Today was a tough day.

The day started out great. Well, other than that disgustingly sweaty walk to work. I also got a lot accomplished at school and have many things laid out for the first couple of weeks of school. Need to do plenty more but feeling pretty good about the overall picture.

To tell the tough part of the day, I have to go back a few weeks. At the beginning of the month I had an old filling replaced. I was doing just fine with it but my dentist convinced me that it was time to get rid of the metal and replace the older than dirt filling. I should have just gone on my merry way but I replaced it. It turned out to be bigger and deeper than he expected so it's been pretty tender for the past few weeks. I thought it was getting better but since I've been here it seems to have gotten worse, even waking me up at night.

Today my whole jaw hurt and I knew it was time to do something about it. So, with the help of the school nurse, we went to a local dentist. So not only am I in a new country where I can't speak the language, I now have to go for my first medical visit. Are you kidding me?!

Well, surprise surprise I needed to get a root canal. Again, are you freaking kidding me?! I've never had much drama with my teeth other than a couple of fillings so this absolutely sucked! What's amazing is he did it right there. For only about $30 he did a root canal. Isn't that crazy?

I need to go back in few weeks for a crown and at that time the cost will be covered by my insurance here in Taiwan. The total procedure will cost $8000 Taiwanese dollars. That's about two hundred and sixty American dollars. Amazing!

The dentist's office was very modern and actually really beautiful. They had modern equipment and the dentist spoke some English. I mean, he seemed about 16 years old but as I get older, I can't discern anymore. I had no idea what a root canal involved but from what I can tell he did a great job. When I left the office my whole jaw hurt and my tooth is just aching. Is that normal? When I was leaving no one spoke English so we had to pretty much pantomime to schedule my next appointment and I had to figure out how to get home. My GPS on my phone wasn't being helpful so I just looked around and started walking.  Surprisingly, I did find my way home by looking at a couple of tall buildings that looked familiar and recognizing a couple of street names. I was truly proud of myself.

I have to admit that on my walk home I cried most of the way. Stupid, I know, but at that moment I just wanted my mommy. What terrible timing; but I figure a root canal is never good timing. So now I'm home with a bag of different colored medications that the doctor gave me and I don't know what they are and I am deciding whether I should take them. Instead I'm having a big drink of rye whiskey with a splash of water. I'm glad this day is over.  Well, at least I found myself a dentist in Taiwan.

My morning walk to work...

Sweet Mother of Pearl is it humid here! I decided to walk to work today. It's only 3.4 kilometers I said. That's only about 2 miles I said. I do that all the time in a Portland. Pahhh, piece of cake! Gotta get some exercise while I'm here. I have a wedding to look good for in 3 weeks.

By the time I made it to the end of the block I was sweating. Two blocks I was wiping sweat off of my face, brow, neck and kneecaps ( okay, not my kneecaps!). Halfway there I was dripping sweat and it was running into my eyes. Picture it...I get all red when I'm hot. I must have looked like I had severe high blood pressure. It took me 37 minutes, not bad considering I missed one left and had to retrace, and when I got there I was soaked. It looked like I had stepped out of the shower fully clothed. I plan on walking some of the time but realize I'll have to take a shower here (which hopefully is possible in the gym) and will need to bring a change of clothes. I will be taking some cab rides me thinks. It only costs $3 from here to my place so when it rains, I'm cabbing it baby!

Here are some shots along the way....

 Yup, no clue.

Hard to tell but there were some beautifully strange and different trees and plants along the way.

There are lots of interesting artistic spots like this everywhere.  You should see the graffiti!  Some of it is truly spectacular!

This is a closeup of the creature at the end of the wall above.

Beautiful walkways and sidewalks (where there are sidewalks).  I mean, it doesn't snow here, EVER, so they can materials like marble etc.

There are scooters everywhere. They even come up on the sidewalk while you're walking. It is the primary mode of transportation here. I may just have to get me one.

Now I can't tell you that my entire way was this pretty. There's some incredible poverty here and I got to walk by some of it this morning. Somehow it didn't feel right stopping to take pictures of that. I know I will because I want to capture everything about this place and I want to share with you.

So now I'm sitting in my classroom with the air conditioning on high trying to cool down and dry off. Phew, I made it and I didn't even get lost.

My Classroom in Kaohsiung!

I'm spending the day in my classroom today. Yay! I'm going through everything to check out math and science materials and reorganizing some things. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an organizer and like things neat and clean. I have windows on both sides of the classroom so there is all of this great light. The outside wall overlooks the Main Street, playground and guardhouse. The other side overlooks the walkway outside the classrooms.

Inside the classroom isn't huge but spacious enough for about 20 students. 

As you can see I can never get away from those stupid tennis balls on chairs. They drive me crazy because they're always falling off and you're searching for them all the time. They followed me to Taiwan!

The view outside my classroom is crazy! I have palm trees outside of my classroom! Come on! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and the air conditioning is on because it's about 95 degrees out.

I have palm trees outside my door! Nancy's not in Maine anymore!

Home Sweet Home

I'm living on the 11th floor of an apartment building in the Gu-Shan district of Kaohsiung. This district is a little outside of the main downtown area and is considered to be the posh part of town. In a city with 2.5 million people, it's really quiet in this neighborhood. There is very little traffic and most of the noise you hear is construction.

My apartment has a big open kitchen eating living area, 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and a study. It's a lot more space than I expected.

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A few interesting and funny things about an apartment in Taiwan are:

1. I have a dishwasher and a dish dryer. I don't have an oven or a microwave but I have a dish dryer.

2. My washing machine is on a porch outside of my kitchen. I don't have a dryer because in this country you pretty much hang everything to dry. But the washer is outside! Also, all of the directions on the washer are in Chinese so I don't know how to use it. I can turn it on but that's about it.

3. Everything is air conditioned! You can't live without it here. There is no heat anywhere but you've got air conditioning.

4. There is a sprayer attached to the toilets. Still haven't figured that one out yet.

5. There is tons of storage in apartments and some of it is so high I can't reach it and I'm tall. I actually won't be able to fill all the storage that is in this place. Something very freeing about that.

6. Every cabinet and closet had something scented in it. Either it's a bowl with potpourri or little plastic balls that hang that are scented. Gross! That was one of the first things I did when I moved in - threw them all out.

I keep finding strange, unexplicable things in closets so I feel a bit like a detective. I'm sure I'll figure those things out.

So, if you're ever in the neighborhood, I've got plenty of room for you to stay. Just drop me a line.

Boiling Water!

I have so much to report out on so I'll post a few blogs in the next few days. First, the trip over was on time, smooth and uneventful. It's just so damned long! Just what I thought we only had a few hours left I would realize that we'd only been travelling half of the time. 15 and a half hours on a plane is an extraordinary long time when you can't sleep. I survived and here I am.

I was picked up at the airport on Saturday night by a woman who works for the school. We got into a cab and she brought me to my new apartment. I'll post some info about that later.

They bought me a few food items for the apartment like water, milk, juice, instant ramen noodles, a salad and some fruit. She handed me a new phone and left. They gave me Sunday to myself to recover from the trip. On Sunday, I realized I had nothing in the kitchen except a handful of utensils so I had no way to boil water for those noodles or even to make a cup of tea. That's when taking this trip hit me. What am I doing here?! I can't even make a cup of tea?! I was tired and jetlagged and needed to make my new apartment feel like home. I couldn't even boil water.

I basically ransacked the apartment looking for anything I could use to boil water. Nothing. Although it seemed a bit scary and daunting I took a shower and ventured outside. For a city of 2.5 million people, it is eerily quiet on a Sunday. I found a few restaurants but no stores. I didn't feel up to navigating a restaurant where no one spoke English and the menus didn't have pictures to guide me. I came back home empty handed.

I emailed one of the teachers at my new school and she quickly responded by giving me directions to a 7-Eleven. I didn't find a way to boil water but I was able to get a few other basics. I definitely felt like a fish out of water the first day. first of all, I was the only non Asian person I saw. Second, no one could speak English. Finally, everyone just stares at me here. I get it. I'm tall, fair skinned and have red hair. There's no way I could fit in or sneak by even if I tried.

Now, looking back at that day, I wish I'd had someone for a little bit to guide me through the space and a bit of the day. But I did come earlier than anyone else so this is all on me not on the school. I just thought that the space would have a few more kitchen items.

But I survived. And later in the day, after doing some cleaning and searching, I found a bike helmet and a skillet. I was so happy I literally did a happy dance. I was now able to boil water! I'm home!

Hong Kong

Made it to Hong Kong and waiting for my flight to Taiwan. I slept maybe 3 hours of the 15 1/2 hour flight so needless to say, I'm exhausted. I admit that when I landed here and had to navigate my way around the airport to get a boarding pass, food and basically walk around for 3 hours until my flight boards, I felt like I was crazy to take this challenge on. What the hell am I doing here?! But, as I sit here eating dumplings and pickled vegetables, I recognize that my feeling this way stems from being exhausted and physically hurting after that long flight. I am so lucky to be here...I just want to get to Kaohsiung and have the traveling part be over.


Many times over the past few month people have told me I'm brave for doing this. I didn't feel brave at all until today. Today I realized, as I'm sitting in a restaurant where I am the only Caucasian, in a place I've never been and a culture I have so much to learn about, I am brave.  Or maybe I'm crazy! Time will tell.

Keyless

I didn't realize just how much had to be done to move to another country. It isn't about the Taiwan logistics; it's about the dealing with all of your stuff logistics. So relieved and glad that part is over.  I am keyless for the first time in my life since before I moved to college....no car, no home, no school (yet) and no country. How weird is that?!

I am down to about six boxes in storage and the ten I shipped to Taiwan. Of those ten I will return with about six since I had to ship things to use there that I won't bring back. That's my life in a nutshell.  My daughter said that her mother has no furnishings and few material items while she has many. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Interesting point.

The hardest part of the past few days wasn't the packing, sorting, cleaning, organizing, etc. it was saying goodbye to my daughters and brother. Emotional! No words can describe how much I love them and how important they are to me.  I know the time will fly by quickly and that they will survive and blossom without me. I've just been "mom" every day for 25 years. Now I'm still mom but that role will be very different from 13 time zones away. Big hugs will be sent their way each and every day.

So, off to Taiwan tomorrow. Watch out Kaohsiung, here I come!

Final Days

Finishing up the apartment today. My daughter Ally is picking up the last of the furniture tomorrow that she will keep and she gets my car for the next 2 years. I'm donating the old car with 220,000 miles that she has been using to NPR and they pick that up on Wednesday morning. That, my friends, will be the final piece of this Moving to Taiwan puzzle.

I have to admit that I didn't get a wink of sleep last night. I was teary throughout the night thinking about saying goodbye to my daughters Sara and Ally. Aren't they the ones that are supposed to leave their mama? I'm so lucky that I get to come back in 3 1/2 weeks for Sara's wedding. It will give me a chance to settle in a bit in Kaohsiung, realize how much fun and a challenge that will be and come back to see my girls. The leaving after the wedding will be tough...as of now, I won't see them for 10 months until I return next June. That's a long time without hugging and hanging out with my babies. Thank goodness for technology! I'll be able to chat, see them and stay in touch as much as possible!

All totaled, I kept about 6 boxes of items in storage and shipped 10. Of those 10 I'll return will about half. All furniture, kitchen stuff, household items etc. is distributed, donated and sold. Not bad! Not bad at all!

Holy Moving to China Batman!

Yes, I know! I've been preparing and planning for my move to Taiwan since the beginning of the year but today it hit me. IM MOVING TO TAIWAN! What the?! In a week I will be in Kaohsiung. I don't have a doubt in my mind that this is a great move for me but...whoa! It's just around the corner.

Funny how that happens; you think everything is all hunky dory and smooth sailing and then suddenly you wake up in the middle of the night with a thousand thoughts rushing and colliding through your mind. Am I forgetting something? What will it be like living alone for the first time in my life? Will I be able to learn the language? Will I be a good 6th grade teacher? Will I be able to learn all of the new curriculum in time? And the questions keep coming and bumping against my skull and suddenly I have this nervous bubble in my stomach.

I have no doubt in my mind I can do this. Deep breath.....one step at a time.

Living in an empty apartment...

The past few days have been so crazy.....

I've moved out of my apartment but I still live here. I know, that doesn't make sense. My brother took most of my things (furniture, kitchen stuff, etc) and I've donated, given away or sold pretty much everything else. I basically have 4 stools, a bed and a lawn chair in my apartment, other than the stuff people have to pick up. It's actually amazingly freeing and cleansing to get rid of all the material objects that tie us down. It will be fun starting from scratch when I return in two years.

2 weeks!

It's hard to believe that in two weeks I'll be on a plane to Kaohsiung. Surprisingly I'm not nervous or stressed about it; I'm more stressed about writing sub plans for a week for my trip back for my daughter's wedding.

In case you didn't know, I fly out on July 25th and get there the evening of the 27th. It will take me 24 hours to get there. I get to settle in for a few days and then start my new job on August 1st. I begin teaching on August 11th. I teach for 6 days before I fly back August 18th because my daughter is getting married on the 23rd. I return the morning of the 24th. Phew!

I'm not worried about the trip there and back; I'm worried about the return trip to Taiwan. My internal clock will be all messed up, I get there Monday night, and I'm expected back at school the following morning. I'll be a zombie. I'm hoping the sleep aides my doctor gave me help. Which reminds me, I should test those out before I leave to make sure they don't make me shank someone in my sleep or don't help me sleep at all.

The past two weeks have been very productive. I've basically moved everything out of my apartment with only a bed, dresser, lawn chair in the living room, and a handful of kitchen items to use to make the basics. It's a bit odd living in an empty apartment but it will get even emptier as the next week progresses. All of my artwork will be brought to my brother's place today. He'll hang them up while I'm gone, no use storing them when they can be used and appreciated. I'll bring a load to Goodwill next week and will probably have a yard sale on the 19th to sell off those final pesky items. Honestly, there won't be much left to sell.

Fingers crossed that all goes smoothly in the next few days.  Here's to spending time with the people I love most before I leave!!

The Final Countdown!

18 Days until my departure!  Last week was a whirlwind of getting things off of my To Do List.  Today is more of the same but then I feel like things are under control.  The movers came on Saturday and moved almost everything out of my apartment. My brother took the bulk so I'm living in an apartment with no furniture other than my bed, one dresser and some stools in the kitchen.  I kept one fork, one spoon, a knife and a few dishes.  I have to bring a few more items to him this week, primarily artwork, and that part is done.  I'll have a yard sale the last weekend I'm here and that will be it.

Now I'm going to spend as much time as possible with friends and family.  I have the advantage of returning for a few days in August for my daughter's wedding but then I'll be gone for 10 months.  That's a long time away from my girls.  I've never been away that long.  Don't worry, I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the right thing for me.  I'm just sure there will be some tears thrown in there when I board that plane to return to Kaohsiung after the wedding.

Phew!

During the past 18 months I've been taking courses so that I can be endorsed to teach English Language Learners in the state of Maine.  There are five graduate courses and I have taken four of them.  These classes have been amazing....hard work....but I feel like they have made a difference in how I teach.  So, I was scheduled to take the last class next week from 8-4, Monday through Friday.  That doesn't include the boatload of homework I will have to do during the week and the huge amount of work that I need to do in the next few days to prepare.

Now, if you know me at all, I don't stop.  I work hard (I've been working 2 jobs for the last 17 years) and I don't shirk responsibility.  I just sent an email to the powers that be that I will not be taking that class next week.  That's huge for me.  I even called my brother asking for approval.  LAME!  I know!  I like to complete things and after this last class, I can take the endorsement test.  I just couldn't do it! I have 3 weeks left and the thought of spending the next 4 days doing work to prepare, losing all of next week in class and doing homework each night, and then working on a final  project/paper the last full week before leaving for Taiwan just got to me today.   I will be gone, basically, until next June and I want to enjoy Maine, take a bit of a vacation since I'll be right into it as soon as I get to Taiwan on the July 26th and start teaching August 11th, and I want to spend time with the people I love most.  I feel so relieved!