5 months!!

Happy anniversary to me! It's offically been 5 months since I've been in Taiwan. It's really crazy to think about how long its been. I feel like its been a few phases. The first month just straight panic and terrifying feelings of not finding a job, not knowing anyone, not knowing how to eat. Then the next two months were a lot of parties with some good friends, a lot of going to clubs and spending way too much money. Now I've got a rountine with my jobs, and with my teaching. I've made a few good friends and have gotten more serious about volunteering for human rights groups, and studying Chinese. Last night I went to a night market where I went when I first got here, except the first time I went all by myself, was scared, got lost ate some terrible food. This time things were much different. I like going to places where I went when I was fresh off the boat and seeing them in a whole new way.

Friday, teaching my kid's class and Saturday teaching my adults....both were completely glitch free. I joked with the adults and (this was amazing) got them to feel so comfortable that they were able to talk without feeling nervous! And my 11 year old students and I played a variation on Battleship that was a huge hit! All of them were into it and for the first time I could remember not complaining at all!
That being said teaching English is sometimes mind-numbing and really annoying. My vocabulary is going down, I speak too slow now. If I do this for more than a year or two I feel I'd go crazy....
Anyway..
I feel comfortable here. I think back to arriving here, knowing no one, having no job prospects and literally speaking no Chinese.....now things are different. I feel a great sense of success and achievement. I know it's cliche, but I can take on any other challenge now...I just gotta find one that is more stimulating and rewarding than this one.....any ideas?

Here are two interesting news articles...the first about an increase in study abroad programs, (If I was smart I would have gone abroad in College, guess I'm kind of doing that now) and the second about the current situation with the former president of Taiwan:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/education/17exchange.html?ref=education

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/world/asia/17taiwan.html?ref=world

Brian