another full, full day and the middle school was important. almost critical. Joe and I engaged in totally interesting converstaion with our student, and a teacher and the principal for a little bit, but the highlight for me was at the museum. Although lots of "sets" the museum also offered lots of live students on field trips and the photo I am attaching was from the mirror image area with one of the tour groups. totally fun!

I enjoyed the high speed train ride. It was interesting to learn that if you aren't lucky enough to buy a first class seat, then you might end up standing for the duration of your trip. Wow, I can't imagine standing for hours on a train. We were definitely treated well!
edited by ccable on 8/20/2012

I have been to a Costco in Tokyo, a little more than 1 hour away from the center of Tokyo, really outside. Since the land is pretty expensive like NYC, there is no Costco in the center, so as in NYC, Boston. (I have been to both but away from the city) Amazingly there are many things exactly the same or similar to what we have in Costco. Naturally there are Costco brand, Kirkland items, a box of big quantity of fruits (I bet Taiwan's fruits would be better than ours), appliances. I noticed Japanese letter here and there, but it was like I was in the US. There is a place to pick up chorro and pizza just like ours. I also remembered that there was a paella (spanish rice) was in the same case as well. Japanese Costco has better selection of seafoods..naturally.
: )

Another great day: the tranquil mangrove forest (with the goofy-looking sun hats) was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city. The museum was one of my favorite spots on the trip because we were able to interact with so many locals. Rather than just chatting with each other, we were constantly approached by groups of Taiwanese students who wanted to chat with us and take our pictures. The museum itself became secondary to our interaction with members of the community. Once again, these were the unplanned moments that helped make the trip so amazing.

In Tainan, we started at the Confucian temple. It was interesting to see the prayers for academic success as well as to see the lively temple grounds. From fan dancers to art students, people were making use of the space in a way that is so different than what you would see at a church or synagogue in the US.

The junior high visit was another highlight. Once again, we'd been presented with a gorgeous snack of fruit, which turned out to be a great ice breaker. Sue and I were paired with 2 girls, one of whom was so shy that she couldn't talk. Still, she was so excited to meet us that she had braved her fears to be there. Instead of speaking directly, she would draw pictures to communicate with us -- starting with the fruits. I've saved some of the adorable drawings she made for us. Some of the guys were paired with students who told them about the long hours kids in Taiwan are expected to study. They made a video of the junior high schoolers speaking to American students about our relatively much lighter workload, featuring the line, "so stop complaining." I wish I had a copy of it!