Panda Politics

With the Taipei Zoo only two bus stops away from campus, it’s a little crazy it took me so long to finally check it out.  I finally had some time recently to go (if you’re ever in Taiwan, go on a rainy day! No lines for the Pandas!) 

Those who know me might roll their eyes at this post, knowing me as someone who turns everything possible, political… but really, believe me, the cute pandas in the Taipei Zoo are in fact, political.  Like any panda, in any zoo around the world, the two pandas in Taipei are gifts from Mainland China.  This practice has even has a name: Panda Diplomacy—I recently learned that the idea isn’t new!  It dates back to the Tang Dynasty when Empress Wu gifted pandas to Japan.  The US received their first two pandas after Nixon’s historic visit.  It’s China’s unique way to practice diplomacy with nations it has developed certain relations with.

When 團團  (TuanTuan) and 圓圓 (YuanYuan) came to Taiwan in 2008, they were hugely controversial.  One of Taiwan’s two main political parties, the Democratic Progressive Party (who strongly associate themselves with Taiwanese independence) fiercely protested the acceptance of these pandas. They see the pandas as propaganda by the Chinese government to pull Taiwan closer to reunification—after all, they’re names together 團圓 (Tuan Yuan) literally mean “family reunion”… However the party in power, the Kuomintang, welcomed the pandas. While the DPP requests that its party members do not visit the pandas, they still get long lines of visitor every day that required each guest to view the pandas only at their assigned time given to them upon entry to the park. 

You won’t get an opinion from me about whether or not the pandas should be here in Taipei, but I will testify that they are adorable—See my recently added photos!

The Mochi Factory

So I think I’ve had that experience that so many people told me I would have abroad… the one where you get lost, things DO NOT go as planned, and it turns out better (although very different) than you thought. Last weekend a group of classmates and I went to Hualien (see the photos just uploaded! BEAUTIFUL.) Hualien is famous for its Taroko Gorge, which we all went to on Saturday. On Sunday two of my friends and I decided to go to a place we’d heard about called the Sugar/Mochi Factory (Hualien is also famous for its mochi)… Still not sure if the factories are different places, if they both exist, or they’re the same place with two different names.  The research we did online the night before gave us little info about how to get there so we went to the information center near the train station in Hualien to see if they knew anything about the place(s.)  They seemed to know what we were talking about and told us to get on a particular bus and that it would take us there.  We bought our tickets for what we thought would be at most a half hour ride…not sure why we made this assumption, it wasn’t going off of anything.  It turned out to be the last stop the bus made so an hour and a half later we were asking the bus driver if he knew how we should walk there from the bus stop.  He, like the women at the information center, seemed to know what we were talking about, and offered to drop us off as close as he could get.  When he stopped he pointed in a direction and we were on our way, in the rain, with out any real idea where to go… We were NOT in Taipei anymore.  We were the only foreigners in sight, and much of what was around us was farmland. We guessed to turn right when we got to an intersection.  We walked a bit more, and at this point we were truly lost.  But the right turn happened to be a happy guess!

What we stumbled upon next was a center of little shops full of aboriginal Taiwanese gifts, tea shops, and a Mochi store!  Just for reference, this place is what I would consider the middle of absolutely nowhere, so I think we were fair in thinking we were on the right track to finding the factory.  Busses of Taiwanese and Chinese tourists came every half hour, and all immediately went to the ice cream stand in the complex. First, we stopped to eat at “Taiwan Dumplings,” where of course, we ate dumplings, and for less than 2USD I might add, the further away we get from Taipei, the cheaper everything becomes.  Then we decided to look around the shops as we asked people if they knew what we were trying to find.  The shops were nothing like we would find in Taipei, even in the crafty night markets.  They sold everything from aboriginal style jewelry (Hualien is home to one of many aboriginal groups in Taiwan, the Yami), to locally grown tea and coffee. While shopping and testing the many mochi flavors we continued to ask around about where the factory was.  They all pointed in the same direction, so we crossed the street and entered the building they seemed to be pointing at.  We entered “The Tea House” and were immediately welcomed by the family running the shop with a tea ceremony to test the locally grown tea.  Before we could ask them where they thought we should go next, I was buying two tins of loose tea… it would be rude, I think, to go through the testing and not buy any, and it was great tea!  We asked about the factory and they clearly pointed to where we had just come from.  They said the “factory” is famous for its ice cream.  We finally realized at that point, that we were not going to find the factory.

No one was the least bit upset at how our day turned out.  Being in this new place, so unlike where we have been living for the past three months made us realize that Taipei is far from all Taiwan has to offer.  Of course, I love Taipei, but it far from represents everything in Taiwan. The small family owned shops with handmade crafts, the best mochi I’ve ever had, aboriginal culture and hospitality, all in this complex in the middle of farmland, all so far from Taipei reminded us how important it is get out and get lost.  We decided we needed to try the ice cream (the green tea was delicious!) and laughed over how fun poor planning can turn out.

Don’t Be Deceived!

The first time I heard this song played in the streets of Taipei I was so excited to discover that Taiwan, like so many American neighborhoods, had ice cream trucks! What a fun way to practice ordering in Chinese! I promptly walked across the hall in my dorm to ask if anyone else wanted to get their 50 Kuais out and order some with me.
I was disappointed to hear from my friend, who is half Taiwanese and has spent summers, vacations, etc., in Taiwan, that what I heard was NOT an ice cream truck. REALLY not an ice cream truck. What I heard was a trash truck… But why would a trash truck need a theme song? In Taiwan one does not simply leave the trash to be picked up mysteriously, and without thanks. If you want to be rid of your garbage you must wait outside for the truck and help load it yourself (by this time, of course, you’ve already separated everything completely into recycling, trash, and compost… the compost truck follows close behind the trash/recycling truck, often with it’s own slightly different theme song.) The song helps people know when the truck is on its way and to be prepared. Every trash truck has the same song and you will always hear it before you see it! I don’t think a day has gone by when I haven’t heard this tune, but I no longer think, “Ice cream!” I wonder what will come to mind when I hear a real ice cream truck when I come back to the States…

I’ve been trying to catch this clip ever since I first heard it but was never prepared in time to catch it! I finally got this video clip in Hualien this weekend (a county on the east coat of Taiwan famous for its scenery)—it turns out Taipei City isn’t the only area that uses this system! If you ever come to Taipei you will, with out a doubt, hear the trucks—don’t expect any ice cream!

Moves Like Jagger

This past Wednesday (10/10) was Taiwan’s National Day.  This meant a day off from school, mostly to study for Thursday’s midterm (!) but also an opportunity to celebrate!  The flag raising ceremony at Taipei city hall began at 7:30 am ~ a friend and I got there early enough to see the flag raised while the national anthem played, and of course we didn’t miss the “morning exercise” (which involved repeating dance moves over and over again to (She’s Got the) Moves Like Jagger…not kidding!)  The most interesting part of the morning, for a politics junkie like myself, was the presence of these two giant banners on either side of the flag, easy to see and read, written in both Chinese and English:

Suddenly, hailing to the national flag on Taiwan’s national day became just as important reminding the public that these controversial islands belong to the ROC!  I know Japan’s recent purchase of three of these islands from a private owner has cause major anti-Japanese protests in the People’s Republic of China but until Wednesday I never realized Taiwan’s stake.

I find the history of the islands fascinating; here is a general (hopefully not too confusing) history of the islands:

At the end of the first Sino-Japanese War (which China lost) in 1895 the Treaty of Shimonoseki (drafted by then United States Secretary of State John W. Foster) was signed.  In addition to other stipulations and an indemnity, the islands, including Taiwan (rhetoric at the time seems to talk about them as one entity) after almost 200 years of Qing Dynasty rule, were ceded to Japan.  Thus, the islands and Taiwan were under Japanese occupation until the Potsdam Declaration at the end of World II, when Japanese sovereignty was declared limited to its four major islands, and other minor islands, which did not include the islands in question or the Island of Taiwan.  The declaration did not say to whom the islands and Taiwan belonged; But they were largely controlled by the US from 1945 until 1972.  In ’71 the PRC and Japan both began to make claims of sovereignty… please, take one guess why….

OIL!  Of course…  A UN report came out in 1969 claiming the POSSIBILITY of an oil and gas reserve in the area around the islands.  In my research it looks like there is little solid confirmation of this report.

What makes it all the more interesting is the place where the ROC and PRC agree: both claim the islands are part of Taiwan, but of course a form of transitive logic kicks in and they’re part of China if you acknowledge the “One Country, Two Systems” rhetoric.

Thus, the world is left with a series of islands with a serious identity problem… and three names: Senkaku (Japan,) Diaoyu (PRC,) and Diaotutai (ROC)

The whole situation is a bit complicated to me, but the objective of this blatant propaganda is not so confusing after all.

Smile!

When originally brainstorming this post, I wanted to begin by stating that since I’ve been in Taipei I’ve never seen anything close to an illegal act— but if I am going to be fully honest I must divulge what I saw last night: a man at the microwave station in 7-11 essentially inhaling a hot dog bun, with chicken nuggets inside.   It seemed strange but what was even more shocking was the fact that he promptly made another one and walked out the door with out paying.

He, like myself, happens to be a 外國人 (foreigner.)

Thus, I am not able to begin this post the way I would like.

Except for the lapse (or lack) of judgment by this one man, I am happy to report that I have never seen someone even litter on the streets of Taipei, or the like.  I have a feeling this stems from societal norms and expectations, but I cannot help but notice the number cameras interested in watching weather or not I take a sip of my bubble tea on the public transportation (like the metro I rode in DC all summer, eating and drinking on a train or bus is illegal.)  A sign stating the presence of these cameras is easy to spot in most public places—I usually like to play a game finding them all (and of course, waving) when waiting for the next train.

This sign in particular made me smile because, well, it told me to…

“Please smile, video surveillance!” it reads, at the entry to my school’s library.  And what is it watching for?  Apparently, the average umbrella thief.   The sign hangs directly above the spot where hundreds of umbrellas (which one should never leave home with out… you never know when the next 颱風 could hit) are stored on the many rainy days, keeping our library free of the puddles they make.  The sign, and corresponding camera, are polite reminders that if you forget your umbrella, it’s not a great idea to “borrow” a classmate’s.

空

One of the most exciting things about learning a second language is finding a word for which there is no true English translation.  One of these words in Chinese is 空(kong, firtst tone.)  When given a prompt to write a haiku, I immediately thought of 空 because of my infatuation with the word—specifically how it brings together many infinities into one.  Often, 空 translates into‘emptiness.’But it is also used when asking if someone has “time”to help, to talk, etc.  The last line of my haiku translates into “do you have time.”I encourage everyone to think about the concept of 空 in their own way ~ it gets me a little lost sometimes but the idea is a lot of fun to attempt to work out!  I guess part of the novelty for me is the fact that it has endless meaning, yet no translation.  Enjoy!

空 is emptiness

All in one: time, space, air, void

妳有沒有空？

Orientation

Me at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial

After being in Taipei for ten days, I somehow feel like I’ve seen the whole city… I’m positive that’s not true but I’ve certainly seen a lot: Longshan Temple, Taipei 101, Nanmen Market, a flower and jade market, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, a celebration for the Chinese Valentine’s Day, a celebration for the Chinese Halloween (yes, in the same week,) the famous Shinlin Night Market, Karaoke (!) and the National Palace Museum, which holds most of the world’s Chinese art, saved or stolen depending on your place in the world.

It’s really been a whirlwind of experiences so far—being both busy and a little jet-lagged, it’s all blended together a bit.  My favorite experience so far is a hike some of us took yesterday.  天上山(The Heavenly Mountain) provided a view and adventure that I thought only existed in guidebooks.  We were mostly hoping to get in a little exercise and maybe a few good pictures before our first day of classes (tomorrow!)    The almost 5 hour round trip hike took us through a Buddhist temple set in the side of the mountain.  There, we were offered water to drink, blessed by a Buddha, said to bring us good luck.  As we continued on up the Mountain both official plaques and slabs of stone had Chinese carved into them.  I remember two rocks carved with the translations of “Change Mountain” and “Blessed Rock.”  We are lucky to have “ambassadors” (Taiwanese students who will work with us on the language, but have also joined us in our orientation adventures.)  They often are able to help with translations, or the simple necessity of understanding directions well.  The end of the hike came just as the sun was setting on Taipei.  The photos attached don’t do the views justice.

Traveling to the “must go” sites in Taiwan has been a great way to orient me to the city, get used to the public transportation (which is incredibly clean,) and get to know the other students on my program.  But on the last day activities I am itching for Chinese classes to start.  I am looking forward to both to a routine, and to start being seriously challenged with this language.

Expectations

Though I’m not yet in Taipei, I’ve already experienced the first challenge of my semester aboard: Packing! In my 6 years of leaving home to go to school, I must say, I seem to bring less and less each year—but nothing comes close to what I’ve packed for this semester!
I hate to admit it, but packing like this wasn’t that easy… I can’t help but wonder what I’m missing or if my clothes are appropriate (culturally, and for the hot & humid weather of Taiwan!) Packing was most difficult for me because (having only traveled overseas twice, and for a short period of time) I don’t know what I will be like abroad—essentially, I worry about my flexibility, simply because I realize how little I have been pushed outside my comfort zone in the “travel abroad arena.” Maybe, I feel like bringing all the “right stuff” from home will keep me from straying from my comfort zone? Maybe, I feel like if I forget something “important” it will throw me off in an already unfamiliar environment…
Of course, that’s not true. None of the material things I bring will really matter when it comes to feeling comfortable in Taiwan. AND I don’t want to be comfortable! I want to be challenged, and I want to become more flexible! So, I am at a point now that if I think of anything else to bring, I simply won’t bring it. I stuffed my most recent “great idea” (bug spray) in my bag today, and that’s it! Be assured, I WILL think of a handful of other “must haves” but they will have to become “can’t haves.” Especially since my ONE(!) checked bag is 49 lbs, 50 lbs being the limit…

So, what else have packed?—metaphorically, of course! I’ve done my best to arrive in Taipei prepared for the language component. I understand that a major part of any abroad experience is to explore a culture and something different from one’s own “norm.” But my first priority for this trip to solidify my Chinese language skills—so it would be great if I could get to Taiwan and not have to spend time doing an ineffective, stressful review of last year’s material. In a super busy summer with an internship in DC and a swim coaching job it wasn’t always easy to find time and motivation to brush up—but I mainly did my studying during my commute in and out of DC on the Metro. This mainly included reading and listening to recordings from the textbook I used last year; and also an app called Mind Snacks, for Mandarin, which I found to help with keeping up vocabulary. Reading a couple of guide books, and of course “googleing” Taiwan whenever I got the chance help to explain general cultural standards and politics, as well the best beaches to travel to!
With the research I’ve done, I have surprised myself in that I have very few specific expectations about my time abroad (about the people, the place, etc.) This is not to say expectations are low, just generally absent. I expect to become better at Chinese, make some friends, experience a place unlike any I’ve ever been… but these are relatively general expectations. I am extremely pleased with my lack of expectations; with no expectations during an opportunity as fortunate as this, in a place I am so excited about I’m sure to be amazed every day—what’s better than that?!