New kitten

So, I've had this little kitten for over two weeks. I didn't name him for almost two weeks because I wasn't actually sure if it was a boy or a girl. As soon as I brought him home, he ran into the bathroom and hid behind the sink. I didn't even know there was space behind the sink, let alone that a kitten could fit there. Looking back, I should have left him in the bathroom for a few days and only gone in to feed him and attempt to play. Instead, I let him out the next day and allowed him to roam my apartment, hiding under everything that he could find.

Since he was mostly a hidden kitten for two weeks, I couldn't decide on a name. Then one day I was inspired by a character in our reading books at school and decided to name him Ricky. Random, but it will always remind me of Taiwan. Ricky is making progress slowly but surely. I started feeding him only when I'm home, so he is motivated to come out from hiding. I move the dish closer and closer so that now it lives between me feet while I sit at the computer, and he happily comes and eats there as long as I don't make any sudden movements. Last night he was actually standing on my toe while he was eating. He may or may not have realized this, but I felt encouraged that he broke the touch barrier without being coerced. Also, his latest trick is that he will come onto my lap to eat if I hold a bowl of delicious tuna. So, I don't know if he'll ever be the friendly, cuddly cat that I really want...but I'm trying my best to train him!

Too long!

This is a pretty pathetic blog so far! No entries in 3 months! Yikes. Maybe its because I've been busy teaching classes, starting my masters degree online, and writing a blog entry feels too much like work.

It is now the beginning of September and summer is winding down...at least according to my apartment complex who has already drained the water from our pool. What a contrast to Montana where we kept swimming until the middle of September when it was getting down to 50 or 60 degrees. Then we drained the pool. Here its still 85 degrees or something ridiculous. I don't even want to think about the actual temperature.

I survived my first typhoon last month. For me it was relatively uneventful. Lots of rain and wind. Stuck inside watching movies for almost 3 full days. However, I was lucky. There was a huge mudslide that covered a village on the east coast. Also plenty of bridges were washed out and people were left stranded. Floods too.

I've gone up to the Taipei area 4 times in the last two months, which is quite a bit when you consider that its a 4 hour bus ride each direction. Its really nice to see my friends from training and get out to a bigger city. Every time I go there I feel inspired to get out of Chiayi and see more things. My Taiwan travels so far have mostly involved various parties, so I'm thinking its time to get out and see some pretty scenery soon.

Well, this is a pretty boring post. But at least its something! Hopefully I won't wait 3 months until the next entry!