the offWhites

So, by popular request, I’m going to talk about our new jobs. Not that I really know much yet. But still, here are the details, thanks to Lindsay’s thoughtfully specific questions. She writes:

I want to hear about your new job in Taiwan! Tell me all the info! You have to be there on the 28th? Where will you live? What will you do? What will you eat?

So, we’re going to be working at the Chi Du branch of the Hess Schools, near Keelung City. Where’s that? Turns out it’s about 40 minutes away from Taipei. In the map to the right, I’ve put a yellow arrow pointing to it. It’s spelled differently there (Chilung instead of Keelung), which has to do with the system of romanization of the language used. In addition to being about 40 minutes from Taipei, it’s also about 40 minutes away from the northern coast. Apparently, that coast has some of the best surfing beaches on the north half of the Island. Who knew?

When we first arrive, we’ll be in Taipei for training for about 10 days. After that, we’ll go to Chi Du, where our manager will help us find an apartment. They’ve told us that Chi Du is one of the cheaper places to live, so we’re excited about that. I’m pretty sure some of that cheaper living will be due in part to living in a teeny apartment, but that’s okay. Seth and I managed to not kill each other during our first few months of marriage while living in a 400 sq. ft. one bedroom apartment, and we’re not bringing along nearly as much stuff as we tried to cram into that place.

We have to be there for training on July 28th, which is a Saturday, so we’ll probably be leaving on the 26th. The flight is a looooooong one. I’m not so sure I’m looking forward to that (although I’ll have my shiny new nano filled up with audiobooks and music to help me get through it), but it does appear to be a necessary evil. I’m sure Seth will also fill up his laptop with games and movies, so between the two of us, I think we’ll be fine.

We don’t actually know exactly what our teaching schedules will be like until we get there, but we’ve both asked to be assigned to teach a combination of kindergarten and language school. Essentially, kindergarten is more like what we think of as preschool, 2- and 3- and 4-year olds. The classes are in English in the morning and Chinese in the afternoon, so we’d be there in the morning if either of us get that assignment. The language school is an after-school program for kids in primary and middle grades, so it’s like a supplement for them. Kind of like Sylvan, but I think much, much more prevalent among students of all abilities.

What will we eat? That’s a very, very good questions. I was pretty apprehensive about learning to eat in a completely different culture, especially since you all know that calling me a picky eater is an understatement. The running joke Lindsay started is that my favorite food groups are white, mushy, and cheese. Admittedly, this does cover quite a few of my favorites - macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy, fettuccine alfredo - but to be fair, I do like some green things too. Like pesto. And pistachio ice cream.

Erm, sorry, I went on a rabbit chase there. Anyhoo. I’m sure we’ll eat plenty of noodles and rice while we’re getting settled. That seems to be a pretty universal cheap option for people everywhere, right? And then, we’ll begin to explore our options - I’ve read that street food is consistently very good and very cheap. Dumplings sound promising (I mean, it seems to be a pasta-ish pocket of savory goodness - that’s a lot like ravioli, right?), and I’m trying really hard to head into this with an open mind. Of course, that’s easier said here and now. My track record on eating unfamiliar foods is spotty at best. I guess I’ll just have to deal with it as it comes.

So, that’s enough for today. If you, like Lindsay, have questions of your own, leave them for us in the comments. We love comments! We’ll answer your questions! And, I promise, one or both of us will write again soon!