Taiwonderland, Day 2: The Ministry of Education, a Mountain University, a City High School, an Aboriginal Dinner

Motorbikes, Traditional Characters, Sunshine: Taiwan!

Wednesday, October 3

I roused early, still caught in some time zone halfway to Hawaii, perhaps Guam.  

Taipei Times and breakfast buffet was my morning ritual.  The Taipei Times is an excellent paper, capturing truly global news.  It’s refreshing to be in a country that doesn’t perceive itself as the center of the Universe, the End of History, the be-all and end-all.  Taiwan’s very existence depends on its connections with the world, and consequently the capital city’s newspaper features stories from everywhere.  Taiwanese are citizens of the world by necessity.  May my country evolve in that direction in future.

Taipei 101 Soars to the Heavens

I walked the one kilometer to the Sunworld Dynasty hotel where the Hawaii delegation resided.  The October Taipei streets were fresh, fragrant, warm.  October is the least cruel month; Autumn in the tropics is crisp and glorious.

I boarded our bus with my fellow Hawai’i Educators, and our driver navigated to the fancy, corporate, shiny part of town, just in the shadow of Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest and most impressive buildings. We picked up the four Senators from Hawaii as well as the Business  Officers, and proceeded to the National Ministry of Education.  We were ushered upstairs, where we were received a formal meeting with the third in command of the country’s school system.  

The Ministress of Education addresses us

This woman dressed in white was gracious, articulate, and insightful.  We arrayed ourselves around her, each of us briefly introducing ourselves, and sharing our hopes for increased student exchanges with her country.  I asked specifically if Taiwan could spend resources marketing Hawaiian education, in honor of our 25th anniversary of friendship. She said yes, but that we should contact the Los Angeles office for next steps.

Our Hawai'i Delegation 

Suddenly the Minister of Education crashed into the room like Kramer.  Shaggy-haired and gregarious, he greeted us all and invited us to take a picture.  He was busy meeting with the Governor of Wyoming and the University of Chicago, but he wanted to drop in to well wish us. Like virtually everyone of standing in Taiwan, he was a Ph. D.

Meeting over, we moved next door to a three story building full of Taiwanese curious, mementos, and crafts.  We did our duty to support the Taiwan economy, me finding a small silk purple purse for my beloved daughter.

Beautiful JinMen University

Our next stop was Jinwen University on the southern fringes of the city in the mountains. We cut through dense city blocks, across the Tamsui River, and up a river valley into the elevated campus of Jinwen.  This University specialized in culinary education and tourism among other things, with whole wings of the school set up like hotel rooms and kitchens, where students learned by doing.  Our hosts were most gracious, and the students were curious and friendly.  These University visits were always interesting, but not as helpful for me as I was looking for younger teenagers to join my school.

The Values of JinMen High School

We wound our way back into the city for an afternoon visit to Jinwen High School. This was a middle-class, private Taiwanese high school with thousands of students. I learned later that it had once been one of the best, until leadership had embezzled huge sums of money and the reputation of the school went into a free-fall. The school was building itself back up now, and it had re-ignited relationships with schools in New Zealand and the Philippines.  I wanted to put Maui on that list, though money was a factor.  As the Principal said, the students at this school were “middle class,” and Maui may be a bit out of reach for these kids, in a country where GDP per capita each year tracks around U.S. $32,000.

Me, Jinmen High School campus, and our colorful tour bus

As the sun dropped in the sky, our bus navigated to the political center of Taipei- the Japanese-built Presidential Palace, the National Theater, and the central plaza of the Chiang Kai Shek mausoleum.  These public places are grand, majestic, and stunning, and as Taiwan geared up to celebrate its National Day on October 10, the projection screens and parade grounds were being readied.

The Center of Taipei: Democracy Plaza

We were hosted for dinner by the Council for Indigenous Peoples.  Taiwan is home to some 15 indigenous tribes, who are the forebears of Polynesians and Hawaiians (Does this mean Hawaiians were once Chinese?  And weren’t we all once African?).  Like aboriginals across the planet, these people are proud, repressed, and struggling.  But tonight they were generous, amiable, and gracious.  At three round tables our delegation mixed with our hosts, who shared with us about their languages, their customs, and their aspirations.  This was a very special evening.

Who's angry for a Chinese Feast, minus Shark Fin?

Another full day came to a close.  The bus carried us home to SunWorld Dynasty, and I strolled the evening streets back to the Hotel Waikoloa.