a wonderful day with a wonderful friend!

When you live in a smog-filled city it's easy to forget that you are surrounded by stunning countryside. I spent Saturday afternoon on a scooter, driving through the mountains with a more than wonderful friend, on look-out for a giant, gold Buddha. Now I know what the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" means.

a day off.

Last Wednesday, we were given a day off of work to enjoy the Dragon Boat Festival in Hsinchu. It was a truly traditional experience, one that I enjoyed as my time on this side of the world is winding down. The boats were beautiful, the spirit of the festival was loud and lively. I was there to cheer on the Talladega Dragons but found myself to be quite interested in cheering for the very handsome Japanese men's team, too...

confidence boost.

Yesterday, my students told me that I was smarter than 1 million books! A true compliment, even coming from 2nd graders...

a couple of palm trees on each side of my cheek...

I was in a Blind Melon kind of mood this morning. I put them on my iPod and walked. As I walked, I thought about my love for the band and my feeling of absolute heartbreak (even as a 10 year old girl), when I learned that Shannon Hoon had died. I remember watching Blind Melon perform on our VHS version of Woodstock '94 over, and over (my brother and I probably watched 'Soup' about a thousand times and memorized every bit of the performance). There is just something so raw about their music; there always will be this "something" for me. I believe Shannon Hoon to be one of the most talented songwriters and original singers to ever have lived, and if I could pick one musician (dead or alive) to spend a day with now, it would be him.

rain, rain go away!

Last week-end we went on some sort of crazy jungle hike. The scenery was beautiful, the weather... not so much. Just clouds and rain in Taiwan right now (even a bit on the "chilly" side!). I shouldn't complain though, once the humidity arrives again, I'll have real reason to do so. Excited to be home-- excited to not find cockroaches in my room anymore-- 8 weeks!