Not in Thailand

I was left all alone... Bayly, Meryl, and Jeff are in Phuket on an amazing journey through Thailand. I'm sure Bayly will blog you all about it! I stayed behind in Taipei because the culture here frowns about taking vacations. Once you sign a contract they expect you to come to work every day without fail, and I've honored my part of the agreement...reluctantly.

This time alone has proven to be difficult and lonely at times. Yet, my loneliness also blossomed into a resplendent rediscovery of traditional wood and ink artistry. I'm sorry Bayly, but I've decided to rekindle an old relationship. Yes, my love for reading books was tarnished and neglected, but after 1200 pages, thousands of words, and a bit of the midnight oil, I’ve once again polished and refurbished my thirst for reading. At times it was almost out of control! Reading while walking down the street, on the subway, while eating, and the most treasured moment in the “office” became all I could do.

I found myself in a dark corner, the smell of freshly published novel lye thick in the air. I looked over my shoulder as if being watched. The shelves tightly packed with volumes of unknown authors, like the all to familiar feeling of standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers on the subway. I cautiously searched for novels recommend by trusted friends, but soon became discouraged at the lack of availability of some of my more coveted choices. The building itself stands 20 stories high, the first four floors all books. I felt like Algernon, trapped in maze, but without the benefit of increased intelligence. Where was this coveted “cheese”! Feeling small and helpless I decided to ask for assistance. In a book store of all places I ran into a language barrier. I scribbled the names of the authors I was searching for, and the bookworm employee feverishly typed, what had to be at least three times as many letters as I had written on the scrap of paper, into her computer. No, after no and another no was all the employee could tell me. I was on my own, four floors deep into the maze. I wandered from section to section in hopes that I could bump into one of the novels I so desperate needed to curb my book addiction. After what seemed like hours I found a copy of a book that was on my most wanted list. It was incorrectly alphabetized by the author’s first name. Victory! I turned and began to walk to the cashier, it was only moments, but the anticipation of my new novel was making each step feel slow and cumbersome. The cashier spoke in slow motion and time moved like a sloth on a humid summer day. Finally, the receipt brushed my finger tips and I grabbed it quickly. I ran outside the book store and sat on a bench that probably could have used a decent cleaning. I trust the book into my face, fearing a paper cut each time I flipped to the next page. I read fifty pages before my mind would allow my body to leave the sanctuary of that filthy bench. Reading all the way home I read until exhaustion. Satisfaction over took me as I drifted to sleep with literature still swirling in my mind.

BTW... Love my job, but know realize how truly difficult life can be for teachers when they have children that do not care. I'm truly sorry for any of my teachers that I might have offended, annoyed, or ignored while I was student. Teaching is a difficult profession and deserves much more respect than it receives.

Cheer Friends! -Alan