Sunday, May 29, 2005

Do you hate Americans?

Shortly after coming to Taiwan, I began to realize just how many people disfavor Americans. It's not the Taiwanese, though; they love Americans, God knows why. It's just everybody else, especially Canadians. We Americans always call them our friends up north, little do we know just how deeply ingrained this enmity towards us is. One Canadian friend told me that when he was young, while watching the Olympics, his grandfather would make him to cheer for the Russians rather than the Americans. "Go Russians!"

Another Canadian friend was telling me how these guys in her Chinese class were being vulgar by constantly asking the teacher how to say dirty words and generally just acting really coarse. Then she added, "And they're not even Americans. They're Canadians. I'm so ashamed!" You mean, there aren't any rude, disrespectful people in your country? Wow, that must be nice.
People don't just come out and say they hate Americans. They're little comments like these.

In the prep room I'll sit through extensive discussions of when the American empire will crumble.

Yesterday afternoon while having lunch, another guy from Europe was denouncing American book publishers for changing the British English in Harry Potter to American English and producers for trying to make an American version of the popular British sitcom The Office. The two Americans sitting at the table, including myself, squirmed uncomfortably in out seats.

Now, don't get me wrong; I have plenty fun criticizing my country. I went half way across the world and spent a lot of money to vote this damn president out of office. The thing that irritates me is that people will snivel about America much more than any other country, including their own. They make excuses like, "Oh it's not Americans we hate, it's the politics" or "It's because America is so rich and the most powerful country in the world." Yes, of course, that makes things much more justified. And, come on, there aren't enough, bad things about your country for you to complain about. Give me a break.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Kojen Policy

Taipei has entered monsoon season which means it can pour all day, everyday, for days on end. When it's not raining, it's hot and humid, so much so that when you step out of your door you are instantly covered with sweat that doesn't seem to want to evaporate until you make it to another air conditioned location which, in my case, is usually work.

Kojen now has a new dress code policy which specifically states that teachers in the children's department cannot wear shorts, tank tops, sandals, etc. I think I broke most of the most of the rules yesterday. I figured I would rather have my manager give me talk than soak my clothes through with sweat. No one mentioned anything so I think I'm going to go on preferring my choice of clothing until they tell me that I have to go home and change. The thing that gets me is that they allow teachers to wear jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers. How is that more professional than a pair of khaki shorts and a plain sleeveless top? Not to mention there are female teachers, we won't mention any names but we know who they are, who wear jeans so low that it's surprising that pubic hair isn't showing, and others who wear shirts with sexually explicit material while teaching six year olds. There should be a rule that says that jeans which go down to the crotch should not be allowed.

Lately, I've been getting more and more fed up with this school. There are specific guidelines clearly stated in print that we are supposed to get an annual bonus after about 1000 hours of work, a raise if we've worked a few hundred hours, and a return rate bonus if 90% of our students come back to study after each session. Teachers don't get the money unless you ask about it. I wouldn't have gotten my bonus if I hadn't incessantly asked Queena, the Children's Department manager, to add up my hours. And each time, it seemed like I was putting her out by asking to do her job. I think I went to her office every other day for about a month, and each time she would chuckle, "Ha ha, not yet." It's the same, if you want to inquire about a raise. Actually, most teachers don't even know about it. Last year when my old Director Jane was working at our school she showed me the pay raise chart for children's teachers. I asked if could make a copy of it. "Sure!" A year later I was talking to some co-workers about this topic and I was surprised to discover, most of the teachers were not only unclear about the number of hours one must accumulate, but had never heard a thing about it. I thought I would be doing a service by posting it up on the bulletin board. A few days later, it mysteriously disappeared. Teachers wondered and complained saying that it was important. So I put another one up. Then that one was taken down as well. We found out that it was the Adult Department director who took this one down. It's these little things that I hate about this company. They try to nip every last penny from you. As for the return rate bonus, you can forget about that. It doesn't show up on your pay sheet, and it only goes through the system after several months and by that time the class that you taught has been over for months. There's no way to track it. This is what the company is counting on, that you lose track about your money and that we all just forget about it. Kojen steals thousands of dollars from teachers every year.

I could go on and on ranting about Kojen but there are good things too. The people here are all really nice for the most part. It's a very relaxed environment. There's not a whole lot of pressure, and I get to do whatever I want during the day time, like write in my blog. = )

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Zoom Quilt

This is a really cool web project. It doesn't work on all computers but try it to see what I mean. You have to click and drag the mouse up or down to move in and out of the picture.
http://www.zoomquilt.org/