Emily in Taipei: Arrival and Days 1&2 (12/28-12/30)

We arrived in Taipei the night of 12/28 around 10 o’clock our time (9am East Coast time). We were very tired after almost a full day’s worth of travel. We met Phoenix Liu at the airport exit, and drove one hour, by bus, into the city. It was dark and rainy, so we unfortunately could not see much out of the window.

Upon arrival, we were shown our dorms. The dorm building is very minimalistic. We have our own showers and comfortable twin beds so it’ll do. Most of us were asleep by 1am. We were told to meet at 9am with Dr. Liu for a briefing the next morning. Jetlagged, we woke up closer to 7 and explored the area surrounding the dormitory. There is a small bakery and convenience store within a two-minute walk from our front door. I purchased a breakfast pastry bun filled with barbecue pork, and a tea. From there we met with Dr. Liu and walked to her guest home. She gave us a lot of delicious fresh fruit including a waxy apple-like item. We were given complete schedules for the coming weeks and maps. Afterwards we were given permission to walk around some more for a couple hours until we had another meeting with younger tour guides from Tamkang University. We made sure to check out 7 Eleven, which is a huge deal. You can buy anything at 7 Eleven, ranging from cell phone plans, to instant dinners. Our group of students decided to eat lunch at a regional burger place called “Mos Burger”, which was delicious. I got a Korean BBQ beef burger, which had sticky rice for buns. And instead of fries as a side, we got chicken nuggets! I don’t understand how the people here are so thin.

At 1:15 we met up with the younger guides in our dormitory lobby. The guides took us to a historical museum, Taipei 101, and Shilin Night Market. At the historical museum we were given a tour by a 14-year-old Taiwanese boy who spoke almost fluent English. We learned all about the 400 year history of Taiwan starting with the Dutch and ending with the demise of the Japanese occupation. We then walked to Taipei 101 which was my favorite part of the day. It is the second tallest building in the world, and has a large mall and food court on the bottom floors. To our surprise, the food at the food court looked amazing. There were stalls that represented any type of cuisine you could possibly imagine. Food here is not only delicious, but incredibly cheap. Will and I each got Korean dishes, which maxed out, at $5. Afterwards we took a short subway trip to Shilin night market, which is the most famous night market for tourists. Knock off stores and street food stalls lined the streets. Will and I became food testers very quickly. Our adventures included quail eggs, Chinese sausage, stinky tofu, and pigs blood cake. All of which were delicious! We then took the metro home, and I feel asleep before 10 o’clock for the first time in years.

Today (12/30), we began the day with an opening ceremony at Tamkang University. Afterwards, we took both and oral and written placement test. I felt very confident in my oral abilities, but I hope to improve my writing skills this trip. We got a quick lunch at a beef noodle soup restaurant, which may have been my favorite meal thus far. We then had culture class with Dr. Liu where we learned the basics of analyzing cultures and received and overview of Taiwanese history. I just finished walking home from her class, and am preparing for a much needed nap!

Cultural Comparison

Today in culture class I spoke briefly about my feelings regarding Taiwanese manners. I travelled to China three years ago as a junior in high school. During this trip, I hope to compare and contrast the two cultures the best that I can. The biggest difference I picked up on regarding Taiwanese vs. Chinese mannerisms was the system in the subway stations. In China, the underground subway stations are incredibly busy. It is easy to feel like one piece of a giant mass of people at times because the wait for a subway is so tense. Upon the arrival of a subway in a Chinese station, people will push, shove, and yell in order to find their space to squeeze into. However, Taiwan is almost the opposite. People obey line directions, and wait their turn patiently to get on the subway. It's as if people value the systems put in place in order to achieve efficiency way more than the Chinese do.

Future Plans

I am looking forward to my first day of class tomorrow! I am excited to meet students from other countries who also express interest in Chinese. It will be interesting to communicate with those from other countries who don't speak English, but the only common communication thread is Chinese. After class, we will be celebrating the New Year, which will include a hot pot dinner, and viewing the fireworks of Taipei 101!!

Until next time, 再见！