Category Archive

I’ve been thinking about blogging – so many words, and who will be reading them?  I have had difficulty writing this blog because of that.  So far, I have renamed this post, and deleted paragraphs because they were unnecessary.  If I’m not careful, I might end up with a blank page!! 

So what have I been doing?  This month has brought a lot of introspection – looking at where I am in the year, what I have done with the students up to this point, areas where improvement could be made, desires and goals for my students – just to name a few.   As I look ahead at this last semester, I want to become more challenging with the students to take what we worked on the first semester, and begin to use it more.  I have seen that with some of the students, and it has been delightful to see them progress.  Here are a few pictures of some seventh grade students working hard on a quiz over vocabulary words.  I was pleasantly surprised! 

 

Sonia, one of my co-teachers, has been using some hands on activities for the students to be involved in the lessons.  After introducing vocabulary for a new lesson, two students at a time were called to the board to see who could correctly identify the word that she called out.  It got pretty exciting, as some students were working harder to keep their opponent from touching the word than trying to touch it themselves.   

 

The twelfth grade class was working on identifying places of interest around the world.  Because Sonia had visited Niagara Falls, she had some souvenirs from her ride under the falls.  A young man who actually has already done some professional modeling volunteered to model the raincoat and the sandals for the class. 

 I have not been able to visit The Home of God’s Love as much as I would have liked this month.  I was able to visit one weekend, and take some quilts my sister had made for them.  She used some fabric that belonged to our mom, who has been gone now for almost twenty years.  To me, that gift was just an extension of what our mom started years ago.  She would have a box under her bed into which she would put towels, quilts, crocheted items, and anything else she thought missionaries would like.  When we had missionaries visiting our home, the box was pulled out, and they could choose anything they wanted from the box.  What a sweet blessing for those babies, and for Beverly as I shared about the fabric my sister, Esther, had used. 

  

On February 28, which is a holiday in Taiwan, some fellow-teachers invited me to go with them to Hualien.  One of them was able to drive for us, and after quite a curvy drive, we arrived at Taroko Gorge, and did some sightseeing.  What an incredible view it was – mountains that were steep, with valleys running between them, with special places to stop to enjoy the view.  There was a hedge of blooming azaleas, and some of the cherry trees had blossoms on them.  After our time there, we visited a beach in Hualien – with water that was so beautiful.  The camera couldn’t do it justice.  We hunted for rocks on the beach.  One of the girls found a marble stone in the shape of Taiwan.   After our visit there, we went into town to enjoy a snack and drink at a beautiful little coffee shop. 

         

Second semester has brought English Club back – with some of the former club members, and a few new ones.  The first assignment was to interview a partner, and then introduce them to the other club members.  They were given a list of questions to ask, and a place for them to write their answers.  They were able to practice with each other, and then they had to go in front of the group to complete the task.  Some of the students were so nervous, but I was so proud of them.  Here are the members of the club introducing each other. 

        

Every job has some very special things that we get to do, and some unique aspects.  It seems like with teachers, a common gift is food.  One of the teachers in my office was given a very special treat.  I think I will just stick with an apple!! 

So, until next time . . .

When you see the pictures from my winter vacation, I hope you are pleasantly surprised.  No winter scenes – like snow!  I only had beaches, palm trees, coconuts – you get the idea.  One of the other foreign English teachers here this year with the Ministry of Education,  Betty Magnus who is from Canada, told me she would like to go to the Philippines as well.  So, we made plans, and headed out on Friday, January 25.

Betty came on a morning train so she could see where I live and teach.  After showing Betty around NanAo in the morning and walking to the beach, we had lunch with my pastor, his wife, and his mom and dad.  They took us to visit a place where the man loves cars – an old Cadillac, a fancy old car, and two Hummers.  He also had a garden with a fountain in the back of his house, lots of dogs, and a dog house with two big turtles in it.  All that here in NanAo, and I had never seen that before! 

   

 

Our flight to the Philippines left Taipei around 11 p.m., arriving at around 1 a.m.  We rode to the airport with a taxi driver that knew how to get his vehicle between small spaces at a high rate of speed.  Quite an experience.  So, we flew from Taipei to Cebu.  Our connecting flight left at around 1 p.m.  We managed to sleep on one of the benches in the airport – we arrived tired. 

Cathy and Terry Wedel were waiting for us outside the gate at the little airport in Cagayan de Oro.  They took us out to eat, and then went shopping for a little bit – but we were pretty worn out from the trip.  We eventually arrived at the home of Ed and LouAnn Shackleford, the team directors for the Wedels.  Here is a picture of Terry and Cathy, Lou and Ed, and Betty and me at their home.

 

Sunday, Terry left for church early in the van.  Cathy, Betty and I took some public transportation a little later.  The first vehicle was a bicycle (bicicleta) with a seat – the poor man really had to work with us three ladies in it!  Then we got in a jeepney and rode the rest of the way to church.  That Sunday was a very significant day for the church – they were asking questions of a man who had been recommended to be their pastor.  He is a teacher at the LRF, Life Resource Foundation, where Terry teaches.  They were still asking questions of him when we arrived.  Terry preached that morning, and then the church wanted to vote then.  They were also voting on two men to be elders – and both votes were 100% in favor of!!

   

   

We ate dinner in town at a great restaurant, stopped at the grocery store, and then headed to Ilegan where the Wedels live.  The road was along the beach for a great part of it – beautiful scenery. 

  

 In the evening after supper, we went for a walk that is about 4 kilometers long.  We had lots of people greeting us – very friendly folks.  Here is a picture of Terry and Cathy at their house, and pictures from their front porch.

       

On Monday, we headed to a beach that the Wedels had taken their children to many times.  Terry had picked up some lunch on the way – rice, chicken prepared a special Philippino way.  We girls walked up and down the beach, enjoying the water and the beauty.  We met a man from England, Dave, who is a professional photographer.  He could have talked with us all afternoon – he had so many stories to tell, and we think he missed having someone he could speak English with. 

 

When we got home, us girls went to a neighbor’s house who did manicures and pedicures.  That was the first time Betty had ever had one done, and it was my second one.  Then, after supper (lasagna and a salad), we were each given a massage by another neighbor. 

 

On Tuesday, Terry had to go to the LRF for some final exams.  Betty and I got up very early and went to the market with Cathy.headed to do some shopping for the week.  It was so interesting to see the way people responded to her.  Then, we went sightseeing at some waterfalls in town.  We stopped at the Maria Christina Falls which supplied power to an electric plant.  Not only were the falls beautiful, but the drive back to see them was like driving through a tunnel of trees.  After stopping there, we went to see Tinago Falls.  To get there, we had to drive for quite a ways, and then we had to climb down about 450 steps.  The beauty was almost unbelievable – all around there were little falls to big falls all landing in a pool of aqua blue water.  I took lots of pictures there.  We ran into Dave, the photographer we met at the beach, and he took some pictures for us, too.  Then, we had to climb back up those same steps – stopping along the way to rest. 

       

After lunch at the house, we headed up into the mountains where Cathy has her Bible studies.  She took us to visit the ladies in their homes.  Most of the houses were made of wood, and built on stilts.  The floors were of bamboo – providing ventilation in the very hot months.  The weather was pretty cool there (that’s what they said).  There were many times I had sweat running down my back!  Cathy took us way back into the hills on a path that she says is sometimes up to her knees in mud.  She had prayed that it would be dry for us – and God still answers prayer!  We walked quite a ways back – visiting ladies all along the way. 

   

Because of the love Cathy has shown the ladies, there were two who were in tears only minutes after we got there.  They knew they could tell Cathy their hurts.  One of the other ladies made sure she came to her neighbor’s house because she didn’t want us to see her dirt floor.  Each home has a picture or two on the walls, but many of them we sat on the floor with the ladies.  In all of them, we took off our shoes before we went in. 

What a day – down and up to see the falls, and then walking back over the path which included rocks and rivers, up hills and across valleys.  My legs were sore for a few days – that’s for sure!  We headed home for a great supper of calico beans.  We went for a walk again after supper, too!  I was so thankful that both Betty and I could do all that walking.

Wednesday, we went to see the campus of the LRF – Life Resource Foundation – where Terry teaches.  We met many of the missionaries there.  We saw some of the students, and enjoyed the gardens around the buildings.  Cathy was having a discipleship time with four girls who are graduating, so we sat in on that for a little bit.  When they finished, the girls asked if I would play something on their little keyboard.  It took me a few attempts to figure out how to play it correctly, but then, they sang some songs while I played.  What an honor to play on top of a mountain way over in the Philippines. 

   

After lunch, we packed up and headed back to Cagayan de Oro because our flight was scheduled for ‘early’.  We had supper with the Shackleford’s again – then headed back to their house.  LouAnn had some interesting displays of woven things, such as the hats on the wall.

Thursday, we got up early to a breakfast already prepared for us by their house helper.  How sweet that was!  We headed to the airport – thankful for a great visit, and wanting to visit again because it was so short!  We made it back to Taiwan in the early afternoon – going through some serious turbulence due to the clouds, heavy rains, and strong winds.  What a change from the sunshine and very warm weather!  Betty and I had lunch, and then we each boarded a bus to go to our next destination.  Betty was going to visit some people she had met when she was here seven years ago.  I was going to head back to NanAo.  I arrived safely just before eight in the evening – tired, but ready to be back to my dorm room!  I headed for bed very quickly! 

 

I was so thankful to see Terry and Cathy where they live and work – to see the people they are able to work with, and be able to experience some of what they do every day.  In the midst of poverty, there was beauty.  In the midst of struggles, there was hope through God’s Word. 

Winter vacation is about to begin.  Having two New Year’s celebrations is great – if I forgot something on the first one, I can remember to write it down for this one – speaking of plans for the upcoming year!! 

School is half over for this year now.  The last three days of school were the semester finals.  And much like some of the students back home, there were some who studied.  Being in a different school system has shown me many things – and one of them is that people are pretty much the same the world over!  Imagine that!  

I had mentioned that a large percentage of my students are aboriginal.  A few weekends ago, I spent some time with one of the students and his family, who has a store that sells aboriginal art.  Here is a picture of my student and me wearing some vests his mom made.   

 Did you enjoy doing puzzles when you were younger?  It was a favorite Sunday afternoon pasttime for our family.  Well, I have been enjoying doing puzzles here – and have had help from a teacher and student as well.  I got to see some things I haven’t seen yet except as a picture.  Do you know where these are?  Have you been there? 

  

My Chinese class in Yilan has finished.  When I get back after winter vacation, I will begin taking Chinese lessons with my pastor here in NanAo.  At this point, I feel that my vocabulary is expanding, and I am starting to put sentences together!  The English Bible study is still going on – we will take a break during the vacation.  Here are a couple pictures from some times together. 

       

Just a quick update before I head off for vacation.  I think the Chinese New Year is very comparable with our Christmas season – families get together, and have special traditions they do every year.  I will tell you what all I learn, and share what I get to see and do. 

 Happy New Year - Simplified Chinese : 新年快乐 ;Traditional Chinese : 新年快樂 ; Pinyin : Xīnnián kuàilè

OK, are you writing resolutions?  What are some of yours?  I haven’t written any new ones – I am still working on the ‘101 things I want to do before I die’ list that I made last year.  Some of them I have accomplished in the last year, with many still left. 

But, the most important one was ‘to teach overseas for a year’ – and that is what I am doing!  This time in Taiwan has been such a great learning adventure. 

Looking back over December – the month went quickly.  The teachers from NanAo went on a field trip early in the month.  We had a tour bus, equipped with a tv/dvd/karaoke.  So, we sang for a lot of the trip.  My goodness, some of the teachers really have incredible voices.  We visited an old village with some very scenic spots.  The other teacher is Sonia, one of the English teachers. 

      

Then, we visited a commercial nursery – full of beautiful fields of flowers.  Wei Fu Chan is standing in a field of flowers – the math teacher who happens to be very good with his English. 

    

 I had a very different, but a very delightful Christmas.   I taught a unit on Christmas.  Here are some students reading in English.

   

On Christmas Day, we had school.  Christmas is not a national holiday here in Taiwan.  Here are some pictures of our rally on Christmas morning.  Please note the different attire – the Administrator had a winter coat on, the students were wearing only shirts. 

  

 The weekend before Christmas, the foreign teachers had a Christmas weekend together.  We visited the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101.  (If you would like to see the New Year’s fireworks display from Taipei 101, visit http://3c.msn.com.tw/soapbox101.asp.)  We also had a special Christmas dinner celebration at a restaurant that had some very nice jazz music – full of Christmas songs.  Here are some of the pictures of us together for that weekend. 

   

One of the things I really missed from back home was all the decorations, and the lights.  So, here are some things I did get to see.  My desk, bamboo trees at school, Christmas display at Taipei 101, a huge tree at the Taipei Main Station, the tree at the church in NanAo, and the tree at The Home of God’s Love orphanage in LuoDong.  There were a lot more decorations than I thought there would be. 

             

I even got to see Santa at Taipei 101.  He must have lost weight from running up and down so many chimneys!! 

 

Now, here we are at the beginning of a New Year.  Today I visited the first beach I saw when I came to NanAo – watched the waves crashing on the shore, listening to the sounds of the water.  The power behind those waves continue to astound me. 

  

I was doing a study for the English class I teach on Tuesday nights.  The character we are studying is Elisha, a friend and successor to Elijah.  I came across something that Chuck Swindoll had written about this man, and I want to end with this thought. 

“Shortly before his death, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote Youth and Age in which he reflected over his past and the strength of his earlier years.

To me, the most moving line in this quaint work is the statement: “Friendship is a sheltering tree. . . .” ”

I, too, have come to realize what a wealth I have in friends.  So, this year, I want to encourage you to be a sheltering tree to a friend who needs you.  Also, make sure that you have friends you can go to when you need a place of shelter. 

As the New Year begins, make this year count.  I have challenged my students to find an area in their life where they want to be better.  I challenge you as well.  Make a difference in someone’s life this year, and start with your own.

 Happy New Year from Taiwan