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here.

Just keeping it up to date

Nothing more.  I just don't want to lose my information

Here is my latest presentation that I did for my Educational Technology Class.

Long Time, No post

Hey everyone!  I kind of forgot about this blog, and so I wanted to post and see if I still had access to it.  If anyone sees this, feel free to say "hello" in the comments.

Mark

H1N1

I am not sure what things are like in America this fall, but out here in Taiwan, schools and the government are on full alert to prevent the spread of H1N1 (formerly known as Swine Flu). In order to ward off any widespread epidemic, there are several lists of rules and protocols that need to be followed to help ensure those that have H1N1 do not spread it to other people. I would like to outline some of those in this post, to give my fellow readers a quick glimpse into the situation over here.

Here at Concordia Middle School students have their temperature taken every day in their homerooms. If their temperature is 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 F), students are required to wear a protectiv mask. This mask is simailar to what dentists wear to cover their mouths and noses when working with a patient. This is mask is to prevent spreading of germs in case the person has H1N1, but the symptoms are not obvious yet. If the temperature is 38 degrees (100.4) or higher, the student is required to go home and needs to go to a doctor to be tested for H1N1.

I also encounter these temperature protocols at church and at the gym. Every Saturday afternoon before Youth Group, all of the teachers and youth have their temperatures taken and recorded. Also, when I go to the gym to exercise, I need to have my temperature taken when I show my membership card at the front desk.

At CMS, if your temperature is below 37 degrees Celsius, you are ok. If not, there is a set of rules that are strictly followed. If a student has H1N1 they are required to be quarantined in their house for 5-7 days. If 2 students in a homeroom come down with H1N1 at during the same time, the entire class is sent home for 5 days.

The classes they miss during the quarantine period at home are made up on Saturday afternoons and possibly Sundays. While these students are home, teachers can post homework and assignments on the school website, that the students are required to check. I have 2 8th grade classes and one 10th grade class sent home because
of H1N1.

In addition to sending students home, the school has rules in place regarding airflow. Classrooms are required to keep the front door and front windows open, to keep the airflow moving. This rule is required even with the air conditioning on. It is still hot here in Taiwan, with temperatures reaching the 80s and 90s, so classrooms have been running the AC all school year. To me, it seems like a waste of electricity to run the AC and have the windows and doors open. However, this is all a result of the post-SARS Taiwan environment.

5-6 years ago, there was an outbreak of SARS throughout Asia, including here in Taiwan. I am not exactly clear on the details, but the disease spread extensively and people did not want to be in confined areas where SARS might be sitting in the air. As a result, windows and doors were left open to air out the room and maintain airflow.

This fear extended beyond the SARS outbreak, and I could see glimpses of this thought even before the current H1N1 situation. In my English office there is a Taiwanese teacher who always opens a window or door to keep the air moving, even when the air conditioning is on. It has been this way all 4 years that I have been in my current office, and is a reflection of how SARS influenced the behaviors of people here in Taiwan.

In closing, I believe these rules were in place for the fist couple months of school, and will probably be reviwed soon. I personally find it frustrating to have an entire class of students missing time, and falling behind the other classes, but also recognize the schools concern in containing the disease.

The closest I have come in contact with the illness was when one of my roommates came down with H1N1, and was quarantined to the house for 1 week. Thankfully, I did not contract the illness, and have not had to miss any school. He recovered and has been back teaching for a couple of weeks. Praise the Lord!

Typhoon Morakot

On August 8th, Typhoon Morakot came through Taiwan, causing flooding and damage to many parts of the island. The worst of it was on the eastside of the island.

I was in America when the typhoon hit, but several of my American co-workers were here in Taiwan. The following comes from a newsletter written by Ben and Amy Riley, and provides their perspective on the typhoon.



This month hundreds were stranded as the water poured down from above. The rivers rose over their banks, causing the water levels to creep over car hoods on the streets and up to the second floor in some homes.

The first reports claimed a thousand people were missing. The death toll began to rise. There seemed to be little hope for many people. At times like these, when the waters are rising, hope is hard to find. But God never abandons His people.

In a community about one kilometer away from where we live, massive flooding occurred. Water reached all the way up to the second floor of some buildings: homes. After the water receded, affected families began putting their water-logged first-floor belongings onto the streets to be thrown away. Men and women cleaned their plastic items salvaging anything that could be salvaged.

Our church went into this community to help. We had to either dig the mud out of people’s homes or push it out using squeegees (since it was very liquidy). There was so much mud, but in the mud was God’s grace.

Natural disasters all over the world are miserable, but God uses these situations to further His kingdom. The tsunami in Indonesia allowed Christians to enter a place previously hostile to the faith. Christians were able to help in China when an earthquake destroyed countless homes, schools and villages. I’m sure you have seen God using a bad time in your life to show His grace and mercy.

This situation in Taiwan was another chance to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through actions. As we worked, we were able to meet other Taiwanese Christians that had come from the far reaches of Taipei (far north of Taiwan) and Kao Hsiung (the far south of Taiwan) to help. People in mud-filled houses were seeing the love of God through the work of the Church. God opened doors that may not have been opened if the Typhoon had not come.

One boy we worked with was named Frank. He was not a Christian, but was there with a church group (he has family in the area). We entered a conversation and he said he really thinks the Christians are helpful. He said, “A lot of people I know just go out and party every weekend, but you are different. I can see that Christians really like to help people.” I was able to respond that we help others because we know what Christ did for us. The Holy Spirit is working on his heart. It never ceases to amaze me how hard God pursues His creation.

Flemenco Dancing

Well I just wanted to give a quick update on the show. Last night I went to the Flemenco show. This was what I had written earlier about, concerning to previous theatrical experiences that were not that great. So...last night was the third attempt at going to the theater this year.

Overall, the show was pretty good. There was a guy who played the guitar in the Spanish style that is very quick and has a lot of finger-picking. He was extremely talented, and for me he was the highlight of the evening.

The show also had a lot of rhythmic hand clapping to correspond with the guitar and footstomping. The sound of these three together was lively, and unique. On top of the music was singing, none of which I could understand. They people were singing in Spanish and almost wailing or yelling as they sang. This was not something that I was particularily fond of. In addition, I did not really follow any story line, so that made the night a little more boring.

Overall, though it was some great music, powerful dancing, and a nice night out. Much better than the old men wearing underwear and the Buddhist play.