BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

Depending on my schedule and homework load, I might not be able to post everyday like I've been doing. But I'll try my darn hardest to! This post will have to be semi-quick because I spent a bit too long on my Rotary monthly report I've been working on. So here we go!

The day started off with me stretching out of bed when a little bird perched on my window and twittered a lovely morning song. That automatically makes the day a good one. :D

Today was the first day of Mandarin class at Taipei National University of Education as well as my first time traveling there all by myself. Thankfully I had no problems with the metro or bus. What I DID have problems with was finding my classroom. I thought I knew where it was...thought is the key word. It's a whole different thing to in theory know where the class is located and a whole other thing to actually find it. The good thing was I wasn't alone in being lost because most of the exchange students had no idea where to go. We just had the same directions on paper but no clue how to transfer from paper to real life. I found my saving grace with a girl and her host dad accompanying her. I followed the local. XD He helped us get to our class on time and all in one piece. The thing that makes me laugh is that I thought the classroom was in the front of the campus when in reality it was aaaaaaaall the way in the very back. Oh the irony!

So Mandarin class was fine, actually it was very fun with some of my crazy classmates. Shall I give an example? The innocent competition of boy and girl teams turned into an all-out war of the sexes. Or as I took a picture of my classroom and classmates, one dude snuck in a flash of his abs. Actually all three guys tried flashing but only one succeeded. I was just too quick with my ninja-camera skills! I take that as a win for me!

After class, I navigate my way to Tatung high school. Once at the campus, guess what? Andrea gets lost again. Why you might ask? Because it is so complicated! There are tall trees hiding the buildings and making it very difficult to find your destination. So there I was just walking around and ended up in the back alley of the campus where the Tatung Company was located with it's delivery trucks and no sign of life! Rushing back to my safety building of where my classroom is located, I try to find my home teacher. (Exchange students first have to sign-in at a different building before going to class in another building) Also note how I haven't met my classmates nor know where to find my teacher. Thankfully another teacher helped me to located my home teacher's office, which she then directed me to the sign-in place. I would also like to point out that it was a boiling day as I was wearing long jeans and carrying a bag that felt like an elephant on my shoulder and on top of that, I was hungry as heck. BUT SUCCESS! I got to the sign-in place and found a small food desk. With nothing healthier in sight, I pick out some water, yellow watermelon and chocolate. THEY HAVE KINDER BUENO HERE! OMG KINDER!! BEST FOREIGN CANDY EVER!! Anywhoooooo, I ate my lunch on a small patio table, trying to cool off and get refreshed before meeting my classmates. No one was around me during this time but even so, two students came up and greeted me. How nice of them! Shortly after they left, which I copied in search of my teacher again. I first went to the classroom but didn't enter because it would terribly interrupt the class. AND IT WAS MY FAVORITE CLASS!! Can you guess it? I'll give you a hint: the lights are off...heads on desks...maybe a snore here and there. Guessed it? Good because I missed it. Darn it! Oh well, I'll get it tomorrow. ;) Sneaking away, I found my teacher in her office. She showed me the trash/recycling procedure (which is kinda complicated) and then just had me hang out in her office until the next class would start.

Before that I snuck in a semi-bathroom break. Why do I say "semi"? Well because I didn't actually use the restroom. I shall explain. On the first floor of a building it had a sign for the men's restroom and the second floor had a sign for the women's restroom. I'm not an idiot, I go to the second floor. What's the first thing I see in the restroom? Two guys standing in the bathroom. I turn right around in panic, spotting 4 other girls in the corner. I didn't take any chances, I just held my business in. That bit me in the butt though.

Moving on, the teacher introduced Erik (an exchange student from Sweden) and I to the classroom. Physically, the two of us look so different from the rest of the class in hair and face structure. Want to amplify the difference? Erik and I are in everyday clothing and the students were in their P.E. uniform. We exchange students didn't get our uniform until late in the day. We stuck out like sore thumbs for sure! But on a side note, who knows my favorite color? Anyone? Anyone? Yes! You in front of the computer screen, do you know? That's right! Orange it is! I bring this up because it links to the uniform. See where I'm going with this? BAM! The uniform is BRIGHT ORANGE!! BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! ME GUSTA MUCHO!! :D

Anyway the very first class I took, in a Chinese school, was physics. ...Can you say Andrea's death? I was so done with physics end of junior year. Now I have to take it again in Chinese?! Crap this might be difficult. The first half of the lesson I got down pat because it was sophomore math graphs, maybe even freshman year. No worries there. The second half of the lesson, not so confident because the equations were difficult to understand...because they were in Chinese. I think I got the general gist though. We'll see what my test scores say about that later :P Shout out to KC students who took physics with J Schulz, because I think my teacher here has the exact same personality. He has the ability to be serious and intimidating but then mood swings to a funny, happy teacher. Yep, that's my first Chinese teacher. His teaching methods were extremely hard to understand with random counting and stick drawing and volunteer calling and whatnot else. Erik and I were discussing it afterwards and both of us didn't understand one bit of it. XD Greeeeeat. But then again it was only our first day. Not even a day, it was half a day.

My classmates! My classmates are very friendly and helpful but I have the hardest time remembering all their names. (1) I'm not used to Chinese names (2) There are about 55 students in my class. Too many to remember! But before going to P.E. class (in jeans and a non-sport-friendly-shirt) one of my new friends led me to the restroom. It was then I encountered what I believe is called the squat toilet...oh good lord. Alllllllllright, I'm embracing the culture. Yepyep. As well as learning that they do not provide toilet paper so you must bring your own. Thank god I did. And that is why I came prepared with a elephant-weighing bag including anything and everything I might have needed.

P.E. class was like this. Begin with running around the court. Now I love running but I'm not going to sprint on the first lap and end up huffing and puffing like a stereotypical unhealthy American. So instead I just jog along with my new friends thinking we would do 5 or so laps. Nope. Only 1. A single, tiny lap. Dang! I'm sprinting like there's no tomorrow next time! (Thursday) This was the most exercise I have done in 2 weeks and boy did I love that small snip-it of jogging/running. It was afterward I wasn't too wild about. That was because the class did an exercise routine of some sort and the exchange students were neglected to be taught what it was. So for 10 minutes, I was just copying as best as possible, and when totally lost, did a mini dance that was as close as I could get to what the others were doing. The jumping jacks, I understood because they're jumping jacks! The rest went riiiiight over my head. I can't even describe what they did because it was so random and no patterns in their routine at all. If I learn it, I'll do a little mini film to show you what I mean ;) Following that was a segment of basketball. I haven't played basketball in about 4 years. I played like I haven't played basketball in 4 years. Not good at all but my classmates were just having fun and going easy on me. They are very nice and gracious.

School was out after P.E. which I wobbled back home with my elephant-weighing bag and new elephant-weighing bag of my uniform I just received. Here's the thing, there are two types of uniforms. The awesome orange P.E. uniforms of coolness and then the formal uniform that is a white-yellowish shirt, black pants and black shoes. I asked my classmates what uniform to wear tomorrow which they told me the formal one because of the "Military Education" class. The exchange students don't get a formal uniform....only P.E. uniforms....I'm a little worried about the military teacher tomorrow. In a sea of whitish shirts, there are two exchange students with BRIGHT ORANGE P.E. shirts on. So even in uniform, we still stick out like sore thumbs. XD

So Erik and I took the metro together since we were on the same line and discussed what the heck happened in class. I still don't know half of what happened today but I'll slowly figure it out sure enough. ;) The rest of the day's events were basically doing some writing work and going out to purchase some stuff. That stuff is 2 pencil cases, 2 notebooks and 1 magazine. All totaling up to 242 NT dollars. (About $8.10 US) Not bad at all! I like!

Overall, I really loved my first day of school and look forward to getting to know my classmates. Some of who take advantage of my limited English, all in good humor. ^_^ Ex. From what I can tell, the class clown, when I asked for his name, said to me a word that I didn't understand but the ENTIRE class was laughing. Retreating to a girl whom I trusted thinking I was tricked, my suspicions were right! The boy said a word that meant "handsome man." So that's what my innocent little behind called him. :P Good icebreaker for sure!

Oh gosh this post was not short at all, whoops. I have to work on my writing speed. Sleep time now. School tomorrow. Good night!