Taiwan has the best health care in the world. A recent examination of 89 countries determined Taiwan's lofty status and we're certainly glad we're here in these uncertain Covid-19 times. Cassy went for her regular visit to the local hospital to check her blood levels this morning and after a short stroll atop the river levee, she clambered across road and park to her usual entrance only to be re-directed to a main entrance with carnival style tenting erected outside. In a very slick operation everyone was quickly scanned and if they didn't have a face mask they were supplied with one (she didn't have one!) and then she made her way to her usual sections of interest.
We've been immersed in a second week of online e-learning this week and the "powers" have even determined that we'll hold a video conferencing session with our home rooms tomorrow afternoon to supplement our regular academic lessons. We've all got Zoom accounts which we can utilize, the main hassle being a spot at home that doesn't show too much background of our rooms! As we're tasked with doing them concurrently, we'll have to shut ourselves away in different rooms to accommodate our various conversations...oh well, it should be interesting!
We've religiously walked 5 km of the river paths each day for our exercise, and we're also continuing our regular weights and push-ups, which we do regardless of the situation. The walk just about replicates our walking commute to school, plus our travels around the campus, up and down stairs etc. We feel pretty well exercised and clear headed and relaxed after a stint of excellent hours of sleeping, a relaxed vibe at home- (even during our slightly more hectic "on" time, where kids invade our chat rooms with some "pearlers"!) and a no-nonsense approach to our lesson planning and operation. In other words, we sort it out quite efficiently and amicably without the need for interminable and often gratuitous meetings with colleagues to work out the bleeding obvious. The subtraction of these meetings from our daily routine has led to the elimination of 99% of our work stress we've discovered!
I met up with some similarly relaxed men on Friday afternoon in the shape of Wal, Dave and Christian. Later on in the evening we ventured to a sports bar in the south western district to an area I was partly unfamiliar with, or at least hadn't visited in many years. At night, one of the larger cross boulevards is converted into an eating hub with a night market feel. The road itself is lined with restaurants anyway, so they get more passing foot traffic as well. It's a win-win. It didn't have one stall that might be considered "Western" and traditional flavours and odours assaulted the senses! Stinky dofu steam wafted through the alleys and the generous hiss of steaming noodles being dumped from steel to porcelain, and the clang of saucepans and woks rang out through the crowd. There were queues snaking down the back alleys leading to the hottest tickets, beef noodle shops of island-wide renown and even street food that had been Michelin starred. Among all these food sensations, crowds of people jockeyed for precious tiny blue plastic stools and fold-out card tables, jostling and laughing as they enjoyed steaming serves of noodles and meats. A famous "Manson" burger outlet was sandwiched in-between stalls, and various shops and carts also displayed shelves of exotic fruits nestled in beds of ice, (with dry ice gas giving an ethereal effect in muted lighting) and curious cuts of organs and offal were showcased in gleaming perspex carts.
We've got anther full week at home before we make our way back to campus: at least that's the current plan. There are vague whispers of extensions to the school closures but they're breezy rumours and not substantial. We could sustain this for longer of course, but I suspect the kids are missing their social interactions the most: even in a digital age, nothing seems to beat face-to-face relationships ultimately! With our long evenings and relaxed wake-up times we've been watching a cavalcade of recent Hollywood blockbusters, many of which featured in the recent Oscars awards. We've watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Irishman, Joker, Uncut Gems, Dark Waters, Ford vs. Ferrari, JoJo Rabbit, 1917, Little Women, Marriage Story and others! The most sensational of the lot, however, was the soaring noir film from South Korea, Parasite. Wow! The Academy actually got one right this time! Cass has read two Michael Connelly books in a row (I've finally converted her) and I'm reading the latest Jack Reacher from Lee Child. I'll try to fill in the blanks in our reading menus in the next entry: there are many titles to mention!