Departure from Taiwan on Saturday, July 31

On July 31, the American student teachers prepared to leave Kaohsiung. They traveled to the airport with their host families, and found a large group of San Sin students waiting there for them to say “good-bye.” The students gave their American teachers some farewell gifts and many, many hugs. The host families wished them well, and expressed the hope that some of the American student teachers would return to Taiwan for next year’s summer program.

Many last-minute pictures were taken to help them remember their new and wonderful across-the-globe friendships. They promised to stay in touch on Facebook and through Skype and e-mail…..and they separated with waves and tearful eyes!

Once back in Tallahassee, the American student teachers reunited at the Bamboo House, their favorite Taiwanese restaurant, for a Summer English Program follow-up meeting with Dr. O'Kon, Mr. John Gelabert, and Mr. Jerry Fussell!

American student teachers meet at the Bamboo House!

If you would like to look at our "Sleep Gallery," go to:
http://tcctaiwansleep2010.blogspot.com/

Farewell Dinner with Host Families: July 30

On Friday, July 30, a Farewell Dinner was held at the Hotel Kingdom to show appreciation to the host families and to the American student teachers. The host families showed tremendous hospitality and kindness to the visiting American student teachers.  In addition, Mrs. Helen Lie and Mr. Shih were presented with gifts and many hugs of appreciation!

Each host family received a digital photo viewer with many pictures of the student teachers.  Helen Lie presented each student teacher with a unique gift from the Chinese Handicraft Mart on Taipei, and a lovely plaque of appreciation! 

The teaching assistants who helped the teachers every day with the Summer English Program were also recognized. Their help was invaluable! (Pictured above: Alex, Sunny, Kim, and Tina). Also, the office assistants Zach and Vivian were always working to support the Summer English Program behind the scenes, and they were recognized for their assistance.  Thanks to both of them for their hard work!

A big thank you to everyone who helped our Summer English Program be successful this year!  We appreciate them and want them to know how special they are to us!

Week Four Activities: July 26-30

During Week Four of the Summer English Program, the American student teachers focused on the "Tourism and Shopping" curriculum unit.  Students worked on their PBL (Project-based Learning) presentations for Thursday, and they prepared for the upcoming Closing Ceremony.

On Monday, Mr. Shih treated all of the student teachers and the San Sin teaching assistants to a special lunch at the Han-Hsien Specialty Foods restaurant. Taiwanese cuisine knows no boundaries, and numerous hard-to-resist dishes were shared by all in attendance! Pineapple shrimp is always one of the most popular items.......

On Wednesday, the student teachers traveled by van to the jade market, and they learned some quick lessons about evaluating the quality of jade. They bartered for lower prices with the assistance of their teaching assistant Susan and Helen Lie, and they purchased some very nice gift items for family and friends.  Some activities with students were planned for later that afternoon, and yoga class would be held that evening, too. So the student teachers hurried back to get to their other commitments.

Unfortunately, student teacher Vicki Wilkinson developed a serious leg infection, and was hospitalized at Veterans General Hospital in Kaohsiung during the fourth week of the program.  Each of the student teachers visited her during the week, and her students were divided among the other classes to keep them on track in the program. Vicki had many visitors to her "elite" hospital room, including the principal himself, Mr. Pan!  Vicki improved each day, and showed a great deal of patience and a positive attitude in dealing with her hospitalization!  We wish Vicki the very best!

San Sin High School's Closing Ceremony for the Summer English Program was held on Friday, July 30. The ceremony was opened by the principal, Mr. Pan. Certificates were awarded to students for outstanding PBL projects, and two awards were presented for "Best Speaker."  Each American teacher presented individual certificates to their students for completion of the program, and pictures were taken of every recipient by Mr. Shih!

The American teachers were entertained by numerous performances by their San Sin students, who showed off their talents by dancing, singing, and performing skits in English.  The San Sin students also expressed the respect, appreciation, and love they have for their American teachers!  The American teachers performed their own skit called "Tongue Twisters" in a mock classroom, with teaching assistant Susan as their "teacher."  They performed both English and Chinese tongue twisters while they imitated the misbehavior of their San Sin students, and they added a few twists of their own!  The audience laughed and laughed at their silliness, and the skit was a big success!

Every San Sin student wanted a photo with the American teachers, and the teachers spent a lot of time saying "good'bye" to their very special students!  Once again, the American student teachers learned the true meaning of the country's motto: 
Taiwan touch your heart!

Week-end Travel to Sun Moon Lake July 24-25

On Saturday, July 24, the American student teachers traveled by car with host father Mr. Tsai, his friends Jimmy, Samuel, Dina, and Amy, and students Jenny, Tracy, and Jill to Sun Moon Lake. It took several hours to cover the distance. On the way, the group stopped at a Lotus Pond to snap photos of the very delicate flowers, and they indulged in a healthy and delicious Lotus Bean ice treat. They enjoyed a traditional Taiwanese lunch at the Hu Shan restaurant, and continued their travel into the mountains to Sun Moon Lake.

Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan’s largest lake, and is located in the center of the island at an elevation of 760 meters above sea level. The eastern portion of the lake is shaped round like the sun, and the western portion is shaped like a crescent moon.

When they arrived, the group loaded all of their personal items onto a small flat-bottom boat to traverse the lake to get to a large houseboat, their floating overnight living quarters. Equipped with a kitchen, a living room, TV, and Karaoke machine, the houseboat was a very comfortable place where everyone could socialize. Despite the late-day rain, their hosts prepared an enticing Taiwanese bar-b-que with meat, vegetables, beef soup, and noodles. Samuel’s and Jimmy’s birthdays were jointly celebrated with a large birthday cake, and Mr. Tsai painted both of their faces with the frosting!

Also available on the houseboat were kayaks, hand-paddle boats, and an inflatable water wheel that is operated from the inside---like a hamster wheel!  Early on Sunday morning, the weather became truly beautiful, and Danice and Dr. O’Kon were the first ones on the water in the kayaks and hand-paddle boats. The tranquil scenery, smooth lake surface, and comfortable temperature made it a perfect morning. Later, a stop at the Syuanzang Temple provided a rich and colorful background for pictures and a stellar vantage point for the mountainous lake area. The American student teachers were also treated to a visit to the traditional pottery barn to learn how to use a pottery wheel with clay. Some made clay creations—bowls, plates, and cups---that they were quite proud of.  Small children enjoyed the pottery, too!

Sun Moon Lake is truly a jewel in Taiwan's beautiful crown, as a natural landmark and a historically significant area preserving Taiwanese aboriginal culture.  For more information, take a look at:
http://www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw/

Week Three Activities: July 19-23

During the third week, the American student teachers taught the curriculum unit on “Theatre and Performance.” Numerous new vocabulary words were introduced and reviewed. The San Sin students worked very hard in small groups to prepare a skit for Friday’s class, which illustrated a fairy tale or folk tale through play-acting. Popular performances incorporated such fairy tales as Cinderella, Robin Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretel.

On Thursday, six busloads of San Sin English Program students and their American teachers took a field trip to the Kaohsiung National Science and Technology Museum. They were treated to the impressive visiting exhibition portraying Leonardo Da Vinci’s contributions to art, music, science, and technology. While many college students have learned about Da Vinci’s contributions to the humanities such as his paintings of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, few are exposed to Da Vinci’s contributions to the areas of anatomy, physics, engineering, and even human flight. His works include the firsts concepts of a car, bicycle, helicopter, parachute, submarine, and even military tanks. The exhibition provided detailed descriptions of many of Da Vinci’s inventions and his creative attempts to explain the scientific events surrounding people in the period of 1452-1519. The exhibit ended with a 3-D animated wall projection of The Last Supper.

The American student teachers continued their after-school activities with groups of San Sin students. Some viewed the 3-D movie “Street Dance,” while others visited Chichen Beach, a popcorn store, or the Dream Mall. Still others shopped in traditional Taiwanese stores and played arcade games with students. All of these after-school excursions provide ample opportunities for the San Sin students to practice conversational English! The student teachers finished the week on Friday evening with dinner at the new Parking Pasta restaurant (next to the World Gym) with teaching assistants Tina and Susan, and their former San Sin student and good friend, Jane! This restaurant provides a menu only available in Mandarin Chinese with no pictures, but by asking a lot of questions and enlisting the aid of Susan, Tina, and Jane, the teachers negotiated the language barrier once again!

Week-end Travel to Taipei: July 17-18

The group travel to the capital of Taipei on July 17 and 18.  Led by Helen Lie and Michael Chiu, the teachers traveled on the high-speed rail train, reaching Taipei in only 90 minutes!  The teachers checked in at the Taipei Teachers Hostel.  Their first stop was the remarkable Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a tribute to a great leader who led the wars against the Chinese Communist Party. He died in 1975, and this beautiful memorial hall acknowledges him and to his efforts to modernize the Republic of China. They witnessed the changing of the Taiwanese military guard at the memorial, and visited the history museum on the floor below the memorial.  The inscriptions on the side walls describe Chiang Kai-shek's philosophy: "The purpose of life is to improve the general life of humanity", and "The meaning of life is to create and sustain subsequent lives in the universe."

Helen Lie took the teachers to a well-attended religious observance held at the Taipei Normal University.  The group learned about meditation and the philosophy of Buddhism.  Then, the teachers  visited the National Palace Museum. Ranked as one of the four best museums in the world, the Museum was originally founded in 1925 in the Forbidden City in Beijing. In 1949, the government shipped 600,000 treasured works of art to Taiwan to protect them from the impending war. The permanent collect of over 677,000 pieces has been stored in the current museum since 1965, and the pieces document more than 8,000 years of Chinese history. The displays are rotated every three months, and about 60,000 pieces can be viewed at a time.  The exhibits include jades, vessels, weapons, ceramics, calligraphy, documents, rare books, antiquities, and paintings going as far back as the Neolithic Age.  What a wonderful opportunity to learn about Chinese history!

On Sunday, the teachers spent some time at the Taiwan Handicraft Promotion Center.  This provided an opportunity for them to purchase special Taiwanese souvenirs and gifts for family and friends.  After an incredible 11-course Taiwanese-style lunch at the Teachers Hostel, they traveled over to Taipei 101.  The Taipei 101 Observatory is one of the tallest buildings in the world.  They traveled up to the 89th floor in a high-speed elevator and viewed the extensive city of Taipei in all directions. The Observatory holds the world's largest wind damper, and is built to resist the strongest earthquakes and gale winds.  They returned to Kaohsiung on the high-speed rail on Sunday evening! 

 

 

 

Week Two Activities: July 12-16

What a busy week! In addition to teaching the curriculum topic of Club Activity each day, the teachers graded student homework papers, in-class assignments, and tests. They took a few minutes to visit the San Sin High School uniform store to model and purchase official San Sin clothing items for themselves and family members.  Later, they took their shirts and jackets to a nearby store to have their names (Chinese and American) embroidered on their clothing!

On Tuesday, the student teachers traveled by bus with some San Sin students and Helen Lie to the Kaohsiung Museum of History.  The first exhibition they saw described the history of Chinese puppets.  They took the opportunity to sit at the Mayor's desk and sign up for the museum's "Mayor for a Day" program (the museum building was once the site of the original Kaohsiung City Government).  Kaohsiung currently has an outstanding female mayor named Chen Chu,  and Jessica Brattain was eager to continue that tradition, so she jumped into the mayor's chair to begin signing proclamations!

Week Two filled up with other activities, also.  There was the weekly Yoga class, and a session with Sylvia Lien about meditation and Buddhism.  San Sin students invited small groups of teachers to go shopping, travel by boat to Chichen Beach, or take other after-school excursions.  At Chichen Beach, the teachers rode a four-person bicycle cart with foot pedals for all four people.  In addition, they enjoyed the warm weather and beautiful beach along with many other beachgoers.  Haley Swenson purchased and ate grilled squid on a stick!  They finished the afternoon with a refreshing Taiwanese fruit ice treat.

On Friday, after classes were over, the teachers and San Sin teaching assistants celebrated Morgan Helton's birthday. They went to a wonderful Hot Pot restaurant for lunch, accompanied by Mr. Shih, who helps our group with all things important, especially food!  Due to the all-you-can-eat format of the Hot Pot restaurant, everyone overindulged, but it was worth it!   The group's yoga teacher and Helen Lie were also in attendance, and a good time was had by all!