During our 10-days of training, which included lots of acting like 8-year olds for the sake of replicating a classroom setting, we also got to do a little bit of sight-seeing.  We stopped by the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, where we got to see the changing of the guard.  The whole ceremony lasted about 15 minutes, and it took place in front of Chiang Kai-shek himself, stoically watching over his gigantic plaza, flanked with buildings all dedicated to him.  Then, in pouring rain, we descended 89 steps– the number of years Chiang Kai-shek lived.

It’s hard to fully describe everything he did for Taiwan, good and bad, in a succinct way, but he’s credited with making Taiwan a more stable country after World War II and making alliances with other nations, like the United States.  His son is credited with building up Taiwan’s economy by bringing new buildings, businesses, roads, harbors, and an airport, allowing it to grow into one of the “Four Little Dragons” of Asia (along with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore).  These countries had a rapid industrialization rate between the 1970s and the 1990s, and are all economic successes, serving as role models for other developing countries.

At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek is also credited with killing somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 thousand people on the “February 28 Incident,” an anti-government uprising in 1947.  The site of the memorial hall was a military base from the Qing Dynasty until 1971, when the government planned to turn the site into an economic center.  But when he passed away in 1975, the government decided to dedicate the grounds to him.  So needless to say, he’s a controversial figure here.

We also visited the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, a building dedicated to the “Father of the Nation,” referring to the Republic of China.  He is generally well-regarded and is cited as a key player in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in China.  He promised people, repressed by the former government, a better life with him as their leader.

Another stop of ours was Xingtian Temple, HESS headquarters strategically placed next door.  Dedicated to Guan Gong, the patron god of businessmen, many people go there to wish for luck in their business endeavors or receive a good grade on a test.  It was bustling with people asking their fortunes, burning incense, and praying to the deity.  Koi ponds were on both sides of the god.

After our 10 days of training came to a close, we had a final contract signing banquet in the founder of the company’s apartment (one of the top floors of the HESS headquarters building).  Dressed in our nicest clothes, we were directed to different areas of the large, open room with hardwood floors and an incredible view of Taipei.

That’s where I first met Helen, my Taiwanese branch manager.  We spoke for a while, and I signed my contract with her branch.  I would see her again the next day, along with my head NST (native speaking teacher), a red-head from South Africa named Andrea.  After we signed our contracts, we had drinks and appetizers before attending a final KTV last-hurrah.  For those that don’t know, KTV is karaoke in your own private room with couches and food and drinks.

I’m lucky, Helen and Andrea are great co-workers– they’re really kind and genuinely want me to succeed in my new role as an English teacher.  We all went out to a hot pot restaurant before visiting my branch for the first time.

At the branch I learned I’ll be teaching a “kindie” class, which sounds like “kindergarten,” but it’s actually more like pre-K.  Most students are around 4 years old.  I teach that class Monday through Friday in the afternoon.  I also have two “treehouse” classes, which means the students in them have taken classes with HESS from a young age.  Each class is twice a week– one class will have mostly 9 and 10 year olds, and the other class will have mostly 11 and 12 year olds.  Lastly, I have an “international achievers” class once a week, which is a high-level class for junior high school students.  It’s the most advanced tier of classes in the HESS curriculum, and they do a lot of summary writing and reading comprehension.

I observed about 20 hours of classes before I actually got to take the reins and teach the students by myself.  My first week I just had kindie classes because the treehouse classes start a little later in the semester.  The kids were a little slow to warm up to me at first, but I think by the middle of the first class they got more comfortable with me, and by class two we were definitely jelling.  They really love this one song about going on a dinosaur hunt, so we sang that a ton of times.  When we reach the part of the song where we actually “run into a dinosaur” they all scream and run around the room and it’s so cute and funny.  I already know all of the students’ names, and I’m really excited to reach a point where we have a routine, and they’re comfortable with me and the cadence of our daily lessons.

Now let’s delve into the adventures of Tammy and Allison section of the post because who doesn’t love the adventures of Tammy and Allison?

Tammy took me to a beef noodle restaurant for dinner one night, where, on the way in the door, we passed the makeshift kitchen.  A man was hacking away at a block of dough, literally shaving off pieces in long strips, later to be the hand-made noodles in my soup.  Chunks of tender beef and thick doughy noodles marinated in the broth, which absorbed all the flavor of the rich meat juice.

We also did a big grocery shop at a store called ai mai, which translates to “I love to buy things.”  I bought a lot of stuff, so I guess the name of the store was appropriate.  But everything I got was essential, like a hamper, sheets, a trashcan, soap… okay, maybe not the Doritos, but almost everything was a necessity.  I’m sure we were quite the spectacle walking down the streets of New Taipei City with a big blue hamper full of home goods.

A few of Tammy’s high school friends and I went to an all-you-can-eat hot pot style restaurant that’s somewhat famous in Taipei.  The hot pot has a chimney, which is not typical of most hot pots, and they encourage you to eat as much as you want– even going so far as to advise against rice because “you don’t need to fill yourself up with rice when you can have unlimited meat!”  They had a self-service sauce and veggie station, where you can concoct your own marinade and grab handfuls of leafy greens to throw into your table’s boiling soup.  I shied away from the pig’s blood cake, mostly because I’ve tried it before and once was enough.  For the record, I did eat chicken’s heart earlier this week– so I assure you I’m still being adventurous.

Afterwards we explored a nearby night market, where I sipped on a mango smoothie, and we had everyone over to see our apartment.  It was easy to drift into sleep that night, with sweet mango the last thing on my mind before falling fully into a deep slumber.