Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off To Work We Go!

Oddly enough, Karen and I start work on the same day. We got jobs at two different schools that just happen to begin at the same time. The name of Karen's school is JOY and there are a number of them throughout Taiwan. I am working for a school called Sunflower. There are only three Sunflower schools but apparantly they all have a decent reputation. The weather here has been almost biblical in it's non-stop rain. It hasn't been forty days and forty nights, but it sure as hell feels like it. We venture out from time to time, facing booming thunder and startling lightning. We deck ourselves out in plastic and rubber to face the elements. Our scooter reluctantly starts on these rainy days, hoping to wait it out like everyone else. We force her to start and carry her heavy cargo from place to place in the torrential downpours. We have become accustomed to wet clothes and squinting through the rain at oncoming traffic. Sometimes the rain is so heavy that it feels like a sandstorm on our exposed skin. Ah, such is life here in our little slice of paradise known as Tainan. However, we are still looking forward to our first chill, as even with the constant rain, it still clocks in at around thirty degrees. No relief in sight, as it turns out September is the hottest month of the year in Tainan. We live in a steam room. BRING IT!!!
We brought in the morning in a park in the middle of the city, yesterday. The locals were singing Karaoke at dawn. They take thier 6am morning karaoke almost as seriously as they take thier 6am routine excercise. They do their Tai Chi and aerobics at that time every day, even sundays. I love watching the looks on their face as a group of westerners walk by drinking beer, still up from the previous evening, while they are starting thier day with a vigorous workout.
Ironically, for a town that starts thier day so early, you can not get a cup of coffee in it before noon. There is also nowhere to get breakfast. I don't think the Taiwanese eat breakfast, as there isn't an eatery in the city that we have found, open before noon. Maybe it's the heat.
We are not localized yet, but we are working on it. Although, it sure is hard when it is 29' degrees at 6 AM and rising throughout the day. God bless AC.
Until next time,
xie xie &
Dor syar
(thank you & goodbye)
Ed & Karen