emphasis on high stakes testing. Some teachers feel like they are encouraged "teach to the test" rather than teach to the standards. There are many ways to teach the content and this varies widely by teacher. Teachers will frequently use a mixture of small group, individual work, and whole class instruction. There is a focus on student-centered instruction. 

 Namibia

If I remember correctly, there was a loose outline for the material that was to be taught. There was some materials to be used, but not a whole lot. For example at my school, students were given a weekly article to read that was printed out. I do not remember textbooks that were used. Lessons that I observed were mostly lecture-based. 

Taiwan
The material is taught mostly in a lecture format. Students are expected to take in the information. There is also a big emphasis on learning through repetition and memorization. For example, to learn a Chinese character, the students will practice writing it over and over.  Taiwan is sometimes criticized for not giving students an opportunity to pursue more creative outlets in school. There is also a big emphasis on testing. In fourth grade students start to take tests that determine which middle/high schools they will attend. 

One of my fifth grade classes in Namibia. 

Behavior Management

United States
There are many different behavior strategies that are used. Generally, students are praised for positive behaviors and there are consequences with unwanted behaviors. I have worked at schools where students received tickets for good behavior. A drawing took place at certain times during the year where prizes were awarded. My behavior management system follows Responsive Classroom. In this system, students are held to high expectations and classroom routines are emphasized and taught. The principal will typically deal with major behavior problems. Suspension rates are also high. 

 Namibia

Many teachers in Namibia still practice corporal punishment. If a student was behaving in a way that was not desired, they would be hit as a consequence. In what I observed, some teachers would hit the students' hands with a ruler or slap it. 

Taiwan
 In Taiwan, I have found behavior in Taiwan is dealt with more publicly. Students will be yelled at or given consequences in front of the class. Grades are also posted, so students are aware of their rank within the class. 

My fifth grade class in Taiwan before Chinese New Year. 

Attitudes Towards Education

United States

Many teachers that I have spoken to do not always feel respected as educators. A teacher's salary in the United States is lower than most other developed countries. A student's attitude towards school comes in part from their family's educational background and experiences. I have had students say that they missed school because they had to take care of younger siblings. I also had a fifth grade say, "What is the point of me going to school? I am just going to drop out in middle school anyhow." 

 Namibia

I did not have a whole lot of parent contact while teaching. I did make a couple of home visits to families though. There were some families where school was emphasized as very important and as a way to better yourself. Other families valued school less. I also taught at an afterschool program. The creator of this program started it, because she found that girls in particular would drop out of school when they got married, pregnant, or found a sugar daddy. Students would range in their attitudes as well. I had many students talk about going to college, so that they could become doctors and help people with HIV. Classes are made based on test scores. I taught the lowest fifth grade class, and they were aware that they were the lowest. They had bad attitudes about school, because they were painfully aware of their rank. 

Taiwan

Education is highly valued. Teachers are also highly valued. Parents are typically very supportive or their students and will ask what they can do to help at home. Parents have very high expectations for their kids. All students are held to the same high academic expectations. 

Japan Trip

Day 1:

The end of January marked the start of Chinese New Year, so I had time off. I met up with my parents in Japan for a couple of days before traveling back to Taiwan with them. My arrival in Japan did not quite go as planned. While trying to land, there was a strong crosswind. The pilot had to divert to another airport. We sat on the airplane for another two hours until we had the all-clear to take off and land. I eventually made it to Japan, three hours later than expected. By the time I arrived, it was evening. I met my parents at the airport and we had dinner, then went to the hotel. My parents had been in Japan about a week, so I was thankful that they knew how to get around using the subway. 

Here is a lights display at the subway station. 

Day 2:

The next morning we headed to the Tsukiji Fish Market. People go to the fish market at 2 am in the morning to be able to go to the tuna auction. We did not get up that early. We wandered the market and tried different street foods including a Japanese omelet (like a cold eggroll), blow torched tuna, and bacon wrapped fish. Then we took the train to Kyoto. In Kyoto we stayed in a traditional townhouse complete with sliding doors and beds on the floor. We explored the nearby Heian Shrine. We had dinner at a soba noodle restaurant, where we sat on the floor at traditional tables. 

The Tsukiji Fish Market

An O-mikuji or fortune written on paper at the Shinto shrine. 

Day 3:
Our morning started with a visit to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. The shrine was very picturesque with thousands of red, torii gates on the different paths. The shrine is dedicated to the Shinto god Inari, who is the god of rice. There are many fox statues around the grounds, because the fox is said to be Inari's messenger. It took us about two hours to follow the gates and hike to the top of the mountain. There were several great views of Kyoto on the way. The next stop for the day was to bamboo forest in Arashiyama. I didn't realize that bamboo grew so tall! 
Our final stop for the day was visiting the Monkey Park Iwatayama. We hiked up another mountain to find a pretty big population of snow monkeys. It made us a little nervous, because there were rules that were posted everywhere for interacting with the monkeys. 1. Don't crouch down. 2. Don't stare at them.     3. Don't put your camera in their face. 4. Don't get their hair wet. 5. Don't feed them after midnight. Okay, I made up the last two. We bought apples at the shelter and monkeys would stick their hands through the wire fencing in the windows for it. We were also there for a feeding, which was something. They played the "can-can" and threw from a bucket of food. The crowd of monkeys went wild! 

Some of the torii gates at the Fushimi Inari Shrine. 

One of the many foxes at the shrine. 

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

A snow monkey at the park. 

Day 4:

My mom really wanted to go to a temple. How many temples can one person go to? She informed me that we had been to multiple shrines, but no temples yet. We went to the second best temple, the Ginkakuji Silver Pavillion. It was known for its sand garden and moss garden.  I signed us up for a cooking class through Traveling Spoon (https://www.travelingspoon.com/). For the cooking classes, you go to a local's house, and they show you how to make a traditional meal. Our host was named Keiko, and she was very welcoming. Randomly, she had been to Mankato and had studied in Milwaukee. We helped make several dishes including miso soup, Japanese egg rolls, and a few other dishes. We enjoyed talking to a local about the area. After lunch we visited the Nijo Castle, where the first shogun from the Edo period lived. The castle had nightingale floors, which creaked when you stepped on them. The final activity of the day was to go see a theater performance of a show called Gear. (http://www.gear.ac/en/) It was a non-verbal performance that was set in a futuristic society was human-like robots. The humanoids, as they were called, danced, juggled, mimed, and did magic. This day felt a little less touristy, and more authentic with the Japanese culture. 

The Ginkakuji (Silver Pavillion) temple in Kyoto

Day 5:
We took the rail back to Tokyo. When I was in South Korea, I really wanted to go to an animal cafe. The timing just did not work out though. I made up for it by going to not one, but two animal cafes in Tokyo. The first one that we went to was a bunny cafe. When we got there, they gave us Crocs to wear and an apron (in case the bunnies peed or pooped on us). They gave us a cup of food and we spent a half an hour sitting with and feeding the bunnies. It was very therapeutic. The second cafe we went to had two different rooms. We could choose to go to a small animal room or an owl room. The small animal room offered hedgehogs, sugar gliders, and many more cute animals. It was very crowded though, so ultimately we went with the owl room. There were about 20 different owls, most of which it was okay to pet their heads. They also let us put on a leather glove and hold one of the owls. We had to pay for an hour, but were done before then. 

Here I am at the owl cafe.

My mom at the bunny cafe. 

Day 6:

Our final day in Japan, we stayed in the district where lots of sumo wrestlers live. We got up early to go watch a practice. At first, it was not the most exciting. They did different stretches and practice squats. After watching for a little while, you could start to see the hierarchy. There were the up-and-comers, who worked hard to please the others. Then, there were the more seasoned athletes, who would give tips to others. In the practice bouts, the wrestlers would get pushed in the dirt when they did not perform up to standards. Everyone seemed very serious, but after practice was over the personalities came out. They joked around with each other and posed for pictures. We left in the afternoon and headed back to Taiwan. I was anxious to get back to Taiwan and a place where I know how to get around.