Ni Hao Tembin!

While guiltily getting a TV news fix yesterday in the hotel, CNN International was displaying a big map of Taiwan with two very mean red icons heading right for the island. Although I knew that it was Typhoon season, I have to admit that this caught us off-guard a little.  I’ve never lived in hurricane country before (Typhoons are exactly the same weather pattern as hurricanes, they just get a different name in the Pacific) so preparing for the event is new to me.  Of course I don’t want anyone to get injured or anyone’s property to be damaged, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little excited about the whole thing.  

My lack of worry stems from the fact that we are moved into our apartment which in a very stable new building.  All structures in Taiwan are built with typhoons and earthquakes in mind, so I don’t forsee anything catastrophic.  The biggest concern seems to be flooding, but we are on the 5^th floor, so I think we are in the clear.

I’ll find out more tomorrow afternoon when Tembin is forecasted to make landfall.  The center is supposed to be south of Taipei, so we won’t feel the worst of the storm.  It looks like it will be a good day to hunker down with noodles and tea, watching what we can through our window.  I’ll be sure to let everyone know we’re OK after it passes through. Now it is time to go to the market and stock up!

First Impressions

Hard to believe we’ve been here over a week already.  Severe jetlag resulted in a few sleepless nights and sleepful days, so it is hard to string together a coherent chronology of the last week.  However, I’m happy to report that we have all three successfully turned our circadian rhythms upside-down and are sleeping through the night now. 

Another very exciting development is that Jess and I found and moved into an apartment yesterday!  After schlepping around 90+ heat with Abel to look at apartments all over central Taipei for a week, we are THRIILLED to have a home.  Once we get more moved in I’ll post pictures and give some details. 

Taipei First Impressions

Dsiclaimer: I feel as though I’ve spent enough time in Taipei to label my initial observations as at least somewhat valid. Of course, as I spend more time here and visit a greater variety of places, my views and opinions will evolve. But, here is what I’ve noticed so far . . .

Nice People – Taiwanese are friendly and warm.  They are extra kind to foreigners, and they are super-sweet to anyone holding a baby.  Therefore, everyone from electronics vendors to our landlord has gone out of their way to be helpful and tell us how cute (Ke Ai) and well-mannered (Guai) Abel is.  Without question, Abel is responsible for us getting a good deal on our apartment and for countless courtesies we receive on a daily basis.  I expected traveling with an infant to make things more difficult, but in an interesting way he makes things easier. 

Clean – Taipei is a very modern city with more amenities than I expected.  I have traveled through China, and I expected Taiwan to be very similar.  In fact, Taipei does bear resemblance to Hong Kong, but Hong Kong is very different than other Chinese cities.  I would put Taipei halfway between Hong Kong and Beijing, meaning that it is very modern and clean, but still has some of the ancient far-east character that makes Beijing so much fun.  A good example is that there is no smoking in any building in Taipei and no spitting allowed on the streets.  This is very different than China, where spitting and smoking are just part of city life. Having a baby in tow, it is really nice not to have to worry about the germs and carcinogens caused by these habits.

Easy to Navigate – I’m amazed at the sensibility of Taipei’s layout.  Streets are on a grid with sequential numbers of lanes and alleys.  Given a street address, I can actually find the building without too much backtracking!  It helps that signs are in Chinese and English and are very consistently labeled.  Another help is that many more people than I expected speak passable English.  Of course I usually rely on my personal guide and translator (Jess) to do this legwork, but it is nice to know that I’m not out of luck if I’m alone.

Safe –I’ve heard a total of one emergency vehicle siren since landing in Taipei.  One.  During an hour walk in downtown Chicago or New York I bet you would hear a dozen or more.  Why is this?  Certainly there is a difference in emergency response systems, but a major factor is the incredibly low rates of street crime in Taipei.  Criminal activity does exist on some levels, but muggings, shootings, and carjackings are unheard of here.  I was thinking about this as Jess and I walked back to our hotel with Abel last night at around 10pm without a care in the world – I felt so much safer than in any major US city – and with good reason. 

Now that we have an apartment, we can spend less time with realty agents and more time exploring the city. Jess has started her job, but I'm still unemployed and loving it, so Abel and I will make lots of day-time excursions. I'm going to post again soon about a Typhoon headed our way, so stay tuned . . .

Island to Island

ATV -> Boat -> Van -> Tram -> Plane (x3) -> Taxi

We didn't expect the trip from Temagami to Taiwan to be easy - it did prove to be exhausting and epic - but I really can't imagine it going any more smoothly than it has so far.  I know, "knock on wood", but we are all three happy, healthy, rested, and safe in our hotel room in Taipei, so I think there is room for celebration.  After all, this was no stroll across town.

The journey started on Garden Island with loading up our gear onto Dick's ATV trailer to haul it across the island to the dock. Why did we need a heavy-duty ATV to haul our gear less than a mile? Let's just say that the days of  traveling light with nothing but a backpack are long gone - with the addition of Abel's gear, we would need about 10 backpacks total.  Instead, we had three full size checked bags (two of which are over the 50 lbs max), two full size carry-on bags, two shoulder bags, a diaper bag, and a large jogging stroller with car-seat.  Somehow we managed to get everything loaded onto Dick's boat without dislocating a shoulder or falling off the dock. The ride to the marina was Abel's last boat-ride for awhile, which is too bad because he LOVES boat rides - a certain Zen calm comes over him that is impossible to shake.

In line with their history of making our lives easier, Dick and Marg drove us to the Toronto airport and put us up in the Sheraton that is attached to our Terminal.  I can't imagine a more convenient location to have a celebratory glass of wine, say good-bye, and get a good night's sleep.

The next morning started early (4:30) when we corralled our piles of bags onto carts and wheeled them towards the United Airlines desk.  I thought we were having a stressful morning, until I witnessed the expressions on the staffs' faces at the United Airlines counter.  Either half the employees called in sick, or there is a very incompetent supervisor who thought that two people could check in 100+ passengers for several flights.  Let's just say that it was not a pleasant experience.  A United supervisor did make it up to us by expediting our trip through security and running with us through the terminal while carrying one of our bags.  At least Abel enjoyed the trip - the bounces on the stroller as I clumsily ran down the walkways must have felt great!

The rest of the air travel was blissfully non-eventful.  We got an extra seat on two out of three flights so Abel could stretch out and the flight attendants were extremely helpful.  Abel did AMAZING!  He slept, ate, slept, and smiled.  Pretty much his usual schedule.  Jess and I were pretty exhausted, but very relieved that Abel was happy.

We arrived in Taipei at 8pm with two out of three of our checked bags (the third has since been delivered) and our driver was holding a sign with "Jessica Lewis" written on it as we exited customs.  Even though it wasn't my name, I still felt like a VIP.   We got settled into our hotel**, had a wonderful 10 hours of sleep, and Jess dove right into her job by meeting her colleagues for lunch while Abel and I roamed around the city.

I won't go into much detail about the city yet - I'll save that for the next post.  Now it is time for me to continue to battle jet-lag and get to bed.  I am writing this after having woken up at 1:30 - not in the afternoon, but in the morning.  I like to be an early-riser, but this is a little ridiculous. We have a full day of apartment searching tomorrow, so wish us luck!



** A small foot-note about our hotel - best free breakfast EVER! This deserves a footnote because I take hotel breakfasts quite seriously and over the years I have seen the good, bad, and ugly.  I wake up hungry and I have no tolerance for an establishment that thinks a few pieces of white bread and warm orange juice constitutes breakfast.  I didn't have very high expectations for breakfast at our hotel because in China breakfast is usually pretty simple - a steamed bun, soy milk, some fruit, or rice porridge.  You can't imagine my elation as I walked into the lobby to find eight hot dishes (sausage, eggs, fried rice, fish, vegetables), fresh fruit, rice porridge, baked goods, coffee, tea, juices, and an entire array of Chinese condiments which I don't know what to call and don't care because they are super tasty.  Needless to say, I will be sad to check out in a few days . . .

Taiwan - Scratching that Travel Itch

The Lewis-Murphy family is off to Taiwan!

I'm on the road again.  After three years of stationary existence and working a full-time job with all the trimmings, the travel itch came on with an intensity that could not be ignored. The big difference this time is that I am not taking off on my own with nothing but a backpack.  For this adventure I have the distinct pleasure of sharing my journey two hearty travel partners - Abel and Jess.  While Jess has more travel experience than Abel or me, it is Abel who is proving to be the all-star.  He has already flown from Austin to Silex, MO, then driven 2000+ miles from Silex to Temagami, Ontario.  Not bad for 2 1/2 months, if you ask me.

It has been a few years since I've posted on this blog, but I don't see any reason to start a new one.  Ideally, I would have been posting throughout my time in Austin, since life is an adventure no matter where or what one is living.  However, the highly domestic routine that I found myself in does not translate into exciting reading material.  Gym -> Work -> Grocery Store -> Home -> Repeat.  Another reason, or perhaps excuse, is that I had a busy job in addition to a great deal of coursework to earn my Board Certified Behavior Analyst certification.  Between +10 hours a day of work, domestic tasks, and then coursework, I didn't have much time to devote to trying to make my life sound exciting via blog posts. Hopefully living in a very foreign place where I don't speak the language with an infant will make life exciting enough that I don't have to stretch my writing skills to compose interesting blog posts.

Why Taiwan?  Good question.  There are a few answers.
1) Adventure.  Jess and I love to witness culture as outsiders and to experience different foods, languages, music, etc.  We also love to challenge ourselves by getting out of our comfort zone and learning what parts of  our habits and routines are intrinsic and which are just part of our surrounding cultural framework.
2) Abel.  Babies aren't babies for very long, so Jess and I really want to spend as much of this year with Abel as possible. Living in Taiwan allows us to work only part-time while having a very comfortable lifestyle.  Jess has a job working in the afternoons for 15 hours a week and I'm searching for a job in the mornings for the same amount of hours.  Thankfully, Taiwan offers National Health Care for anyone (foreigners included) who work at least 15 hours a week.
3) Mandarin.  No matter how many times I hear Jess speak Mandarin, I'm still amazed.  Chinese language and culture are an important part of her life and living in Taiwan will give her the opportunity to improve her language skills and share the culture with Abel and me.  Who knows, maybe I'll even pick up a few words . .
4) Careers.  Seems silly to bolster our careers by quitting good jobs that we really enjoyed, but that is part of the plan.  Jess wants to try working with younger students (1st - 3rd grade) and I want to get some experience doing 1:1 Applied Behavior Analysis therapy with students with autism.  This will help position us for jobs after we return.

Another post to follow very shortly as we are already here and I have lots to share about our journey thus far.  Thanks for reading and following along with our family adventure!

Hittin' the Rails

When given the choice between planes, trains, and automobiles, I am usually either forced to fly due to time constraints or to drive due to financial limitations. Every once in a while I am in the lucky position to be able to make a journey via train, and I have yet to be disappointed when I do. It takes a few more hours than flying and it costs a bit more than driving, but it is a relaxing and entertaining part of the adventure.

Right now I’m sitting in the “sight seer lounge” (sp?) which is an open car with lots of windows and lots of AC outlets to power my phone, laptop, and ipod, which means I can drink fresh coffee, look out on the Arkansas countryside, listen to my favorite music while I blog about it all. I won’t even give Greyhound (grrrrrr) the compliment of a comparison with Amtrak’s level of service – friendly staff, clean facilities, hot meals, and a relaxing atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong, I have a deep and undying love for roadtrips, but when I want a stress-free way to pass through 1000 miles, the train is the only way to go, especially for a short trip because 16 hours of solo driving has a way of draining all mental and physical energy, not to mention the inherent danger involved in cross-country interstate driving.

I’m tempted at this point to begin a diatribe about how the most well developed country in the world has one of the pitiful rail systems in the country and that came to be (we had a widespread rail system that fell into disrepair in favor of the interstate highway system), but I won’t. I’m not going to describe how India and China, two of the poorest countries in the world have a extremely efficient, well-utilized, and compressive train systems. I’m also not going to get started on how the government-owned Amtrak system is forced to pay to use private rail lines that were built with extensive government subsidies. Not only do taxpayers have to pay to use rail lines that were put in place thanks to government assistance, but Amtrak trains are directed as the lowest priority with all private freight trains receiving preference. What does this mean? I am now an hour and a half late because we have been forced three times to stop and let freight trains pass, something that Amtrak has no control over because rail lines are privately owned and controlled. I’m also not going to begin a tirade about how the government acts as a buttress for big business rather than a regulator safeguarding the peoples’ rights from the greed of massive corporate automatons. No really, I don’t have time for that tirade. Well, actually I do have time since I have nine more hours of train left, but I’d rather spend that thinking about my stupid-cute niece and nephew in Missouri rather than the pseudo-fascist state of our nation.

So far my loose and ever-evolving use of this blog has been to describe my experiences in the variety places that I have visited, but as a proud new uncle I can’t help but to post pictures of my little sister’s twin babies, Mason and Madelyn, who happen to be the cutest babies in the world (to me anyway).

Terror by any other name . . .

I thought I would write a quick blog since Austin has been all over the news recently. Unfortunately it wasn't the progressive technology rich aspect of the city that made news, it was the violent extreme right-wing element that caught the nation's attention.

The most interesting aspect of the attack to me was not the rants or motive of the assailant, but the official and public reaction. After the initial panic caused by 9/11 flashbacks, everyone I know was immediately relieved that it was just a rankled anti-tax nut. "Whew, I thought it was a terrorist attack" was a common refrain. What? Isn't this terrorism? A violent act against the state, right? When I questioned people, it became clear that the term terrorism is inextricably linked to Muslim perpetrators in many people's minds. Terrorism is terrorism, regardless of the race or religion of the perpetrators.

Here is an article, I'm sure there are better out there, but this is the best I could find that touches on the inherent racism that the terrorism label has developed.

Writing for Survival

I know, it has been over a month since my last post. Last fall it seemed like such a good idea to re-start this blog so that I could keep polishing my writing skills and share my life with those who are patient enough to read my blog regularly. Now that I have a challenging new job as a Special Education teacher, I find myself writing every day, but not for pleasure, just for survival. I write, on average, about thirty to forty emails a day, not to mention the standardized tests, individual education plans, lesson plans, and professional self-reports that I have to write daily. If you don't know what any of those things are, don't worry, they aren't terribly exciting and you are best left guessing. The point is that at the end of the day I have no energy to sit down and reflect further upon my experiences, it would just be another chore - just more paragraphs to churn out - and I really don't need more chores right now. So I'm probably not going to post for some time.

I feel like this post may be like standing in an empty room and telling everyone to go home - pointless because my sporadic posting has alienated and bored whatever readership I had developed over the past year and a half. I think I'm just going to be on a quasi-hiatus from posting; maybe feeling like no one is expecting me to write will make posting more enjoyable and less like a chore. Who knows. In the meantime, don't hold your breath until my next post.