Mainly the Earthquake Drill

Here's a few exciting things that happened last week at school:  

At Shun An the older students have the option to ride their bikes to school, but before they can they have to pass the bike test to get a bike license.   They have a written test and a road test, although I’m not really sure what’s on the written test.  So last Tuesday during lunch I went over to watch the road test which involved kids weaving their bikes through ten cones, which were really close together I though.  Everybody had to try multiple times and one kid must have tried like 20 times.  I really admired that perseverance…especially since after everyone finally passed I took a try and it was so hard!! I kept hitting all the cones and never was able to pass, which of course was hilarious to the children.

Wednesday I was greeted with a moon cake and pineapple cake and the question “Do you know your BMI?”   Well, no, I don’t.  So we went to the health office to check it just for fun and then I came back and feasted on my treats.  Every couple of days if not more, someone in the office bestows some little treat on me.  They’re all super generous and I get to try a lot of things that I probably wouldn’t buy.  I love pineapple cake which makes an appearance on my desk regularly.   It’s basically a little square of sweet bread with mashed pineapple in the middle and always seems to be delicious.  Moon cakes are slightly more hit and miss.  The ones I’ve had here are round and flaky with different things in the middle.  I’m a big fan of the taro ones.  The kind I had on Wednesday is really famous here in Yilan I guess and it was red bean and egg and it was a little salty.  I would say that so far I’m definitely more drawn to the sweet ones.

Friday was yet another earthquake drill but this time it was the full deal.  I was at my other school, but was yet again employed in taking pictures.  The whole process was about 45 minutes and the whole time I didn’t really know what was happening but was the only person taking pictures since everyone else had a different role and I was determined to do it well, so I was running all over the place snapping shots left and right while random faculty members would call “Charissa!” and point emphatically at some event and I would dash over and take pictures.  The whole thing was like being in a play (except when everyone else knows the script but you).  First it was the basic part where the students put on their yellow pillow hats and crouch under their desks.  Then everyone gathered out in the open area in front of the school and teachers handed out masks.  After that I didn’t really know what was happening but someone called “Charissa!” and pointed at some teachers helping the handicapped children to the medical tent, so I took a bunch of pictures of that.  Then all of a sudden (at least it seemed to be without warning to me) the whole school started running away!  They crossed the street and gathered about a block away so I ran after them taking pictures the whole time.  As I was crossing the street and people in the community were outside watching or waiting to cross the street, I couldn’t help but wonder what they thought of me, some random foreigner chasing their children while snapping photos the whole time.  Anyway, shortly after that everyone came back and then a few children went to their designated spots to be rescued because they had gotten injured.  A boy got his leg put in a makeshift brace and was taken to the medical tent on a stretcher and the other boy had his arm put in a sling.  A girl was taken away in an ambulance (played by some teacher’s car) and I actually never saw her come back so hopefully that all worked out.  By this point it was raining steadily so the students sought shelter in the hallway (it’s outside but covered) and someone brought me an umbrella which was thoughtful since I was the only one without a hardhat on (all the teachers had them, but I didn’t get one, so hopefully if there’s a real earthquake they have a spare).  So next some teachers ran over to the designated spot where a fire was supposed to be happening and put it out with fire extinguishers (some real, some imaginary).  I think the last thing that happened was some parents came and picked up their children by checking in with a dean and then led their child away.  It was all very eventful!