Observation over.
Taiwan Fact: They use the Minguo calendar, not the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese would basically start a new cycle every time they got a new emperor, so in 1912, when the Republic was established they started the calendar again. At 97, the era of the Republic shatters the former record, held Emperor Kangxi who ruled for 61 years. So if you get some milk from Taiwan with an expiration date that reads, 09/12/97 don't throw it out! Go ahead and smell it though...
Today was my last day observing Tai Da school. It was also the day they celebrated all the June birthdays at the school. All the kids sang the songs they did for their graduation during the festivities, except Penguin class, which did a new performance, involving singing the theme from Ask a Ninja and a debate over whether ninjas or robots were better.
See the two really small kids kind of in the middle? No? Doesn't matter, read on. The one on the right is named Harth (Indian I think?) and he is the only non-Taiwanese kid in the school (ok, the girl in the audience facing the camera is 1/4 Portuguese) and he gets really caught up in singing. He gets louder and louder until he can't hear the music and is just shouting at the top of his lungs. I couldn't stop laughing during the performance because he also begins to look more and more furious- his brow furrows, he starts stomping instead of dancing (still doing the hand motions, mind you) and he just generally looks like he wants to kill you. BUT HE'S JUST REALLY INTO IT!
Robots in the front, ninjas in the back (duh). Their graduation performance included the songs "Robot Parade" by They Might Be Giants and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk.
These are the kids in the class I observed. There performance was surprisingly complicated and precise.
Oh em gee, birfdey caekz!
I got a new roommate this morning. Gillian's fiancé was going to move in next month but arrived early. I've yet to see him because he has been asleep all day after his flight in from Australia.
My mom just told me my uncle Scott and cousin Ben were in Iowa on a boyscouting trip. She'd told me before that if I was on vacation she probably wouldn't tell me about a family tragedy until I got back, since knowing while I was gone would only serve to ruin the trip. For a second I thought she might see me being in Taiwan as a grey area and was working up to telling me they had gotten eaten by the tornado. Good thing it was some other people's loved ones!
Uh, lets not end with me sounding callous.
Those people fuckin' love M&M's.
Today was my last day observing Tai Da school. It was also the day they celebrated all the June birthdays at the school. All the kids sang the songs they did for their graduation during the festivities, except Penguin class, which did a new performance, involving singing the theme from Ask a Ninja and a debate over whether ninjas or robots were better.
See the two really small kids kind of in the middle? No? Doesn't matter, read on. The one on the right is named Harth (Indian I think?) and he is the only non-Taiwanese kid in the school (ok, the girl in the audience facing the camera is 1/4 Portuguese) and he gets really caught up in singing. He gets louder and louder until he can't hear the music and is just shouting at the top of his lungs. I couldn't stop laughing during the performance because he also begins to look more and more furious- his brow furrows, he starts stomping instead of dancing (still doing the hand motions, mind you) and he just generally looks like he wants to kill you. BUT HE'S JUST REALLY INTO IT!
Robots in the front, ninjas in the back (duh). Their graduation performance included the songs "Robot Parade" by They Might Be Giants and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk.
These are the kids in the class I observed. There performance was surprisingly complicated and precise.
Oh em gee, birfdey caekz!
I got a new roommate this morning. Gillian's fiancé was going to move in next month but arrived early. I've yet to see him because he has been asleep all day after his flight in from Australia.
My mom just told me my uncle Scott and cousin Ben were in Iowa on a boyscouting trip. She'd told me before that if I was on vacation she probably wouldn't tell me about a family tragedy until I got back, since knowing while I was gone would only serve to ruin the trip. For a second I thought she might see me being in Taiwan as a grey area and was working up to telling me they had gotten eaten by the tornado. Good thing it was some other people's loved ones!
Uh, lets not end with me sounding callous.
Those people fuckin' love M&M's.