End to my amazing journey

I can't believe I'm blogging in my hometown of Iowa. This past year has been a surreal rush. I've done so many things and have experienced so much that I can't believe that I was hesitant to live in Taipei. Of course I had to leave behind my family, friends, and my American culture which wasn't easy. Coming home as made me realized that I'm very blessed and grateful for the people who stuck by me and made my trip abroad worth it.

I not only made such great friendships, ate amazing food, reunited with my relatives, but also discovered my own personal identity and what it is to be an Asian American, more specifically Chinese-Taiwan American.

After I left Taipei, Taiwan I stayed in Los Angeles for 3 days and 4 nights to visit old high school friends and watch American Idol in concert. I had so many dreams come true like reuniting with my friends after 9 years. I used to live in LA when I was a freshmen in high school and moved shortly after. I told them I would come back and this was the time. I met Stefano and got his autograph and he took a photo with me after the concert. I also saw Leo's beach house. California was amazing and I'm so glad I stopped by to visit.

I'm sad to say that this will be my last blog for now. I'm so glad that I have my memories of Taiwan kept on this blog and I can relook at all the posts that I've done, talked, complained, and laughed about. I'm moving to Springfield to go to grad school in less than a month. I hope I have time to blog but right now, I know I need to study and focus on grad school.

Thanks for everyone for following me and keep in touch via email or facebook :)

Take care!
Chihchat

Wrapping things up

My year in Taiwan is ending in a couple of weeks and I'm busier than ever. It's a weird kind of rush since I'm not too excited to leave but I'm happy to be done and moving on. I will miss a lot of things in Taiwan especially my family, friends, and food :) My friend came from the States a couple of days ago to work at my school and it's strange that while I'm leaving, she's coming. It's definitely like a cycle where one door closes, and the other opens. Yes, that is a lame motto but it's definitely true in this case.

I feel guilty that I'm done working and in a state of "non-work/school" period. It's weird because I feel an obligation that I have to be somewhere at a certain time or place but really I just have to wrap everything up here.

Although this isn't my last post that I will write on this blog, I have so many things to do like closing up ties with work, closing my bank account in Taipei/figuring out taxes, saying goodbye to family and friends, helping my friend get adjusted to her new life in Taipei, getting ready for my 4day stay in LA and finally going home.

I can't believe in less than 2 months I will start grad school! I will try to post one more time in Taipei but if not, my last final post will be when I arrive home in Iowa. It will be about one year and one month that I have taught abroad!

-Chihchat

My friend is coming! :)

My friend got a job teaching out here in Taipei and she is coming tonight. It's crazy to think that I haven't seen her for a year. I remember when just last year, I moved out here and now she's doing the same thing. As I mentioned before, things are getting busier and busier as now not only is my friend coming tonight, but also my relatives are coming this Sat.

Today is exactly 2 weeks until I leave Taipei. Tomorrow is my last day of work and my roommates and I are trying to move out of the apartment since rent is up by the end of this month. So many things happening all at once but it's also really exciting too :)

-Chihchat

Teacher Lilly, please speak Chinese!

As this week is my last week of classes, I gave some of my classes cookies and for one of my fav. classes, I gave them either a coin or a stamp. Although they aren't the brightest and can be super naughty, I really grew to like them a lot. Anyway one of my favorite students Jack was begging me to speak Chinese. It was funny because I said, okay just wait for everyone to leave lol My CT needed to write in his book anyway but he really wanted to hear me speak it. I don't know why. My CT said it was really nice that he stayed after class to wait for me to speak Chinese lol

So I said what do you want me to say? He said anything! I then said "Ni hao" which means hello in Chinese. He goes, no, more than that! lol I said what? He said say hospital because that was one of our vocabulary words. I knew what it was but he said it first and then I said it. He didn't really say anything after I said it. Then I asked him in Chinese why he wanted me to speak Chinese? He didn't say much after that LOL I asked him and said, is my Chinese bad? But again he just smiled and didn't say anything. His English isn't the greatest though and I talked to my CT later about it and she thinks that he just didn't know what else to say lol

Anyway I will miss him and that class but I'm really done teaching today. I'm pretty tired and I'm just ready to be done entirely. I just have 2 more days left (2 more classes). Next week will be family time and showing my friend around Taipei. It's crazy how much time I still have although I know I don't have much time before I go home.

-Chihchat

Rain, Trash, Go Away!

Today was downpouring when I was going to work and I was buying cookies for my classes since it was the last day that I would be teaching them. Of course I miscounted the cookies and so I was missing cookies for 2 people. I had to go back out in the rain and go to a bakery nearby work and get some more cookies LOL

Right now our apartment is messy because we cleaned out everything so basically we just need to throw everything away. I rushed home after going to my aunt's and uncle's and tried to help my roommate throw the trash out. I threw out the trash last night too but we STILL have trash lol The dumpster truck doesn't come on Weds. so I will have to wait until Thurs. Then we can finally start cleaning the apartment lol

-Chihchat

I just want to take one picture!

My Mon. night class is really naughty and it's weird because I like them individually but they are a pain when they are together. They also aren't the brightest and we're learning harder concepts so it's just frustrating because they are older but they don't act their age. Anywho it was my last day teaching them and I just wanted to take one picture.

The students kept pushing each other and it was so hard to get everyone in just for one picture. I yelled at them and I said, wow it's my last day and I just want to take one picture! Stop pushing each other. I'm glad I'm done teaching them lol My roommate asked me why did I want to take a picture of them if they're naughty. I'm like yeah, but I just want a picture of all my classes. Some of them were sad though that I was leaving and I was happy that at least some cared LOL

-Chihchat

Cleaning aka throwing stuff out!

Today my roommates and I planned to clean the apartment. Since both of them are almost moved out, we just need to clean the apartment out. Unfortunately, there is a lot of stuff at the apartment and it took awhile to actually just throw everything out. We have tons of garbage sacks but we finally cleaned out the apartment. Now after we throw out the garbage, we just need to clean it lol As I blogged before, the trash trucks come out on certain days and so we have to wait until tomorrow to throw out the normal trash and paper and the plastic containers will have to wait until Tues.

I also started to clean out my room. I'm glad that I didn't have too much stuff but I'm getting rid of a lot of clothes. I'm really trying to minimize what I bring back to the States because of my weight limit and I don't want to bring back a whole lot. It's going to be hard though since my mom wants me to bring back a rice cooker..yes, a rice cooker lol

-Chihchat