Breaking the language barrier

One of the most pleasant surprises I have had in the past few weeks in Taipei is how much of the language I have already begun to incorporate and learn in my speech. My wife worked hard in the weeks previous to our departure in teaching me the basic tones, phrases, and numbers in Mandarin, but it often surprises me (and others) how quickly I have been picking up vocabulary and phrases. I suppose it shouldn't surprise me - I have spent time studying French, Greek, and linguistics at a second-year undergrad level with continual success, and I have a high capacity for language. Sure, I'm not fluent in those other languages, but that's due more to lack of practice than ability (I think). Still, I was worried, since Mandarin is an entirely different style of language, and I have done well for a foreigner. Ari and I are strongly considering studying Mandarin (spoken and perhaps simplified written) starting in the fall to be able to have a higher level of fluency when we return, and I am excited about getting back into studying language. I would love to finish up my French and Greek, and I also want to take Latin and Hebrew someday, in addition to more linguistics courses. In fact, I think that if I ever take another undergrad degree, it would be in linguistics and languages, and I would love it. So I've broken through something on this trip - I now have a resurgent need to learn more languages, and I know that I can. C'est tres bon.

Seeing movies from the other side of the world

Whenever I enter a movie rental store, I am amazed by the sheer number of releases each year. So many movies do not make it to wide theatrical release and go straight to video or relative anonymity until they are spotted on a discount shelf. Even movies that a few years ago would have received wide media attention are relegated to second-tier status due to the competitiveness of the movie market. Consider that for every wide theatrical release (around 150 per year), there are 4 or 5 movies that feature in either limited theatrical release or straight-to-video to attempt to find life on the small screen. Most find some level of success in home release, as that is where most of the money is made for movies (estimates usually range between twice and three times theatrical gross), along with merchandising. It also means that there are a lot of bad and mediocre movies out there - like Cadillac Records, a biopic about the heyday of Chess Records we watched last night. It had a limited wide release after a $12 million budget, recouped $8 million in theatres, and another $7 million on DVD, meaning that it didn't lose money. Mediocre in almost every way (including acting). But what is really interesting is seeing movies from the other side of the world, and seeing the movies that are receiving release here. Heard of Management with Jennifer Aniston, or The Great Buck Howard with John Malkovich, or Grace Is Gone with John Cusack? All are from past years and are releasing in theatres this month. And it is interesting to go into rental places here, since movie covers are often different and emphasize far different elements of the movie, usually incorporating some scene from the movie, rather than just a famous actor. It can entirely change the way in which a movie is judged - who says you can't judge something by its cover, after all? It is also interesting to see which films receive ubiquitous attention - Transformers 2, Ice Age 3, and Harry Potter 6 all have the same release dates and advertising here as in Canada. Lest you become destitute at the focus on movies with mass appeal and few brains, it at least is comforting to see that most films do get a chance here, even if the release date is late: Synecdoche, New York will hit theatres here at the end of the month. I guess there is some accounting for taste after all, even on the other side of the world.

The speed of normalcy

It always surprises me how quickly I can adjust to new circumstances, and how quickly my environment becomes "normal". Whenever I have moved to a new place, or to camp, or whatever, I have become acclimated to my surroundings with surprising speed. Even in this trip to Taiwan, which is still a culture shock, things have become fairly normative in only two weeks here. Granted, it has been easier because I have been traveling with my wife, who has lived here before, but it still surprises me how easily this transition has come. I already have some favourite places to eat and to shop, and there is a feeling of "home" even after this short time. I suppose that shows me that I can easily make changes, and that I will be able to handle living overseas sometime. It's comforting to know that I can do this well, and with relative rapidity. And now we're off to one of our new favourite watering holes for "pi gio" - you can guess how normal that will be over the next few weeks.

Albums July to September 2009

Yesterday (the sick day; I'm feeling much better now after the rest) was a refreshing day. For the first time in a couple of weeks, I was able to spend some time on the internet, and I had some fun realizing which albums are being released in the next three months (Quarter 3). Here are some of the albums I'll be listening to in the near future. There are quite a few albums that are following up on recent weaker efforts, so this could be a very exciting or disappointing quarter. And oddly enough, the list includes several bands I listened to a decade ago...weird.

Project 86 - Picket Fence Cartel (July 14) - the OC post-hardcore trio rocks on, and the new stuff sounds great!
Our Lady Peace - Burn Burn (July 21) - Sure, they may have peaked a decade ago, but I will always have a soft spot for OLP, even if they're mostly pop now. It's bound to have at least one solid single.
Neon Horse - Haunted Horse: Songs Of Love And Defiance (July 28) - The much-musically traveled trio known as Neon Horse brought forth one of the more energetic and enigmatic albums of 2007, and I'm interested to hear if they can duplicate their effort once more. Knowing the members of the band (Mark Salomon, Jason Martin, and members of P86), they will.
Mute Math – Armistice (Aug 18) - The spotlight is on and the wait is over. I can't wait.
Needtobreathe – The Outsiders (Aug. 25) - Their previous album, 2007's The Heat, was a slow burner (pun intended), and though the rockers are occasionally given to more mainstream-style modern rock, there is a lot of lyrical and musical depth to their work. And I'm curious to see if they connect this third album to the S.E. Hinton novel.
Skillet – Awake (Aug. 25) - Collide was a strong album, but Comatose was a sleeper. I hope Awake can bring Skillet back its mojo. I'm close to not being a Panhead anymore if this album should have hit the snooze button.
Collective Soul – Rabbit (Aug. 25) - They're back on a major label (Roadrunner), and although Afterwords was underwhelming, I just can't give up on the Soul. The first single sounds great, and I've got to hear the rest of the album.
Chevelle – Sci-Fi Crimes (Sept. 8) - Another group whose last effort lacked staying power. This album might make or break my attention to the trio.
Muse – The Resistance (Sept. 14) - The follow-up to Black Holes and Revelations seems even more eclectic, with a three-part space-rock opera and acknowledged influenced of Orwell's 1984. Bring it on.
David Crowder Band – Church Music (Sept. 22) - Whether this album is ironically titled or not remains to be seen, but I certainly hope that DCB continues to show more creativity than most of their CCM brethren, and that the title does not limit the contents.

There are a few more albums that I am planning to listen to, including the new Moneen, Pearl Jam, and Creed (if it releases, and more for nostalgia than for actual expecation of musical artistry), along with the new Derek Webb album Stockholm Syndrome (of the profanity controversy). And then the list of albums in the final quarter looks promising: confirmed releases (no dates yet) from Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane, Coldplay, Thrice – Beggars, Relient K – Forget and Not Slow Down, Mae – (m)orning), (a)fternoon), (e)vening EPs, Johnny Cash – American VI, and rumoured releases from John Reuben, Neverending White Lights, Blindside, The National, Rush, the White Stripes, the Rocket Summer, Radiohead, and the follow-up to No Line on the Horizon, U2's Songs of Ascent (which, judging from their touring schedule, may wait until next fall). Sounds like fun!

Sick day

I woke up with a headache, stuffy nose, scratchy throat, and very little voice this morning. I did not sleep well, and I did not feel very rested. Despite my destitute condition, I still found myself second-guessing my reasoning when I called in to take a sick day from camp. I I am certain that by the end of the day, I will be glad to have stayed at the apartment and rested, and that I would be far worse off if I tried to fight through it, but I still had to convince myself that it was okay for me to not go to the school for the day. I rarely take sick days, and when I do, I often feel guilty about it. I did not take any this last year, and save for a week of mystery illness in my first semester of teaching in C'port, none there either. It's convenient that I rarely am ill enough to warrant staying home, especially because I have almost as much work as a teacher to prepare for a sub as it is to teach the class myself. But the funny thing is that I have never liked taking sick days, and I have very rarely had to, even as a child or teenager. I took one sick day in Grade 10-12, and that was because my parents made me stay home; I played Donkey Kong 64 all day and went back the next day. I guess the challenge for me is to actually rest when I am not working and to make the most of the sick day. Today, I'm doing some internet and some reading and some putzing around the apartment, and I need to remember not to feel guilty about resting. That way, I can go back tomorrow and be ready for work, and I won't have to wrestle with whether to take another sick day.

Disposable culture?

After one week in Taiwan, I have been continually amazed by the nature of everyday existence, as so much of it seems disposable. We are continually eating food from booths on the street and discarding the wrappers and remnants with little thought. It seems like so many things have little value here (the average meal price of street food is around 60 NT, which is $2.50 Canadian), and that when things don't have monetary value that they lack meaning. But some of the strangest things stand out here and live on, including mascots long forgotten in the 1990s in North America - Fido Dido and the moon dude from McDonald's, for example. But despite this disposable nature, there is no trash on the streets, and no garbage in the gutters. Perhaps this is the paradox of Asia - a mix of a philosophy of lack of care for greater environment combined with a focus on immediate environment. And perhaps I will notice how much worse North American culture is when I return; I'm just noticing this trend in Taiwan because it is different.

'Twas the night before Taiwan...

It's really happening. I'm leaving the continent for the first time. I don't know why it has taken me this long; perhaps a side-effect of my upraising, or the commitment I have had to camp ministry; certainly not from a lack of opportunity. We are 5 hours into our journey and 31 away from our destination: it's a long haul, but with a huge payoff - five weeks in Taipei. We are heading to the airport in 4.5 hours to take the first leg of our flight (to San Francisco), and it has been a surprisingly smooth process so far - especially so, according to my much-travelled wife. Really, what this means is that in about 31 hours I will see the world differently and have a paradigm shift in my life. It's a disconcerting yet invigorating proposition, since I do not know how it (I) will turn out on the other side. I am excited for the experience, though I have had difficulty knowing why because it is something entirely foreign to me; my personality is such that it is difficult for me to quantify and qualify things that are new to me. Nevertheless, I am excited to change, and I am interested in seeing how I perceive my changes and how others (you!) observe the changes in me through this experience. The next time I write in this forum, I will be a changed person. That's a weird thought. But aside from the meta-quasi-existential reflections on my existence, Taiwan will be fun, and there will be great food. Yum.