Tuesday, May 02, 2023
I am going to Revive the blog in 223
Well My My it has been a really long time since I have been here and so much has happened in our lives.....mostly good but some really really really hard. I think this blog is the way I want to communicate with friends and family rather than FB because I think I can control the audience. If you get the link to this, please check in about once a week or so and Iwill be faithful in putting up something which tells of our life here in Taiwan. Little did we know when we started this blog that over a decade later we would still be here and more in love with Taiwan and its people than ever.
Here are some random pics of us now and one when Carol was on top of the world or at least on top of the Sydney harbor bridge More Later
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Busted
Well today was a new adventure in the life of an international "criminal" expat. Ok so I have not been perfect: Indonesia asked me to support the Policeman's Benevolent Association (gee the Capital Letters don't spell BRIBE??),contributed to the New Zealand local government fund ( 100K in a 70 K. zone on New Year's Eve) but today was a first.
I received a visit from the Taiwan Environmental Agency on a complaint about air pollution. Ok so every now and then I really need to turn on the exhaust fan but that was not it today. Today it was reported that I was polluting the air with wood smoke while BBQing the Thanksgiving Turkey and Ham. Never mind that the fish cooked in oil in the local homes can drop you with the strong odor or that the guy downstairs feeds us lots of second hand smoke through the air vents or that grandpa's ghost money can give the whole of Taipei eye infections from the pollution. No it is just my hickory smoked turkey that is offensive. ........but they never turn down a chance to eat the smoked turkey or ham. Ah well. Have I mention durians and stinky tofu yet?
Oh the young lady let me off...thank you officer!!!
I received a visit from the Taiwan Environmental Agency on a complaint about air pollution. Ok so every now and then I really need to turn on the exhaust fan but that was not it today. Today it was reported that I was polluting the air with wood smoke while BBQing the Thanksgiving Turkey and Ham. Never mind that the fish cooked in oil in the local homes can drop you with the strong odor or that the guy downstairs feeds us lots of second hand smoke through the air vents or that grandpa's ghost money can give the whole of Taipei eye infections from the pollution. No it is just my hickory smoked turkey that is offensive. ........but they never turn down a chance to eat the smoked turkey or ham. Ah well. Have I mention durians and stinky tofu yet?
Oh the young lady let me off...thank you officer!!!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Link to You Tubes relating to our China trip
These are YouTube Links for some photo of Lijiang, the city we visited first on our China trip. The mountain in back is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. These are not my shots but they will be coming. Just copy and paste these into your browser. Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdPLJH3vFf8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9T8bKvcU14&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myauZJAQT5Y&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmWipzGeX8g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdPLJH3vFf8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9T8bKvcU14&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myauZJAQT5Y&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmWipzGeX8g&feature=related
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Our Itinerary at The Linden Center , Dali China
The Hoehn Party at
The Linden Centre
April, 2011
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”–St. Augustine -
The Linden Centre is happy to welcome the Hoehn party of Bill, Carol, Patricia, Marty, Gary, Jaami, Kendra, Ken, and Deb. Your travels have brought you to an area renowned for its beauty and ethnic diversity. Our footsteps will follow the paths taken by Arab and Tibetan traders as they carried tea, silks and religious beliefs through the verdant mountain valleys. We will explore villages little-changed since the local sojourns of Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, and will hear the echoes of Flying Tigers that helped the Dali region survive WWII unscathed.
The Linden Centre, started by Jeanee (Quan) and Brian Linden in 2008, is nestled in the southeast Himalayan foothills of Yunnan-'South of the Clouds'. The Centre offers guests an unprecedented immersion in a timeless China while basking in the comforts of a carefully restored national heritage estate (protected at the same level as the Great Wall).
A leading merchant family in the old Southwest Silk Road town of Xizhou built this famous complex that houses the Centre. It is one of the largest complexes of its kind and, because of its use as a military installation after 1949, has remained in pristine condition, unaffected by the ravages of the Cultural Revolution (the Red Guards were unable to enter due to the military presence).
"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of the living." - Miriam Beard
Tour Description and Itinerary:
DAY 1: Today marks your first evening at the Linden Centre. After check-in and coffee, Brian and Jeanee will personally guide you through the Centre complex. The restoration of the Centre has garnered numerous international and national accolades for its attention to detail and sustainability. We will share many of the challenges facing a foreign couple in taking over a national relic. (The Lindens are among the first foreigners to take over a national relic in China).
After dinner, retire to the Linden Centre coffee and wine bar to relax, and to try the local spirits of plum and orchid wine.
Day 2: Every morning at the Linden Centre starts with a fresh Western and Chinese style breakfast. Enjoy a plate of toast made of our home baked bread, or bite into a delicious omelet prepared in front of you.
This morning we will take you on a guided tour of Xizhou, including the Village Square, and the morning market where the famous Xizhou pizza is baked outside on a daily basis. We will then take a short stroll to the village elder’s home as he recalls a lifetime of memories, and reveals his passion for painting and cultural preservation. Some of the old homes still contain Song and Ming Dynasty antiques which often can be purchased directly from the home’s owner.
After lunch at the Centre we will take horse carts to the Tongue of the Lake and surrounding villages to enjoy the scenery and people.
Tonight, a delicious dinner prepared by the Centre’s renowned chefs. To help us digest, we will share tea in the first courtyard while being entertained by Xizhou’s Dongjing music group. This music is considered to be a “Living Fossil” and dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The term Dongjing is an abbreviation of the title of the Taoist scripture Dadong Xianjing- a text that has been the basis of exclusive religious societies oriented around the worship of the Taoist deity Wenchang.
.
DAY 3: This morning , we will take a short car ride to peak into in a small village kindergarten to observe and interact with the young students. Don't be surprised if you are dragged into a impromptu basketball game or local dance!
For lunch we travel up the foot of the mountain for a selection of local foods in a courtyard setting.
After lunch, we will visit an ancient courtyard in the village of Zhoucheng to trace their renowned tie-dye process. Family guilds have been creating these woven treasures for centuries, and we observe all aspects of this creative tradition. The craftsmen believe that the indigo leaf, which produces the deep blues used in their textiles, is therapeutic, and we will be able to taste some of these teas while trying our hand at the tying process. We will also meander the old stone lanes and visit their famous Dragon Spring Temple and afternoon market (which is nestled beneath two massive, centuries-old Banyan trees). Dinner is back at the Centre and can be followed by a movie in a screening room or board games with the rest of the Linden team in the cafe.
Day 4: After a filling breakfast, we will travel north to the Peach Ferry Port and board a 100 ft boat for a journey across Lake Er to the sleepy fishing village of Shuanglang. This village clings to the rocky shores and has become the second home for many famous Chinese entertainers and artists.
A local lunch will be served along the shores and overlooking Nan Chao Island, with its gleaming white cultural palace and Guan Yin statue.
After returning to the Centre, we will have a Yong Chuan master come and give a talk and demonstration and have tea together to talk about his philosophy and life.
Dinner at the Centre
Day 5: Travel to Dali Old town after breakfast to see this ancient walled city. Dali has wonderful boutique shops, cafes, restaurants and traditional craftsmen. You will have free time to wander the streets to look in the shops, look in on a local craftsmen making fresh tofu. Peruse the English language bookstore, rest in a café or walk on the old wall. Visit the old Catholic Church, in the shape of a tradition temple, that has been serving parishioners for over 170 years.
After lunch at the German Bakery, we will ride the chairlift up the Cangshan Mountain for breathtaking views of the Dali valley. We will take a short walk along the Path of the Clouds, situated at 8500 feet in altitude.
Dinner will be held inside a newly built courtyard that exclusively serves vegetarian dishes.
Day 6: After breakfast we will assist you with check out and also travel arrangements to the Dali airport for your 12:00 o’clock departure to Kunming.
The Linden Centre
April, 2011
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”–St. Augustine -
The Linden Centre is happy to welcome the Hoehn party of Bill, Carol, Patricia, Marty, Gary, Jaami, Kendra, Ken, and Deb. Your travels have brought you to an area renowned for its beauty and ethnic diversity. Our footsteps will follow the paths taken by Arab and Tibetan traders as they carried tea, silks and religious beliefs through the verdant mountain valleys. We will explore villages little-changed since the local sojourns of Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, and will hear the echoes of Flying Tigers that helped the Dali region survive WWII unscathed.
The Linden Centre, started by Jeanee (Quan) and Brian Linden in 2008, is nestled in the southeast Himalayan foothills of Yunnan-'South of the Clouds'. The Centre offers guests an unprecedented immersion in a timeless China while basking in the comforts of a carefully restored national heritage estate (protected at the same level as the Great Wall).
A leading merchant family in the old Southwest Silk Road town of Xizhou built this famous complex that houses the Centre. It is one of the largest complexes of its kind and, because of its use as a military installation after 1949, has remained in pristine condition, unaffected by the ravages of the Cultural Revolution (the Red Guards were unable to enter due to the military presence).
"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of the living." - Miriam Beard
Tour Description and Itinerary:
DAY 1: Today marks your first evening at the Linden Centre. After check-in and coffee, Brian and Jeanee will personally guide you through the Centre complex. The restoration of the Centre has garnered numerous international and national accolades for its attention to detail and sustainability. We will share many of the challenges facing a foreign couple in taking over a national relic. (The Lindens are among the first foreigners to take over a national relic in China).
After dinner, retire to the Linden Centre coffee and wine bar to relax, and to try the local spirits of plum and orchid wine.
Day 2: Every morning at the Linden Centre starts with a fresh Western and Chinese style breakfast. Enjoy a plate of toast made of our home baked bread, or bite into a delicious omelet prepared in front of you.
This morning we will take you on a guided tour of Xizhou, including the Village Square, and the morning market where the famous Xizhou pizza is baked outside on a daily basis. We will then take a short stroll to the village elder’s home as he recalls a lifetime of memories, and reveals his passion for painting and cultural preservation. Some of the old homes still contain Song and Ming Dynasty antiques which often can be purchased directly from the home’s owner.
After lunch at the Centre we will take horse carts to the Tongue of the Lake and surrounding villages to enjoy the scenery and people.
Tonight, a delicious dinner prepared by the Centre’s renowned chefs. To help us digest, we will share tea in the first courtyard while being entertained by Xizhou’s Dongjing music group. This music is considered to be a “Living Fossil” and dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The term Dongjing is an abbreviation of the title of the Taoist scripture Dadong Xianjing- a text that has been the basis of exclusive religious societies oriented around the worship of the Taoist deity Wenchang.
.
DAY 3: This morning , we will take a short car ride to peak into in a small village kindergarten to observe and interact with the young students. Don't be surprised if you are dragged into a impromptu basketball game or local dance!
For lunch we travel up the foot of the mountain for a selection of local foods in a courtyard setting.
After lunch, we will visit an ancient courtyard in the village of Zhoucheng to trace their renowned tie-dye process. Family guilds have been creating these woven treasures for centuries, and we observe all aspects of this creative tradition. The craftsmen believe that the indigo leaf, which produces the deep blues used in their textiles, is therapeutic, and we will be able to taste some of these teas while trying our hand at the tying process. We will also meander the old stone lanes and visit their famous Dragon Spring Temple and afternoon market (which is nestled beneath two massive, centuries-old Banyan trees). Dinner is back at the Centre and can be followed by a movie in a screening room or board games with the rest of the Linden team in the cafe.
Day 4: After a filling breakfast, we will travel north to the Peach Ferry Port and board a 100 ft boat for a journey across Lake Er to the sleepy fishing village of Shuanglang. This village clings to the rocky shores and has become the second home for many famous Chinese entertainers and artists.
A local lunch will be served along the shores and overlooking Nan Chao Island, with its gleaming white cultural palace and Guan Yin statue.
After returning to the Centre, we will have a Yong Chuan master come and give a talk and demonstration and have tea together to talk about his philosophy and life.
Dinner at the Centre
Day 5: Travel to Dali Old town after breakfast to see this ancient walled city. Dali has wonderful boutique shops, cafes, restaurants and traditional craftsmen. You will have free time to wander the streets to look in the shops, look in on a local craftsmen making fresh tofu. Peruse the English language bookstore, rest in a café or walk on the old wall. Visit the old Catholic Church, in the shape of a tradition temple, that has been serving parishioners for over 170 years.
After lunch at the German Bakery, we will ride the chairlift up the Cangshan Mountain for breathtaking views of the Dali valley. We will take a short walk along the Path of the Clouds, situated at 8500 feet in altitude.
Dinner will be held inside a newly built courtyard that exclusively serves vegetarian dishes.
Day 6: After breakfast we will assist you with check out and also travel arrangements to the Dali airport for your 12:00 o’clock departure to Kunming.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
International SchoolTeaching Info
For all my colleagues who have had it with Wisconsin’s abuse of teachers.
Here is information to get you started looking for international schools. Do not be afraid to look or apply. You may never know how good it can get being out of the USA and, more positively, living in a new country. The rewards for courage and a willingness to take a chance are huge and long lasting. It is absolutely not like public school teaching which can be both good and challenging. But the bottom line is that with few exceptions, teachers are respected and compensated accordingly. There are tax breaks from US and other monetary “goodies” that are unheard of in USA .Be prepared to work and work hard because most of the rest of the world has extremely high expectations for their students’ success and are actively engaged in their children’s education process.
If you want to contact me, use FACEBOOK message (only), and I will send you email to use as well as a SKYPE contact and I will get back to you. If you got this message, feel free to pass it on to others who you trust.
I am sad for you and am sick at heart for what is going on.
Yours,
Bill Hoehn
http://www.iss.edu/
International School Services
http://www.carneysandoe.com/
Carney Sandoe and Associates
http://www.search-associates.com/main.html
Search Associates
http://www.uni.edu/placement/overseas/
University of Northern Iowa overseas placement office….this was my entre but Taipei American School no longer attends the fair.
Western Area School Council accreditation for west coast AND asia schools
http://www.acswasc.org/pdf_general/WASC_Directory_latest.pdf
http://www.internationalschoolsreview.com/
a site that has information about how to apply, how to interview, and reports on schools. ($39)/year
http://www.ibo.org/
website for the International Baccalaureate organization that also has an employment page.
http://www.tas.edu.tw/page.cfm?p=476
a link to our school’s prospective faculty page
IASAS Schools
Taipei American School
Jakarta International School
Singapore American School
International School, Bangkok
International School, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
International School , Manila
Please check their websites for employment information.
Find a country you like, search for the international school in the area, check religious based schools in the area, go to the school websites, fill out application. GET A SKYPE ACCOUNT WITH VIDEO…..most interviews are done over SKYPE, at least the initial ones.
Stay out of EU….it will cost you money to work there (with a few exceptions).
Here is information to get you started looking for international schools. Do not be afraid to look or apply. You may never know how good it can get being out of the USA and, more positively, living in a new country. The rewards for courage and a willingness to take a chance are huge and long lasting. It is absolutely not like public school teaching which can be both good and challenging. But the bottom line is that with few exceptions, teachers are respected and compensated accordingly. There are tax breaks from US and other monetary “goodies” that are unheard of in USA .Be prepared to work and work hard because most of the rest of the world has extremely high expectations for their students’ success and are actively engaged in their children’s education process.
If you want to contact me, use FACEBOOK message (only), and I will send you email to use as well as a SKYPE contact and I will get back to you. If you got this message, feel free to pass it on to others who you trust.
I am sad for you and am sick at heart for what is going on.
Yours,
Bill Hoehn
http://www.iss.edu/
International School Services
http://www.carneysandoe.com/
Carney Sandoe and Associates
http://www.search-associates.com/main.html
Search Associates
http://www.uni.edu/placement/overseas/
University of Northern Iowa overseas placement office….this was my entre but Taipei American School no longer attends the fair.
Western Area School Council accreditation for west coast AND asia schools
http://www.acswasc.org/pdf_general/WASC_Directory_latest.pdf
http://www.internationalschoolsreview.com/
a site that has information about how to apply, how to interview, and reports on schools. ($39)/year
http://www.ibo.org/
website for the International Baccalaureate organization that also has an employment page.
http://www.tas.edu.tw/page.cfm?p=476
a link to our school’s prospective faculty page
IASAS Schools
Taipei American School
Jakarta International School
Singapore American School
International School, Bangkok
International School, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
International School , Manila
Please check their websites for employment information.
Find a country you like, search for the international school in the area, check religious based schools in the area, go to the school websites, fill out application. GET A SKYPE ACCOUNT WITH VIDEO…..most interviews are done over SKYPE, at least the initial ones.
Stay out of EU….it will cost you money to work there (with a few exceptions).
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Why our Chinese New Year Trip was cold, wet, and stormy
Our trip to Mataking Island off the SE coast of Borneo was not up to our usual standards partially because of the weather....huge tides and tidal surges, extremely rough seas all the time and COLD temp for Malaysia. Carol and Gary only got to snorkel 3 times during the week and even then it was not good. The tropical cyclone Yasi which hammered Australia and New Zealand was the responsible factor. Follow this link and see just how big the system was. HUGE!!!!!!!
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/how-cyclone-yasi-compares-around-the-world/story-fn7ik2te-1225998762870
More later Oh and ask Carol about the Komodo dragon on the island?????
Love
Bill and Carol
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/how-cyclone-yasi-compares-around-the-world/story-fn7ik2te-1225998762870
More later Oh and ask Carol about the Komodo dragon on the island?????
Love
Bill and Carol
Saturday, January 22, 2011
CNY
It is that magical time of year in Taiwan known as Chinese New Year....when children and all employees look for red envelopes filled with money, when every house and business is cleaned item by item and trash fills the street to make way for the new. On Dihua Street in downtown Taipei, stalls lined 6 city blocks and vendors sell candies, meats, specialty food items, auspicious decorations, give away tons of samples, yell and scream, dress up in animal suits (it is the year of the rabbit) and in general make merry. The crowd is so dense that one need not walk...just let the crowd push you along and hope you do not trip. One of our less traveled teachers at school had to leave because she thought people were touching her. OF COURSE they are and you are touching them with full body contact over 100% of your body but all in the cause of holiday treats. So what...get over it! We absolutely just literally dove in and went with the flow. You can not cross @ 90 degrees, instead you move diagonally across the stream just like with ocean current. But everyone is having a great time and the exotica of the scene is intoxicating. All the music talks about being with your family, eating fish for prosperity, hoping for good luck, lots of money, good health and a good life with lots of cymbals and loud horns and general mayhem noise. The fireworks will start in our park soon. So everyone, enjoy the slide show on the right and if you want to go slower, click on the picture and it will take you to the Picassa sight where our pictures are located.
We are off to Borneo and Mataking Island for diving and snorkeling, massages and evening cocktails, cookies, and euchre card games. Love to all of you and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We are off to Borneo and Mataking Island for diving and snorkeling, massages and evening cocktails, cookies, and euchre card games. Love to all of you and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Chinese mother article
I know this will be very long but this is a great article to a) understand our life and b) understand that US students and parents need to realize with whom they are competing.
•
• THE SATURDAY ESSAY
• JANUARY 8, 2011
Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior
Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back?
By AMY CHUA
A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:
• attend a sleepover
• have a playdate
• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play
• watch TV or play computer games
• choose their own extracurricular activities
• get any grade less than an A
• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin.
I'm using the term "Chinese mother" loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I'm also using the term "Western parents" loosely. Western parents come in all varieties.
All the same, even when Western parents think they're being strict, they usually don't come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It's hours two and three that get tough.
Despite our squeamishness about cultural stereotypes, there are tons of studies out there showing marked and quantifiable differences between Chinese and Westerners when it comes to parenting. In one study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that "stressing academic success is not good for children" or that "parents need to foster the idea that learning is fun." By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way. Instead, the vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be "the best" students, that "academic achievement reflects successful parenting," and that if children did not excel at school then there was "a problem" and parents "were not doing their job." Other studies indicate that compared to Western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams.
When it comes to parenting, the Chinese seem to produce children who display academic excellence, musical mastery and professional success - or so the stereotype goes. WSJ's Christina Tsuei speaks to two moms raised by Chinese immigrants who share what it was like growing up and how they hope to raise their children.
What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more.
Chinese parents can get away with things that Western parents can't. Once when I was young—maybe more than once—when I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me "garbage" in our native Hokkien dialect. It worked really well. I felt terrible and deeply ashamed of what I had done. But it didn't damage my self-esteem or anything like that. I knew exactly how highly he thought of me. I didn't actually think I was worthless or feel like a piece of garbage.
As an adult, I once did the same thing to Sophia, calling her garbage in English when she acted extremely disrespectfully toward me. When I mentioned that I had done this at a dinner party, I was immediately ostracized. One guest named Marcy got so upset she broke down in tears and had to leave early. My friend Susan, the host, tried to rehabilitate me with the remaining guests.
The fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable—even legally actionable—to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey fatty—lose some weight." By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of "health" and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self-image. (I also once heard a Western father toast his adult daughter by calling her "beautiful and incredibly competent." She later told me that made her feel like garbage.)
Chinese parents can order their kids to get straight As. Western parents can only ask their kids to try their best. Chinese parents can say, "You're lazy. All your classmates are getting ahead of you." By contrast, Western parents have to struggle with their own conflicted feelings about achievement, and try to persuade themselves that they're not disappointed about how their kids turned out.
I've thought long and hard about how Chinese parents can get away with what they do. I think there are three big differences between the Chinese and Western parental mind-sets.
First, I've noticed that Western parents are extremely anxious about their children's self-esteem. They worry about how their children will feel if they fail at something, and they constantly try to reassure their children about how good they are notwithstanding a mediocre performance on a test or at a recital. In other words, Western parents are concerned about their children's psyches. Chinese parents aren't. They assume strength, not fragility, and as a result they behave very differently.
For example, if a child comes home with an A-minus on a test, a Western parent will most likely praise the child. The Chinese mother will gasp in horror and ask what went wrong. If the child comes home with a B on the test, some Western parents will still praise the child. Other Western parents will sit their child down and express disapproval, but they will be careful not to make their child feel inadequate or insecure, and they will not call their child "stupid," "worthless" or "a disgrace." Privately, the Western parents may worry that their child does not test well or have aptitude in the subject or that there is something wrong with the curriculum and possibly the whole school. If the child's grades do not improve, they may eventually schedule a meeting with the school principal to challenge the way the subject is being taught or to call into question the teacher's credentials.
If a Chinese child gets a B—which would never happen—there would first be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion. The devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A.
Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them. If their child doesn't get them, the Chinese parent assumes it's because the child didn't work hard enough. That's why the solution to substandard performance is always to excoriate, punish and shame the child. The Chinese parent believes that their child will be strong enough to take the shaming and to improve from it. (And when Chinese kids do excel, there is plenty of ego-inflating parental praise lavished in the privacy of the home.)
Second, Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything. The reason for this is a little unclear, but it's probably a combination of Confucian filial piety and the fact that the parents have sacrificed and done so much for their children. (And it's true that Chinese mothers get in the trenches, putting in long grueling hours personally tutoring, training, interrogating and spying on their kids.) Anyway, the understanding is that Chinese children must spend their lives repaying their parents by obeying them and making them proud.
By contrast, I don't think most Westerners have the same view of children being permanently indebted to their parents. My husband, Jed, actually has the opposite view. "Children don't choose their parents," he once said to me. "They don't even choose to be born. It's parents who foist life on their kids, so it's the parents' responsibility to provide for them. Kids don't owe their parents anything. Their duty will be to their own kids." This strikes me as a terrible deal for the Western parent.
Third, Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children and therefore override all of their children's own desires and preferences. That's why Chinese daughters can't have boyfriends in high school and why Chinese kids can't go to sleepaway camp. It's also why no Chinese kid would ever dare say to their mother, "I got a part in the school play! I'm Villager Number Six. I'll have to stay after school for rehearsal every day from 3:00 to 7:00, and I'll also need a ride on weekends." God help any Chinese kid who tried that one.
Don't get me wrong: It's not that Chinese parents don't care about their children. Just the opposite. They would give up anything for their children. It's just an entirely different parenting model.
Here's a story in favor of coercion, Chinese-style. Lulu was about 7, still playing two instruments, and working on a piano piece called "The Little White Donkey" by the French composer Jacques Ibert. The piece is really cute—you can just imagine a little donkey ambling along a country road with its master—but it's also incredibly difficult for young players because the two hands have to keep schizophrenically different rhythms.
Lulu couldn't do it. We worked on it nonstop for a week, drilling each of her hands separately, over and over. But whenever we tried putting the hands together, one always morphed into the other, and everything fell apart. Finally, the day before her lesson, Lulu announced in exasperation that she was giving up and stomped off.
"Get back to the piano now," I ordered.
"You can't make me."
"Oh yes, I can."
Back at the piano, Lulu made me pay. She punched, thrashed and kicked. She grabbed the music score and tore it to shreds. I taped the score back together and encased it in a plastic shield so that it could never be destroyed again. Then I hauled Lulu's dollhouse to the car and told her I'd donate it to the Salvation Army piece by piece if she didn't have "The Little White Donkey" perfect by the next day. When Lulu said, "I thought you were going to the Salvation Army, why are you still here?" I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years. When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn't do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.
Jed took me aside. He told me to stop insulting Lulu—which I wasn't even doing, I was just motivating her—and that he didn't think threatening Lulu was helpful. Also, he said, maybe Lulu really just couldn't do the technique—perhaps she didn't have the coordination yet—had I considered that possibility?
"You just don't believe in her," I accused.
"That's ridiculous," Jed said scornfully. "Of course I do."
"Sophia could play the piece when she was this age."
"But Lulu and Sophia are different people," Jed pointed out.
"Oh no, not this," I said, rolling my eyes. "Everyone is special in their special own way," I mimicked sarcastically. "Even losers are special in their own special way. Well don't worry, you don't have to lift a finger. I'm willing to put in as long as it takes, and I'm happy to be the one hated. And you can be the one they adore because you make them pancakes and take them to Yankees games."
I rolled up my sleeves and went back to Lulu. I used every weapon and tactic I could think of. We worked right through dinner into the night, and I wouldn't let Lulu get up, not for water, not even to go to the bathroom. The house became a war zone, and I lost my voice yelling, but still there seemed to be only negative progress, and even I began to have doubts.
Then, out of the blue, Lulu did it. Her hands suddenly came together—her right and left hands each doing their own imperturbable thing—just like that.
Lulu realized it the same time I did. I held my breath. She tried it tentatively again. Then she played it more confidently and faster, and still the rhythm held. A moment later, she was beaming.
"Mommy, look—it's easy!" After that, she wanted to play the piece over and over and wouldn't leave the piano. That night, she came to sleep in my bed, and we snuggled and hugged, cracking each other up. When she performed "The Little White Donkey" at a recital a few weeks later, parents came up to me and said, "What a perfect piece for Lulu—it's so spunky and so her."
Even Jed gave me credit for that one. Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.
There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids' true interests. For their part, many Chinese secretly believe that they care more about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than Westerners, who seem perfectly content to let their children turn out badly. I think it's a misunderstanding on both sides. All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that.
Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.
—Amy Chua is a professor at Yale Law School and author of "Day of Empire" and "World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability." This essay is excerpted from "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua, to be published Tuesday by the Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright © 2011 by Amy Chua.
•
• THE SATURDAY ESSAY
• JANUARY 8, 2011
Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior
Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back?
By AMY CHUA
A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:
• attend a sleepover
• have a playdate
• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play
• watch TV or play computer games
• choose their own extracurricular activities
• get any grade less than an A
• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin.
I'm using the term "Chinese mother" loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I'm also using the term "Western parents" loosely. Western parents come in all varieties.
All the same, even when Western parents think they're being strict, they usually don't come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It's hours two and three that get tough.
Despite our squeamishness about cultural stereotypes, there are tons of studies out there showing marked and quantifiable differences between Chinese and Westerners when it comes to parenting. In one study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that "stressing academic success is not good for children" or that "parents need to foster the idea that learning is fun." By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way. Instead, the vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be "the best" students, that "academic achievement reflects successful parenting," and that if children did not excel at school then there was "a problem" and parents "were not doing their job." Other studies indicate that compared to Western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams.
When it comes to parenting, the Chinese seem to produce children who display academic excellence, musical mastery and professional success - or so the stereotype goes. WSJ's Christina Tsuei speaks to two moms raised by Chinese immigrants who share what it was like growing up and how they hope to raise their children.
What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more.
Chinese parents can get away with things that Western parents can't. Once when I was young—maybe more than once—when I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me "garbage" in our native Hokkien dialect. It worked really well. I felt terrible and deeply ashamed of what I had done. But it didn't damage my self-esteem or anything like that. I knew exactly how highly he thought of me. I didn't actually think I was worthless or feel like a piece of garbage.
As an adult, I once did the same thing to Sophia, calling her garbage in English when she acted extremely disrespectfully toward me. When I mentioned that I had done this at a dinner party, I was immediately ostracized. One guest named Marcy got so upset she broke down in tears and had to leave early. My friend Susan, the host, tried to rehabilitate me with the remaining guests.
The fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable—even legally actionable—to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey fatty—lose some weight." By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of "health" and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self-image. (I also once heard a Western father toast his adult daughter by calling her "beautiful and incredibly competent." She later told me that made her feel like garbage.)
Chinese parents can order their kids to get straight As. Western parents can only ask their kids to try their best. Chinese parents can say, "You're lazy. All your classmates are getting ahead of you." By contrast, Western parents have to struggle with their own conflicted feelings about achievement, and try to persuade themselves that they're not disappointed about how their kids turned out.
I've thought long and hard about how Chinese parents can get away with what they do. I think there are three big differences between the Chinese and Western parental mind-sets.
First, I've noticed that Western parents are extremely anxious about their children's self-esteem. They worry about how their children will feel if they fail at something, and they constantly try to reassure their children about how good they are notwithstanding a mediocre performance on a test or at a recital. In other words, Western parents are concerned about their children's psyches. Chinese parents aren't. They assume strength, not fragility, and as a result they behave very differently.
For example, if a child comes home with an A-minus on a test, a Western parent will most likely praise the child. The Chinese mother will gasp in horror and ask what went wrong. If the child comes home with a B on the test, some Western parents will still praise the child. Other Western parents will sit their child down and express disapproval, but they will be careful not to make their child feel inadequate or insecure, and they will not call their child "stupid," "worthless" or "a disgrace." Privately, the Western parents may worry that their child does not test well or have aptitude in the subject or that there is something wrong with the curriculum and possibly the whole school. If the child's grades do not improve, they may eventually schedule a meeting with the school principal to challenge the way the subject is being taught or to call into question the teacher's credentials.
If a Chinese child gets a B—which would never happen—there would first be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion. The devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A.
Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them. If their child doesn't get them, the Chinese parent assumes it's because the child didn't work hard enough. That's why the solution to substandard performance is always to excoriate, punish and shame the child. The Chinese parent believes that their child will be strong enough to take the shaming and to improve from it. (And when Chinese kids do excel, there is plenty of ego-inflating parental praise lavished in the privacy of the home.)
Second, Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything. The reason for this is a little unclear, but it's probably a combination of Confucian filial piety and the fact that the parents have sacrificed and done so much for their children. (And it's true that Chinese mothers get in the trenches, putting in long grueling hours personally tutoring, training, interrogating and spying on their kids.) Anyway, the understanding is that Chinese children must spend their lives repaying their parents by obeying them and making them proud.
By contrast, I don't think most Westerners have the same view of children being permanently indebted to their parents. My husband, Jed, actually has the opposite view. "Children don't choose their parents," he once said to me. "They don't even choose to be born. It's parents who foist life on their kids, so it's the parents' responsibility to provide for them. Kids don't owe their parents anything. Their duty will be to their own kids." This strikes me as a terrible deal for the Western parent.
Third, Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children and therefore override all of their children's own desires and preferences. That's why Chinese daughters can't have boyfriends in high school and why Chinese kids can't go to sleepaway camp. It's also why no Chinese kid would ever dare say to their mother, "I got a part in the school play! I'm Villager Number Six. I'll have to stay after school for rehearsal every day from 3:00 to 7:00, and I'll also need a ride on weekends." God help any Chinese kid who tried that one.
Don't get me wrong: It's not that Chinese parents don't care about their children. Just the opposite. They would give up anything for their children. It's just an entirely different parenting model.
Here's a story in favor of coercion, Chinese-style. Lulu was about 7, still playing two instruments, and working on a piano piece called "The Little White Donkey" by the French composer Jacques Ibert. The piece is really cute—you can just imagine a little donkey ambling along a country road with its master—but it's also incredibly difficult for young players because the two hands have to keep schizophrenically different rhythms.
Lulu couldn't do it. We worked on it nonstop for a week, drilling each of her hands separately, over and over. But whenever we tried putting the hands together, one always morphed into the other, and everything fell apart. Finally, the day before her lesson, Lulu announced in exasperation that she was giving up and stomped off.
"Get back to the piano now," I ordered.
"You can't make me."
"Oh yes, I can."
Back at the piano, Lulu made me pay. She punched, thrashed and kicked. She grabbed the music score and tore it to shreds. I taped the score back together and encased it in a plastic shield so that it could never be destroyed again. Then I hauled Lulu's dollhouse to the car and told her I'd donate it to the Salvation Army piece by piece if she didn't have "The Little White Donkey" perfect by the next day. When Lulu said, "I thought you were going to the Salvation Army, why are you still here?" I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years. When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn't do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.
Jed took me aside. He told me to stop insulting Lulu—which I wasn't even doing, I was just motivating her—and that he didn't think threatening Lulu was helpful. Also, he said, maybe Lulu really just couldn't do the technique—perhaps she didn't have the coordination yet—had I considered that possibility?
"You just don't believe in her," I accused.
"That's ridiculous," Jed said scornfully. "Of course I do."
"Sophia could play the piece when she was this age."
"But Lulu and Sophia are different people," Jed pointed out.
"Oh no, not this," I said, rolling my eyes. "Everyone is special in their special own way," I mimicked sarcastically. "Even losers are special in their own special way. Well don't worry, you don't have to lift a finger. I'm willing to put in as long as it takes, and I'm happy to be the one hated. And you can be the one they adore because you make them pancakes and take them to Yankees games."
I rolled up my sleeves and went back to Lulu. I used every weapon and tactic I could think of. We worked right through dinner into the night, and I wouldn't let Lulu get up, not for water, not even to go to the bathroom. The house became a war zone, and I lost my voice yelling, but still there seemed to be only negative progress, and even I began to have doubts.
Then, out of the blue, Lulu did it. Her hands suddenly came together—her right and left hands each doing their own imperturbable thing—just like that.
Lulu realized it the same time I did. I held my breath. She tried it tentatively again. Then she played it more confidently and faster, and still the rhythm held. A moment later, she was beaming.
"Mommy, look—it's easy!" After that, she wanted to play the piece over and over and wouldn't leave the piano. That night, she came to sleep in my bed, and we snuggled and hugged, cracking each other up. When she performed "The Little White Donkey" at a recital a few weeks later, parents came up to me and said, "What a perfect piece for Lulu—it's so spunky and so her."
Even Jed gave me credit for that one. Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.
There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids' true interests. For their part, many Chinese secretly believe that they care more about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than Westerners, who seem perfectly content to let their children turn out badly. I think it's a misunderstanding on both sides. All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that.
Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.
—Amy Chua is a professor at Yale Law School and author of "Day of Empire" and "World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability." This essay is excerpted from "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua, to be published Tuesday by the Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright © 2011 by Amy Chua.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
New Zealand Road to Milford Sound
This is a You Tube from someone else BUT it is exactly what we saw and the way we saw it. Sorry about the music. Carol spent a lot of time not looking as the S-curves were aggressive and pervasive. More later. Hope you enjoy HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Sunday, December 05, 2010
We are still here
Hello all
Despite the lack of attention this blog gets, we are still here in Taipei and PROMISE to update the blog so keep tuned and hold our feet to the fire. This travel season we have been to Hanoi, and will visit the south island of New Zealand, Borneo(for about the 5th time) and Yunnan province in China. This is not counting school trips to Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
I have signed another contract to teach another year here and look forward to more wonderful life in Asia.
I just posted a new photo album on Picassa Web which I think is still connected to this site.
Have a happy holidays and practice loving kindness in this very challenging time in which we try to live.
Bill
Despite the lack of attention this blog gets, we are still here in Taipei and PROMISE to update the blog so keep tuned and hold our feet to the fire. This travel season we have been to Hanoi, and will visit the south island of New Zealand, Borneo(for about the 5th time) and Yunnan province in China. This is not counting school trips to Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
I have signed another contract to teach another year here and look forward to more wonderful life in Asia.
I just posted a new photo album on Picassa Web which I think is still connected to this site.
Have a happy holidays and practice loving kindness in this very challenging time in which we try to live.
Bill
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Luang Prabang Laos 1
So continuing the tardy report on our adventures, for Thanksgiving break we travelled to Luang Prabang, Laos, a UNESCO World Heritage site noted for its exceptional temples (wats) for life along the Mekong River, for the brilliant fusion of Asian and French cuisines that inspired Jean George, and for complex, collector quality textiles. The village is north of Vientiane between North Thailand and mid Vietnam. The country is communist with the red hammer and sickle flag flying over almost every building. It has the dubious distinction of having more US bombs dropped on it per capita than any country in history, despite the fact that war was never declared with the USA. Over 30% of the bombs are still unexploded.
As well looked over the Mekong River and the gentle town along its banks, we could only wonder in sadness "WHY?" People in the area refer to the conflict as the American War and always talk about the "boom, boom,boom, boom referring to the B-52 carpet bombing. It is remarkable that we can travel in this area at all but the people are gentle and friendly with a forgiveness that so belies their past.
We stayed at a small guesthouse called the Apsara which overlooked a tributary of the Mekong. It was completely French colonial with very high ceilings, old wood and double French doors to a balcony. Flat wooden boats plied the river across from us and the banks ere lined with vegetable farms cultivated by hand.
A main event of the trip was the alms giving to the monks every morning at 6:30 am. Believer gathered and knelt along the street with sticky rice, eggs, flowers, candy waiting on their knees so that they will never be higher than the monks. The monks then parade by in their saffron robes with metal bowls to receive the offerings. They are attended by a bevy of "monkettes"...small boys who beg from the monks knowing that they are obliged to demonstrate charity by giving away part of what they have been given.
Let me post some pictures and talk further.
Taipei 101 Fireworks 2010
We were in Vienna and Prague but want to stay one year and see the world's former tallest building go up in fireworks.
Enjoy
Monday, November 23, 2009
Father forgive me for I have sinned, it has been 3 months since my last post...
Sorry anybody...we have been so unfaithful to the blog. You have every right to abondon us. So here are some Taiwan bullet points. I hope you enjoy.
...I have signed up for year 5 at Taipei American School. The students, faculty, pay package and travel possibilities are just too good to pass up. There are other aspects that are a great challenge but my motto is "living well is the best revenge."
....We are just beginning our travel season for this year. Once we start we travel every month which is just what we want.
November, Luang prabang Laos...a village known for its temples, saffron robed monks and weaving, a French Indochine environment on the Mekong river.
December, Vienna and Prague...we fly to Vienna, take a train to Prague to visit friends, go to Mozart's Don Giovanni in the same opera house inwhich Mozart premiered it, the back to Vienna for New Year's Eve. We have been ordered to bring back Sacher Torte from Vienna so the plane will really smell good.
February, Chinese New Year...Bunaken and the Lembeh Straits in Sulawesi Indonesia for diving and snorkelling. This area was the sight of major submarine battles in WWII but now has some of the best diving in the world.
March, Spring break in Bali again. We can Not Not go to Bali for the music, spirituality, friends we have made, and the beauty of the land. We quiver with anticipation of the return.
April....Just a week and 1/2 after we return from break, I go to Sydney AU for a music conference on preserving culture with professional development money from the school. Carol hoes wii us.
MayCarol returns to USA late May and I follow the first week in June. WOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!
.....I have been using Chinese medicine to improve a freezing shoulder. I have a male chinese tai ji masseuse come and beat me up and apply painful glass cups to my back and shoulder. he can find every insertion of a muscle and then make the area jump in pain. I then take AWEFUL chinese medicine made from herbs and "Stuff" but I am told it is good for my blood flow. I also get slapped so hard on my shoulder that I am blood red. AND IT HURTS.
.....The next night Megan our lovely masseuse comes and we have an 1 1/2 body massagefor around 15 USD and then fall into a stupor as an after affect.
.....Talkabout convenients...we were told not to go to 7-11 for ice but rather to call this ice house and have them deliver to the apartment, again for the cheap sum of 5 USD for a 20 lb bag.
More later but that is all the time for now.
Our love
B and C
...I have signed up for year 5 at Taipei American School. The students, faculty, pay package and travel possibilities are just too good to pass up. There are other aspects that are a great challenge but my motto is "living well is the best revenge."
....We are just beginning our travel season for this year. Once we start we travel every month which is just what we want.
November, Luang prabang Laos...a village known for its temples, saffron robed monks and weaving, a French Indochine environment on the Mekong river.
December, Vienna and Prague...we fly to Vienna, take a train to Prague to visit friends, go to Mozart's Don Giovanni in the same opera house inwhich Mozart premiered it, the back to Vienna for New Year's Eve. We have been ordered to bring back Sacher Torte from Vienna so the plane will really smell good.
February, Chinese New Year...Bunaken and the Lembeh Straits in Sulawesi Indonesia for diving and snorkelling. This area was the sight of major submarine battles in WWII but now has some of the best diving in the world.
March, Spring break in Bali again. We can Not Not go to Bali for the music, spirituality, friends we have made, and the beauty of the land. We quiver with anticipation of the return.
April....Just a week and 1/2 after we return from break, I go to Sydney AU for a music conference on preserving culture with professional development money from the school. Carol hoes wii us.
MayCarol returns to USA late May and I follow the first week in June. WOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!
.....I have been using Chinese medicine to improve a freezing shoulder. I have a male chinese tai ji masseuse come and beat me up and apply painful glass cups to my back and shoulder. he can find every insertion of a muscle and then make the area jump in pain. I then take AWEFUL chinese medicine made from herbs and "Stuff" but I am told it is good for my blood flow. I also get slapped so hard on my shoulder that I am blood red. AND IT HURTS.
.....The next night Megan our lovely masseuse comes and we have an 1 1/2 body massagefor around 15 USD and then fall into a stupor as an after affect.
.....Talkabout convenients...we were told not to go to 7-11 for ice but rather to call this ice house and have them deliver to the apartment, again for the cheap sum of 5 USD for a 20 lb bag.
More later but that is all the time for now.
Our love
B and C
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Failure of English
Most of the time, I am so grateful for the amount of English that is present in Taiwan. The government makes a huge effort to include English language directions, street signs and bus maps in an effort to be accommodating to the Anglo population. Similarly food items on a menu may come with a rough English translation but at the very least they come with a picture so one can kind of tell what the basic ingredients of a dish might be. And the plastic food for display industry is huge. Most restaurants have window displays that have life size glisteningly fresh looking plastic models of all that you might eat so your choice can be somewhat informed. The catch is you have to recognize a chicken testicle from a cannelini bean (one is bigger).
But sometimes the system breaks down in aural cognates and misspellings. To wit: the sign in our local gym reads. "Please arrive early for class so you can get your worms in." Okay...I can do that....I think.
I mean no mockery of these wonderful folks...just that mandarin is not the only tough language. Witness "aural" and "oral" or the classic "ghoti" or fish example.
These little oopses just add a certain humor to the day.
How many dual language signs in Sturgeon Bay or Green Bay with a large Latino population? Maybe we could do better for our fellow travelers?
We await the onslaught of swine flu. All members of TAS arrive to get there temp taken on their forehead daily and receive a colored dot to wear for the day. Somehow it never matchs any color you might wear.
Love to all
Bill
But sometimes the system breaks down in aural cognates and misspellings. To wit: the sign in our local gym reads. "Please arrive early for class so you can get your worms in." Okay...I can do that....I think.
I mean no mockery of these wonderful folks...just that mandarin is not the only tough language. Witness "aural" and "oral" or the classic "ghoti" or fish example.
These little oopses just add a certain humor to the day.
How many dual language signs in Sturgeon Bay or Green Bay with a large Latino population? Maybe we could do better for our fellow travelers?
We await the onslaught of swine flu. All members of TAS arrive to get there temp taken on their forehead daily and receive a colored dot to wear for the day. Somehow it never matchs any color you might wear.
Love to all
Bill
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Weather and flu
Okay, so we live in the tropics. As I have said when in the West one can hear the phrase, "If you keep digging, you will dig a hole to China." So I checked and if we dig too deeply here, we will end up in Havana Cuba area. So one can expect it to be hot but this is really getting oppressive. The heat index for the last several days has been 111 degrees F. It is so hot that there is very little milk in the stores because the cows refuse to give milk. Poor Carol has been doing at least 4+ shirts a day in the laundry and the air con barely pulls the temp down to 27-28 degrees C.
Hydration is a huge issue so we should invest in our water company given the amount of usage. This is a time when I wish I had hair so it could at least absorb some amount of liquid on my head instead of it just sitting there like a lake.
The stores are also running very low on fruits and vegetables as a result of the destruction from the typhoon. Many people can still not get into their villages and if they can, must do so on foot because the roads and bridges are gone. The government is still screaming invectives at its own pieces and parts trying to pass blame. One official was getting his hair dyed. Another was at a high end dinner party. And the president was no where to be found when they should have been meeting and being effective in crisis management. The whole issue with not accepting overseas aid when it was originally offered was to appease the PRC. If Taiwan accepted aid, then it would seem like it was a real country not just a province of the mainland. Evil.
And then there is the H1N1 flu.....We have been told that a school closure, either moderate or long term is all but inevitable. We have had 1 case so far and will start having mandatory temperature testing prior to entry into the school staring Thursday. We also have the capacity to "teach" and communicate with all our students via an online classroom so we are all getting that in fine order. How this will affect our current rehearsals for the musical is not a pretty picture, but what is is.
Pray for this little island.
More later
Bill
Hydration is a huge issue so we should invest in our water company given the amount of usage. This is a time when I wish I had hair so it could at least absorb some amount of liquid on my head instead of it just sitting there like a lake.
The stores are also running very low on fruits and vegetables as a result of the destruction from the typhoon. Many people can still not get into their villages and if they can, must do so on foot because the roads and bridges are gone. The government is still screaming invectives at its own pieces and parts trying to pass blame. One official was getting his hair dyed. Another was at a high end dinner party. And the president was no where to be found when they should have been meeting and being effective in crisis management. The whole issue with not accepting overseas aid when it was originally offered was to appease the PRC. If Taiwan accepted aid, then it would seem like it was a real country not just a province of the mainland. Evil.
And then there is the H1N1 flu.....We have been told that a school closure, either moderate or long term is all but inevitable. We have had 1 case so far and will start having mandatory temperature testing prior to entry into the school staring Thursday. We also have the capacity to "teach" and communicate with all our students via an online classroom so we are all getting that in fine order. How this will affect our current rehearsals for the musical is not a pretty picture, but what is is.
Pray for this little island.
More later
Bill
Monday, August 17, 2009
Taiwan Update Rain and Rocking
Hello dear friends,
We thought it best to let you know that we have arrived safely in Taipei and are happily doing well.
We arrived @ 5:45am on Friday the day typhoon Morakot hit. Basically, the airport closed behind us. We had no idea that there even WAS a typhoon until we began our descent. So no problem really. We immediately went to the stores to restock since we had nothing in the apartment for food, drink, or supplies. Therein ensued two typhoon days where everything is basically shut down.
Our area sustained only minor damage from the winds but as you know, the rain was intense. On the Friday we arrived we had 8 inches of rain from midnight to 8AM and that was before the typhoon actually hit. I think the total was somewhere around 1500 to 2000 mm of rain in the south.
The government response has triggered such intense anger and hatred by most all Taiwanese folks. Carol's friends are not sleeping and are in extreme mental/emotional distress because even with no relatives, "our people are suffereing and the government is not helping them." The political fallout from this could be a game changer.
It is too bad that the world sees only Taiwan's disasters because it again makes the country look like a 3rd world nation. This is so far from the truth. When we got back here, it was like stepping into the best of NY city or Gold Coast Chicago...abundant, rich in variety, and gracious in service. The mud and destroyed roads give a horrible picture of what was incredible beauty and highly productive communities.
It is anticipated that food prices especially on fruits and veggies will rise 40% if not more.
THEN, yesterday, Aug 18th I was in class with students when one of them said calmly, "Earthquake." Sure enough my butt started moving with a life of its own as I sat on my stool and resulted in lap dance moves that would have made a hooker proud. I told the students to get under the desks and then responded without question. It was over in a few seconds and many folks did not even notice the quake. Below is the news report. I will put more info after the report so skip down if you wish.
eTaiwanNews
"A second earthquake rocked Taiwan yesterday, the central weather bureau said, but there was no immediate report of damages or casualties.
A 6.1-magnitude quake hit at 06:10p.m. yesterday some 204 km off the east coast of Taiwan at a depth of 20 km and was felt even in the capital Taipei, the bureau said.
It came after a 6.8-magnitude quake struck off Taiwan's east coast at 9:06 a.m. yesterday, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami warning for its islands in the East China Sea, close to Taiwan.
Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. A 7.6-magnitude quake killed around 2,400 people in September 1999.
I will try to be more faithful in getting stuff posted here.
Thanks to all our friends and loved ones we were able to see this summer and sadly, we did not get to everyone we wanted to be with. Please forgive us and let us hope for next summer.
From Taiwan,
Our best,
Bill and Carol
We thought it best to let you know that we have arrived safely in Taipei and are happily doing well.
We arrived @ 5:45am on Friday the day typhoon Morakot hit. Basically, the airport closed behind us. We had no idea that there even WAS a typhoon until we began our descent. So no problem really. We immediately went to the stores to restock since we had nothing in the apartment for food, drink, or supplies. Therein ensued two typhoon days where everything is basically shut down.
Our area sustained only minor damage from the winds but as you know, the rain was intense. On the Friday we arrived we had 8 inches of rain from midnight to 8AM and that was before the typhoon actually hit. I think the total was somewhere around 1500 to 2000 mm of rain in the south.
The government response has triggered such intense anger and hatred by most all Taiwanese folks. Carol's friends are not sleeping and are in extreme mental/emotional distress because even with no relatives, "our people are suffereing and the government is not helping them." The political fallout from this could be a game changer.
It is too bad that the world sees only Taiwan's disasters because it again makes the country look like a 3rd world nation. This is so far from the truth. When we got back here, it was like stepping into the best of NY city or Gold Coast Chicago...abundant, rich in variety, and gracious in service. The mud and destroyed roads give a horrible picture of what was incredible beauty and highly productive communities.
It is anticipated that food prices especially on fruits and veggies will rise 40% if not more.
THEN, yesterday, Aug 18th I was in class with students when one of them said calmly, "Earthquake." Sure enough my butt started moving with a life of its own as I sat on my stool and resulted in lap dance moves that would have made a hooker proud. I told the students to get under the desks and then responded without question. It was over in a few seconds and many folks did not even notice the quake. Below is the news report. I will put more info after the report so skip down if you wish.
eTaiwanNews
"A second earthquake rocked Taiwan yesterday, the central weather bureau said, but there was no immediate report of damages or casualties.
A 6.1-magnitude quake hit at 06:10p.m. yesterday some 204 km off the east coast of Taiwan at a depth of 20 km and was felt even in the capital Taipei, the bureau said.
It came after a 6.8-magnitude quake struck off Taiwan's east coast at 9:06 a.m. yesterday, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami warning for its islands in the East China Sea, close to Taiwan.
Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. A 7.6-magnitude quake killed around 2,400 people in September 1999.
I will try to be more faithful in getting stuff posted here.
Thanks to all our friends and loved ones we were able to see this summer and sadly, we did not get to everyone we wanted to be with. Please forgive us and let us hope for next summer.
From Taiwan,
Our best,
Bill and Carol
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