A Fulbright ETA year in Taitung, Taiwan
I'd first like to apologize for the extremely delayed post(s)! I'm starting at the end of June and making my way through the summer, so stay tuned! Many apologies, I've already shed tears of tardiness By the time I left Taiwan on July 7, I felt like I was ready to go. Don't get me …
WINTER BREAK!! Semesters here are very long, so everyone here is dying for winter break. We get a little less than a month off, and I’ve jam packed these days jetting around SE Asia. Following the Fulbright mid-year conference that essentially kicks off winter break, a few ETAs and I are heading to Thailand, Cambodia, …
Continue reading "Future Plans, Or Things To Look Forward To"
We’ve really zipped around Taiwan this semester, both within Taitung County as well as around the island. Here are some of the highlights: Taroko Gorge Three of us went to Taroko Gorge on probably one of the Last Warm Weekends of the year. We took a train to Hualien, stayed the night at a quiet …
I was surprised—maybe a bit impressed—by how festive Taitung got during the October through December holiday season. I did Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas activities with my kids, which was pretty tiring given how close the holidays all are! Similar to the states, immediately after Halloween, everything in the stationery stores turned red, green, and gold …
In all honesty, it’s been difficult adapting to small town life after living in bustling Boston the past year. It’s really forced me to think about what I like and prioritize in my life, which has been helpful from a personal development perspective. There is a comfort in the familiarity of the same 5 streets …
I’m understanding much more Chinese than I did at the beginning of August. Before coming to Taiwan, I was afraid that I hadn’t spoken Chinese in so long, it would never come back. But it really has. Remarkably, my Chinese has improved a lot, especially my listening comprehension. Sometimes the teachers will be discussing something …
Due to the Strangest LET to Have Ever Roamed the Halls of Fong Li and Fong Yuan Elementary Schools, I had a weird teaching schedule this semester. At one school, I’m solo-teaching six classes (first through sixth) once a week. It’s a little overwhelming, but I do enjoy seeing the kids, and it’s been a …
Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve posted! I’ll keep my apologies short so I can get to the good stuff. The past few months really flew by. October was strangely, excruciatingly long, but November went by fast, and December even quicker than that. The weather, warm for so long (up until mid-November), has definitely …
I can’t believe we’re nearing our fourth week of school! So much has happened, and I apologize for the delay in this blog post. In short, I have been placed at two schools--Fong Li and Fong Yuan Elementary schools. I’m at Fong Li three days a week, and at Fong Yuan the other two days. …
These past two weeks have arguably been some of the busiest days of my life. I can't even begin to describe the absolute whirlwind of the journey from Boston to Taitung (which involved 3 plane rides and 2 buses for a total travel time of 30+ hours before we got to bed), maybe because it …
Wenbo in Taiwan 