by Alex Su '11
Despite the fact that I had visited China in a foreign language exchange trip two years ago, I never got used to the long plane ride. After many in-flight movies, two breakfasts, a lunch, and 24 hours later, "Ni hao" (meaning "hello") was the first word I heard once I reached Taiwan this summer. I knew that word ever since I was little. For the first time however, I could say it to everyone I met.
With no recollection of my last trip to Taiwan seventeen years ago, everything was brand new to my wide eyes. The apartment I stayed in for three weeks was nestled among skyscrapers. While the sun was never as scorching as it is here in North Carolina, the humidity made fans an everyday necessity. The seasonal thunderstorm in the afternoon did cool down the temperature a bit.
Despite some inconveniences, I enjoyed Taiwan very much. During the first week, we stayed home to recoup from jet lag and spend time with my grandparents. My grandfather at age 82 listened to music online before surfing the computer every morning. My grandmother was bound to wheel chair due to minor strokes. She said grace before each meal and thanked God for a wonderful "lunch" no matter what time of the day.
After getting used to the diet, I was ready to explore Taipei. There were people elbow to elbow wherever we went. My comfort was challenged and I had to take a deep breath before I could venture into the crowds. My uncles and aunts drove us around to places to shop and eat. I had too much bubble tea to drink and Chinese pancakes to eat. We went to places like the National Palace Museum that houses 4,000 years of treasures and Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Square, also known as Liberty Square. By the way, one of my mom's friends is also an acquaintance of Davidson's Prof. Shelley Rigger, an expert on East Asia politics.
Then we began venturing out by ourselves on the subway. We visited Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. We could feel the pressure change in our ears while riding the elevators at the speed of 37.5 mph. The windows provided a majestic panoramic view of Taipei. The wind damper, with a diameter of 5.5 meters and 660 metric tons, stabilized the building in the event of typhoons and earthquakes. Speaking of earthquakes, one night, there was a 5.3 earthquake. Everyone was nervous except me, because it was my first and I didn't know any better.
Taiwan sits on the "Ring of Fire." Ever since I learned about boiling eggs in hot springs, I could not wait to see it in person. I realized we had arrived in the Yang Ming Shan volcanic national park from the strange, stinky smell of rotten eggs. A steep horseshoe-shaped crater filled with hot springs and fumaroles emitted a large amount of sulfur gas. We were allowed to get up close to the bubbling water, but were not allowed to cook eggs as visitors used to do. The scenery was beautiful. I walked through the nearby bamboo trail and enjoyed spectacular vistas of the surrounding mountains. For a moment, I felt like I was in the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
The weekend before I came back to US, my cousin took me to McDonald's for lunch. The fast food chain in Taiwan had added local flavor and tasted much more exquisite. For example, Burger King featured curry chicken wings on their menu.
We then met up with his church youth group friends to watch "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." At first, the friends tried to have conversations in English, but were relieved to speak in Chinese after realizing I speak it fluently. I also noticed the movie "Get Smart" was strangely translated in Taiwan as "Is the Spy Capable or Not?" No longer was I ignorant of the Chinese language nor the treasure trove of cultural delights.
That's all for now, see you on campus.