What Do Professors Do When the Girls Are Away?

Well, the girls have been gone three days now and you may be wondering what a bachelor professor does while they are gone. Now for the expose.

1. I have been faithful in exercising daily. On the days I teach (Tuesday and Wednesday), I stretch for about a 1/2 hour before my 9:10 classes. And on the other days, I have starting playing tennis at 6:00 a.m. on campus. I have met some very supportive Taiwanese players who have been most welcoming with my minimalist Chinese language skills. We have played doubles and they graciously let me have the best player as a partner the first day, playing against a husband-wife team. They can't hit as hard as I can, but they are all human backboards. To say the least, I was exhausted after one set in 82 degree muggy weather, having played once in the last three months. After being down 0-3, we pulled it out 6-4 thanks to my partner. They invited me back and won't let me play with him again, so I guess I didn't disgrace myself. We'll see if I can keep this early morning regiment up, like my cousin Pete.

2. I have been swimming in the ocean daily. Initially, I went down around 5:30 in the evening to kind of wind down, but the wave suck at that time. After tennis today, I decided to take a dip on my way home. This society is unbelievably exercise conscious. There must have been at least 50 Taiwanese out swimming at 7:30 a.m. and they told me most of their friends already had gone home! Well, the waves were much better this morning, about 1 1/2 feet instead of six inches. I got to both cool down and glide with mother nature. The thrill of riding a wave being propelled by only mother nature must be akin to what my brother-in-laws feel when they are out sailing. I only wish all of you can experience that special feeling of being one with nature, in whatever venue turns you on.

I offered the students in both classes free body surfing lessons (and hoping to see these gorgeous creatures in their bathing suits), but alas no one has taken me up on my offer yet. I think I have diminished my voyeur chances even more by now surfing in the morning, given that these young people often have difficulty getting up for my 9:10 classes on time. Oh well, I'll keep trying.

3. I have taken up Chinese lessons again. I repeat each 1/2 hour CD twice a day. I am surprise how much I have retained, but still can communicate very little. Doing things with more Taiwanese will force me to use more Mandarin, so we'll see if I can keep it up.

4. Now that the girls are gone, I decided to hold my Wednesday class (the small one with only six students that focuses on organizational theory and behavior) as an experiment in my villa. (I never lived on campus before, so I have never had chance to do this.) This new arrangement accomplishes at least two goals for me. It forces me to clean up the villa at least once a week so I don't embarrass myself. And, it allows me to have more informal conversations with my students about their career dreams and how my course can help them get there. I am much less good at this type of instruction (I guess I like to be more sure of what material gets covered each class), but we are now at the phase of my course where we are trying to apply the material learned, rather than learning new material. If I can help my students master the leadership knowledge, skills, and attitudes covered in this and my other course, they will more easily reach their dreams as part of the global economy and fulfil the potential I see in each of them.

5. Tonight (Thursday night) I am going to a Taiwanese professional baseball game with eight of my students who took up my offer to explore a different perspective on Taiwanese culture. For those of you who are not a sports junky like I am, you will recall that for many of the last 10-15 years Taiwanese little leaguers have beat American little league teams each August at the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania, a right we once expected. We will be having dinner together there. In my next blog, I'll share that experience with you with more pictures. (I am not embarrassing myself anymore with photos I take of myself.)

6. I am still having dinner alone so far, but I am working on that. With improved Mandarin, I can more easily strike up a conversation with Taiwanese students having dinner at the same time. The students and I are planning more opportunities to eat together (see baseball game above), e.g., I am hoping to have a weeny roast on the beach some evening, or maybe having a potluck dinner after we climb the hill behind our villa to see the sunset, or maybe all going out to a restaurant together. I have decided for their sake and mine that I will not invite small groups of them over for dinner. We'll see. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

So I am surviving as a bachelor.

So Sad!

Hi All:

You are stuck with me now to author the blog. Betty and Maren left yesterday morning and I am all alone for the next six weeks! Well not quite really. Let me explain.

Yesterday morning, after having gotten up at 3:30 a.m. because I couldn't sleep thinking about how I am going to not have company eating dinner (the worst part of being away from home alone for me), I took Betty and Maren at 6:00 a.m. to the airport via two taxis (couldn't possibly go in one with all the luggage needed to take back all the things they bought). We been bragging about how kind and caring the people of Taiwan have been to us in previous blogs and how everything about our three month stay has gone so smoothly, but Betty leaves and that perception is out the window. First, after having no problems checking three bags when we come to Taiwan in February, we are told the policy has been changed on the May return flight and we can only check two bags per person free. Well with all that was purchased, that is an impossibility, so Betty and Maren each has to cough up at little over $100 for their third bag. Boy was Betty miffed! Unfortunately, I am likely to do no better when I return June 21st.

We three then enter the lone restaurant in the airport to have breakfast before they are off on their mid-morning flight. I quickly decide that orange juice will have to do until I get home so I can drown my loneliness in my cheerios. No fried squid for breakfast for me.

After sending my two compatriots on their way, I immediately go into my "let's get organized" mode. On the subway home (yes dear, I went in the right direction!), I plan my day. Shop for milk, orange juice, and bread on the way home. Stop in my office to respond to emails and print off stuff I have to edit. Get haircut. Home. Stretch. Breakfast. Chinese tape lessons that I haven't touched for weeks because we have been so busy. Pay bills. Work on joint paper for Taiwan journal Betty, I, and a colleague are writing. Clean. Ocean swim. Glass of wine to watch sunset. Dinner. That should keep me busy for the day so I don't have to think about Betty being gone.

Implementation of great plan starts well. On way to office, chance meeting with one of my students on campus, a tall (over 6 feet) stunning women from the Czech Republic. Expresses sympathy that Betty has departed. Things are looking up.

During haircut phase, get double teamed by the two female Taiwanese beauticians. Things looking up twice. The first washes my hair and gives me a scalp and shoulder massage and the second cuts my hair, all for $9.73 (yes, my anally retentive side keeps a meticulous expense record for tax purposes). Unfortunately, you sometimes get what you paid for, especially when you can't communicate that you want the side tapered and blow drying my hair so it stands up European style is not my look (see self portrait photo holding camera at arms length; not recommended if you have any sense of dignity!).

I stay on track for my plan for the rest of the day with little deviation. Well, I did have a little nap, but I did get up at 3:30. As a reward, I walk down the hill at 5:30 for a swim at our local beach. Surf sucks so wimpy body surfing, but the water is delightfully warm. Ran into four of my Italian students on the beach and exchanged stories about our respective trips to the Philippines and Thailand. They ran into a typhoon! Again, things start to look up.

Up the hill after the swim just in time to have a glass of wine while watching a gorgeous 6:30 sun set from our villa veranda. Because we look directly west over the Formosa Strait, the sunset reminded me of the many sunsets I had the privilege to view from my parent's home in San Diego that overlooks the ocean.

Speaking of Mom, although obliquely, she is now in her home where I grew up, having spent the last four months in rehab learning how to walk again. Although upbeat as ever, even she says she can't do all the things she used to be able to do. After Betty' visit the last two weeks in May, we will have to reassess the care Mom will need. Betty's willingness to help Mom make such a transition in my absence, is just one more reason why I love her.

I decided for dinner that I would get up enough courage to eat out alone, even though I hate that, but maybe I hate cooking dinner more! I went next door to the student cafeteria and for $1.98 had a pork and rice dish that was reasonably tasty. I'm full and I can't cook for that price.

After dinner, I watch the news and then fall asleep at 9:00. Just like Boothbay bedtime hours.

Thanks for reading.

Ted

LAST DAYS in Taiwan

Pictured here is a cook from Tainan (the former capital of Taiwan)
making the Dan-Tsu noodles for which the city is famous.
Pictured also is a woman making the cookies (taste like fortune cookies but are cut into strip shapes) for which the city is also known.











On Thursday, upon our return from Thailand, Maren and I had our hair done for the last time; we look a bit different, but the massage was so worth it!! Then, on Friday, Maren and I went, (for my third but last trip there) out to Lotus Pond, where the beautiful lake is dotted with colorful architecture from Chinese influence; and of course, we walked into the dragon and out the tiger, to dispel all bad luck and gain good luck! And that night (Friday) we asked Janet to join us for dinner and gave her a little gift to thank her for all her help to us while we have been here.











Yesterday (Saturday), Ted, Maren and I were lucky to have a friend, Amber (a doctoral student at NSYSU), to give us a wonderful day's excursion in the former capital city of Taiwan, Tainan! It is a city famous for historical buildings from the Dutch occupation in the 1600's and the Japanese in the first half of the 20th century, etc! Plus, Maren's first husband Smokey (who died of Lou Gehrig's disease long ago) had served in the 1960's at the military base in Tainan, and Maren wanted to see where he had served. Cynthia also joined us while Muhua had to teach an all-day class. The five of us had so much fun!!
We saw several interesting historic buildings, like Confucius Temple (the first such one in Taiwan and also the first school in Taiwan, replete with learning tools such as measuring stones (pictured), steles, etc)), a shrine (called Koxinga's Shrine) to commemorate Cheng Chen-Kung, a famous warrior who helped kick out the Dutch, the Tainan Grand Matsu Temple (Matsu , a goddess of the Sea who is seen as a protectorate of fishermen), and the Museum of Taiwan Literary Achievements (where we also saw a painting of women playing Mah-Jongg!)!




Amber also took us to three different places for delicious Tainan foods: Dan-Tsu noodles in a tasty soup broth also filled with veggies and fish ; fried shrimp and fried oyster rolls; and a very light tofu in a caramel type sauce for dessert.
Then we drove out to the air base, where Maren could see the general area where Smokey served in the Marine Corps.
We ended the day back in Kaohsiung by having an absolutely delightful dinner at a campus located restaurant very near our villa, eating outdoors overlooking the harbor! The weather was delightful, with a warm and gentle breeze, and the food was some of the best we have had here: homemade squash soup seasoned exquisitely with spices (don't ask me which ones!), followed by the best salad ever (fruit, veggies and lettuce and tomatoes gently tossed with a yummy creamy dressing), entree (Ted opted for a small Hawaiian pizza, Maren for a smoked chicken sub, me for steamed chive dumplings).

I close my final blog from Taiwan with a photo of our spectacular view from both the cafe we ate at last night and our villa (which is just above the cafe, basically)! What a fantastic experience we have had here, and I know i will really miss the wonderful people of Kaohsiung and of Thailand when I return home. But I am now ready; it is time.

Hope the readers of this blog have enjoyed it as much as I have had in writing it!
Cheers!
Betty

Our last day in Northern Thailand was Tuesday, May 5th. Once again, Tthasanee and Jaroon did not disappoint. We visited a sunken temple ,the ruins of which have been discovered, fairly recently (1998?) right in the middle of Chiang Mai! Unfortunately, the excavation work has to stop for now, dues to land ownership issues. But to find ruins that date back to the 1700's in the heart of a busy city is rather amazing.



We next went to a place I personally had never heard of before: an elephant hospital! Here, they work with sick or injured elephants to help nurse them back to health, when they then release them into a protected neighboring jungle area! Here we saw one animal with a leg deformity that he had been born with that is now growing a tumor, and another elephant needing IV to bring down a high fever.








Then ,just a short walk down the path, we saw two mama elephants being nursed by their respective babies AND, incidentally, snatching any of the bananas we bought to feed them both, out of their babies' mouths to snarf down themselves! Hmmph!



And what a send-off at the airport. The Thai do not just drop their guests off at the curb and say farewell; no. EVERYONE of our seven AFS friends from Chiang Mai came to the airport with us in a two-car caravan to send us on our way, but not without inundating us with lovely parting gifts. We were imposing on THEIR time and homes, and they give US gifts! What a send-off, with everybody hugging etc! A truly unforgettable experience with new friends, who we hope will come to Maine sometime in their lives (and ours!) They would be most welcome!














And the scenario was repeated when we arrived late at night back in Bangkok where Oi, Sue-Porn and Mr X all appeared to take us from the airport to the apt-hotel for our last night in Bangkok. Before we could say good night, they too showered us with gifts, including AFS shirts from both the Northern Thai and Bangkok gangs!! Wow. The hospitality of these people is over the top!("It is the Thai way" they kept saying when they would refuse our repeated offers to let us buy the meal, treat someone to a trinket, do our own laundry (! )TThasanee's nieces hand washed and ironed our clothes each night! We were allowed, finally, to leave a gratuity for them at the end!!
A fond, fond farewell to one of the warmest, most gracious people ever!

Teaching Three Classes in Thailand!!

On Saturday night, May 2nd, all of us were treated to a fabulous dinner cooked by Da at their lovely home very near Thasanee and Jaroon's. Nirut is seen pictured at the far left in the pink shirt; next to him is Thasanee (who could not be a more caring host to us!), then Gan, the son of Da and Nirut ,shown standing, then Ted at the head of the table, then Am is peeking in, then behind me is Da, a lovely, beautiful woman, then me, then Maren, and then Oye, Gan and Am's cousin and younger sister all at once! The meal was wonderful and so plentiful!! Sticky rice,pork, fried chicken, tropical fruits, vegetable wraps with steamed veggies (yummy) that Nerut kept preparing for us, etc, etc,etc. Plus, they bought us different types of Thai fruit wines as accompaniment!

Then, on Monday, May 4th, Thasannee's school had its orientation day for the freshmen (9 th graders) who came from all different middle schools and so did not necessarily know each other. Ted, Maren and I were on! (We had NO idea before Sunday night, when I was still feeling very queasy from some sort of "bug" I suffered on Sunday, that Thasanee had told her administrators that she was setting up her three Monday morning classes to be taught their English classes by native speakers!)

So, all three of us went into our teacher modes! Maren taught her three classes "You are My Sunshine,"and a tongue twister, "She sells seashells by the seashore!" Ted went into his professorial mode and broke his students into groups of three to role play some "Errors in Communication!" And I divided my classes into five teams of six or so students each, for a spelling bee contest, mainly using English words with "sh" or "ch" sounds, as that was one of Thasanee's goals for her students. In their feedback later, supposedly one student wrote, "We don't need Thai teachers anymore!" We think they liked the participatory nature of our teaching. Beforehand, we were so nervous, but once in front of the classroom, it was fun!

That evening, we went with both Thasanee and Jaroon, plus Da's whole family to a traditional Thai dinner accompanied by a show featuring traditional Thai dances and songs, with one part of the show focusing on native aboriginal peoples, and the other, showcasing students at Chiang Mai Drama School. If you can see the photos well enough, you can see in one of them how long the women's fingernails are, for the purpose of enhancing the gracefulness of their movements!!

Northern Thailand!

On Thursday, April 30th, we flew to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, saying a fond farewell to Oi, Sue-Porn,Jum and Jiap! We were met at the airport by Thasanee, another AFS volunteer. Her full time job is teaching English literature and grammar at a secondary school that we will get to visit later in the week. She and her husband Jaroon, plus their two very close friends, Da (pictured)and Nirut and their two wonderful children, Gan (just finishing his third of his four years of college, training to be an engineer) and Am (pronounced "Ahm,"18, about to head to college, also interested in the sciences and excellent in speaking English; she was Kitty and Bob Boyd's AFS student two years ago and has fond memories of Boothbay Harbor!!), take us everywhere and are so generous with their time and help!! And driving us everywhere is another family friend, a young man (40?) named Chid who is very fun-loving, a great driver and clearly well loved by Thasanee et al!

Over the past three days (it is now Saturday May 2nd), we have shopped (at silk stores, silver stores, teak warehouses, ), ridden elephants at the Mae Tang Elephant farm (an hour long totally fun and totally bumpy, not so comfortable ride!), floated down a very calm river on bamboo rafts (very delightful,though hot), ridden in ox-drawn carts, had a fabulous Thai picnic in a beautiful agricultural preserve, hiked to the top of two stupas (one for the queen, one for the king), hiked to a spectacular waterfall, and so on! We are having a ball and being treated royally!

Wednesday, April 29th, in Bangkok!

Today, we were once again met by Oi, again dressed beautifully, (as we put on our skirts again, for respect for the temples and palaces we visit). To our deloght, Sue-Porn joined us as well! We went first to the Vimanmek Mansion, located in the so-called Dusit Palace complex. This mansion is billed as the world's largest teakwood building in the world! As much a work of art as a national treasure, it is three stories high, has huge staircases (some elegant and wide; others, more narrow and circular), octagonal rooms (with appropriately shaped Oriental rugs to match) and occasionally lattice walls. It truly is magnificent, and security to enter was stricter than any airport I have ever been to! We could not carry ANYTHING in with us, including shoes (which we must take off at every palace and temple) but also your purse, your camera, etc! It was built in 1868 by order of King Rama V and moved to its present site in 1910. Rama V lived there from 1901 to 1906, along with his four wives (his four queens), each of whom had a separate suite of rooms , each in a different color: mauve, green, pale blue, creme. Today, it is used for special occasions by the present King Bhumboi Adulyadej (Rama IX). It otherwise serves as a museum for some of the furniture, china, and gifts to Thai kings over the years.

We next went to an amazing place, next to the Vimanmek teakwood mansion, called the Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall. Here on display are absolutely gorgeous items made by local farmers and other less well-off citizens, to supplement their income, by order of the present queen, Queen Sirikit, who wants to provide ways for the poorer people of their country to supplement their income. Her decree founded the SUPPORT foundation, and besides providing an income for poor farmers, it also preserves Thai folk arts, including weaving, basketry, embroidery, plus more decorative crafts such as silverware, gold nielloware and damascene. It is an important goal of the current queen to preserve Thai culture and traditions and handicrafts. The items on display include gorgeous hand woven textiles and sculptures of brilliant gold leaf, intricate detail, and the iridescent green of beetle wings on items such as sampans and howdahs (carriage seats for the royalties to sit upon when riding an elephant,etc) and stupas, etc. Absolutely amazing work! And a way for the citizens to earn some money as well. The building itself is a one-story design decorated with intricate fretwork known as the "floral design" with colored glass and stucco motifs. We could only take pictures at this entire Dusit complex of the lovely grounds.

After a quick lunch (Thai version of fast food), we picked up Jiap who was able to get the afternoon off to join us, and Oi, Sue-Porn, Jiap, Maren and I set forth by car to Ayutthaya, site of ruins from 1350 to 1748, when different Thai Kings, from Ramathibodi 1 (1350) to King Sam Phraya (1448) ruled. It has the remains of pagoda ruins and a chapel and a monastery, which it became in 1448. When Ayutthaya was sacked by invading Burmese in 1767, the gold that had covered a very revered Buddha image was taken. During the reign of King Rama I (1782-1809), he ordered the inner core of the Buddha image that remained transferred to a different temple, where it is placed in a special "chedi" (pagoda style) built for the purpose.

We had a nice dinner with Oi, Jiap and Sue-Porn, after which we went to Jiap's lovely home to see her mango trees )she shared a delicious mango with us at breakfast!!) and then went to pick up Ted at the airport. A great day, and tomorrow we fly to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, where we will be greeted by another AFS host, a couple, Tthasanee and Jaroon, who know Bob and Kitty Boyd as well!