Wedding cars:
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| Taiwan - red ribbon, bows and fireworks |
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| Nepal - intricate floral designs |
Showing posts with label taichung. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taichung. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Friday, October 26, 2012
Leave the stroller at home
Travel and strollers just don't always go together very well. Many of the places we've visited/lived have had uneven roads, non-existant sidewalks and crowded areas that made stroller usage impractical, if not impossible (ramps and elevators no where in sight!). They are also often just another thing you have to cart around, send through x-ray security and maneuver when your hands are full. So, much of our travel thus far has involved babywearing (our baby, Tegan, is just about to turn 1 and we've lived and/or traveled in Taiwan, Thailand, Nepal, and the states with her).
When Tegan was little we used the baby bjorn a lot while out and about. She fit in it well, it was cooler than the moby wrap and easier to take on and off (we alternate carrying her depending on the situation). She hated slings and I used the moby a lot at home and around our town but found it bulky and time consuming for traveling.
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As she got bigger, we've moved to the Ergo because it's better for baby's hips (they sit rather than hang) and I personally find it more confortable. Tegan didn't like this carrier until she was big enough to really sit in it, but they do have newborn inserts and our good friends used their Ergos practically from day one with much success. Sometimes she sits in front, sometimes on the back and occasionally when she's more antsy I put her on my hip.
In countries where everyone wants to touch and hold your baby, a carrier is a great way to hold off over eager admirers and help keep baby feeling safe.
We've recently added another carrier, for our longer hiking, the Osprey frame backpack. So far only Jeremiah has carried her in this one as it's a bit heavier.
I highly recommend babywearing, for anytime really, but especially as an alternative to strollers when traveling. I like having a variety, and Jeremiah and I each have different preferences, so the more the merrier in this house (I just bought a sling to try out with Tegan on my hip and I'm pretty sure she is going to love it).
Some tips:
-Practice at home first. Walk around, put it on and take it off, put the child in and take them out, do some chores, bend down, get stuff out of your pockets, etc. You'll get the hang of it and see what works for you.
-If you don't love it at first try again, or try a different style carrier. Everyone has a preference.
-If you go with a wrap style, you can pre-wrap it so you are ready to go when it's time to put your child in.
-Some airports will make you take the child out of the carrier when going through security, others won't.
-Many airlines will make you take baby out for take off and landing as it is safer to have them in a car seat or in your lap if you have a lap-seat ticket.
Any other babywearers out there have advice?
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Voting day
People lined up down the street from our apartment to vote in Taiwan's presidential election.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Having a baby in Taiwan
In the last year we've learned a lot about having a baby in Taiwan, heck, we've learned a lot about having a baby in general! We went the doctor/hospital route, so I don't know anything about other forms of prenatal care and birthing. I'll outline what we learned... if anyone has questions feel free to contact me.
Medical
When we decided to have a baby here we didn't know where to go at first. A representative from Kuang Tien had come to our school and explained their international program for foreigners - translators and specialized services offered. Translators in particular caught our attention - if we were going to have a baby we wanted to make sure the doctor and we were communicating clearly (not always the case when you go to the doctor here, though most do speak medical english). The hospital was a bit of a drive away from us, so we decided to try it and see if it was worth the drive - it was. There are, however, lots of hospitals and clinics available.
I called the international phone number at Kuang Tien and asked for an appointment with an obgyn. The man who answered the phone didn't know what an obgyn was: maybe not the best translator, but once I told him the point - we wanted a baby - he figured it out. I told them the times I could come in and he recommended a doctor for me who had clinic hours at the times I could come in - turns out he picked a great doctor for us, Dr. Su Chi Feng (we'll always be grateful for that choice).
Once I was pregnant we went in for doctor visits on the same schedule as one would go in the states. I got an ultrasound every visit so we got to see our baby a lot. At first we had a translator that went with us to each visit but our doctor's english was great so we didn't need the translator. Almost all visits and treatments were covered under the national health insurance NHI. We paid about $3US a visit, and out of pocket for a few extra optional tests (maybe $30US? - not much). I wrote more about a typical prenatal doctor visit in my last post.
We flew back to the states around 20 weeks and back to Taiwan around 28 weeks - we got a letter from the doctor in english and chinese saying I was safe to fly during that time but had no problems with the airlines. We also got copies of medical records to take back with me in case something happened while I was home.
When it came time to have the baby we requested private rooms. At our hospital women labor in a common room with curtains and then are moved into a delivery room. We preferred our own room - we paid extra for this and are glad we did. We also paid extra for a big private recovery room and again were happy with this choice.
I had asked our doctor earlier who would deliver our baby if he wasn't available - he laughed and said it was his job so our course it would be him, and it was. I'm not sure if this is always the case or if we were a special circumstance.
It was important that though labor, delivery and recovery we advocated for what we wanted and how we wanted things to go. We noticed people got stuck on doing things a certain way simply because that's how its been done before and some of what we expected was different from what the nurses and doctors were used to - anything from bigger medical decisions to simple baby care - and we had to request for things to go a certain way (I'm sure everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we were finally discharged :).
Typical hospital stays after birth are 3 days or 5 for c-section. We had our baby room in with us and nurses and doctors were always coming and going. Often when only 1 nurse was required 2 or 3 would come so they could pool their english knowledge. Doctors would come and translate forms for us, and once even a young ENT resident came to translate for us. There was a place for Jeremiah to sleep and he only went to work the last 2 days (much to the nurses dismay - who would take care of me??? um.... them!). Breastfeeding was supported and encouraged.
Insurance
We have National Health Insurance - NHI. It covered almost all my prenatal visits, though when I went over the standard amount of covered visits our cost was still only about $9US each visit. Health insurance for the baby is covered under mom the first 2 months (this is the same for Taiwanese moms/babies too). However, foreigner babies have to be in Taiwan for 4 months before they can get NHI. This leaves a gap of at least 2 months (we're having a hard time determining if it is 4 months from birth or 4 months from the time they get their ARC). We looked into private insurance to cover the few months in case something went wrong but this proved difficult. We will pay out of pocket for health care until NHI kicks in for her. The out of pocket cost of the birth for us was under $100US and we had the added expense of the private rooms we requested, though this still was so cheap compared to home.
Clothes/Supplies/Stuff
I bought maternity clothes from home. Sizes and styles here didn't really suit me. I also bought my prenatal vitamins from home though I did see them available at our local pharmacy (not sure of the quality or what is in them though) and a friend bought some at costco here.
As it got closer I packed my hospital bag with recommendations from folks in the states. Some supplies needed were not provided by the hospital but we could purchase there so we did that.
We bought a Chicco carseat at SOGO. We mostly see moms here holding their babies in the car (I was told a law is changing this) and a few people laughed at us when they saw we had it in the car early in case I went into labor. We bought most of her clothes from the states - baby clothes here can be expensive or just not what we are used to. We also brought basic medicines from home as well as cloth diapers. There are many baby stores in Taichung that are well stocked with just about everything you could want - some familiar brands and many Taiwanese brands. Our nursery is furnished from Ikea.
Legal
Soon after birth we went to AIT for her passport, SSN and consular birth certificate - their website is very helpful in figuring out all you need and though you can't call to ask questions they are very quick in responding to emails. what the website doesn't say is you may have to prove that you lived in the states for a period of time (even if both parents are US citizens) and I was told college transcripts is the easiest way to do that, though they didn't actually ask to see ours when we went. Passport came in the mail in a few weeks, SSN a few weeks after that. Our employer applied for her ARC (we were told this must be done within 30 days of birth). The hardest thing about all of this was getting a suitable passport photo of a newborn - we took about 100 pictures to get one of her that met standards.
Other miscellaneous cultural things
-I think our baby will never be dressed warm enough for the moms and grandmas we meet.
-I was asked many times who would take care of my baby after she was born - typically the month after birth is a time for the mom to recover and she has help taking care of the baby, sometimes even staying at a special clinic. It appeased some when I told them my mom would come visit for awhile.
-No one ever came up to me and touched my belly as often happens in the states but many people were curious and had questions
-Warm water is always better than cold (as is the case also when you are sick) though I stuck to my ice water and cold drinks
-Special foods are given to mom to help her recover from birth - soup is key.
-People laughed when they saw all the baby furniture we had and our nursery set up.
-We get a lot of advice from people when we go out with the baby
I admit I was nervous at first about having a baby abroad but as soon as I met my doctor and got some information I felt very comfortable and we are so happy with the way everything turned out.
*Edit: we also found this forum helpful: Parent Pages
Medical
When we decided to have a baby here we didn't know where to go at first. A representative from Kuang Tien had come to our school and explained their international program for foreigners - translators and specialized services offered. Translators in particular caught our attention - if we were going to have a baby we wanted to make sure the doctor and we were communicating clearly (not always the case when you go to the doctor here, though most do speak medical english). The hospital was a bit of a drive away from us, so we decided to try it and see if it was worth the drive - it was. There are, however, lots of hospitals and clinics available.
I called the international phone number at Kuang Tien and asked for an appointment with an obgyn. The man who answered the phone didn't know what an obgyn was: maybe not the best translator, but once I told him the point - we wanted a baby - he figured it out. I told them the times I could come in and he recommended a doctor for me who had clinic hours at the times I could come in - turns out he picked a great doctor for us, Dr. Su Chi Feng (we'll always be grateful for that choice).
Once I was pregnant we went in for doctor visits on the same schedule as one would go in the states. I got an ultrasound every visit so we got to see our baby a lot. At first we had a translator that went with us to each visit but our doctor's english was great so we didn't need the translator. Almost all visits and treatments were covered under the national health insurance NHI. We paid about $3US a visit, and out of pocket for a few extra optional tests (maybe $30US? - not much). I wrote more about a typical prenatal doctor visit in my last post.
We flew back to the states around 20 weeks and back to Taiwan around 28 weeks - we got a letter from the doctor in english and chinese saying I was safe to fly during that time but had no problems with the airlines. We also got copies of medical records to take back with me in case something happened while I was home.
When it came time to have the baby we requested private rooms. At our hospital women labor in a common room with curtains and then are moved into a delivery room. We preferred our own room - we paid extra for this and are glad we did. We also paid extra for a big private recovery room and again were happy with this choice.
I had asked our doctor earlier who would deliver our baby if he wasn't available - he laughed and said it was his job so our course it would be him, and it was. I'm not sure if this is always the case or if we were a special circumstance.
It was important that though labor, delivery and recovery we advocated for what we wanted and how we wanted things to go. We noticed people got stuck on doing things a certain way simply because that's how its been done before and some of what we expected was different from what the nurses and doctors were used to - anything from bigger medical decisions to simple baby care - and we had to request for things to go a certain way (I'm sure everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we were finally discharged :).
Typical hospital stays after birth are 3 days or 5 for c-section. We had our baby room in with us and nurses and doctors were always coming and going. Often when only 1 nurse was required 2 or 3 would come so they could pool their english knowledge. Doctors would come and translate forms for us, and once even a young ENT resident came to translate for us. There was a place for Jeremiah to sleep and he only went to work the last 2 days (much to the nurses dismay - who would take care of me??? um.... them!). Breastfeeding was supported and encouraged.
Insurance
We have National Health Insurance - NHI. It covered almost all my prenatal visits, though when I went over the standard amount of covered visits our cost was still only about $9US each visit. Health insurance for the baby is covered under mom the first 2 months (this is the same for Taiwanese moms/babies too). However, foreigner babies have to be in Taiwan for 4 months before they can get NHI. This leaves a gap of at least 2 months (we're having a hard time determining if it is 4 months from birth or 4 months from the time they get their ARC). We looked into private insurance to cover the few months in case something went wrong but this proved difficult. We will pay out of pocket for health care until NHI kicks in for her. The out of pocket cost of the birth for us was under $100US and we had the added expense of the private rooms we requested, though this still was so cheap compared to home.
Clothes/Supplies/Stuff
I bought maternity clothes from home. Sizes and styles here didn't really suit me. I also bought my prenatal vitamins from home though I did see them available at our local pharmacy (not sure of the quality or what is in them though) and a friend bought some at costco here.
As it got closer I packed my hospital bag with recommendations from folks in the states. Some supplies needed were not provided by the hospital but we could purchase there so we did that.
We bought a Chicco carseat at SOGO. We mostly see moms here holding their babies in the car (I was told a law is changing this) and a few people laughed at us when they saw we had it in the car early in case I went into labor. We bought most of her clothes from the states - baby clothes here can be expensive or just not what we are used to. We also brought basic medicines from home as well as cloth diapers. There are many baby stores in Taichung that are well stocked with just about everything you could want - some familiar brands and many Taiwanese brands. Our nursery is furnished from Ikea.
Legal
Soon after birth we went to AIT for her passport, SSN and consular birth certificate - their website is very helpful in figuring out all you need and though you can't call to ask questions they are very quick in responding to emails. what the website doesn't say is you may have to prove that you lived in the states for a period of time (even if both parents are US citizens) and I was told college transcripts is the easiest way to do that, though they didn't actually ask to see ours when we went. Passport came in the mail in a few weeks, SSN a few weeks after that. Our employer applied for her ARC (we were told this must be done within 30 days of birth). The hardest thing about all of this was getting a suitable passport photo of a newborn - we took about 100 pictures to get one of her that met standards.
Other miscellaneous cultural things
-I think our baby will never be dressed warm enough for the moms and grandmas we meet.
-I was asked many times who would take care of my baby after she was born - typically the month after birth is a time for the mom to recover and she has help taking care of the baby, sometimes even staying at a special clinic. It appeased some when I told them my mom would come visit for awhile.
-No one ever came up to me and touched my belly as often happens in the states but many people were curious and had questions
-Warm water is always better than cold (as is the case also when you are sick) though I stuck to my ice water and cold drinks
-Special foods are given to mom to help her recover from birth - soup is key.
-People laughed when they saw all the baby furniture we had and our nursery set up.
-We get a lot of advice from people when we go out with the baby
I admit I was nervous at first about having a baby abroad but as soon as I met my doctor and got some information I felt very comfortable and we are so happy with the way everything turned out.
*Edit: we also found this forum helpful: Parent Pages
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Tea for two
Tea served in two very different ways, both found in Taichung:
Green tea served in heavy cups along with rice and hot pot
English black tea served with milk and sugar in delicate tea cups
along with crust-less sandwiches and scones
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Wedding bliss
This weekend was full of marriage celebration - Saturday was our 5th anniversary and Sunday we went to a co-workers wedding.
Jeremiah helping me down the stairs after I tripped on my dress
Our co-worker and husband toasting with guests
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Santa comes to Taiwan
Looks like he was running late... wonder where he was headed next? Oregon maybe?
Friday, December 17, 2010
Expat christmas
While our stockings may not be hung by the fire with care, our silver tinsel christmas trees, unique ornaments collected from near and far, and paper cut-out stars have made an appearance in our effort to be festive. I'm on my third viewing of The Family Stone, and of course Elf is in the queue. Hot chocolate, marshmallows and candycanes are in the cupboard. All these things don't quite make up for the fact that we will be half-way around the world from our families on Christmas, but makes it a little easier to swallow.
Are you an expat? How do you celebrate the season in your home away from home?
Read our blog and like it? Go to Taiwan blog awards and vote for us. Just click the "+" sign under the number box.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Rainbow Village
An old military dependents’ village in Taichung has been transformed by Huang Yung-fu, an 86-year-old veteran, into what is now known as Rainbow Village. Apparently he had some time on his hands and saw the walls of these drab buildings as a huge canvas.
Recently the buildings were slated to be torn down, but after protests Taichung Mayor Jason Hu promised it would be preserved.
The area was a little tricky for us to find, and luckily we found another person who showed us the way. If you are in the area and would like to check it out yourself have a look at the map:
View Larger Map
The map and the picture below are the entrance we were shown - there may be an easier way to get there. Follow the arrows (you will go through a small walkway between this green wall and the fence and feels a bit like you are trespassing) keep walking, veer right, and soon you will see the bright colors.
Recently the buildings were slated to be torn down, but after protests Taichung Mayor Jason Hu promised it would be preserved.
This area is tiny, two small alleys, but every inch is covered with paintings - it's amazing.
From the articles I've read it seems it's all been painted very recently, and he may even still be working on it.
The area was a little tricky for us to find, and luckily we found another person who showed us the way. If you are in the area and would like to check it out yourself have a look at the map:
View Larger Map
The map and the picture below are the entrance we were shown - there may be an easier way to get there. Follow the arrows (you will go through a small walkway between this green wall and the fence and feels a bit like you are trespassing) keep walking, veer right, and soon you will see the bright colors.
Not the most welcoming entrance, but this is your farewell image:
Read our blog and like it? Go to Taiwan blog awards and vote for us. Just click the "+" sign under the number box.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Food vendor
I think the pearls are a nice touch
Read our blog and like it? Go to Taiwan blog awards and vote for us. Just click the "+" sign under the number box.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Best tofu ever
We eat at a Japanese restaurant near our house often - sometimes a few times a week. The menu is all in Chinese, so we've depended on the kindness of the staff to help us and boy have they come through. I communicated early that I was vegetarian and for quite awhile I stuck with udon noodles and a tofu that wasn't my favorite. One day Jeremiah came back with sān bēi dòufu - three cup tofu. In its normal form this dish is sān bēi jī - three cup chicken, but our friends at the restaurant offered to make it veggie for me (though to be quite honest I'm not sure how veggie the sauce is that they cook it in). It is now one of my favorite dishes - cooked in an earthenware pot and chock full of basil, whole cloves of garlic and ginger (which I don't usually like but it works for me in this dish).
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Le Jardin du Petit Prince Restaurant
Finding new restaurants in Taichung is always a good thing, because we often end up going to the same ones over and over. Yesterday I was taken to a new vegetarian restaurant - Le Jardin du Petit Prince - and I really hope it stays open because I loved it.
Between the 4 (and 1/2) of us, we ordered Fried Rice with Pinenuts, Risotto with Porcini, and the Quesadilla. Each meal came with a salad chock full of fruits, soup and bread, sesame pudding, brownie, macaron and drink (juice, tea or coffee) for around $380NT each. It was all fabulous.
Logistics (taken from Compass Magazine):
(04) 2295-6488
178, ZhongPing Rd
Hours: 11:30am-9 pm
(closed Mondays)
Credit cards not accepted.
*There are dairy products used in many of the dishes
View Taichung in a larger map
Between the 4 (and 1/2) of us, we ordered Fried Rice with Pinenuts, Risotto with Porcini, and the Quesadilla. Each meal came with a salad chock full of fruits, soup and bread, sesame pudding, brownie, macaron and drink (juice, tea or coffee) for around $380NT each. It was all fabulous.
Logistics (taken from Compass Magazine):
(04) 2295-6488
178, ZhongPing Rd
Hours: 11:30am-9 pm
(closed Mondays)
Credit cards not accepted.
*There are dairy products used in many of the dishes
View Taichung in a larger map
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
you see that mountain over there? yeah, one of these days, i'm going to climb that mountain
ok. so i didn't actually climb a mountain, but i did hike to the top of a little mountain near us to see a buddhist temple near our school. some crazy teacher took me to the top with our classes for a peace day hike. was pretty fun, but wish allison could have gone to the top. by the way, going on a hike here is a little different than at home. they don't know what switchbacks are. they just go straight ahead and you hike up or down a hill with stairs. ok, on with the pics (and lots of them):
our "gym"
the trail up
eek! wish allison would have been there for this one
our school from above
something to smile at on the way downps been listening to a lot of owen. check him out if you get a chance. bye.
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