I'm still alive

Hello all (I wrote this yesterday).
I've a few things to relate today. I had a lot of fun on my trip from kaohsiung to Taitung.
I met a guy waiting for the ferry this morning, named "Jack". He is an English teacher in Dongang and Liouciou. Jack, of course, is an adopted western name - which it seems nearly everyone has.
He offered me a ride to the train station - which I had no idea how to find myself - so I was very thankful. I have a 70L backpack with 30+lbs of crap to carry - so it's not an easy task to lug it around town inthe blazing sun trying to find something. In any case, we go to his "transportation" which of course is a scooter! I had already committed so I was stuck. He drove me on the back with my pack on my back swinging from side to side, nearly sending me flying off at every turn. Luckily after about 10 white-knuckled minutes, we switched to his car. After a short tour of Dongang (which is where Toro comes from - the tuna that is made into the best shishimi - and very expensive), he took me to a friend of his who was teaching six kids at the time. I read them a few stories and made some small talk - it was great fun.
One thing important about Taiwan is that ALL kids learn English. They start at 5 years old and continue through high school. Native English teachers are very highly prized. The nice thing for travelers is that almost all kids under 20 can understand you.
I met a family from Taipei on a hike the other day. The teenage daughter acted as our interpreter for about 45 minutes while we talked about Taiwan. It was obvious the father was very proud that his kid could do that. And, almost all kids rich and poor learn English in public schools. Plus, they have national health insurance.