It has been a little while since my last post, but not much new has transpired to be completely honest. The wheels of routine and continuity are in motion for now and it is a comforting feeling. I am starting to grasp a little bit of how to run a classroom and how to convey the lessons I am trying to teach to my kids. I still have a long way to go until I am fully confident in my teaching abilities and it obviously would be arrogant and unfair to my kids to become complacent at such an early stage of my teaching career.
I feel as if I am often torn between wanting some routine in my life, but I also enjoy the thrill of sporadicalness that life can deal out when you are just going with the flow. Maybe I just have a little of gypsy in me because it seems to run in my family, at least with my siblings and myself. Taiwan offers me a chance to kind of fill the duality of my personality and so far it has been a nice fit for a wandering soul like mine.
I find it funny to come across things in Taiwan that are just utterly bizarre to me and yet so natural to the citizens here. I have mentioned before that I turn the heads of about 90% of the people I walk by, but there are some occasions when it is I that is making the double take. Case in point, these leopard shoes that the guy in front of me at a restaurant was wearing. I do not think I will ever be fashionably trendy here in Taiwan, but this is something I am used to since I was far from the trend setter back home.
Or another case of my head being turned was upon sighting what is probably my favorite billboard that I have seen in English so far. The real kicker is spoken English is quite rare in a city like Taichung, let alone being able to read the language, so I can only imagine what the Taiwanese think when they see this on the outskirts of one of their more popular parks.
Well since coming to Taipei, I have lost somewhere between 20-25 pounds that I slowly put on my last two years of college from binge eating/drinking. Rutgers is a haven for the most absurd drunken delicacies you can think of and for that, I am happy I have stepped away from the good ol’ New Brunswick. There are many things I miss about college and Rutgers, but the constant pressure to eat grease loaded foods is not one of them.
I think my weight loss has been a combination of eating healthier things, eating less in general, exercising, the constant heat, cutting back on the drinking, and just other random things. Like today, I have played basketball a few times midday and 30 minutes of semi-running around in a half court game leaves me literally able to ring out my shirt with sweat. I have not had as sweat inducing workouts as I have had here since my short stint at the military academy. I am excited at the chance to become even more healthy while I am over here. I saw my dad struggle with weight in his older age and I never want that for myself. So here is to trying to better myself in more ways than one. I hope upon my return to the states that I will bring back many things from my time in Taiwan, but excess weight is not one of them. I hope this finds all of you well and that you are enjoying the remaining days of August and summer. Love and miss you all and wish you were here enjoying this sunset with me. Cheers.
ethan in taiwan 