Mmmbop!

This week we visited the Nanao and Penglai aboriginal elementary schools located deep in the mountains. Only one ETA from our group will teach there, dividing her/his time between the two schools and living in the teachers' dormitory. Most of the kids belong to the Atayal, the main tribe in this region, but may speak more Mandarin or Taiwanese than Atayal although they can understand it. So both Atayal and English are taught in the schools and share a place in multilingual signs. Coincidentally some of the Nanao students performed at the Yilan International Rain Festival yesterday, so a bunch of us went to the Wulaokeng scenic area near Suao to check it out. The performance consisted of traditional Atayal dances, including a dance about the role of women and another telling the story of a mischievous little boy who stole the witch doctor's magic bag. Nanao also has a western-style orchestra, and they played an arrangement of that famous folk song that goes, 阿里山的姑娘，美如水呀，阿里山的少年，壯如山... The kids were great and looked like they were having fun. On the way back we met some of the dancers and their friends, including the girl on the left here, and they were not shy at all about asking us questions in English (where are you from? what is your name?). The next performance was quite different - a collection of American 'cirque-du-soleil expats' entertained us with handstands, juggling and gymnastic feats of strength, all narrated in heavily accented (but understandable) Mandarin. Both Julia (an ETA) and Brian (the teacher at another aboriginal school) were selected for audience participation and had to lay down on the stage while one of the performers walked on them upside down with his shoes on fire. It turns out the troupe members live quite near us in Yilan, so we may be seeing more of them. Aside from the performances we also frolicked in the stream running through the park, and had our feet tickled by flesh-eating fish. All in all a successful outing.

We've been here over two weeks now, and I'm only just now realizing that I will in fact be living here for a year. I am really grateful for the opportunity to come back to this island. I am also thankful that my parents encouraged me to keep up my Chinese all these years, as it is proving invaluable to be able to communicate with native speakers. Everything is so much easier here than in Bamako or Budapest. Not only can I help fellow ETAs order food or buy bus tickets, but I can sing karaoke (badly) with some of the local English teachers! I think it will also be helpful for developing deeper, lasting relationships with local people. So 謝謝，爸媽!