Taipei, I'm Here to Stay

Annie and I discovered Taipei last February equipped only with reservations at a hostel, a pocket dictionary, and a prayer. We had the weekend of our lives complete with Japanese roommates, a glimpse of the best of Chinese art at the National Palace Museum, a suffocating stroll through the Shilin Night Market, some quick stops at the 228 Memorial Park, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Plaza and the Flora Expo, and a trip to the mountains to see the MaoKong tea village. With our Asian pallet fully satisfied, Annie and I took a short jaunt on the MRT and walked into a Western paradise. We topped the top of Taipei 101, indulged at Cold Stone, and I literally cried when our waiter/waitress (we still aren’t sure) at Chili’s brought out our Quesadilla Explosion Salad. This tantalizing mix of both the foreign and the familiar made me want to shout in the street, “Taipei, I’m here to stay!”

Since then, Annie and I have made friends with a wonderful family. Through a series of non-coincidences, Wu Mama and her son Guan Chen stepped into our lives as our Asian angels. Guan Chen got to know the church a year ago and quietly decided to get baptized. When his mother found out, she was so angry that she tore apart his Book of Mormon. She began to notice the changes happening in her son and decided to look more into what he had discovered. Within several months, Wu Mama entered the waters of baptism as the newest member of the Church. According to Guan Chen, this woman has completely changed into a smiling service bug searching for any opportunity to give. Annie and I have been lucky enough to be swept up in her generosity. After several months of feeling far from home, we found our Asian equivalent in her humble apartment. The first time we visited, Wu Mama took us on a tour of a neighborhood called Danshui complete with a ferry ride along the bay and manicures at the local night market. We rode the train home laden with boxes of fried rice and fruit along with a renewed determination to give to others as much as Wu Mama had given to us. We stayed with them again a couple of weeks ago and brought along our dear friend Whitney Sheahan who is also teaching English in Hualien. Once again, we were treated like royalty and feel like we have family in Taipei.

Learning to Teach

When I decided to move to Asia, I worried about things like the language, the food, moving from family, and getting used to a foreign county. Teaching preschoolers? Mah! Piece of cake! Piece of crumb cake! These are toddlers for crying out loud…how hard could that be?! I think I hear the faint but distinct chuckle of all you mothers, fathers, and nursery teachers half a world away…you know. Let’s see how my first week went. Day 1: Teacher Amy comes to class with the expectation of doing animal yoga with the preschool kids for forty-minutes. Wow, that was an adventure. Day 2: Teacher Amy guides the class in making journals. Uh huh. Day 3: Teacher Amy plans to organize forty toddlers in a make-believe grocery store, complete with homemade paper money, plastic fruit, and grocery lists. You get the picture. Needless to say, Teacher Amy has been humbled.

I teach four hours a day and create roughly forty lesson plans a week. Considering the fact that I have no experience in preschool teaching, this was quite the challenge at first. It still feels like I am constantly planning, but I have developed a basic routine which helps lessen the load.

Despite the stresses of the creating curriculum and working with other teachers, the affection of forty beautiful Asian children has been enough to make my heart melt. I am growing deeply in love with these little friends. It is deeply satisfying to see them learn. I am discovering the world again through their innocent eyes.

Teaching began to click when I started focusing on loving my students instead of having effective lesson plans. It has taken awhile, but I think finally, Teacher Amy is learning how to teach.