What’s the Deal With Cupping and Scraping?

Prior to leaving Taiwan for the United States, I will admit: I over indulged in some things, like bubble tea, stinky tofu, night market games, and of course, massages.  I am pretty sure I hit up at least three or four massage centers in the last month I was in Taiwan!  I have always wanted to try cupping and scraping (yeah, call me crazy, I know I am) and I made it one of my goals to do that before I went home.  So that’s just what I did.  

Taking on Taiwan: The Unexpected Bonuses

For those of you who keep up regularly with my blog, you’re probably familiar with my fun experience in the ER a little while back.  I’ve never been a fan of the doctor–as I am sure not many people are–but honestly, visiting the doctor in Taiwan is one of the many bonuses to living here.  As an expat, I definitely have a different experience than the locals when it comes to daily life, but there are bonuses to living in Taiwan, and perhaps living in Asia in general.  So let’s break down just a few of the pros to moving to this island:

Taking on Taiwan: The Buzz About Buxibans

Not less than twenty-four hours after touching down in Taipei the second time, I was sitting in a lecture hall among forty other men and women.  Some of them were the same age as I was, while others were older with far more teaching credentials than I had.  Exhaustion filled me, mostly because I’d spent much of the night chatting with my roommate and one of my now good friends, Rona, after she arrived as well.  We awaited our training leaders to start what would be a week’s worth of learning how to teach and more about the HESS curriculum.

Taking on Taiwan: The Start

It’s a new year, and it’s officially (when you read this, not as I type this) 58 days until I step onto the plane bound for North America.  Believe me, I find it hard to believe that my time in Taiwan is coming to an end.  It seems that it was only yesterday that I stepped onto the plane to move here, to start working as an English teacher.  Honestly, I had no idea of the places and people I would encounter along the way.  That is precisely why in honor of my time in Taiwan and all the memories I have collected along the way, this blog post serves as the first in a series I am releasing, titled “Taking on Taiwan”.  And there’s no better place to start than right at the beginning, in October of 2015.