Ni Hao!!

Brian waiting with our carry-on luggage in the airport (We had already checked our other 4 huge bags!)

Hanging out in the airport together


Our first night in Taiwan! This was in one of the famous "night markets," where Brian was picking out which bubble tea he wanted

Brian and I outside of the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, where we witnessed an amazing "changing of the guards."

Some of our friends in our group (fellow new teachers) - Lynn, Katie, me, Jenna, and Vanessa

Trying to order in Chinese :) So fun! Katherine (next to me) helps a lot- she is almost fluent in Mandarin. At this restaurat, they brought the food to us raw, and we dipped it into the boiling water in the middle of the table to cook it. Some of it was really good, and some was really.... interesting....

Our group outside of the restaurant. In all, there are about 60 new teachers in our training group.

Well, we have been in Taiwan for four days now and it is amazing! Some parts have been challenging, along with a little culture shock, but all in all it is going great. We have been so impressed by the training that our school is holding (we started training yesterday). The staff is really energetic and professional, and the training has been VERY interactive and really helpful.

Brian and I found out yesterday where we will be stationed in Taiwan after training. We will live in the Nei hu district of Tai Pei, which is about 45 minutes from the coast, and which is right near a big national park- wooo hooo! We also found out that we will both be teaching full time kindergarten, which is the age group that i was really hoping to get.

The best part of our trip so far has been getting to know the other new teachers and exploring the city with them. Most of the new English teachers are in their twenties, and the majority come from the States, the UK, New Zealand, or Scotland. Everyone is so friendly and eager to make new friends in Taiwan, and we are excited to visit eachother in all of the different parts of the island we will be stationed at. Many of them are really into outdoor activities- hiking, climbing, scuba diving.... so we are really excited to do some of that with our friends here.

More soon- Thanks for praying for us!!! Rachel and Brian