The Story of Five Months

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes to you and your family, wherever in the world you may be!

Zhong Hua Elementary School

Now, this blog usually concerns adventurous ramblings around Taiwan and all the cool stories I stumble up along the way. But that's only a partial picture of what it's like living abroad. The truth is, I've been having some rough times the past couple of weeks. It's incredibly hard to be away from my family during the holiday season. As much fun as I'm having teaching my kids about Christmas in America and learning a lot about how they celebrate Christmas in Taiwan, I miss the warmth and familiarity of my traditions back home.

Performing a story at the school Christmas pagent

Besides the homesickness, I'm reaching the halfway point of my time here in Hualien and it's caused me to take stock of what I've done so far. There's a lot that's frustrating about teaching, especially teaching in another country. I only see my children for 1.5 hours a week, if I'm lucky, and that's not enough time to counter the political, cultural, and historical factors I feel like I'm up against. In the classroom, I often feel inexperienced and uncertain, and then I feel like my children deserve better than me stumbling through this process.

In periods of doubt, I hold onto the little moments I share with my students that make me feel like I'm having an impact, even a small one, on their lives. There's Tommy, a fifth grader who seeks me out in the hallways because we joke around about the gifs he likes and he found out that I'm learning Chinese just like he is learning English. There's also Jake, a fourth grader who I play "Up High, Down Low, Too Slow" with before after-school tutoring so that he goes into learning smiling. And in archery club, there's Zack, who really wants to be my buddy and has realized that if he wants to talk to me, he's going to have to practice his English. It's hard to get the students speaking English outside of class, but he's trying his best so that he can communicate with me.

A bracelet made by one of my students

Going to first grade Chinese class always lifts my spirits too. In Hualien, children don't start attending English class until third grade, so the only interaction I have with the first graders is when I am their classmate in Chinese grammar class. The students always come running when they see me, eager to show me that they can count to ten or say "Merry Christmas" in English. They are curious about everything about me. They gather around my desk to touch my hair, my earrings, even my scooter keys. I hope that in interacting with me, they begin to learn to welcome those that look different from them.

These past five months have been both wonderful and frustrating, welcoming and lonely. At the high points, I'm so glad I came here. At the low points, I try to remember my students, and they remind me why I am here in the first place.