Amber and Puppy

Dr. Lee has two new puppies, very small and very cute. Kathleen and I are not 'dog people' so a pat on the head and a "oh, so cute!" sufficed. However, some of the other teachers were in second heaven with two puppies to play with.

Ikea fun and excitement

This is the chair / bed that I bought when Claire came to visit. I couldn't get it put together with a regular screwdriver, so this summer I bought the fancy/cheap electric screwdriver from Wal-Mart. I still think that Ikea made a mistake, some of the holes were definitely too small, and I had to redrill them. Still, after an hour or two I had a lovely chair to relax on.

update

I realized that I forgot to give a little update on my current emotional and mental state.
Long story short, I'm really happy to be back in Taiwan. Life is good.
I was certainly anxious about leaving my idyllic life in Halifax, but I didn't really have to worry. My job is incredible - I am so lucky to have found such an excellent position on my first try. I have incredibly supportive supervisors, friendly Taiwanese co-workers, and really super students. Every day I'm relatively excited to go to school. I feel like I have a job that makes a difference and means something.
And in what must truly be a benevolent act of God, the weather has been moderate the last few days. It's still sunny and warm, over 30 Celsius and 80% plus humidity, but there's been an unusual cool breeze that makes the air seem fresher and the weather seem much more manageable.
The house situation is ten times better. Right now it's Friday night around midnight. Last fall, I would be sitting on the couch by myself, home alone watching a movie. Tonight, the six of us are all sitting around, listening to cds (alternating "Canadian" and "American" - East Coast music or hip hop), and chatting. It feels like the days of college dorms, only a few years beyond. And as one of my favorite quotes goes: "Wherever you are, it is your friends who make your world."

New Group of Teachers

The 'foreign' teaching staff at Fu-Hsing is quite different this year:
Kathy's doing Travel
I'm teaching Advanced English (Dr. Lee is standing between us.)
Sitting:
Amber from Wisconsin teaches Drame
Jason from Washington teaches PE and lives at school, literally.
Stephanie from Ottawa is back and teaches Newspaper
Demetra is from Arizona and teaches Movies.
Corinne, not pictured, is from California, and teaches Remedial English.
It's a great group, it makes a big difference in morale to have a happy work and home situation.

The Administration

These are all the great people I get to work with and for at Fu-Hsing. They make my job so enjoyable, I've never had such a supportive workplace.
Dr. Lee, standing. Sitting: Dorcas, David, Phoebe, and Rachel.

Sunflower

These are some flower shots I took on my last walk through the Public Gardens, the evening before I left Halifax.

fall flowers

fall flower

bloom

center

My first view of the Rockies

Well, I finally made it to Canada's west coast. Took me long enough. The Rockies were beautiful from the plane window. I did think it odd that I saw the Himalayas, Andes, and Alps before the Rockies!

Vancouver Skyline

This is the Vancouver skyline. Since I had such a short time there (less than 24 hours) I decided to swallow my pride and just take a tour. I got to see the downtown, Stanley Park, Granville Island, Yaletown, etc. It took up the entire afternoon.

Lighthouse

That Rock Person Thingy

Dominion Hotel

After trapising around the city for a few hours, it was time to find my hotel, which was right downtown. I had debated forking out tons of money for a 'real hotel', because I had no desire to stay in another hostel, however I found the Dominion Hotel on hostelworld.com and decided to give it a try. It cost $70 a night! A lot more than a hostel. Still, I was attracted to it, because the description said that each room was unique and decorated by a different local artist.

When I checked in, the reception and hallways seemed scarily rundown. I think it used to be a halfway house. Anyway, the actual hotel was much nicer, and I had to read all the different bios outside each door. I got a room designed by Vicky Alexander, and it had circular cut-outs of sky on white walls, with black curtians, a white duvet, etc. And my own washroom attached, definitely better than a hostel. Full cable on the tv, and I was entirely happy with my $70 purchase.

Gastown

So, I had never been to Vancouver before and it was just pure luck the hotel I choose was right downtown. The area, Gastown, was actually really nice, with cobblestone streets and hanging plants. This is the famous steam clock, which is special because its old and it uses steam to run. I have to admit, I felt somewhat ambivalent about it. The crowds of tourists staring at it dampened my enthusiasm.

Dinner View

To end my very short time in Vancouver, I had a relaxing dinner at a new little restaurant in Gastown, called the Black Frog. They had only been open a week, and the service was great, food tasty and prices resonable.

I had my choice of tables, and sat by the open windows, looking out over the Vancouver harbour and this, the Canada Place thingy. The sunset was gorgeous, and it was nice to just sit, stare and think about transitioning between here and there.

Black Frog

These were the fresh flowers on my table at the Black Frog. I alternated staring at the view and taking pictures of the flowers!

Barrage coming...

Goodmorning! I had a lovely relaxing weekend, I got 7 pages written for my Filipina Migrant Workers paper. We also had a big Welcome shindig hosted by our principal Dr. Lee. I have lots of photos to put up, and I'll post a bunch during my lunch break today. Get ready!

Survived it

We survived Typhoon Talim. Actually it didn't seem that bad, we got off work an hour early, it came at night, and was pretty much over in the morning. We still got our typhoon day though, and I unpacked everything, reorganized my room, and put together my IKEA chair. It was a very nice bonding typhoon night, with the rain and the wind storming, the six of us girls sat around the living room eating chocolate and watching dvds. The living situation is a great improvement over last year, and the apartment feels like home.
This morning I had my three grade 1 classes, and they are very cute! They seem to be so earnest and loving. The grade 1s are the only ones that changes, otherwise I have nearly all the same students. Thank goodness! Otherwise I'd have 400 new names to learn.
I meant to put up my Vancouver photos, but the internet is down at the apartment (Noooo!) So you'll have to wait. I have come down with a massive sinus cold - must be something to do with the air / humidity / snotty-nosed children.