The strains of Shakespearean soliloquies settle as softly as light through yonder window breaks when the eighth graders search to besmirch villains and honour heroes this week. They are all tasked with delivering an introductory speech to explain their monologue choices and advance the poetic techniques within, before reciting said speech without notes, summoning their most robust dramatic instincts and delivering with power and aplomb. At least, that's the ideal. Some rise to the challenge quite stunningly and mere mortals fade away as they stumble and bumble their way through excruciating performances. Another week of intrigue and drama is set to unfold!
I had another classic school experience on Friday: I heard an explosion of exclamations outside my door and looked up to see two recent college graduates very excitedly laughing and almost crying! I had taught them in Grade 3, 15 years ago, and they were so excited to see me still here, albeit in a different role. After much fluster and giggling, we took a couple of selfies and they went on their way still bubbling. It' so lovely when moments like this happen!
On Saturday I picked up some furniture pieces that I'd ordered form a shop just literally around the corner during Spring Break. They make all the items to order, so it takes a little while for them to arrive (a couple of weeks) unlike other goods in Taiwan when the delivery men beat you home from the shop quite literally. "Macro Maison" is a furniture store stocking the Taiwanese "Strauss" line of designer wood products and we got some beautiful wooden "shapes" to use as end tables in our lounge room back home. I decided not to pay the delivery fee of $25 and instead wandered around to pick up the three pieces one by one and carry them home.
In our immediate neighbourhood is everything you could conceivably imagine. Taipei is really just gelled and joined tiny villages and this village atmosphere exists within our small few blocks within 5 minutes walk of our apartment. There are multiple doctors and dentists and vets, along with restaurants of every size, shape and cuisine. Shops sell cheap goods alongside exclusive boutiques with designer furniture and clothing. There are convenience stores and pizza takeaways, dumpling shops and nail salons, real estate agents and electrical stores side by side with police stations and office buildings and giant department stores which replicate many of the places on the street. You name it, we've got it, then it is all replicated just 10 minutes down the road again. This is the sort of convenience life in the big city affords!
In this spirit we sauntered down to the incomparable Taiwanese institution of Din Tai Feng on Saturday afternoon for our fix of xiaolongbao and dumplings with spicy cucumber, prawn fried rice and wok tossed cabbage to accompany. The skies were clear and the sun gently smiled on us on a magnificent spring day to make it a most pleasant outing. Uniqlo offered us a couple of trinkets on the way home and we also delivered a few items to "lady", the little shop where alterations of all and sundry are carried out in some sort of organized chaos: I'm always surprised when they can find the pieces we left upon our return the following week!
I also picked up some framing from the "Wooden Frame Art Center", where our guy does an incredible, professional job. I picked up three small items framed and matted behind glass for $1,000NT (about $40). One was an original letter written by Henry James, a treasure we've been meaning to frame for ages!
On Sunday, Cassy picked up some original Italian style pizza from Oggi, another close neighbourhood store. It's no wonder we keep the car in the garage for months at a time! We got it late afternoon in order to watch the Knights, but it was bittersweet: the pizza was mouthwatering but the footballers capitulated! Oh well, it topped off another relaxing, interesting and rejuvenating weekend!
Photos: Cass with Youbikes on the way to school, the reunited ex-students and teacher and a couple of lovely plants.