Wow, nearly two weeks without a word - I am quite sorry! The schedule has been crazier than ever with graduation coming up next week now and various other events in the works. But as always, I'm still happy to be so busy and challenged for a change.
Besides, there hasn't been anything too dramatic to share. One tidbit I will pass on: last week was Dragon Boat Festival, a big patriotic holiday in China - or at least in Taiwan. I've lost track of which celebrations are and aren't allowed in The Other Country. Loosely based on a long-ago search for a very loyal-to-his-country poet who threw himself into a river after being falsely accused of treason, the big event on Dragon Boat Festival is dragon boat races. Think of your average college rowing team, and then just add wonderfully colorful dragon heads to them all. It's quite a sight!
A week and a half ago, we took all the kindy kids down to the lake one morning to see the practice runs for the big day. The kids were only marginally interested (I think they were mostly just happy to be outside), but it was a pleasantly cool morning and the teachers definitely enjoyed watching the boats. On the big day itself (four days later), I had the day off from work and didn't really want to go to the lake, mainly because it was excruciatingly hot. But I figured I should try a bit harder than I had been lately to appreciate the local culture. So off I went, and, well, it was just about the same as the practices only hotter and more crowded! I did run into some fellow foreigners I hadn't met before, which was a nice surprise. I hung around with them for a while before heading back, and had a pleasant enough afternoon.
Still and all, big holiday blowouts can be just as overrated here as at home!
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