This year one of my main goals is to learn Chinese. In order to make sufficient income I will also be teaching English. I feel like my brain will go through the ringer in order to create lesson plans and transfer information to students as well as to collect information in order to perform up to class expectations and my personal goals for the year. Reading and writing in Chinese is really my biggest challenge in this area. Because every character has to be learned one by one, and you can't simply read something by "sounding it out" as we are accustomed to doing in English from the time we were in Kindergarten.
The purpose of learning Chinese, of course, is primarily for building relationships and opening up opportunities for the future. I don't want a language barrier to exist between me and my in-laws.
Another opportunity has opened up as well for Rex to improve his Taiwanese. There is a church in Taipei that has a Bible study in the Taiwanese language. Rex's Taiwanese is a little broken, which makes communicating with his grandma more troublesome. If he attends this Bible study he can improve his speaking, understanding, and even reading of the language. Even most Taiwanese who have spoken Taiwanese at home with their families don't read the language because in school they primarily just learn Mandarin. This is, of course, because of the Nationalists bringing and enforcing the use of Mandarin in Taiwan when they came after World War 2 to Taiwan.
What I realize is an easy pitfall is the possibility of forgetting my Romanian language. I don't want that to happen, so one of my goals is to listen to things in Romanian and keep up relationships with my friends in Romania.
Maybe my expectations of myself are too high. I guess we'll see.
Monday, March 4, 2019
Friday, March 1, 2019
Travelling Around the Island
Recently I returned home to Taipei from a trip of a lifetime. My husband and I got to take my parents on a loop around Taiwan and see some of the incredible scenery here. Taiwan is an island of which about 70% is mountainous. So while there are some plains, they are largely limited to the Western side of the island and are filled with large cities and farms. As Taiwan is an island about the size of Lake Michigan, the ocean is never terribly far away. In practice this results in the people consuming probably more seafood than land animals in their diet.
Because of the presence of mountains and ocean there are always beautiful sights within easy access. The mountains are full of tropical plants and flowering trees this time of year, including the famous Sakura Japanese cherry blossoms. Since the Japanese colonized Taiwan for 50 years, there are places they lived and planted this beloved tree.
Probably one of the highlights of the trip for me was seeing Taroko Gorge. I have wanted to visit Taroko Gorge since before I ever came to Taiwan. Taroko Gorge is basically an enormous crevice in the mountains with the rock foundation of the mountains carved out and exposed to view. There is a river flowing through at the bottom and it has a blue hue to it, unlike the brown rivers we're accustomed to in Wisconsin. I believe the color is caused by the presence of algae or minerals in the water. Sometime when I'm able to access the photos from my laptop I might share some of them with you.
We also got to see surfers out on the ocean, drink coffee grown in Taiwan (which is not exported because the quantity is only enough to consume locally), see how salt was gathered from ocean water in ancient times, eat Aboriginal food, and much more. But the truth is, we only touched the tip of the ice berg.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Names Across Cultures
I was sort of interviewing my sister-in-law recently about her childhood nanny. She was born when my husband was already ten years old, so there's a big age gap between them. The nanny was from the Philippines and her name was Rosy. She would use English with the kids and taught my sister-in-law all kinds of things, like how to cook and bake.
Rosy was also the reason my sister-in-law chose her current English name. She used to be called Pinky, but then there was a commercial for candy with a song. The song had something about pinky in it and my sister-in-law's friends would tease her about it. Rosy once told her about kings and queens, and my sister in law asked, what if you added Y to the end of queen, what kind of name would that make? Rosy told her that would be Queeny. So my sister-in-law decided that is what she wanted her English name to be.
The story is somewhat reminiscent of my husband's story of choosing his current English name. When he was young he was called Mickey, but at some point he decided that name was too cute. When he read that Rex is Latin for king he decided that was a cool name and his English name has been Rex ever since.
In addition, my middle name is the name of a historical queen. A random funny little tid-bit is that while I was in Romania I would introduce myself to kids. My name, Rachel, doesn't sound like a girl's name in Romania (since girl's names all end in either E or A) and I didn't usually tell them my Romanian name, Rahela, because it caused other complications (kids arguing with each other about what my name really was, Rachel or Rahela). Since Rachel is unfamiliar, the kids would often ask if my name was Regina, a familiar word to them. Regina in Romanian just happens to mean queen.
In Romania, Rex is a dog's name. I suppose I could always have call him Rege (Re-Jeh) if I had wanted to avoid his being referred to as "The Dog Rex".
Rosy was also the reason my sister-in-law chose her current English name. She used to be called Pinky, but then there was a commercial for candy with a song. The song had something about pinky in it and my sister-in-law's friends would tease her about it. Rosy once told her about kings and queens, and my sister in law asked, what if you added Y to the end of queen, what kind of name would that make? Rosy told her that would be Queeny. So my sister-in-law decided that is what she wanted her English name to be.
The story is somewhat reminiscent of my husband's story of choosing his current English name. When he was young he was called Mickey, but at some point he decided that name was too cute. When he read that Rex is Latin for king he decided that was a cool name and his English name has been Rex ever since.
In addition, my middle name is the name of a historical queen. A random funny little tid-bit is that while I was in Romania I would introduce myself to kids. My name, Rachel, doesn't sound like a girl's name in Romania (since girl's names all end in either E or A) and I didn't usually tell them my Romanian name, Rahela, because it caused other complications (kids arguing with each other about what my name really was, Rachel or Rahela). Since Rachel is unfamiliar, the kids would often ask if my name was Regina, a familiar word to them. Regina in Romanian just happens to mean queen.
In Romania, Rex is a dog's name. I suppose I could always have call him Rege (Re-Jeh) if I had wanted to avoid his being referred to as "The Dog Rex".
Friday, February 1, 2019
Fruit in a Tropical Climate (with mountains)
In Taiwan there are a plethora of tropical fruits available, but because of the mountains in Taiwan there are also your typical fruits that you might find back home in Wisconsin that require some kind of a winter in order to do well. I would not call what we are experiencing now "Winter", although the locals do. It is more like late Spring or early Summer to me.
So for fruits I can readily find at decent prices starfruit, dates (fresh, not just dried like we see in Wisconsin), dragon fruit, papaya, guava, Asian pears, a large variety of oranges and tangerines (some are sweeter, some peel as easily as clementines but are larger), as well as apples, cherries, etc.
I hear in the Summer there will also be very fresh, juicy, sweet mangoes. I'm sure I'm only seeing a fraction of the kinds of things that will eventually be in season. Regardless, I'm enjoying the new selection of produce available to me.
So for fruits I can readily find at decent prices starfruit, dates (fresh, not just dried like we see in Wisconsin), dragon fruit, papaya, guava, Asian pears, a large variety of oranges and tangerines (some are sweeter, some peel as easily as clementines but are larger), as well as apples, cherries, etc.
I hear in the Summer there will also be very fresh, juicy, sweet mangoes. I'm sure I'm only seeing a fraction of the kinds of things that will eventually be in season. Regardless, I'm enjoying the new selection of produce available to me.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Shared Experiences
One of the most fun parts of coming to Taiwan has been that one of my best friends has moved to Thailand for a semester abroad only a week after I came here. This means that we get to compare all kinds of random experiences. Visa applications, food, climate, apartment layout, traffic, classroom styles, honor and shame culture phenomena, and the feeling of helplessness when not knowing how to communicate across a language barrier.
Granted, I have it much easier in so many ways than she has had it. I have some knowledge of the Chinese language, I have had exposure over the last three years to Chinese culture even if it has sometimes been minimal, I have some friends here, I have family here, and I am here with my husband who is a Taiwanese native. Last but not least, I have been here before.
My friend in her first week had no one to talk to in English, no one to give her recommendations for food to buy, couldn't even figure out how to buy toilet paper for her apartment. Let's just say she has had some challenges that I have not had to deal with. Even traveling to Romania I would stay with people I already knew, or was at least connected with.
But now that her classes have begun things are better. She has connections with other people, is no longer confused about how to register for classes, and has begun to fall into a regular routine. I'm happy for her because there is some stability and now she has some human connections.
Granted, I have it much easier in so many ways than she has had it. I have some knowledge of the Chinese language, I have had exposure over the last three years to Chinese culture even if it has sometimes been minimal, I have some friends here, I have family here, and I am here with my husband who is a Taiwanese native. Last but not least, I have been here before.
My friend in her first week had no one to talk to in English, no one to give her recommendations for food to buy, couldn't even figure out how to buy toilet paper for her apartment. Let's just say she has had some challenges that I have not had to deal with. Even traveling to Romania I would stay with people I already knew, or was at least connected with.
But now that her classes have begun things are better. She has connections with other people, is no longer confused about how to register for classes, and has begun to fall into a regular routine. I'm happy for her because there is some stability and now she has some human connections.
Monday, January 21, 2019
Cultural differences
A few cultural things I have discovered so far:
When planning a wedding, it is inappropriate for the groom to invite and call those who are in the grandparents' generation. That is up to the father of the groom. It has something to do with the honor/shame culture as well as the hierarchy that is interwoven into the culture.
When my husband's little sister, Queeny, addresses me, Nai-Nai (grandma) considers it inappropriate for her to call me by my name, instead it is proper to call me "number two sister-in-law" or Er Sao. (Good thing it's not too long.) She told me today that she was scolded for calling me Rachel, so I need to know that if Nai-Nai is present and Queeny says "Er Sao" she is talking to me.
When eating at a restaurant, it is fairly common for the servers to provide a small bin where you can put your purse or backpack rather than having to place the backpack on the floor. This small bin can be slid under your seat.
When we are home and my in-laws arrive, it is considered respectful to greet them and include "mama" or "baba" (mom or dad) rather than just saying hello. I heard that my brother-in-law likes to say "hello" without saying "hello, dad." When he does this, my father-in-law will ask him, "Why didn't you greet me?" This rule applies to all the people in the family in the older generations. So in my parents' generation or grandparents' generation, it is necessary for people in my generation and younger to greet them each by their title (not their name). So if we arrive at a family gathering we would be a good son and daughter-in-law if we make it a point to go around and individually greet, "hello aunt, hello uncle, hello grandma" etc.
When using a bathroom, it is very typical for the hot water to not even be connected to the sink. That means that if you turn the faucet handle towards hot, the water will entirely stop running. I saw this in Romania, too, but the difference here is that even high class restaurants might not have hot water connected in the bathroom sink. Also, bathrooms often have no towels, so you have to let your hands air dry and resist the temptation to dry your hands on your not-so-clean pants. The reason we always dry our hands in Wisconsin (especially in winter) is to prevent chapped skin.
Since I was sick for the last week, I got a lot of advice from everyone about what to do in order to get better or feel well. Traditional Chinese Medicine will tell you that if you have diarrhea you should not eat spicy, oily, or sweet foods. Spicy food can make your tummy feel more irritated. Oily foods can pass through your digestive track more quickly. Sugary foods can feed the bad bacteria. I also was told that milk can exacerbate diarrhea. When I had a cough I was told to drink a lot of water, even if it makes me have to return frequently to the bathroom. I was also told that if I drink a lot of water and eat until I'm full, I will cough less. Someone even pushed some accupuncture points on my arm to see if it would help me feel better when I was coming down with a fever. I was also told not to go barefoot on the cold floor, to wear warm clothes and allow myself to sweat even though I was very warm (from the fever) and had changed into a soccer jersey to cool off.
When I had a coughing fit one day, I was handed a face mask. Talking to Nai-Nai I felt like my face lacked expression, so I pulled the face mask down a little. She motioned to me to put it back. I think the real purpose of wearing the mask was to prevent Nai-Nai from catching my cough.
When shopping for a wedding dress (you need at least two, possibly as many as six, in a Chinese wedding) you can't choose dark or deep colors because they would make me look old. Older people (like my parents' age) can wear those dark colors alright, but for me as the bride to choose a warmer color like that would not be young enough. I will therefore be wearing a very bright red dress, similar in style to the traditional Chinese qipao style, but a more modern version with a lot of lace. I will also get to wear my original wedding dress over again. Hopefully my weight hasn't fluctuated enough to make that a problem. I think I should be fine, it's just that I was kind of under weight at the time of my wedding because of having gotten sick three times.
I think there are things Asians do that Westerners consider strange, but when you understand the reason for doing it, it doesn't seem quite so strange anymore. Facemasks, for example, are frequently worn here because the air is considered to have a lot of pollution. There are ways to find out how bad the pollution is on a given day, and people keep track of it like we do the weather. If the number is really high, people might avoid leaving the house or keep their face covered, especially if riding a motorcycle because the amount of pollution you breath in increases. Since motorcycle is a very typical transportation method here, I have found myself in a face mask more often than I could ever have predicted.
Sometime I'll have to post about the odd things I see here, like poor English translations on signs. It can be pretty funny sometimes.
When planning a wedding, it is inappropriate for the groom to invite and call those who are in the grandparents' generation. That is up to the father of the groom. It has something to do with the honor/shame culture as well as the hierarchy that is interwoven into the culture.
When my husband's little sister, Queeny, addresses me, Nai-Nai (grandma) considers it inappropriate for her to call me by my name, instead it is proper to call me "number two sister-in-law" or Er Sao. (Good thing it's not too long.) She told me today that she was scolded for calling me Rachel, so I need to know that if Nai-Nai is present and Queeny says "Er Sao" she is talking to me.
When eating at a restaurant, it is fairly common for the servers to provide a small bin where you can put your purse or backpack rather than having to place the backpack on the floor. This small bin can be slid under your seat.
When we are home and my in-laws arrive, it is considered respectful to greet them and include "mama" or "baba" (mom or dad) rather than just saying hello. I heard that my brother-in-law likes to say "hello" without saying "hello, dad." When he does this, my father-in-law will ask him, "Why didn't you greet me?" This rule applies to all the people in the family in the older generations. So in my parents' generation or grandparents' generation, it is necessary for people in my generation and younger to greet them each by their title (not their name). So if we arrive at a family gathering we would be a good son and daughter-in-law if we make it a point to go around and individually greet, "hello aunt, hello uncle, hello grandma" etc.
When using a bathroom, it is very typical for the hot water to not even be connected to the sink. That means that if you turn the faucet handle towards hot, the water will entirely stop running. I saw this in Romania, too, but the difference here is that even high class restaurants might not have hot water connected in the bathroom sink. Also, bathrooms often have no towels, so you have to let your hands air dry and resist the temptation to dry your hands on your not-so-clean pants. The reason we always dry our hands in Wisconsin (especially in winter) is to prevent chapped skin.
Since I was sick for the last week, I got a lot of advice from everyone about what to do in order to get better or feel well. Traditional Chinese Medicine will tell you that if you have diarrhea you should not eat spicy, oily, or sweet foods. Spicy food can make your tummy feel more irritated. Oily foods can pass through your digestive track more quickly. Sugary foods can feed the bad bacteria. I also was told that milk can exacerbate diarrhea. When I had a cough I was told to drink a lot of water, even if it makes me have to return frequently to the bathroom. I was also told that if I drink a lot of water and eat until I'm full, I will cough less. Someone even pushed some accupuncture points on my arm to see if it would help me feel better when I was coming down with a fever. I was also told not to go barefoot on the cold floor, to wear warm clothes and allow myself to sweat even though I was very warm (from the fever) and had changed into a soccer jersey to cool off.
When I had a coughing fit one day, I was handed a face mask. Talking to Nai-Nai I felt like my face lacked expression, so I pulled the face mask down a little. She motioned to me to put it back. I think the real purpose of wearing the mask was to prevent Nai-Nai from catching my cough.
When shopping for a wedding dress (you need at least two, possibly as many as six, in a Chinese wedding) you can't choose dark or deep colors because they would make me look old. Older people (like my parents' age) can wear those dark colors alright, but for me as the bride to choose a warmer color like that would not be young enough. I will therefore be wearing a very bright red dress, similar in style to the traditional Chinese qipao style, but a more modern version with a lot of lace. I will also get to wear my original wedding dress over again. Hopefully my weight hasn't fluctuated enough to make that a problem. I think I should be fine, it's just that I was kind of under weight at the time of my wedding because of having gotten sick three times.
I think there are things Asians do that Westerners consider strange, but when you understand the reason for doing it, it doesn't seem quite so strange anymore. Facemasks, for example, are frequently worn here because the air is considered to have a lot of pollution. There are ways to find out how bad the pollution is on a given day, and people keep track of it like we do the weather. If the number is really high, people might avoid leaving the house or keep their face covered, especially if riding a motorcycle because the amount of pollution you breath in increases. Since motorcycle is a very typical transportation method here, I have found myself in a face mask more often than I could ever have predicted.
Sometime I'll have to post about the odd things I see here, like poor English translations on signs. It can be pretty funny sometimes.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
What happened this month?
This past month has been a hectic one.
My husband was preparing for his dissertation proposal (this is not the defense, but the proposal for the topic of the defense), we were packing/moving out, Christmas was coming, and I got sick. So many of my plans for packing were changed, and while other people were preparing their cozy Christmas celebrations I was taking apart my home piece by piece. (That's what it felt like, anyway.)
Our flight left on Christmas day and we spent four days with some friends of ours near Vancouver, Canada. Taking those four days was helpful considering how exhausted we had both become. After I recovered from my illness, Rex also got sick with a cold. I then caught his cold and then caught another bug, probably a stomach flu or food poisoning because I ended up in bed with a fever which was followed by some unusual bowel movements. However, I am feeling much better now and am back to my normal self.
After flying to Taipei we went to my in-law's apartment and we have been staying with them while we get things figured out about where we will be posted for Rex's military service. Once we know his location we will know where to look for an apartment and in which area I should look for work, although I'm considering online work right now since this coming month and a half is quite an unusual one.
Our two main goals in this trip are for us to develop the relationships with Rex's family, and for me to learn Chinese. There are other important things that need to happen during this year in Taiwan, but those two things are our highest priorities since we have unique opportunities in those areas.
I must say that since arriving in Taiwan, it feels like vacation compared to all the demands we had to meet before leaving. Regardless, almost every day we have been running errands, meeting with people, and now we are even planning a wedding banquet for February. For this last reason I feel I'm living in a reality show or like I could write a story. It would probably be called "My Big FatGreek Chinese Wedding."
I also could write a very classic sounding Christmas story because of our packing and travelling experiences during the Christmas season. You might see that story in a future blog post.
My husband was preparing for his dissertation proposal (this is not the defense, but the proposal for the topic of the defense), we were packing/moving out, Christmas was coming, and I got sick. So many of my plans for packing were changed, and while other people were preparing their cozy Christmas celebrations I was taking apart my home piece by piece. (That's what it felt like, anyway.)
Our flight left on Christmas day and we spent four days with some friends of ours near Vancouver, Canada. Taking those four days was helpful considering how exhausted we had both become. After I recovered from my illness, Rex also got sick with a cold. I then caught his cold and then caught another bug, probably a stomach flu or food poisoning because I ended up in bed with a fever which was followed by some unusual bowel movements. However, I am feeling much better now and am back to my normal self.
After flying to Taipei we went to my in-law's apartment and we have been staying with them while we get things figured out about where we will be posted for Rex's military service. Once we know his location we will know where to look for an apartment and in which area I should look for work, although I'm considering online work right now since this coming month and a half is quite an unusual one.
Our two main goals in this trip are for us to develop the relationships with Rex's family, and for me to learn Chinese. There are other important things that need to happen during this year in Taiwan, but those two things are our highest priorities since we have unique opportunities in those areas.
I must say that since arriving in Taiwan, it feels like vacation compared to all the demands we had to meet before leaving. Regardless, almost every day we have been running errands, meeting with people, and now we are even planning a wedding banquet for February. For this last reason I feel I'm living in a reality show or like I could write a story. It would probably be called "My Big Fat
I also could write a very classic sounding Christmas story because of our packing and travelling experiences during the Christmas season. You might see that story in a future blog post.
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