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Impossible Peace

Impossible peace. Part I

There are days when I don’t want to sit at home. When the air of my comfort turns into choking dry sand, I go out and wander. I see dozens of restaurants and small shops on each side of the road. I catch the earthy smell of burning incense from a local temple. Then another one. And another. Burning red temples pop up here and there carefully tied into hidden alleys and corners. Occasionally, I stop and step into one of them. Curious, just like the first time.

I light incense. I have no idea what kind of god protects this place. I just put good thoughts into the fire and smoke. The old lady, the temple keeper, doesn’t stop me. She just smiles and nods carefully. I notice her and apologise. She smiles wider at my apology and laughs at me.

“There is nothing to apologise for! This place is for everyone,” she speaks. Her voice is muffled with age.

My mind catches this phrase and holds onto it. This is a place for everyone. Sometimes, it truly feels like that. When I walk on the streets of Taiwan, I see temples of Gods I don’t know. I see Christian crosses of the God I grew up with. I see shining mosques of the God I hear a lot about. Near all of them, there are restaurant signs in Chinese, Vietnamese, English and Indonesian. Little guests from France, Italy or Spain sometimes join the crown of languages. People from all over the world come here and leave their colourful footprint. Yes, somehow, the country doesn’t turn into a chaotic macabre. It is careful harmony where all colours coexist with each other. Every day, I look at this canvas. I step into it and… We hear news and stories about crimes over nationality in America, Europe and Asia. Nevertheless, there is rarely such news here. How did Taiwan get it right? What is their secret?

The answer might be hidden in the temples. Just like the old lady said, it is the place for everyone. Papers and writings on the walls remind everyone about it. 和平/Peace are the two most common characters. You can find them in many temples. Rituals, legends and beliefs vary in Taiwan from temple to temple. However, many of them emphasize looking for inner and outer peace, on accepting those who are around you.

So is religion an answer? I believe not so much. It plays a certain role. However, in my opinion, it is not the sole reason.

Taiwan is hidden from the world. It is constantly in the dark covered by the giant shadow of China. To break the night, you need to shine. This is what, I believe, Taiwan is trying to do. This country has a strong will to break out of this shadow and shine to the world. If you have a look at the flag of Taiwan, you will see the sun. Taiwan embraces every single grain of acceptance. It wants to build relationships. Governments rarely do so. If they do, it takes years. People, though, come and go weaving the red net of relationships all over the globe. They do it fast. They do it all the time.

Taiwan is like a new girl in town at a party where everyone tries to prove something. Everyone around her is too busy showing off or competing over the last crisp on a plate. While she is peeking curiously, genuinely listening to everyone without judgement. She wants to fit in so badly. Her mind is so clear and innocent. I just hope she will stay herself. I just hope no bad company will spoil her heart.

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Impossible Peace

Impossible Peace. Part II

If you would ask me to describe a Taiwanese person, I would say this. Taiwanese speak Chinese most of the time but swear a lot in English. Two-thirds of them carry iPhones. They dress like Koreans. Many of them enjoy Japanese or Western food. Their favourite holiday is Christmas.

I tutor kids in my free time. Thus, it is quite common for me to chat with them and just ask questions about Taiwanese culture. There are four traditional Chinese festivals celebrated in Taiwan: Chinese New Year, Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-autumn Festival. They are the staples of local culture. Normally, people take them very seriously and always travel with their entire family as a form of celebration. One day, I asked a student of mine about those festivals, a middle school pupil. To my surprise, he couldn’t name all the festivals. It is as if somebody in the West didn’t know about Christmas. This might seem like nothing, like a puzzling exception. However…

I tend to ask my students questions about their classes in school. It helps me to connect with them. I still remember my days as a school pupil so asking questions helps me to relate to them. Most of the students express their hatred toward the Chinese language. They tell me how they struggle with characters, but find English extremely easy to learn. Even some of my friends, who are proper grown-ups, tend to use English in a conversation, especially written one, because they cannot remember a word.

The Taiwanese government has a strong desire to make the country bilingual. To me, it seems that they see the English language as the key to the international community. If everyone in the country speaks English, foreigners will feel more comfortable, meaning more people will come, right? Indeed. Is it a fair price to pay?

…

Previously, I compared people in Taiwan to smudges of colourful paint. In this case, Taiwan is the canvas. As you keep putting paint over and over again, the original colour just disappears. Eventually, nobody even remembers how the canvas looked before painting.

I hate big cities. I despise their cold convenience and lack of personality. They are made out of concrete and glass reaching into the sky, leaning above people like guards in jail. I feel trapped in cities, feel like I cannot breathe like every day is the same.

Grey.

I was born in a big city myself. I travelled in Europe and Asia. In every city, the ghost of my hometown follows me, erasing the personality of a country. Polluted air. Car noises. The tsunami of people. It is especially true for capitals. Guess which cities I dislike the most?

When I walk around the city in Taiwan, I love escaping into narrow alleys. I enjoy going into small villages and towns because this is where a country truly shines with its true shades. It is the corner of the canvas, yet untouched. For me, Taiwan is a mixture of Chinese and Taiwanese languages. I don’t understand it. It is confusing, but also intriguing at the same time. Taiwan is my favourite narrow street filled with plant pots and tiny coffee shops. Taiwan is the smell of incense.

Is it fair for Taiwan to sacrifice its personality for international love? I’m not the one to judge. I can express my love for little places in Taiwan, but also the people. I can only hope that they will keep this peace in their hearts. That the world will not put black over unpainted edges.

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Trekking around Taiwan

Riding a motorbike halfway around Taiwan

On April 7, 2022, my friends and I went around half of the island of taiwan, starting from Taichung, then to Hualien – Taitung – Kenting – Kaoshiung and back again to Taichung. Our plan was for us to stay one day in Taitung, then two days in Kenting, and one day in Kaoshiung. Then we departed from Taichung at 04.30 am. Then before we left, we had booked an airbnb, then we had packed enough clothes, brought extra money just in case something happened while on the way, then we also checked all of our motorbikes that we wanted to drive so that it was safer and nothing happened. we don’t want. So I went with my friends, a total of 3 people, 1 me and 2 of my friends, and used 2 motorbikes, my friend had 1 motorbike together. The names of my friends are kenneth and nickson. Then when we left later, it was Kenneth who brought the motorbike and my friend Nickson who would be ridden by Kenneth. My friend Kenneth, this is the motorbike that will be taken later, namely his friend’s motorbike and my friend’s too, he borrowed my friend’s motorbike because his motorbike in Taiwan is a big motorbike (yellow plate). He was afraid that he was tired of carrying his own motorbike and the petrol was expensive so he decided to bring his friend’s motorbike.

After that we went to Hualien. While on the road we listen to our own songs, but sometimes we also call on the road when we are tired of listening to songs. Then the three of us really enjoyed the trip and rode leisurely while enjoying the ride and the beautiful scenery. When we went to hualien, we passed a mountain called Hehuanshan. On our way to Mount Hehuanshan, we passed a mountain road for approximately 100 kilometers. After we arrived at Hehuanshan, we felt cold because the mountain was quite high (3070 meters above sea level) so the temperature there was enough to make the three of us cold. The temperature there at that time was 6 degrees Celsius. After that we just took photos and then took a short break because it was cold and we also wanted to catch up on time to Taitung so it wouldn’t be too late to arrive in Taitung. After from Hehuanshan we continued our journey to Hualien. Then this trip from Taichung to Hualien I really enjoyed it because it passed through mountain trails along the way and the scenery was very good and the roads were very neat, there were rarely damaged roads. After we arrived at Hualien, we ate lu rou fan there and ate bread and drank coffee so we wouldn’t sleep on the way to Taitung because the journey to Taitung was still long. From Hualien to Taitung which is about 3 hours (168 KM), so we didn’t stay long in Hualien we immediately continued our journey to Taitung to check in the airbnb.

The journey from Hualien to Taitung is accompanied by sea views because the journey from Hualien to Taitung is by the sea, so along the way we saw seafront views. Then in the middle of the trip to Taitung, suddenly something happened, namely my friend’s motorbike suffered damage to the rear tire arm. And I helped my friend to find the nearest repair shop and my friend’s motorbike couldn’t run properly. Incidentally, along the road from Hualien to Taitung by the seafront route there are no towns or workshops. And at that time in the afternoon around 3/4, when I was helping my friend to push his motorbike, it suddenly rained heavily in that area (in the middle between Hualien and Taitung). Then we decided to take shelter on the side of the road in a resident’s house. Then the people there helped us to find a workshop around it and in the end found it. But the repair shop couldn’t repair the motorbike because there were no spare parts, and he offered to do towing service to Taitung city to the workshop there. Then in the end the motorbike was towed to Taitung and my friend loaned the motorbike to the workshop to continue his journey to Taitung.

Then we arrived in Taitung at 11.30 pm because there was an accident in the middle of the road and it was raining heavily that day on the way, but after we got to Taitung, the rain had completely stopped. Then after we arrived at the airbnb, then we checked in, then had dinner and went straight to bed because we were very tired that day and the next morning we had to take care of my friend’s broken motorbike. The next day in the morning Kenneth and I went to the motorcycle repair shop to take care of the motorbike, there was a lot of damage and it was very expensive to repair the motorbike. And the motorbike was finished, the process took a day to complete, so the next day we could just pick it up, while we had to go to Kenting because we had booked a hotel. Then we stayed on the motorbike in a repair shop and my friend Kenneth rented a motorbike from Taitung to go to Kenting. Then we left at 12 noon to Kenting, and arrived at Kenting at 4 pm. After we arrived in Kenting we went to the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium. We walked there and then I met my classmate there. After that we continued again to the hotel we had ordered and we rested there for a while like taking a shower. Then we went out again at night to look for food at the Kenting night market. Then after eating we went to our room again and rested to sleep. Then the next morning in the morning I went to the nearest beach to enjoy for a while and take some photos while my other friends were still sleeping. After I came from the beach I bought breakfast bread for me and then I took a shower and was ready to go back to Taitung to pick up my friend’s motorbike and turn over his rental motorbike. Before that we had lunch in Kenting. Then after lunch my friend nickson decided to go home first to taichung by bus because he had important business. Then my friend Kenneth and I went to Taitung again to pick up a motorbike.

In the afternoon, we arrived at Taitung again to pick up my friend’s motorbike which was damaged in the workshop. Even though it’s very far and very tiring but like it or not we have to do it. Then after Kenneth and I took the motorbike, we continued our journey again from Taitung to Kaoshiung to rest before we headed back to Taichung, so we stayed the first day in Kaoshiung. After that we arrived at Kaoshiung at 10 pm. After Kenneth and I arrived at the Airbnb in Kaoshiung, we immediately went out again to look for dinner at the night market while we went for a walk at the night market. Then after that we went back to our room and went to sleep because we were very tired and we were still traveling the next day. Then we woke up at 8 am and ready to go back to taichung. The journey from Kaoshiung to Taichung is approximately 5 hours, and we departed from Kaoshiung at 9 am and arrived in Taichung at 5 pm. And we got to taichung safely and nothing more unwanted happened. So that’s my story about a motorcycle ride in Taiwan. So our total trip is 3 days 2 nights (1000 KM++)

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Finding One's Place in Taiwan

My part-time job experience in Taiwan

In my first year of college, to be more precise in semester 2, I once experienced difficulties, namely that my pocket money ran out within 2 weeks, and at that time I had no money at all until I borrowed my friend’s money for my meals. Then after that I felt stressed and depressed because my money ran out and it wasn’t time for me that day to ask for pocket money, because my pocket money was given once a month and at that time only 2 weeks ago it ran out because I often went out for a walk, then get together with friends, play billiards and others. Then at that time I felt that all this time I had been very wasteful in those 14 days and at that moment I wanted to buy a motorbike and other things that I wanted to buy. Then I couldn’t buy a motorbike because I didn’t have enough money and my pocket money would always run out. I also don’t hesitate when I ask my parents for money to buy a motorbike and buy the things I want at that time. Then I thought that I wanted to work to earn more pocket money and save money to buy a motorbike.

But at that time, my mandarin was bad and I was afraid to work because I used mandarin, and I was afraid that I would make a mistake because I didn’t understand mandarin. For example, I don’t understand what my boss says to me or orders me to do. Then I finally got a job offer for an Indonesian restaurant in Taiwan from my friend. Then no need to think about it, I immediately accepted the job and I worked for 4 months. Then my job is to deliver food by motorbike, then look after the shop. Then after 4 months I left because the restaurant no longer needed a part-time job, he needed a full-time job while I couldn’t work full time at that time because I was in college. Then after that, not long after that I opened a business with my friend in Taiwan with my friend, namely reselling fashion items such as clothes, bags, shoes, and others. Then our target buyers are Indonesians who work in Taiwan, for example, domestic workers from Indonesia. Then after 4 months of working, I used my money for capital to open my business. After 6 months of my shop, my friends and I finally decided to close this shop because it went bankrupt and there were so many competitors. After that I took a break after opening the business because the 6 months were very tired and required a lot of energy and thought.

After that I took a 2 month break from work and I went back to working part time again at a restaurant in Dong Bie. As time went by and it felt like at that time I was in the 3rd semester and my Mandarin had improved quite a bit, and I had not bought a motorbike at that time, I finally decided to work again at the restaurant until last April. My working time at the restaurant where I work is quite a lot, so I get quite a lot of money from my salary, and enough to buy a motorbike in Taiwan. And finally I decided to buy a motorcycle and I paid in installments for 4 months. And that’s when my dream finally came true. After I bought a motorbike, then I saved money to buy plane tickets for a vacation in my country, namely in Indonesia on June 8 and other things like buying a new suitcase, then buying a new cellphone because my cellphone was damaged at that time due to rain.

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Social Encounters

Clubbing with the Caribbeans

It was Saturday, June 11th. The night was still young and me and my friends had decided to partake in what Taichung’s nightlife had to offer. This weekend: clubbing. The destination: 18TC. Arriving in separate Ubers we all unpacked out of the cars getting in line for what seems to be a bustling night club. Intimidated by the two checkpoints to get in we made sure we had our papers in order: passport, IDs, vaccinations cards, all of the sort, and left no room to be denied, spoiling our fun and wasting the money spent on Ubers. One by one we get stamped in and are given a drink card redeemable at the first of two bars, a concept foreign to me in regard to my American clubbing knowledge, not that I can legally do so yet, however at this club apparently drinks were free at the first floor and could be purchased on the second floor, the main difference being the strength of the drink. Being a college student, any free opportunity was one to take advantage of, so we all got in line for free fruity flavored drinks and wandered around the club before taking on the dance floor. It was great seeing other American students and international students having fun, singing songs, dancing, and being carefree. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly dominated by us as we were by far the rowdiest group there. The other, I presume to be primarily Taiwanese men, were much more reserved and sitting in group drinking, talking, and observing the club. Dancing with friends and mingling with new faces was fun, but I started to wonder if, since this club was fairly populated, there were other African people here, so I departed from the group looking to mingle with other people, encouraged by the few drinks I’ve had thus far. Walking up to the second floor I noticed a change in music, the DJ up here was playing playlists with more HipHop and R&B music. It was there I met a group traveling together from the Caribbean. I picked on of three guys to talk to, the one who was taller and most attractive, and he also had more to say. He told me a little about himself, how long he was here for what types of places he likes to go, and all of the sort. We bonded over the fact that we were the only group of Black people here, something that we both care much about. Being in other ethnic groups is fine but the Black community no matter where in the diaspora has a special connection that is hard to replace or miss. As the night goes on, I meet two other African American men, both of whom seemed happy to see other people of Afro-descent. Dancing and drinking with this group and my original group made for a really fun night. One of the men, a taller African American from Chicago and here on business, suggested to his other two Taiwanese friends if they wanted to go to another club down the street, “Super House ”, as the club we were just at was closing. Taking this as an opportunity to meet more people in the area I asked if I could tag along. We walk there and are met by an even bigger crowd, primarily made up of Taiwanese people but noticeably a lot more foreigners, and once again, a group of Caribbean people sticking closely together. It’s as if we attract each other, and no matter how many people are in between us we find our way to each other and turn up as if we’ve known each other for a while. We danced as if we were at a more Caribbean event ignoring the fact that the music was more pop culture than we would have liked, and I was able to make a variety of connections and new friends and made sure to get everyone’s social media and Instagram’s before eventually parting ways and going home.

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Getting to Know Taiwan Social Encounters

The Perils of Traveling While Black

Taiwan has been an amazingly safe, welcoming, inclusive, and kind environment from my perspective as an American born individual foreign to the region and world traveling as a whole. I am unimaginably grateful that Taiwan was the first country I had the privilege to travel to due to its deep and inclusive history with the LGBT+ community. Not having to worry about being actively discriminated against due to my gender identity as a trans person has been a mental and physical relief. While I do have to explain to some people how I want to be percieved and discuss with them my pronouns it hasn’t been a hassle for me, and I am personally very open about those discussions. Occasionally I am also met with curiosity in regard to the trans community and how best to respect us, more questions I am always happy to answer. Typically, these dialogues happen with fellow students, friends, and peers. In regard to my day to day, I have never gotten approached or harassed with questions of my peculiar, extremely feminine apperance, despite having a body that easily encourages people to perceive me as a man. I have also not been denied any form of service or entry to any establishment I have visited and was thrilled to actually see that nearly all of the many clothing stores’ I have visited thus far had employees that were not discouraging me to shop for feminine clothes or confused by the prospect of my extremely feminine nature. The trans acceptance in Taiwan has been phenomenal whether it is from their lack of a desire to bother caring or their genuine acceptance of trans people I cannot say. However, given that trans people in America are far too often assaulted, abused, harassed, or murdered for simply existing I much prefer the former over the latter.

With all of that being said there are still a few discomforts. The main one is being stared at. a lot, whether it is out of curiosity or hostility I again cannot say, but it is most likely because I am trans or I am Black, or that I am both. My current theory is unfortunately my race and ethnicity cause more of an uproar, whether negative or “positive” then my gender identity here in Taichung. While Taipei apparently has a larger Caribbean presence, Taichung is extremely lacking in people of afro descent thus causing a lack of representation and potential discomfort for those who are here. While the discomfort generally lies in deep, sometimes mildly aggressive staring, I have had the misfortune of enduring acts that fall more towards the realm of micro aggressive behavior. Being an African American with thick, kinky, 4c hair, and often sporting an afro or another unique African hairstyle, I am often given attention, but sometimes it is unwanted. Seeing my hair and admiring it, wanting to compliment me, and potentially asking me about my hairstyle in a respectful manner are all acts that I can appreciate. Thinking my hair is an interesting and unique toy or object to touch and grab is something I strongly hate and condemn people for doing. On multiple occasion while clubbing I was forced to endure a variety of primarily Taiwanese men, but some women, touch, grope, and play with my hair without my permission. Not only does it feel invasive and disrespectful, but it also evokes the idea for me that to them I am an object or a pet to be played with. The unwillingness to even ask and assume they had the right to invade my personal space was beyond disrespectful, however being that I was in a club environment it was hard to defend myself and tell them out over the insanely loud music and crowds of people.

Being Black and trans in this world requires me to be extremely vigilant of my surroundings, be mentally prepared for the possibility of me being disrespected due to my racial or gender identity and be physically ready to defend myself from those who may try to harm or assault me. Traveling to Taiwan is a decision I do not regret, and it definitely has proven to be a very safe environment in comparison to numerous places in America I have both visited and lived in. However, that does not mean travelers like me will not experience acts of discrimination or racism. While typically they were not aggressive, hostile, or physical, they were still extremely inappropriate and invasive. Even the vicious and sometime malicious stares that make you think they are questioning your entire existence can be mentally and emotionally draining. I do not write this as a means to deter or discourage other people of my community to travel to Taiwan. I do so in order to educate them about the reality of traveling while Black, or in my case trans and Black. It can often be frustrating but knowing what you’re getting into can allow you to do more physical or mental preparations. Ultimately, this experience has been an amazing trip of a lifetime but the struggle I have endured is real and will continue to be present as I continue my dream of traveling all over the world.

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Trekking around Taiwan

Hiking at Dakeng

My alarm rings. I shoot up out of my sleep to check the clock. It’s now Sunday, June 12th, the morning after my night of clubbing. Having come home at 6am I should have been exhausted, but I committed to following through with my plan for today: going on a hike at the infamous Dakeng hiking trails with my friend Michelle. Dakeng is one of Taichung’s best hiking areas for people to explore given its massive nature and fairly close proximity to the city. Boasting 10 trails, one through four, and six through ten being the easiest, Dakeng offers a plethora of trails for hikers of all experience levels making it either a pleasurable first experience for beginner hikers such as myself or a proving ground for hardened veteran hikers who wish to be challenged by nature’s might. The largest appeal for hiking at Dakeng for me was the new experience of being on a mountainous region. Being from Florida, mountains, hills, even relatively large slopes are foreign to us and the prospect of being in a high-altitude region overlooking the city makes for fantastic views and wonderful pictures. The new experience is what drove me to force myself out of bed and get ready for my hike despite my exhaustion and lingering hang over. Fortunately for me, everyone was running late today so I had a few more hours of recuperation and preparation. By 2pm my friend Michelle and her two friends I have yet to meet, Fan Luli and Zhong Yun, Taiwanese soldiers (and potentially partners) picked me up from my hotel and we embarked on our journey towards Dakeng.

A mild 30-minute drive later we reached the base of the mountainous region and started driving up the hill. Considering this was Luli’s first time driving up a mountain she did a great job; however, we were all a bit nervous. Eventually, we got lost, but it’s not about the destination it’s about the memories made along the way. After eventually finding a suitable place to park we sought out our desired trail: trail number 7. We started at the top of the trail and had to hike all the way down, then go all the way back up. I did my best to keep up with the pace of the group but by the halfway point on our journey down I was drenched in sweat. Focusing on my breathing and make sure I bend my knees at steep-ish drops, I tried my best to maintain pace without having to force the group to take a rest break.

Finally, we made it all the way down trail 7 embracing our victory only to quickly remember that the easiest part had just passed. The real challenge: hiking uphill, was our next objective. At first, I thought the climb uphill might not be too awful, but I was quickly humbled by Dakeng. The exhaustion coupled with the violent heat was destroying my body. At the midway point we celebrated with cute victory pictures and admired the view of Taichung city from such a high altitude. At about 75% up the trail, I was breathing super heavily but I was determined to finish. By about 90% up the hill, I knew I just needed to hang on just a little longer, but I had to make us rest. Eventually we were finally at the last stretch, and I overcame my exhaustion to finish the trail. Overjoyed, we finally rested for a while enjoying the shade and a pleasant surprise from a food vendor: free red bean buns.

 

Finishing our trip off with a drive to the Feng Chia night market for some food and a massive bowl of ice cream, we continued our post hike celebration. Despite the major language barrier between me and Michelle’s friends, I had one of the best times with them. Not only did they ensure to make me feel comfortable and taken care of on our adventure, but they also treated me to a watermelon drink and taught me some more Taiwanese phrases. One important takeaway from traveling overbroad is that language barriers should not stop anyone from making meaningful connections and friendships. Our efforts to relate with one another, have patience when confusion arose, and have understanding in regard to linguistic confusion significantly aided in our ability to quickly get along.

 

 

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Getting to Know Taiwan

College Diary in Taiwan

Taiwan is a good environment for international students to study and gain more experience for their future jobs. In this country, students can easily find a job, friends, and opportunities to improve themselves. However, in some countries, Taiwan is not well-known for colleges. For example, most Vietnamese think that Taiwan is a country for studying Chinese. And if you want to study at a college in Taiwan, you must prepare your Chinese skills. However, there was a missing piece that they might look for, international colleges. More and more international colleges are established in Taiwan, and all subjects are taught in English. They also bring international students an English-friendly environment, where they can feel comfortable with no language barrier. There are actually many international colleges in Vietnam either, the same environment, and the same education system. However, it will never be enough for me. I prefer to take it in another country, where there is not much Vietnamese, and I need to practice my English or second language with my friend. Taiwan came up to my mind, it is near my country, safe, and similar to culture. So why not Taiwan?

Back in 2019, when I just finished my first year at a university in Vietnam. I took a two-week summer camp in Taiwan, learned about Taiwan culture, and Chinese, and had many foods around Taiwan. And when I came back from the camp, I immediately found a college in Taiwan where I can spend my four-year academy here. All of my friends and family wondered why I chose Taiwan for my college. I could not give them a complete answer for it. All of them thought that my Chinese was pretty good for a college in Taiwan. And when I told them that my college was taught in English, they were pretty shocked. “Why is Taiwan? Why is not America or other countries?” were the most questions I received from them. At that time, I was think that Taiwan would be good for me if I want to study another language too. There was one experience that I want to share with my readers: My Chinese was not good, however, I still kept going up. I never felt shy as mispronounced some words or bad grammar. I remembered there was once when I asked my Taiwanese friend how she felt when I misspelled some words. She said that was a cute mistake. Some customers in restaurants also said that. So my suggestion to language learners is to not feel embarrassed if they make some mistakes in grammar or speaking. Because maybe the native speakers will think that was lovely.

After spending three years of college here, I felt at home. To be honest, I did not see many differences between Taiwan and Vietnam cultures. But for my first year in Taiwan, I felt like Taiwan was a country that may have the most holidays in Asia. They have Moon Festival when you can come back home and have a barbecue with your family. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, Moon Festival is just simply that you will buy Moon Cakes and send them to your friends, families, or your customers. They also have Peace Memorial Day, Qingming Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival. I pretty much love the Independent Day in Taiwan as it is imposing: fireworks, and lighting performance. Both Taiwan and Vietnam have Chinese New Year, which means we will have a long holiday with above ten days off for it. Therefore, I enjoy studying in Taiwan as it is merged Asian and Western lives, with freedom but hard-working. I believe that most international students, went to Taiwan because they have strict parents. Taiwan is such a free land for them. That is also including me. Since I went to Taiwan, I started to do what I want: have part-time jobs, school activities, parties, and field trips with friends.

I would say most Vietnamese parents would not like their children to have part-time jobs during college. They think that part-time jobs will disturb their studying which leads to bad scores and low ranks in class. They prefer their children to spend spare time reading more books or join in different courses in and out of school. During my freshman in Vietnam, I applied for many jobs; however, I took none of them as my parents wanted me to pay more attention to school. In Taiwan, things hit differently. I had plenty of jobs: waitress in different restaurants or as a research assistant for a school project. My parents partly encouraged me for this, as I can gain more responsibilities in working, and practice my Chinese skills.

During my first year in Taiwan, making new friends was a difficult mission for me. Thanks to activities that International College held occasionally, I started to reach more people from different countries. Therefore, I had more opportunities to know about their cultures, foods, and languages. During my first Christmas lunch in Taiwan, which was held in James’ house, I met my best friend: Mikayla, who is also an Indonesian student in Tunghai. After that, we started to hang out more often. We matched the vibes and join more parties, and field trips together. Since we started to close, we have had many exchanging languages. That is how I can communicate simply in Indonesian.

Field trips are one of the most important parts for not only international students but also Taiwanese students. During my three years in Taiwan, I had a lot of trips to the North and South. I went to Taipei a lot in winter. I would say Taipei is much crazier than Taichung, from traffics to nightlife. I remembered the first time I was in Taipei, I felt like I was lost already. “This is not Taipei, it is more likely to Japan.” Everyone was waiting for the MRT, stitching their eyes on phones, catching the bus as soon as they could. Everything was so crazy and busy in Taipei. I just like to visit Taipei when it was winter. Taipei is the most beautiful in winter, where the lighting was stitched on every tree on the streets. I also had some chances to visit Kaohsiung, and I felt like this place was a part of my life too. The people in Kaohsiung were so friendly that Kaohsiung is always in the first line whenever I wanted a holiday. I remembered there was once I visited Kaohsiung and we needed to ride the shuttle bus to a pagoda which is pretty far away from the center. We were enjoying the trip and realized that it was kind of late for us to ride the bus back to the hotel. 6 p.m in Spring was a little bit dark at the time and we were freaked out as cannot reach Ubers or buses. At that time, there was a museum tourist, who we knew earlier, who suggested giving us a ride to the boulevard where we could easily catch the bus. That moment made me fall in love with this rustic city immediately. One of the trips that I like the most, was when we drove ourselves to Nantou. This time there was no forcing about the time or public transport. We had an adventurous trip, hiking many waterfalls, and mountains, camping lately at night, and having barbecues together.

Three years passed, and I feel like this was a dream for me. Although sometimes I was stuck in some stress from school and jobs, I am proud of myself that I could handle it. For my last year in Taiwan, I wish I can have more trips, and more experience to complete this college life.

Categories
Impossible Peace

Impossible peace. Part III

It’s impressive how your best day can also be your worst day.  On February 24th, I received a message from one of my professors asking me to work for her. She was wondering if I would like to use my writing skill for a research paper. I remember screaming in my head and shaking in my seat during the class. A broad smile glued to my face. I tried to keep it down, but just couldn’t. I have dreamed about writing as a job my entire life. I didn’t care about the salary. I didn’t care about the topic. I just wanted to write so badly that this desire was almost burning my chest. My hard work and patience finally paid off. Somebody appreciated my writing and needed it. That was all I wanted.

I felt like a child again who was told she could go to an amusement park. My heart was racing in my chest. My mind blurred with excitement. I still had a full day of classes ahead of me. I was in the classroom, but the real me was already in front of the computer typing imaginary letters and words. But then I received a second message… from my friend in Russia.

“Check the news.”

I opened the browser on my phone and heard all my excitement shatter like a window glass after an explosion. A war that some had anticipated for months, and some for years, had broken out. In a matter of seconds, I was drained of everything alive and happy inside me. My people were never loved by the world. We were always the bad guys in every single form of media. We were disliked. Now we would be hated… rejected. Thoughts about a happy future were swept away by an ice-cold wave of doubts, fear for my family, and self-hatred. What now? Was this the end for me? Was I going to get kicked out because of my nationality?

For the following several days, my mind was occupied with the news, tears, fears, and nightmares. Guilt and shame became my closest companions. I couldn’t look my boyfriend, or my professors, in the eye. I felt dirty. I felt like I shouldn’t have existed.

Every day I was waiting for a message from the Dean stating that I was to be expelled. There were already some articles on the net about Russian students being kicked out from universities due to their nationality. Russian immigrants were mistreated all over the world due to the guilt by association. I was just waiting for my turn. I felt like it was coming.

A week later I received another message inviting me to talk to the Dean of my department.

“This is it,” I thought.

Guilt was making me sick at that moment. I was imagining saying goodbye to Taiwan, to my friends and loved ones here. I felt like it was the end. This place had became a home to me. I worked here. I studied here. I loved here. Now that home was going to be taken away from me.

Or was it?

During the meeting the Dean asked me and two other Russian girls if anyone was bullying or mistreating us. The answer was no. There were some talks behind our backs during class time, but we didn’t want any trouble. Plus, we didn’t have any proof that the talks were about us. The Dean nodded his head and told us that if anyone tried to harm us, mentally or physically, we could come to him or to anyone in the university for help. He told us that Taiwan wouldn’t abandon us, that we were safe.

Next day, a representative of our university’s international office asked us to come and told us the same thing. Later, a lady from the university’s head office came to us during our obligatory class cleaning and assured us that we were not going to be expelled. She gave out some cookies and encouraged us to keep working hard.

And that’s it. Nothing else. No shaming. No rejection. No judgement.

I could live my life. I could write for my professor just as planned. I could keep working and studying. Moreover, I could speak about my nationality.

Categories
Getting to Know Taiwan

About Taiwan

The thing I hope people understand about Taiwan is that it has friendly culture. Personally, I think most people in Taiwan are very friendly. Even though we are not very talkative, and we don’t express our ideas very directly, we are still very easy to be friends with. We have a unique culture too, and it is something that might be quite different from other countries. For example, Taiwanese people really like to invite friends to come to their home and eat food. They provide the food, and they share the food with you. Taiwanese people treat you like you are a part of their family at their home. We also make sounds when we eat. Making sounds means that we like the food, and we want more. My family does the same thing and we do not find it to be a problem. However, I have found that some foreigners do not like this custom. They feel uncomfortable when using a spoon to share food. They think that if they like the food, they will help themselves. They do not like people caring for them when it comes to eating. They do not like the sounds either. For example, one of my Costa Rican friends was having dinner with my family. She felt uncomfortable because my grandmother gave her many carrots. She does not like carrots and that is why she did not add it into her bowl. However, my grandmother thought that she might be shy, so she kept adding food into her bowl. I think it showed the cultures differences between my family and her family. It is important for all of us to be aware of these types of situations. I have learned some differences and we all must learn. That is why I hope more people can realize that our friendly culture does not want to make people offended. Everyone should be respectful to other cultures. Judging will not help. Only understanding will help.

There is another thing I would like to share here. Even though Taiwan has been told that it is a country that is mostly friendly towards white foreigners, I have something to say here. I think that Taiwan is a welcoming place for everyone to come, not just some people from some specific countries. For example, Taiwan is a country that not many countries recognize internationally. Because of the independent state that is arguing with mainland China, we cannot tell people we are a country directly. Because of that, our diplomacy worked very hard to let other countries know that Taiwan is a great country. For example, when I studied in Costa Rica, I realized that not many people could tell the differences between China and Taiwan. However, since Costa Rica once had a political friendship with Taiwan, Costa Rican kind of notice something between Taiwan and China. The best point to illustrate my point is that there is a bridge that is in Guanacaste. The name of this bridge is called “Taiwan Friendship Bridge”. This bridge was constructed in 2003 and it has a huge impact for people in Guanacaste. It was mostly Taiwanese people who went there to build the bridge and donate money for Costa Rica. Because of this bridge, Guanacaste became easier to connect to other provinces in Costa Rica. As a result, I think it is something that people should notice. Taiwan is friendly towards everyone and we embrace people from all nationalities.