English in Taiwan.

Tonight I went to a conversation party for a group of English-speaking university students of NCKU. They are among the very top in their class from various disciplines like mechanical engineering and urban planning. They are also very fluent in English. I was surprised - I'm in the English Department and yet many of them spoke English better than some of my classmates.

I haven't yet described just how insane the Taiwanese education system has become - and I don't mean that negatively; its just that, as far as I know, Taiwan is the only country in the world to teach every university student of every degree completely in a second language. As of about three years ago, Taiwanese lecturers have to teach all disciplines in English - so Taiwanese PhD's of Engineering or physics who had been teaching in Chinese for 30 years and perhaps had at best rusty English, suddenly had to lecture in English. The classes are in English, the books are in English, the tests are in English. At least in theory - some professors begin in English and after about 5 minutes, when all the students are falling asleep because they can't understand anything, they switch to Chinese.

I'm a little outspoken on this subject because I think its crazy - how can you learn a subject any better by studying it in a foreign language? I don't think you can; I think Taiwan will produce a generation of incompetent English speakers, who speak English pretty well and know their subject slightly less than they would have if they studied it in their own language. But that's my prejudice because I know, if I studied philosophy in German or theology in Latin, I would have improved my language skills but not fully understood the subject.

However, I admit that I'm probably wrong. Ludicrous as it sounds, Taiwan is not crazy. It's just a small island. There are too many graduates and not enough jobs in Taiwan. What will happen is an economic crisis and lots of unemployment. By forcing students to learn English, they are increasing the opportunity and likelyhood that Taiwanese professionals will move abroad to work, or at least have that ability in a scarce job market.

And, these students are probably smarter (or at least more industrious) than I am. While many won't be able to manage, most of the practical skills you need to do a specific job are learned on the job, not at university - they will probably learn enough to get the degree, which is enough to get the job - and they can learn what they have to later. And some, like the students I met tonight, will be able to move flawlessly back in forth between English and Chinese, in a complicated discipline; there is hardly a country they couldn't work in.

It's a double standard for me - I'm in Taiwan studying English, my native language. People ask why not study Chinese literature: well, because there's no way in heck, even if I'm an excellent Chinese speaker and a great academic, that I will be chosen to teach Chinese literature. In Taiwan, and probably also in America, a native Chinese speaker will get the job. It's the same in Taiwan. The university positions for teaching English and teaching English literature will often go to Native Speakers who also have an MA in English (which is what I'm studying for.)

Off the subject, I'm sick. I was sick yesterday (very sick) and today I'm sick again, although I haven't eaten anything dangerous. (Except an unwashed apple, and ONE Dorito.) It's gotten to be my private joke, when people ask, "Oh, you're allergic to MSG? So. . . do you cook at home?" And I say, "No, I just get sick." Ha. Of course its silly and stupid, but then so is throwing up after eating one Dorito. It's a ridiculous situation. I handle it the best I can. Funky bought me some awful Chinese "Stomachic Powder: Chin Shih Tzu". Mostly Sodium Bicarbonate.

English in Taiwan.

Tonight I went to a conversation party for a group of English-speaking university students of NCKU. They are among the very top in their class from various disciplines like mechanical engineering and urban planning. They are also very fluent in English. I was surprised - I'm in the English Department and yet many of them spoke English better than some of my classmates.

I haven't yet described just how insane the Taiwanese education system has become - and I don't mean that negatively; its just that, as far as I know, Taiwan is the only country in the world to teach every university student of every degree completely in a second language. As of about three years ago, Taiwanese lecturers have to teach all disciplines in English - so Taiwanese PhD's of Engineering or physics who had been teaching in Chinese for 30 years and perhaps had at best rusty English, suddenly had to lecture in English. The classes are in English, the books are in English, the tests are in English. At least in theory - some professors begin in English and after about 5 minutes, when all the students are falling asleep because they can't understand anything, they switch to Chinese.

I'm a little outspoken on this subject because I think its crazy - how can you learn a subject any better by studying it in a foreign language? I don't think you can; I think Taiwan will produce a generation of incompetent English speakers, who speak English pretty well and know their subject slightly less than they would have if they studied it in their own language. But that's my prejudice because I know, if I studied philosophy in German or theology in Latin, I would have improved my language skills but not fully understood the subject.

However, I admit that I'm probably wrong. Ludicrous as it sounds, Taiwan is not crazy. It's just a small island. There are too many graduates and not enough jobs in Taiwan. What will happen is an economic crisis and lots of unemployment. By forcing students to learn English, they are increasing the opportunity and likelyhood that Taiwanese professionals will move abroad to work, or at least have that ability in a scarce job market.

And, these students are probably smarter (or at least more industrious) than I am. While many won't be able to manage, most of the practical skills you need to do a specific job are learned on the job, not at university - they will probably learn enough to get the degree, which is enough to get the job - and they can learn what they have to later. And some, like the students I met tonight, will be able to move flawlessly back in forth between English and Chinese, in a complicated discipline; there is hardly a country they couldn't work in.

It's a double standard for me - I'm in Taiwan studying English, my native language. People ask why not study Chinese literature: well, because there's no way in heck, even if I'm an excellent Chinese speaker and a great academic, that I will be chosen to teach Chinese literature. In Taiwan, and probably also in America, a native Chinese speaker will get the job. It's the same in Taiwan. The university positions for teaching English and teaching English literature will often go to Native Speakers who also have an MA in English (which is what I'm studying for.)

Off the subject, I'm sick. I was sick yesterday (very sick) and today I'm sick again, although I haven't eaten anything dangerous. (Except an unwashed apple, and ONE Dorito.) It's gotten to be my private joke, when people ask, "Oh, you're allergic to MSG? So. . . do you cook at home?" And I say, "No, I just get sick." Ha. Of course its silly and stupid, but then so is throwing up after eating one Dorito. It's a ridiculous situation. I handle it the best I can.

Impervious to crime

Last week my flat-mate came home depressed because someone had stolen her bicycle. The next day, she was complaining to a classmate of hers about it. The classmate happened to know the gang who went around stealing bikes, and he made some inquiries. Later, he told her he'd found 3 bikes the same color as hers picked up in her neighborhood, and she could come over and ID them - sure enough, she found hers, and took it back.

I think this story is amazing: not only are Taiwanese flawlessly generous and trusting, (to foreigners, not each other), but Taiwanese criminals won't even STEAL from a foreigner.

Foreigner for sale

I started a new part time job tonight - exactly what I wanted, 5 hours a week Wed/Fri evenings only, conversation classes with adults. I can choose any topic I want, prepare my own materials...it's fabulous. After I finished, Funky told me she'd seen a girl near the train station passing out fliers and yelling "We have Foreigners! Come talk to a real foreign person in English! First class is free!" She thinks it was probably even the same school I teach at, but there are lots of schools in that area. On another street corner is a fruit stand; the owner always stands out by the street wearing a headset with a microphone and amplifier, and yells the prices of oranges and bananas at the scooters waiting for the red lights.

Incidentally, for this job that I think is pretty good, it would take Funky 15 hours of work to make what I get paid in 2 1/2.

Computer nerd

Yup, I'm a geek. I should've gone down to Kenting in my week off, spun fire, danced on the beach with a thousand girls in bikinis...but I stayed home. I watched 3 movies a day and painted quite a bit, and never left my bedroom.

A few days ago I decided I was bored with my windows XP and was thinking of upgrading to Vista - until I found out that you could get XP skins and customize your desktop to look like Vista. Cool! So, stupid me, I downloaded everything I could until my computer was coughing up blood. Usually I just 'system restore' to undo changes, but somehow, my computer would no longer turn off on command - so system restore wouldn't work! I couldn't find a way around it. Days later and about 10 reinstallations of a cracked Windows XP Pro Service Pack 2, I'm stable again. I got all my programs back up and then some - take a look at my desktop! It's so clean and shiny. I've got a calendar and a to-do list that I can mark important events on, and my computer will greet me with the days schedule! I also get live feeds on the temperature outside and moon phases, and most cool of all, there's a swivel icon menu just like Mac computers have. (I'm no fan of Macs, but they are definitely nicer looking.)

And thank God I'm done. I'm pretty OCD, when I have a project or problem or something to fix or find out, I can't do ANYTHING else. I can't relax, or sleep, or eat, or go to the bathroom. Here it is 4am again, last night I didn't get to bed until 6am and then I managed to get to class at 9! But I'm starting to feel the dizziness of sleep deprivation, a lot of hours in bed is on my agenda for the rest of the week - a long with finding a job, to pay for all my shiny Palladium teeth.

Swimming Lessons

Today Funky and I went to the nearby Spa. I haven't been for a long time, but its a really nice place with scented hot water pools, lots of pressurized water jets and fun things to play with. Every time I leave that place I feel completely relaxed and ready for bed. I wanted to teach Funky to swim, because she says she wants to surf but has a morbid fear of water. I had lots of suggestions - I demonstrated front crawl, breast stroke and even doggiepaddling, but she refused to take her feet of the ground and even float in the water.

Every time her head went under she'd freak out and scream and start choking on the water; and this is in less than 4 feet of water. I tried to get her to just hold her breath underwater, or better yet, breathe in, then breathe out underwater...but her paranoia was overwhelming. Most Taiwanese can't swim. When Funky grew up, her parents told her "Don't play in the water, water is dangerous, it will kill you, you will drown and suffer horribly", passing on an inheritance of Hydrophobia. Next time, I'll buy her a flotation board.

Painting again!

I saw this painting my first day in Taiwan, wandering around the still streets on a chilly morning in April - I was awake before the sun came up from the time difference and was eager to explore. I ate some of the best food I've ever had, a sticky rice bun with pork, crushed peanuts and fresh herbs. (Can't eat that stuff any more because of a intensified MSG intolerance.)

Anyway, I remember this painting from that morning. I found it again recently, in a painter's shop on a tiny side street next to Ckikkan towers, which is built on the remains of a 17th century Dutch fort, right in the center of Tainan. This guy did reproductions or portraits, and he's not bad, but its this ancient painting rotting outside that I love - I'll buy it sometime.

In the meantime, I've started painting again myself. It's amazing that I haven't done it in so long. I've been focusing on writing and developing in other directions; but painting just makes me feel so good, so energetic. And I love that I can paint what I want without having to justify it or prove it; even though my paintings are 1000 times as challenging or provocative as my writing. I'm working on a painting of the last supper, but I have four large canvases already sketched, so I'll cruise through several I think in the next couple of months. After that, I'll be able to organize some exhibitions.