15 miles.

So what have I not done in the past few days...

• On Tuesday, we tutored and somehow ended up with seven children under the age of ten in our apartment. We didn't try to make this happen...an odd combination of parents being late to pickup, friends having friends over, our tutoring people coming a little early. Made me realize that I will never have seven children in a two-person apartment.

• On Wednesday, all I remember is my wizard friend. He was hanging out at the Mr. Chang's bubble tea place. We love him.

• On Thursday, I did nothing of consequence obviously because I cannot remember anything other than that I had some good lesson plans about colors and shapes. We even played with shaving cream! I wish I had got some more pictures of the kids but probably should be scaffolding them instead of taking pictures...that is what I am getting paid for, right?
  

• On Friday, we taught our last day of school for a full nine days. I finished my tutoring session at 9pm and the party started! I got home after nearly being blown over by the wind and blown up by the fireworks...to an empty house. Amy was at a recital (attending, not performing). So I read and facebooked and did all sorts of time-eating things.

• On Saturday, we celebrated the fact that it was our first non-Sabbath day without work. Of course, we had to attend a party....so we went to a Barbie party! I mean, what other way would we have had some fun? We got to get PlayDoh all over our pants, fed treats by our students, and have horrible pictures taken of ourselves by camera-loving four year olds. Then we tried to be active and went on a miserable bike ride. We tried to follow a pretty popular bike path and we were on it for a full three minutes before we hit a spot that had been ruined by a typhoon and was under construction. As in, if we had gone any further, we would have reached our doom. So we turned back tried to find food. First, I was tempted to set free a warthog. Too bad I hadn't, I am sure he was eaten the next day. We found a promising hotpot place and I got a dish of raw seafood that I still cannot quite identify and then went home but not before stopping to stock up on groceries because everything closes down for New Year (and we left our PlayDoh at the grocery store on accident). And heard lots of fireworks as we hung out at our apartment.

• Yesterday (Sunday), we went to only Sacrament meeting. No, not because I am going inactive from Relief Society, but because it was Chinese New Years Eve and church was only an hour long. I finished a book and started a new one, talked my mom for a whole hour (which never happens with Jo Mork), took a nap, and celebrated Chinese New Year with our Branch President and his family. There, I ate "long life vegetable" that was the length of my arm in one foul slurp (now I am supposed to live as long as President Hinckley) and asked if I wanted to marry a Taiwanese man "on accident" by a missionary who was translating for us...turns out Sister Chen was just telling us something about the food. We got some "lucky money", took lots of pictures with our "lucky money", and did some KungFu with our "lucky money".

• You know, just the usual lucky money ritual. Take note of the amazing dinner that was prepared by us by the one and only Sister Chen. (Okay, so probably not the only, but still, OUR one and only Sister Chen) We also stopped by the store on the way home to pick up the PlayDoh that we had left there yesterday. It wasn't there, but our consciences were eased by the fact that 1. it is either in the hands of a very lucky child and 2. that it wasn't mistaken as an explosive and we have not been taken to jail...yet. And then Amy and I spent a romantic New Years Eve together watching the fireworks from our patio for ten minutes then retreating into our rooms to read/watch Enchanted/talk to Jeffrey. And of course, to hear lots more fireworks.

• Today (Monday) we went on a exploration ralk-a cross between a run and a walk-to the foot of the mountains, visited a temple, prayed to someones' ancestors, talked on Skype with the parental unit, rode 15 miles to the beach and back, found some sand volleyball courts, met some surfers on our way, ate a very large fish then ate two scoops too much of delicious ice cream, touched Taiwan ocean for the first time, discovered where all plastic bags go when people are done with them, saw a man approach some "niyou" (we think they were wilderbeast??) and then lead them presumably to the factory where they will be eaten, and to finish the day, I lusted after Amy's new comfortable bike seat. It was a great day and so far, a great break from work. Six more days to go! It is only 630pm here and I am excited to settle in for the night and listen to more fireworks. Someday, I might miss the lullaby of children potentially blowing their hands off. For now, I just turn up my music and pretend that it is really only licensed professionals setting those crackers of death off every five seconds.

And just some cheesiness to end the post. I am just so happy and grateful and content and ______ (insert adjective) that I get along so well with my roommate/coworker/only English speaking companion. My life would be either very boring or very dangerous if I didn't have her to go adventuring with me. And she takes wonderful pictures! I am so lucky to be living here and with her.

P.S to Amy: Now now, don't get too teary-eyed that I am scared of expressing my gratitude in person and thus have to do it on a blog. Hah.