Smoggy Thoughts: Xin Nian Kual Le "Shee Nian Quwhy Luh" (Happy New Year)

Welcome to the new year. This year we decided to spend NYE in Taipei, where we'd be able to be dancing and have a rooftop view of Taipei 101 at midnight, which is when they shoot off fireworks. I heard the fireworks show was really something to see, and it was pretty neat. It wasn't so much a lot of fireworks, but the placement of them around the huge building, made it very cool, it looked like the building was gonna blow up! One of the teachers we work with, Abe, came in a different training group and two of the girls he met there live and work in Taipei. Apparently they live in this hostel, which was hosting a huge party. We figured we might as well go to the city and check it out!

We started the day with work, of course, had a few hours break to get ready, and then met for dinner at a steak restaurant. Pretty fancy, huh! We ate and headed for the train station. This was the first time for all of us taking the High Speed Rail. Since it was New Year's Eve, and we were headed into a huge city, of course traffic was an issue. Usually we take the bus, but were advised to take the HSR as apparently no one uses it to get to Taipei because it's only an hour bus or normal train ride away. There's a free shuttle bus that picked us up near where we live that brought us to the station. On this bus ride I saw one of my older students. It was weird, kinda akward. I was more concerned about the guy she was with that looked just too old to be with her, alone! I'm not so sure how old she even is, maybe 13? What's she doing out on NYE by herself going to Taipei! The next week in class she said it was her dad... I don't really think so, he wasn't THAT old! Anyway so we got to the HSR station, and it was desolate. So strange. We waited about 15 minutes for the next train, and were landed in Taipei 20 minutes later. Next was making it through the MRT station (the subway) it was only around 8ish, so we were ahead of the crowds, and made it to our final stop without getting stampeded. We did, however, manage to see a man outfitted in a leopard print suit.

At the end of our travels, we met up with another friend who was coming to the hostel party with us, and we were en route, now by foot, to the location. Maybe 10 minutes walking, and we found it! Good thing for Robin's directions that she wrote down. We were some of the first people to arrive, as we needed to make it through the stations before it got too late, but there was a good group of people already there, and we started off by playing some games and hanging out. As it got later, more and more people arrived, from allll over, some were other teachers living around the area, some were people that just happened to be traveling and staying in the hostel, some local people from Taiwan, a whole mix. It was a fun place, and the rooftop view was really pretty! About an hour after the fireworks and everything, of course someone was hungry, and we set off for... McDonalds! Uhh, starting off the new year with fatty "meats"? Yup, I did.

We walked out to a more populated street and found some taxi's to transport us, about 10 of us, and made it to a McDonald's. It was super busy, and we all got our food without anywhere to sit. Huddled around a small 2 person table, others stood outside. During this time at our table we started chanting "ee buy" nuggets which means 100 nuggets! Good thing they didn't place that order. Next we needed to decide where to go. We opted for a club. One of the other girls has been here for a few years and knew an area, off we went to the clubbing district. Many of them has super steep covers, since it was NYE ya know. We found one that wasn't charging, or at least didn't charge us, and in we went. We danced and had some more drinks crowded with people. Wellll around 330 we were tired and ready for an exit. 5 of us went out to find a taxi, which on a normal night, will cost around 30-40 US for an hour ride back to our town, but again, being a "holiday" it was double, so about 80 US. Spilt 5 ways though, it wasn't so bad. We made it home, and into our building. Gooood night. The next morning we made a brunch of pancakes, eggs, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, and mimosas! Delicious!

On the High Speed Rail to Taipei!

The view from the rooftop of the city and Taipei 101

The fireworks!

But wait, the new year festivities weren't quite over yet. The following weekend, on January 7th, was the All Staff End of the Year Banquet. There are 2 that HESS (my school) hosts, one in the South for the people down there, and one in Taipei, for the North region. Everyone from the Jhongli area took a bus together into Taipei Saturday afternoon. The event started at 4 pm with a 3 hour long ceremony with school chants, videos to recap the year, speeches, awards, a lot of hoopla. After the ceremony is a huge dinner. They split everyone into like 5 rooms and you get course after course of food. There was for sure over a thousand people there, so probably at least 200 in each room? During dinner time is also an array of performances. This year, my branch decided to put together a song and dance show. We would be singing, including me, in Chinese, and dancing! There's only one other foreign teacher at my branch, who happened to be sick the day of and before the banquet, so it was only me and 5 of the Chinese Teachers from my school. We would be singing and dancing to a Chinese song. Here's the youTube link the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_oo6akiwE0

Alright, so we made it through about an hour of the ceremony sitting in a packed auditorium, way in the back, might I add, before all of the foreign teachers from my branches, including a few of the Chinese Teachers, made a break for it. Apparently it's tradition to sneak out, go to the bar down the street called "the Tavern and get drinks/ drunk. It was obvious we weren't alone as we entered the Tavern and saw tons of other whities crowded around tables. This bar was amazing because it had more than only Taiwan Beer on tap, Anthony was excited to finally get some Guinness!

After only being there about 45 minutes, I got a call from Helen. "Where are you! We are about to do a run through of our performance on the stage!" (If you're reading this, sorry Helen!!) Since we were on the menu for one of the evening's entertainment we needed to practice on the stage. I was unaware of this rehearsal, I wasn't just being irresponsible, I promise! So I left the bar, I only had 1 beer, no worries, and made it back before some of the others in my group were even ready. Our rehearsal went well, I remembered all the words to my singing parts.

Once practicing was all over, everyone else trickled in from the auditorium/bar and it was time to eat! We were the last the set to perform, closing out the night! In the mean time I enjoyed some food, other performances, wine and beer. Waiting for my chance to break out into the role of Taiwanese Pop Sensation!

Our outfits were all put together, we were ready to go! We walked out across the stage, me with microphone in hand! Eeeeee. We had a lot of fans as all of the other foreign teachers I work with at my other branch and the Chinese staff were all there to cheer us on! It turned out to be a really fun experience. We had only started practice a week before the event, other groups performing said they had been working on their dance for 2 months! Let me tell you, we were just as good as them!

At this Banquet they also gave out a variety of prizes, the tops ones: an iPad, a smart phone, a space heater, a camera, 10,000 NT, and a freaking scooter!! Sadly, no one in my room won any of the huge prizes, I would have really enjoyed that space heater! But I did win 1,000 NT (around 30 US)!!!! Yea yea! They also gave everyone a box of magnets with some note cards, and I ended up with a HESS thermos as well! When it was allll over, we were headed out, back to the bus. One last stop, on the way out of the lobby, there was a man proposing to, I'm assuming, his girlfriend. He had all these signs and a gave a long speech, in Chinese. Do they work for HESS? I'm not really sure, why were they there otherwise? She was crying and said yes, but it was weird, at the end he just kept kissing her head, everyone was chanting "kiss, kiss, kiss" but only into her hair went his lips. It was sweet to see, I think my first witness of an engagement! So THEN it was back on the bus, to Jhongli, where a bunch of us continued the evening dancing at SEARCH! Good start to the new year! Please NOTE: the video of my performance is being a huge pain in the ass to upload, soo maybe check back later and it shall be posted at some point!

The YangMei Performers!
I couldn't tell you why we are being... reindeer?