Hired!

I'm legal! I got a job yesterday. It was remarkably easy. I went into the school a few days ago for an interview, it went well and the interviewer had me come back yesterday to give a demonstration of my skills. The demonstration was a mock class with a bunch of the teachers and the school manager acting the part of students while I took charge. I nailed it and the manager was very impressed. The guy that interviewed me said my demonstration was the best he'd seen in a long time...I've got skills!

The job itself sounds great. I'll be working from 3pm to 9pm M-F and 10am to 3pm on Sats.. The children are between the ages of 8 and 14. The parents pay a lot of money to send their kids there so discipline isn't as big an ordeal as it is in the U.S.. One interesting facet of the job is I'll have a native Chinese teacher with me in the room at all times. The Chinese teacher will be bilingual so as to act as a conduit between me and the kids. I like this idea because he or she can help bridge the gap between me and my students. I start on Thursday, wish me luck!

The heat here is oppressive. I went running around the city this past weekend and couldn't believe how overwhelming the weather was. I'm not sure if it's the heat or the pollution? The smog is crazy. Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world, is viewable from my balcony. At times it's so hazy that it the only thing you can see are the lights on the top...not good.

I have been trying to upload pictures onto this computer and it's not going well. The system is a bit dated and it doesn't look good. I'll probably have to go to an internet cafe to get it done.

I mentioned that I was going to the East Coast the other day...didn't happen. The trains are a bit spiratic on Sundays and we didn't want to risk getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere.

Stay tuned for updates on my search for the perfect food and early impressions of teaching in Taiwan.

p.s. Jayne, tell Jordan I miss him a lot and hope he is enjoying the new school year. I don't have his email! can you send it to me??