Classroom in Central Jakarta, Indonesia Flickr Photo by Shanghai Daddy

This month’s ESL Educators Blog Carnival is an open discussion for our participants. I’m opening this page up to my readers as well, so if you’ve got an interesting ESL article that you’d like to share, please get in touch with me via the Contact Page and I will add your URL, a short blurb about your article and an author box to this post. Don’t forget to check out last month’s carnival, which was published on Go Teach Abroad focused on Engaging Women in the ESL Classroom.

Tax Guide for Overseas Americans

No Plans: Teaching on a Whim and a Dare

When I ‘planned’ my last visit to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, I decided  to arrive without a plan – no itinerary, no specific purpose, and no set  destination. I was just going to fly into Mérida and take the local transportation wherever it would take me. I wasn’t going to teach. I wasn’t going to research. I was just going for a nice visit on a whim and a dare; and I decided I would find places to stay as I traveled the Peninsula. Life had other plans…

Maria Alvarez is the ESL Editor for Wandering Educators. She teaches  ESL/Bilingual Endorsement Courses at Quincy University, and is a tutor  and academic advisor IB/AP English and Spanish, College Prep.

Ten Icebreaker Activities for the ESL Classroom

Icebreaker activities for ESL are a great way to get to know your students on the first day of class. Walking into a room full of new students can be a bit nerve-wracking, especially if you don’t have a lot of ESL teaching experience. Don’t forget that your new students are sure to be a little nervous, too. Whether your students are so energetic that you can barely keep them in their seats, or so shy that getting them to say “Hello” is a challenge, it’s important to find a way to ease their nerves and let them get to know each other and their teacher. The right ESL icebreaker activities can be the perfect way to do it.

Stephanie Long is the Director of Recruiting for Georgia at Reach To Teach Recruiting. In addition to her work with Reach To Teach, Stephanie writes about her travels and adventures on her website, The Wandering Dragon. When she’s not busy writing, Stephanie spends her time playing music and planning her next adventure.

Dealing with Culture Shock

Teaching and living abroad can be the most incredible experience of your life or it can be the worst, depending on how you deal with the difficulties of living and working in a foreign country. Adjusting to a new country and a new culture can be trying, especially when we aren’t willing to adapt or be accepting of a culture that is completely different to our own. This can lead to feelings of depression, loneliness, isolation and complaining.

Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Carrie Kellenberger has kept a home base with her husband in Asia since 2003. She works as a full-time freelance writer, editor, and photographer in Taiwan. Visit www.carriekellenberger.com for more information.

This monthly series is designed for ESL educators in countries all over the globe. As part of a new Blog Carnival called ESL Educators, I will be posting an informative article on English as a Second Language on the 20th of every month. Check back for more articles, and if you’d that would like to contribute to our ESL Blog Carnival, please get in touch with me through the CONTACT page.

Lunar New Year celebrations are almost upon us here in Taiwan. I’ve commented before on how this holiday is celebrated in Taiwan, so this year I thought I’d comment on celebrations for Lunar New Year in Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia Borneo, which was where we spent the holidays last year.

The Lunar New Year is the most important festival in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, luring thousands of friends and families to participate in games and watch Lion and Dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations and other fun events. We witnessed no less than three lion dances in various areas throughout Kota Kinabalu. My favorite by far was held in a local seafood restaurant known as Hua Hing Seafood Restaurant in Seri Selera Kg.Air (Sedco Square) in Kota Kinabalu. Seri Selera Kg. Air is a seafood village in town and this is the place that locals go to for cheap seafood. That’s right! Stay away from those pricey seafood establishments on the promenade and head for this place instead. Glass aquariums line the walls of the complex, while seafood vendors hawk their fresh catches and cook it for you right there. John and I are huge seafood lovers so we were delighted by the variety of dishes available and the cheap prices, especially when we compared it to the seafood restaurant our hotel concierge recommended (which was also excellent, but mighty pricey). Having picked up a giant assortment of shrimp, fresh sea bass and river prawns, we had just sat down to enjoy our meal when we heard three distinctive tock, tock tock sounds that announce the entrance of a Chinese lion or dragon.

The golden lion represents liveliness, and there seemed to be no shortage of liveliness on display in Kota Kinabalu during the Lunar New Year. During Spring Festival, lion dancer troupes from Chinese martial art schools visit  the homes and shops of citizens within the Chinese community. The lion dance is believed to bring good luck and fortune to homes and businesses; I certainly hope that my posting here brings you a little bit of good luck and fortune for the coming new year.

This year the Lunar New Year Carnival in Kota Kinabalu runs from January 17 – 22nd, 2012. Festivities are taking place in Lintasan Deasoka, which will be lit up with rows of traditional Chinese lanterns. Visitors will also enjoy a large variety of food stalls, local handicrafts, and decorations, as well lion dances, drumming shows and other colorful cultural shows such as the Fan Dance.

Here are a few more images from Kota Kinabalu Lunar New Year Festivities:

This guest post was written by Stephanie A Long.

Apart from a few dolphins that had been keeping pace, the only thing to see since we had passed Green Island was blue meeting blue on the distant horizon. The sunlight’s warmth and the deck chair’s swaying and rocking had made my eyelids heavy.

I hadn’t realized that I’d drifted to sleep, though, or that the 4 hour journey could already be nearly over. And so, when a light touch to the shoulder woke me, it seemed to me that the wild, jungle-covered cliffs filling the world off to port had magically burst up out of the calm waters.

Orchid Island, also called Lanyu, had been on my travel list for nearly 2 years—and finally, I was there!

This volcanic island, with its turquoise waters and unique native culture, might not be as popular a tourist destination as the much closer Green Island, but that isn’t because it lacks anything in beauty or culture. Because of its remoteness—the island lies about 73 miles off the south-east coast of Taiwan—and the relative difficulty of traveling there, fewer people are able to make the trip. If you do brave the little planes or the ferry ride, though, the trip is well worth it!

Soon after climbing down from the boat, we were met by a driver who brought us back to a local home, partially converted into a hostel. Within an hour, we had our rental scooter, a full tank of gas, and an evening to drive, climb around on the volcanic rock, and explore.

A single coastal road wraps around the island, and it only takes 2-3 hours to circumnavigate this small island. You can take your time to stop and admire the dramatic rock formations along the road, and just enjoy the ride between the deep turquoise waters on one side and the dense, wild mountains on the other.

When it came time for a meal, there wasn’t any shortage of delicious things to eat. If you are looking for a quick snack or drink, there are numerous small, independently owned convenience stores along the island’s main road. You may have to drive 10 to 15 minutes to find a snack or a coffee, but that’s all part of the laid-back island adventure. There aren’t any 7-11s on this island, and that’s part of the charm.

There are a few western-style restaurants and bars overlooking the ocean, and plenty of small restaurants serving local food. Make sure to give the island’s specialty, flying fish, a try while you are there!

The stunning, deep blue waters that surround the island are home to some beautiful coral reefs, and Orchid Island has a reputation as being a great place for snorkeling. For only 400NT per person, we rented wetsuits and snorkels, and had a guide from the local village. Drifting above and through the beautiful world of coral reefs that lies just off the coast is the perfect way to spend a few hours here.

For travelers who like trekking, the climb to Orchid Island’s Taling mountain is popular, and offers great views. The weather station, which is just a short drive up the cross-island road. Although there’s nothing particularly spectacular about the weather station itself, the views along the drive, and once you’ve reached the top, are amazing.

One of the biggest draws to Orchid Island, though, is the chance to see its unique culture. This island is home to the Yami people. Culturally distinct from the rest of Taiwan, the Yami have traditions and customs that more closely resemble those of people in the Philippines.

On your trip around the island, make sure to check out the Lanyu museum, which shows a replica of a traditional Yami underground home, as well as tons of traditional crafts, tools, and art.

 Be sure to also keep an eye out for the beautifully painted, hand-made canoes.  Outside of the museum, the gate from the main road is made up to look like two of these canoes.

After an all-too short weekend there, Orchid Island ranks high on my list of favorite places in Taiwan.  It has beautiful oceans, wild mountains, and a laid-back feel that makes it the perfect place to relax and get away from it all.

Travel Tips

•  From the coastal city of Taitung, flights and ferries leave for Orchid Island daily, weather permitting. The flights are run by Daily Air, and cost about $3,000NT round trip. Ferries are only slightly cheaper, at $2,000NT round trip.
•  Bad weather often leaves flights grounded and ferries stuck in the harbor. Be aware that you may be stuck on the island for a day or two more than you had planned, and prepare accordingly. Even when the ferries do run, trip can be quite an adventure. We had calm seas on the way there, but ended up catching the edge of a Typhoon on the way back! I’d recommend the ferry only for people with a strong sense of adventure, and an even stronger stomach.
• Ferries and flights fill up early, especially during holidays. Trains and flights to Taitung are often sold out as well. Book your transportation to Taitung, and to Orchid island, well in advance.
• Not many people on the island speak English. You may have some trouble communicating and booking things if you don’t have someone with you who can speak at least some Mandarin Chinese.
• Renting a scooter is the best way to get around the island. Since the road is windy and often steep, having someone with you who knows how to drive a scooter is a must.

Combine the wonders of this exotic Asian destination with one of the biggest celebrations on earth and you’ve got yourself a trip of epic proportions. No one does Chinese New Year better than Beijing, China.

A celebration filled with color, energy, food, and history, Chinese New Year in Beijing hosts a number of fascinating local events to make your journey truly unique and unforgettable. MSW offers you an essential travel guide to some of the best attractions, activities and restaurants in Beijing during Chinese New Year.

Beijing Chinese New Year Winter Attractions

Fireworks

Each year, Beijing’s skyline erupts in a colorful array of fireworks for nights on end, while daytime hours are filled with noisy fireworks being fired all across the city by residents. The resulting cacophony is deafening and the city literally reverberates for days on end.

The most popular venues for setting off fireworks – and watching the pandemonium that ensues – are around the Drum and Bell Towers in the Houhai Lake district. During the day, this Beijing neighborhood is a perfect place for visitors who want to learn about traditional hutong lifestyles.

Nightlife

Houhai Lake District

If it’s Chinese culture that you’re looking for, start your night off with a rickshaw tour of Houhai Bar Street and its surrounding area. There are an ample number of bars and boutiques situated alongside a picturesque manmade lake; the area is dotted with gardens, ponds, traditional Chinese courtyards and ancient temples.

After you’re finished exploring, warm up with a hot beverage or a nightcap at the nearby Drum & Bell Bar. Overlooking the courtyard between the Drum Tower and Bell Tower, this rooftop bar provides a great view of the lake. In recent years the Drum & Bell Bar have provided a great place to view the fireworks on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

Another local favorite, the East Shore Jazz Café, comes highly recommended as the most authentic jazz in town. The café’s rooftop terrace offers views overlooking Houhai Lake.

Sanlitun Bar Street

Sanlitun Bar Street boasts some of the best nightlife activities in Beijing. Known as THE entertainment district of Beijing, Sanlitun has a wide variety of venues, including nightclubs, sports bars, pubs, coffee houses, and cafes.

As one of the most popular nightclubs in Beijing, Mix Club is the perfect place to dance the night away. The ultra modern 2-story nightclub regularly features international DJs who spin the latest music in a trendy setting that resembles some of the hottest clubs in LA.

The Bird’s Nest

Home to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, hosts several celebrations in honor of Chinese New Year.  During the Spring Festival, visitors can enjoy an artificial Winter Wonderland that includes skating rinks and mini ski slopes.

Skiing and Snowboarding

If you tired of sleepless nights in a city that sounds like it’s under siege, try hitting the slopes for a day or two.

Just 30 minutes outside of Beijing, Nanshan Ski Village has one of the best snowboarding parks in the country with five kickers jumps, a mini half-pipe, and over 12 boxes and rails. This winter wonderland also boasts some of the best man-made snow in the world. Experience it for yourself on any of Nanshan’s 12 ski trails, or try your hand at tobogganing or snowmobiling.

Less than a 4-hour drive from Beijing, Wanlong Ski Resort boasts a snowboarding park and 22 ski trails of man-made snow. As China’s largest ski mountain, Wanlong sees over 1000 skiers every weekend.

Celebrate Chinese New Year in a Traditional Village

This tour, hosted by the China Culture Center, takes visitors into the suburbs of Beijing to experience Chinese New Year in a traditional village, where lively street entertainers, folk dancers, puppet shows, sword swallowers, story tellers and magicians spin their magic and showcase their mesmerizing skills. Visit a traditional Chinese home and learn how fire is used to cook and heat the bed. Guests learn how to make dumplings and steam buns. The tour even includes a visit to local artisan who makes life-size paper replicas of horses and carts for Chinese funerals!

Experience Beijing’s Temple Fairs

Chinese New Year in Beijing is a noisy, colorful and busy occasion. If you’ve never experienced the temple fairs of Beijing, then this should be at the top of your travel itinerary during Chinese New Year.

The first temple fairs in Beijing date back to around 1000 AD. Vendors would often set up shop outside of the temples where pilgrims came to pay tribute to the gods during traditional festival periods such as Chinese New Year.

Today, Beijing’s temple fairs attract thousands of visitors from all over the world. Each year, organizers invite hundreds of performers and artisans from all over China to participate in the Chinese New Year temple fairs that are held near the temples and parks of Beijing.

These lively carnivals offer an opportunity to appreciate traditional artwork and local delicacies, spectacular variety shows from rural areas of China, dragon and lion dances, boys and girls on stilts, life-size puppets, waist drum dancing, lotus blossom fairy dances, Peking opera, acrobatics, and tea culture displays. If all that entertainment makes you hungry, you’re in the right place. You’ll find plenty of snacks and Chinese delicacies to sink your teeth into.

Temple Fair Tour

The China Culture Center offers a temple fair tour in Beijing each Chinese New Year. Visitors learn about the history of Beijing temple fairs and then they are taken to two or three temple fairs where they will get a chance to sample local snacks, purchase traditional handicrafts and view various folk performances and traditional handicrafts.

Eat

Chinese New Year celebrations generally begin with a family feast at home, but many families are breaking away from this traditional custom in lieu of eating out. Hu Zhifu, the secretary general of the Beijing Food and Catering Association, states that having Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner at a restaurant first became fashionable in 2003. The number of families that host their New Year’s dinner at restaurants is growing annually.

Popular Beijing Restaurants

Dumplings – Din Tai Fung

When food is renowned as much for its flavor and appearance as it is for being a true work of art, you know you’ve attained perfection in the culinary world. Din Tai Fung got its start in Taiwan in the 1980s, but since then it has expanded to 42 locations in nine countries worldwide. The Beijing restaurant does a brisk business, and many people say that they offer some of the best dumplings in China.

Visitors come for the paper-thin xiao long bao, (steamed dumplings) which are stuffed with vegetables and meat or mashed red beans. Beijing does not have a high concentration of xiao long bao restaurants, and food critics have claimed that the difficulty of finding good xiao long bao in Beijing makes their high prices worth it.

Weighing in at just five grams, the outer-skin of each dumpling is thin as tissue. Each skin is then stuffed with approximately fifteen grams of meat filling. Served with finely sliced pieces of ginger and a soy-based dipping sauce, the end result is sheer art. The tiny bundles bulging with a delightful combination of flavorful soup broth and meat simply burst with flavor.

Mongolian Hot Pot – Donglaishun

After a evening out in the cold Beijing winter air, warm up with a hearty meal of Mongolian Hot Pot at Beijing’s most popular hot pot restaurant, Donglaishun. This northern style hot pot restaurant has been serving Chinese Muslim fare since 1903, and the restaurant is thought to have some of the best shuanyangrou, (instant-boiled mutton) in town. An integral part of northern Chinese cuisine, hot pot is traditionally served in a copper potfilled with soup broth. Meat, frozen bean curd, vegetables, and noodles are added to fill the broth out. Once cooked, a final dip into a sesame butter sauce gives the meal an extra burst of flavor. As Beijing’s most famous hotpot restaurant, Donglaishun may be a little pricey, but its 40 locations throughout the city attest to its popularity.

Peking Duck – Quanjude

No visit to Beijing is complete without dining on glazed and roasted Peking duck. Crispy skin and tender, juicy duck meat is wrapped in paper-thin pancakes and topped with a thick, sweet hoisin sauce, scallions, and radishes.

Locals may argue vehemently on their picks for the best duck in town, but there’s no denying the popularity of Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, a seven-story building at #32 Qianmen Dajie. The unique presentation of the food and the traditional interior design at Quanjude has been attracting roast duck lovers for more 146 years.

Shop

Shopping in Beijing is a veritable paradise for bargain hunters. Add Spring Festival fever into the mix and you’ll find yourself looking for deals of the century. Many shops and vendors hold sales to celebrate the New Year, so shop to your heart’s content and don’t forget to bargain!

Hong Qiao Market

One of the best places in China to buy pearls, coral, turquoise and other semi-precious stones lays a short distance from the Temple of Heaven’s main east gate. Prices at Hong Qiao Market are very reasonable owing to a number of vendors selling the same goods, so smile, have fun and bargain hard for your Chinese souvenirs.

GuWanCheng (Curio City)

This four-storey building on the 3^rd Ring Road behind Pan Jia Yuan harbors treasures waiting to be discovered. The store offers upscale Chinese antiques with prices to match. The management makes every effort to avoid selling fakes and low quality goods, but please remember the rule that applies to all antique shopping in China: Let the buyer beware.

A Note About Travel During Chinese New Year

Mainland China sees more interurban trips during the Spring Festival travel season than the total population of China (1.3 billion as of mid-2008). Masses of people begin rushing home in time to have a reunion dinner with their loved ones on Chinese New Year’s Eve, and all modes of public transportation are thrown into chaos every year. It is almost impossible to book any kind of travel tickets during Chinese New Year, and if you do manage to lay your hands on a ticket, beware that it might be a fake and don’t be surprised to learn that you are paying double the price for a ticket that allows standing room only.

The best advice we can give you about travel in China during Chinese New Year is to plan ahead and don’t try to travel by rail outside of Beijing. On a positive note, since most people stay at home with their families during Chinese New Year, you will be able to take advantage of fewer crowds at some of Beijing’s tourist attractions. Just remember to call ahead to make sure that they’re actually open! Furthermore, if you can beat the crowds, it is a great time to observe local Chinese New Year customs and traditions.

Twelve Tips for Enjoying Chinese New Year in Beijing

1. Book your hotel well in advance of Chinese New Year.
2. Avoid traveling by rail during Spring Festival.
3. Find out where the local performances are being held before you set out on your journey.
4. Bring warm clothing. The weather is bitterly cold in Northern China.
5. Call ahead if you’re planning on visiting any major tourist attractions since many places close down for a few days during Chinese New Year.
6. Catch a lion or dragon dance at one of Beijing’s many temple fairs.
7. Firework displays are de rigueur in China during Chinese New Year. Go somewhere special to enjoy the show!
8. Buy some chunlian. These temporary decorations are embossed with happy and hopeful messages for the coming year.
9. Buy a Chinese-style coat, or purchase some rabbit-head hats and shoes for the kids to usher in the Year of the Rabbit.
10. Visit a temple on Chinese New Year’s Eve to pray for a prosperous New Year. Don’t forget to light some incense to send your prayers to the skies.
11. Travel a few days before Chinese New Year to avoid getting stuck among the crushing millions of people who are traveling home to be with their loved ones.
12. Since many popular Beijing restaurants are booked months in advance, many restaurants recommend that customers book a lunchtime meal instead.

Article Resources

NIGHTLIFE - As of this writing, these establishments have not confirmed if they will be open during Chinese New Year’s Eve 2012.

• Drum & Bell Bar: #41 Zhonglouwan Hutong - Telephone: 86-010-8403-3600
• East Shore Live Jazz Café: Houhai, 2^nd Floor, 2 Shichahai Nanya -Telephone: 86-010-8403-2131
• MIX Club: Workers Stadium, North Gate, Chaoyang District, Beijing Open 8pm to 6am. www.mixclub.sohu.com - Telephone 86-010-6530-2889

 ACTIVITIES

• The Bird’s Nest National Stadium: Olympic Green Village, Chaoyang District
• Nanshan Ski Village: Shengshuitou Village, Henanzhai Town - Telephone: 010-8909-1909 www.nanshanski.com
• Wanlong Ski Resort: Honghualiang, Chongli Xian, Hebei Province 031-3478 5111  - www.wiski.com

RESTAURANTS

• Din Tai Fung Beijing: #24, Xinyuan Xili Zhongjie www.dintaifung.com.cn Telephone +86-010-6462-4502
• Donglaishun Dongcheng Branch: Xin Dongan Plaza, 5F, Wangfujing, Dongcheng - Telephone: 010-6528-0932
•  Quanjude Jinsong Branch: #826, Jingsong Eight District, Guangming Bridge - Telephone: 010-67711211
•  Quanjude Hepingmen Branch: #14, Qianmen West Street - Telephone: 010-63023062
•  Quanjude Qianmen Branch: # 32, Qianmen Dajie - Telephone: 010-6701-1379

CHINA CULTURE CENTER
Kent Centre A 101, Anjialou, No.29, Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District  -  info@chinaculturecenter.org  - www.chinaculturecenter.org

Telephone +86–010-6432-9341 
Fax: +86–010-6432-0145

Celebrate Chinese New Year in a Village

February 5, 2011. RMB 350 per person. The bus leaves the China Culture Center at 9am and returns at 4pm. Call 86-10-6432-9431 to reserve your spot. Book early because tickets sell out fast!

February 4, 2011. Tour price (RMB 200 per person) includes admission tickets, lunch, and transportation. The bus leaves from the China Culture Center at 9:30am and returns at 4pm. Call 86-10-6432-9431 to reserve your spot.

2011 was another great year for travel for a gal like me. After taking on the role of President of Reach To Teach Recruiting earlier this year, I expected that my travel time would go down, but my new position ended up bringing me a lot more travel opportunities than I was anticipating. Here’s a list of the incredible places that I traveled to in 2011.

Shanghai, China

Revisted! Shanghai is one of those cities that never fails to intrigue me. This is a city that I’ve visited for business and for pleasure in the last 18 months. No matter what I’m doing while in Shanghai, whether it’s business or pleasure, this gorgeous Asian city never fails to delight me.

Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

John and I kicked off the Chinese New Year with a trip to Kota Kinabalu. We got caught in a heavy rainstorm while driving to the Tip of Borneo and almost got swept away by a flash flood, we visited Mt Kinabau and Poring Hot Springs, met an orangoutang named Jackie, and visited the islands in and around Kota Kinabalu proper.

Seoul, South Korea

I went to Korea twice this year. Once in February and once in August. Both trips were work-related, but I couldn’t have asked for more different trips. My February trip was a solo trip, so I had the rare pleasure of exploring the city on my own. That opportunity doesn’t come along very often in my marriage, so I made the most of it by checking out the changing of the guards at Gyeongbokgung Palace, wandering through Insa-dong, being drawn into a live broadcast for Doko cookies, and walking straight into a massive parade in downtown Seoul.

On the other hand, my August trip to South Korea was both work- and family-related. John’s mother and son joined us in Taipei this summer and we flew to South Korea with them and enjoyed a three-day weekend with them before getting down to business. Caleb seemed to enjoy Korea, although he doesn’t look very happy in this photo. He’s like his Dad. He doesn’t like having his picture taken.

Hualien, Taiwan

Although I live in Taiwan, Hualien is one city that we’ve never spent much time in. John and I planned an impromptu long weekend trip in Hualien with another couple that we spend time with here in Taiwan. We rented bicycles for the weekend and explored this laid-back East Coast city in full. We found a great barbecue restaurant and stumbled upon a quiet little beach behind an army base on the outskirts of town. Taiwan is full of hidden treasures and this weekend proved to be surprise after surprise.

Hong Kong

John and I took his mother and son to Hong Kong this July and spent four days wandering around the city. We shopped and ate and shopped some more. We spent most evenings on the pier watching both the people and the neon lights lighting up the sky at regular intervals. I enjoyed our tram ride to Victoria Peak, but my favorite part of the trip was stumbling upon a local beer festival.

London,England

My first trip to Europe – Can you believe it! – has been in the making since 2006. This was a really special trip for me because I got to spend it with my two best friends, Claire Breen and Andrew Morgan. Claire and I have traveled together many times before, but this was my first big trip with Drew and his first big trip out of North America. We made sure we hit all the hot spots in London upon our arrival.

Brighton, England

I’ve always wanted to visit Brighton after watching Fat Boy Slim play live on Brighton Beach on TV. As luck would have it, Claire moved there in early 2011, so her home in Brighton was our home base for our European vacation.

Poole, England

Another highlight of our European vacation was Ben and Gemma Hughes’ wedding on October 1, 2011 in Sandbanks, a small piece of land that projects out into the English Channel at Poole in Dorset, England. Dubbed as Britain’s “Palm Beach”, this beautiful piece of land is ranked fourth in the world for having the highest land value. The area has some of the most exclusive homesteads in England, while its waters are widely used for water sports, yachting and sailing.



Paris, France

Our trip to Paris started off with a very special visit to Maison Guerlain, where we got a private tour of the original apartments and learned first-hand about the history of this famous Parisienne perfumer. We rented a charming little apartment in Le Montparnasse and spent our evenings picnicking under the Eiffel Tower in the warm September weather. I wasn’t expecting to like Paris as much as I did, but I would gladly take six months off to rent a little apartment here to get to know the city better.

Amsterdam, Holland

The freedom of life in Amsterdam was an unforgettable experience and I am already anxious to go back and explore more of this fascinating country.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen is destination that I have been itching to go to, but never dreamed that it would happen this year. Last summer while I was home in Canada, I met Aleks, a young Danish man from Copenhagen that accompanied us to Beach Club in Montreal to see Tiesto. We became friends and he ended up inviting Drew, Claire and I to Copenhagen. I don’t think he expected us to take him up on his offer, but we ended up descending on his home and stayed with him for five days. Aleks was an incredibly gracious host and he spent his time showing us around his hometown. There are too many highlights to mention in just this post, but our trip to Christiana and our bicycle adventures around the city stand out in my mind as being the perfect way to end our trip.

This guest blog is by Ava Apollo.

In the Xin Yi district of Taipei, home to the famous 101 skyscaper, immaculate residential mid-rises owned by the powerful and rich Taipei elite sit quietly amidst the buzz of one of the busiest intersections in the city. At any given time, one can catch a glimpse of young adult females in the windows of these flats and penthouses, cleaning and then re-cleaning windows, walking dogs, rearing children of their employers, cooking and serving food, and generally leading the life of an indentured servant.

It is rare to see a housekeeper taking a walk, or out relaxing and enjoying the day.  Even rarer still is it to see one doing anything but working within the confines of the household in which she is employed.

Xin Yi

In late November of this year, multiple news outlets reported the charging of Taiwanese director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Kansas City, Jacqueline Liu (劉姍姍), for the mistreatment of her Filipina housekeepers.  She reportedly plead guilty to charges of overworking, underpaying, and mistreating her housekeepers, which was in violation of their employment contracts.

Liu was forced to pay said housekeepers over USD$80,000 in restitution for forcing them to work 16-18-hour days 6 ½ days per week.  The housekeepers were found to have been victims of what is considered a severe human trafficking case under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.  They will be issued visas and allowed to remain in the U.S. for the purpose of finding work.  As for Lui, she will be detained in prison until her sentencing, though she maintains that she does not feel she did anything wrong.

As a previous resident of Taipei, I can understand why Lui feels that she acted lawfully – as it pertains to how things are done in Taiwan, at least.  It is a common practice to overwork and underpay migrant house workers, who are usually young women from the Philippines or Indonesia.

Under Taiwanese law, blue collar migrant workers enter into a contract with their employers and cannot freely change employers without being in violation of said contract and thereby risking deportation.  Therefore, migrant workers are under pressure to please their employers, many of whom impose arbitrary pay cuts and require ridiculously long hours of overtime, and often do not give their employees holidays off.

In Hong Kong, it is common to see maids gather on days off. This is something I never saw in Taipei

As a foreigner in Taiwan, it seemed like a pretty special treat to be able to hire a housekeeper to stop by our flat and only charge about $200-$300 NT per hour (about USD$6-$10) for cleaning services (which, by the way, is much much higher than a normal contractual wage in Taipei for a full-time housekeeper).  This was a great deal cheaper than anything I could have found in the states.

Though I never employed a housekeeper myself, I did pay my downstairs neighbor’s housekeeper, Nana, a little bit of extra money to handle garbage duties for me (which is a real pain in Taiwan).

Given that I was usually home when she stopped by, I used to ask her about her day, which eventually turned into talking about her life and her family back home.  She was from Indonesia and had lived in Taipei for nearly five years.  She was married and had come abroad in order to make enough money to return home and build a house with her husband, who worked at a factory in South Korea.  Even though the money she made seemed like peanuts compared to what I made as an English tutor, it was more than she could have hoped to make in a lifetime in Indonesia where she was from.  In order to provide for her family, she felt compelled work in Taiwan, sending every penny of her earnings back home each pay period and never buying anything for herself.

It had been five years since she had seen her husband or any members of her family.  This broke my heart.

Nana’s story is not uncommon in Taipei.  Migrant workers just like her leave their families at home in order to make enough money to provide them with a better life in the future.  Many of these women even leave young children behind, and end up serving as nannies for the children of their employers – something I can imagine must be extremely emotionally difficult.

Amazingly, they almost always smile and appear to be happy

Over time, Nana and I developed some semblance of a friendship.  She confided to me that she had originally been brought to Taiwan by a family other than the one she was currently employed by.  She had fled after being verbally and sometimes physically abused by her former employer.  Though she now worked almost every waking moment, she liked this new employer who allowed her to use her limited free time to make extra money on the side, and gave her small bonuses during the holidays.

However, she lived in fear of deportation nearly every day.  She almost never left the building, save for the rare occasions when she took the risk of leaving the flat in order to wire her earnings back home.

This was a risky situation, as the employer also ran the risk of being fined for employing her as an undocumented worker. I suppose by extension, I was running the same risk by paying her to help with the trash.

She would eventually head home when the time was right.  She would tell the airport officials that she didn’t have the money to pay the fine for overstaying her visa – a crime punishable by being barred from ever returning to Taipei.  This would work out just fine for her, as she had no plans of returning, anyway.

Her situation was such a stark juxtaposition to that of my English-teaching peers, though they were both technically migrant workers.  Both parties had come to Taiwan in hopes of making some cash in order to have a better life. English speakers could make a great living as English teachers, able to get pretty good hourly wages in schools and bushibans (English cram-schools) with the ability to put plenty away for travel and savings.  The funny thing is most of the housekeepers from the Philippines were native English-speakers as well, but would never have been given the chance to teach.  They were simply from the wrong region of the world to have a shot at that opportunity.

When I was getting ready to return home, Nana cried and insisted on helping me pack.  It was an unlikely friendship that really put a face to cheap labor that was so distant from me previously.  It was something I had only read about, but now had seen first-hand for myself.  When it comes down to it, Nana chose to come to Taiwan because she wanted a chance to make money to support her family.  I wonder if she still would have come had she known how difficult it was going to be, which is something I never got a chance to ask her.

I hope she's home now

I hope that now, she’s back with her husband in Indonesia, living in a house she built with her earnings, rearing a family, most likely with local maids of her own.

So, what do you think?  Do there need to be changes to the way that migrant workers are treated, or does the opportunity to make a better life for themselves outweigh the drawbacks? 

Chris Norton is a successful Internet entrepreneur and a lover of the Chinese language. He also happens to be the author of a terrific new e-book called Study Chinese in Taiwan. Find out what initially drew Chris to Taiwan, why he recommends studying Chinese in Taiwan and how the plans for his new website and e-book developed after his arrival in Taiwan. 

MSW: Hi Chris. Thanks so much for joining us today. Why don’t we start the interview today with you telling us a little about yourself? Why did you decide to come to Taiwan?

CN: I’m a 10-year veteran internet entrepreneur and avid Mandarin Chinese language student (Mandarin students can check out my new site, Study Chinese in Taiwan, for helpful Mandarin study tips!)

Originally it was my passion for becoming fluent in Mandarin that brought me to Taiwan to study Chinese, but in the end it was the yummy food, world’s most friendly people, affordability of living in Taiwan and fantastic Asia-travel opportunities that made me stay.

MSW: How do you like your courses so far at National Taiwan Normal University? What are some of the things that you really enjoy/dislike about studying in Taiwan?

CN: Studying Mandarin Chinese at the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU)’s Mandarin Training Center has been amazing! I’ve heard a couple horror stories of Mandarin students ending up with awful, cranky old teachers. After studying Chinese for four semesters at NTNU, I have yet to encounter a single one. The four Mandarin teachers I’ve had over my four semesters at NTNU have all been extremely friendly, very helpful and very professional.

NTNU’s facilities are great (if a little old in places – but so are most of the buildings in Taiwan), and being the largest Mandarin school in Taiwan means they can offer Mandarin students additional classes like Taiwanese which I’m starting this semester.

My only ‘dislike’, and it’s not necessarily a fault of NTNU’s, is that having the largest student body means it’s easy for Mandarin students to converse only with other foreigners outside of class. The school could do more to encourage language exchange with local Taiwanese which is absolutely essential to developing fluency in Mandarin.

MSW: You’ve recently developed a fairly new website called Study Chinese in Taiwan. What makes your site special compared to all of the other language sites out there?

CN: That’s right! The goal of the Study Chinese in Taiwan website is to provide all the vital information Mandarin students need to know to make the move to Taiwan and further their Mandarin studies.

Serious Mandarin language students will need to spend time in a native Mandarin-speaking environment in order to become fluent, and, right now, I’m convinced Taiwan is the best place in the world to study Mandarin.

The difference between our Study Chinese in Taiwan website and other Mandarin language sites is that ours is specific to studying Mandarin in Taiwan and provides critical info on Taiwan-specific issues such as how to get a Taiwan student visa, choosing where in Taiwan to study, etc.

We also have some exciting features planned such as a Taiwan Mandarin school directory and review system. I get asked frequently about Taiwan Mandarin schools so this sort of resources seems quite in demand!

MSW: You’ve also just published a Study Chinese in Taiwan ebook, and I hear that it’s doing quite well. Can you tell us a little about how you did that and what kind of content readers can expect to receive if they buy your ebook?

CN: The Study Chinese in Taiwan ebook is really a one stop shop for everything a Mandarin student coming to Taiwan would need to know. Topics covered include:

• Getting a Taiwan student visa
• Healthcare in Taiwan
• Choosing where in Taiwan to live
• Finding housing and dealing with landlords
• How to get a cell phone in Taiwan
• Where to buy groceries and furniture in Taiwan
• Taiwanese food
• Mandarin study tips (including some from NTNU’s top Mandarin teachers)
• And more!

The ebook can be purchased on our website at Study Chinese in Taiwan ebook

I’ve been in Taiwan a little more than a year now, so most of the challenges I encountered upon first arriving in Taiwan are still fresh in my mind. Knowing the information could be useful to others, I wrote it all down over the course of a couple months and packaged it into the ebook.

The reception of the ebook by the Mandarin learning community has been fantastic! In fact, the ebook’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/studychineseintaiwan1 reached over 500 likes shortly after its first month

MSW: What are some tips or advice that you would give to anyone planning on coming to Taiwan to study Chinese?

CN: Just do it! (Sorry, Nike.) 3 months of Mandarin study in Taiwan is easily the equivalent of a year or two of Mandarin study at a university in North America. If you’re serious about becoming fluent in Mandarin, buy your ticket and start planning!

A few other critical tips:

1. Taipei is easily the best place in Taiwan to study Mandarin right now. For those concerned about budget and the expense of living in Taipei (Taiwan’s most expensive city), Tainan and Kaohsiung are also okay choices.
2. To get the most out of your time in Taiwan, get as many local Taiwanese language exchange partners as possible and minimize time spent with foreigners outside of class.
3. Check with your local Taiwanese embassy or cultural office in your home country for scholarship information prior to coming to Taiwan. Depending on what country you’re coming from, getting scholarships equivalent to $800USD/month are not too difficult to come by.

MSW: You’re also an Internet entrepreneur. Why don’t you tell us a little about your online businesses?

CN: That’s right! In addition to the Study Chinese in Taiwan website and ebook, I also own and manage Website On-Demand, Alcaris Inc and Simple Project Reports.

The first two are website development and internet marketing companies based out of Toronto, Canada and are focused specifically on the Small Business and Non-Profit markets. Our Website On-Demand service is especially unique as we offer professional designed, search engine friendly websites on affordable monthly payment plans.

The last one is an online project management and reporting system for general contractors and construction companies.

MSW: Has living in Taiwan allowed you to become more involved in your online activities?

CN: Absolutely! The time difference between Taiwan and Canada has given me a bit of freedom from the daily grind of managing an internet marketing company back in Toronto. Consequently, I’ve been able to focus more of my time on trying out new web technologies, exploring new business ideas, experimenting with new search engine marketing techniques, etc which I believe has actually made me better at my work!

Anyone that has questions about Taiwan or studying Mandarin is welcome to give me a shout using one of the links below:

• Blog: http://www.chrisnorton.ca
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/christopher.norton
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chrisnorton

This contest is open to Taiwan residents only.

Any photographer knows that one of the keys to a successful day of shooting is comfort. The more comfortable you are, the longer you can shoot. That’s why I’m giving away a Black Rapid Camera Strap to one lucky resident of Taiwan.

Black Rapid‘s innovative camera strap screws into the tripod mount on your camera or lens. Rather than having your camera hang down around your neck, Black Rapid straps keep your camera hanging upside-down at your side or in the small of your back for easy access. The strap also features an adjustable bumper system to keep your camera in place while you’re walking around. These straps don’t slip off your shoulder when your camera isn’t weighing it down; they’re designed to stay in place. Please visit Taiwan Photographers for a more in-depth review and information on the various camera straps that are available through Black Rapid.

The Giveaway

I’m giving away one Black Rapid RS-Sport Camera Strap, which comes at a retail value of 69.99 to one lucky resident of Taiwan. The winner will also receive a feature article on their entry on My Several Worlds and Taiwan Photographers. The article will link back to the winner’s website and various social media networks.

All other entries will be compiled into an article that will be posted online, so please make sure you include on your website details and social media links on your Facebook entry.

How To Enter

To enter, all you need to do is like the My Several Worlds Facebook fan page, post a photo of your favorite place in Taiwan and tell us why you like it so much.

The number of votes you have for your entry will be taken into consideration, but the final decision rests with our judges.

The winner of the contest will be announced on January 2, 2012.

This guest post was written by Stephanie Long.

After the constant noise and crowds of Hanoi, Bat Trang feels like a ghost town. White-hot and silent, the stone buildings stand with their doors and windows wide open to the world. The Red River ambles along indifferently just a few hundred feet away. Apart from myself and Dang, the guide who is showing me around the village, there isn’t anyone in sight.

The history of Bat Trang, Dang tells me as we walk along the outskirts of the village, began when Vietnam’s capital was moved north to Hanoi. Many people journeyed north with the king, and when they stopped to make camp, they discovered abundant white clay in the ground. Over the years, a village grew around ceramic and porcelain making. Bat Trang’s ceramics have, for hundreds of years, been exported all throughout Asia and Europe. It is still one of the most famous places for Vietnamese ceramics.

Once we reach the buildings where the ceramics are made, Dang pokes his head through an open front door, and yells something in Vietnamese. There’s no reply, and he tells me most of the people have probably gone to their homes to seek shelter from the mid-afternoon heat.  He moves onto the next building. This time, a voice says something back, and he gestures for me to follow him inside.

My eyes need a minute to adjust. The large room is cluttered with 6-foot tall molds that make me think of sarcophagi, tubs filled with liquid clay, and the dim red glow of coal ovens. The air hangs still and thick and heavy, and the only light comes from the sun streaming in through the windows.

The man inside cheerfully shows us the various stages of making these vases: how the liquid clay is mixed, then poured into the molds, and finally dried and heated to make the vases.

Upstairs, we find another warehouse-like room. Vases, removed from their molds, tower all around us. Some have plain matte white surfaces, and others are painted in intricate blue-gray designs: feathered peacocks, gnarled tree branches, rugged mountains and swirling clouds. A few are resting on revolving stands, and others are on a sliding tray, waiting to be rolled into the industrial-sized kiln.  They will sit inside the kiln for as long as 3 days before they’re finished.

The only other person in the room is a young woman, sitting on a stool, painting a 6-foot-tall vase. Her brush dances across the white surface, in staccato jabs and long, elegant sweeps, drawing out delicate, feathery flowers.

I don’t want to distract her, but I ask if I can take a few pictures and ask her some questions.  My guide quietly says something to her in Vietnamese, and, not stopping her work, she nods. He translates, and her brush never stops moving as she answers.

She tells me that she learned to paint at a university in Hanoi, and decided to specialize in painting ceramics.  I ask how she knows what to paint.  A lot of painters use patterns, she replies, but after years of painting these vases, she only has to mark out a few ideas, and can see the patterns and motifs that she wants to paint.

A vase of this size, she tells me, will take her an entire day or more to finish.

We watch for a while, as the pattern she is painting takes form into a blossoming tree branch. On our way out of the shop, we pass a small room with finished, lacquered vases ready to be sold.

“How much do you think one of these vases would cost?” Dang asks. I know hardly anything about ceramics, but from the size and intricacy of them, I guess $500 to $600 US. He nods, and tells me that’s about what they would cost, but you can buy them in Bat Trang, straight out of the shop, for under $100 US.

The next place we visit specializes in making smaller ceramics. Outside, rows of gray frogs, bears, rabbits, kittens, and other shapes dry in a patch of sunlight. Inside, three women are chatting and laughing as they work. One woman is removing these little figures from their molds, while the other two paint.

We walk further into the village, between dark brick walls and past small, tightly packed homes. Big clumps of black coal are stuck all over these walls, and Dang tells me that, rather than waste the coal after it has been burnt, they use it to reinforce and repair homes and walls in the village.

Next, it’s on to Bat Trang’s ceramics market. Thousands of tea sets, vases, and figures sit on shelves, all packed together with just barely enough room for me and my backpack to squeeze through. Bat Trang might be a popular day-trip from Hanoi, but the market is definitely not touristy. In fact, I don’t see a single other foreigner there.  Most Hanoians will come to Bat Trang’s market to buy gifts, plates and bowls, or decorations, rather than buying them at the markets in the city.

I can’t very well walk through here and not buy something—even the most elaborate and beautiful tea sets don’t go over $20 US! After an hour of walking around, and a few failed attempts at bargaining, I choose a dark green tea set with a bamboo tray for my brother and his fiancee—for about $5 US.

On a practical note, Bat Trang is about 13 km from Hanoi, although the drive takes close to 45 minutes.  While it’s possible to get there with Vietnam’s busses, it’s much easier to hire a private car and a guide from one of the many tour operators in Hanoi.

It’s starting to get a bit chilly here in Taiwan, so I’m cracking out my cookbooks. This winter, I’ve challenged myself to start cooking with ingredients that I’ve never used before. It’s also been a while since I’ve contributed a Wanderfood Wednesday post, so I figured I’d make my first new meal and write about it.

I’ve been on a bit of a bean and legumes kick lately, so my first recipe for my winter cooking challenge is a hearty, warming bowl of red lentil and chickpea soup. This recipe from BBC Good Food is super easy to follow, it cooks in about 20 minutes, it’s low-fat and it’s super healthy and vegetarian friendly. I was really pleased with the results and even my husband thought it was a winner.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• large pinch of chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup of red lentils
• 850 ml vegetable stock
• 400g can of tomatoes, whole or chopped
• 1/2 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• roughly chopped coriander for garnishing
• 1 teaspoon of  Greek yogurt per bowl

My Several Worlds participates in Wanderfood Wednesday, a global travel blogging project that features food from all over the world. For more tasty snacks, recipes, and dishes around the globe, check out the original Wanderfood Wednesday at Wanderlust and Lipstick.