Always an Adventure...

I found a new apartment just in time for the contract on this one to be up! I'm thrilled to have found a place that's about twice as big as where I live now for the same price ! Here are some pictures taken with my cell phone. The quality isn't great, but you can get the idea. I'll take real pictures later once I'm all moved in. Kitchen and balcony, there's a samll bathroom to the right. Another kitchen shot. Dining/living room Going upstairs Large tatami room: this will be my office/guest room Upstairs bathroom: like how the toilet, shower and washing machine all share the same space? Bedroom from door View from bedroom balcony

My apologies to all who have been wondering when I'm going to post! It's been quite a hectic month, with a lot of extra activities, finishing up the semester, getting grades in, and apartment hunting. The last weekend in May was Dragon Boat Festival, and we had a 4-day weekend! Since this is the the only holiday until Christmas that didn't fall on a Saturday or Sunday, some friends and I decided to take the opportunity and explore some more of Asia. So we booked our tickets toThailand. It takes around 3 hours to get from Taipei to Bangkok. We then transferred the next morning (another hour + flight) to Phuket. Then we had almost 3 full days of beach and relaxation there! It seemed to be the off-season when we went, so our hotel was practically empty. It was beautiful though, with nice rooms, a great pool, and even a cool bar in the pool where you could sit and order food or drinks! We spent a lot of time on the beach, which I realized was bordering on the Indian ocean! So

I have written my post about Thailand, but need to get all the pictures uploaded. You can expect it in a few days. Until then, here's some good news: My best friend and dear co-teacher in Yuli just accepted a job here in Taipei ! Hope will be back for a year! In honor of her return, I am going to write a comparison between Taiwan, and the island from our favorite TV show, Lost. If you're not a fan of the show please feel free to stop reading now. Peo ple who leave both islands later find the inexplicable urge to go back. 2. In Lost, there is a smoke mon ster, Taiwan has air pollution. 3. The island on Lost has magical healing properties. Taiwan has Chinese medicine. I remember the horrible smelling witch's brew our landlords made when we lived there, Chinese medicine for fertility....today, they have 3 sons! 4. There are bears on both islands (Polar bears on Lost, the cuddlier Pandas here) 5. Settlers to the island come in waves, first the others, then

had a GREAT time in Thailand and am now in the final push to finish out the semester, including grading, singing, baking, planning... But I will write a blog about Thailand soon with more pictures! I promise.