My trip here began at the Grand Hotel in Taipei. It is an enormous national landmark and as a history major, I was very excited and humbled to stay there for two nights. I am emphasizing the word humbled because that place was enormous! I felt no need to leave the place since there was so much to see there. The food was great! I personally felt that the food served there was meant as a bridge between Western cuisine and Chinese cuisine. This allowed me to ease into the culture I was here to study and since everyone there spoke some English, I could practice my Chinese for small things and use English for more complicated situations.
I left there this past Saturday and was picked up by my Grandparent's godson who I addressed as Uncle Yens. Uncle Yens spoke perfect English and he drove me around Taipei before dropping me off at the National Taiwan Normal University campus. As is customary in my house, I gave my Uncle Yens a gift. Based on my observations between Taiwanese people, I gave the gift using two hands. I really think he appreciated the gesture and the extra effort I took to properly give the gift as determined by our mutual culture.
The next day (Sunday), everyone had moved in and we officially started our program as a group. We were introduced to our chaperones: Travis, Cindy, Elaine, and Min- Na (I think?). Travis and Cindy have spent most of the time here with us and they are very friendly and approachable. They feel just as excited to be here as we seemingly are. They led us to the MRT and I am utterly amazed at the efficiency of the train systems here in Taipei. They rides are so cheap and the stations and trains are clean and orderly. The MRT is also the place where I have noticed many cultural phenomenon.
Perhaps it is the traditional Confucius values that permeate Taiwanese society, but I have noticed that everyone has a great deal of respect for each other. This was made most apparent in the MRT. There are designated waiting areas where people line up in order to board a train. These areas allow people to disembark first before people can get on. What amazed me the most is that everyone adhered to these lines and patiently waited for everyone to disembark before boarding. I am pretty sure that most people in the United States would just bull- rush their way in. While on the train, there are designated seats for people who are older, disabled or otherwise handicapped in some way. What amazed me the most is that even when nobody was sitting in them, they always stayed empty. Everyone had the utmost respect for the the norms of the society and I really appreciated it. Even when the train was crowded, people politely asked you to step- aside so they could pass. I love the MRT and I am confident I can get around anywhere because of it.
I am going to skip talking about going to the Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 because I felt that it was too touristy.
The Shiling Ye was absolutely stunning. It was my first time ever experiencing something like that and I just want to keep trying all the night markets all across the city. The smells, the diversity of the people and the food are all breath- taking. Everyone was there to have a good time and the food was dirt- cheap and fantastic. These kind of local interactions are why I decided to join this program. I want to be fully immersed in the culture that my Mother grew up in and that I have never personally experienced.
Tomorrow we all start our official first day of classes. We will be taking language classes with other international students and I look forward to interacting with them. What I am most looking forward to is hearing their opinions of Taiwanese culture and how it differs from their respective ones. I can only see this trip getting better from here. Cultural overload is what I am aiming for and I think I am on track for that.
