The great East Gate! (and a shortcut to KFC)
You: OK and where is Taipei exactly?
It's the capital city on the northern tip of Taiwan (formerly Formosa) just off the east coast of China.
So you're going to China!
Yes, and no. Depends who you ask. But, suffice it to say we'll be listening, speaking, reading and even writing more Chinese than we do in Maine. You see, this trip is all about language learning, especially for young maleable brains - Soleil's and the students of Liou Jia Middle School where I'll be teaching starting in September.
So you and Soleil will be in school. What about Jenny?
Jenny leads dragon dance musicians at CAFAM New Year's Festival in Maine
Well she's leading us on this journey. You see, Jenny's the guide of Huang-Dale's Mandarin adventures.
About a year ago she started looking into language programs abroad and found scholarships in Taiwan that fit the bill. She applied to study at a Mandarin Training Center in Taipei and got accepted. That led us to start wondering: What will we do in Taiwan?
So I applied to teach in Taiwan and when they placed me in Hsin chu, Jenny had to move to a university nearer my job. She'll be studying at National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, a school known mostly for engineering and technology, but also has a language training center.
Sounds like quite an adventure! Greg's got a job, Jenny's got a scholarship and Soleil gets to go to school in Taiwan. Will she go to an International school or an American school?
Actually, though it may be more challenging, we want the most immersive experience for her so we're hoping she'll attend a public school where Chinese is not only a subject of study but the native language of her peers and her teachers. She'll probably repeat first grade in Hsin chu so she can learn to read and write in Chinese with other kids who are just learning to read and write.
Be sure to write and tell us more about your trip later in the year!
We'll do our best to keep in touch, but if you don't hear from us by email, facebook, skype or drum and cymbal corps, just check this blog for weekly updates from our family. There'll be lots to show and tell.
Green = Greg
