New Year's Eve.

The temperature went down sharply tonight. Our old folks were out celebrating (yes, my aunt and uncle got busier social life than us). The younger us stayed at home for a hot pot and lots of desserts. Now we're awaiting the firework show from the tallest building in the world. One of the best places to view it is right from the balcony of our apartment.

Cheers!

Christmas Cake

Merry Christmas!

The winter solstice

We eat sticky rice balls (tang-yuan) here for the winter solstice. Eating the rice balls marks the accomplishment of a year cycle. This is the day when the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky, the shortest day of the year. From now on, the days are getting longer- until the summer solstice.

Kids are often told to eat the rice ball or they wouldn't grow one more year old.

The sun is reaching higher, so things are getting brighter from this day on.

Happy holidays.

Mellow baby

little yunyun, my goddaughter.

Fieldwork

So I started my fieldwork with kids. Usually (Ideally), I go to the school before the first class starts and lure a little reader to work with me one on one for half hour. I'm not supposed to bother them during regular class hours, but sometimes the teacher would give me a kid when they are working on individual projects.
It's been a fun work to talk with little kids, then watching them happily choose their rewards.

School schedule
The second graders go to school after 8am and the first class starts at 8:45. The class ends at noon except for Tuesdays when it lasts till 4pm. Some kids stay at school for daily after school programs, and those kids would have lunch at school and take a nap till 2pm before the afternoon activities.

Siesta
All students in Taiwan have to take naps after lunch. Napping is mandatory till the end of high school. I know there are always some kids who do not like to nap, and I was hoping to work with them during the nap time; but the teacher kind of discouraged me from stealing their napping time, which I totally agree.

If only I could have a space to nap myself!

Working spot
The school kindly provides me two spaces to work. One is the private counseling room in the student counseling center on the second floor, the other is the nursery room in the student health center on the first floor.



A small coffee shop to pass time while waiting for the kids to wake up from their naps. The sign on the back reads "happiness".



Kids reading.

Stone Lions- here and there in Tainan

Tainan corners