Full Moon Ghost Month Parade

The gates to the spirit world are open widest on the 15^th day of Ghost Month, the night of the full moon. The people of Hsinchu celebrate with an enormous, cacophonous parade that stretches for miles and lasts hours. Men demonstrate their spiritual faith and physical strength by marching with masks that weigh eighty pounds or more. Small trucks with antiquated PA systems trace the parade route to welcome returning ancestors and steer away evil spirits with wild music of drums and horns.

On Monday, I stepped out during my school breaks to see all the raucous. Watch the video below to hear the music yourself. I shot the video and the pictures within 100 yards of our apartment.

The weather hovered in the mid-90s with 80% humidity, and at mid-day the sun was unforgiving. Sweat drenched the marchers. The jet-black City God was the parade’s most common figure, a different version walked by every 200 feet. (Each city in China and Taiwan has its own god.) Look below for a close-up photo of one City God mask.

Another Week of Firsts

Yes, it's been a while since I posted anything. I've got a good excuse, though, I've been sick. Being sick in the summer is never fun, and especially not when the temperature is in the 90s and you have to teach three classes between 9am and 8pm. I'm sure I caught whatever I have from one of the "babies," the 4-5 year olds in my 9am-12pm class. The kids are continually coughing, sneezing, and sniffling, and then touching me, so it was only a matter of time before I came down with something.

Adam was sick last week, and I prided myself in keeping away from him and not catching what he had. Monday night, however, my throat was scratchy and my nose was stuffy. By Tuesday my voice was barely holding out in class and Wednesday brought about the end of my voice and a general feeling of misery. I taught a nearly-silent 3 hours with the babies, involving lots of coloring, gesturing, and bribery with stickers, I could barely swallow my soup for lunch and went home to take a nap. On my way back to school for my 4:40 class I felt like death on two legs. I had a sore throat that made my eyes tear when I swallowed, pain in my ears, and aching all over. I ran into Teacher Sharon (Teacher Bob's wife and the Mom of the operation) on my way into the office and she asked how I was doing. When she heard my voice she immediately decided to send me to the doctor and packed me off to the doctor with some money and Teacher Wendy (the substitute teacher/translator/nurse/office manager/ambulance driver of the school).

I rode on the back of Teacher Wendy's scooter to the pediatrician's office. For my first scooter ride in Taiwan, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Having seen some terrifying moves in scooters since I got here, I was a bit apprehensive. However, I didn't die and we didn't run into anything, nor did I eat or inhale any bugs (and yes, I wore a helmet). The pediatrician was the only choice for a doctor since a) I don't have my insurance card here yet b)he was trained in the US and c) he speaks "enough" English and is friends with Bob and Sharon. For 500NT (<$14) he listened to my lungs, looked at my throat and ears, took my temperature, and diagnosed me with a "virus." Apparently my ears were only hurting because the nerves in my throat were so "overloaded" that the pain radiated up there. After the exam, a prescription printed in the front of the office and the receptionists/pharmacists put together a packet of pills and sent me on my way. The pills are in a long strip of waxed-paper packets with perforations so I can tear off each dose of four pills (see picture below). Teacher Wendy translated that I needed to take the pills 4 times each day, "after eat and before sleep, stop pills when better." Then we headed back to school where I put together some sub lessons and went home for the day. I was still so miserable that night that Adam ran to the pharmacy and got me some cough syrup that they definitely don't sell in the states and I slept a hard, drugged sleep.

I taught another quiet morning class yesterday, withered by lunch again, and finally made it through the day today. I'm feeling better, but my throat still hurts and my voice isn't totally back so I'm still taking the pills (even though I don't know what they are). Hopefully, since I survived the scooter ride, the doctor, the pills, and the "virus," I'll be able to survive just about anything in Taiwan.
(note: Adam took a picture of me with the pills wrapped around my neck like a scarf on the day I went to the doctor, but we both decided it was too scary for the internet, especially if there are any small children reading)

Ghost Month in Taiwan

Hsinchu is on the west coast of Taiwan, so we had the 13,000 foot tall Central Mountain Range to shield us from the worst of Typhoon Sepat's wrath on the east coast. Instead of untold destruction, we received 72 hours of rain. Not too bad.

When you walk outside and your neighbors are standing in front of their homes with full tables of food, burning incense, and repeatedly tossing fake money into flaming waste paper baskets, you know it’s Ghost Month. Chinese traditional religion stipulates that the Gates of Hell open on the first day of the seventh lunar month and ancestors get a second chance to make amends for their sins on earth. Taiwanese offer food and money to the ghosts for several hours before dinner-time then go inside to finish the leftovers. The meals are complete and delicious, including dishes of chicken, pork, and rice, as well as full pineapples, cantaloupes, gineps, and boxes of fruit juice. I saw some neighbors had set out sixteen-ounce cans of Miller High Life. Yet another reason to be good to your family in this world – they’ll keep you stocked with beer in the next.

Below – A guerilla-style photo of a Ghost Month table setting and fake-money trash bin. Photo 2 - Like everything else, the Taiwanese celebrate Ghost Month with fireworks.

Winds and Rain and Typhoons, Oh My!

It's only our second full week here, but our third typhoon/tropical weather system is bearing down. The first two were fairly weak by the time they reached our side of the island, but this new one is definitely more intense. The evening classes for tonight are being canceled since it's so windy (some of our kids are tiny, they might blow away!). Don't worry, though, Adam and I headed to the grocery store yesterday to stock up on supplies like water and instant noodles. (Check out this link for a dynamic weather map)

Adam Tries a Betel Nut

The almond-sized seeds of the tropical betel palm tree, betel nuts are chewed throughout southeast Asia for their distinctive buzz. Taiwan has the most developed betel nut culture of any country in the region. Taxi cab and truck drivers chew the nuts for stimulation sans the diuretic effects of coffee and tea. Young women dressed in lingerie sell the nuts from neon-lit glass cubicles along roadways. Although many Taiwanese assume that these “betel nut beauties” are connected with prostitution and crime, the girls also have supporters, including feminists who argue that the practice is empowering (See Tobie Openshaw’s documentary trailer at YouTube). Unfortunately, betel nuts are known to be addictive, carcinogenic, and notorious for staining teeth, gums, and spit-strewn sidewalks bright red.

Of course, I had to try one.

Teacher John came to my rescue. While hanging at an all-you-can-drink lounge Saturday night with the A1 Language School family, John presented me with a pack of 20 nuts (price tag of 100 NTD, slightly less than $3 US). Apparently, veteran male teachers at our school have a custom of buying rookies their first pack. The newcomers generally try one nut, nearly vomit, then discard the rest.

First, John and I offered a nut to everyone in the bar, and each time we were greeted by a look of unabashed revulsion. Then, stepping into a Taiwanese thundershower (its typhoon season here) I popped one into my mouth. The taste was indescribable, so I won’t try. The buzz felt like smoking three Lucky Strikes, drinking two shots of espresso, and spinning around in circles for a minute– all at the same time. We spat furiously into a shared Dixie cup, then hawked the blood-red pulp into some bushes.

I still have the pack, now with eighteen nuts, and I keep threatening Devin that I’m going out on the porch to chew them. But I don’t think I will. The thought of losing my lower jaw or esophagus to cancer isn’t very appealing; and I can’t imagine much worse than becoming addicted to these things. But, my motto is “trying everything twice,” so it may just be a matter of time…

Above: Photo of my remaining betel nuts, with the package. Devin makes a great "ewwww" face when she says they look like "alien seed pods."

Trivia Answers, Finally

I tried to put these up a few days a go, with pictures and everything, but I hit "post" and it never showed up! It doesn't help that, for some reason, I can't ready ANY of the buttons (they all come up as ?????). So, here they are:

1. The mango! It's thicker by a few inches, and much more delicious.

2. Well, no one could get this right since I got the options wrong. I actually got the money part off by a factor of ten. Option A was the closest, but it only cost $30 USD, not $300.

3. On Monday night we were served 8 delicious dishes for dinner. We get fed a home-cooked meal Monday through Thursday, and this Friday we had pizza! It's a fabulous perk of the job, especially since we wouldn't have time to cook for ourselves and cooking anything would heat up the whole apartment.

4. Well, even though this is sideways, you still get the idea, right? The showerhead is to the left of the mirror and there's a plastic box above the toilet tank that we keep the toilet paper in. It seems to work pretty well, but we do still have to clean the bathroom every so often.

Devin's Taiwan Trivia Game

1. Which weighs more, 1 mango from the fruit stand near our apartment or the 8th Harry Potter book?

2. Devin and Adam went to the hospital for their physicals on Monday. They had blood tests, chest x-rays, eye tests, blood pressure tests, and an exam by a doctor. Which option most accurately reflects the time and money the trip cost per person?
a. 1 hour, $300 USD
b. 2 hours, $500 USD
c. 3 hours, $700 USD
d. 4 hours, $1000 USD

3. Adam and Devin work at a great school that serves homemade dinner during the week for the teachers. How many different dishes were prepared (not including rice) for all 8 teachers on Monday night?

4. Devin and Adam have a "self cleaning bathroom," meaning you shower right where the sink and toilet are. That poses a problem for keeping things dry. What happens to the toilet paper?

Post your answers in the comments section. I'll post the real answers, with some pictures, tomorrow!

First Thoughts on Hsinchu

I have new appreciation for the word “overwhelmed.” Without a background in spoken Mandarin or written Chinese, Devin and I are stumbling about the crowded downtown streets of Hsinchu (pronounced "Shinzu," population approximately 400,000) feeling at times both ignorant and rude. Hopefully our Pimsleur language lessons and Chinese character workbooks will remedy that. The jet lag is another issue. At 4 pm each day I start to feel like I’m going through the first-stages of heroin withdrawal (I would know, my hometown of Northfield, Minnesota has a well-documented scag problem). Hopefully we’ll both adjust by the end of the week.

In the meantime we’re exploring our new home. Food is one of Hsinchu’s highpoints. It is diverse, plentiful, inexpensive, and delicious. The beef noodle shop is just a block away, and an excellent fruit market is even closer. The produce selection is incredible. Gineps, foot-ball sized mangoes, and fresh pineapples are all available. We’ve also been introduced to new items, such as dragon fruit and Buddha-head fruit. We’re hoping to try the sushi restaurant near school sometime soon.

We're Here!

After a few hours delay in Michigan and the longest airplane ride of our lives with considerably little nappin, Adam and I were almost just as happy for our stop in Osaka with it's redundant security check as we were to get off of the airplane in Taiwan. After breezing through Immigration our bags were, obviously, the last ones off the belt. While I went to get a cart for the bags, Adam was greeted by a friendly Taiwanese beagle. The dog sniffed the guitar case and the camping backpack and then went crazy for Adam's carry-on. Apparently the beagles are trained to sniff out agricultural items (like parrots) and the dog could smell the apple that had been in Adam's bag the whole trip that had finally been eaten before we landed. Luckily, you can't get put in jail for smelling like an apple so the customs officer let us pet the dog and move on.

Since the airplane landed around 9:30 we finally walked out of the baggage area by 10:15 and were greeted by Teacher Bob and Tony the taxi driver holding up a sign with our names on it. We proceeded to ride the moving walkways of the future (the carts automatically lock while you're on) to the parking garage and stuff more luggage into the taxi than it had ever held before. The drive was under an hour, but filled with revelations, including: if there are bags in the passenger seat then the driver can't see out the window; there aren't any familiar signs except 7-11 because THEY'RE NOT IN ENGLISH; Tony is a skilled betel-nut spitter (i didn't get hit once); stoplights are far less tedious when they count down the amount of time you have to sit at them; not everyone obeys stoplights; 7-11 is to Hsinchu what Dunkin' Donuts is to Boston.

After getting the bags upstairs (thanks Adam!) we explored a bit by walking down to the 7-11 to get some bottled water. I spotted a Starbucks on the way (hooray!) but since it was after midnight we didn't make a stop. Our first instance of using Taiwanese Dollars occurred at the 7-11 where we purchased two 5L bottles of water, two juices presumed to be tropical fruit flavor (luckily we guessed correctly and didn't end up with asparagus juice), and a box of kleenex. We were also aided by the handy screens at the registers so that we could figure out how much to pay. After that it was back home for bedtime.

Our apartment is down an alleyway off of a side-street that is full of all of the wonderful smells an urban environment has to offer in 90+ degree heat. Luckily we're fully equipped with air conditioning that reaches everywhere except the bathroom. The bedrooms are quite nicely sized, and even the bathroom was bigger than I expected. The beds themselves are pretty different from American beds. Ours have wooden frames with headboards, then a modified box-spring with a tatami mat on top. It seemed really hard, but we were both so tired that we easily fell asleep since after the excursion to the store and a test of the self-cleaning bathroom it was after 1pm.

Even more happened today, but it will have to wait for another post!