The Subtle Disappearance of the Hand Soap

Heard the alarm. Hit the off button. Got out of bed. Toothbrush. Toothpaste. Face wash. Scrub. Glanced up from the sink.

With bubbles covering the majority of my face, I peeked through an opening and noticed something: my hand soap was almost empty.

This is how it started. This is how I began to notice that time was flying by. First, it was the hand soap. Then, I realized my shampoo and conditioner were on their way out. Finally, it hit me: time was passing, and it wasn't happening slowly.

I sat in the cab on the way to work this morning trying to make sense of where all the time had gone. I couldn't believe I have been here for almost three months!!

Bottom line: time is flying. I don't want my time in Taiwan to fly by, but I suppose it is a good sign. Hence the saying: Time flies when you are having fun!

I couldn't help but think back a few months ago. I was homesick right away. I instantly yearned for my friends, who I hadn't gone a few days without seeing. I missed my family, and I thought I wouldn't be able to survive without the Gnocchi Sorrentino from the Italian restaurant down the block from my apartment in Boston. But...as time passed, it got less and less difficult, and a whole new world opened up right before my eyes.

When I first got here, I found myself shying away from interactions with restaurants that weren't English friendly. I wasn't always willing to exchange a game of charades in the hopes that I would get the meal I wanted; I wasn't always up for eating soup with chopsticks and a weird spoon. (I mean...really?) I wasn't always in the mood for stepping outside of my comfort zone. I was embarrassed that I didn't know any Chinese, to the point that I wouldn't even attempt it. I even had a slight breakdown when the trashman yelled at me in Chinese because I was not putting my trash out properly.

But now, I embrace who I am in the experiences that I encounter. I attempt Chinese, even though I haven't the slightest clue, because I realize how far an attempt goes in this culture. Most Taiwanese people I have tried to converse with apologize that they do not speak English (which I find crazy that THEY are apologizing to ME...I mean, after all it is their country). Either way, I know they understand how I feel. They are willing to play charades with me or sit through a round of "guess what I am drawing". I welcome any opportunity to try something new, and even find normalcy in it. I even consider myself a professional when it comes to separating and putting out my trash. But, I still can't help but wonder - When did this happen?

Just like the subtle disappearance of my hand soap, the slow but apparent transformation of me into this confident, willing, and unafraid ex-pat has occurred. I can't help but realize that after three months of living abroad, so many things have happened, and so many things have changed.

This just may have been the best decision I have made in my life. What a long way I have come from the sleepless nights I spent wondering if my decision to move to Taiwan was the right one.

Well, you can't win the lottery if you don't buy tickets!!

My Home Sweet Home

People keep asking me what my apartment looks like, so I figured I would do a quick post to share.

Many schools often provide housing, which means that you would live on the school's campus. My school does not have on campus housing, so they provide me with a stipend in addition to my salary that is meant to go towards rent to subsidize the cost. In Taipei, there are a number of options you have in terms of living. You can share a large apartment with others, or you can live in a small place alone. I wanted to live alone, and I didn't want to worry about cleaning a big apartment. So, when I arrived to Taipei, my first mission was to find a place to live.

I was eager to find an apartment, and hoped I could do so right away. The agency that was helping me was kind enough to pay for my hotel until I found a place, so it wasn't like I HAD to find a place right away. The first 3 places we saw, I began to get nervous because none of them were anything close to a place I would live. I don't think I am too picky, but the thing with me is that I am definitely a "nester" and need to be 100% happy with my apartment...even if it is small. I also worried about my location. I knew I was in Taipei, but I wanted to find a place that was close to the MRT station (subway) and that also had access to some good western places to eat, along with other things to do. The places I had seen so far, just weren't okay with me! The bathroom was the thing that got me!! Most of the bathrooms I have seen in small apartments in Taiwan have a toilet, and then that area seconds as the shower. No door...no separation.

I know that Taiwan has cockroaches...trust me: I heard about them before I came. BUT I do everything in my power to make sure they stay out of my place. I don't even have a kitchen, and I clean this place non-stop. I also have a weekly spray session to make sure they don't try anything funny! I have seen only 1 cockroach and that was when I first moved in. I think not having food or a kitchen really helps. If there is nothing here for them to have...they won't come!

So my little apartment is very small, but cozy. It has no windows (which I thought would bother me, but it doesn't) but it has bright blue walls - which brightens it up. I have a large bed and a little couch with a coffee table. I have a flat screen TV, free internet, and it is a stone's throw away from the MRT. There is no kitchen, but I have a little fridge if I need it. I also have a kettle to boil water for tea. The bathroom is a regular bathroom with a nice shower! That was kind of the selling point for me! There is a washer right outside the unit, so I am able to use that as well, and then hang my clothes dry. I am really happy with my place, even if it is a glorified dorm room!

THRILLER

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart

You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes

You're paralyzed...

I found myself singing this song in my head over the weekend while practicing a VERY modified version of the Thriller dance. (If you know me well, you know that I am by no means a dancer.) You see, I have learned that if you want to have fun in class, and you want your students to have fun in class, you CANNOT be shy! In the beginning, this was hard for me, but now I embrace it.

Every time I sit down to write my lesson plan, I think of how I can make each article more engaging. When I saw an article in the magazine on Michael Jackson and the 29th anniversary of Thriller's release, knew I had something to work with!

I began the lesson with a visual hook, so I printed out various pictures from the Thriller video. I put little magnets on the back of them, and right before the bell rang for the start of class, I hung them up. These were the two most popular ones (according to the kids' feedback!)

As soon as the first one went up, the kids looked at it and the buzz began spreading around class. Now, clearly I couldn't understand what they were saying about the pictures because it was all in Chinese, but they were smiling and I could hear: "Michael Jackson" every now and then. When the bell rang, they sat down with excitement and waited to see what I was up to this time.

We continued with the vocabulary from the article, and then read about Thriller and it's 29th anniversary. They got a kick out of knowing that the song was as old as their teacher :). After they answered the comprehension questions, and we finished talking about the article, we moved on to the fun activity: singing and dancing.

First: I gave out a copy of Clozed Thriller Lyrics. Basically, the lyrics were written down for them, and every line they had to listen to the song to fill in the proper word. (i.e. It's close to ____________ and something evil's lurking in the dark)

We listened to the first three verses about 2 times each so they could fill in the blanks. At the end of each verse, they tallied up their points. Then they totaled up their verse points up at the end of the game. Some of the kids got all 20 words, and some only got 6 words right, but we all had fun!

After the clozed activity, we sang it together, and of course I whipped out a small and very modified version of the dance. The kids got a kick out of it for sure. I mean...I was acting like a complete fool in front of them...but that is ok, because they followed suit! :)

Here are some pics from our day!!



Definitely a lesson that I enjoyed, and I am pretty confident the kids enjoyed it as well -- especially the part where I danced for them! :)

A Look at Education Around the World: #1 - FINLAND

Being in a different country sparked my curiosity about education and what it looks like around the world.
I'd love to travel the world, and study each country's education system. What is it exactly that makes or breaks a system? I know people have their theories, and trust me...I have my own, but what is the answer?
Why are the highest performing countries at the top? What are they doing that other countries aren't?
I am going to start looking at different countries and the systems they have in place. I will research and question, and see what differences exist. I mean, after all, Finland, who is considered the top performing country has a VERY different philosophy than Korea, who also ranks very highly. I know there are cultural factors there, but I want to look at other reasons. So, today I begin.
Today I took a look at Finland, who has been at the center of this topic for quite some time now. With high performance scores in comparison to other countries, here is a quick look at the facts...

• When a child is born in Finland, the family receives three books as part of a maternity package. One for the mother to read to the child; one for the father to read to the child; and one for the child. This is believed to foster a culture of reading early on.


• Finland has access to free universal daycare for children between the ages of 8 months and 5 years. (This has been in place since 1990) If a mother decides to stay home and care for her own child, she can receive money to do so, as long as the evironment for her child is considered appropriate (which is regularly checked up on).


• Basic early is fostered under the idea that children learn through playing. They are not "taught" they learn.


• Since the early daycare is free, this "headstart" is not dependent upon socioeconomic class, but rather seen as an opportunity that all children should be afforded.


• Early childhood education is not mandatory in Finland, but everyone uses it (Maybe because it is affordable?)


• Main school starts at age 7 so that kids are not already burnt out from learning when they haven't even started (remember the statement above: they are not taught in basic school...they learn) The idea is that by the time they are 7, they will be ready to learn!


• At main school almost every lesson is taught with an additional teacher in the classroom. This is to support the students that are struggling. Since this is done early on, it prevents studenst from continuing to fall behind. (This would eliminate a student not being able to read in the 6th grade, or a student not being able to complete his timestables when the rest of the class can. Prevention rather than intervention...wow, what an idea? Maybe one day we can figure that out!)


• Regardless of ability in a particular subject, students are kept in the same classroom. There is both a focus on the struggling students and the brightest students.


• The Finnish spend the LEAST amount of time in school in the world.


• There is no disruptive transitional phase between primary and secondary schools, and the teachers follow their kids. One teacher stated how this helped her understand her students and allowed her to act as "their school mother". Basically, the teachers watch them grow up.


• There are no mandated or standardized tests. There are no rankings, comparisons or competitions between students, schools, or regions.


• Homework is minimal.


• Their education system is publicly funded and run by educators (no business people, military leaders or politicians.)

Here are some other things that have significant impact:

• There is a very strong culture of reading and family communication with educators in Finland.


• More on the cultural impact: the learning environment is casual and informal, which may allow for students to deal with less pressure and stress than some of the other top performing countries.


• Teaching is a prestigious career in Finland. They are highly valued, but they are held to very high standards.


• And quite possibly the biggest two: 1) Finland has low levels of immigration, which means that the majority speak Finnish as their native language. This eliminates the struggles that other educational systems face with ELL students. 2) There is not a large disparity between economic classes in Finland, unlike most other countries in the world; and of course, it is obvious that large economical differences are accompanied by learning deficiencies.

Teachers are the single biggest profession in Finland. Of course, I had a burning interest in how the teachers were selected, and why they were so highly valued, well besides the obvious, which sometimes people in the US forget: that they are teaching the future of the country. I mean, I'm just saying...

Here are some facts about teachers in Finland:

• All of the educators are selected from the top 10% of the nations graduates to earn a master's degree in education. So basically, in order to be a teacher, you have to be in the top 10 of your NATIONAL graduating class. (I am pretty sure I wouldn't make the cut to be a teacher in Finland. Imagine that...not making the cut to be a teacher.)


• Here are some hard numbers I found to illustrate this: In 2008, 1,258 undergrads applied for training to become elementary-school teachers. Only 123 were accepted into the 5 year training program. That's 9.8%! And apparently this is typical. *This was taken from Time Magazine's Finlands Education Policy Successes.


• Although this mandated 5 year training is expensive, this helps to create a highly respectable profession that is honored and appreciated in society. In February of last year, the first ever International Summit on Education met in New York. There was an article written in the Washington Post by Linda Darling-Hammond that describes the biggest differences regarding teacher training, specifically focusing on the US, Finland, Singapore, and China. In fact, in order to make teaching in Finland even more attractive (which at this point is hard for me to imagine possible) a salary is given to those teachers who are completing their 5 year training. Most importantly, I believe the key to Finland's teacher training is the selection process. There are many people that want to be teachers, and unfortunately many people choose the teaching career in the US because...well, simply put: they believe "it is easy". Sure, everytime I hear this my blood boils, because I KNOW it is not; but the difference here is that teachers can get away with doing very little. Perhaps making it a little more difficult to "become" a teacher wouldn't hurt.


• Schools get to draw from a pool of these teachers once they finish their 5 year training in education. (All teachers MUST have their Master's, and not in education but in the FIELD THEY WISH TO TEACH. Want to teach Literature? Well, you need a Master's in Literature. Want to teach Math? You will need a Master's in math.) It is almost like an NBA or NFL Draft, but for teachers. Imagine that?

The "Whatever it takes" educational attitude in Finland is surely the reason that they seem to have done a pretty good job in educating their people. In fact, I also read that 45 years ago, Finland's education system was in terrible condition. So they seemed to have gotten their act together in about 40 years. This gives me some hope. Maybe there still is a chance for our education system. Bottom line is: although we have large economic disparity in America, parental and poverty problems are eliminated by schools performing well.

Oh Finland...thank you!

What the heck is Gaelic Football?

When I was little I could never decide what sport I wanted to play. I bounced back and forth between soccer and basketball. I remember crying and being torn about which tournament to attend over the weekend. Do I go to my AAU Basketball tournament in New Jersey, or do I travel to Maryland with my soccer team? Is there a way I can do both? - Oh and trust me...I tried! In the spring, I remember going to Lacrosse practice right after school, and then rushing 45 minutes away in traffic to my travel team soccer practice, and then heading an hour and a half out to basketball (or another soccer practice for another team.) In the fall it was school soccer and then club soccer, and in the winter it was basketball and indoor soccer. Talk about running myself tired. Thank god my parents were so supportive of me in my sports endeavors.

Anyway, the point of bringing this all up is that I NEVER could decide what sport I liked best. I liked them all! I eventually played soccer in college, but I always missed all the other sports I gave up.

Just when I thought there was no answer to the "favorite sport" question, I found the answer. I have been in Taiwan for about 2 months, and spent the majority of my first month sending millions of emails out searching for a soccer team I could play with. I thought it would be a great way to meet new people, and play some soccer while I was at it. Unfortunately, everything turned up empty. There were no soccer teams on the internet.

Right when I was about to give up, I found something about a sport called Gaelic Football. Having no idea what it was, or if it even allowed women, I sent an email off asking whether they had room for one more player.

A month later, I found myself standing on a field in Korea at the 2011 Asian Gaelic Games representing Taiwan as a member of the Taiwan Celts.

Here is a picture of our club after the men won their first Asian Gaelic Games Plate!

What is Gaelic Football?

So, there is a field (pitch) with two H shaped goals. To move the ball each player can take 4 steps and then he/she must either bounce the ball OR solo it (which is basically a single juggle off the foot while running). They cannot do two bounces in a row, but can do as many solos as they like. To pass, a player must either volley with the foot to someone on their team who then catches it OR they must hand pass, which is like a volley ball serve. You cannot throw the ball. If the ball drops on the ground, a player can dribble it like a soccer ball, and even pass it like one, but remember that anyone can bend down and pick it up. Hands are allowed. If a player falls, they cannot touch the ball while they are on the ground. Instead, they need to get up and then pick the ball up. There is no tackling, but a player can play defense and steal the ball by punching it out of another players hands with one hand. I think the defense you play in Gaelic is very similar to the defense you play in basketball. There is little contact. The way you position yourself on the field is very similar to both lacrosse and soccer.

A team scores when a player from their team scores a goal when shooting at the goalie, OR when they kick a field goal. A goal is 3 points, and a field goal is 1 point. When there is a foul there is a free punt, and if you are close enough to the goal you can either shoot or go for a field goal. When the ball is out, there are no throw in's, and the ball is punted in play.

Ok, so I only went to one practice before the Asian Gaelic Games in Korea, but after the 1st game I understood it a little more. I was clumsy on the field, and very out of shape, but I had so much fun playing for Taiwan.

Our first game we beat the Seoul Gaels. The second game we played Singapore, and also beat them. Our third game we played Japan, and beat them as well. Our last game was a draw (tie) and then the next day we lost to a team in the quarter finals. Even though we lost, I think we did pretty well considering we have barely played together! This was the first time the women's team had a full team to compete with. Very exciting!

Our guys team won their division for the first time in Taiwan Celts history!! That was probably the highlight of the trip...and watching and cheering them on was so much fun!

I am so lucky to have met so many awesome people and new friends, and I cannot wait for the 2012 games!!!

Cheering on the guys while they played in the finals!

The guys in action.

Champions!!

We went out for a club dinner to a restaurant, and I battled a ball of noodles.

This weekend reminded of the reasons I loved being an athlete in high school and college. I forgot what it was like to travel with team mates and bond on and off the field. That is how friends are made, and memories are never forgotten!! Thank you to the Taiwan Celts for taking me in last minute and letting me be a part of such a wonderful organization!!!!!

Happy Birthday Winnie the Pooh!

A voice we all know, and a belly we all love. Winnie the Pooh is a character that has played a big part in most youngsters lives...mine included.


Everyone knows Winnie the Pooh, and this month he turns 85! What a perfect focus for a lesson and an opportunity for some fun arts and crafts for my 7th graders.

In class, we read an article about Winnie the Pooh and A.A. Milne. I taught the kids the vocabulary the lesson centered around, we played games, and then I had them sing Happy Birthday to Winnie the Pooh, which was quite entertaining! Since they have exams this coming week, I thought I would give them homework that was a little more "fun" than usual. Their assignment was to make birthday cards for Winnie the Pooh in English. Inside they had to use some of our vocabulary words.

I figured since I am was having so much luck with the stickers as motivation, that I would make this into a contest. At first, they weren't sure about the word conTEST because all they heard was TEST. Realizing this as soon as I heard their groans and saw their faces, I quickly picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the board: Contest = Game. Cheers erupted!

I explained to them how it would work. Of course I had the help of a class translator (there is usually at least one student in each class that is able to translate for me!). They would each make a card, and I would select 10 cards for them to vote on. Then, they would choose which one would receive 1st place; one would receive 2nd place; and one would receive 3rd place.

The prizes were as follows:
1st place: a homework pass and three stickers
2nd place: two stickers
3rd place: one sticker

I am happy to share some of the cards...along with one that just really impressed me. One girl created a pop-up card, and it was pretty amazing! Although it didn't win 1st prize, I thought it was the best!


Here are some more of the cards!


And finally, some of the winners!!

An Angry Bird, a few stickers, and some home-made homework passes

It has been about a month and a half...and they are FINALLY starting to speak!

If you have read my blogs before, you will know I am talking about my students. My 7th grade classes were (and still are) painfully quiet, unless of course I am playing charades with them and acting like a complete fool. In that case they are rolling on the floor laughing. Hey, that's something isn't it?

The weeks have passed, and I have to stop a second and give myself a pat on the back. I have been killing myself trying to think of ways to get the students to participate in class, and I think I have started to find it. I wish I knew that all it took was an angry bird, a few stickers and homemade homework passes!

The second week of school I was in Ximen, which is a market where they sell almost everything. I found a little red Angry Bird, and immediately realized THAT was what I needed in my classroom.

I throw the Angry Bird to the students who have their hands raised. It helped a little bit with their willingness to participate, but I wasn't happy yet. There was something else I needed to do...so I went back to the drawing board. I walked through the stationary store by my house one night, hoping to find an idea from something I saw. Right as I thought it was hopeless, I saw the stickers. BINGO!

I bought about 9,000 little smiley face stickers; half of them are blue and the other half are pink. Whenever a student does their homework (which is all the time) they get a blue sticker. This is a way to get the kids who are shy started with some stickers. Then throughout class, I write down the names of the students who raise their hand and participate on the board. Each student has to participate more than once (but sometimes I bend the rules for the shyer ones!)

Each class usually ends with a game, like BINGO or something. The winner(s) receive an additional sticker. So, in reality a student could potentially get 3 stickers a day. I tell them that for the first round, they have to get 10 stickers to get a homework pass. When I announced the homework pass, they were like, "WOW!" and literally could not believe I would actually allow them to not do their homework!

Okay...so maybe I have something here.


Was I right or what? My class went from 1 or 2 kids raising their hands, to kids jumping out of their seat for me to call on them and throw them the Angry Bird. I actually have to pick kids, and that part is hard. Take a look at this!

Is my job done yet...ABSOLUTELY NOT. I still see kids without their hands up, but I have to say the ones that do have their hands up certainly seem to REALLY want to be called on! At least I know it is not fake! I am pretty excited.

A few thoughts on this whole process:

1) When I first started rewarding the stickers at the beginning of class as I did homework checks, I realized that it took quite a bit of time. I forgot for a moment that I have about 55 kids in one class. I have since then, started giving the kids a game or exercise that they can do while I complete the homework check - maybe a word search or a word scramble. I am also teaching them how to crack coded messages, which they L-O-V-E.

2) I think I may actually stop using the stickers, and find myself a stamp. It would be a lot faster. I waste a lot of precious time peeling off the stickers and putting them onto the students' index cards. However, that will be a while because I did buy around 9,000 stickers!

So...I am getting there! My kids are starting to open up and participate, and I couldn't be happier.