absolutwillie

Tag: Taiwan

  • its heeeeeeere!


    Typhoon FUNG-WONG (0808)
    Typhoon Status
    1800UTC 27 July 2008
    Center Location 23.0N 122.4E
    Movement NNW 13km/hr
    Minimum Pressure 948hPa
    Maximum Wind Speed 43m/s
    Gust 53m/s
    Radius of 15m/s 220km
    Radius of 25m/s 80km

  • PS: no typhoon

    yup – no holiday behind storm doors for me. 2008Fengshen dwindled to a mere tropical storm edging past us…

    anyhoo – some more pics for you:

    Computex rocked!! (Taipei 101 in the background – recently downgraded to the 2nd highest building on earth…)
    ready, set, go! some of my kids at Kindergarten
    how do you punish rowdy kids? have them jump/practice their riverdancing.
    the view from my laundry room (back balcony) – yup, it’s the sea in the back.

  • quickly, before she blows

    I was almost beginning to look forward to my first typhoon (2008fengshen), but the eye changed direction today – so we’ll only have rain tomorrow…


    so yeah – life rocks in Taiwan! adjusting to my new job (whilst running the one in SA at night), the weather, an amazing new culture and finding my own apartment was (and sometimes still is) a bone-chilling rush!

    teaching kindergarten is no walk in the park… as an activist – I spoke in public, on the radio and even on TV. but standing in front of eighteen odd 3-year olds is downright scary. especially at first, when three of them would spontaneously burst out in tears the moment I set foor in the classroom.

    my Mom explained this to me: not only have they never seen someone with so much hair (legs, arms, chest, beard) – not to mention the color of my hair, skin and eyes – I’m also a giant! from their perspective, I’m a tree right out of Tolkien’s imagination: all trunk and branches – topped with two nostrils!!

    Thankfully, they’ve grown accustomed to me and have forgotten all about the “hairy troll” that the smallest one saw on the first day. (they’re reading (well, listening to) “the three goats”)

    Here are some random pics for your entertainment:

    a golden Buddha outside PuLi

    that be chicken feet y’all… collagen rules!
    outside a restaurant in Jhubei – notice the parrot, two pig-chefs and live pig…
    happy as a Palestinian pig
    he would probably tell you why – if you understood Chinese

  • last Thursday, I gave you my passport:

    Cathay Pacific’s flight from Johannesburg to Hong Kong was awesome!

    and the stint with DragonAir was lovely as well – I had 2 seats!!
    now I’m in Taiwan. still finding my bearings and having a blast :0)
    my post will most probably be sporadic (at best) untill I’ve managed to find a WiFi broadcast area in the township of DongGang. I will only have permanent internet at home in about a month’s time. (I have to have my Alien Resident Certificate in order to get DSL at home… oh yeah, and I need to have a home to put it in.)
    should be off to town with my American host in a few minutes – cross them fingers!
    love to all – can’t wait to fire up my laptop and catch up on your super blogs.