Always an Adventure...

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