Ghost Month

I woke to the smell of food combined with burning incense because today is August 3, 2016, the first day of Ghost month in Taiwan.  This blog chronicles my life as an English teacher and gives information about working in Taiwan, but mostly I will describe the culture. The reason I am able to learn so  much about the culture is because my son and I are living in the home of  our employers and have daily access to their culture.  My next four posts are about ghost month and after that I will backdate my post to May 10,2016, my exit date from Vietnam and my arrival date in Taiwan.  Then the posts will give information about getting a teaching job in Taiwan, but I since I happened to be starting this post on the first day of Ghost Month, I am going to go with that.  After all, what could be more interesting?

 Who are the ghosts?  They are the dead who have no living relatives to provide them with their daily food and water.  During ghost month, they are allowed to roam Taiwan and feed.  Yes, this does include feeding on people, but that only those who dare to swim in the ocean.  You see, especially dangerous are those who died in the ocean because they will grab and eat you if they can access you. To ward off this ghost menace, on the first day of Ghost Month and on the lat day of Ghost month, Taiwanese display food of which all ghosts are welcomed to partake. They are provided chopsticks, water and even a bowl for washing hands.  Strong importance is placed on the ancestors. You see, in the home of the oldest son, there must be a room or area designated for the them. The ancestors must be visited and provided with nourishment three times a day.  In my house, my bedroom happens to share the fourth floor with the departed ancestors.  I had been calling it the Buddha room because there is a statue of one on the alter, but this just shows my ignorance because it is not his (or her, more about that later) room, but it belongs to the ancestors and Buddha only gets to hang out there. People ask me if I am scared, but since I do not believe in those ghosts, the answer is no.  Previous to Taiwan, I taught in Vietnam.  A student of mine commented to me, "When you are walking at night, you are scared of encountering strange people, but I am afraid of the ghosts."

Culture shock!!!!  After spending 6 months in Vietnam, I am in culture shock for two reasons.  The first thing I notice is how clean Taiwan is and I think it must be the cleanest place on the planet. Taipei is modern and best of all, pedestrians have the right of way. There are signs posted with this statement. My second observation is that people come in all shapes and sizes.  The Vietnamese all look the same in body shape and size  Everyone is very short and thin.  It is very rare to see any hint on weight on the Vietnamese or any height over 5'4", even in the men. Even though I am myself from from Sacramento,, California USA, the most culturally diverse county on the earth, my brain has acclimated to Vietnam and the varieties in people  feel chaotic to me, unsettling, confusing. Of course, everyone here has black hair and eyes, so the only variety is in height and weight.  I can't imagine what it is like for a newcomer to the United States with the exponential of eye, hair and skin color. Wow,  I am speechless.  Give me a couple of days before I can  post again.