The 1st Day

After a good night’s rest, we started our first full day in Taiwan bright and early at 9am. We all went to meet Dr. Liu in her room and received our schedule for the next three weeks. She provided us with some fruit, including a traditional Taiwanese fruit. After meeting with Dr. Liu, we walked around Taipei in order to get familiar with the area and to find good places to eat. 7-eleven seemed to be very popular here as there was at least one 7-eleven every two blocks. On the side streets that lead away from the main road there were lots of restaurants and small clothing stores. The whole alleyway was filled with the smell of good food and we could see long lines of people waiting to be served at various street stands.

In the middle of the city amidst the tall buildings and bustling crowds, there was a park that brought nature back into the city. It stood apart, like a world on its own, with trees indigenous to Taiwan and some statues that reflected their traditional culture. The style of the park felt very much in tune with nature, with winding paths going through the trees and brought a sense of antiquity to the modern city. Even though it was so different, the park didn’t feel out of place. It blended in perfectly with the modernization, showing how nature and industry could coexist.

Later in the day, we visited Taipei 101 and the Discovery Center of Taipei. We learned about the history of Taiwan and how various colonial occupations lead to many different cultural influences in Taiwan’s architecture and traditional values. In one of the exhibitions there was a display of shoes from different periods of Taiwan. The shoes were all designed differently depending on which country was occupying Taiwan. It really showed how Taiwan is made up of so many different cultures and has incorporated different cultural influences throughout its history.

Walking along the streets of Taiwan, I was surprised by how metropolitan it felt. After going to Beijing on a study abroad trip last semester, I was expecting a similar type of city landscape. However the city’s modernization, with its tall buildings and orderly etiquette, gave it a very western feel. I could see the influences of western cultures as there were many coffee shops and bakeries that sold western styled foods. However, unlike America, Taipei still seemed to hold onto its tradition. The side streets of the city blended the modern with the traditional in a seamless way. Along each side street there were mom-and-pop shops that sold traditional food right next to the more modern coffee houses and bakeries. This juxtaposition of the old and new showed a balance between change and tradition that is very different from America. In America, the old is always being replaced by the new with large corporations shutting down small mom-and-pop businesses and historical sites being redeveloped into shopping malls or new residential areas. However, in Taiwan, I would see chain stores and mom-and-pop stores doing business side by side. Seeing the modern trends and traditional culture coexisting showed how Taiwan has been able to embrace both change and tradition. The fact that both can coexist so seamlessly in a society was a new idea that I didn’t think possible.

After exploring Taiwan and learning more about their culture, I feel much more comfortable in the city and am excited to become more acquainted with its customs. Tomorrow I will be starting my Chinese class and be celebrating New Year’s Eve. After class we will go to eat hotpot and visit Taipei 101 to see the fireworks.