Im staying

What a crazy last couple of days it's been. Every day presents a new set of challenges which must be solved mostly through charades or an interpreter since my chinese is hi-how (so-so). Well lets be honest its not even hi-how its probably more like boo-how (not good). Under the advice of Jessie I have decided to write using paragraphs to ease the reading. I guess since im an english teacher it wont kill me to play the part.

Well i figured out who i was and i certainly know where im staying, and its with my current job. I had actually told my supervisor that i had found another job but hadnt made a decision. I felt so bad doing that. After some long chats and some soul searching i realized that 1) I felt horrible leaving my job (which is probably almost reason enough not to) and 2) If I can really make this job work why should I go? I've already asked for more hours and almost guarenteed got them. There are also the perks of being able to sleep in till at least noon every day, being able to sub teach for people going on vacation and also the vacations themselves. Since my current job has a plethora of workers finding a sub is never hard thus i am able to have more vacation time. My current job also has the power to send me to Singapore for a week for english camps in the summer. That would be a sweet deal. So thats that. Even if i didnt really have another job, i suppose bluffing about it and then deciding to stay woulda been a good move in allowing me to get what i want.

So Thursday was lottery day and turns out i won the Taiwanese lottery! Let me explain....Since the law basically doesnt exist with regards to lisences (business, building, drivers) and taxes most businesses simply wouldnt pay tax. In order to get their tax money, the government instituted a great plan where on every reciept printed there was a lottery number and every 2 months there would be a draw. Their logic being that people would then ask for reciepts (since they would want to play the lottery) forcing businesses to keep on the books. Well after mizing tickets for two months it paid off and i won 200 NT which is the equivilent of 7 canadian dollars. I was actually pretty close to winning 1000 (about 30 can) but i was off by 3 numbers, which means three customers before be won...bastard.)

Speaking of lotteries here is an example of how my school company sucks. This weekend was the end of the year banquet before chinese new year. Typical banquet, everyone gets dressed up ect. I never got a ticket though. Was just told to show up. I found out reason I didnt get a ticket was becasue they dont let people who have been working less then three months play the raffle. Like what the fuck is that. Someone made the brilliant analogy that a move like that is like inviting a bunch of kids to your son/daughters birthday party and only giving the kids who have known your son/daughter for a year lootbags. I think im gonna write a letter about it. They also make you pay a fine if you dont show up (the event takes place at 11 am on a sunday) which was almost a problem since i had been up late partying with my friend from Taipei, who was in town the night before. I made it though. No way was i gonna cough up more money to them.

Now for the good.

Here is a list of things that have improved my life in the past couple days.
1) A squash raquet...now i just need a place to play
2) My hookah came in the mail (thanks mom)...now i need to find nargila and charcoal
3) My work permit....now i am actually working leagally...ya! Not only that but it allowed me to transfer the scooter into my name so i dont have to bike 8 km (40 minutes) to work twice a day anymore....double ya! Riding the scooter is tons of fun as it is gorgeous almost everyday in this subtropical setting where palm trees are ubiquitous. (Stole your word bear)

Speaking of my scooter it actually broke down yesterday....dead battery and leaking fluid or something but i found a mechanic who spoke english and fixed it....not so cheap but had to be done.

4) My health card....Now i can see a doctor. On an aside for anyone interested, Taiwan's healthcare system is the most abused in the world. Chinese medicines and I think foot reflexology are covered by national health insureance. Where the avg. number of visits to the doctor per year back home is 4, I heard in Taiwan its 13.

5) A new burger at the londoner which is as big as my head and rivals wimpys. You have to understand that getting beef here is tough so a good burger/steak that isnt oober expensive is a HUGE deal.
Pictures of the burger to come soon.

6) Internet in the house...Now im able to download any tv shows or movies and watch them on our new TV (Thanks Joe). We also have a password that lets us download hockey games so we might start having hockey nights in Taiwan on Saturdays (They will just be of Thursday or Fridays games). i will also be able to figure out how to post pictures on this site since the buttons are no longer in chinese.

7) Dick in a box. I cant believe i just heard about this last week. You (my friends) have dropped the ball on this. I am disapointed no one passed this onto me keeping it unheard by me for so long. Seriously, shame on you all.

8) Jiu Jit Su. I started going last night and will keep going every Wednesday for as long as i can. Its awsome. Pure ghetto. All there is, is a mat in a cluttered room. Its also a minimum commitment in every way. You show up when you can, bring your own cloths, and even pay whatever you can whenever you can afford it. There is no set rate...kinda like a museum.
Reminds me of my days with Mr. Kim except theres only one punching bag and its downstaris in a differnet part of the building). Keeping true to my promise to moses, I will come back more dangerous than Bruce Lee. Some guy who kicked my ass last night is entering a MMA tourney in two weeks (mixed martial arts) I look forward to many more terrible beatings from him.

Off to my favorite spot for lunch. Well to be honest its only my favorite becasue someone was kind enough to translate the whole menu into English for me. So I actually know exactly what im ordering. But here that aint half bad. Happy February friends.

who am i and where am i going

who am i and where am i going? Man i love the sopranos. Not long ago Tony was asking himeself this question as he was conflicted between his morality and the duties that come with his job. 2 Months into Taiwan i find myself asking the same question as i debate which job i should take. Let me better explain myself. The job i have now is far from perfect. But its not all bad either. I work for the biggest chain school in Taiwan and working for them in many ways is like working for the mob. They treat you well cause you are one of their own. They helped me find a sweet appartment, got me a cell phone (probably illeagally) offer cheap chinese language classes, order me cheap dinners and helped me out of trouble when i hit that guys car on a scooter without a lisence or ownership of the bike. On top of that i like my job. I love my kids. Im starting to learn little tricks to make the homework go by faster, and i have an amazing network of people who have connections in all sorts of odd obscure things that one might need (such as a cheap room in a tropical resort in Taiwan during Chinese new Year when everything is overbooked and overpriced.) That being said...The other job i have on the table can only be described as cushy. I do very little and get paid pretty well for it. I dont have to mark homework. I dont have to work on Saturday. And to top it off they;ve given me the oppoortuniy to supplement my income by teaching a group of old women who call themselves the english club for about 27 bucks an hour 1.5 hours a week. So its a pretty sweet deal. Typical 9-5 job. Plus i would obviously keep all the networks of people i have met through my current job. In terms of salary i would make the same at my current school if i worked more hours which is fully possible after chinese new year. I would however have to work at night which is prime time for english toutering for kids since are available in the night. So the money would probably work out slighly in favour of job number two. So here i am battling myself. I know most at home are probably screaming at me to take the cushy job but i feel pretty bad leaving my job and my kids. Teaching them and doing a good job gives me gret satisfaction that i might not have in my new job. But then again who knows. Im sure the kids are great there too. Lastly but almost in a way most importantly, karma is a bitch and i cant help but think quitinng for slightly greener pastures wil probably end up biting me in the ass. I can fully make this job work. I can get more hours and maybe find some private students who have some available time in the afternoon. Its just not as sure a thing. Plus theres still that work on saturday and the homework at my curret school which is a real pooper. So should i be an opportunistic machavelian or a loyal flexable employee? Who am I and where am i going? Supposed to let school number 2 know tommorow...

last two weeks

so i guess its been about two weeks since ive update my blogg...alot has happend since then so without further adieu here is the highlight reel...

Teaching...
My teaching skills seem to be progressing. One of my chinese teachers even commented on it today. Another key thing seems to be gambling games. They love them. Any game of chance involving dice, cards, or fake money gets these kids speaking english. One side of me even feels bad for possibly instiling a dangerous habit in these kids. Another part of me enjoys how easy it makes my job.
Speaking of jobs, it looks like i will be moving into a new one in the end of february After a nice week holiday for chinese new year.
Last week i applied at two schools and did a small demonstration of how i teach. At the second school there were 3 other people who were competing for the job. they each claimed to have 2-3 years experience up against me a rookie straight out of college with one month experience. I can't immagine how much the other guys would hate me if they knew that i was offered the job on the spot. Some of the best parts of this school are the following:
-I get Saturdays off which will allow me to do some travelling on the island
-i get to assign homework...which means little to no homework.
-I work a normal 9-6 schedule with a 2.5 hour lunch break where i can eat and work or excersise
-The school offers a free lunch
-Sip from McGill works there which is unreal. Also the boss graduated from McGill so she obviously loves me.

they will probably also allow me to take some time off in May to go to Israel for Chens wedding. Oh yeah the pay is much better too.

Although i feel kinda guilty about it and the decision will probably keep me in Taiwan another 2 months it seems well worth it. I do feel kinda guilty about leaving my school since they helped me get settled and got my work card for me. Turns out my chinese name is Fe Dan Lei Which is kinda like Feldman Daniel Israel translated to chinese

In terms of the city i am adjusting nicely. I know where i can play squash, and i know where to go if i want to watch football and eat a burger. Joey my taiwanese friend has even offered me some free passes at some nice places. Taiwanese people are probably some of the most selfless generous people i have met.

Joe our new roomie is working out nicely. apparently he used to manage the lone star cafe in Kingston. We are happy to have him aboard.

Also, this week Polina from Mcgill arrived with her fiance Andrew. Polina is sweet and is teaching me about Russia. andrew is also a good guy who i will watch football and hopefully get beligerantly drunk with.

im never one to complain about air quality but i will have to make an exception here. It is terrible. I think its the reason i cant seem to get healthy. My next big purchase (im still broke) will be a mask to keep all that shit outta my lungs. All it takes to develop bronchitus is to breath.
I think thats about it. I found a sweet spot in my house where my mac picks up internet so i will be posting pictures of stuff as soon as i figure out how
DG

A Taipei (101) New Year

A happy new year to everyone! It is kinda wierd to think that most of 2007 will be spent here but im sure it will fly by quickly I still remember sitting in Ashley LeLees basement ushering in the 2006. Anyway on with the update.
To celebrate New Years i went to Taipei which is somewhat of a minor league version of New York. Taipei is the busiest, biggest, most expensive, city with the most to do making it an obvious new years choice. The first thing worth commenting on is the bus that took me there. Buses in Taiwan are nothing like the greyhounds back home. They are luxurious. You sit in a lazy boy chair that offers you all the leg room a guy taller than me could ever want. Not only is the chair a lazy boy but it is also
a massage chair with at least 15 different settings. If that werent enough every seat comes equipt with a flat screen tv which you can either watch tv on, look at the view infront of the bus, or play video games on. They have the old nintendo
classic 100 games in 1 built into the Tvs. The bus also gives you blankets, hot towels, snacks and a beverage. All so cheap. Unreal. The whole weekend was a blast and i think i spent more that weekend then id spent in almost 3 weeks back home.
Saturday night was such a great celebration that it made New Years a tough one to get up for but ol Denny gave her like only he knows how to do. We started celebrating
New years eve on a patio bar (yes thats right i said patio bar for new years eve)
at a place that serves up beers for less than 2 dollars canadian. It was great to see some people from training. Contratry to the rumour i think i started, New Zealand idol castaway Sam Inder did not quit. Brian and Calley were out in full force and its nice to know that Brian has Calley practicing driving the scooter in circles down in the parking garage. We also discussed the possiblity of Thailand in April which is certainly enticing. We swaped some first month stories and then walked to Taipei 101 which is billed as the tallest building in the world though i am still convinved the CN tower is taller. In case you didnt know, chinese people are very reserved and shy thus we were easily the rowdiest ones there. Our attempts at starting the wave didnt work, though our efforts were applauded. There were fireworks at midnight. We lit our sparklers and yelled some more. After a while we left but not before fighting our way through the biggest crowd of people i have ever seen. We all had some late night food. The next day was a casual new years day. Me and avi threw the frisbee around the park and then went to the shilin night market, which is basically a mixture of a flea market and the ex back home. Tons of games, food, and anything youd want to buy dirt cheap. Then we met Kathleen had a subpar burger and watched Brett Favre take care of the bears. Its wierd how much football changes in 6 weeks. How are the Broncos out and Cheifs in? Im sure bear could explain it. My superbowl prediction Chargers vs Saints. After a nice ride home to cure the aches and pains from a fun weekend i walked home from the bus station stopping at every school i saw on the way to work (about 5). One interviewed me on the spot and might have a couple hours i can work in the afternoon before my current job starts. Another may pass on some adults who want to learn guitar. Its just that easy to find work here. We also have a new roommate named Joe. He seems like a good guy and just so happens to be working at a school I have my eye on. Krysta leaves this weekend so we'll have to see her off. I hope everyone had a great new years. Ill certainly be expecting a big one next year.