Exciting day!

Hey everyone...

So today was quite exciting. We started the day by going to Frank Hsieh's campaign HQ...and in a random turn of events we hopped onto his "street sweep" parade and got an impromptu tour of Kaohsiung!

I've never seen so many firecrackers being lit up in my life! It was kind of like a war zone with how it sounded...but it was SO exciting.

We also had dinner with some students from Cheng Kung University (sp?). That was definitely a highlight...they were SO interesting to talk to!

Anyhow, it's really late and I should sleep now...a couple of us went to the night market and bought food...ended up chatting in Juliana & my room until now. :)

Hi!

Hey everyone!

I haven't even finished half of my packing yet, but I'm taking this short break to say how nervous/excited I am.

I can't wait to meet you all, and I'm definitely looking forward to all of the things I'll be experiencing this week....

Back to packing!

excited

I keep saying that I'm excited cuz well, I am!

All packed, including the overnight bag. I'm trusting that the hotels have irons.

When I explain the trip to people, they don't seem as excited as I am. Am I the only one that's this excited?

Through getting involved with FAPA and learning Taiwan's history, I realized how little I knew when I was in Taiwan when I was a kid. Obviously --how much do kids know about politics! Even as adults, people in DC may be odd for knowing so much about politics and government. Anyways, I more clearly see why my parents immigrated. I also understand better how much the oppressed culture is ingrained in me. This trip is perfect for me since I get to learn about Taiwan and talk with people -- and can pretty much understand only English.

I wonder how the DPP and the will of the people will proceed after the election...I feel like we're flying/swooping in and looking in the fish bowl with a magnifying glass, versus the people actually living in Taiwan who may not have the substantive conversations we will be having, but who may not need to cuz they're living the lives that we'll be talking about.

Oh, did I mention that I'm excited?

hello!

Hey guys, I just thought for my entry I would introduce myself and blab a little about pre-election jitters.

I'm a sophomore at Duke majoring in Economics. This semester, I'm studying "abroad" in Los Angeles with a program offered by Duke. Basically it's for students who are interested in the entertainment industry and we get to take classes at USC and do an internship of our choice. I currently work at The Film Department, which is an independent film financing, production, and international sales company based in West Hollywood. We're fairly new--just got started in June 2007, but I love working there. (If anyone ever needs recommendations on where to eat in LA, I'd be more than happy to give you some suggestions on the best places to eat)

Anyway, I'm admitting to be kind of cranky, groggy, and just overall really tired because this past week was our midterm week, which for me meant I had to study for an exam worth 40% of our grade and write a 20 page research paper. It was not fun. I haven't slept for three days. I thought I'd be able to relax tonight, since I fly to Taiwan tomorrow, but I have so much packing to do and just a bunch of miscellaneous hoo-ha that is preventing me from ever getting my eyes closed. I swear I'm just going to get on the plane and pass out for 15 hours. There goes my plan for doing work on the plane...

But in the midst of my hectic life I have found a little bit of time to watch the news and keep up with some of the events in Taiwan. I watch a lot of those talk shows and I watched the second debate between Hsieh and Ma. I'm really worried that Ma is going to win. He says the most ridiculous things and his face is written all over with "Once I sell Taiwan to China I'm flying first class to the US." Needless to say, I have no respect for him whatsoever and it boggles my mind when I hear people proclaim their love for him. Barf.

I look forward to seeing all of you in Taiwan though! I'm so excited to be able to drink legally!! :)

links

Since I know nothing, I starting looking up some links to the places on our itinerary (besides the links on the right)
American Chamber of Commerce Topics magazine
Election Study Center (links to the university)
Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation
Kaohsiung City
National Cheng Kung University
National Chung Hsing University VP Huang
Government Information Office
Government's page on participation in APEC
American Institute in Taiwan
Formosa TV English News Edition
Central Election Commission
and just for fun: KTV

Welcome!

Welcome to our second FAPA YPG Democracy in Action Taiwan Trip! For those of you who will be participating on this trip, you are encouraged to check out the reading list (see sidebar) and posts from the previous trip back in December 2006. The trip is less than a month away. Hope you're all getting excited for it!

A glimpse of Taiwan's Pentagon

We were so lucky to get to see Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense - many stars in the room ......

Every officer we met that day was super nice, knowledgeable, fluent in English and friendly. Their patriotism towards Taiwan and their professionalism impressed us all.

President A-Bian's Doll

Thanks to Iris, Cindy, and Eva, the trip was a great success. I tried to make an entry into the blog in Taiwan, but everything came out in Chinese, and I can only read food (which is VERY useful in Taiwan, but doesn’t help me log in…). I am now back in the states, in (usually) sunny southern California, although it sprinkled a little bit this morning.

Others have already described our visit to the President, so I won’t repeat the details, but I’ll just tell you a little anecdote. My aunt who lives in Japan had mailed me an A-Bian doll several years ago, and I brought it to Taiwan hoping that I could get President Chen to autograph it for me. On the bus on the way to the Presidential Office, I showed everyone the doll, and Carolyn asked (I’m paraphrasing), “How come his pants are down?” I tried to pull the pants up but they kept coming down. It’s the way the doll is designed, I guess.

The President was surprising humble and seemed just like a normal (but important) guy chatting with us. After he was done talking and we took group pictures together, I rushed up and asked him to autograph my doll. He took the doll and looked at the front and back of the doll, presumably to decide where to sign it, when he said to me, “Nai4 Teng4 Koh3 ?” which roughly means “why are the pants down/ why did you pull the pants down?” in Taiwanese. (I romanized in my own way, using Mandarin’s four tone marks since I don’t know how to number the seven tone marks of Taiwanese). I was horrified, because I thought I had pulled the pants back up, and I was afraid I had just majorly insulted the president. However, he flashed me a grin, and started signing his name on the doll. I guess he didn’t take offense…

For those of you who wanted to go on this trip but couldn’t, I encourage you to go on a future tour. And thanks to all those people at FAPA who made this tour possible. Everytime I go to Taiwan, I learn more about my own background. I also learn about how the Taiwanese think of America and Taiwanese-Americans. And I ALWAYS go to Din Tai Fung as well as eat lots of tswa4 bing (shaved ice) and other delicious food and drinks.

--Thomas

Desultory memories from Taiwan, Part 1

A little disgraceful and disgusting story of Carolyn's misadventure pre-FAPA trip: (Please skip if easily disturbed.)

The voyage to Kaohsiung

My uncle was originally going to drive me to KH, but he was unable to due to a buddhist retreat. Instead, he decided to have a private "bus" (more like a Ghanaian 'trow trow' or a rickety old van) take me. What should have been a 1 hr ride ended up taking 3.5 hours, as I was the first person picked up and the second to last out of 6 to be dropped off. Right before I stepped on the bus, I had eaten a load of oysters and hot pot, a feast prepared by my aunt-in-law. It was delicious, but I started feeling uneasiness in my stomach as we picked up the 2nd passenger. The rickety van did not absorb any impact from the bumpy local roads we traveled. By the 3rd and 4th passengers, I began to sweat profusely and my throat was constricting uncomfortably, but I managed to subdue the discomfort. The driver did not know I was ill, so he continued to ride mercilessly over the potholes while my stomach lurched in dismay. When the last man to be picked up came and sat next to me, my heart sank. He was a garrulous old man who started probing all of the passengers with questions. I pulled out a plastic bag because I knew my "moment" would come soon, and it was divine comedy that he started asking me questions about myself right as I felt the sweat and lunchtime oysters rising. He asked me where in Kaohsiung I was going and I told him, "Sorry, I don't really speak Chinese", mistakenly hoping it would end the conversation. Of course not. Instead, it opened the pandora's box of questions regarding my American upbringing, and just as he was lecturing me on how I really should cultivate my language skills, I threw my face into the plastic bag. Oh, the glorious mixture of food... I hoped that, incognito style, I could bypass any attention, but I think the reaction of my neighbor passengers was immediate. The girl sitting next to me lunged to open the windows, and the man stopped talking. After that horrible moment was over, I tried to apologize and act as gracefully as I could to retrieve my dignity. No, my Audrey Hepburn efforts failed me when I soon had to ask, "Excuse me, does anyone have a plastic bag I can borrow?" The old man quickly asked the driver, adding, "She's going to throw up again!" and the girl next to me quickly handed me a bag that she had been previously using to carry a box of cookies. Yep, for the rest of the 2.5 hours, I held my bag of tossed cookies as low away from our seats as possible so no one would see the contents of my stomach. The old man would eventually tell me that I was brave for traveling by myself, but that it was unsafe for a non-native Taiwanese high schooler to be alone. To which I responded in surprise, "I'm 23!" When the ride finally ended, I was uncomfortable and drained. I ended up in Kaohsiung with just enough time to take my wretched self to the hotel. When I first met a few of the gang, we were sitting in a car with Henry driving. I felt bad for feeling antisocial and distant, so I explained this story. They wanted me to share it over the blog, and perhaps I have done too detailed a job describing it. Hopefully it's as amusing to you as it is now to me.

Meeting the President

Although I don't believe this session was the most informative from the ones we attended, it was certainly one of the most memorable. We walked into a richly decorated room to await President Chen. The wall held a frame of artistic Chinese calligraphy, and each corner of the room contained a pot of perfectly arranged orchids. I glanced at the oriental carpet and was not disappointed by the wealth of colors - asynchronous to the rest of the room, but creating an overall elegance. Media cameramen passed through the double doors, and each time, my head would turn swiftly in that direction. I felt my heart counting down the moments before... he stepped in. We all rose, shook his hand, and sat down. President Chen gave an opening statement, praising FAPA's role and dedication to improving relations with the US Congress and Taiwan's state of current affairs. I believe Cindy posted the link to his statement. After his statement and tag-along English translation, the cameramen left. He joked, "Now that they are gone, we can really talk."

The question and answer session began slowly, as we were all recovering from shock and nervousness. I think he felt the initial silence, and filled it comfortably. We asked him rather light, open-ended questions. Some pertaining to his time as President, greatest/most memorable achievements, and globalization's future effects on Taiwan. I don't mean to be overly flattering, but I do believe he was very natural as a speaker. I felt at ease in his presence, and from his responses, I could sense the intelligent inner-workings of his mind. He was a graceful, well-spoken man, one who easily impressed you with warm-heartedness. Overall, the visit seemed to me like an informal chat with the President. While this environment was nice and safe, I felt slight disatisfaction that we had not asked more pointed, more difficult questions to our polemical president. But I'm sure this is just my opinion...

While I want to write more, especially about the Thinktanks and NGOs we met up with (I think they were a great contrast to the government divisions/politicans we met), I'll have to save my impressions for a later date. I'm still jet-lagged from the plane ride back.

Leaving Taiwan...

Well, I just got back from Taiwan last night and was back at work this morning. Needless to say, I'm definitely jetlagged and looking like a panda bear from the lack of sleep! But it's worth it when I think back on last week and all that I've done. I can't believe that just last week we were visiting President Chen, campaigning on the streets of Kaohsiung, making bubble tea runs and so much more. Every time I'm in Taiwan I seem to lose myself in everything that's happening around me, and I find myself hardly missing my life back in the States. Taiwan is so full of life, energy and promise! I'm sure others would agree with me.

As I was lugging my enormous suitcase to the bus stop in front of Taipei Main Station, I thought of how we wouldn't be meeting in front of the McDonald's on Guanchian Road this morning as we had done every morning before. Iris, Cindy and I were usually the first ones to arrive, and every member of the "herd" would join us, some slower than the others (You know who you are!). Then we would set off on our small bus to the first destination.

Saturday was the culmination of our entire trip as we held high hopes for our favored candidates. Although Frank Hsieh lost in Taipei, he did surprisingly well and garnered more votes than anyone had predicted he would. As one of the scholars at the post-election briefing sponsored by Taiwan Thinktank said, KMT didn't win but DPP didn't lose. The mood at Hsieh's campaign headquarters was somewhat somber, but everyone cheered when Hsieh appeared on stage. Before he could begin speaking, the crowd starting chanting, "Hsieh, run for President!" His relative success in this election make him a likely candidate presidential candidate, but it's too early to say. But at least DPP won in Kaohsiung...yay, go Chen Chu!

I certainly hope that this trip was a learning experience for all participants as it was for me. My initial purpose behind organizing this trip was simply to give people the opportunity to learn more about Taiwan through firsthand experience. There is so much that we cannot experience sitting behind the computer reading news articles about Taiwan. This was YPG's first group trip to Taiwan and certainly not that last. Perhaps we'll work on one for the next election--Legislative Yuan next fall--not too far away. That means we gotta get cracking! Yikes, maybe some sleep would be better first.

Dinner with Formosa Foundation Ambassdors

Last Night In Taipei

Last night I said farewell to my new friends here in Taiwan: Kyle, Eva, and their son Nathan. I met them when I first arrived in Taipei, sleep-deprived, disoriented, and somewhat overwhelmed. Kyle and Eva were full of helpful advice for me. They run a convenience store near my hotel. Their store is way cheaper than Seven-Eleven, with superior customer service. When I broke the alarm clock I bought from them, Kyle took it apart and fixed it himself. Plus, I don't think Seven-Eleven sells bb gun ammo or high-end whiskey. Kyle does.

Little Nathan (eighteen months old) must be the happiest kid in Taiwan, if not the planet. I've never seen him without a smile on his face. Last night I saw him trip and fall on the sidewalk. It wasn't pretty. Most kids would have burst into tears. Nathan thought it was funny.

After Nathan went to bed, Kyle and I headed across the street for some Taiwan Beers (and this was after multiple shots of whiskey at his store). Notwithstanding the language barrier (we had always relied on his wife for translation), we had a lot of fun. It was a perfect cap to a fantastic stay in Taiwan.

A Musical Send Off...

For our last night together in TPE, we partied it up Taiwanese style... @ the KTV, and BOY, did we have fun!!

In addition to 1 small pitcher of draft beer & 2 six-packs of Taiwan Beer (drink of champions), we devoured a plate of munchies & burnt through the english song selections @ Cash Box.

Here are a few memorable photos:

Carolyn & Megan, the dynamic duet duo for the night....


Nathan, the reluctant japanese music KTVer...


I'm sad that it's our last day on the trip. I just said "bye" to everyone :(
The last week has been so wonderful & I hope to see everyone again soon!!!!

Thanks for the great memories, gang!!
And for the record, I still think Angelina's WAY better than Jennifer!!! :D

The votes are in...

Well, it looks like I'm the first to post after the election...by now most of you have probably heard the results, but I'll post them just in case: Frank Hsieh lost Taipei by more than 170,000 votes, and Chen Chu won Kaohsiung by a mere 1000 votes to become the first elected female mayor in Taiwan (her predecessor, Chu Lan-yeh, is also a woman, but was not elected). I'll save the election analysis for someone more qualified than myself, but wanted to make sure we got a post-election post up here on the blog. I don't know what the turnout was here in Taipei, but the experts we met with earlier in the week projected that it would be around 65%, down from 70% in the last elections.

We were able to observe the entire election process yesterday, and were very impressed by the transparency and accuracy of the system. When people arrived at their polling places (most are in schools, temples, churches, and storefronts), they presented their identification cards, stamped their seals/signed their names on the registry, and were handed two separate ballots: a yellow one for the mayoral election and a white one for the city council elections. Each ballot included the names, pictures, parties, and ballot numbers of the candidates. The voters took the two ballots into their voting booths, put a red stamp above their candidate of choice on each of the two ballots, then dropped the yellow ballot in the mayoral box and the white ballot in the city council box.

When the polls closed at 4:00, the poll workers took over. One person removed the ballots one at a time, clearly announcing the name and number of the candidate selected on each ballot. Another poll worker kept a tally on a large poster on the wall, while several other workers checked the announcer's accuracy and put the ballots in piles according to the candidate marked on the ballot. Once all of the votes were counted, the candidates' piles were counted and double checked with the tallies on the wall. The ballots were bound, put back in the ballot box, and taken to a central election headquarters (I'm not sure exactly where) with the rest of the city's ballots. All of the results were tabulated and announced by 8:00 p.m.

Two police officers observed the entire process at each polling place, and everything was public--we were nine of about 30-40 people who stayed to watch the results being tabulated.

I know that many of you have a much better understanding of Taiwan's election process than I do, and I know we'd all love to hear your insights (and corrections to my purely observational analysis).

Today is the last official day of our trip, and we're meeting for our last lunch in about an hour. I'll be sorry to say goodbye to the rest of the group--they've been a pleasure to get to know over the past week, and I look forward to (hopefully!) seeing them again soon in the U.S. I'm very fortunate in that I will get to stay an additional nine days here in Taipei, visiting my husband's relatives and getting to know the city better. During that time, I'll try to continue posting about our experiences on the FAPA-YPG trip.

Complete web addresses

Sorry, didn't realize the text that scrolls to the right on the compose screen gets cut off.
Here are the complete addresses for the Presidential Webpages on the YPG visit.

I'll just recreating the links here:

English posting of the YPG visit on President Chen's Website
Chinese posting of the YPG visit on President Chen's Website

Enjoy :)

Hot off the presses...

As Megan casually mentioned yesterday, we were lucky to make it into President Chen's schedule :) And to the group's surprise & delight this morning, we made it to the Liberty Times in Taiwan!!

Here's the official photo, published on the President's website.
You can read the details of his speech to the group there (see links below)...



English:
http://www.president.gov.tw/en/prog/news_release/document_content.php?id=1105499315&pre_id=1105499315&g_category_number=145&category_number_2=145

Chinese:
http://www.president.gov.tw/php-bin/prez/shownews.php4?Rid=12405