29/01/2013:
Last paper for the semester! That week was the most horrible, stressful and terrible week in my entire life this far. 5 modules to study for reading week and all come once after another during the exam week. 2 of them are in the same day somemore. Kill me please! Nevertheless, I overcomed it and here am I, enjoyin my holidays~
After the paper, Zenia and I went to west mall to watch Catching Fire and we had sakae for dinner. We took a photo together before we bade farewell. I won't be seeing her in 6 to 7 months time. She will be going George Washington, USA for her exchange. I will miss her accompany for lectures, tutorials and trips down to Sushi Tei. :(
30/01/2013:
I woke up very early as I need to complete my to-do-list before I fly to Taiwan. First, I went to the temple to Bugis and then to Bugis+ to get the clothing I need for the trip. On my way to Bugis, I saw Anna on the train. She was going to school to study for her last paper. I had a great chat with her on the train. It's also the longest chat I have ever had with her. LOL, she thinks so too. She is still the ever-so-caring Anna-jie! I really appreciate her care and concern!
After that, I went to vivo city to catch 3 Peas in a Pod. I had the Queen's burger meal from Burger King too. I have wanted to eat it all along during the reading week, therefore I tell myself I have to eat it before I fly. Anyway, the movie is really good! I love the twist in te movie. Although until now I still don't get it why he has to commit suicide. Overall, it's really worth watching. I'm so glad that I'm able to catch the last screening. I think I will feel damm sad if I miss this movie.
Once I complete my to-do-list, I went home to prepare and do some last packing before I head to the airport. I have to be at the airport by midnight because my flight is at 1.15am on the 1 Dec. Shunyu and Yingjie came to send me off. Tzumi came along too, I didn't know she was coming, it's a pleasant surprise. It's nice to catch up with them after so long even though it's only for a while.
01/12/2013:
At the boarding gate, I was feeling nervous but excited at the same time. Everything up till that point in time still felt so surreal for me. I think it's because during the application period, I met many problems and just have this bad feeling that I will have to cancel my trip. I guess I'm just being too sensitive, here I am now in Taiwan, realizing my project! ^^
I flew with Jetstar this time round. The flight was not bad just that the head rest for the seat is kinda weird. There are a lot of leg space for the seat, even much more as compared to Scoot. However, the head rest is protruding out making passengers unable to laid back fully and "rest" their head. It was kinda uncomfortable. If they can change their head rest, the flight would have been a PERFECT one and I will fly with them from then on. Their leg space is really the best among the other budget airlines (Scoot and Tiger Airways) that I've flew before.
The flight was about 4.5 hours and besides the head rest, there was a baby crying/vomiting and a few elderly coughing throughout the flight. I couldn't sleep like that and the head rest isn't helping too.
-Reached Taoyuan Airport-
I landed at around 6am but I didn't leave the airport immediately. I need to buy the SIM card from the telecommunication bur it only opens at 8am. While waiting, I had my breakfast, bought the bus tickets to Taoyuan HSR and slept for a while. Traveling alone is really troublesome, especially so when you're with your luggages. Each time when I need to go to the toilet, I have to bring ALL my luggages into the cubicle. How did I do that? Luckily, they have the cubicle for mums and children that is much bigger than the normal ones. SO....I carried all my luggages off the trolley and push them into the cubicle. I think I did that for like twice or thrice. Zzzzzzzz.....
Once I bought my SIM card, I head off to Taoyuan HSR station. The ride from Taoyuan HSR station to Tainan HSR station took about 1.5 hours. It's very comfortable, I got some sleep too. I was very tired by then, not enough sleep throughout the week due to finals, couldn't get much sleep on the plane, once I landed, I still need to carry and pull my luggages around. FYI, my luggages weighed about 25 kg and that's excluding the 2.5kg laptop in my backpack. X.X
When I reached Tainan HSR station, my manager was there to pick me up. I thought he can help me with my luggages but apprently NOT. He didn't offer to help me with my luggages despite seeing my having problems pulling and carrying my luggages across the small gantry. ANYWAY, we travelled to a train station where the principal of the school that I'm attached to picked us up. She was having badminton match in the morning and she came out halfway through just to pick us up. She brought us to the place but it was already the prize ceremony. We didn't stay there for very long. After the prize ceremony, we went back to the principal's house for lunch. We had bento for lunch. The prinicipal and her husband took turns to bath and accompany us for lunch. I was not feeling well by then. I couldn't finish half of the bento. I was so tired and my whole body feels warm too. After lunch, we went to the principal's friend's house for a visit. My host family will only be back in Tainan at 4pm therefore I have to hang around with the prinicpal for the time being.
What did they do during the house visit? They sang KARAOKE. I had 2 panadol pills and doze off when all the others were by my side singing their lungs out. Yes, even though it's so LOUD, I still managed to sit there and sleep. THIS WAS HOW TIRED I AM. At around 4pm plus, the principal sent me to my host family and that's when I can finally have some proper rest. My fever didn't subside. Instead, it went all the way up to 38 degree celsius. The panadol isn't working so my host mum, Maggie gave me a medicine that Taiwanese people eat. It's in powder form that is something new to me. I washed up and went to sleep. I didn't even eat dinner that day.
02/12/2013: First day of school
The medicine worked for me! I'm glad that the fever subsided, if not I don't know how am I going to survive in school that day. First day of school is very simple, I merely just familiarised with the environment and system. The school, education system and practices in school are so different of what I have experienced in Singapore.
School: 石門國小
It's a very old school, it has a history of 113 years (if I didn't remember correctly). Since it's an old school, the toilets are also the older version. There isn't gents and ladies in the school. The toilets are common toilets, so boys and girls use the same toilet. I'm okay with that since they are all small kids. However, the teachers use the same toilets too! Now, that's the problem. The urinary basins (I dunno what's the name for it) are at the entrance of the common toilet and the cubicles are facing the unrinary basins. So be it entering the toilet or coming out from the cubicle, I will still see the urinary basin and therefore be able to see anyone who is there doing their small business. =.= AND, it did happen once. When I came out of the cubicle that day, there's this man standing in front of the urinary basin. He actually turned his head to try and see who is coming out from the cubicle. I immediately dashed out of the toilet without even recognising who is that man. =.=
System in school
There is no such thing as canteen in the school. Lunch is prepared by the school's kitchen and being sent to each classroom. At first I thought it's packed food but I'm wrong. The food all comes in big containers and students have to bring their lunchboxes/bowl/plates and utensils for lunch. The teachers' lunch are also prepared by the kitchen in school. They also have to bring their lunch box to get the food from the containers. I didn't know anything about that so I didn't have a lunch box that day. When I made my visit down to the kitchen, the kitchen-in-charge actually has a brand new lunch box with her and she gave it to me as a gift. The other teachers lent me their extra pairs of utensils too.
They have a home teacher system that means the form teacher of each class will have their desks in their respective classroom.
Students have to reach school 15-30mins earlier before class starts at 8am just to clean up the school before school starts everyday. This is because they do not have cleaners to clean the school for them. Therefore, students who are as small as primary 1 will have to carry tongs, garbage bag, mops, brooms, garbage bins etc around the school to clean the part of the school that they are designated to. It's really cute to see them clean up the school because the equipments they used are much bigger than them and they are really serious about their work. I really admire their spirit. They start this early and is now a routine to them and which is why no one complains about their cleaning job. The students have to clean up the school the second time during the middle of the day but only half of them will be cleaning the school since it was already cleaned in the morning.
The students will have a 5 minutes break after each lesson and they get a 30 to 40 mintues nap after lunch. Teachers can choose to have a nap during that time too, how cool is that? ;) I did have nap for about 3 to 4 times already. :P I have o Luh, the whole of last semester I had afternoon classes only. For now, I have to wake up at 6.15am everyday during the weekdays and the most 1 hour later for weekends. How not to have nap? ;) Are you thinking how do the students get their nap? Nope, they didn't sleep on beds or mattress but just lay their heads on the table. That's what the teachers did too.
03/12/2013 - 06/12/2013:
Started sharing the singapore's culture to the different classes. I have my own ENGLISH lessons too. Those in my English lessons are those parents who are not able to come and fetch them on time or have some family problems. They normally end school at 4pm everyday except Wednesday. These students will stay back in school from 4pm to 6pm and there will be part time teachers coming into the class to take care of them and help them with their school work. Now that I'm here, 4pm to 5pm is my slot and I have to reach them ENGLISH. I can't believe it that I'm an English teacher now. My English standard is like 半桶水 and here I am teaching them English.....I hope I won't 误人子弟....
Other than these 2 sessions, I have to attend ALL the English lessons during normal school time to be a teacher assistant. However, I feel like I'm wasting my time. Most of the time the English teacher don't need my help as most of the time is teaching and the class work time only takes up about 10mins. -.- That's when I get to stand up and walk around the class and help any student who needs help. So I went to tell the teacher if she needs any help, she can just tell me and I will just assist. In the end? She said she will give me 10 mins to introduce and teach them how to sing English POP songs at the end of the class for primary 5 and primary 6. Gosh. So now, I have to sing....LOL
I have to be in school by 8am and my last lesson of the day will end at 5pm. Basically, I don't get to travel much except on weekends. I normally don't go anywhere at night unless my host family drives me out for dinner and that's when I get to see something that day. Nevertheless, I feel that my holiday is fully utilized as I get to teach students and able to achieve something everyday. I will have to get up early in the morning, so no time is wasted on sleeping in too. I think this holiday is the most utilized one thus far. I think it's good! I get to help the students and at the same time, train myself for public speaking, be more entertaining and learn how to plan better. :) :) :)
07/12/2013: 安平树屋, 德记洋行,安平老街
The treehouse was super pretty. It's a super big tree that grows on and into a house thus forming a treehouse. For this case, the house is on the ground. As the tree is really big, more rooms and platforms are being built and expanded thus allowing tourists to climb at to get a better view. It's really interesting.
Then 德记洋行 is more of knowing more about the history of Taiwan, especially those that happened in Tainan. It tells me how did Koxinga defeated the Dutch and make them leave Taiwan.
I had my lunch and dinner at the old street. It's more crowded during the weekends. In addition, there will be more shops too so it's more worth it to visit it during the weekends.
08/12/2013: Koxinga's memorial, 安平古堡
My host family's son, Hanson, plays soccer at another school everyday Sunday morning. I followed them to the training place to have a look and the school. After that, my host mum brought me to the Koxinga's memorial while waiting for her son to finish training. I got to know more about this person, Koxinga (郑成功). He was the one who drove the Dutch away and the Taiwanese were very grateful for what he did. He's a half Chinese and half Japanese. I was quite surprise to know that, his mum is a Japanese while his dad is a Chinese.
After the training session, my host family went home and then I head off to 安平古堡. It is another historic sites. it's the fort built by the Dutch. In the past, there was no such thing called glue, so they used something interesting to glue the bricks together to build the fort. They mixed oyster shells, glutinous rice and some syrup to make their so-called "glue".
I went up to the highest point of the fort. I managed to see a great view from the top. I was alone, so throughout the day and the day before, whenever I see pretty scenery, I have to take selfies to include myself into the picture. I can't take a full body shot unless I asked someone to help me. However, I don't normally do that because I scared the person will just run away with my camera. -.- The only time I can take full body shot myself is when there is something infront to support my camera and I will do a self-timer shot. This is very rare too. -.- so I guess selfies throughout the trip then....
Okay, that's all for week 1!
