Went Touring Today

Day opened when we woke up and were brought breakfast downstairs on the patio between our two dorms by a lady on a motorcycle and her two kids :) then some kids from our school came by on their bikes a we played frisbee in the front yard of the school. none of them were mine, but they're so cute and innocent, pure and untainted by all the electronics of city life (that was cheesy. but true.)

this boy (on the left) is in the intermediate class, not mine

A teacher at our school took us out touring today- our school coach is out playing baseball all weekend so this other teacher at our school (who lives in the dorm with us, across the living room) and one of our school's military men (really- he is a soldier who was assigned to Shanlin as a guard but he's off duty on weekends. such a nice military life.) took us to lunch to meet our school principal and to see Meinung Folk Village, a nearby touristy place

he's playing a saw. with a broom. sounded like....horror music :D

...you can't tell but we're imitating the two different sides on the statue's face.

then to a pool WHICH I have no pictures of but I wish I did! It had jets of water for massaging, these submerged stone chairs with Jacuzzi jets for massaging, freaking ridiculously hot and steamy sauna (so hot you couldn't even tell if you were breathing), and herbal soaks XD <--they were dyed different colors. first you soak in the hot green water, then blue, cloudy white, red, and yellow. 5 minutes in each and between each, soak in the freezing water so your pores close and retain the herbal stuff. apparently good for skin and blood circulation. interesting experience. 

so many people there recognized us as foreigners. and were determined to teach us how to use the shampoo dispenser.

then to dinner with the principal again, then a nearby night market! 

from my dorm, there's stairs up to an open 3rd floor, which then has a ladder to the ROOF :D it's soooo pretty up there! well it was night time when we went up there just now but there's mountains all around and the stars are awesome :D i'll take pictures tomorrow when I can actually see up there :P

by the way, the teacher I share my dorm with has a dog named Dong-Dong. he barks like a duck. and when we were at the pool we had to leave him behind the desk in his cage but when we came back to get him, the managers had let him out because he was so well behaved :D

by looking at the program's facebook group, we have it VERY good. there are people sleeping on bamboo mats on the floor amidst cockroaches, snakes, spiders. and some have bathrooms outside. although some others have the beach right in their backyard! such a great experience for all of us :D

gotta go check the laundry (at 11:20 PM, yes) and hang it up! peace.