1.What were your thoughts when you heard Emily was going to teach in Taiwan?
"I thought it sounded pretty cool, but also a little bit scary because she was moving to a country she has never been to and not knowing the language."
9.Did she like it?
"Yeah, I think it was hard, but she liked it."
2. Do you think her teaching changed her? Explain?
"I think she actually learned to be a little bit more humble and grateful for what she has because the people there don't have very much and there is a lot of poverty."
3. How did Emily prepare?
"I don't know."
4. What do you think Emily's hardest challenge was?
"I think the hardest part is being homesick and adjusting to new everything. New food, people, and culture."
5. How did you feel while Emily was gone? Where you worried? or proud?
"I was proud of her for going."
6. Describe Emily the day she left.
"I wasn't there."
7. Describe Emily the day she got back.
"I wasn't there."
8. How did you react when you first heard the news?
"I remember thinking it seemed like something Emily wouldn't do so I was kind of surprised."
Grandma's interview:
1.What were your thoughts when you heard Emily was going to teach in Taiwan?
"Well, in the first place when she went to Taiwan she did not have a job. That was scary, and she did not speak the language over there, which is I think Mandarin. We didn't know anyone who lived there, so she told me she was going. I said 'What? Well, if you get killed who will call me because we don't know anyone?' She just said 'Oh mom, i'll just call you from a pay phone.' So I was like 'in your dreams, oh well I guess you are going to go anyway' because she was over 20. I was asking her where will you get a job, where will you live, what are you thinking? She just responded I guess I will get a job teaching English and you know i'll just figure it out at the airport. So, of coarse, I was scared out of my shorts and said my prayers 5000 times a day that she wouldn't get kidnapped. Then she proved to me that Taiwan is the safest place in the world that there is no crime and there are no guns by looking it up on the internet. So I said okay I'm really worried but ill just put my trust in Emily, and faith, and God and she got on the plane. So I was scared to death. Then she called me and told me she got a job teaching English which I thought that was fantastic."
2. Do you think her teaching changed her? Explain?
"I don't know that teaching changed her other than she had not, to my knowledge been around little kids. She was teaching I think 6 year olds and she had a brother that she protected when she wasn't boxing his head off and they were really close, but she never babysat and wasn't to interested in kids. It was really interesting to me that she was teaching and she loved the kids. She called me almost every week and put the kids on the phone and just chatting away. She told me some pretty cute stories about them."
3. How did Emily prepare?
"She didn't really. She went to the doctor and got shots. Then she had to get a passport and she had to figure out what the best clothing would be."
4. What do you think Emily's hardest challenge was?
"Probably to keep employed by the school. Also getting around Taiwan."
5. How did you feel while Emily was gone? Where you worried? or proud?
"I think 12 to 18 months. I was very proud. I admired her courage. I was very nervous for her safety and health wise."
6. Describe Emily the day she left.
"She was real excited. She got ready on her own and I wished for the best. We hugged and I told her if she didn't call me I would kill her.
7. Describe Emily the day she got back.
"She was really happy to be home, in a bed, good food. She had a great experience and I think she was happy to be back with her friends and family in the United States."
8. How did you react when you first heard the news?
"I had a mini heart attack. I just wanted to ask her some questions to make sure she was serious and she knew what she was doing. "
Grandma's interview:
1.What were your thoughts when you heard Emily was going to teach in Taiwan?
"Well, in the first place when she went to Taiwan she did not have a job. That was scary, and she did not speak the language over there, which is I think Mandarin. We didn't know anyone who lived there, so she told me she was going. I said 'What? Well, if you get killed who will call me because we don't know anyone?' She just said 'Oh mom, i'll just call you from a pay phone.' So I was like 'in your dreams, oh well I guess you are going to go anyway' because she was over 20. I was asking her where will you get a job, where will you live, what are you thinking? She just responded I guess I will get a job teaching English and you know i'll just figure it out at the airport. So, of coarse, I was scared out of my shorts and said my prayers 5000 times a day that she wouldn't get kidnapped. Then she proved to me that Taiwan is the safest place in the world that there is no crime and there are no guns by looking it up on the internet. So I said okay I'm really worried but ill just put my trust in Emily, and faith, and God and she got on the plane. So I was scared to death. Then she called me and told me she got a job teaching English which I thought that was fantastic."
2. Do you think her teaching changed her? Explain?
"I don't know that teaching changed her other than she had not, to my knowledge been around little kids. She was teaching I think 6 year olds and she had a brother that she protected when she wasn't boxing his head off and they were really close, but she never babysat and wasn't to interested in kids. It was really interesting to me that she was teaching and she loved the kids. She called me almost every week and put the kids on the phone and just chatting away. She told me some pretty cute stories about them."
3. How did Emily prepare?
"She didn't really. She went to the doctor and got shots. Then she had to get a passport and she had to figure out what the best clothing would be."
4. What do you think Emily's hardest challenge was?
"Probably to keep employed by the school. Also getting around Taiwan."
5. How did you feel while Emily was gone? Where you worried? or proud?
"I think 12 to 18 months. I was very proud. I admired her courage. I was very nervous for her safety and health wise."
6. Describe Emily the day she left.
"She was real excited. She got ready on her own and I wished for the best. We hugged and I told her if she didn't call me I would kill her.
7. Describe Emily the day she got back.
"She was really happy to be home, in a bed, good food. She had a great experience and I think she was happy to be back with her friends and family in the United States."
8. How did you react when you first heard the news?
"I had a mini heart attack. I just wanted to ask her some questions to make sure she was serious and she knew what she was doing. "
Emily's Interview:
1. Where did you go in Taiwan?
"Everywhere pretty much. I visited a lot of places."
1. Where did you go in Taiwan?
"Everywhere pretty much. I visited a lot of places."
2. Why did you choose to go and teach in Taiwan?
"I wanted to see another part of the world and I wanted to take photographs, but I also wanted a job. I didn't want to run out of money and I wanted to spend more than a small amount of time in Taiwan. The easiest job to get as an America without a degree is teaching English. They always need teachers and its a good way to meet people, like other people who are traveling there to from other countries. I taught English at a school that was called a kindergarten but was really ages from 2 all the way to 12. Most of the kids I though were between 6 and 10 years old."
"I wanted to see another part of the world and I wanted to take photographs, but I also wanted a job. I didn't want to run out of money and I wanted to spend more than a small amount of time in Taiwan. The easiest job to get as an America without a degree is teaching English. They always need teachers and its a good way to meet people, like other people who are traveling there to from other countries. I taught English at a school that was called a kindergarten but was really ages from 2 all the way to 12. Most of the kids I though were between 6 and 10 years old."
3. Explain to me what you did?
"I took pictures, did my job, and I really tried to learn about the culture. I tried to make the best of my experience while I was there."
"I took pictures, did my job, and I really tried to learn about the culture. I tried to make the best of my experience while I was there."
4. What was the purpose of your trip?
"To see another part of the world and to take photographs and to experience a place. Thats why I didn't want to just go on vacation and be a tourist. I wanted to live in a town, thats also why I choose to live in a small town instead of the big city, because in the big city there are a lot of teachers there and you just hang up hanging out with all the other teachers there who are more similar to you than because they are all form the US, or Canada, or South Africa etc. I think being in a small town I didn't have that many people to hang out with and I got to see what life was like. I got to have a different life you know, and get to see the world form a different point of view."
"To see another part of the world and to take photographs and to experience a place. Thats why I didn't want to just go on vacation and be a tourist. I wanted to live in a town, thats also why I choose to live in a small town instead of the big city, because in the big city there are a lot of teachers there and you just hang up hanging out with all the other teachers there who are more similar to you than because they are all form the US, or Canada, or South Africa etc. I think being in a small town I didn't have that many people to hang out with and I got to see what life was like. I got to have a different life you know, and get to see the world form a different point of view."
5. What were the kids/students like in Taiwan?
"The little kids were really hyper, and were really excited about me because I was there more fun teacher less disciplinary teacher. They we're really really adorable. They are always taught that things have to be said a very specific way, so they are really scared to talk. I tried to let the teachers know that they could say things a lot of different ways, and they should be able to say it however they want so then they can be comfortable and confident. Any way they were really cute and any time I went into the class room they would all say at the same time 'Good morning Ms. Emily', then I would say 'How dare you?' Then at the same time they would say 'Im fine, thank you, and you?' It was really really cute. I also once volunteered for a short period of time at a high school and the high school kids were really really shy around me. They were really nervous about speaking English and they follow really strict rules in the high school, so that was a little harder to try and get my class to open up, and talk more. They had a hard time doing that with me."
"The little kids were really hyper, and were really excited about me because I was there more fun teacher less disciplinary teacher. They we're really really adorable. They are always taught that things have to be said a very specific way, so they are really scared to talk. I tried to let the teachers know that they could say things a lot of different ways, and they should be able to say it however they want so then they can be comfortable and confident. Any way they were really cute and any time I went into the class room they would all say at the same time 'Good morning Ms. Emily', then I would say 'How dare you?' Then at the same time they would say 'Im fine, thank you, and you?' It was really really cute. I also once volunteered for a short period of time at a high school and the high school kids were really really shy around me. They were really nervous about speaking English and they follow really strict rules in the high school, so that was a little harder to try and get my class to open up, and talk more. They had a hard time doing that with me."
6. How many hours were you teaching people a day?
"I was teaching about 6 hours a day. I also got a really long lunch/nap break in the middle of the day. At the end of nap break I loved going into the really little kids room and waking them up, and bing really annoying because they are so cute. I would go poke there face and they were all cute and sleepy. They had the lines on their face from laying not he floor. That was one of my favorite things to do."
"I was teaching about 6 hours a day. I also got a really long lunch/nap break in the middle of the day. At the end of nap break I loved going into the really little kids room and waking them up, and bing really annoying because they are so cute. I would go poke there face and they were all cute and sleepy. They had the lines on their face from laying not he floor. That was one of my favorite things to do."
7. What were you teaching? Grammer, spelling, or English in general?
"I was teach the English language. Depending on the age it would be depending what I teach them. For example really little kids would do stuff like 'I brush my teeth with a toothbrush.' or 'I wash my face with soap.' Teaching them rooms of the house like family room, living room, bathroom and stuff like that. As they get a little older it gets more advanced, but nothing to complex. They would also have me, once a week, stay after school and call all the kids and ask them a few questions when they are on their own. When they don't have things around them that would help. That was always fun. There was one little kid who had a little scratchy voice, and by the end of the day, after all the screaming and running around, it would be totally hoarse. Whenever I called him it sounded like he had been sucking out of a helium balloon. It was really adorable."
"I was teach the English language. Depending on the age it would be depending what I teach them. For example really little kids would do stuff like 'I brush my teeth with a toothbrush.' or 'I wash my face with soap.' Teaching them rooms of the house like family room, living room, bathroom and stuff like that. As they get a little older it gets more advanced, but nothing to complex. They would also have me, once a week, stay after school and call all the kids and ask them a few questions when they are on their own. When they don't have things around them that would help. That was always fun. There was one little kid who had a little scratchy voice, and by the end of the day, after all the screaming and running around, it would be totally hoarse. Whenever I called him it sounded like he had been sucking out of a helium balloon. It was really adorable."
8. Were the students nice to you?
"They were very nice. The little older boys like 10, 11 year olds would try and cause a little trouble, just like all boys do at that age to their teachers. That was hard at first then I figured out how to deal with it, and eventually they calmed down."
"They were very nice. The little older boys like 10, 11 year olds would try and cause a little trouble, just like all boys do at that age to their teachers. That was hard at first then I figured out how to deal with it, and eventually they calmed down."
9. What were your first thoughts before you left?
"I was mostly really excited when I left. I felt very independent, and it felt like an adventure. I wasn't nervous at all. I just got on the plane and went for it. It was cool. I knew it was also going to be a safe place."
10. Did your trip change you in anyway? how?
"Yeah, definitely it changed me. I think whenever you go somewhere thats really different then what you are used to, like when you leave the country, it really opens your mind. It gets you thinking maybe all these huge things that you thought were so important in your life aren't as big of a deal. I mean they are still important because its part of your life, but you realize that there are so many different lives going on. Things that you maybe thought were cool and not cool don't really matter because they are totally different when you go somewhere else. It makes you less worried about little silly things. It makes you open to different people, and different ideas. This trip for me to, because I was in a small town and I had some friends but not a lot and I did get pretty lonely just for a couple months, I think that changed something in me too. It made me appreciate home and really realize that I like my alone time, but I can't isolate myself to much or I get depressed."
"Yeah, definitely it changed me. I think whenever you go somewhere thats really different then what you are used to, like when you leave the country, it really opens your mind. It gets you thinking maybe all these huge things that you thought were so important in your life aren't as big of a deal. I mean they are still important because its part of your life, but you realize that there are so many different lives going on. Things that you maybe thought were cool and not cool don't really matter because they are totally different when you go somewhere else. It makes you less worried about little silly things. It makes you open to different people, and different ideas. This trip for me to, because I was in a small town and I had some friends but not a lot and I did get pretty lonely just for a couple months, I think that changed something in me too. It made me appreciate home and really realize that I like my alone time, but I can't isolate myself to much or I get depressed."
11. What were your thoughts the day you were coming back?
"At that point I was very ready to come home. I had been there a year and four months, and I really missed my family and friends. I missed being able to communicate with anyone I see, and how I want to communicate. Not simplifying my speech and my emotions. I think a big thing I learned is that humor, like ways of humor, is really really different in different cultures, and thats something really hard to express! Anything that I thought was funny or what other people in America thought was funny, they didn't get it or didn't think it was funny. I had to tell all these really basic jokes that I felt like I was telling a little kid, but then that would make them laugh. I realized I really liked to make people laugh, so that was hard, because I couldn't do that very often there. I was just ready to come home. I missed everything and I wanted to connect back with my people."
"At that point I was very ready to come home. I had been there a year and four months, and I really missed my family and friends. I missed being able to communicate with anyone I see, and how I want to communicate. Not simplifying my speech and my emotions. I think a big thing I learned is that humor, like ways of humor, is really really different in different cultures, and thats something really hard to express! Anything that I thought was funny or what other people in America thought was funny, they didn't get it or didn't think it was funny. I had to tell all these really basic jokes that I felt like I was telling a little kid, but then that would make them laugh. I realized I really liked to make people laugh, so that was hard, because I couldn't do that very often there. I was just ready to come home. I missed everything and I wanted to connect back with my people."
12. Could the kids understand you?
"They could. They had a Taiwanese teacher to and the classes were in these half hour periods. They would be with there teacher then I would come in and do a lot of repetative games and exersises with them. They were learrning and they could speack some. The hardest was when I had the 2 year olds, which I though was kind of rediculous. I mean they couldn't speak anything, and they were really hard. I mostly felt like I was a babysitter trying to teach them all from not having risks. (4:16)
"They could. They had a Taiwanese teacher to and the classes were in these half hour periods. They would be with there teacher then I would come in and do a lot of repetative games and exersises with them. They were learrning and they could speack some. The hardest was when I had the 2 year olds, which I though was kind of rediculous. I mean they couldn't speak anything, and they were really hard. I mostly felt like I was a babysitter trying to teach them all from not having risks. (4:16)
13. What was your favorite part about teaching in Taiwan?
"Probably the kids! They were just so sweet and so loving. They were so excited to see me everyday even after a year! I would drive up on my scooter everyday and they would be like 'Ms. Emily'. It was awesome, and it was really cool to see them inprove. There was on other teacher I worked with and he was kind of a grumpy old guy, and I felt like my kids were way more advanced. I let them come talk to me in between classes and at my desk. Even if they weren't saying the right thing, I would tell them what they meant and 'good job, good job!'. They got a lot more confident. It was fun and they were really sweet. When I got depressed and lonley it was so great to see them everyday."
"Probably the kids! They were just so sweet and so loving. They were so excited to see me everyday even after a year! I would drive up on my scooter everyday and they would be like 'Ms. Emily'. It was awesome, and it was really cool to see them inprove. There was on other teacher I worked with and he was kind of a grumpy old guy, and I felt like my kids were way more advanced. I let them come talk to me in between classes and at my desk. Even if they weren't saying the right thing, I would tell them what they meant and 'good job, good job!'. They got a lot more confident. It was fun and they were really sweet. When I got depressed and lonley it was so great to see them everyday."
14.Was there a language barrier? yes there was, explained in other quote.
15. Did you have to learn the language that they spoke?
"Sadly, no. It was really hard. The language is Mandarin Chinese, and it is a very hard language to pick up like Spanish or another romance language. You can't write it either. It's not like our alphabet, its characters. Its hard and the small town I lived in it was hard to find a place to learn. In the bigger city they have places you can learn and classes. I also got lazy, unfortunatly. I tried to do a language exchange with some people in the town, but we never stuck with it. I wish I would have because it would be great to know another language, but unfortunatly I got good at making gestures and funny faces and pointing."
"Sadly, no. It was really hard. The language is Mandarin Chinese, and it is a very hard language to pick up like Spanish or another romance language. You can't write it either. It's not like our alphabet, its characters. Its hard and the small town I lived in it was hard to find a place to learn. In the bigger city they have places you can learn and classes. I also got lazy, unfortunatly. I tried to do a language exchange with some people in the town, but we never stuck with it. I wish I would have because it would be great to know another language, but unfortunatly I got good at making gestures and funny faces and pointing."
16. Explain the differences between teaching in America and in Taiwan.
"I never taught kids in America, so I think my job was much easier then if I was a normal teacher there [Taiwan] and if I was a normal teacher here. I would go in and play really repetative games and get the kids excited. It was really fun, I didn't have to be serious. It was kind of like i'm the fun aunt instead of the mom. I enjoyed that roll, but I can't say I experienced it in the U.S."
"I never taught kids in America, so I think my job was much easier then if I was a normal teacher there [Taiwan] and if I was a normal teacher here. I would go in and play really repetative games and get the kids excited. It was really fun, I didn't have to be serious. It was kind of like i'm the fun aunt instead of the mom. I enjoyed that roll, but I can't say I experienced it in the U.S."
17. Did you enjoy teaching?
" Yeah, I did enjoy teaching. I can say I really liked it. I couldn't say I would want to do it forever, but I can say I enjoyed it. I had no idea if I would like it before I did it, I had absolutley no idea. I was really nervous my first day, and in my interview I kind of lied and said I worked with kids more then I had. Then I met some guy from Canada who taught another school, and he let me come sit in on his class and then I started imitating him and figuring out my own way. It was scary at first, but luckily I adapted quickly. I also knew that once they hired me they weren't going to fire me right away, so I would just go to other teachers I knew better and ask how I was doing."
18. What was your favorite experience?
"One of my favorite things I got to do everyday was drive a scooter everywhere I went. That was my main form of transpertation and it was so much fun. People drive pretty crazy out there, and don't follow a lot of rules, so you have got to be careful, but its really really fun. It made me feel even more free. I would say the best experience I had was when I left to china and I photographed an acrobatics group in China. That was amazing! I did that all on my own, and where I went to China was very different from Taiwan. It was really cool to go on a trip just for photography. That was the coolest thing I did. I think one of the cool things I did in Taiwan was I rode with some friends on scooters to the old capitol city. It was like 4 hours away, which is kind of far for riding a scooter. We camped on a beach, but it wasn't a beach where people hang out and everything it was like a hidden beach. Not a vacationing kind of spot. That was really fun."
19. What were the hardest parts about having to teach in Taiwan?
"I think when you can't totally communicate with the majority of people its challenging. I think I was lucky, this is going to sound bad, but I was a white American and people like white Americans in Taiwan. It made my life easier. I think it would have been harder if I wasn't white or I wasn't American. I am so, my experience is that people were really friendly, helpful. I remember being on a train and being a little confused on where I was going, and some guy could tell. He came up and he spoke English, so he asked 'can I help you' and then I would've gone the wrong way if he hadn't come up and told me. I felt lucky, I had a lot of experiences like that. I think the hardest thing is, I'm a very social person I like my alone time, but I need people. I felt very disconected from close friends and for the culture. I was making friends when I could, but I also got lonley."
20. What was the overall experience you had?
"My overall experience was very free and fun and I learned a lot. It was also lonely and I turned inward a lot. I learned a lot about myself. I loved what I did and I wouldn't trade it. Going to China and doing the photography project made me feel really empowered. I felt like I want to do this all time and of corse that hasn't been the reality of my life. Its been harder to do it for money, but I'm really glad I had that experience. It motivated me to do projects and stuff like that."
21. How did you become familiar with the idea that you could teach in Taiwan?
"I heard a lot of people have done that in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. I knew I wanted to go on that side of the world."
22. How did you break the news to your friends and family?
"I start talking about things long before they actually happen, so I kept bringing it up and saying I think I want to do this, I think I want to do this, and as I kept bringing it up things started coming my way. People would say oh I met someone from Taiwan or oh I know someone. I just tried to talk with anyone I could who might know someone or has experience. I told my parents, but they didn't take me very seriously at first. Then when they did take me seriously they were really nervous and scared. They were afraid I was making a foolish decision because I didn't have a lot of money and I didn't have a job lined up. Which makes a lot of since. Right before I left was when that bird flu was happening, so they were worried I was going to get sick. It was happening near Taiwan not really in Taiwan. Woody[stepfather] wrote me a letter saying he disagreed with my decision. I just went anyway though! It worked out. Its always hard to know when to trust those things and when to go against them, but I knew I had 2 people I could stay with. I had met them previously in the Utah, and I knew also that mom and Woody have never had any of that in there life, so they weren't able to relate. I appreciated there opinion, but I don't think they know so i'm just gunna do it. Worse thing that happens is I run out of money and I dont have a job oh well. I had enough money for a couple of months to get by. I didn't start a job for a few months, so it took a while. You can get by being pretty cheap there for a while, especially when you are staying with other people. You just have to be smart about it."
23. How long were you in Taiwan? about a year and 4 months. told in another quote.
24. Do you thing you made a difference in the kids lives?
"I don't know. I wasn't with them for very long, so I don't think I made a huge difference, but I do think they kids got more comfortable and confident with their speaking. What I noticed was a lot of teachers try and teach them something straight from the book and if the kids don't say it exactly how the book says it they're really hard on the kids. Really hard on the kids. They will kind of humiliate them. I thought that was really wrong. I mean even little kids don't speak with perfect grammar in their own language, so I think had I not been there they would have learned. They might not have been as comfortable as speaking. They probably would have done fine on their tests, but they probably wouldn't have been very comfortable speaking to other English speakers. A lot of adults were really scared or nervous to talk to me because they were scared they were going to mess up. I think I gave them a little bit of confidence, just to not worry about it and try it. I don't know how long that stayed with them, I was only there a year."
25. What were the schools like in Taiwan?
"They were really different. The thing that I found so different was more like when I volunteered at the high school. That was like all the kids wear uniforms, and it is really disaplined. They all line up, and they all have numbers. They don't encourage people to have a lot of individuality. It's tough. I think that would have been hard for me to deal with if I taught there all the time. In my class there were still a few people who were big characters. There were definitley some people who were shy, but I had this one kid kind of a big buff and bulky guy. All the kids have English names because they think is will be easier for the English teachers, so they give themselves or someone gives them their English name. This guy gave himself a wrestling guys name from the U.S., The Undertaker! I was like 'wow your name is The Undertaker like The?' He was like 'yeah, like American wrestling.' I was like 'alright! Cool!'. He was really funny and talkative, but most of the kids are really shy and quiet."
26. What grades did you teach? Where some harder than others? yes said in another quote.
27. How did you prepare?
"I tried to find out as much as I could from friends. I got some travel books, and I looked online for stuff. I had to go get a physical and shots."
28. How was the plane ride?
"It was looonnnggg! I took around 14 hours. The way there didn't feel that long because I was excited, and I remember thinking i'm gunna starve. I've always hated airplane food, airplane food is really bad. I realized on the airline I was on they give you as many free cups of noodles as you want, so I just ate those. The airplane ride home though was silly long because to get a cheaper ticket I had to have all these stops and layovers. I went from Taiwan to HongKong, then HongKong to San Francisco, and then from San Francisco I had an 8 hour lay over. Then I flew to Vegas and had another 2 hour lay over, then I flew home."
29. How were regular things here different in Taiwan?
"That was the thing that was most of a cultural shock. It wasn't weird for me to be in a place where I couldn't read the writing, where no one looked like me. None of that was weird to me, I was expecting that. They have really different ways of relating to people, and what people are into. I was just totally caught off gaurd. I was like 'really, oh really?'. I don't even know how to explain it because it was so different in a not oblivious way. Its hard to describe. There was things I didn't expect people to do, but it was in unoblivious ways. It was like oh yeah people do this and it was totally crazy. It was ways of realating to people. Just little funny things. They had a lot of these night fair things. Kind of like a fair, but not cowboyish. Games and food and stuff for sail, and everyone would be out like all the little old ladies and stuff. Then there would be a women in a bikini signing kareoke. It wasn't a big deal though. The bathrooms are really different. You squat. Its still a porcoline and a toilet, its like being in a bathroom, but its more like the shape of a urnel but its on the ground and you squat over it. That was something I wasn't used to. A lot of the public toilet bathrooms don't have toilet paper, so you have to carry a lot of tissue around. I wasn't used to that a first, so I would often realize in a panic that I didn't have any, so I would have to ask strangers for tissue. Then the women would give me tiny little kleenex and they would give me about one of those. I was like I don't think this is going to cover it, so I got used to carrying lots of tissue in my bag."
30. What was one thing you absolutely loved in Taiwan?
"One specific thing I loved was riding the scooters. That was the best thing. The best moment was going to China and photographing that group. It was a very foreign experience."
31. Do you feel like you really bonded, and got to know the kids well?
"Some people, but mostly no. I guess what I mean is I definetly made some friends that were Taiwaese and some that were not that I bonded with. The Taiwanese friends were just not as good, and it has to do with the language barrier. Though a couple of women I worked with that I really got a long with were a little bit over them me. They were married and had kids, but we really got along, and I enjoyed their company. I would hang out with them every once and a while outside of school jsut getting dinner or something. One of my close friends who was Canadian, Dave, he was great. He and I got along really well. He spoke English pretty well though too. That makes a huge difference. Its hard to bond with someone when you can't really communicate with. You can't really address yourself in depth. I was keeping in touch with one of them, but not anymore."
" Yeah, I did enjoy teaching. I can say I really liked it. I couldn't say I would want to do it forever, but I can say I enjoyed it. I had no idea if I would like it before I did it, I had absolutley no idea. I was really nervous my first day, and in my interview I kind of lied and said I worked with kids more then I had. Then I met some guy from Canada who taught another school, and he let me come sit in on his class and then I started imitating him and figuring out my own way. It was scary at first, but luckily I adapted quickly. I also knew that once they hired me they weren't going to fire me right away, so I would just go to other teachers I knew better and ask how I was doing."
18. What was your favorite experience?
"One of my favorite things I got to do everyday was drive a scooter everywhere I went. That was my main form of transpertation and it was so much fun. People drive pretty crazy out there, and don't follow a lot of rules, so you have got to be careful, but its really really fun. It made me feel even more free. I would say the best experience I had was when I left to china and I photographed an acrobatics group in China. That was amazing! I did that all on my own, and where I went to China was very different from Taiwan. It was really cool to go on a trip just for photography. That was the coolest thing I did. I think one of the cool things I did in Taiwan was I rode with some friends on scooters to the old capitol city. It was like 4 hours away, which is kind of far for riding a scooter. We camped on a beach, but it wasn't a beach where people hang out and everything it was like a hidden beach. Not a vacationing kind of spot. That was really fun."
19. What were the hardest parts about having to teach in Taiwan?
"I think when you can't totally communicate with the majority of people its challenging. I think I was lucky, this is going to sound bad, but I was a white American and people like white Americans in Taiwan. It made my life easier. I think it would have been harder if I wasn't white or I wasn't American. I am so, my experience is that people were really friendly, helpful. I remember being on a train and being a little confused on where I was going, and some guy could tell. He came up and he spoke English, so he asked 'can I help you' and then I would've gone the wrong way if he hadn't come up and told me. I felt lucky, I had a lot of experiences like that. I think the hardest thing is, I'm a very social person I like my alone time, but I need people. I felt very disconected from close friends and for the culture. I was making friends when I could, but I also got lonley."
20. What was the overall experience you had?
"My overall experience was very free and fun and I learned a lot. It was also lonely and I turned inward a lot. I learned a lot about myself. I loved what I did and I wouldn't trade it. Going to China and doing the photography project made me feel really empowered. I felt like I want to do this all time and of corse that hasn't been the reality of my life. Its been harder to do it for money, but I'm really glad I had that experience. It motivated me to do projects and stuff like that."
21. How did you become familiar with the idea that you could teach in Taiwan?
"I heard a lot of people have done that in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. I knew I wanted to go on that side of the world."
22. How did you break the news to your friends and family?
"I start talking about things long before they actually happen, so I kept bringing it up and saying I think I want to do this, I think I want to do this, and as I kept bringing it up things started coming my way. People would say oh I met someone from Taiwan or oh I know someone. I just tried to talk with anyone I could who might know someone or has experience. I told my parents, but they didn't take me very seriously at first. Then when they did take me seriously they were really nervous and scared. They were afraid I was making a foolish decision because I didn't have a lot of money and I didn't have a job lined up. Which makes a lot of since. Right before I left was when that bird flu was happening, so they were worried I was going to get sick. It was happening near Taiwan not really in Taiwan. Woody[stepfather] wrote me a letter saying he disagreed with my decision. I just went anyway though! It worked out. Its always hard to know when to trust those things and when to go against them, but I knew I had 2 people I could stay with. I had met them previously in the Utah, and I knew also that mom and Woody have never had any of that in there life, so they weren't able to relate. I appreciated there opinion, but I don't think they know so i'm just gunna do it. Worse thing that happens is I run out of money and I dont have a job oh well. I had enough money for a couple of months to get by. I didn't start a job for a few months, so it took a while. You can get by being pretty cheap there for a while, especially when you are staying with other people. You just have to be smart about it."
23. How long were you in Taiwan? about a year and 4 months. told in another quote.
24. Do you thing you made a difference in the kids lives?
"I don't know. I wasn't with them for very long, so I don't think I made a huge difference, but I do think they kids got more comfortable and confident with their speaking. What I noticed was a lot of teachers try and teach them something straight from the book and if the kids don't say it exactly how the book says it they're really hard on the kids. Really hard on the kids. They will kind of humiliate them. I thought that was really wrong. I mean even little kids don't speak with perfect grammar in their own language, so I think had I not been there they would have learned. They might not have been as comfortable as speaking. They probably would have done fine on their tests, but they probably wouldn't have been very comfortable speaking to other English speakers. A lot of adults were really scared or nervous to talk to me because they were scared they were going to mess up. I think I gave them a little bit of confidence, just to not worry about it and try it. I don't know how long that stayed with them, I was only there a year."
25. What were the schools like in Taiwan?
"They were really different. The thing that I found so different was more like when I volunteered at the high school. That was like all the kids wear uniforms, and it is really disaplined. They all line up, and they all have numbers. They don't encourage people to have a lot of individuality. It's tough. I think that would have been hard for me to deal with if I taught there all the time. In my class there were still a few people who were big characters. There were definitley some people who were shy, but I had this one kid kind of a big buff and bulky guy. All the kids have English names because they think is will be easier for the English teachers, so they give themselves or someone gives them their English name. This guy gave himself a wrestling guys name from the U.S., The Undertaker! I was like 'wow your name is The Undertaker like The?' He was like 'yeah, like American wrestling.' I was like 'alright! Cool!'. He was really funny and talkative, but most of the kids are really shy and quiet."
26. What grades did you teach? Where some harder than others? yes said in another quote.
27. How did you prepare?
"I tried to find out as much as I could from friends. I got some travel books, and I looked online for stuff. I had to go get a physical and shots."
28. How was the plane ride?
"It was looonnnggg! I took around 14 hours. The way there didn't feel that long because I was excited, and I remember thinking i'm gunna starve. I've always hated airplane food, airplane food is really bad. I realized on the airline I was on they give you as many free cups of noodles as you want, so I just ate those. The airplane ride home though was silly long because to get a cheaper ticket I had to have all these stops and layovers. I went from Taiwan to HongKong, then HongKong to San Francisco, and then from San Francisco I had an 8 hour lay over. Then I flew to Vegas and had another 2 hour lay over, then I flew home."
29. How were regular things here different in Taiwan?
"That was the thing that was most of a cultural shock. It wasn't weird for me to be in a place where I couldn't read the writing, where no one looked like me. None of that was weird to me, I was expecting that. They have really different ways of relating to people, and what people are into. I was just totally caught off gaurd. I was like 'really, oh really?'. I don't even know how to explain it because it was so different in a not oblivious way. Its hard to describe. There was things I didn't expect people to do, but it was in unoblivious ways. It was like oh yeah people do this and it was totally crazy. It was ways of realating to people. Just little funny things. They had a lot of these night fair things. Kind of like a fair, but not cowboyish. Games and food and stuff for sail, and everyone would be out like all the little old ladies and stuff. Then there would be a women in a bikini signing kareoke. It wasn't a big deal though. The bathrooms are really different. You squat. Its still a porcoline and a toilet, its like being in a bathroom, but its more like the shape of a urnel but its on the ground and you squat over it. That was something I wasn't used to. A lot of the public toilet bathrooms don't have toilet paper, so you have to carry a lot of tissue around. I wasn't used to that a first, so I would often realize in a panic that I didn't have any, so I would have to ask strangers for tissue. Then the women would give me tiny little kleenex and they would give me about one of those. I was like I don't think this is going to cover it, so I got used to carrying lots of tissue in my bag."
30. What was one thing you absolutely loved in Taiwan?
"One specific thing I loved was riding the scooters. That was the best thing. The best moment was going to China and photographing that group. It was a very foreign experience."
31. Do you feel like you really bonded, and got to know the kids well?
"Some people, but mostly no. I guess what I mean is I definetly made some friends that were Taiwaese and some that were not that I bonded with. The Taiwanese friends were just not as good, and it has to do with the language barrier. Though a couple of women I worked with that I really got a long with were a little bit over them me. They were married and had kids, but we really got along, and I enjoyed their company. I would hang out with them every once and a while outside of school jsut getting dinner or something. One of my close friends who was Canadian, Dave, he was great. He and I got along really well. He spoke English pretty well though too. That makes a huge difference. Its hard to bond with someone when you can't really communicate with. You can't really address yourself in depth. I was keeping in touch with one of them, but not anymore."
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