Always an Adventure...

I have been teaching my students this proverb this week because March has really gotten off to a nasty start this year. We had a wonderful long weekend the last weekend in February, and the temperature got up to 30! But this week, it's chilly again..... now I know my friends in Canada will be scoffing at me for this blog post, and I must admit, I haven't seen snow or been in below freezing temperatures since... 2007 ! BUT this week riding on my scooter has reminded me of what WIND CHILL means..... brings me back to my Saskatchewan days...it's not -40, but hey my body has adjusted to a tropical climate now, cut me some slack! If you haven't heard this song yet, to listen to it, it's one of my favorites right now, and fits well with the title of this post!

For the first time this year, I went to Pingxi, a place near Taipei where the annual sky lantern festival is held. In past year's I've gone to see lantern festivals where the lanterns were in creative and sometimes quirky shapes. These lanterns were much more traditional. The government gave out free lanterns to the first 2000 or so people who arrived, and then they released them throughout the night. It's an amazing sight to see! Usually people write their wishes and hopes or blessings on the lantern and send it as an offering to the gods. I think it's a beautiful symbol of how our prayers rise up to God.

so, in hopes of trying to revive my blog (once again, haha) but i have received a few comments from people who missed my random updates, which i appreciate, so here's a story one of my high school students told me today. We were talking about pets, and I asked her if she had a dog. She said, "We're not allowed to because when my grandpa was young he had a little white dog that he loved. One day he was going to take it for a walk but he couldn't find it anywhere. One of the neighbors had eaten it. So he won't let us get a dog. I think it's because he's still sad about that dog." true story.

I returned to a slightly chillier and wetter Taiwan last night, loving Thailand but happy to be home! In my 21 days in Thailand, here is a countdown of some of the highlights: 14 awesome cohort members - it was great to reunite and compare notes after 6 months away. We learn a lot from each other and have a lot of fun doing it! 13 fruit smoothies - the place across the way made delicious ones for about a dollar! My favorites were mango, banana, and strawberry! 12 plates of pad thai - well I wasn't counting, but I did enjoy my fair share of this awesome noodle dish. 11 red truck rides - the best way to get around the city, if they'll take you! The YMCA where we stayed was a bit out of the way, but we could usually negotiate the price. 10 bowls of mango sticky rice - I hadn't had it before, but it soon became my breakfast staple during class time. Picture this: fresh mango and sweet sticky rice with coconut cream poured over it....mmmmmmm 9 visits to the swimming pool - ...

It's the year of the Rabbit! I have now spent the years of the Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat, Ox, and Tiger in Taiwan! Those are a lot of animals! Hopefully if I'm still there after 12 years, I'll know the right order! Here in Chiang Mai, we've heard a few fireworks going off and there is Chinese food for sale at the mall. But otherwise, it's passing without much notice. I've been busy learning words like etiology, autochthonous, Dravidian, and endogamy. Now, I'm off to study for the QUIZ I have tomorrow :S

Inevitable comparisons arise for me, between these two lands that are often confused by others (on the bright side, I can now answer the question "how's Thailand?"). But what is Thailand like compared to Taiwan? As they like to say here, is it same-same? Or is it different? Money - the exchange rate is almost 1:1 here making it really nice for me. BUT in general, things are a little cheaper here than in Taiwan. For example, a plate of noodles is 25 or 30 (a dollar) where it might be 50 or 60 in Taiwan. Stuff in the markets is pretty cheap too, like silk scarves 2 for 100 (about 3 dollars). Taking orders now... Food - I love Thai food! I've had pad thai 4 times in 6 days. Their food is often spicy, but with a little sweet and sour mixed in. One of the tastiest things here is the mango sticky rice, which has coconut milk poured over it. BUT I do have to say that Taiwan mangoes are better. Transportation - People drive on the "wrong" (left) side of the road he...

Here I am in Chiang Mai, which is in northern Thailand. Before coming here, everyone said to me, "Oh, you'll LOVE Chiang Mai!" and it's a nice place, full of delicious food, friendly people, and places such as "Golden Finger Massage" and "Washy Mashy Laundry" It's quite touristy here, and very international, but it's always nice to see greater diversity. It's also been fun to see my cohort again (by the way, I love that word) after a semester in our respective countries. We are all enjoying a break from winter, though those from more northern countries even more so. I've been finding some time for fun among my studies, and managed to get a pedicure and two massages so far (all good textbook reading activities). I'm thinking of taking a Thai cooking class on my last weekend here. There are inevitable comparisons between here and Taiwan, one big one is that shops close MUCH earlier here. Taiwan is really the country that never sle...