Beautiful Surroundings

OKAY...if there's something I'm not cut out to do, it's killing bugs. Especially when they leave things like this:


[gags] Nasty little things, mosquitoes. Ughh the stresses of life. Tomorrow I will invest in a long-lasting fly swatter. So anyways, it's been almost two weeks since I've been here and things are great. I'm still adjusting to everything and trying to explore the town when I have the time. This week I only had one day off since we get next Saturday off. The boss is taking all the teachers to Sun Moon Lake in Yuchi, Nantou. I'm getting excited now looking at all the pictures. Here's one.


As I type this I sit on my newly made ledge/sitting area. Look!


Tomorrow I'll take a picture of what my view looks like. During the week I rode my bike around and explored the roads around my apartment. If you go to the back of my apartment complex, this is what you would see.






I got lucky to have this kind of view. I also found a little tea garden, another temple, and some chickens!


There are random gardens around the town like this one.


I'm happy because I've also found a flower shop near my apartment ^^ And I've finally found out how to use my washing machine so that my clothes come out smelling good! The secret solution...fabric softner -_- My classes are starting to become routine and learning names is getting a little easier. Most of the kids are super sweet and cute. One of my Junior High students, Becky, gave me this yesterday.

I named her "Becky" :)
There's another little kid who does this side-ways peace sign thing and smiles. It's hard to explain but it's hilarious. Next time I have his class I'll try to catch it on video.

Last week I had a slight moment of doubt. I stumbled upon a few classes that didn't want to listen to me. I felt discouraged. But I've realized that it was only my first week. The students barely know me and I them. I have to always keep sight of what I'm here to do and why. I never expected it to be easy, but I guess lately I've been extra hard on myself. And now things are looking up! The students are talking to me more and I'm starting to feel like part of the school. This has got to be the hardest job I've ever had...and I'm so grateful to have it. I know this experience will teach me many things. One thing I need to work on though...is getting the students to get excited about learning English. Most of them don't want to be there. I don't really blame them though. They already have school and probably other cram schools to go to. They study way harder than we do in America. If I can get them to enjoy learning English, then I'll consider that a major accomplishment. I guess we'll just have to wait and see :)

Goodnight world.

☼ Amanda