Wunshan Senior High School

Today marked the third week of my exchange in Taiwan.  For the last two of those weeks, I have been attending Wunshan Senior High School in Kaohsiung, so I think it is high time I told you all a bit about my school, and the school day routine I've established for myself.

I awake every morning at 6 AM, usually take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and am quickly out the door of my twelfth story apartment and in the elevator.  I almost always stop on my way to the bus stop at a corner stand to buy breakfast, usually consisting of dumplings and milk tea, a delicious mixture of, you guessed it, milk and tea.  In my opinion, it is much better than either milk or tea, so props to whoever thought of mixing them together.  Here is a photo of the corner stand.

The people there are super nice (like all Taiwanese people, actually), and they enjoy speaking Chinese with me and seeing my progress with the language.

Once I arrive at the bus stop, I eat my breakfast and await the bus, which arrives at 6:54 sharp every morning.  When I board, I pay with my handy dandy MRT (mass rapid transit) card, which can also be used for the subway, and the ferry to the nearby islands of Siziwan and Cijin.  One of Kaohsiung's greatest feature is its mass rapid transit system.  The subway is not very extensive, seeing as there are only two lines, but it is clean, impossible to get lost in, and quite simply a joy to ride.  Any proud citizen of Kaohsiung knows that their subway system has the second and fourth most beautiful subway stations in the world (Visit the link I've included at the end of this post for more info).  Also, the fact that you can use one simple card to pay for any subway, bus or ferry in the city is just so convenient.  But anyway, back to the bus... the bus ride to my school is maybe 15 or twenty minutes long, and is very stop-and-go due to all the cars, stoplights, and most of all, the dozens of pesky motorbikes in the middle of the city.  

Once at school, I make my way through the school to my homeroom, and sit at my desk.  My classmates are very friendly, a recurring theme in the Taiwanese people, and they usually try to strike up a conversation with me, asking how my weekend was or teaching me some new chinese words.  Here, as in most countries outside the U.S., the students remain in the same room for the day, and teachers rotate around the school.  I am in an interesting mix of classes.  Most of the time I am with my normal class of 16-18 year olds, sitting through the same lessons with them (although I usually read a book or study some Chinese, because I can understand nothing of what the teacher is saying).  These classes include math, physics, computer class, PE ( I can't say I enjoy this one to be honest), Sociology, geography, survival class (not quite as cool as it sounds), and english.  However, the other exchange students and I get to have some special classes.  These include calligraphy, Kung Fu, Traditional Chinese Music, and also a separate chinese class where it is just us three being taught by the laoshi (teacher).  I think my favorite is calligraphy, the art of drawing chinese characters.  It is rather difficult, but when you draw a character well, it is quite satisfying, no matter how simple the character.  In traditional music, our teacher introduced the pipa to us, and apparently I am a natural at it, so maybe if I practice a lot before I return I can be the best pipa player in Northfie-- Oh wait...  

Anyway, the Kung Fu class is also quite enjoyable, and soon I am sure I will be a regular old Jackie Chan.  My homeroom teacher is also extremely nice (she has bought me tea on two occasions-- again with the Taiwan niceness), and she also plays Ultimate Frisbee, which is a definite plus.  The school's principal is also a very cool guy, and is always greeting us exchange students on our way into the schoolyard in the morning.  Also, his english name is Peter Pan, which I think makes him the coolest principal I've ever met.

Ok, I'd like to keep these posts from going on too long, so I'll just finish with a few major differences between my school here and Northfield High...  

• Even though it has fewer students than Northfield High (a bit over a thousand), Wunshan is much more spread out than NHS, so it feels quite a bit bigger.  There are several buildings, some older some newer, which serve different purposes for the school.
• The students eat lunch in their classrooms, and not in a cafeteria.  Also, there is essentially no choice in their lunch, simply rice, a meat/tofu dish, vegetables, and a soup.  However, I kind of enjoy simply eating what they give us, and not having to make a decision on what to eat.
• The walls of the classroom are basically all windows, and they are often open in order to relieve the heat of the day, giving the room a very open, airy atmosphere (there is no air conditioning, only fans).
• Every Tuesday and Thursday we have assembly in the morning, in which the entire school goes out onto the basketball courts, hears the national anthem, and observes the flag raising ceremony.  Also, the principal usually says some words, and some other people may speak as well.
• I experienced my first earthquake drill on Thursday, something that I doubt will ever happen at NHS.

Lastly, I would like to quickly thank my Rotary Club and family back in Northfield, the Kaohsiung North Rotary Club and my new host family here in Taiwan, and all of my friends for everything you've done for me to get to have this opportunity.  I am loving life here in Kaohsiung, and it is because I am fortunate enough to have all of you helping and supporting me.

Thanks for reading, until next time, zaijian.

Most Beautiful Subway Stations in the World