Posts
Where in the World is D Today?
Thinking About the Good ‘Ol U.S.A.
A few days ago a colleague, Susan, asked me at lunch, “So Darryl, why did you decide to never return to the U.S.?”….. I just about choked on my noodles….. “Who told you that nonsense?!” “You did.” was her response. (insert noodle choking noise here.) I then tried as calmly as I possible could that she must have mistaken something I said previously. This led to her being very emphatic that I had indeed said it which led to a rant from her about how horrible America is for exporting jobs, the education system, blah, blah,. I was having a hard time listening, I was trying to dislodge 逐出the noodles from my esophagus 食管.
The history of America is not a simple one, especially when it comes to its People of Color, and specifically for me, a person of African descent. I’ve just used some very eloquent 雄辯, but it boils down to this for me. I’m Black. I always refer to myself as Black. I grew up when we said “Black is Beautiful.” Africa is a beautiful and wondrous 魔幻continent, but I have no deep connection to Africa, so to call myself African American just seems…. Out of place. My life, family, history, culture, and Identity are all uniquely and wonderfully wrapped in the United States of America. When I was in the U.S., I never assume, as many do, that foreigners want to become U.S. citizens. Many do, but just as many if not more are forever tied THEIR country as much as I am to mine.
Independence Day, The Fourth of July, is the greatest holiday to me. It’s not global. We don’t share it with anyone. It’s OURS! The Declaration of Independence is a simply beautiful peace of writing. If you haven’t read it, you must. In the meantime, I will sum it up for you; “Hey King George, BITE ME!” (That’s a paraphrase of course.) The men who wrote it and the Constitution were less than perfect men by all measures. But I will give them the benefit of the doubt in drafting documents based on the world as they knew it in 1776, knowing that others would come along after them.
In this ongoing series of firsts for me while living in Taiwan, this one strikes a special chord with me having volunteered for President Obama’s Presidential Campaign. What would the White men, some of who were slave owners, who drafted the Declaration of Independence, think of this day, this year?! Surely, they could not have imagined it in 1776.
I love Taiwan and its people. Some days I feel completely lost and some days I am completely comfortable. It’s only been 5 ½ months! I can possibly see me living here a long time, especially if I am lucky enough to find a mate. But, NEVER go back to the U.S. as Susan suggested. HAH! Preposterous! 荒謬!Give up my U.S. passport?! NOPE, Ain’t Gonna happen!!! (I got the noodles out by the way.)
*Please, Please, Please copy and paste this video link. I tried and tried to embed it and I couldn't get it to work.* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghz4_kikLkE
I ALWAYS get goose bumps and a little teary eyed when I hear Ray Charles sing America the Beautiful. I hope it touches you to and you get a sense of my homesickness on Saturday, the Fourth of July, Independence Day. Say it with me people, AWESOME!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A New First! I Am SOOO Not In The U.S. Any More!
Where in the World is D Today?
Trying to figure out if he should "Duck and Cover"!
Duck and Cover is a term I grew up with in the 1960's and
70's. It can be applied in a Tornado but I first learned it in Elementary school when we, the United States, thought we might get attacked by RUSSIA! (Just for the recorded, based my basic knowledge of nuclear warheads, Duck and Cover is a less that effective strategy for survival.)
Yesterday was an unusal day. First of all, I was home in the middle of the day on a weekday. Then I hear sirens sounding. The conversation I had with myself went a little like this;
"Sirens?!, Hmmmm, I didn't think Taiwan had Tornado's? I'm on the 14th floor. CRAP!! It was sunny just a few minutes ago."
Looking out the balcony, "There's not a cloud in site. Clearly not a Tornado. It is probably just a test of the system. This IS TYPHOON season. They test the systems every month of Tornado season in Missouri. That must be it. The sirens have stopped."
Completely oblivious to what's going on I leave my apartment headed for the bank. "Why are all these cars parked in the alley? It must be a busy day at the liscense bureau. It is the last day of the month." (I live next to that office and seeing people park badly in Taiwan is... NORMAL.)
I walk past all the cars and turn the corner, "cool I got a green light and the traffic is clear! I can make across the street safely!"
Then I notice this across the street policeman blowing his whistle and waving his baton. "Hmm what's up with that?" Then about 2 seconds later another policeman runs up behind me franticly blowing his whistle, waving his baton and very angrily pointing toward the building. "Crap! What did I do?!" I go in and there's a maybe 10 people sitting around. The cop goes back to watching outside. It is then I look outside and notice the streets are completely silent. There is no movement. Jhongli has become a ghost town. "What in the world is going on? Should I be worried? No one else seems overly concerned, but this is NOT normal." My inner thoughts were pretty chaotic.
After about 15 minutes, A car comes around the corner followed by another and the sirens sound again. Lots of whistle blowing from the police and the streets of Jhongli come back to life. I wait for a moment waiting for the OK from the policeman. The look he gave me was something along the lines of, "Idiot Foreigner". And then Mr. Lu, a fine gentleman in my apartment building, appears. He explains, "It was an attack drill. It's not like this is the U.S. is it? The sirens mean stay inside the country is under attack. The safest place is inside from bombs and planes." Taiwan is an island and has to worry about being attacked, especially with it's proximity to N. Korea and though he did not say it specifically, mainland China was implied.
I was aware that as an island, Taiwan is vulnerable to attack, but I chose to basically ignore it. Taiwanese people don't seem overly concerned with potential threats from N. Korea or China. But, ya know, a little heads up to the drill would have been handy. (They probably were there but in Chinese.) I count it as another on of those experiential lessons we all learn as we go through life. Afterward I felt pretty silly that I had all of these signs that said Hey Pay Attention To This! and I walked right past each and everyone. There was a ration reason for doing so in each case.
Sometimes we can have all the Right information and still draw the Wrong conclusion. Life is funny that way sometimes.
Peace
Trying to figure out if he should "Duck and Cover"!
Duck and Cover is a term I grew up with in the 1960's and
70's. It can be applied in a Tornado but I first learned it in Elementary school when we, the United States, thought we might get attacked by RUSSIA! (Just for the recorded, based my basic knowledge of nuclear warheads, Duck and Cover is a less that effective strategy for survival.)
Yesterday was an unusal day. First of all, I was home in the middle of the day on a weekday. Then I hear sirens sounding. The conversation I had with myself went a little like this;
"Sirens?!, Hmmmm, I didn't think Taiwan had Tornado's? I'm on the 14th floor. CRAP!! It was sunny just a few minutes ago."
Looking out the balcony, "There's not a cloud in site. Clearly not a Tornado. It is probably just a test of the system. This IS TYPHOON season. They test the systems every month of Tornado season in Missouri. That must be it. The sirens have stopped."
Completely oblivious to what's going on I leave my apartment headed for the bank. "Why are all these cars parked in the alley? It must be a busy day at the liscense bureau. It is the last day of the month." (I live next to that office and seeing people park badly in Taiwan is... NORMAL.)
I walk past all the cars and turn the corner, "cool I got a green light and the traffic is clear! I can make across the street safely!"
Then I notice this across the street policeman blowing his whistle and waving his baton. "Hmm what's up with that?" Then about 2 seconds later another policeman runs up behind me franticly blowing his whistle, waving his baton and very angrily pointing toward the building. "Crap! What did I do?!" I go in and there's a maybe 10 people sitting around. The cop goes back to watching outside. It is then I look outside and notice the streets are completely silent. There is no movement. Jhongli has become a ghost town. "What in the world is going on? Should I be worried? No one else seems overly concerned, but this is NOT normal." My inner thoughts were pretty chaotic.
After about 15 minutes, A car comes around the corner followed by another and the sirens sound again. Lots of whistle blowing from the police and the streets of Jhongli come back to life. I wait for a moment waiting for the OK from the policeman. The look he gave me was something along the lines of, "Idiot Foreigner". And then Mr. Lu, a fine gentleman in my apartment building, appears. He explains, "It was an attack drill. It's not like this is the U.S. is it? The sirens mean stay inside the country is under attack. The safest place is inside from bombs and planes." Taiwan is an island and has to worry about being attacked, especially with it's proximity to N. Korea and though he did not say it specifically, mainland China was implied.
I was aware that as an island, Taiwan is vulnerable to attack, but I chose to basically ignore it. Taiwanese people don't seem overly concerned with potential threats from N. Korea or China. But, ya know, a little heads up to the drill would have been handy. (They probably were there but in Chinese.) I count it as another on of those experiential lessons we all learn as we go through life. Afterward I felt pretty silly that I had all of these signs that said Hey Pay Attention To This! and I walked right past each and everyone. There was a ration reason for doing so in each case.
Sometimes we can have all the Right information and still draw the Wrong conclusion. Life is funny that way sometimes.
Peace
The Real Deal
Where in the World is D Today?
Recognizing the Real Deal when he see's it.
The Real Deal is a strange way to describe many things. In this case it simply means I can see genuine compassion and friendly heart.
Remember my friend and mentor at work Will? He's the Real Deal. Last night something happened at the gym that made me smile inside and say to myself, "Here's a special guy." Will is a pretty soft-spoken guy. He didn't have to help me at work but he did. He didn't have to help me at the gym last night, but he did. He invited me to workout with him and another gentleman. (After he mocked me a little bit for not doing enough waits and opting for cardio.) Anyway.....Before we got to that point, I saw him speaking, to guy we worked out with, with sign language! As a not so casual observer, Will has got this easy way people that makes him naturally.... LIKEABLE.
I don't throw props out everyday on my blog. This is jonly the third time I've ever done. But I have to Throw a Shout Out to my boy Will. He's the REAL DEAL.
Recognizing the Real Deal when he see's it.
The Real Deal is a strange way to describe many things. In this case it simply means I can see genuine compassion and friendly heart.
Remember my friend and mentor at work Will? He's the Real Deal. Last night something happened at the gym that made me smile inside and say to myself, "Here's a special guy." Will is a pretty soft-spoken guy. He didn't have to help me at work but he did. He didn't have to help me at the gym last night, but he did. He invited me to workout with him and another gentleman. (After he mocked me a little bit for not doing enough waits and opting for cardio.) Anyway.....Before we got to that point, I saw him speaking, to guy we worked out with, with sign language! As a not so casual observer, Will has got this easy way people that makes him naturally.... LIKEABLE.
I don't throw props out everyday on my blog. This is jonly the third time I've ever done. But I have to Throw a Shout Out to my boy Will. He's the REAL DEAL.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
President Obama and Me
Where in the World is D Today?
Reading the News and Being Reminded Why He Loves President Obama.
You may or may not know that I worked for the Obama Presidential campaign in Missouri last year. I walked many miles, knocked on lots of doors, and would talk to anybody in person who wanted to have a conversation about him. (I didn’t work the phones very much. I would rather walk around in the heat, cold and rain; Anything but phone banks.) Anyway…..
Every morning I check the World and U.S. news online. This morning I saw a rather silly story about the President’s smoking habit. Are you kidding me, you’re busting his chops over the occasional cigarette?! The man’s got a lot on his plate, let’s cut him some slack on the little stuff. I think Mrs. Obama will keep him inline about smoking. Then I stumbled on these two links that affirmed in me many of the reasons I love this man. Here are the links. (Sorry you have to copy and paste. I'm not tech smart enough to get the links to work.)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31451371/ns/fathers_day_guide/?pg=8#tdy_Parenting_ObamaGreatDad
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/10/obama-parenting-pda-slide_n_142625.html
Reading the News and Being Reminded Why He Loves President Obama.
You may or may not know that I worked for the Obama Presidential campaign in Missouri last year. I walked many miles, knocked on lots of doors, and would talk to anybody in person who wanted to have a conversation about him. (I didn’t work the phones very much. I would rather walk around in the heat, cold and rain; Anything but phone banks.) Anyway…..
Every morning I check the World and U.S. news online. This morning I saw a rather silly story about the President’s smoking habit. Are you kidding me, you’re busting his chops over the occasional cigarette?! The man’s got a lot on his plate, let’s cut him some slack on the little stuff. I think Mrs. Obama will keep him inline about smoking. Then I stumbled on these two links that affirmed in me many of the reasons I love this man. Here are the links. (Sorry you have to copy and paste. I'm not tech smart enough to get the links to work.)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31451371/ns/fathers_day_guide/?pg=8#tdy_Parenting_ObamaGreatDad
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/10/obama-parenting-pda-slide_n_142625.html
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
My Thoughts Walking To School Today
Where in the World is D Today?
Somewhere on Yanping Road.
I haven't slept well the last two nights. Too many things on my mind. On my daily walk the list began to scroll through my head of all the things I missed. It began as I adjusted the mask on face to protect my lungs from the exhaust fumes of traffic. Some of the things were specific to Columbia, some were just things I noticed I hadn't done or had in a while. Here's the list of things I missed in the 10 minute walk from my apartment to Chung Li Elementary.
I Miss...
Clean Air
The quite of my neighborhood in Columbia
Planting flowers in front of my house
Mowing my lawn
Chocolate shakes from Sonic's Drive-in
The Twilight Festival or walking around downtown Columbia in general
Washing and Waxing my car
Taking a drive on a sunny day with the top down on a curvy road. (My car is a convertible. I have not seen many in Taiwan.)
Independence - I am fiercely independent while simultaneously knowing we NEED
other people in our lives. I am tremendously Thankful for the helpers in my life like Yi-Wen, Claire, and Ray. I am blessed by all my helpers, but I often feel like a child. I must have someone speak for me at the doctors office and renting an apartment. Some things are very personal and as a grown man would rather not have a third person involved. These conversation often makes me feel invisible, because while I am the point of the conversation, no one ever actually talks to ME. But it is a necessary evil and is an important lesson in humility for me. I have no choice. It will be a very long time before my Chinese is good enough to go the the doctor alone. Given the choice of going and increasing the possibility of getting something wrong or having a helper, no matter the embarrassment, I choose the helper.
HUGS - I really miss hugs. I have not had the full embrace of another human being in almost 6 months. Times when I need a hug and KNOW that I CAN't get one is when I really feel the difference in culture.
PBS - This is Public Broadcasting Station with news and arts and documentaries.
Tennis
Dancing - I miss dancing almost as much as hugs. It is such a wonderful expression and a chance to connect with another person.
I need, I crave, human touch. Not in any bad or unhealthy way. It is my basic belief that there is something in all of us that needs it. We do it instintively with children and babies to comfort them and then it fades as we get older. But where I come from, Black people hug! The full embrace I get at a family gather or at church...there's nothing else like it. I really miss that.
Peace
Somewhere on Yanping Road.
I haven't slept well the last two nights. Too many things on my mind. On my daily walk the list began to scroll through my head of all the things I missed. It began as I adjusted the mask on face to protect my lungs from the exhaust fumes of traffic. Some of the things were specific to Columbia, some were just things I noticed I hadn't done or had in a while. Here's the list of things I missed in the 10 minute walk from my apartment to Chung Li Elementary.
I Miss...
Clean Air
The quite of my neighborhood in Columbia
Planting flowers in front of my house
Mowing my lawn
Chocolate shakes from Sonic's Drive-in
The Twilight Festival or walking around downtown Columbia in general
Washing and Waxing my car
Taking a drive on a sunny day with the top down on a curvy road. (My car is a convertible. I have not seen many in Taiwan.)
Independence - I am fiercely independent while simultaneously knowing we NEED
other people in our lives. I am tremendously Thankful for the helpers in my life like Yi-Wen, Claire, and Ray. I am blessed by all my helpers, but I often feel like a child. I must have someone speak for me at the doctors office and renting an apartment. Some things are very personal and as a grown man would rather not have a third person involved. These conversation often makes me feel invisible, because while I am the point of the conversation, no one ever actually talks to ME. But it is a necessary evil and is an important lesson in humility for me. I have no choice. It will be a very long time before my Chinese is good enough to go the the doctor alone. Given the choice of going and increasing the possibility of getting something wrong or having a helper, no matter the embarrassment, I choose the helper.
HUGS - I really miss hugs. I have not had the full embrace of another human being in almost 6 months. Times when I need a hug and KNOW that I CAN't get one is when I really feel the difference in culture.
PBS - This is Public Broadcasting Station with news and arts and documentaries.
Tennis
Dancing - I miss dancing almost as much as hugs. It is such a wonderful expression and a chance to connect with another person.
I need, I crave, human touch. Not in any bad or unhealthy way. It is my basic belief that there is something in all of us that needs it. We do it instintively with children and babies to comfort them and then it fades as we get older. But where I come from, Black people hug! The full embrace I get at a family gather or at church...there's nothing else like it. I really miss that.
Peace
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Can Somebody Please Tell Me the Rules! or My Life as Panda (part 2)
Where in the World is D Today?
Somewhere Trying To Decide If It's Safe to Come Out.
One of the fundamental problems with keeping a document with your thoughts and perspectives open to the world is you never know how others will interpret your words. I check the site meter periodically and have seen that people have come to my site from some of the most unlikely places. What do they think of my thoughts? So people just write and don't worry about it. I'm not one of those people, because I truly understand the power of words. I love words and playing with them. I've worked hard in my life to be able to use, manage and manipulate words to express all of these odd feelings and perspectives I have. I consider myself a mediocre writer at best. But I do have my own off center view of the world and this blog is my expression of it. Not to mention, writing is good therapy for me. That in itself is another blog entry for another day. But, back to the point I was making, I Care what people think about my words and about me as an extension of those words.
There is a saying in the U.S. "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." We teach this to kids when they are getting teased. We want them to be brave and confident. The problem is, that saying is a complete lie. Stick and stone can break my bones, but words... Words break the heart. Bones heal infinitely easier than hearts. A broken heart can last a lifetime. So, I am completely aware that every word I put on this blog has heartbreak potential, including my own. Although there may be pain inflicted that is unintentional, the result is the same and I can not be casual about it.
Now, that I have laid out that rather lengthy preamble let me get to the point of this blog entry.
On average I would say I think once a week I think to myself, this just isn't worth it, just give up and go home. They, the island of Taiwan, do not want you. They want the cuteness of the Panda, but not the responsibility of house training it. It is of course a wild animal no matter how cute it may appear. One day the Panda is out in the jungle doing whatever it is Pandas do, mostly eating without bothering anybody. The next day it finds itself in complete unfamiliar surroundings. Now Pandas, while cute and cuddly, do indeed want to comply with the norms of its new surroundings. The problem is, the handlers on each shift have different norms and expectations for the Panda. And sometimes the handlers on the same shift can not agree on what is best for the Panda. In the meantime, the poor Panda is trying to keep everybody happy and then makes a mistake and the whole world crashes in on the Panda. The Panda is shocked and surprised at the reactions of the handlers. He really has no idea what's going on.
You mean, I'm NOT supposed to eat ALL of the bamboo stalk.
No, just the top half.
But the handler on the other shift said it was ok.
Yeah, well on this shift we don't eat the bottom part, only the top. Got it! So the poor Panda puts all of the bamboo down, goes into a corner and wishes he had spaghetti.
In the U.S. I knew most of the rules. I didn't like many of them, but in general, I knew what they were. And no matter how I wanted to operate, I could always anticipate the next step. Not so with ANY of my life in Taiwan. At work there are three different countries represented by the foreign teachers. There's geriatric group with their set of cultural norms, the British guy and his very British ways, the young guy on his first teaching assignment trying to prove himself, me the middle aged black guy who seems at times like he's 13 and other times like he's 103, add in one 6'3" Taiwanese guy who is a heck of a basketball player, loves R&B and in many ways is Blacker than I am. Throw in a Taiwanese ladies as our coordinator and you have our office. Next I have my Starbucks friends, then the shop girls (I haven't mentioned them on the blog yet, but they are regular part of my life) add in people from the gym and now my friends from church.
Everyone experiences Taiwan in their own way based on their life experience. Each joyfully shares their expertise, because THEY are Taiwanese, with me in their own way to help me adapt to my new home. Some are Christian some are not. Some are older, some are younger. Some are students, some are adults with jobs. Some are conservative, some are not. Many not all, generally accept me pretty much as I am and give me the benefit of the doubt. They share honestly and openly their language and culture. I am a very good listener. I am a pretty good problem solver. And as far as I can tell, there is very little consistency from subgroup to subgroup. I'm sure there are some common threads woven into the beautiful mosaic that is Taiwan.
But can someone please just tell me what it is!
I need to know the rules. The do's and don'ts. I am a Great rule follower. I need rules. Rules make things easy to do and understand. Yes, do stick your finger in the cake batter and taste it. No do not stick your finger in a plug socket. Easy! Don't steal, don't kill, got it. You can drink the water but only after you have boiled it and let it cool. But then it's still a good idea to maybe boil it again. Or you can just buy bottled water. It's not water that's the problem, it's the plumbing.
So for those of you who suggest I think too much, which is about everybody I know in Taiwan and the U.S. Try negotiating a world were you don't know the rules and know body is telling them to you. As you're learning the language you can say the right syllables, but you used the wrong tones which completely changed the word. So you in stead of saying 7, 8 you said a really naughty word when you were trying to practice your numbers, because learning the language is REALLY important and when people talk no to people says the words the same. I can understand lazy pronunciation in English. No biggie. But how can I tell the difference between proper and improper pronunciation in Chinese. Or maybe it's all correct, but really fast, or has an accent. You don't know it's an accent what this guy said sounded completely different from what that guy said and the ordered exactly the same thing. (Yes, I pay attention to these things. It is how I make sense of words I'm hearing.) But I keep listening hoping and praying for the day the static clears and I'll be able to understand.
It's not easy being a Panda. Unlike the Panda's at the zoo, I can choose when and if I want to go back to my natural habitat. I don't want to go back. I love Taiwan. But like I said before on average I think about going home about once a week because Taiwan doesn't want me. But, My job is here. I'm trying to make a Life here; not just live from day to day. But right now, I'm just a Panda trying to figure out if it's safe to eat the dang bamboo.
OK, it's Tuesday, so should I eat the top or bottom. Maybe I'll just not eat today. It's safer.
Somewhere Trying To Decide If It's Safe to Come Out.
One of the fundamental problems with keeping a document with your thoughts and perspectives open to the world is you never know how others will interpret your words. I check the site meter periodically and have seen that people have come to my site from some of the most unlikely places. What do they think of my thoughts? So people just write and don't worry about it. I'm not one of those people, because I truly understand the power of words. I love words and playing with them. I've worked hard in my life to be able to use, manage and manipulate words to express all of these odd feelings and perspectives I have. I consider myself a mediocre writer at best. But I do have my own off center view of the world and this blog is my expression of it. Not to mention, writing is good therapy for me. That in itself is another blog entry for another day. But, back to the point I was making, I Care what people think about my words and about me as an extension of those words.
There is a saying in the U.S. "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." We teach this to kids when they are getting teased. We want them to be brave and confident. The problem is, that saying is a complete lie. Stick and stone can break my bones, but words... Words break the heart. Bones heal infinitely easier than hearts. A broken heart can last a lifetime. So, I am completely aware that every word I put on this blog has heartbreak potential, including my own. Although there may be pain inflicted that is unintentional, the result is the same and I can not be casual about it.
Now, that I have laid out that rather lengthy preamble let me get to the point of this blog entry.
On average I would say I think once a week I think to myself, this just isn't worth it, just give up and go home. They, the island of Taiwan, do not want you. They want the cuteness of the Panda, but not the responsibility of house training it. It is of course a wild animal no matter how cute it may appear. One day the Panda is out in the jungle doing whatever it is Pandas do, mostly eating without bothering anybody. The next day it finds itself in complete unfamiliar surroundings. Now Pandas, while cute and cuddly, do indeed want to comply with the norms of its new surroundings. The problem is, the handlers on each shift have different norms and expectations for the Panda. And sometimes the handlers on the same shift can not agree on what is best for the Panda. In the meantime, the poor Panda is trying to keep everybody happy and then makes a mistake and the whole world crashes in on the Panda. The Panda is shocked and surprised at the reactions of the handlers. He really has no idea what's going on.
You mean, I'm NOT supposed to eat ALL of the bamboo stalk.
No, just the top half.
But the handler on the other shift said it was ok.
Yeah, well on this shift we don't eat the bottom part, only the top. Got it! So the poor Panda puts all of the bamboo down, goes into a corner and wishes he had spaghetti.
In the U.S. I knew most of the rules. I didn't like many of them, but in general, I knew what they were. And no matter how I wanted to operate, I could always anticipate the next step. Not so with ANY of my life in Taiwan. At work there are three different countries represented by the foreign teachers. There's geriatric group with their set of cultural norms, the British guy and his very British ways, the young guy on his first teaching assignment trying to prove himself, me the middle aged black guy who seems at times like he's 13 and other times like he's 103, add in one 6'3" Taiwanese guy who is a heck of a basketball player, loves R&B and in many ways is Blacker than I am. Throw in a Taiwanese ladies as our coordinator and you have our office. Next I have my Starbucks friends, then the shop girls (I haven't mentioned them on the blog yet, but they are regular part of my life) add in people from the gym and now my friends from church.
Everyone experiences Taiwan in their own way based on their life experience. Each joyfully shares their expertise, because THEY are Taiwanese, with me in their own way to help me adapt to my new home. Some are Christian some are not. Some are older, some are younger. Some are students, some are adults with jobs. Some are conservative, some are not. Many not all, generally accept me pretty much as I am and give me the benefit of the doubt. They share honestly and openly their language and culture. I am a very good listener. I am a pretty good problem solver. And as far as I can tell, there is very little consistency from subgroup to subgroup. I'm sure there are some common threads woven into the beautiful mosaic that is Taiwan.
But can someone please just tell me what it is!
I need to know the rules. The do's and don'ts. I am a Great rule follower. I need rules. Rules make things easy to do and understand. Yes, do stick your finger in the cake batter and taste it. No do not stick your finger in a plug socket. Easy! Don't steal, don't kill, got it. You can drink the water but only after you have boiled it and let it cool. But then it's still a good idea to maybe boil it again. Or you can just buy bottled water. It's not water that's the problem, it's the plumbing.
So for those of you who suggest I think too much, which is about everybody I know in Taiwan and the U.S. Try negotiating a world were you don't know the rules and know body is telling them to you. As you're learning the language you can say the right syllables, but you used the wrong tones which completely changed the word. So you in stead of saying 7, 8 you said a really naughty word when you were trying to practice your numbers, because learning the language is REALLY important and when people talk no to people says the words the same. I can understand lazy pronunciation in English. No biggie. But how can I tell the difference between proper and improper pronunciation in Chinese. Or maybe it's all correct, but really fast, or has an accent. You don't know it's an accent what this guy said sounded completely different from what that guy said and the ordered exactly the same thing. (Yes, I pay attention to these things. It is how I make sense of words I'm hearing.) But I keep listening hoping and praying for the day the static clears and I'll be able to understand.
It's not easy being a Panda. Unlike the Panda's at the zoo, I can choose when and if I want to go back to my natural habitat. I don't want to go back. I love Taiwan. But like I said before on average I think about going home about once a week because Taiwan doesn't want me. But, My job is here. I'm trying to make a Life here; not just live from day to day. But right now, I'm just a Panda trying to figure out if it's safe to eat the dang bamboo.
OK, it's Tuesday, so should I eat the top or bottom. Maybe I'll just not eat today. It's safer.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Teacher Extraordinaire! 教师非凡
Where in the World is D Today?
Trying to find a humble way to say I'm the GREATEST TEACHER EVER! :)
The Greatest Teacher Ever?! OK, that may be a little bit of a stretch, but that's how I felt when the flowers were explained to me. "Flowers?!", you say. Let me back up for those who haven't read the blog the last few days......
This past Wednesday was the 6th Grade Graduation. I am a natural High School teacher. Now, that I am teacher Elementary School, it takes learning a different thought process. (Since I'm not much more mature than 11 year old kids it wasn't too great of a leap. HA!)
I've only been teaching here for 5 months. So I never really expected to make the connections I did. Nor did I expect the kids to connect with me the way some did. I hoped for it, but honestly didn't expect it. Well,.... with some of the kids I got exactly what I wanted... to care for them and for them to care for me back.
At the end of the ceremony a couple of boys brought me some flowers. Thinking like a westerner, I figured the boys parents gave them some flowers to celebrate the graduation and then gave them to me because the are 11 year old boys and don't want to be caring flowers around they got from their mom. I asked teacher about it on Thursday when she explained to me I had it all wrong. They asked the parents to buy flowers specifically for them to give to ME! Say it with me people.. "AWESOME" A 6th grade boy would NEVER give his male teacher flowers in the U.S. I am still smiling!
So am I THE greatest teacher EVER? That is certainly up for debate. But I definitely feels like it.
On a deeper more reflective note. I wish I could share all of this with my Grand Mothers. I often think of them at moments like this. They both were SO VERY PROUD of me when I graduated, because I was a TEACHER! For those of you who appreciate history, at the time when my grandmothers were born, the early 1900's, and grew up in a very racist and segregated America, the most respected Black man was either the Pastor or the Teacher. So you see, for their grandson to become a teacher was a big deal to them, and rightfully so. I can remember one time I went to visit my Grandmother Johnson and she called her friends in the neighborhood, "My Grandson the Teacher is here to visit me!". A few minutes later her house had 4-5 of these little old ladies from my grandma's generation show up. She was so proud and so were those little old ladies. The had the same story growing up as Grandma Johnson. At times like these, I miss my Grandmothers. They were special ladies. I know that they would be especially proud of me now.
Trying to find a humble way to say I'm the GREATEST TEACHER EVER! :)
The Greatest Teacher Ever?! OK, that may be a little bit of a stretch, but that's how I felt when the flowers were explained to me. "Flowers?!", you say. Let me back up for those who haven't read the blog the last few days......
This past Wednesday was the 6th Grade Graduation. I am a natural High School teacher. Now, that I am teacher Elementary School, it takes learning a different thought process. (Since I'm not much more mature than 11 year old kids it wasn't too great of a leap. HA!)
I've only been teaching here for 5 months. So I never really expected to make the connections I did. Nor did I expect the kids to connect with me the way some did. I hoped for it, but honestly didn't expect it. Well,.... with some of the kids I got exactly what I wanted... to care for them and for them to care for me back.
At the end of the ceremony a couple of boys brought me some flowers. Thinking like a westerner, I figured the boys parents gave them some flowers to celebrate the graduation and then gave them to me because the are 11 year old boys and don't want to be caring flowers around they got from their mom. I asked teacher about it on Thursday when she explained to me I had it all wrong. They asked the parents to buy flowers specifically for them to give to ME! Say it with me people.. "AWESOME" A 6th grade boy would NEVER give his male teacher flowers in the U.S. I am still smiling!
So am I THE greatest teacher EVER? That is certainly up for debate. But I definitely feels like it.
On a deeper more reflective note. I wish I could share all of this with my Grand Mothers. I often think of them at moments like this. They both were SO VERY PROUD of me when I graduated, because I was a TEACHER! For those of you who appreciate history, at the time when my grandmothers were born, the early 1900's, and grew up in a very racist and segregated America, the most respected Black man was either the Pastor or the Teacher. So you see, for their grandson to become a teacher was a big deal to them, and rightfully so. I can remember one time I went to visit my Grandmother Johnson and she called her friends in the neighborhood, "My Grandson the Teacher is here to visit me!". A few minutes later her house had 4-5 of these little old ladies from my grandma's generation show up. She was so proud and so were those little old ladies. The had the same story growing up as Grandma Johnson. At times like these, I miss my Grandmothers. They were special ladies. I know that they would be especially proud of me now.
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