Baby Birds

Three weeks ago shortly after having begun to settle in here, I purchased two baby birds. One was a sunbird, which would have been beautiful when it got bigger and which could have learned to talk. Unfortunately, it only lasted four days. :-(

The other is a love bird, which I raised a number of last term (they died like crazy too!) I like raising them from the chick stage because they're tamer that way if they survive, but the mortality rate is also much higher. I'm still feeding it by hand several times a day and it still can't fly.

Exotic birds are much cheaper in Taiwan than back in North America... only about 9 dollars for the lovebird as compared to $75 back home.

Update: in the 20 or 30 min since I posted this entry, the other bird died also... I think it broke its leg, which is also what did the first bird in. :-( Don't know if I have the heart to go buy more again or not.

New Place -- rest of house

The third floor is a junk room for now but will eventually hold a few bookcases (the books are moldy since coming out of storage and I haven't cleaned them yet). Our team has left a number of beds up there to eventually be able to house short-term teams who come over to Taiwan to help us.

My 2nd floor balcony in the back is currently empty but will eventually be nice for an occasional barbecue. I might also put some exercise equipment out there and keep them covered when not in use.

New Place Here

I'm still not totally settled in here in Yunlin county, but thankfully 90% there and I've moved on to other things. Here are a few pics of my new place.
As Taiwanese study is picking up again and I'm teaching in two elementary schools this semester in addition to picking up other responsibilities I've been less motivated to work around the house. Thankfully the weather is cooler as fall is here. The Mid-Autumn Festival is next Tuesday!
This kind of house is called "Tou4Tian" in Chinese, which means "penetrates the sky". It is a typical home for outside of big cities. The first floor is often used for businesses. Mine is 3 floors, though many are taller, as well as deeper and wider.



I had to arrange some plants on the driveway to keep my spot clear. After that, I had to remove the lotus plants I placed here because someone kept swiping the flowers!



This public room on the first floor will eventually be used to entertain, have a small group, or maybe use for English.

Yellow Fever Revisited

 Yellow Fever! The 2nd floor, my living area consisting of a small den, bedroom with study, and bathroom, is a decidedly brighter color! I didn't know it would look quite so loud when the paint was still in the can!

Read the earlier post:  "Yellow Fever" entry written by a coworker! There are also more pics with descriptions on my flickr set.