Long overdue post--Hong Kong and maybe a gym?

Ok, two months in Taiwan now, six months abroad. What's new? Last week I finally got an ARC (alien resident card), which allowed me to buy a new phone (and contract) this week. Hopefully a driver's license is in the pipe, we shall see when I get down to the Taiwanese "DMV."

I went to Hong Kong last weekend. Spectacular! I'm beginning to think that one of the most omnipresent and entirely unnoticed features of our lives is the terrain in which we live in. So many years in Santa Barbara kind of made me think that most places looked like Santa Barbara (with different plants, and amounts of snow, and other things that are on top of the earth). Korea's landscape, it's hills, were once, very poetically, described as green waves out on open ocean. Rising and falling in a constant size and rhythm. On my first bus ride in Taiwan from the airport down to Taichung I noticed that the land has sheer mountains rising up in the east; very large and with their own weather patterns. A long valley running below them, and then some hills that remind me of Santa Barbara's "Coastal Range" before gently descending down to the beach. Anyway, back to Hong Kong: Hong Kong is a series of very small to large islands, but unlike Korea's geological erosion, or Taiwan's fault line, Hong Kong looks like it was made by volcanoes. The islands, the rocks rise up out of the sea and then fall back down, even on the map, no line or pattern was apparent to me. I couchsurfed while I was there. A very nice gentleman named Patrick (小龍) hosted me. He had gotten back from a year long stint in Europe (mostly Ireland) 1 week before. I meet maybe 1-2 more people from Hong Kong while I was there--small sample size, anyway one of the most remarkable things I observed was happiness, even while their Special Administrative Region is in the midst of a struggle/fight for freedoms and significant self-rule, the people I met showed constant optimism, and a certain appreciation or respect for all facets life. I didn't see that as much in Korea, and don't feel it as strongly in Taiwan. Interesting. Stayed up until 1 on Sunday night/Monday morning, Left for the airport at 4:30 got back at ~1:00 and opted to just go straight to work. Finally got home that day at ~7:00 and slept gloriously. I have run out of space on Photobucket, all new pictures are going to Flikr here. One day I will transfer all of my pictures to flikr, but that might take a few hours. New link here: I won't have any long weekends until January's Chinese New Year, so it's local travel and money saving time now.

A funny tangent: one of my coworkers said I look like a Taiwanese singer, his name is 蕭敬騰. I disagree, but maybe it's as close as I'll ever get to a Taiwanese guy. Google Image his name if you're curious.

I went to a MMA gym last night, watched their "relaxed/technique-day Wednesday" workout, felt kinda random but enjoyed it, was invited back tonight to their "regular/intense workout." Did some punching, blocks, entrances, take-downs, chokes, and breaks--almost felt right at home. I didn't ask my partner how long he has been practicing, but I learned before the class that one guy has been working out for 1-2 months, and another (12-year old) guy has been working out for ~3 months. I'm grateful the attitude is to go fairly slow, especially nearing tap-outs. I think I'll check it out again on either Saturday or Tuesday; still don't know how much are dues, that will likely make it or break it.

And now off to bed for me, good morning or afternoon to you!

Old pictures: http://s635.photobucket.com/user/dcpetit/library/Taiwan
New pictures: www.flickr.com/dcpetit

Taipei and more acclimatization

I was thinking about this blog the other day. It now has several, slightly comical, vestigial elements from before moving again. "Morning Calm" is an interpretation of "韓" which is the first part of 韓國 or Korea (國 means "country/nation"). "백달예" is a Korean name that I have used on this blog. These aren't very accurate or relevant anymore. I will change them, but don't really know what I should name this blog anymore. It's allowing me to ask some new questions: Why am I traveling, what would I like to get out of these experiences, and perhaps, what was I taking for granted when I was in the states. If I want to live abroad for many years in the future, what should I do while I'm back in the states. Anyway, fun questions. I'll think of a good title soon enough, suggestions are welcome. 

Last weekend I went to Taipei for mid-autumn festival 中秋節. I saw and stayed with two very good old friends from college. Pictures will be on photobucket tonight. I am very fond of subways now (especially above-ground ones), I think I'll advocate for them wherever I live in the future. 

Miss you all lots!

Two Weeks in Taiwan （臺灣）

Just before I went outside today around noon, I checked the thermometer: 33 ºC. Which I was actually curious enough to convert: 91½ ºF. The humidity is kinda high, but it's alright, most places have A/C and I've actually gotten used to it a little. The trick is now, when I've just gotten home, it's almost 9:30pm, and I check the same thermometer, which reads 32 ºC... So hot, all day.

Thoughts before, during, and after an end

I started this post a long time ago, saved it, and then haven't come back to it until now...

My job is good. They have given me 0 training, absolutely none. Which is weird, but I've picked it up well enough. When I don't do something they want me to, the boss's wife (because the boss doesn't know English) tells me the problem... and if I'm really lucky, an idea of how I might be able to fix it. Her English is so-so, but enough for me to take action. I typically work from 2:30-8:30 or 3:20-9:20, but the last two weeks I've been getting done occasionally at 7:40, which is great because I can go to a 8:00 workout! 

Teaching is going good. My friends and fellow English teachers (though at different schools) have told me to relax, you're not going to make any kid fluent in a year. Have low expectations for them, and always do what you enjoy doing. With that advice, I sneak in some Korean studying in the middle of my English classes: "Ju-Yang, what's the difference between this pattern in English and... How do you say it in Korean?" or a pair of kids will be chatting in class, I'll listen for 5 seconds and then, like a tape recorder, say what I just heard back to them. They are startled and nonplussed, and then I ask "what does that mean, I don't understand." They are usually just talking about video games though.

When I am not teaching, I like to travel (but that's really only ever done on weekends). During the week days, I work out, at two kendo schools. And of course, I like to cook :-)   I also enjoy trying to chat with people, which has been very tricky thus far here... mostly because in the city I live, there are no colleges and almost everyone in korea goes to college, so nearly all of the 20-30 years old's have moved to a larger city to get a degree; many stay there because the big city is flashy. I'm in the country-side so there isn't much that attracts the recent grads back. There's a huge language barrier to making good friends, but that's to be expected. 

One interesting thing I've noticed is, there are moments where I'll be doing nothing, like eating, walking to work, reading a book, listening to music, sitting in a chair, waiting for the train/bus to arrive, etc. and I'll be a little bored. My favorite part of being here is that when those moments happen, I always remember, "right now, I'm a little bored, IN KOREA!!! With all kinds of crazy, weird, odd, foreign things EVERYWHERE!" It's pretty cool to have that double-take and think, "oh yeah, really life is dynamic."

The American community is rather small (2 girls and 1 guy), but the international community also has an Englishman, 2 South Africans, a New Zealander, a brand new Puerto Rican, and even a Spaniard. Lockie and Greg an Englishman and South African have become my new best friends.

Dusting off the old blog

It's been a while since my last post. This one will be a short one, but a long and very interesting one is coming (probably ~Sunday this weekend). Must return to work now, but check out the pictures of Donghwasa and Gatbawi to see some nearby travels (sub-folders in the Korea folder: http://s635.photobucket.com/user/dcpetit/library/Korea)