The Confucius Ceremony: Video

The Confucius Ceremony

September 28th is the birthday of Confucius who is considered to be the greatest teacher and philosopher in Chinese culture. This day has been designated by the government as Teachers' Day. The teachers at Taipei American School (TAS) were invited to attend the ceremony at the Taipei Confucius Temple. Michael went to the rehearsal the afternoon before and I attended the actual morning ceremony.

I arrived at 5:30am to a long line outside the temple. As the sun came up, we were invited inside to stand an watch the ceremony. There are only two times each year that the main doors to the temple are opened (although you can visit the temple at any time), during the rehearsal and during the actual ceremony.

The following picture is of one of the eight officers responsible for making sacrificial presentation to Confucius' disciples. He is seen here washing his hands before the sacrifice of the animals (slaughtered earlier).



The following picture is of the ceremonial attendants, consisting of school students who are musicians and dancers, and the deacons.



When I arrived back at TAS around 8am, there was a HUGE flower arrangement (about 10 feet tall) from the TAS PTA sent in honor of Teachers' Day. It is so beautiful but reminds me of a Vegas showgirl's headpiece!

Our shipment arrived this afternoon

Teddy has his toys. All is right in the world.

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Brother Elephants

Tonight we cheered on the hometown baseball team, the Brother Elephants. We got to spend some time with our new friends from the American Institute, the sort of US consulate here in Taiwan.

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Moon Festival

Tonight we celebrated the harvest moon at a friends house by having a big BBQ and putting pomelo rinds on our heads. I'm not sure why but we had a great time doing it. The moon festival is a holiday in Taiwan so there was no school for the day.

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Weathering the storm...

in nothing but rain boots and a diaper!

The typhoon was nothing but a windy rain storm but we stayed inside all day together. Hope tomorrow is much more sunny!

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Catching Up

We have been so busy lately that I missed blogging about some things we have recently done. Two weekends ago we took the MRT (Metro Rapid Transit, just like the subway in NYC or the T in Boston) to the Guandu Temple.



Here is Teddy waiting on the platform for the MRT to arrive. He is wearing his monkey backpack harness so he doesn't get lost. It's pretty cute and people always comment on it, but he really dislikes being pulled around.



This is the main entrance to the Guandu Temple. Worship began at this site in 1661 and it is the oldest Mazu temple in Northern Taiwan. Mazu is the primary goddess in the Zen Buddhism religion. Part of the temple is built right through a mountain, with the main worship hall overlooking the Danshui River (which flows from Taipei to the ocean).

All of the temples we have seen so far are Taoist and folk temples featuring brightly painted deities and colorful scenes from Chinese mythology.




This past weekend we climbed to the top of Battleship Rock which is an exposed sandstone rock that overlooks Taipei. I counted over 400 steps to the top which Michael did with Teddy on his back.







After reaching the top, a huge storm rolled in and we had to rush back to the bottom of the mountain in the pouring rain. While all of the Taiwanese hikers were hiding from the storm, we didn't mind the rain...it was so hot and we were drenched in sweat already.

The next night we went to the Shilin Night Market again. This market sells clothing, shoes and accessories at very low prices. You have to hunt around but it's fun when you find something neat to wear. There is also great food in outdoor stalls and carnival games. Teddy had a great time riding the tiny train and playing his very first ping pong game with Daddy.

Typhoon Holiday

Typhoon Fanapi is currently hitting Taiwan. Yesterday was a day of preparations - buying food (there was a run on milk), boarding up large glass windows, and school cancellations. The storm made landfall about 8:30am this morning, but we could hear the wind and rain all night.



What is a typhoon? A Pacific typhoon or tropical storm is a tropical cyclone that develops in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. Identical phenomena in the eastern north Pacific are called hurricanes, with tropical cyclones moving into the Western Pacific re-designated as typhoons.

A Blog Request: What the heck does Shana do at work?

My friend, M.E.A., asked me to post a few words about what I actually do at the Taipei American School. Your wish is my command!

I am a high school college counselor. This means that I guide 38 students from the senior class (letters L to T in the alphabet) through the college application process. I help them decide which colleges to apply to, navigate the application process, and decide on a topic for their college essay. I also work with parents to help them better understand the college process as a whole.

When I worked at Trinity College, I need to know everything about Trinity. Now that I'm on the other side of the desk, I need to know everything about every college in the United States (most students will go to college in the US)...and in several other countries including Australia, Canada, and China. I have wonderful co-workers who I often lean on and I do a lot of behind-the-scenes research.

I am truly enjoying this position and it has been an adventure to learn about so many different colleges. It makes me want to go back to college!

Shana's Scooter Ride

My friend Grace took this picture of my very first time on Michael's recently purchased used scooter. I had no lessons, no coaching, just the cheering on of two enthusiastic friends. Yes, I realize that I'm driving on the sidewalk. It was parked in front of the school and I was afraid to go over the curb! Don't worry, I made it home!

Dinner With The Russells

Until our shipment arrives, this is how we are eating dinner. Please note the Huggies diaper box being used as our table.

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Top of Taipei

375 steps up Battleship rock to the best view in Taipei. Michael carried Teddy on his back the whole way up. He is my hero!

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Cultural Corner: Fireworks, drums, and gift giving. Oh my!

Today is 9/9/99 in Taiwan. The word for the number 9 is "Jiu" which means long. You are supposed to celebrate today by giving a gift to someone who you would like to have a long relationship with. What should I get for Michael and Teddy?

In our neighborhood, the local temple is celebrating with fireworks, drums and a parade outside the school (I'm stuck inside so I can't take any pictures now). A big coach just arrived to drop off people who are on a pilgrimage to visit celebrations like this all over Taiwan.

Happy 9/9/99 everyone!

We love Audrey!

Thank you to little Audrey Walterscheid who sent Teddy a great package filled with balls and cars. Teddy was getting a little tired of the few borrowed toys we have. When will our shipment arrive?

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Rock star!

Teddy got mobbed at dinner tonight by a pack of women, all wielding cameras and wanting a picture with him. We just stood back and enjoyed watching our adorable son. How fun!

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All we need now is the scooter!

We hope to aquire our licenses and a scooter soon. Teddy will have to do with his bike. No scooter riding for the Ted-man.

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School Uniform

Today Teddy got his school uniform which he will wear every Friday. He goes to Pieria and is one of three Americans. His teachers Katherine and Ariel just love him...and we love them!

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