My Bible Study small group: Casper, Scott, and Fayma. All these wonderful people are teachers- who knew!!

Typhoon Haitung

My first typhoon experience. I made it seem so big, but as we waited and waited for this 'storm' to come, it slowed down and was not that big of a deal. Good for everybody. The wind got really strong for a few days and it rained for many after that. School as cancelled for Monday, July 18th and Tuesday, July 19th. I thought this was great, until I found out I had to make the classes up for the next two weekends on Saturday and Sunday- GREAT!! :) Oh well, now that Rebecca is away, all the more time to work, work, work.

Here are shots of the waves crashing into the shore. The cops were down there on their speaker phones telling the curious people to "go home" (I being one of them... opps...)... or that's what I thought they were saying- I am only guessing here. Another shot is when Rebecca and I went to move our scooters to the underground parking and we could hardly walk. Many scooters were blown over. I hurt my back trying to lift the other scooters and bikes so that I could get to mine. But all is well again- for my back and for the typhoon passing without too much damage.

Big wind!! My shoes were being ripped off my feet and it took effort to stand in one place. This is a picture of the front of my building. As you can see behind me there is a scooter knocked over. It wind knocked down most of the scooters sitting out.

Typhoon Haitung. When we were reading up on this 'storm' it sounded so scary. Look at this satelite photo... but by the time it got around to getting to Taitung, it had slowed down...

Pre- Typhoon waves. It was an awesome sight.

Swimming in the Mountain River

So wonderful to go cool off in cold water. A group of mostly foreigners drove up into the mountains and hiked up this river that flows into the ocean (later on). Because it is so hot here, even the ocean water is warm, so when you are so hot and sweaty, all you want is cold water- so it was so refreshing to ride the rapids, cool off, and jump off rocks.

Another shot of swimming in the mountain river.

In the background, you can see a 30 ft. waterfall. So awesome! In reality, it really hurt to be under it.

Swimming in the river in the mountains. It was so wonderful, so refreshing. This makes the TOP TEN coolest things I have done in Taiwan (literally).

My Students

A quick few shots of two of my twenty classes. Some are of them working on an assignment- putting lyrics together as they listen to the song. And the other shots are of the whole class posing for the picture. Some of the students you have to twist their arm to pose and others just love it!

Class 8-09: Students working on Lyrics assignment.

Class 8- 09: Classroom shot

Class 8-09: Classroom shot

Class 8-09: Students working on listening to a song and putting the lyrics in order.

Class 8-10: Aren't they so cute!!

Class 8-10: Stan the man.

Class 8-10: The students can be so shy...

Class 8-10

Hualien City/ Taroko Mountains

Hualien is a city about 3 hours north (by train) of Taitung. On Friday, July 8th, we took the train up and met up with Xorla and Kim (they teach in the same program I do, but on the East coast). We rented scooters and drove into the mountains that night. It was scary to look down over the edge.... but we made it safe up to our hostel rooms. I walked out of my room and I just screamed by head off when I saw the biggest, I mean biggest frog I have ever seen. This old froggie was the size of nerf football. Wow, I couldn't believe it! Other than that and the cockroaches and spiders in our rooms, it was a good nights rest.

Saturday morning was bright, so we headed out to go hiking on some trails and into the Water Curtains. My favourite was the curtains- don't see this kind of thing very often. The waterfalls were beautiful. I took a video of a waterfall series and there were 5-6 waterfalls all the water down the mountain- and you could see them all from one spot.

Around supper we headed back into Hualien City for something to eat, rest, and shopping in the night market. We ended up finding a nice Indian resturant. It was a treat for Rebecca and I, as we don't have much choice in Taitung.

Sunday morning we did some more shopping (English bookstore), while Rebecca was working. And then headed back to Taitung. Always good to be home!

Taroko: Mountain river.

Narrow highway. In places there is only room for one vehicle to pass, so many times we had to back up or wait our turn. Dangerous!! (Don't tell my Dad)

Taroko: A temple that has been built on the mountain with a waterfall flowing underneith it.

Video of the many waterfalls starting at the top. I believe that their are 5-6 falls in this succession.

On a hike in the Taroko mountains.

On the suspension bridge (r to l): Xorla, Rebecca, and Kim.

Taroko: Mountain run- off river

Taroko: Beautiful mountain range

The Water Curtain Tunnel walk- a suspension bridge that connects between two mountains.

Water Curtains in Taroko. You walk through a series of tunnels (about 40 mins) and then at the last tunnel you put on your rain coat and walk into this river and waterfall that is in the middle of this tunnel. Very cold water... for Taiwan.