My Older Kids....

The students I have most connected with in Taiwan have been my high school students. I have loved being with them and around them. The hope that they have for the future and their optimism at the world, despite all the pressures and challenges they face as students has been inspiring.


So, throughout my time here I have worked with students at various different high schools teaching drama, reading and reading comprehension, ran English clubs and had conversation classes.

The rules of teaching aren't the same as they are at home, so I have felt ok with seeing some of my favorite students outside of class. As a result, numerous kids have learnt how to make a chocolate cake, eaten and made my mum's custard and peach pie, eaten Maggi Indian meals, and gone to foreign restaurants in Taiwan with a foreigner.(they were really excited by that!)


They have kept me young! I owe my extensive knowledge of Taiwanese pop music, movies and local famous celebrities due to my interactions with them. I have laughed, cried, listened, taught and been taught so many life lessons from them - that I feel truly enriched and blessed!




I wish I could take them all home so that they could experience a different culture and a relaxed and slow paced lifestyle where kids are allowed to be kids.


To my students - thank you so much and I love you!

My Taiwanese babies...

Every morning I hop on my scooter and head past the outskirts of Feng Yuan to We Can Pre School. Here I teach Dragonfly Class.
I never thought I would like teaching 4 and 5 year olds - but I love it! They are my Taiwanese babies. I enjoy being with them and all they hugs and kisses I get!


So from 9.30 to 11.30am, I teach them phonics, reading, writing, songs, cooking and other random things about the world. I have a lot of fun teaching them. They each have their own distinct personalities, and their little quirks and chinglish sayings keep me entertained all morning.

At the moment my kids are crazy about Michael Jackson's "Beat It".
Whenever I play it my kids sing at the top of their lungs and dance crazily around the room. I also taught them the chicken dance the other day. It makes me laugh to think about all the things that I have taught them that I remember from my own childhood.

Taiwanese students will have a plethora of English Foreign teachers in their lifetime. So I know that with time and distance memories of me will fade and dissapear. However they have left an indelible impression on my life. I will miss being with them!

You know you have lived in Taiwan too long when...

To add to the list-you have lived here too long if.....

1. You are totally comfortable driving your scooter on the wrong side of the road against traffic
2. You think ICRT is quality radio
3. Despite being on your death bed, you still turn up to work
4. You think it's normal to work on Saturdays
5. Hair is growing out of the moles on your face
6. You shower at night
7. 25 degrees is COLD!
8. When teaching grammar, you can't actually remember what the rules are - everything is correct! You have to think before being able to correctly construct a sentence
9. You know the best place to get fried food at 2 in the morning
10. None of your shoes have laces
11. You have adopted a Taiwanese Street dog
12. Your family stops asking when you'll be coming home
and finally......
13. You cannot adjust to life after the Wan, and you return to Taiwan to "save"

Schwenke Clan in Taiwan

Anna, Jona and I out and about in Tai Chung.
It has been a blessing to be able to live and experience a foreign country together.


Out with Shambala at the Grooveyard. They are a New York duo - who do a fusion of lyrical Hip Hop over funky music. I dug their music and their performance - and had lots of fun hanging out in Tai Chung.

28 days and counting....

Isn't it interesting how when one chapter in your life draws to close previously insignificant things suddenly become significant? I feel this way about having a blog. I have ummed and ahhed about blogging oh, for about a year. However, now that I am preparing to leave Taiwan, my home for the past 5+ years I now have a keen sense of recording my memories and experiences. So finally, it has begun!

I got released yesterday as the Relief Society President in my branch. It was a bittersweet experience. I felt really sad - probably because this title has defined a lot of who I have felt I was over the past couple of years - but also because I knew that it really did signal the end of things here in the Wan for me (at least for the next little bit!) I also spent the day reflecting on all the wonderful people that I had worked with in Relief Society, and all the women who had allowed me into their lives and their homes. What a ride and learning curve! For those of you who know me..Of course I was emotional, but it was only for a moment. When I got home from church I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders and what I felt was relief. Funnily enough, I suddenly felt very motivated to pack. I haven't felt motivated to pack for the past month - so I was very grateful!

So, this will be an eclectic place where I countdown my departure from Taiwan, reminisce about my life here, and share my new upcoming life and adventures!