Dour, 電通-controlled, family-centric Belgian Neocolonialism, enthusiastically jaded observations, support for state-owned neoliberalist media and occasional rants from the twisted mind of a privileged middle-class expatriate atheist Crypto Jew and とてもくだらないひと projecting some leftist ideals with my ridicule of Tucker Carlson, all while taking America's blood money and cashing out that pension and TSP (from The Blogs Formerly Known As Sponge Bear and Kaminoge 物語)
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Showing posts with label Zhongzheng Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zhongzheng Park. Show all posts
After more years doing so than I care to let on, I am officially no longer employed as an English language instructor. This morning was my last shift at the kindergarten, and the students in Big Class (the ones who'll be starting elementary school in the fall), along with my wonderful co-teacher Ann, gave me a very warm sendoff.
Being an English teacher has been an interesting experience, but it's time to move on and do other things. While I hope I will never have to return to the classroom in order to make a living, I have no regrets about ever starting out on this line of work. If it wasn't for teaching, I would never had made it to North East Asia, and my life would've been far less interesting as a result. Being a 先生 in Japan or a 老師 in Taiwan has enabled me to meet an incredible variety of people from so many different parts of the globe that I never would've run across had I stayed in Sacramento. To all my co-workers (both staff and teachers) at all the schools where I've taught, as well as all the students (young and old) who attended my classes, be they in Tōkyō 東京, Yokkaichi 四日市, T'aichung (Táizhōng) 台中 or Fēngyuán 豐原, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my life a much more enriching experience.
どうもありがとうございます and 謝謝.
So what's next? Well, from tomorrow I'm off to Japan for a one-week break from all the moving preparations. I'll be visiting Hiroshima 広島, Miyajima 宮島, Iwakuni 岩国, Onomichi 尾道 and a couple of islands in the Inland Sea 瀬戸内海, Ikuchi-jima 生口島 and Ōmishima 大三島. If the weather holds up (a big "if", as the extended forecast calls for rain for half the time during my stay), I hope to do some hiking and cycling, and perhaps even catch a baseball and/or soccer game. As part of the preparations for this trip, on the weekend I bought a new digital camera, a Nikon ニコン Coolpix s2800. After work this morning, I rode my scooter over to the Chungcheng Park (Zhōngzhèng gōngyuán) 中正公園 area for a bit of exercise, both for my body and the new camera. Here are a few of the results:
OK, I cheated. This night shot was taken yesterday evening. It isn't the camera's fault there isn't much to see in Fengyuan after dark.
The overcast sky didn't provide the most ideal of lighting conditions for the new camera. The blame for the architecture can't be laid at the camera's feet, either.
The Nikon has an easy-to-use panorama function that I hope to make good use of when I'm in Miyajima this Thursday.
As I wrote above, the atmospheric conditions this afternoon were far from ideal, and I lack the technical knowledge to adjust the camera settings in these situations. One thing I'm going to miss about both Japan and Taiwan are the mountains and the lush vegetation.
Don't ask me why this chicken was crossing the road - I have no idea.
The ground was littered in places with blossoms from Tung trees (tónghuā) 桐花. In a couple of places, people had arranged the flowers on the ground into the shapes of hearts.
Even if I knew what I was doing with a camera in my hand, I don't think I could've done anything to make this temple look remotely attractive or charming.
Amber in front of the culture center in Fengyuan. Her skinned left knee was the result of her not yet mastering the fine art of applying the brakes on her bicycle.
This July will mark the ten-year point in our marriage, and Pamela thought it'd be a good idea to have some portrait pictures taken this evening. And just who is that is suave, debonair gentleman reflected in the mirror behind her? Obviously not a vampire.
Recent news events have me wondering if, someday, my daughter is foolish enough to drink too much and assault a local, will a crowd of angry Taiwanese gather in front of the AIT 美國在台協會 and demand "dignity", "truth" and an apology from the US government?
There I go being negative again. It's obvious I'm burning with hatred about this island and its people. That's why I've been here for so long, have married a local woman and am the proud father of a beautiful bi-cultural daughter. My feelings regarding Taiwan are complex and unsettled, which seems to be too difficult a concept for some readers to grasp. Every country and society has its good points and bad, its strengths and weaknesses, its pluses and minuses, its merits and faults. There are numerous Taiwan-related blogs out there celebrating how great Taiwan is, and how swell it is to be living here. This blog isn't one of them. I like to see A Curmudgeon Abroad (like it's predecessor, Sponge Bear) as a necessary counterweight to earnest, wide-eyed odes to life on the Beautiful Island. Apparently there are some out there who don't see it the same way, for on occasion something I've posted will generate comments criticizing me for daring to criticize some aspect of Taiwan. Judgements are passed, ill-informed observations on my situation are handed down and efforts are made to get me to see the blessed Formosan light. All to no avail, for as I get older, I'm getting better at blending together stubbornness with observations based on personal experiences, with a touch of jadedness thrown in. As it says on the sidebar, I'm bound to annoy you sooner or later. Thank you for reading, and don't be afraid to dip your toes into the water. Just remember the world (of which Taiwan is a part) is painted in shades of grey, and not in black and white.
It may be difficult for some people to believe, but my daughter and I actually had a nice afternoon today. For the first time in quite a while, Amber and I went walking in the hills overlooking Zhōngzhèng Park 中正公園, spending about 90 minutes or so making our way up and down the trails. No cynicism nor hatred - just enjoying the time spent with my child on a warm winter afternoon.
Amber looks forward to the snacking of her first Granola Bar. She pronounced it to be "delicious"
On a gorgeous afternoon such as today's, the power lines seemed to go on forever
Amber and I went for a walk this morning in the hills behind Chung-cheng Park 中正公園. The route we went on wasn't too strenuous for a four year-old, the heat wasn't too oppressive and there were plenty of examples of local flora and fauna to check out. A few photos from our outing:
We parked the car at a small Taoist 道教 temple. According to Amber, the censer doubled as a DVD vending machine.
Behind the temple, a stone-lined path led up the hill a short distance to a road (the same one, in fact, we drove up on). Along the way, Amber and a local lizard formed a mutual appreciation society.
Once at the road, it was a leisurely stroll back down to the temple and the car. Amber was fascinated by a struggle between a beetle and a swarm of ants. The black dot to the right of my daughter is the unfortunate Coleoptera, which eventually lost the battle and no doubt ended up as lunch for the ant colony.
Later, Amber was excited to see a small green caterpillar being carted off by another group of ants (my daughter is clearly a fan of the social insects). There were also a lot of butterflies to chase after, and some pretty flowers to sniff, plus the view of Fengyuan 豐原 far down below. Being a suburban kid doesn't mean having to be cut off from the wonders of nature, even in a place as densely populated and urbanized as Taiwan.
The best thing about my wife returning to full-time employment is that it removed the financial necessity of my having to work on Saturdays. Not only do I now have a proper weekend, I can use the time now to do things with my daughter. Like this afternoon, for example. Amber and I went to Chung-cheng Park to do some hiking, followed by some playground time and fish feeding. Before setting out on the trails, we had a fine lunch of rice balls おにぎり, guava and rice crackers 煎餅...
...while the park's namesake, the brilliant warlord/vanquisher of Communists/Generalissimo/stern father-figure himself, Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正, maintained his alert vigilance over the basketball courts:
It was something of a haul for Amber to walk up to the top of the hill behind old Peanut, but she never gave up. The highlight for her going up had to be saving a caterpillar from getting bitten to death by a swarm of ants. Here's Amber celebrating the successful ascent ("I did it!"), and the view overlooking Fengyuan 豐原 down below:
After a short walk along the top of the ridge, we came to another trail leading down. For the descent, I strapped Amber into the child carrier and carried her back down to the General. A good thing too, for it started to rain halfway down, and we came close to getting soaked by the time we reached our car. Unfortunately, the change in the weather meant Amber couldn't spend time on the playground or feed the fish in the park's ponds, but she still seemed happy with the hike. Hopefully next time we can do it all!
And now for something completely different, the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ had a Kyōdō News 共同通信社 follow-up article to a story earlier in the week on the final report being issued on the China Airlines Naha Airport fire チャイナエアライン１２０便炎上事故 two years ago. According to "Naha jet fire laid to faulty maintenance", the blame has been placed equally on Boeing and China Airlines 中華航空:
"...the Japan Transport Safety Board 運輸安全委員会 concluded the explosion was caused by a maintenance error that caused a bolt to fall off the aircraft's main wing and pierce a fuel tank, causing fuel to gush through the hole and catch fire. Pointing the finger at the insufficient steps taken to prevent such an occurrence by manufacturer Boeing Co. and by the airline, which was responsible for maintenance, the board asked the Federal Aviation Administration and Taiwan's aviation authority to make sure the two firms act to prevent a recurrence...The bolt installed in a support pylon of a slat on the leading edge of the right wing fell off due to vibration because it was fixed only by a nut and not backed up by a washer, according to the report. The bolt then pierced the fuel tank when the slat was tucked into the wing and forced it into the tank with considerable force, it said. The board believes China Airlines mechanics failed to attach a washer when they replaced the nut on July 6, 2007, about six weeks before the accident, at the instruction of Boeing, which has since modified the design of the nut, enlarging it to make it more effective in preventing the bolt from detaching."
On a Sunday afternoon that was overcast and threatening to rain, my wife, my daughter and I drove up to Chung-cheng Park to go for a stroll in the hills. Amber had a lot of fun walking up the road backward, racing her mother, looking at flowers and bugs and petting dogs. Further enjoyment was had at the park where we stopped off on the way home so that she could play on the swings and slides. Life can be pretty good when you're three years old.
Fallen blossoms from a Tung Tree
I don't know the name of this kind of wasp, but it paralyzes spiders and tarantulas, and uses their bodies as food for its young. We watched as the wasp dragged off its unfortunate victim
Amber amassed a collection of leaves on the walk up
A Washington Nationals cap and a Sacramento Kings T-shirt? Dad sure knows how to pick a winner!
An attractive but unknown (to us) variety of purple flower
Amber made several canine friends this afternoon. We've been teaching her to ask the owners for permission first before petting their dogs.
The last entry on this blog is the result of what happens when I leave my computer unattended in order to use the bathroom, and my 2-year 11 month-old daughter assumes control. If only I knew what she was trying to say!
Christmas is almost upon us, and while friends and family back home are digging out from under the snow, here in central Taiwan the weather has been clear, sunny and, while not warm, certainly nothing like the freezing temperatures being felt in most of the U.S. at the moment. Taking advantage of this, I got up early this morning and rode out to Cheung-chung Park. This time, however, instead of going up trails, I walked uphill along a road, and upon reaching the top, kept on going, eventually completing a long loop back to my parked scooter after just over two hours walking：
The top of the hill is covered with fruit orchards, with views of the mountains in the distance. On the right is the scene that greeted me as I walked down the other side, back towards Cheung-chung Park. In the distance, the cities of Fengyuan 豐原 and Houli 后里 can be seen on the left and right, respectively, with the Taiwan Strait 台湾海峡 far off in the distance. The Chinese-looking building in the foreground, on the left, is Fengyuan's Martyrs' Shrine. I've never seen it open, yet the grounds are still maintained.
On the left is the view looking down from the parking lot of the Fengyuan Country Club golf course. The bridge on the left serves trains of the Western Line 西部幹線 (or, more specifically, the Taichung Line 台中線 or Mountain Line 山線) of the Taiwan Railway Administration 台灣鐵路管理局. The bridge seen on the right is part of the original Mountain Line track, which has now been converted into the Houfeng Bicycle Trail. The photograph on the right shows some Bougainvillea. The building in the background is the dormitory for players on the Sinon Bulls 興農牛 professional baseball team.
I took Amber out for a walk in the hills above Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park 中正公園 this morning. Actually, I did all the footwork, while my daughter happily sat in the child carrier perched on my back, but we both had a good time. The carrier is designed to bear weights up to 22 kilograms (48.5 pounds). Amber is currently about 12 kilos (26 pounds), so she's going to be spending a lot more time on my back in the months to come:
On the way home, I noticed these banners strung along the circle road that loops around central Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原:
The local Pacific Department Store will be hosting a Tottori Week from September 5-10. For those of you for whom the name means nothing, Tottori 鳥取 is one of Japan's 47 prefectures (in fact, it's the least populous one, with only 620,000 residents). I'm assuming the store will be featuring food products from there (Tottori is apparently known for nashi pears ナシ, nagaimo yams ナガイも, an edible plant called rakkyō ラッキョウ, negi or welsh onion ネギ and watermelon スイカ). There also appears to be some kind of connection to a manga 漫画 artist, according to the banners. I made my first visit to Tottori-ken 鳥取県 back in June, when I stayed a night in the city of Kurayoshi 倉吉, and used it as a base to visit the Nageire-dō 投入堂. I also climbed Mt. Daisen 大山, which sits in Tottori (the prefecture's most famous sightseeing spot is the Tottori Sand Dunes 鳥取砂丘, but I didn't go there). I intend on visiting the department store next weekend to see what Tottori Week is all about.
Fengyuan is a small city in central Taiwan, with a population of 165,000. By local standards, it's a nice enough place to live, with convenient transportation connections (bus, car and train) to places up and down the west coast of the island. The presence of the Pacific Department Store, combined with a street called Miaotung (Miaodong) that is lined with food stands, serves as a magnet for people living in the smaller cities and towns of T'aichung (Taijhong) County 台中県, but most city residents head to nearby T'aichung 台中 city in search of excitement. Basically, not a whole lot goes on in Fengyuan, so Tottori Week is actually something you could almost get excited about, along with the MOS Burger モスバーガー and Carrefour outlets due to open soon.
In other words, T'aipei (Taibei) 台北 it ain't. But Taiwan 台湾 it most certainly is.
It'd been a while since I last went out to the Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park 中正公園 area to do some walking, so this afternoon I rectified matters. I was expecting to see a lot of damage from the two recent typhoons, but surprisingly, there wasn't much at all. What I wasn't expecting to see, however, was how overgrown with vegetation one section had become since my last visit. It seemed like very few walkers had passed through in the interim, as I was constantly brushing away spider webs that had been spun across the path. There were also a lot of ants around - whenever I stopped to have a look at something, my feet and ankles would get stung by aggressive ants in the vicinity of my sandals. Something was definitely different about the Chung-cheng Park area. For one thing, I kept coming (no pun intended) across insects in the act of making more insects, such as these butterflies and spiders (I'm assuming the male spider is the small red one):
In fact, the whole area was crawling (pun intended) with bugs:
Meanwhile, back in the human realm, the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ had an interesting article today for those who fret over the "rise of Japanese nationalism" (gasp!). "Nationalism isn't an issue in Japan" begins by stating:
"As Japan renews its claim on Takeshima 竹島 (Dokdo to Koreans) and prepares to mark the Aug. 15 anniversary of the end of the Great East Asia War 第二次世界大戦, we can expect more Asians — and some Americans — to warn against the dangers of rising Japanese nationalism. What is striking, however, is the absence of nationalism in Japan compared to its Chinese and Korean neighbors and its American ally. Regardless of the metric used, Japan scores very low on nationalism. Its investment in its armed forces as a percentage of national income is small, especially for a country living in close range of two potential war zones (the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan). Moreover, in the past two decades the offensive capabilities of North Korea against Japan, namely its ballistic missiles and nuclear program, have grown significantly. China, another potential adversary for Japan, clearly has a much stronger military than 20 years ago. But Japan continues to keep its military investment at around 1 percent of national income (perhaps a little more if other expenses are included). The phenomenal waste in Japanese procurement programs also shows that the military budget is as much a funding mechanism for Japanese businesses as a tool to build up a strong military. Moreover, when it comes to dealing with the outside world, Japanese diplomats are as unlikely as those of the Holy See to resort to threats of force. There are no John Boltons in the Japanese Foreign Ministry 外務省. This peaceful, low profile reflects a basic fact often ignored by outsiders: Japanese voters favor candidates who care about bread and butter issues over those whose concern is Japan's greatness and military might."
There were certainly no belligerent threats made by the Japanese side during last month's farcical standoff over the Senkaku Islands 尖閣諸島. The same could not be said for the administration of Mr. Ma 馬英九. The writer then proceeds to break down the reasons behind nationalist sentiment, and how Japan differs in these regards:
"Nationalism often arises out of a sense of national victimization. A major cause of Chinese and Korean nationalism is a belief that foreigners preyed upon and humiliated their countries. As a result, many Chinese and Koreans want to see no insult to their national dignity go unpunished, however insignificant. A case in point is South Korea's quixotic campaign to rename the Sea of Japan 日本海 the East Sea."
The last point has definitely not been one of South Korea's brighter moments. The Sea of Japan is called so because the body of water is defined by the geographical presence of the Japanese archipelago 日本列島. Remove Japan, and you're left with...the Pacific Ocean. Furthermore, the sea is only to the east if you're a Korean. Should the Japanese call it the "West Sea", and the Russians the "South Sea"? Is cultural myopia a side effect of nationalism?
"In Japan's case, however, there is no sense of victimhood. Yes, Japanese either experienced or know about U.S. terror bombings during the war. But, with a few exceptions, this pushes them toward pacifism. It fuels their contempt for the Japanese militarists who led the nation on a war that destroyed the country. It may also make them dislike the alliance with America, but it does not make Japanese long for a new Imperial Japan armed to the teeth ready to conquer lost territories."
Actually, the Japanese have a strong sense of victimhood over the war, but the writer's point is valid in that they tend not to blame outsiders for their devastating defeat.
"Another foundation of nationalism is a belief that one's country has a destiny to lead the world, or at least its region. This helps explain the support of Americans for military intervention and the conquests of Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. Though Chinese nationalism lacks the universalistic ambitions of America's, many Chinese think that history gave China a right to regional primacy. In Japan, however, there is none of the messianic urge found in Western cultures. Nor do Japanese have the same sense of civilizational and historical greatness that is common in China."
In other words, Japanese never considered their country to be the Middle Kingdom (although the Western Honshū region is called 中国). So why aren't there more articles about the "rise of Chinese nationalism"?
"There are also domestic factors that energize nationalism. One is fear for the country's territorial integrity and/or a belief that there are still unredeemed provinces. In the Chinese case, anxiety about Tibet, Xinjiang (Chinese Turkestan), and Inner Mongolia fuel Han 漢民族 nationalism. Moreover, for most Chinese, Taiwan is a Chinese island that must be brought back into the motherland. In the Korean case, national division can only encourage nationalism, even though South Koreans are lukewarm toward actual unification. Memories of Japanese aggression in both nations also generate a nationalist reaction in China and Korea. In Japan, however, there is no domestic separatism to be afraid of. And, despite the pro forma Japanese claims on the Northern Territories 北方地域 and Takeshima, few Japanese care about them."
One reason memories of Japanese aggression still get people riled up in China and Korea is that the governments there use history as a way to divert attention away from current problems in the respective countries. And while the Japanese right wing 右派 is very vocal about things like the Northern Territories (as anyone who has heard their sound trucks could tell you), the rightists are completely unable to mobilize mass demonstrations involving thousands of angry protesters. Most Japanese have more important things to do than slaughter innocent birds:
"A second domestic issue is nationalism as an alternative tool to confront the government. In autocratic China, nationalism is an indirect way to oppose the ruling party. When demonstrators throw rocks at the U.S. embassy or attack Japanese diplomats, they are also criticizing their rulers for being weak-kneed. Moreover, simply by marching through the streets, or gathering virtually on the Internet, they demonstrate to the Communist Party that the people can mobilize on their own. Though South Korea is now a liberal democracy, many of its leftwing nationalists came of age when anti-American (or anti-Japanese) nationalism was fused with the fight against the military regime. Japan, however, has been a free society for well half a century, if its citizens are unhappy they simply go to a voting booth rather than seek alternative forms of mobilization. Japanese society may have problems but nationalism is not one of them."
In other words, Black-billed Magpies (the national bird of Korea) can rest easy in Japan.
The enigmatic Johnny Neihu, who has a column every Saturday in the Taipei Times, is in many respects the anti-Gregory Clark. Unlike Greg, Johnny does not search for ways to excuse the actions of tyrants, and his information is factual, and therefore grounded in the real world. Most of all, he has a sense of humor, something that Clark seems to have been born without (it's inspiring to see how Greg has managed to overcome this birth defect, and find success in life). Johnny shows his un-Clarklike grasp of things in today's commentary, "Between rocks and a chip trace", in which he writes about the recent Senkaku Islands 尖閣諸島 comic opera:
"Yes, just when you thought the kafuffle over last month’s sinking of a 'recreational' fishing boat by the Japanese coast guard had died down, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week started beating its chest again over news that several members of the Japanese Diet 国会 were preparing to inspect the islands."
Unlike many news reports on the Senkakus, Johnny provides some relevant background information on the issue:
"...the 'dispute' only really became one in 1968, when the UN’s Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East reported that there might be vast, Saudiesque oil deposits in the continental shelf below. Overnight the number of countries interested in the islands increased by 100 percent — to two. China then completed the gruesome threesome...in 1971."
In short, neither Taiwan nor China cared much about the islands until the possibility of there being oil under them thar sea rocks arose:
"...as we know from recent history, the thought of controlling gazillions of barrels of black gold makes fighting wars and reckless military action seem like a good idea."
Johnny then goes on to heap deserved ridicule on the great patriots of the Chinese nation:
"(People First Party 親民党) members like Yunghe (Yonghe) City 永和市 Councilor Huang Hsi-lin, a member of the Taiwan Safeguard Diaoyutai Movement Union, are so patriotic that they just can’t wait to sail to the islands at the first sign of trouble, whereupon they bravely defend the Republic of China’s 中華民国 territory by throwing plastic bottles at Japanese patrol boats. But this patriotic fervor isn’t the preserve of us folk in Taiwan; you even get crazy sons-of-bitches flying in from Hong Kong just so they can burn Rising Sun flags in front of the Japanese mission. Indeed, nutcases from Hong Kong seem to have almost cornered the market for pointless acts of fanaticism where the Diaoyutais are concerned. Anyone remember David Chan, an activist who drowned near the islets on Sept. 26, 1996, after leaping off a protest vessel with five others in an attempt to swim to the islands and assert China’s sovereignty? Poor Dave jumped, snared his foot in a rope and smashed his head against the boat. More idiotic than patriotic, I’d say. Even that mild-mannered toilet-paper obsessive, President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九, goes into a full-on, fist-thumping frenzy at the mere mention of these sacred rocks."
In these situations, Gregory Clark tends to switch to automatic, blame everything on Japan mode. Johnny, however, thinks the fault lies elsewhere:
"In this situation I tend to do what everyone else around the world does when they can’t find a satisfactory explanation. I blame the US. After all, it was the Americans who controlled the Diaoyutais for 27 years following the Japanese surrender in 1945 before handing them back to Tōkyō. But even after giving them back to Japan, Uncle Sam refused to categorically state a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the rocks."
Johnny eventually leaves the topic of the Senkakus by asking:
"While we’re on the subject of protecting islands, why is it that the present government is so concerned about defending 7km² of rocky outcrop but doesn’t give a rat’s ass about protecting Taiwan proper?"
Funny how nowhere in his column does Johnny Neihu place the blame for the escalation in tensions between Japan and Taiwan over the Senkaku Islands on "Japan's muddled, nationalistic hard line over territory", as Gregory Clark would have you believe. Johnny Neihu may be a smart ass, but Clark is just...I'll let you figure out the rest of this sentence.
And just to show how, as Johnny describes it, these "rocks (are) capable of sending people over the edge and more often than not succeed in turning them into gibbering wrecks", the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ had this story today, "Taiwan research ship nears Senkakus, snubs JCG":
"A maritime research ship of National Taiwan University 台湾大学 intruded into Japan's territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku islets in the East China Sea 東シナ海 early Friday, ignoring a warning from a Japan Coast Guard vessel 海上保安庁...The 794-ton, 50-meter ship at 5:25 a.m. entered the waters 22 km southeast of Uotsuri Island 魚釣島 of the islet chain, which is under Japan's control but also claimed by Taiwan and China. Despite the warning from the JCG patrol ship Hateruma, the research ship stayed in Japanese territorial waters for three hours...When the Hateruma's crew tried to ascertain by radio the purpose of the vessel's trip, the Taiwanese replied that they were collecting seawater for research. The Hateruma demanded the ship immediately leave Japan's territorial waters, informing it that research activities without advance notice and the consent of the Japanese government are not allowed. However, the Taiwanese ship failed to respond further and left the territorial waters around 8:20 a.m...."
In this brave, new world of the KMT 中国国民党-run Taiwan, even public universities have become tools for promoting nationalistic hard lines over territories. The same can't be said for Gregory Clark's Akita International University 国際教養大学, thank goodness.
On the home front, as in my home, I dusted off the child carrier, and for the first time in over a month, took Amber out to Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park 中正公園, to do some walking. A couple of my students, Angel and Sharon, came along, as did Sharon's son. Amber enjoyed seeing all the flora and fauna on the short trail that took us to the top of a ridge overlooking the park. But most of all, she enjoyed blowing bubbles.
Now that the public schools are back in session following the summer break, my teaching schedule has changed again. For the time being, I find myself with some free time on Monday afternoons, so today after lunch I rode out to the Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park 中正公園 area to do some walking. On the way out, however, I stopped by a nearby factory and took a photo. What caught my eye was the name "Kamioka" in roman letters. "Kamioka" is the Japanese reading of the characters for Shenkang (Shengang) 神岡, which is where both the factory and my apartment building are located.
Once in the park area, I tried to walk on an old path I used to take in the past. Bad weather had knocked down some trees and made the trail impassable, but recently it looked like someone had cleared away the obstacles, so I thought I'd give it a try today. Unfortunately, after being bitten mercilessly by mosquitoes and narrowly missing walking face first into a couple of webs guarded by giant spiders, I found the way blocked by vegetation. If only I had brought a machete! Who would have thought there was jungle-like adventure to be had in the modest hills and mountains of west-central Taiwan. Certainly not those big city wannabes and weekend warriors up in Taihoku (eh Channa?)!
It’s been a typical week here. Busy with work, but with some free moments here and there. On Wednesday 水曜 afternoon, I went for a walk in Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park 中世公園, where I snapped this picture of a small snake tentatively peeking out of its hole.
小さい蛇が穴から現れていた。
Late Thursday 木曜 afternoon, I took Amber out for a stroll in a local park. Some of the kids took a great interest in us.
アンバーと地元の子供たち
This morning 土曜の朝 I had some unexpected free time, so I went for a solo hike in the Tak’eng (Dakeng) 大坑 area, this time climbing up the No. 7 trail and coming down the No. 8. Compared to last week, there weren’t as many people out (mainly because I got there after 9am), but it was still too crowded for my liking. I couldn’t complain about the weather, however, as there were some great views of T’aichung (Taijhong) 台中.
台中の眺め
For some strange reason, a lifeboat, anchor and propellers had been placed atop a hill about 360 meters (1180 feet) above sea level.
どうして丘の上に船の物がある？
The boat was the M.V. Golden Dragon, out of Keelung (Chilung / Jilong) 基隆
