4 Boxes and a Microscope

I didn't think I had packed that much to ship to Kaohsiung but my shipping estimate was $3,100. I was stunned. This is what they quoted to ship 8 small boxes, 5 medium boxes and some clothes. The funny thing is that the vast majority was from my classroom, not my home. So I spent a couple of hours on Friday paring down my school supplies. I'm down to 4 small boxes and a microscope. That is what 20 years of teaching has been narrowed down to. Everything else has been/will be given away or left for the new teacher taking over my classroom. 4 boxes and a microscope!

At home I'll have two medium boxes with bedding, towels, toiletries/meds and kitchen/household things. I only have clothes to ponder...what gets shipped, what stays with me and what gets stored for 2 years. So, when all is said and done, I'll have a total of 4 small boxes, 4 medium boxes and a microscope.   That, my friends, is the total of my life.

A tad stressed

I'm not having an issue with packing, deciding what stays or what goes, leaving my cool apartment in wonderful Portland or getting things done before I leave in 2 months. What is stressful is getting emails from Taiwan asking me to do things or start thinking/preparing for teaching there in August. Now that I'm done working a second job (for the first time in 17 years) I can start wrapping my brain around teaching only math and science (yippee!) to sixth graders and learning a little Mandarin. The problem is that I'm still teaching here. I can't be a good teacher here while my mind is focused on Taiwan. I just have to let it go until at least the end of May and then deal with it all.  I'm sure once all of my items are shipped and I have my official resident visa, I'll be able to do some reading and preparing.

I just want to make sure I'm still present here for my daughters, my wonderful friends and my students. My oldest is getting married and there is a wedding shower to hold. I still have a mother of the bride dress to buy and I want to look damned fine in it so I need to keep working out. Sigh, if only I had a few more hours in each day.

Food in Taiwan

I have been asked by several people if I'm going to pack some foods that I'll miss while I'm there.  Funny but I can't think of one thing that I can't live without for two years.  I'm so excited about the foods I'll get to try and eat each and every day.  When communicating with a couple of people who live in Kaohsiung, they have told me to not be worried; "There is plenty of American food in Kaohsiung.  You can find McDonald's and other American food."  To me, that is not a positive; that's a negative.  I am so looking forward to eating my way across this island and trying all the foods it has to offer.

Taiwanese cuisine is known for amazing dumplings and noodles. 

and so much more!  I can't wait!

I watched this great movie, "The Raw and the Cooked", about a culinary tour of Taiwan.  I am so excited to try the local food after see that video.   Check out the website - Taiwan Food Culture - and you'll see what amazing foods I'll get to experience. Here is an article from that site that focuses on Kaohsiung:

Taste Taiwan’s everyday life at Kaohsiung Liuho Night Market

Visiting a night market is definitely one of the best ways to get a glimpse of local culture in Taiwan and, of course, to have a bite of authentic light Taiwan snacks.

Leaving hundreds of unnamed destinations behind, we zoom in on Liuho Night Market, the very unique spot in the southern capital of Taiwan, Kaohsiung. The Liuho Night Market is one of the three most popular night markets among international tourists, along with Shihlin Night Market in Taipei and the Temple Night Market in Keelung.


As its name suggests, Liuho Night Market occupies Liuho 2nd Road all the way from Jhongshan Rd. to Zihli Road, a length of 380 meters. The strip accommodates more than 170 stands, selling delicacies for the most part, in addition to some clothes and recreational booths.

With a history over 60 years, Liuho Night Market was founded in late 1940s when it was known as Dagangbu Market, meaning 'Great Harbor Mart’. The convenient water transportation and its geographical location near the Love River brought crowds of people together and created a demand for a marketplace back in those days.

In 1987 the Kaohsiung City Government (KCG) enacted a regulation that every day from six pm to two the next morning cars and scooters were prohibited from entering the area. Since then the Liuho Night Market has gradually developed into an internationally recognized must-visit site.

Strolling around Liuho Night Market, it is almost impossible to resist the various types of delicacies that are prepared using different methods and served with gracious Southern (Taiwan) hospitality.
Certain vendors even boast a history spanning several decades. One that is widely acclaimed is Jheng Lao Pai Papaya Milk, which was founded in 1965 by the Jheng family.

The proof lies in the fact that the drinks at Jheng Lao Pai only use papayas from Pingtung, melons from Chiayi, strawberries from Dahu, Tainan, and starfruit from Cholan, explained Jheng.
To achieve a truly rich aftertaste you must rely on fresh in-season fruits and fresh milk, said Jheng.

Another product that also secures the stand’s popularity among visitors is the sliced tomato. Tomatoes are chopped into bite-sized bits and drowned in a special sauce made of ground ginger, soybean sauce, sugar and, not so surprisingly, a few of Jheng Lao Pai’s secret ingredients.

If papaya milk sounds like a relatively widely accepted product to the visitor, bolder souls are advised to try some of the market’s other Taiwanese eateries.

Frankly pointing out what it sells through its name, Dongshan Duck Head is a delicacy that people really should try. The owner originally ran a seafood stand but gave it up because of excessively high rent. She went to Dongshan in Tainan City to pick up the local methods of cooking and later established her duck head business at Liuho. It has now been more than ten years and she has never looked back.

Dongshan’s secret to building and maintaining customer loyalty lies in the spice pouch for stew that packs heady Chinese herbals such as licorice, cassia twigs, aniseed and, once more, those secret ingredients. The crispy taste and thick texture carry a wonderful aftertaste that keeps people coming back for more.

Snake dishes are another Liuho Night Market specialty. Snake soup is said to have the power to purify the blood, add brightness to the eyes, facilitate the metabolism and expel poisons from the body. It’s also good for the liver and kidney and can promote immunization and help improve the health.

Roast mullet roe and tendon are two other fine choices for those looking for local flavors. The key to good taste here is baking the mullet roe to a golden brown using charcoal, so that the surface is slightly seared and the inside is soft and smooth.

This dish is served with garlic sprouts and sliced white turnips, which contribute to a sweet and soft yet crispy taste in the mouth. Mullet tendon, on the other hand, is roasted over a heavy fire to create a solid texture.

Another five-star booth in the Liuho Night Market is Roast Meat’s Home. Ingredients such as roast chicken legs, wings, and tempura are first simmered with herbs then roasted over charcoal. The secret behind the success of these delicacies is simmering in a sauce that truly stimulates the appetite.
Many other light foods like salty stuffed dumplings, seafood porridge, peanut rice dumplings, hot pot, fried ice, eel noodles, teppanyaki, stinky tofu, sugar gourd, oyster omelet and more can all be found in the Liuho Night Market.

Liuho Night Market is open 6pm to 2am seven days a week and is easily accessible either by train, bus or MRT.

Written by Cho Yin-cheng, Photos by Cho Yin-Cheng.

The Costs of Moving

 

Yesterday was an expensive day!  You know when you go shopping and you add toothpaste, shampoo and some ibuprofen to your cart, you don't even think about it.  It adds about $20 to your bill, you pay it and leave.  Well, yesterday I went shopping for all those toiletries that the powers that be in Taiwan suggested I bring with me.  It cost me just over $400!  Yup, I said it....$400!  I wasn't being extravagant, trust me, I'm frugal.  I bought things like unscented lotion, ibuprofen, bug spray, sunscreen, etc.  I couldn't believe how much it added up.

I know I'll be able to buy many of those things there but they said that some of these items are harder to come by in Taiwan (meds and unscented stuff) and others you can't recognize or read the labels so it's hard to figure out what things are.  Oh well, I'm set for about a year.  :-)

Shipping of Items

Met with the shipping company yesterday to get things organized to ship to Taiwan. I have to have things ready to go by next week, which isn't a problem, but I'll have to live without many of my possessions for over two months. It takes about 8 weeks to get things over there the cheapest way possible.

I've been in my classroom for 13 years and, although I'm not a pack rat and go through my things and purge on a regular basis, it's still very......strange, for lack of a better word, to go through everything I have accumulated as a teacher over the last 20 years and decide what is the most valuable to take with me. I can only bring so much! I'm sure it's strange for my students as well. I have a collection of boxes in the classroom and some shelves are getting a bit bare. I've tried to impact them as little as possible but this needs to get done.

How often do we really have to decide what are the most valuable things in our lives? When do we even have the time to reflect on our possessions? They usually all get packed up when we move and go along with us. I can't do that. No vehicle, no furniture, no multiple boxes of books. All of it is going to my daughters, brother, friends or being donated or sold. What do I keep? What do I take? What do I get rid of? Everything I find of use or valuable will he boxed, shrink wrapped on a pallet, put in a shipping container and shipped halfway around the world to make its way to a school I've never seen and to a high rise apartment I won't see until I walk through the door. Makes you reflect and recognize what is truly important and valuable it your life. I am so fortunate to be able to do this.

Wish me luck.