Annie Douglass Lima's Blog, page 89
February 24, 2012
An Interview with Anya
With my second novel, In the Enemy's Service, (hopefully) coming out this spring, I decided to create a series of "interviews" to introduce friends and fans to some of the main characters. Thanks to Tina Morgan at Fictionfactor.com, I discovered the idea of creating imaginary interviews with characters to help develop their personalities. Not all of her questions really apply to some of the characters I plan to interview, but I'm choosing to stick with them anyway. It helps me look deeper inside my characters as I consider how they would answer the odd questions. Never mind whether or not they would actually sit down and have a conversation like this with a stranger - if they did, this is what they would say!
I stop at the table in the palace dining hall where Anya has just finished her lunch. She looks up curiously as I take a seat on the bench across from her. "Hello. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
She drains the last of her glass of milk and shrugs. "No, but I might get in trouble if Lieutenant
Talifus sees me just sitting here after I'm done eating. He'll tell me to get back to work."
"I've already cleared this with Captain Almanian," I assure her. "Talifus will leave us alone."
"All right." She brushes a lock of brown hair out of her eyes. "What do you want to know?"
I glance down at my list of questions.
1. Do you like your job? Why or why not?
"Here at the palace?" She glances around thoughtfully at the half empty dining hall and the tired and wary workers finishing their lunch. "I guess so. I mean, I'd rather be back at school with my
friends, but it's fun helping Eleya and Tonnis in the clinic. I'm learning a lot about different herbs and how to use them to make medicines. And most people here have been pretty nice to me. But I'm scared of Lieutenant Talifus," she admits. "He hates me. I'm afraid if he ever catches me doing something wrong, he'll kill me."
2. Do you have any friends? Significant others?
Anya frowns. "What are significant others?"
"Boyfriends," I explain.
She blushes. "I'm only ten! I don't think Father would let me have a boyfriend even if I wanted to."
I shrug. "Maybe not, but aren't there any boys you're interested in?"
Anya hesitates, fiddles with her fork, not making eye contact. "Well, sort of. But I don't actually know him. I've just heard about him. He sounds like someone I might like, though."
"Yes?" I encourage her.
"Well, his name is Erik, and he's Prince Jaymin's bodyguard. He's only twelve, like the prince, but people say he can fight better than most grown men. I just think he sounds really impressive. I'd like to meet him."
"What about friends?" I inquire. "Do you have many friends?"
Anya laughs. "Of course! I have dozens of friends. But most of them go to my school or live in
my neighborhood, so I haven't seen them in the last few weeks. We have lots of fun together, though; or we did. My favorite thing to do with them is make up stories and act them out for our families to watch." She grins, remembering. "I always get to play the part of the tragic
heroine. You know why?"
I shake my head. "Why?"
Anya glances around as if to make sure no one is listening and leans forward conspiratorially. "Because I know how to make myself cry whenever I want. You want to see?"
I chuckle and glance around as well. "Maybe not right now. People might notice and wonder what's wrong."
3. What is your idea of success?
Anya considers this. "Finding out something important from Captain Almanian or Regent Rampus, like information I can pass on to the people helping Prince Jaymin. I'd love to be a real heroine and help him return and defeat his enemies."
4. What do you hate?
"Traitors, like Lieutenant Talifus and Phenniel." She scowls. "The king and queen are dead because of them."
5. What do you do in your spare time?
Anya brightens. "I sew! I love sewing. I made the dress I'm wearing; see?" She stands up and pushes the bench back so she can turn in a circle, arms outstretched. I see that her dress is faded and stained near the collar with what looks like blood, but is of a stylish cut and well made.
6. What did you have for breakfast?
"Bread with jam, and scrambled eggs and sausage." Anya plops back onto the bench again. "The food here is pretty good, but it's always cold by the time we Alasians get any. We're not allowed to eat our meals until after the soldiers have finished."
7. Did you ever have a pet? Describe it.
Anya nods. "We have two horses back at home. My father's a merchant, you know, and they pull his cart when he takes goods to and from Malorn to sell. It's fun to ride them."
8. Do you believe in luck? Why?
"Luck?" Anya frowns, considering. "I don't think so. I think bad or good things happen because of choices people make. I guess you could call it unlucky for us that the Malornians invaded Alasia, but they made that choice."
9. What is your favorite scent? Why?
This seems to stump her. "I don't know. I don't really care much about how things smell. I'm not really interested in flowers and perfume like some girls."
10. What is the strangest thing you have ever seen?
"That's easy." Anya's face lights up with excitement. "A blank wall that turned out to have a hidden door that opens on a secret passageway. I can't tell you where it leads, though. I promised I'd never tell."
11. What is the most frightening thing that has ever happened to you?
Anya's expression turns sober. "It was when Lieutenant Talifus dragged me out of my neighbor's house and forced me to come work here in the palace. I didn't know where he was taking me at first, or what was going to happen to me. I thought I might be killed." She stares down at her plate again. "I guess I still might. And I don't know for sure if I'll ever see my friends or family again," she confides in a low voice. "But that's one reason I'm trying to find out everything I can from the Malornians. If I can help Prince Jaymin defeat them, we'll all be safe again."
February 16, 2012
Wilderness Survival
hunting dog
salt
survival guide
bracelet-making kit with instructions
the Bible (actually, quite a few students wrote that)
strings
silverware
hatchet (someone's been reading Gary Paulsen!)
sniper
poisonous darts
soccer ball
phone
towel (um... maybe he had been reading Douglas Adams?)
iPod
camera
Mom's necklace
nice shoes
sweets
MP3
picture of family
A couple more pieces of humor from other parts of the project:
Here's one student's description of how to start making a fishing device: "First, I will have to go and take my saw to amputate the tree's bottom."
Another student's journal entry about a trip through the forest: "Today I came one 6th way to my destination. Three more quarters to complete!" Yikes, I think it's time for another fractions lesson!
January 28, 2012
Breaking News!
Though Prince of Alasia is classified as a young adult action/adventure fantasy, the story can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Tell your friends that today's their chance to download their copy for free!
January 17, 2012
One of Those Days
I knew it might be a little hectic because it was the start of the second semester and I was getting two new students (a week before Chinese New Year break, so the kids would be ancy anyway). I was also told I'd have a high school student aide, which I was really looking forward to; I knew she would make my life a lot easier. I wasn't sure what I'd have her do that first day, though, since a parent helper had made my whole week's copies the Wednesday before and there would be no homework to grade (I don't usually assign any over the weekend). But in any case, it would be great to have her.
I got to my classroom early that morning to make sure everything was ready. I was planning on teaching a lesson from a section of our new language arts curriculum that I'd never used before, and it involved a vocabulary chart that the teacher instructions assured me could be found on the CD-ROM that came with the new material. So before school started I put in the disk to make sure I'd have the chart ready to project onto the Smartboard later. Lo and behold, it didn't work. I tried again and again, but got nothing but confusing menus and error messages. Finally I ran out of time, but I decided not to let it frustrate me. The chart was a simple one; I could easily draw it on the board, and the students would have the same thing in front of them in worksheet form anyway. Just a minor setback.
Well, 7:50 rolled around and I let my 5th graders into the classroom. The new ones (one boy, one girl) both seemed happy to be there, and the class was welcoming (I had let them know about them beforehand.). But because everyone was so excited at the change, they were noisier than usual. Add to that the fact that I had to explain every step of every classroom procedure to the new ones while those who already knew how to do things got bored and restless, and you'll see why my normally sweet class was a little unruly.
In retrospect, Monday was probably not the best day to try out a lesson from an unfamiliar part of the curriculum. But I'd looked over it long in advance and planned it all out, and I was sure I was ready, malfunctioning CD-ROM and all. I looked in the "Monday" folder by my desk where I keep all worksheets and supplies I'll need for the day, and was surprised to see that the student copies of the article we'd be studying (to practice infering the meaning of unfamiliar words) were not there. Neither were the charts. And when I hastily searched my shelf, I couldn't find the teacher's edition that had the blackline masters and lesson plans, either.
Yikes! I knew I had had all those materials last week. Where could I have left them? Normally I'm pretty organized. I don't usually leave piles of books or papers sitting around haphazardly in my classroom, and when I use something, I put it away in the exact spot where it goes. But the papers weren't in the folder, and the book wasn't on the shelf where I keep my teacher editions. And of course the students were getting restless once again while I looked.
I realized that the last time I had seen the book was when my parent helper took it to make copies from last Wednesday. Aha! She must have left it (along with the copies) down in the workroom. I would have to go get it at recess.
So, I hastily decided on a change of plans and announced that we would be doing math next. The math lesson went well, but as recess approached, I could tell we weren't going to finish. I normally don't like carrying over a lesson until after recess, but sometimes there's no help for it. The situation was further complicated by the fact that one of my students is in ELL and gets pulled out for one-on-one help in between recess and lunch. Normally she just misses language arts (which she can make up with her ELL teacher), but today she would have to miss part of math. Oops. (Not that she minded!)
About that time my new aide appeared in the doorway, and I realized that amid the chaos, I had not come up with anything for her to do. So I introduced her to the students and then had to ask her to please just have a seat on the sofa at the back and wait.
It was rainy and cold, so I gave the students the option of playing inside instead of going out to the covered play area for recess. Little did I know that every single one of them would choose to stay in (that was a first)! Ever tried to figure out what to have an aide do in a room full of noisy kids excitedly playing Twister and Jenga and Uno? Well, I ended up giving her something to photocopy for me for a few weeks later, and I asked her to bring up the papers and books my parent helper had left down in the copy room. Sure enough, she found them there and brought them all back up to me a few minutes after recess was over. (Yay!)
So I taught the language lesson after we finished math, and it went fine, in spite of not having a chart for the Smartboard. But it's always tiring teaching something brand new, especially something that involving. And it didn't help that part way through (when I was taking a quick breather at my desk while the students searched their Titanic article for unfamiliar vocabulary) I suddenly realized we were supposed to do a science activity about physical properties and changes that afternoon. There it was in my lesson plan book, necessary materials listed and highlighted in blue the way I always do it so I won't forget to look ahead and make sure I have what I need. But somehow I had completely forgotten the Friday before, and now I didn't have anything ready. The measuring cup, spoon, balance scale, zipper seal bag, beaker, plug-in burner and thermometer wouldn't have been a problem; I knew I had all those in my classroom cupboards. It would just have taken some time during my lunch time to dig them all out, and it didn't help that I had lunch recess duty that day. But the ice cubes and cold water would have been a little trickier. I would have had to run home at lunch time when I otherwise could have been eating, and I wasn't even positive we had any ice in the freezer at the moment anyway. I debated it mentally for the rest of the language lesson and finally decided to postpone the experiment until the next day and do Tuesday's science lesson (much simpler with no unusual materials needed) that afternoon.
The day was made a little more chaotic by the fact that one of the new students kept asking questions about things she saw in the classroom around her (like the behavior and homework boards and the "Star Helpers" job chart). I'm pretty strict about requiring students to raise their hands before speaking out, and I could soon see that she's going to need a lot of practice in that area. (Being homeschooled last semester probably had something to do with it.) She'll also need to learn not to blurt out answers to questions I've asked other students, or to "help" her classmates by telling them what the hard words say when they're reading aloud.
What with all that had happened, we had been a little behind in pretty much everything all day. The students were still busily writing in their science notebooks when I realized that although we hadn't covered everything we were supposed to, it was time for them to go to music. After that they would go straight to P.E. and Chinese, and there wasn't even enough time for them to write down their homework assignments or pack up their backpacks before they left. So I had to tell them to come back to do those things right after school. The poor new kids were a little confused about where to go, especially for Chinese, since the class isn't all in the same group. The two of them hadn't taken their placement tests yet, but this week they're all having special activities in honor of Chinese New Year, so I figured the exact group didn't matter all that much. I just told them which other students to follow, and bundled them all out the door.
By the time I finally had the room to myself, my brain felt as fried and my voice as worn out as they usually do on the first day of school after summer. Then I had to grade the assignments my students had done that day... then someone came in with a stack of report cards for me to proofread before they got sent home a few days later... then I had to work on my Professional Learning assignment due this week... then school was over and the students came swarming back in to write their homework and pack up, and I realized I'd never explained the procedure for those tasks to the new ones... then both of their parents came in wanting to talk to me about how their first day had gone.
I had to stay longer than usual in my classroom getting caught up on lots of little miscellaneous things. By the time I finally headed home to make dinner, I really didn't feel like staying up late to have my Chinese lesson that evening. It had been a long day! But I decided that the good thing about Mondays is that there's a whole week still ahead of them. (Okay, so I know that's the bad thing about them too!) But I reminded myself that there were still four more days for the week to get better. Four more days to recover from Monday. And just four more days until vacation. I can make it!
May 18, 2011
Prince of Alasia, Chapter 1
As many of you know, over eleven years ago I started writing a book called Prince of Alasia. It began as a short story, sat untouched for years, brought itself to my attention again with new ideas I just had to add, and then vanished in a cataclysmic computer crash. I retyped the whole thing from a hard copy printed from an earlier version, making changes and improvements along the way, and in the process the story evolved into a 16-chapter novel. I read it to my 5th grade class that year, thought of more ways to improve it, got friends and family to critique it for me, made more changes, and ended up reading it to my next six years' worth of classes, changing and adding to it every year. My students always loved it; one even made a Facebook fan page for it (of which I'm now an administrator), and their feedback encouraged me to keep polishing it a little more each time.
Now Prince of Alasia is18 chapters long and hundreds of times better than the early versions, and a couple of years ago I decided to pursue publication. For over a year I struggled through the process of trying to find an agent or a publisher who was interested - a slow and discouraging process, to say the least. Then this spring I attended a teachers' conference where I was introduced to the world of electronic publishing, where agents and publishers aren't necessary and writers can present their own work for sale as eBooks. Books in this format aren't actually printed on paper, but are readable on the Kindle, as well as on any computer (PC or Mac), iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Windows 7 Phone, or Android device.
Preparing my manuscript for ePublication has not been an easy process either, but by the grace of God and after a lot of hard work, I'm finally just about done with the process. I hired a talented high school artist, Jack Lin, to create the cover, and I'm excited to say that Prince of Alasia is now available for sale! You can find it on Amazon.com, but in the meantime, I decided to make the first chapter available here on my blog. If you enjoy it, please consider recommending the book to your friends or family. You can even send it to others through Amazon's "gift" function.
Chapter 1
Jaymin knew he would never forget that terrible night.
He was sound asleep in his room in the palace when Erik, his youngest bodyguard and closest friend, shook him abruptly awake.
"Jaymin! Jaymin, wake up! Something awful is happening," Erik had hissed in a frantic whisper.
Groggy and disoriented, Jaymin sat up in bed, clutching the heavy woolen blankets to his chest. For a split second he couldn't understand what Erik was talking about, and then from somewhere in another part of the palace he heard muffled shouts and the metallic clash of swords.
Swords? In the palace? Suddenly wide awake, Jaymin shoved back the blankets and sprang out of bed, fumbling in the chilly near-darkness for his clothes. The fire in the grate across the room had died down to glowing embers, and at this time of year the air had a bite to it, even indoors. He shivered as he snatched up the garments a servant had laid out for him the evening before.
"Hurry," Erik whispered urgently, yanking a coat on over his night clothes and gliding over to listen by the door. Outside, the sounds of swords and shouting were growing louder.
Why hasn't anyone come to tell me what's happening? Jaymin wondered, tugging his tunic over his head. Where were the guards who always patrolled the corridor at night? "Guards!" he called out just in case, raising his voice as he jammed his feet into his shoes. "Guards?"
"Shh!" Erik hissed, gesturing frantically at him to be quiet, his ear still glued to the crack by the door. There was no other response.
Suddenly Erik leaped back, and the next instant the door flew open, making Jaymin jump. Erik slid instantly into position, slipping into a defensive half-crouch with both hands in front of him, ready for action. He had no weapon, but he needed none. Erik was an expert in unarmed combat, and although he was just a boy, his skills made him the perfect bodyguard for the young prince.
Those skills were not needed now, however. Into the room swept Sir Edmend, a loyal member of the king's Council of Advisors. He, too, wore only a coat over his night clothes, and his graying hair stuck out in all directions. He was followed closely by a nervous-looking young guard with a drawn sword, his blue and white uniform damp with sweat in spite of the night's chill.
"Your Highness!" Sir Edmend, out of breath and looking anxious but relieved, hurried up to Jaymin as Erik slid silently aside. "Thank goodness you're still safe – I thought for certain they'd be in here before now. Quick, come with us."
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I'll protect you," the guard added proudly, flourishing his sword with a dramatic flair. Though Jaymin couldn't recall his name, he recognized the young man as the newest member of the palace guard. He had taken the oath of allegiance only last week, and was full of that enthusiasm and eagerness for action that new guards often displayed.
"What's happening?" Jaymin demanded, as he and Erik followed Sir Edmend through the bedroom door, half-running to keep up with his swift strides. The guard paused to quietly pull the door shut and then hurried after them, his boots thudding in a staccato rhythm on the hard stone floor. "Where are we going?"
"This way." Without answering the first question, the old advisor led them rapidly down the wide hallway, strangely deserted, though from just around the corner they could hear shouts and screams and crashing noises, as if doors were being broken down. His heart pounding with excitement and confusion, Jaymin hastened after Sir Edmend away from the sounds, following him into a smaller hallway used mainly by servants. The alarming noises grew fainter as the four of them hurried down back staircases and little used corridors, lit only by the occasional smoky lamp and by moonlight streaming through the windows. Now and again they passed frightened servants scurrying about, but aside from the young man behind him, Jaymin didn't see a single guard anywhere. Had they all deserted? Been killed? Left their posts to go fight whoever was breaking down the doors? Or were the guards themselves the ones causing all the commotion?
From somewhere ahead and to the left came the bang of a door being flung open, and bellowing voices and heavy footsteps burst forth, startlingly close. Sir Edmend stopped in his tracks so abruptly that the others nearly plowed into him. Jaymin grabbed Erik's arm for balance as the guard bumped into them both, almost knocking them over. They all glanced around frantically for somewhere to hide as the shouting voices drew nearer.
"In here!" Erik whispered, yanking open the door of a closet on their left and pushing Jaymin inside. The others crowded in after him, stumbling against mops and brooms and bundles of dusting rags as they squeezed into the tiny space. Jaymin knocked his head on a shelf in the closet's dim interior as Sir Edmend backed in against him, trying to pull the door shut. But the little closet was not designed to hold four people, and the door wouldn't quite close. They all held their breath and watched through the crack as half a dozen soldiers charged by brandishing swords and torches, shadows fleeing before them and sweeping after as they passed. Jaymin was hardly surprised, at this point, to see that their uniforms were not the familiar blue and white livery of the palace guard, nor the dark green of the Alasian army, but wine-red and black.
"They're Malornians, aren't they?" he guessed, frowning in confusion, after the shouting had faded and Sir Edmend had finally sighed with relief and let the door swing open.
His father's friend swatted at a couple of brooms that had toppled over against him and gave a brusque nod as he peered both ways before stepping back out into the hall. "Yes, I think so. I don't know how they got in, but there seem to be more of them than of our people in the palace now."
"And outside in the city, too," added the young guard grimly, pulling his boot out of the mop bucket it had been wedged in and ushering Jaymin out of the closet ahead of him. "Have you looked through a window lately? Almar seems to be swarming with Malornian soldiers. We have to get you away from here, your Highness." A sudden volley of distant screams from the direction in which the soldiers had disappeared punctuated his words, and he glanced around nervously, gripping his sword hilt with white knuckles.
The four of them set off down the corridor once more, their steps even faster now. Jaymin tried to puzzle out what was happening as he followed Sir Edmend down another narrow staircase. Malornian soldiers in Alasia? Was this the beginning of a war? But why would the Malornians attack his kingdom? Alasia and Malorn had no official alliance, but they had gotten along peacefully for decades.
The neighboring kingdom had been ruled by King Kerman until his death several years ago, and was now under Kerman's son, Prince Korram. Jaymin knew that Malornian law prevented the teenaged ruler from actually being crowned king until he turned eighteen, but he didn't know much else about Korram. He had met the other prince only once, four years ago, but Jaymin would never have predicted Korram would someday send his army to attack Alasia for no apparent reason.
"Careful now," Sir Edmend warned softly, motioning the little group to stand back as he paused before a door that stood ajar on the right, spilling torchlight into their corridor. "We have to get through the banquet hall here without being seen." He leaned forward and peered in cautiously.
Jaymin could see the banquet hall in his mind. It was the largest room in the palace, with seating for over three hundred. Last night at supper it had been nearly full, but he knew it would be empty and bare now. They might be able to hide under the long wooden tables, he thought, if anyone came in before they got through. The room had five doors: this one, a matching one in the opposite wall, two small servants' doorways leading to a kitchen, and the large double doors in the western wall, which always stood open to welcome guests on feast days.
Sir Edmend drew back and hastily stepped away from the door. "There are soldiers in there," he whispered tersely. "Six of them. We'll never get through."
"Can't we go a different way?" wondered the guard, casting anxious glances all around. "We can't just wait here in the hallway. Someone's sure to come along."
He was obviously a little excited as well as scared, though he was trying hard to cover it, Jaymin thought. He looked young: probably no more than eighteen, and now facing a crisis his first week on the job. Jaymin would have to recommend that he receive a commendation for this later.
"There's only one other way around, and it would take too long," Sir Edmend groaned in frustration. "We have to get the prince out, and we have to do it now. They must be combing the palace for him already. It's just a matter of time until...." He glanced at Jaymin and let his sentence trail off.
"But why –" Jaymin began, still confused.
"I know!" exclaimed the young guard in a sudden whisper, in his excitement probably not even realizing he had interrupted the prince. "We need a diversion. I know what to do." Quickly but quietly, he pushed them all forward past the doorway, through which Jaymin caught a brief glimpse of tables and benches and a brightly tapestried wall, and stopped them just beyond the doorway, where the angle of the open door blocked their view into the room. Suddenly the guard seemed more nervous, his face paler than it had been a moment ago. "Wait here," he breathed, shifting his sword from hand to hand as he wiped sweaty palms on his tunic. He paused, licked his lips, and glanced at Jaymin, looking as though he wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words. Then he forced a grin and bowed, straightened his shoulders, gripped his sword, and pulled the door wide open, stepping boldly around it out of their sight.
"This way, Your Highness," he exclaimed in a loud voice, and then stopped short. "Oh, no! There are soldiers in here! Quick, go the other way! I'll be right behind you." He turned and they could hear him sprinting back down the hallway in the direction from which they had come.
Jaymin held his breath, frozen in place beside Erik, as voices roared from inside the banquet hall. "Did you hear that? He's got the prince with him! After them!" There was the crash of a bench overturning and the thud of boots pounding across the floor. Jaymin, Erik, and Sir Edmend shrank back as the soldiers poured through the doorway and turned left, running full tilt down the hall. Jaymin risked a quick glance around the door and caught a glimpse of the young guard disappearing around a corner, half a dozen red and black clad soldiers in hot pursuit, before Erik grabbed his arm and jerked him back out of sight again.
Sir Edmend drew a deep breath as the booted footsteps faded in the distance. "Well, he's cleared the way and bought us a little time, and I hope he lives to tell of it. Now let's go." They hurried into the banquet hall, staying around the edge to avoid having to weave between tables, and darted through one of the smaller doors into a shadowy kitchen. Then it was out of the kitchen through a back entrance and down a dark corridor through which they felt their way to an even darker staircase, half stumbling down its narrow, creaky steps.
Finally, the trio arrived at a low door in the wall of a damp cellar somewhere below the palace kitchens. Sir Edmend fished out a jingling bunch of keys from his coat pocket and inserted one into the keyhole. It turned reluctantly, as though the lock had not been touched for years, and the door finally opened with a grinding creak. Jaymin peered in, seeing only a low, narrow hallway, or possibly a tunnel, stretching into musty-smelling black nothingness.
"It's a secret exit," explained Sir Edmend, gesturing for them to enter. "It will take us out into the forest on the other side of the hills." He groped around on a shelf just inside the doorway. "There should be candles in here somewhere.…"
"But we can't just leave the palace," protested Jaymin, belatedly realizing that they had not come here to meet his parents and make some sort of plan or at least escape together, as he had assumed. "Not if everyone is in danger. We've got to stay and help. I should be fighting beside my father. Where are my parents, anyway?"
Sir Edmend did not reply. He wouldn't meet Jaymin's gaze. "Your parents would have wanted you to leave, Your Highness," he murmured. "There's nothing you can do here."
And then Jaymin knew. He drew in his breath, and the world seemed to reel about him. Erik caught his arm to steady him, and Sir Edmend placed a compassionate hand on his shoulder.
"No," Jaymin heard himself whispering hoarsely. "It can't be true. It can't. No!"
Interested? To read the rest, search for Prince of Alasia on amazon.com. It's available for download as an eBook for $2.99 (that is, if you have a credit card with a US, Canadian, or UK address; otherwise it's $4.99).
May 8, 2011
House Rules
Fasten your seatbelt when riding on a unicorn.
Don't refit the car.
If you murder someone then you will be tortured and all your money will go to the victim's family.
No road building in the mountain ranges.
You can only talk to the king on Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, and Tuesdays.
Do not go slower than 200 miles per hour.
Parents are not allowed to tell kids what to do.
All assassins who do not work for the crown will be hanged.
Do not jump off a building. (It has its own consequences and the government will not pay hospital bills.)
Don't fight or you need to be in a box full of ice for 1 minute.
Everyone will have to discover new species of living things each month; if they don't, the time will change to each week.
Celebrate springtime.
The public library shall never be noisy.
Crimes are not allowed.
The area around your house must be clean, and your neighbor's too.
Obey the elders of our country; they are so wise that they can scare your wits out!
Killing is prohibited unless you are being paid by an important person.
Every sugar glider must follow the traffic signs.
No homework.
Do not fire people without any good reasons. If you do, ask the princess and prince first.
Obey the rules.
April 20, 2011
The Key to the Problem
Floyd and I took the bus to Taipei Tuesday evening so we could spend Wednesday at the International Flora Expo there. Everyone we know who's gone has said how fun it is, and how worth it it is to see before it's gone in a few more weeks. So we decided we'd go during our Easter break when local schools wouldn't have time off so it wouldn't be too crowded. We would go up to Taipei on Tuesday, spend the night with our friend Linda Thorsen who teaches at Morrison's Bethany campus, get to the Flora Expo right when it opened in the morning, spend most of the day there, and take the bus back to Taichung Wednesday night.
A good plan, in theory, even though four hours in a bus is a bit much for one day of flowery fun. The problem started when Linda emailed us back and said that yes, we were welcome to stay at her place, but no, she wouldn't actually be home at the time. She was going to Thailand but would leave her keys with the Su family across the street (also teachers at Bethany) and we could make ourselves at home in her apartment in her absence.
That sounded okay to us, so we made the arrangements and showed up on Tuesday evening as planned. Alison Su met us outside their apartment and gave us an envelope with Linda's keys, which we promised to return the following evening. We found our way to Linda's apartment (where we'd stayed once before) and successfully let ourselves in. This may not sound like any big deal until you consider how complicated the locks on Taiwanese apartment doors can sometimes be. Like many local apartments, there was a metal security gate that had to be opened before we could open the front door, and each needed different keys which turned all the way around multiple times in different ways with loud clicking sound effects. But after a couple of tries we got them both open and then closed behind ourselves.
Well, the rest of the evening was uneventful, as we went almost straight to bed (it was pretty late by the time we got in). We got up early the next morning (well, early for being on vacation), planning to leave the house by 8:00 so we could take the subway and be in line for the Flora Expo in plenty of time before it opened at 9:00. We were running a little late, though, so it was about 8:15 before we were ready to leave the house. Only to discover that the house was apparently not ready for us to leave.
Floyd tried turning the knob that unlocks the front door (there's no keyhole on the inside) this way and that, and we heard the familiar clicking sounds from within the mechanism, but the door didn't actually unlock. There was a second little knob on the lock, so he tried that too, and then tried different combinations of turning one one way and the other the other way, but nothing helpful happened. I gave it a try as well, but it was as though the door didn't even recognize that we were trying to unlock it. That is, the lock kept clicking, but the bolt wouldn't turn all the way. And when we tried both knobs at once, it reminded me of that scene from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi when Han Solo is trying to hotwire the door of the bunker on Endor, and just as he thinks it's about to open, a second security door crashes shut in front of the first. Instead of unlocking the first bolt, the second knob eventually turned another bolt, locking us in doubly securely.
I was proud of us both for not getting more stressed than we were, considering that we were in a hurry, no one else was home to help us, we didn't know very many people in the city, and we don't speak much of the language. After 45 minutes of peering into what he could see of the lock mechanism with a flashlight and struggling with two butter knives to try to pry back the bolt, Floyd finally gave up. We decided against unscrewing the screws on the hinges and removing the door completely (we couldn't find a screwdriver anyway) and instead called the Sus to see if they could recommend a locksmith, preferably one who spoke some English. Alison said she'd call around and see if any of the mechanically-minded workers at the school were available (not necessarily likely since everyone was off on Easter break).
After she hung up, I had the idea that perhaps the door could be opened from the outside with the key. Of course there was no way to pass the key through the locked door to anyone, but maybe we could drop it off the balcony (Linda's apartment is on the 4th floor) to someone below. We decided to try this when the locksmith showed up so that we wouldn't end up with as big a bill from him having to pick or break the lock.
Well, we heard the guy come to the door, and Floyd tried to explain our idea in a mixture of English and a bit of Chinese. Unfortunately, neither of us knew the words for "lock", "key", "balcony", or "drop", which might have helped. And the other guy didn't speak a word of English. We had no idea what he was saying through the door, and I'm sure he was equally frustrated with our inability to communicate. Finally Floyd heard him get back on the elevator, so I hurried out to the balcony with the keys. (I should mention at this point that I wasn't sure where we had put the keys Linda had left for us with the Sus, but I found a spare set sitting on a shelf, so I grabbed those.) I saw the guy leave the apartment building, but he never even looked up, and I wasn't about to toss the keys down onto a public sidewalk if I couldn't get his attention first. I watched him get on a scooter and disappear down the road, and with him our hopes of getting out of there any time soon.
We decided to call Alison again and see if she would be willing to come over and try to unlock the door from the outside. She was, and I successfully tossed the keys down to her without getting them stuck on any of the neighbors' balconies below us. (Wouldn't that have made things interesting!) She got on the elevator and a moment later we heard her trying to unlock the doors. But she couldn't even get the metal security gate to open with Linda's keys, let alone the inner door whose lock was stuck. We conversed through the door while she tried all three keys on the ring, and I happened to mention that the locksmith had been there but had given up and left. So she called him again from her cell phone and convinced him to come back and that she would stay and translate for us.
The locksmith returned in just a few minutes. From the moment he stepped off the elevator, it couldn't even have taken him five seconds before he got both the metal gate and the door unlocked. Floyd and I had never been so thankful for the sight of a door opening in front of us! As he stooped to examine the lock, he handed us two sets of keys. It took a moment before it occured to us that he shouldn't have had two sets to give us. There was the one I had dropped to Alison, but where had the other set come from? On closer inspection, we realized it was the set we had been given in the envelope the evening before. But how...?
Oh. We had left it in the lock when we let ourselves in last night.
So that was why the lock had felt so stuck! Boy, did we feel stupid. It was a relief to hear the locksmith say (via Alison) that there was also a problem with a faulty lock mechanism. While we waited, he unscrewed the whole thing, took it off the door, and installed a new one, all at no charge (because he works for Morrison, and Morrison provides free housing for its staff, including certain basic repairs). (Here's a picture of the guy at work replacing the lock; you can see the security gate open behind him.)
He gave us two copies of the key to the new lock, and was nice enough to remove the old one from one of Linda's keyrings so we wouldn't get mixed up and end up jamming up the new lock with the wrong key or something. After he left, I decided we'd better throw away the old key just to be sure we didn't have any more problems with it. I tossed it in the kitchen trash can while Floyd tried out the rest of the keys just to make sure of everything. And boy, I'm glad he tried them before the trash got emptied! Turns out the locksmith had given us the wrong one to get rid of! It was the key to the security gate. So I hastily dug it out of the trash and reattached it to the keychain, thankful that we had realized in time.
Well, it was after 10:00 by the time we finally left the apartment. Neither of us could believe that we had just spent an hour and forty-five minutes locked in, mostly because of our carelessness in leaving the key in the lock. The key to the problem had been that the key was the problem, at least in part.
Well, when Linda gets home from Thailand she won't be able to get into her apartment. We left a note on the door to tell her so, not that she won't be able to figure that out on her own when she gets there. And before we left Taipei on Wednesday night (after a day full of lines and crowds and 95,000 people at the flora expo - but that's another story) we gave the keys back to Alison to give Linda upon her return. So, Linda, that's why your door might look a little different when you get back. Sorry about that... but at least you have a brand new lock!
December 30, 2010
Back in Taiwan
Floyd and I arrived safely back in Taiwan early this morning after a wonderful Christmas in California. It was great to spend the holidays with family for the first time since we came to Taiwan three and a half years ago. Our eleven days there went by far too fast, as we knew they would, but I think we did the best we could to really make what time we had count.
Our trip back went fairly smoothly, even though we found out a few hours before departure that our flight would be leaving an hour and a half EARLIER than our tickets said. Yikes! Good thing we had called the airline that afternoon to ask a baggage question, otherwise we might not have found out until it was too late.
Oh, and the answer to our baggage question was that the box containing the double stroller we were bringing to Taiwan for some friends of ours was too big to be allowed on the plane, period (not just that we would be charged for oversized baggage). The Malaysian Airlines representative Floyd talked to basically said that we would have to plead our case at the baggage counter and hope that they let it on the plane. Otherwise we (or our friends) would have to pay very big bucks to have it shipped separately.
Well, we scrambled to finish packing and get ready and say our last goodbyes, and somehow we even got to the airport with time to spare. We were praying all the way that God would have just the right person in place to give us grace with our luggage. There was no line at all at the counter, so we went right to the front. I think we were both holding our breath the whole time the lady checked our luggage in. She did put one of our other boxes back on the scale a second time, frowned at the digital readout, said something to another airline employee about it, and then let it through. (This was the first time that's happened to us, even though we usually pack each piece of luggage to just under the maximum weight allowance.) But she put the stroller box (which, though large, was not awfully heavy) through without a comment or a second glance. Praise the Lord!
Anyway, the flight was uneventful, and we arrived in Taipei a little after 6:00 this morning. We took the bus to Taichung and two taxis (with our luggage, we couldn't fit in just one) from the bus stop to campus, and are back home now. We finished unpacking and enjoyed a take-out lunch from our favorite little Chinese buffet (and a warm milk tea for me from a nearby tea shop). It's good to be back!
Oh, and the friends we brought the stroller for were very happy to receive it (and that they didn't have to pay any extra to get it here)! They've invited us to join them for dinner at a nice restaurant tonight or tomorrow to say thanks.
So, we're glad to be home once again. We have the weekend to get over jetlag, and then school starts on Monday. Here comes 2011, and shortly thereafter, the Year of the Rabbit. Happy New Year, everyone!
February 17, 2010
Chinese New Year
A mini parade down one of the main streets of the market. The people were handing out flyers (in Chinese) for something or other, and candy to the kids.
Decorations for sale.
Tasty holiday snacks. Most of these were made of various nuts and seeds in a sticky nougat bar.
Hand painted paper lanterns on display in the park.
December 29, 2009
Christmas Travels
My parents flew in from the States to visit Floyd and me for Christmas. It had been a year and a half since we'd seen each other, and we had a great time together! It was fun to show them around our home, school, neighborhood, and country. They spent a morning in my classroom, met many of our friends, and even had the excitement of a 6.8 earthquake on their second evening here.
Even though the Dakeng Scenic Area is only about 20 minutes' drive from where we live, Floyd and I had never been there. Now I was able to hike in these beautiful hills with my parents. I think we chose the most challenging trail! It was paved with logs the whole way, and in some places was so steep it was like climbing a ladder.
After school was out, we visited a must-see in Taiwan: Taroko Gorge. Getting there was interesting - we drove north to Taipei and then south down the coast. Beautiful scenery but a terrible road! Winding along on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean much of the way, it often narrowed down to one lane. That wouldn't have been so bad except that the one-lane sections were usually in tunnels or where construction vehicles blocked half the road right before a hairpin turn. Speeding trucks, buses, and other oncoming traffic added to the excitement.
There are times in life when the only logical thing to do is scream. I lived through one of those times on that trip, when we had to swerve to avoid some road construction that completely blocked our view as well as our lane, only to see a huge, lacy-curtained tourist bus hurtling toward us like a pink and blue charging bull. I'm still not entirely certain how we avoided a head-on collision, but I'm pretty sure there were angels involved.
We arrived at our guest house in Taroko Gorge only to discover that there was no electricity and hadn't been for several days, ever since the earthquake (centered in that area). The caretakers (who spoke no English) were very apologetic and kindly gave us candles to use. It was cold enough to see our breath indoors, but we managed to sleep well anyway, and in the morning woke up ready to go hiking and explore the gorge.
Well, that plan didn't exactly work out the way we had expected. We did drive all around Taroko and spent the day enjoying the gorgeous scenery.
However, we were disappointed to discover that pretty much every trail was off limits. Thanks to the earthquake, there had been landslides everywhere, and we kept seeing signs warning us to keep away. Road crews were hard at work clearing away debris and repairing damage to the roads, but they hadn't fixed up the trails yet. And with the danger of aftershocks causing even more landslides, no one was allowed on them. Oh, well.
We took a different route on the way home, travelling west to Taichung on the Cross-Island Highway. It was fun to see snow in the high mountain passes - a first for us in Taiwan.
The day after we got back from Taroko, the four of us took the high speed rail to Taipei for some sightseeing. We toured Longshan Temple, which was beautiful - though as always, it was sad to see so many devout but deceived worshipers burning incense, bringing offerings of food and flowers, and praying to idols.
Our next stop was the National Palace Museum, home to probably the biggest and finest collection of Chinese art in the world. Floyd and I had been there before, but this time we were able to take an official guided tour in English. It sure helped us appreciate some of those ancient and beautifully crafted artworks.
That evening we took the world's fastest elevator up to the top of Taipei 101, still the tallest completed building in the world. We enjoyed a stunning view of the city at night, before partaking of a delicious supper down in the food court at the bottom.
The next morning the four of us visited the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, which, with its decorative buildings and scenic gardens, is a great place for taking pictures.
Later we took the subway to Danshui, a little town outside of Taipei at the mouth of a river, where we toured the Red Fort.
Afterwards we strolled through a night market, where we had a snacky sort of dinner consisting of free samples of all sorts of things, plus a few interesting tidbits we purchased.
The end of the trip came all too soon. We said goodbye in the airport the next morning, after only a week and a half together. It had been a week and a half full of fun activities, but there was so much more that Floyd and I would have liked to show my parents. Well, we'll just have to save the rest of it for their next visit to Taiwan!
