The Grapes of Eshcol and the Ocean

Last Wednesday was Moon Festival here in Taiwan. I received many gifts from my students, including a gift of three bunches of grapes. Now you may ask, "Who would give three bunches of grapes to their teacher on Moon Festival?" First, let me condemn you for questioning the liberality of my students. Second, let me say that this student is one of the brightest and most pleasant students I have ever had. Third, let me say that this was one my favorite gifts of all time. These weren't just grapes; they were GRAPES. Each one was about the size of a child's head. Each of the three bunches weighed approximately forty five pounds. This was not, as some of you might suspect, due to chemical treatment or exposure to radiation. This is a special breed of grape. Size was not the most amazing aspect of these grapes, either. The flavor and texture was unlike anything I have ever experienced in all my years of grape consumption. The flavor evidenced a close relationship with the muscadine side of the family, only without much of the tartness. They were fleshly picked from some remote mountain in Japan and flown almost directly to my classroom. So good were these grapes that upon first sight and taste, I immediately decided that they must headline a blog.

A word about Moon Festival. This holiday comes on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Obviously, this fell on the twenty-second of September this year. There are certain things you must know about this holiday. First, it is traditionally celebrated by eating moon cakes. I will let your imagination inform you as to what a moon cake is. Second, on the night of Moon Festival, you can look up and see the three beings that live on the moon. The first being on the moon is a woman who, in something of a tragic accident, floated to the moon after drinking too much of a special elixir. The second being is a man who sent to the moon as a punishment for being too lazy. He was instructed that he had to chop down a self-regenerating tree before he could return to earth. The lazy bum is still up there hacking away. The third being is a rabbit who gave his very flesh as food to save three hungry old men. As a reward for his sacrifice he was sent to live on the moon. I had to teach these stories to my children at school. The difficult part of it was explaining how the moon was at once a place of punishment and reward. I had to tell my kids, with a stern look and disapproving air, that if they didn't diligently do their homework, they might find themselves sent to the moon for their laziness. Then, I had to tell them, with a tone of hopeful expectancy, that if they sacrificed themselves for others, they might get rewarded by being sent to the moon! The juxtaposition of these two stories engenders certain pedagogical difficulties. The third thing you should know about Moon Festival is that school are out. This is important because a certain teacher did not have to go in to work.

A quick word of advice for those who may someday find themselves living and working in a large city on a tropical island: don't forget that you are living on a tropical island. For most of my time here, I have been stuck in a big city and have been living a rather boring life. My normal schedule has been to get up in the morning, head off to work, come home at night, eat supper, go for a walk, come home and read a book. Nothing tropical or islandish about any of that. This Saturday, however, I was reminded of where I live. Some friends of mine at school invited me to go snorkeling with them. Having never engaged in any such activity, I jumped at the opportunity. We hit the eastern coast in the morning. The eastern coast boasts some beautiful scenery, with the mountains dropping straight into the ocean. We snorkeled for a while, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, even after ingesting half of the Pacific Ocean. However, conditions weren't optimal for snorkeling. The ocean was rather rough and murky, due to a typhoon passing north of Taiwan. One of my friends suggested that surfing might be a better idea under these conditions. Having never surfed before, I heartily agreed with the assessment. Thus, we headed out to a local surfing hotspot, rented a couple of boards, and hit the ocean. Actually, it would probably be more appropriate to change the last part of that sentence from active to passive--I was hit by the ocean. I got pummeled. I would hop on my board and start paddling my way out into the ocean only to be picked up by a wave and slammed back on the beach. When I would finally make my way out a bit, I would get myself situated to catch a wave and then muff the whole surfing process horribly and get tossed rudely from the board. Yes, I went twelve rounds with the Pacific. I must humbly admit, though, that the last three rounds saw me standing up, riding my way onto the beach. I may have been standing shakily, but I was standing none the less. After surfing, we went to a cafe on the beach, had a cup of tea and looked out at the gorgeous coastline. It was a lot of fun, and I am grateful to my friends for taking me out for the day.

I could use your prayers this coming week. I have parent demos this week at school. This means that all the parents come on a special day and attend a class with their children. It also means a lot of work for the teachers, especially for an inexperienced one like myself. A bad class may spell the end of amazing grapes for me. Even besides that, though, I would like to do well. I will let you know how it goes.