Merry Christmas

This is my computer background.
Happy Holidays from Taiwan.

Its Christmas here. I look very festive because I am wearing the Wellies Mom got me and my Santa hat Aunt Lynn gave me. I will put up pictures later of Christmas. I got a new camera so I am slow getting everything hooked up. I will call home later on today. I can't wait to talk to everyone.

Now I must get back to work. Worksheets do not create themselves although I wish that they did, haha.

Merry Christmas,
Julia

Morning at School

There was a ceremony this morning with grade eight and grade seventh students and lots of prominent Taiwanese people. Prosfessional pictures have been taken and thank goodness we were not invited. Its cold and rainy, nasty. We did get to watch from our ivory tower (our office). There was drums, firecrackers, and dragon dancing. I took pictures of course. Enjoy.

Picture of the ceremony
The Dragons dancing More Dragons dancing
Close up of the Dragons

In one Day

Today has been the most weird day ever. The stress of the Christmas play and getting sick at Christmas time is getting to me. There was a fight in my sixth grade class between two boys. I had to also take a random ninth grade boy to the office for mouthing off at me. I got a phone call about my camera, its going to be in on Saturday (good news). We just got cookies and a poinsettia from a parent who got elected into office (good also). I still have eight grade boys to go and a runny nose (bad). I got my costume for Wizard of Oz. I am the Wicked Witch of the West and they present me with a costume fit for a ball. It will definitely be interesting. That's all for now.

Julia


Paul as OZ for the Christmas play.

Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

Mom's gifts. Enough for all of Taiwan, lol.

This weekend was spent at work and in a seminar. Crazy, I know. This upcoming weekend will be spent ice skating, going to the school, and opening Christmas presents. I can't wait. Nothing but Christmas, Christmas, and more Christmas. The elementary Christmas show is this Friday. If we last til then I might be surprised. So much work goes into this show and you can see it. I will have a copy of it and send it home. I will be the one with the green face.

Mom's packages got here today. The picture above are all the boxes. I was picturing one box with boxes in them. So when I walked into the office after lunch I just stopped and let out a little scream of joy (it was quiet like since people were on the phone). Good times. I can't wait to talk to everyone Christmas Day.

Aloha

I have done it. I have booked a vacation by myself for myself. This must mean I am finally growing up. I did have a small breakdown when buying the ticket. No one was in the room to help me and I just started shaking. I am fine now. I have my ticket booked for the 14th of February to the 21st of February. If anyone wants to visit me in Hawaii during that week you are welcome to.

Now I must invent a lesson plan for grade eight girls, easier said than done.
Julia

Blessed and Bond

This weekend has been the best yet.I went to bed early, woke up early, and had an over all feeling of being blessed. I shopped, saw a ballet, cried at the ballet, ate french toast, fell of a sidewalk into the road in front of two hundred people. Blessed is the only word I can think of, lol.

Saturday night I went with KN to see Cloudgate, a Taiwanese ballet. It was quite interesting and beautiful. The bus ride home was not. It was so crowded that people almost missed their stops because they couldn't get to the front of the bus.


Kathleen in front of the National Theater at C.K.S. Memorial.
The outside of the national theater.
Kathleen and I in front of the theater.

Me on the Grand Staircase.
Its a little fuzzy, but that is what the theater looks like inside.

The dancers act out Chinese lettering.
All of the dancers on stage.

Sunday was a day of shopping and falling down. We started at the Jade Market, then took a brunch break, and finally went to Taipei 101 area to shop and see James Bond. James Bond was great and so was the shopping. Shopping is so different here, there is no mall, just bunches random stores with no walls. It can get confusing when you are looking for a certain thing.
KB shopping at the Jade Market

Mom and Dad. I sent Christmas presents today. They are supposed to be at your houses on December 23. Caroline, I sent your birthday card, I hope it will get to you before the new year, lol, they are slow with cards.

Here comes the bride

All of us before the reception with Kerry
Kerry in her first dress. By the way she is happy, she is just really shy.
The beginning of the reception where the fake Kerry and Harry come into the room.



The reception for the wedding was beautiful. The only people to see the actual ceremony are the parents and siblings. It is done earlier that day in one of the parents' house. The big celebration is afterwards. They had ten courses and all were interesting. It was Japanese style so there was plenty of raw seafood. I tasted it all and prefer cooked seafood. There were steamed crabs there and I got to teach my roommates how to pick a crab. It was quite interesting.

There is no dancing, just background music, food, and people talking in Chinese and Taiwanese. I had to get up and walk around because I spent almost two hours sitting. While I was walking I met a new friend. He doesn't speak English or Chinese, only gibberish since he is probably 3 years old. I was out in the lobby taking pictures and he just came up to me and started talking. I took him to meet the roommates and he climbed up in my chair and just started chatting away in baby language, lol. It was possibly the cutest thing I have seen since I got here besides getting all of my first and second graders to wiggle.

My new friend sitting at the table.
Kerry's second dress.
At the end of the night the bride and groom give away pictures and candy. This is Kerry's third dress.


I missed the bouquet toss because I was standing in line for the bathroom. There were only a handful of people up there I was told and Kerry didn't chunk it like I am sure brides at home would do. Also men and women go up to catch the flowers so there was a lot of diving I was told when I got back. I miss all of the good stuff, lol.

Me with my balloons and flower.

We went home afterwards and had the rest of my ice cream cake. I know what you are thinking, "how did you eat more when you had ten courses?" Ten courses here isn't ten courses at home. They are a lot smaller and more diverse so in all I think I had maybe five courses and I just sampled those.


Now Kerry is on her honeymoon in Japan and we are here in the office confused on how to work without her. She will be gone for two weeks. The Christmas show preparations are insane so I am sure I will be here on the weekends just to catch up. It will be over soon, thank the heavens, and we will finally get our breath back.