August 13, 2006 - Carol

August 13, 2006-Carol

I can’t believe 3 days have passed since my last entry, but I can’t even get to my art journal or actual word journaling for all the activity—how did I ever find time to work 7 days a week in the States!!??

The apartment is really coming along, at least we don’t look like we’re camping quite so much, hope to get pix on the site this weekend. Bill is an absolute whirlwind of technological futzing, since we now have our ADSL, wireless router, cell phones, and Skype set-ups complete. It’s absolutely amazing that we can talk to the US, complete with video on our computers for about 2.3 cents a minute! I even saw Miche’s adorable little cat butt on the computer when Pat called him onto her lap. He apparently loves to “help” her on the computer by unauthorized keyboarding, but she seems to forgive him that lapse since he now lays by the hour on her chest like he used to do to me! The boys’ comfort and security are absolute!

Meanwhile, we keep exploring, learning and generally settling in. Bill went three (3) rounds with a cockroach the size of a small fieldmouse a couple of nights ago, and emerged, we believe, the victor, but with that species who knows? Angela, our amah, is gradually getting us whipped into shape, including initiating us into the mysteries of Taiwanese garbage disposal and recycling. Let me tell you, they are SERIOUS about recycling over here!!! There is: 1) General trash, 2) Food pigs can eat, 3) Food pigs cannot eat, which will be composted, 4) ALL plastic, including Styrofoam, plastic wrap, washed, and any other kind of plastic, 5) All paper, except with food waste, etc. on it, and 6) Plastic bottles, cans, and glass. This is all separate, placed outside the apartment in a specified location, collected by our local apartment garbage managers on strictly specified days, for which we pay about $16 US a month. (Plus, of course, the Chinese New Year bonus of one month’s pay, which is required of all employers in any situation, it seems.) The trash must be in government approved and expensive trash bags, the cost of which is figured into the cost of recycling in our neighborhood, although in other districts it can be figured on the basis of your water bill, etc.

There is no tipping of any kind, although we do leave a small tip at Chili’s, which is our fallback restaurant when we are desperate just to have an enormous salad without cleaning veggies for an hour. We split one and it’s really quite economical and plenty to eat. Taxes are figured into the cost of goods, it seems, so we don’t have to think about that either!

Friday I had a real treat. The wife of the US counselor, who is from Minnesota and actually graduated from Henry Sibley HS, where Bill taught in the 80’s! took me to the DiHua St. fabric market, which is essentially the entire second floor of a large building like the wholesale markets in NY and LA, one stall after another. I was in Heaven! Getting some fabric was beginning to be a real priority as I need to get some curtains made for the bedroom window, otherwise the local residents are going to be seeing much too much of America! I absolutely went like a shot to some beautiful red fabric with Asian designs in several patterns but all with the same bright red background. After securing a few yards for my stash in hopes of making a duvet cover for our down comforter, we discovered yesterday at the Museum of Natural History that it is the signature of Taiwan! It’s good to know my instincts have not deserted me!

Friday evening we went to the welcome evening for the whole faculty and board of directors of the school at the American Club of China. It was a wonderful affair by the pool, lots of lovely hors d’oeuvres, from Peking duck pancakes, samosas, wraps, etc., and wine, Taiwan beer, fresh orange juice, the faculty band and lots of fun conversation.

Yesterday we set out “in search of “ the National Botanical Garden with its gigantic lotus pond. It apparently will only be blooming for a few more days, so didn’t want to miss it! Imagine a pond the size of about two and a half football fields! We went all the way around it through the gardens and saw an elderly artist who had created a lovely traditional Chinese painting of the lotus and a crane, which we did not see. In order to get a better view from above and also to see it, we went into the Natural History Museum and were enchanted by the exhibits, which apparently change a great deal. We saw calligraphy, straw weaving, traditional Taiwanese furniture, polychrome Tang pottery, Buddhist steles, and a complete 10-course banquet and multiple other displays of food all created out of semi-precious stones. It was beautiful, literally soup to nuts! We decided to have a bite in the museum café, and they insisted on moving us so that we could look at the view of the garden while we ate. As we left, they presented us with little coasters with museum exhibits on them. It was so kind. We found the Indian homestore called Ikat, but did not find what we were looking for. I had wanted to see it ever since they sent us the Taipei Living book when we took the job, so it was a pilgrimage. We needed a few more things at IKEA, so went back and also browsed at FNAC, which is a media store par excellence. I got a DVD of Taiwan’s most famous modern dance group called Cloud Gate and one of the Royal Ballet. We also saw the most astounding TVs for children and other young minds, they are LCDs in apples, trains, basketballs, anything you can imagine, so that it actually becomes part of the room décor! We will probably pass on those, but definitely are coveting a flat-screen TV, as the one we brought is pretty tiny and I’m thinking we will be enjoying DVDS. I got a Blockbuster card and rented our first video, but because it was a Chinese film, called “The Promise” which we had been wanting to see, we were disappointed. It’s only in Chinese! No help yet.

Hope everyone is well, e-mails always welcome! Carol