欢迎，欢迎: Arriving in Kaohsiung

Well, I left you all in a bit of an odd place with my last post, hovering with me somewhere over the Pacific en route to Taiwan.  I am hopeful that this post will rectify that shortcoming and restore (or maybe introduce) some semblance of coherent orientation to this blog. 

Although I neglected to mention it earlier, I met a group of other Fulbright English-teaching grantees at LAX for the flight over to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan in the northern part of the island.  There are roughly 30 of us altogether from all around the States, and we are dispersed across three cities in Taiwan: Jinmen, Yilan, and Kaohsiung. Twelve of us, myself included,  will be teaching English in Kaohsiung over the next year.  Even spending a few days with these individuals has demonstrated that they are a special group, and I feel privileged to be with them.  I’ll introduce them a bit more as the year goes on, as we get become better acquainted with each other.  

A Taiwanese Water-Buffalo Observed  in its Native Habitat
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei

 We arrived at Kaohsiung International Airport around 7:00am local time, about 26 hours or so after I departed from Grand Rapids on Monday night.  Fonda and Cherry, two Taiwanese women who coordinate the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program in Kaohsiung, met us at the airport with official-looking name tags and a little sign like you see in the movies.  That was kind of cool, I have to admit. And the experience also had a surreal 'Chinese' feel to it.  Being greeted by the traditional Mandarin phrase huanying, huanying (欢迎欢迎), meaning 'welcome, welcome' has an irresistible air of affability that one does not quite encounter anywhere else.  We heard the phrase throughout the day from neighbors, drivers, and others, sometimes accompanied by a slight tremor of excited apprehension that I appreciated mostly, I think, because it mirrored my own.

I would say that one of the first things you notice about Kaohsiung is the humidity.  Each day we’ve been here so far the dew point has been in the 80s or 90s.  We could feel it the moment we emerged from the plane, even in the passageway from the plane to the airport terminal.  A deep moisture settles in the air around you, as though it is embracing you.  I suppose if the temperature weren’t already in the 90s it might feel at least slightly pleasant, in a comforting, homey sort of way.  While not the most pleasant feeling in the world, I sometimes have thought that high humidity has a quiet sort of intimacy to it, in the way that the saturated air presses against you.  I don’t know if that makes sense, and the novelty of it may wear off quickly.  But for now, I will enjoy it.

2012-13 Kaohsiung Fulbright ETAs
Arrival at Kaohsiung International Airport

 We traveled by bus to Sanmin Elementary School, where we went over some preliminary orientation details.  I don’t know quite how to describe the landscape, because it is not quite like any place I’ve been before.  The humidity and tropical environment, complete with fresh fruit and palm trees, reminds me a bit of Florida, but the bustling and “Chinese” feel of Kaohsiung sets it far apart from Florida.  Others in the group, better-traveled than I, have said that the city reminds them somewhat of Singapore.  What I remember most from the bus ride is an exhilarating yet slightly frenetic feeling of wanting to see everything at once.  Is that sensory overload?  I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think it can be, because this seemed far more pleasant than that.  Scooters are by far the most ubiquitous form of transportation, as nearly every large building we past had dozens and dozens of them parked outside.  And as for buildings, I was a bit surprised that Kaohsiung didn’t have more skyscrapers.  At the same time, I don’t know if any other places, in the States or elsewhere, that boast a building with an outdoor Ferris wheel perched on top, like Kaohsiung’s Dream Mall.  I wish I’d gotten a picture, but I’m sure we’ll visit there at some point before too long.

At Sanmin, we will have a full month of orientation and training before we begin teaching in September, for which I am grateful and not a little relieved.  Fonda and Cherry introduced themselves and walked us through the Fulbright orientation booklet—to be honest, the morning felt a bit like the first day of classes at Calvin, which was a nice reminder of things past.  Although I never got complimentary bubble tea for Calvin Orientation—that was a nice touch.  We also received our school assignments for the upcoming year.  I will be teaching at two of Kaohsiung’s local elementary schools: Zuoying Elementary and Sanmin Elementary (where our orientation is hosted). 

First Day of Orientation at Sanmin Elementary School

Lastly, we received our rooming assignments for the next year. For the first month, we are divided into three separate apartment units in the city.  After orientation, a few of us will be moving to new apartments closer to our assigned schools, but my roommates and I will be staying put.  Our apartment is located on the third floor of a 12-story complex at the intersection of Guangzhou Street and Linde Street next to a 7-11 and across the street from the Kaohsiung Cultural Center.  I’ll introduce you all to the apartment and roommates tomorrow once we’ve had a chance to clean things up properly and give you a proper welcome.  I know that I speak for all my roommates when I say that we are looking forward to hosting you tomorrow evening.  Does 7:30pm work for you? 

Oh, and please don’t feel obligated to bring house-warming gifts or anything like that.  We happily will provide some bottled water and tea-leaf eggs from the 7-11 next door, so come hungry.  I know it’s not much, but it’s all we’ve been able to find at the moment while we get situated.  See you tomorrow!