Hey there guys! Please don't glare at me for not posting for so long! I honestly, really did try to update the other day. In fact I had written a very long, very in depth post and was in the middle of adding some pictures to it when Internet Explorer had some sort of error and closed the entire thing down on me. I was about ready to scream. But maybe it was a good thing: instead of finishing the post I called home and talked to the family for a few hours. That was really fun.

Ok, I guess I'll start by telling about our Christmas. The funnest thing was that James came and stayed with us for about three days. What a total hoot. That guy so totally rocks.

I got some cool gifts for Christmas. I gave all the guys on the team a leather wallet that I had made and the girls got a leather change purse. I was pretty happy with how they had turned out. And interestingly enough, nobody had guessed what I was going to be giving them. I had figured that what with all the noise involved in leather tooling it was kinda obvious, but apparently not.

Last Tuesday I went with some of my 6th graders on a field trip. It was really fun. But because Kinmen is pretty small, there really isn't very many places to go on a field trip. So one of the places we got to visit was the waste water treatment plant. Yea, what fun. Dude, it sure did stink! I'm just glad I don't have to work there!

Thursday we went to Taiwan. First we went to Taow Ywen and visited our friends at Sheow Zsteye Jr. high (the Jr. high for the kids from troubled back grounds). What a hoot. I can't wait to go back and visit them.

Friday night I went into Taipei and after a little shopping, met up with James and stayed the night at his place. Then in the morning he and I went shopping and sight seeing and then I got to help him with some of the vocab he's learning for the TOEFL. It was kinda cool to get to help him with his English: he's done so much to help with our Chinese.

Speaking of James, here's something really really cool he posted on his Xanga talking about his visit to Kinmen for Christmas:

"My roommate Samuel is always cool, I am really amazed how fantastic his Chinese is now. Half year ago, I was teaching them, the so-called "new comers", meaning new members in the team, the basic phonetic alphabets, and now I saw him communicating with MSN messenger in Chinese characters. In fact, not only he but also the whole team can both speak and understand Chinese. I used to translate everything, but I didn't have to do that anymore."

Ok, that's very much a shortened version of the post I wrote the other day. But it will have to do. Now here's some pictures from the past month.


I love this picture of Bekah. It was totally unplanned.
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A few weeks ago the dance school had a recital. A bunch of my girls from Jing Who were in it. All the girls in this picture are my students.
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This is a really cool 6th grader. She's not a bad dancer either.
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Here's a group picture of all my Jing Who students who dance.
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4 6th graders. The three on the right are a hoot to hang out with.
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These girls are also a hoot. Esp. the one on the bottom. She's one of the shortest 6th graders I have.
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Twin 5th graders. Both very fun, energetic girls. And they behave in class, which is pretty uncommon in Jing Who.
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Monday 4th gradres. There's only 9 kids in the class. Some of the most extreme character are in this class.
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I have started going to a class at the college on Monday night's taught by Dr. Henning (via satalite). During class I normally just practice Chinese and then during breaks and after class I visit with the students. It's been really fun. This is a one of the students doing a presentation on (you guessed it) "Bee Dancing".
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We had a Christmas party for the dorm kids about a week before Christmas. One of the activities was decorating cookies. It was a pretty big hit.
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Jimmy got kinda morbid in his cookie decorating...
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Peggy made a tie-dyed cookie. I've been training them well.
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Susan and cookie
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Lucas
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Jen and cookie
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Anny, Megan and Drew at the Christmas party. We brought our Christmas tree downstairs for the party.
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This is a good picture of Kiwi, the teacher who I teach 11 classes with.
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6th graders. The class these girls are in was a very tough class until I started coming down really hard on them a few weeks ago. Now they behave a lot better.
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The other day this girl was going through my bag after lunch and got out the Curious George book that I had with me. She said she wanted to read it to me, but of course she couldn't read the English. So she simply looked at the pictures and made up a story in Chinese. It was one of the funniest things I've heard in a very long time.
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Enjoying lunch break in a very Taiwanese fashion...drinking something and playing Chinese chess. BJ, remember that kid on the right? Yep, he's one of my students now.
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One of the sixth grade home room teachers. This lady is really cool. She can actually speak some English but would rather speak Chinese with me.
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My hunter orange hat is a big hit.
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I went up to the high school the other day for an event of some sort (it was kinda boring actually) but Kuyu and Stella were the MC's. Kuyu is making a name for himself at the high school and seems to be pretty well liked...still, he isn't anywere close to as loved at his brother. I think every single person on the island knows who "Boss" is.
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Somebody and Black Cat and Jason. BJ, whenever I see Black Cat she asks how you are. The first thing I think of whenever I see her is the time that you and her were standing behind the church talking. She was talking all in the Chinese and you were talking all in English.
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My crazy girl from 910...she's really enjoying the new freedom allowed by the abolision of the hair rules
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5th graders. This class totally rocks.
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Eagle and Windy, Sunday school kids.
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The Friday before Christmas some of the teachers that Lucas works with came overr to visit. They (plus James) had a fun time making Christmas cookies.
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Pastor Samuel telling the Christmas story at the Christmas Eve party at church. There was a really large crowd there.
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Me and Grace, one of my high school friends (at the Christmas Eve party).
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My Sunday school class sang. They were awesome. Chuck-u-lee (Chinese for "Chocolate") was great.
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Christmas morning with the Kinmen team.
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Making Christmas brunch.
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Final Advent service of the season.
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Andrew and his "shell". You have to know him to understand this joke...
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Enjoying opening presents.
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Megan did something...um...interesting to the Christmas tree
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BJ, there was a 904 reunion at the hot pot place the other night when I was there with Jean and Jennifer...so I took a picture and told them I would send it to you.
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Last Tuesday was a field trip with the 6th graders...what a hoot!
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Climbing the hill...
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And finally reaching the top!
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Enjoying the beach
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This is currently the wallpaper on my desktop.
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Class 604
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6th graders with two teachers. The teacher on the left is really cool.
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Kinmen power plant. Dad, I wanted to get some more (and better) pictures for you, but we were only there for a short time and part of the time I wasn't actually sure were my camera was (I like to let the kids use it...sometimes you get some really good pictures that way).
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It was kinda loud and stinky in the power plant.
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2 super awesome 6th graders.
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Showing God's love to the students...
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Hanging out near the port
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Awesome 6th grader.
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Ever wonder what it looks like to be a fish?
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My students really love me..
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Super duper handsome
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Me and Sky...a very cool and yet difficult student.
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The two students I hung out with most of Tuesday.
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Wednesday night Christmas party (the Wednesday after Christmas...oh well!)
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Stella and Elly fighting over a gift during the gift exchange.
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Wednesday night class picture
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Andrew's flashcards. He left them in the living room the other day so I took a picture of them. You can see two things from this picture. One is that Andrew is very serious about studying Chinese and knows a LOT of characters. Two, his hand writing is very poor. ;)
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Anny, one of the 9th graders at Seow Zsteye Jr. High. Unless I am very mistaken, what you are seeing is the result of a very very well done surgery to fix a cleft lip. She speaks with a strong lisp and has a small scare under her nose...but you would never notice just from looking at her.
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Ivy, one of the sweetest girls ever.
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8th graders. Friday morning the kids did a performance for us. They had apparently spent a lot of time preparing for it too: they did some really cool stuff!
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Principle of the school...super cool guy.
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"Nose rubbing" performance...
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Phantom of the Opera...these kids did an amazing job of it too! 9th grade (my class).
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More Phantom of the Opera.
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more 8th graders
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Alan...one of the most Amarican looking Taiwanese people I've ever seen.
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Naomi always brings a new perspective to things...it was a real hoot to get to hang out with the Nantou team while visiting the Seow Zsteye kids.
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Playing the "add E-S-T" game...I love this game.
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Measuring noses'...another fun part of "add E-S-T".
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Me and Thearsa...Thearsa is one of the most beautiful girls I've seen in Taiwan
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Ok, here's another podcast! This time I got the file size down to one third of what it had been...but then I recorded a podcast three times as long as last one, so it's kinda the same size. Sorry. Here it is. BTW, you can right click on that link and then click "Save Target As" in order to save the podcast. Still haven't got the RSS thing figured out yet. Wait me one down.

BTW, when I say "Merry Christmas" in Chinese I kinda made a mistake...upon listening to it a second time, I realize I mixed up my hollidays and wished you all a "Merry Halloween"...oh, the adventures of learning a new laungage.

Ok, here it is my friends...the coolest, newest podcast! The Kinmen Report! I have no idea how often I'll be updating it. And I haven't gotten the RSS thing figured out yet...so give me time on that. Also, this file is huge...I'm trying to figure out how to make it smaller...anybody know how?

Ok, I've been challenged by Chera to write the Lords Prayer without looking at my hands...and I guess without looking at the screen either. So here goes.

Our foather who art in heaven, blessed be thy name. Thy kindom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deleiver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom an the power and the glory and the power forever and ever, amen.

Wow! Not bad at all!

Random thoughts from Samuel:

---I love S H E. It's music you can just turn on the play in the background if you want, or you can turn it up and listen closely and actually understand a lot (they sing very clearly...unlike people like Jay).

---Every time I talk to Jeniffer she says that Jean keeps telling her that she wants me to come over to her house...but Jean hasn't yet. Sunday she said something to me about wanting to have me and John and Erica over...that would be really fun. I hope she actually does it.

---There's a possiblity I will be helping to spot some with the gymnastics team at Ging Who (??). That would be really, really fun...if I get to work with the lower level students. The coach for the higher level students is a jerk.

---I hate how people in today's society act as though lust is the same thing as love. One of the guys from Brokenback Mountain said ""When two people love each other, they love each other. And people should hold on to it as hard as they can, whether it's homosexual or heterosexual..." YUCK! Whatever happened to real man to man love, like the kind Johnathan and David had?

---I helped Megan with her Jr. high class this morning...that was really fun. BJ, the "Bee ni sweye!" guy is in her class...I really like that kid. He's a hoot.

---There were a couple basketball games this afternoon here at the Jr. high. One was the Chung Gong (sp?)(??) guys against the Small Kinmen guys...and the poor Small Kinmen guys got killed...19 to 64. Ouch. Then the Chung Gong girls played the Ging Who (??) girls. Man oh man, was that a tense game. Neither team is actually that good, but they were pretty evenly matched Chung Gong won by one point....39 to 40.

---I went to the Technical high school last Friday...what a hoot! Saw a bunch of my students (including ???(Big Handsome), who I thought had left Kinmen...it was good to see him again). I'm really looking forward to going back.

---I seriously, seriously an missing karate. I've got the phone number for a boxer who lives here in Kinmen and I'm going to try and get together with him and fight a little bit...I'm about to go nuts from not fighting.

---Speaking of karate, I called Larry the other day and talked to him for a while...that was really good to get to talk to him. Larry, I miss you!

---While people are watching a basketball game is a great time to walk up behind them and lightly kick the back of their knee...that's really fun. (What? No! How dare you even think I might have done some of that this afternoon?)

---We're holding a Christmas party for the dorm kids tonight. I'm in charge of the treasure hunt. I actually need to get that ready sometime soon...

---Naomi, the picture you sent me is beautiful. Thank you so much.

---Anna, I loved the card and you note was really cool.

---I was talking to Anna and then Mom on the phone the other day and I was thinking "Man, am I glad that my Mom and sisters have a head on their shoulders. I hate stupid girls." I've got the coolest Mom and sisters in the whole world.

---Speaking of Mom, she should be coming to visit me next semester! WEE!!!!!!!!!!

---I can't wait to go back to Taiwan over new years and visit the Show Stzeye kids!

---And now I really need to figure out what I'm doing for the treasure hunt tonight. Talk to you guys later! And BJ, if you don't do something sometime soon to make your presence online know, we will be forced to conduct a funeral!

Three super awesome people. BJ, Shawn, I really miss you guys. Ginger, I'm glad your still here.
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(SAN ANTONIO) -- Saying the "idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong," Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean predicted today that the Democratic Party will come together on a proposal to withdraw National Guard and Reserve troops immediately, and all US forces within two years.

Dean made his comments in an interview on WOAI Radio in San Antonio.

"I've seen this before in my life. This is the same situation we had in Vietnam. Everybody then kept saying, 'just another year, just stay the course, we'll have a victory.' Well, we didn't have a victory, and this policy cost the lives of an additional 25,000 troops because we were too stubborn to recognize what was happening."

Dean says the Democrat position on the war is 'coalescing,' and is likely to include several proposals.

"I think we need a strategic redeployment over a period of two years," Dean said. "Bring the 80,000 National Guard and Reserve troops home immediately. They don't belong in a conflict like this anyway. We ought to have a redeployment to Afghanistan of 20,000 troops, we don't have enough troops to do the job there and its a place where we are welcome. And we need a force in the Middle East, not in Iraq but in a friendly neighboring country to fight (terrorist leader Musab) Zarqawi, who came to Iraq after this invasion. We've got to get the target off the backs of American troops.

Dean didn't specify which country the US forces would deploy to, but he said he would like to see the entire process completed within two years. He said the Democrat proposal is not a 'withdrawal,' but rather a 'strategic redeployment' of U.S. forces.

"The White House wants us to have a permanent commitment to Iraq. This is an Iraqi problem. President Bush got rid of Saddam Hussein and that was a great thing, but that could have been done in a very different way. But now that we're there we need to figure out how to leave. 80% of Iraqis want us to leave, and it's their country."

Dean also compared the controversy over pre-war intelligence to the Watergate scandal which brought down Richard Nixon's presidency in 1974.

"What we see today is very much like what was going in Watergate," Dean said. "It turns out there is a lot of good evidence that President Bush did not tell the truth when he was asking Congress for the power to go to war. The President said last week that Congress saw the same intelligence that he did in making the decision to go to war, and that is flat out wrong. The President withheld some intelligence from the Senate Intelligence Committee. He withheld the report from the CIA that in fact there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction (in Iraq), that they did not have a nuclear program. They (the White House) selectively gave intelligence to the United States Senate and the United States Congress and got them to give the go ahead to attack these people."


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I won't even try to reply to what Dean is saying. There is no point.

Guys, we are fighting two enemies. We are fighting the terrorist who want to kill us all, and we are fighting the people who want us to let them kill us.

Ok, so we are back from Taiwan. It was an awesome week and I am extremely, very happy to be back home in Kinmen. (For those of you wondering, we actually say "Going to Taiwan" whenever we leave Kinmen and go to the large island...the people here consider themselves to be Kinmenese, not Taiwanese.)

This past week was our Thanksgiving "break". I say "break" because it wasn't really anything of the sort...but it was still a very good week. Friday we left Kinmen and went to Taow Ywen county. They hosted us at a Jr high school for troubled kids. Friday and Saturday we did touring and Sunday went back into Taipie for church. Monday we had a press conference and then from Monday to Thursday taught in the schools in the area...some really awesome schools. Then Thursday we went back to Taipie for Thanksgiving with the Chen family (an IBLP family that does ministry over here) and then Friday and Saturday mornings we had meetings and then afternoons free...Saturday afternoon we went come to Kinmen (yea!).


After an hour flight, we go off the plane and where greeted by Ben. He took us to the bus we that we drove around in for the next several days. Once on the bus I sat down near Joh-Eric, who I worked with in Memphis doing CharacterFirst! It was really good to see him again.
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After taking us to the dorm to drop our stuff off, we were taken to this bridge. Walk across it and up the hill a little ways and you come to a really cool old street filled with tourist traps. I think they should send the Taow Ywen goverment people all over Taiwan to teach them how to give tours: they just told us what time to be back and let us roam. That was really nice. And very fun.
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Ben and Joh-Eric quickly found the play ground.
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Then Friday they took us to ??? (literally "Small People World"), which kinda like a theme park. The first half was a bunch of really cool minitures (some of which weren't all that miniture) and then the second half of the park had some rides (but only one really good one).
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great wall of china
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They even had a model of Kinmen...although, if you asked me, it doesn't look much like it. At any rate, this is a picture of Jing Chun, the town we live in.
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While I was looking at the Kinmen model, a college age girl came running up yelling "Kinmen! My home!" in Chinese. So I turned to her and asked if she was from Kinmen. She said yes and I told her I was also. So in very Taiwanese college age girl fashion, they all had to have their picture taken with me....which was kinda funny. I then snapped this picture of them...the girl in the bottom left is the Kinmen girl.
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Megan and Sandy by the Great Wall.
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Wouldn't you love to have one of those in your living room? This was at a tourist trap at the theme park. Pretty cool, huh?
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just being different
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then lucas punched her lights out...
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I didn't want a typical picture either...
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I've actually been to this place...really cool
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Sunday we went back into Taipie for church and then had lunch at the King Car office. This is me with Jack and Vivian, two wonderful Christians. I worked with Vivian during winter camps and Jack was my TA and roommate during summer camps. Both really cool people.
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Ginger...who is very cute-uu (probably only BJ will get thise one...)
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Ok, a little King Car/English teacher history. Last year Ben was the overall leader for our teams. And because of that, whenever we had a press conference, Sandy and Morgan Sun (our boss and the president of King Car, respectively) would make a very big deal of Ben's Chinese. However, the fact of the matter is, Ben's Chinese is very poor. So it always looked kinda silly when he would try to talk in Chinese after they finished saying his Chinese was so great. But this year Lucas is our overall team leader...so he gets up to talk and he's like (in Chinese) "Should I speak Chinese?" Everybody says he should. So he says (again in Chinese) "Ok. First I want to ask my brother to come up here and help me translate." And we're all like "Huh? Why does he need Andrew to translate? But then Andrew comes up and Lucas gives an amazing speech...very natural and relaxed. And after each sentance Andrew translates it into Taiwanese!

Dude, our teams Chinese skills so totally rock. My Chinese is the worst on our team, and yet my Chinese is better than anybody on any of the other teams! Our team just totaly rocks!
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Nantou team...some really cool people. Top left is Daniel, who I hung out a lot with this past week...he's a really cool guy with a great heart for the kids he works with. Middle is Naomi, who is totally crazy and really cool. This last week was my first time to meet her. Then there's Joel, their very silent team leader. He is cool. Bottom left is Kristen, who I worked with for a few days before going home this summer. I hung out with her some this week and really enjoyed getting to see her again. Then there's Mia (said "My"), who is also really cool. Nantou also has one other team member, but her granpa died and so she flew home to go to the funeral.
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a strange team...
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one of the big reasons they are strange...
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Daniel...another reason they are so strange.
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So the Taow Ywen goverment gave each of us a gift at the press conference...ties for the guys and skarves for the girls. For the picture they decided to each wear it in a different way...and this is how Meagan chose to wear her's. Girl you so rock.
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I also love the way Ginger wore her's (second from right).
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Then Monday afternoon we went to our first school...they did a big performance for us before our large group...it was awesome. They did a really, really cool drum performance. It was loud, but it was awesome. They were really good.
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Then they did a dragon dance. I've seen better dragon dances (it's really, really cool when done well) but this one wasn't bad either.
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And then some of the 5th grader girls did a little dance they had come up with by themselves for our arrival.
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That night did a "party" for the kids at the Jr. high we were staying at. For the skit Daniel and I were twins, so we dressed the same and did some very crazy stuff together..it was a hoot.
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twins
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Then the kids did a smal performance as well...here's some of them doing their aboriginal dancing
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Then the rock band played. To be totally honest, they sounded horrible. They couldn't sing and their drummer had no sense of rythem. But it was a hoot anyway. It's really hard to describe if you don't know the culture, but just the fact that they would try something like that even if they weren't that great at it is reall cool. Problem students are so cool over here...the good kids tend to be boring. (BJ, you know what I'm talking about, right?)
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I left my heart back in Taow Ywen with these Jr. high kids.
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Really cute 7th grader
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Wednesday morning the Kinmen team got to actually teach at the Jr. High we were staying at (the one for troubled kids). I taught the 9th grade. It was so totally awesome and it really made me miss teaching Jr. high. The principle later told us that he esp. wanted to thank me, because he'd never seen the 9th graders so serious in class before.

Since leaving Taow Ywen these kids have been calling us really often, asking when we will come back. Sunday one of them actually called me at 1 in the morning. We are making plans right now to go back over there for a weekend right after Christmas.
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You can see so many things in these kids eyes. Both pain and an amazing openess to love and be loved. None of them have both a mother and father at home. Most have been abused, either physically or sexually. Many cut themselves. But show them just a little love and they flock to you like moths to a light. Half the school was crying when we left the school. I am amazed to see all these kids have come through and still have the ablility to love and to trust. They are truly amazing kids.
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with 9th graders (and one 7th grader in front)
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IYan...really cool Christian dude with amazing English
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Wednesday afternoon we taught a teachers conference. That was really fun. The teacher on the bottom left in the blue shirt was awesome. I really wish I could visit her class and just watch her teach and learn.
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Thanksgiving with the Chens! Awesome food!
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Charades.
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Jon-Eric dancing
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Ginger blowing a wistle
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Mia blowing a wistle
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Super with Janice and Julie, two TA's from winter camp. Oh, and Mia.
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English over here can be really funny sometimes...
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So, that was last week. Very fun, but dude, I am so glad to be home in slower moving, less crowded and less stinky Kinmen.

Here you go BJ...a picture of Susan! I don't know what I would have done without her help making supper on Sunday...dude, that girl rocks! Went to the store together, she told me what to buy and then helped me get it all put together. And it tasted really good too.
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Very cool thing...VeggieTales songs in Chinese! With bu pu mu phu! Yea!
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Michelle and Sophie from Monday night class.
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More cooking. Rebekah made grilled cheese sandwiches for us as well...thank you Bekah!
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And that's all for right now. Sorry, no time for a real update...I've got to plan for tomorrow's classes and get to bed at a respectable hour (ha! like that's going to happen...)

You are Romans.


Which book of the Bible are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

So...I am Romans. Interesting.

Ok, I totally don't get Kiwi. Would somebody please tell me what a Japanese horror movie with Chinese subtittles has to do with English class? Yes, I know it's the week after mid-terms and it's ok to maybe do something a little funner (is that a word?) and less serious...but a Japanese horror movie for English class? Please! I try to bring some control to the class room at times (in spite of his total lack of effort in that direction) but sometimes when the kids are going wild I have a hard time telling them they should pay attention to the teacher...why should they? He's not teaching them anything anyway!

I am now at over 170 character that I can both read and write. Also, today I found a person who might possible be able to help me with the writing side of things...she went though some of my writing and corrected some mistakes I'd made. Hopefully she'll be willing to do that every once in a while and make sure I'm doing it right. I used to ask James to help me, but he's gone now and Terry has horrible handwriting. And Joy doesn't really correct our home work...she just glances over it and makes sure it's generally acceptible. But I'm needing somebody to really make sure I'm doing it right.

Dude, pray for Claudia, a teacher I work with. She's been asking me questions about Christianity for a while now and last Sunday she came to Bible study. Now she's reading the Bible on her own and has been asking me some questions about that...and of course really cool things can happen when people start reading the Bible. So pray for her!

Tomorrow is Ning Jung Shiow...oh boy. I'm always on pins and needles when teaching the sixth grade there. I think I've got the boys on my side and for right now the girls as well...but I get the feeling that the girls still haven't made up their minds about me yet. And I'd actually rather have the boys in a class (esp a 6th grade!) turn against me than the girls. If the boys are against you then you can still do alright. But if the girls turn on you...you might as well pack up your stuff and head a back to the teachers office...don't even try teaching them. Hopefully in the next few weeks they will decide they like me for sure...tomorrow I'm playing a game involving candy, so hopefully that will help.

The good thing is that I've got the 5th grade totally on my side. There's a couple pretty perverted kids in that class, but also some really cool kids.

But I feel real sorry for the kids...their English teacher isn't all that good. Her English is rather low level and she doesn't teach that well either. One time I was watching a girl write out her home work...she was writing a sentance over and over...then she turns to me and says "Low si...gu si shu ma ee si?" ("Teacher, what does this mean?") The teacher had given them sentances to write without even telling them what the words meant...how annoying.

Hey, Thursday I've only got to teach two classes! All my 4th graders are going on a field trip...so I finish class at about 10 o'clock! Wee!