The last 4 days of my life have been pretty tough. I was pretty sick and wasn't really mobile at all, minus the fact that I went to class and took a test and a not so easy quiz. I should have listened to my better judgement and not gone to class, but we just started a weeklong break for Chinese New Year and I didn't want to miss anything major. This week in Taipei has also been some of the nastiest weather that I have experienced here. It is cold and damp and always raining, sick or not I can feel it at my core. A friend of mine was kind enough to lend me a space heater and it has been working over time to keep my body shufu (comfortable). I found it fitting that this week in class we learned a new grammatical structure that is used to over exaggerated things, mostly negative, so I was able to say in class wo leng de lian chuan zhe yi bai jian yifu dou bu gou. In english it means I am so cold that even wearing 100 articles of clothing I am STILL cold. Let me tell you, I may have been sick during the test, but I didn't forget how to put that structure to use.
Last week I also started a new "project” of working with two small children, ages 4 and 2. I basically get to hang out with them for 2 hours each week and read them stories, play with them, or do anything else that I can come up with. They are so cute, and their English is actually surprisingly good for being so young. Guess it goes to show just how much faster young minds are able to pick things up. Other than that, Thursday February 7th 2008 is the Chinese Lunar New Year. I am not really sure what to expect around Taipei. One thing that I do expect is for Taipei to be almost dead. Most people spend the Lunar New Year with their Relatives, which usually means going home to parents or grandparents houses to have a nice meal and spend time with the family to honor the living and the dead. I will be doing a little more research on the topic and will be sure to keep you all up-to-date of the goings on. That's all for now, but expect more in the near future.
About Me
- Jacob Gill (高健)
- Living in Taipei, Taiwan and working on a degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. In my free time I teach Chinese, and work with the amazing team over at Skritter. Very interested in research on Mobile Learning Technology and Computer-Assisted Language Learning.
1 comment:
Hi Jake,
Speaking of Chinese New Year, this past Saturday, 02/02/08, was the Yi Vs. Yao basketball game and they made it a big Chinese New Year celebration of sorts. That wasn't even the best part.
On the way home, driving on 794 East from downtown towards Oak Creek, we got to see a fireworks display. It was in some random parking lot next to the freeway. The fireworks were going off right next to the freeway. It wasn't anything planned, I don't think, but a couple people bought a few a set them off. It was really cool and I thought of you.
I also thought of you last week because my Mary Kay National was in Beijing at the Olympic Center for a Mary Kay conference there and right after she came home, Beijing got hit with feet of snow (not sure how many though) and people were stranded everywhere and millions were without power for some time. Be glad that it is rain and not snow. With as much rain as you mentioned, think how much snow that would be....
Take care and stay safe!
Carrie
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