Guest Blog Post - Welcome Josh!

It only took him 5 months lol...but Josh finally finished his movie about his 2 week whirl-wind trip to Taiwan {and first trip out of the US as well as riding on a plane!}. And I might be a little biased, but I have to say his movie didn't turn out too shabby! ;)

If you happened to miss reading about when he was here you can check out our 2 weeks together in Taipei HERE, Hualien HERE, & Kaohsiung HERE!

Enjoy & let me know what you think!

Tuesday's Taiwan-ism {Temples of Taiwan Video}

It's no secret that I am slightly in love with the temples that are EVERYWHERE here in Taiwan! I may not have the same beliefs as the temple goers or understand their beliefs or customs, but the craftsmanship and artistry shown in each of these temples is not only beautiful but unique to each temple I stumble upon. My friends here tease me that I can't simply walk past a temple, no matter the size, but I must at least poke my head in to see what lies inside!

I've put together a quick video of a small fraction of some of the temples that I have visited over the past 10 months and hope you enjoy it as much as I do taking the pictures and exploring each of these hidden gems!

Jiufen Old Street

Wednesday I decided to surprise mom a bit and give her a list of several day trips to choose between...it only took her like 4 years to decide, but eventually she settled on Jiufen Old street, east of Taipei. We headed up to a rainy Taipei Tuesday after school let out and after many failed dinner attempts and crazy angry stomachs...we ended up with a late night McDonalds night for dinner {sorry mom!} We made it a tad more authentic by throwing in a side of green tea/red bean ice cream for desert {I was a fan, mom...not so much!} After dinner we headed back to our luxury hostel [seriously if you're coming to Taipei check this place out!].

Wednesday morning we grabbed a non-traditional Taiwanese breakfast {who am I to deny my mom her new found love of sticky bun dumplings for breakfast?!?!} and hopped on a nearby bus for the nearly hour long drive to Jiufen. One quick nap later, and we were there! :P  [Fun Fact: Jiufen translates to 9 pieces in Chinese as there were 9 families that originally lived in this town]

Climbing off the bus we immediately began soaking in the views. Jiufen is situated part way up a mountain, thus allowing you both breathtaking views of the villages below and the mountains that continue upwards. Win, win in my book! It didn't take us long to make our way to the Old Street in town and quickly get pulled into the steady stream of tourists that run up and down both side of this Japanese-era street. We made quick work of locating several food stands and throughout the day sampled fish balls, red bean "pancakes", taro ice cream rolls, teas, and braised pork {our stomachs were not wanting today!}

We leisurely spent the afternoon checking out the street stands, absorbing the amazing views, munching on snacks, and people watching to our hearts content. Mid afternoon we ventured to the bus stop and grabbed a bus headed to our next attraction that we thought was just over a mile away. Well, a mile on flat, straight Ohio roads and a mile through the windy, mountain roads are 2 very different things...long story short, I'm glad in our 20 minute drive that everyone was able to keep their lunches down!

Finally, we arrived at the Golden Waterfall in Jiufen. Although, sadly!, there is no real gold in this waterfall, the water takes on a golden color due to the amount of heavy metals that are found in its riverbed. No matter the reason though, the falls are beautiful! We hung out at the falls for a bit before we realized there was only one more bus back to civilization the Old Street. We bought some last minute trinkets and snacks before we hopped on one more bus headed towards Taipei and ultimately my house. Today may have been our last outing together while my mom was here, but we had a blast!

Welcome to FuLong Elementary School

Check out this quick video tour of one of the two schools that I am currently teaching at here in Taiwan. FuLong Elementary School is the smaller of the 2 schools I teach at with a current total of 43 students grades 1st - 6th. The school is situated in the countryside about a 10 minute scooter drive away from my apartment. Enjoy, and let me know what you think of the school!

Tuesday's Taiwan-ism {Medical Expenses}

A couple weeks ago for my Tuesday Taiwan-ism I posted about the crazy low cost of living here in Taiwan {yahoo for me!} but I forgot to mention yet ANOTHER piece of the "low cost of living" here in Taiwan...healthcare.

Taiwan has a national, and mandatory, healthcare plan in place for all of its residents (citizens and legal residents alike) in which an employer and the employee each pay an agreed upon percentage of the yearly costs and the resident then has access to low cost and affordable healthcare anywhere in the county {I know this sounds great...I promise I'll share both pros and cons of this!}

Medical Expenses

General Practitioner (with all tests included) -- $150 NT -- $4.60 USD

Specialist -- $200 NT -- $6.13 USD

Dentist -- $200 NT -- $6.13 USD

Eye Doctor -- $200 NT -- $6.13 USD

Dermatologist -- $200 NT -- $6.13 USD

Emergency Room Visit -- $700 NT -- $21.45 USD

Prescriptions -- "free" -- included with doctor's fees

PROS - Affordable · Easily Accessible · Most places are no appointments necessary · free necessary prescriptions · fast service · healthcare for all residents and workers in Taiwan

CONS - Rushing patients in and out quickly · many conditions not taken very seriously · far too many pills are prescribed · at times offices are quite crowded