Reflections From My Trip to Taiwan
Folks:
Yes, I have been back home for a week now.
For some reason, I felt more tired and somehow detached than my last trip in 2013. I have always been an early riser – up 4:30 a.m. and hit the sack 9:30 p.m. But I really have tough time falling asleep ever since I came back this week.
I am grateful to you all for giving me loads of memories from Taipei and Kaohsiung reunions. Thanks everyone for your nice arrangement. Hsia-Hwei especially offered me two nights’ lodging to ease off the transportation and heavy luggage issues. Otherwise, I would be lost in these two big and vibrant cities - Taipei and Kaohsiung. The homemade cooking from you with veggie, Tofu, Black Elephant Ears, Black Rice, Yam/Lotus Balls, etc. to cater my taste, and master chef, Hsu-Jui’s stewed Beef Noodle Soup, and braised Pig Feet and those tasty spicy dishes, which could satisfy the appetite of all classmates in and out of Bo-Chen’s house all afternoon on 9/23/2015.
I am forever thankful to Bo-Chen, and
John for your warm hospitality to open the house for us; and LJ, Judy, Bruce,
Glory, Joyce, and all the folks who showed up at our class reunion on 9/19/2015
at 福華文教中心. I am truly
blessed to have someone like you all. Our class of ’71 FLLD, NCKU is
a truly unique class. The best, we found one of our MIAs – David Jwo
(卓澄塘).
Filial Piety and Caring for the Loved One
Last week was definitely
bittersweet. I saw the melodrama play out at both reunions in Taipei
and Kaohsiung. Birth, aging, sickness and death all come in a circle
of our inescapable realities of life. Our triumph to make it through
this far allowed us to get together to celebrate again. I don’t
think we ever made it through alone though. We are so close and
intertwined. Bo-Chen, Hsu-Jui (素 菊), you both made me
proud. The pictures of Hsu-Jui’s (素 菊) caring for Bo-Chen and
her own mother are the exemplars of our Chinese tradition and culture – filial
piety. I myself failed big time here. I understand
oneself doesn't make the most memories. The best and most lasting
ones are made with friends and loved ones who are important in our
lives. John, I wish Fei-Fei well. You made the list too.
Mixed Feelings
My trip this time is alternately exhilarating and worrying.
Phase 1 - I stayed 36 days in my
daughter’s place, Ventura, California, in time for my grandson’s two years old
birthday – The boy is growing like a weed with parents’ carefully manicured
discipline; a grandmother is only a temporary sitter. I am still claimed to be a better house-cleaning lady than
the professionally hired. Chang/Cole Sun Dry Cleaning Service –
out 9 and in by 4 is still #1 – it whitens the cloth diapers and kills
the germs naturally.
Phase 2 - 12-day Taiwanese Language Training at National Taiwan Normal University (國立臺灣師範大學進修推廣學院) – I felt the sense of urgency to preserve this language because the systematic phonetic and written forms are just beginning to be recognized by the government. Reading and writing are so hard for me. It means just how much I still have to learn.
Phase 3 – 10-day extended trip with
family/class reunions. – Happy, of course – But it’s a distressing sight to see
some of the family members or friends who can’t, won’t or don’t say good-bye
due to different situations. Why is it so complicated? Aging
is one of the many factors and parting is such sweet sorrow. This is
one thing that we all are dealing with now on our path. I feel like
a dried-up reservoir collecting all tributaries of joyfulness, anger, distress,
and happiness from all sources, but I am lacking the power of almighty to
distribute the needed help to cultivate this parched land or water their mind
to listen their stories. I am helpless in a way like the picture of
that “Screamer.”
Why Am I Afraid of?
The nostalgic feelings, yes, otherwise, I wouldn’t have registered for Taiwanese language Training after my retirement. But I am not twenty-two-years-old anymore. My roots are still in Taiwan, I moved about my days going to the class, bumping with all rushing crowd of college students on the street. I felt so strange and detached that something of belonging was missing. I had no idea what that was.
四海豆漿大王
泰順街水果行
The 7:00 a.m. fresh fruits stand
tucked in the lanes off Heping East Rd (和平東路) – Thanks to the green-uniformed
police at ShiDa (師大)– Jen -Jen and I had the
most succulent papaya in the world for 12 days. Am I worried about the
non-organic or industry GMO fruits? As far as I am
concerned, I eat whatever I want! – Fresh fruits and
veggies only!
臺北大安森林公園 (Taipei Daan Park)
This place is our daily jogging place around 6:00 a.m. to
avoid the madding crowd of city folks before the sunrise. Her
sister’s place is just across from the park when we sometimes would drop off
our dirty laundry in her washing machine. National Taiwan Normal
University (國立臺灣師範大學)where we
have the Taiwanese language training does have washing machine, however, we
prefer to find the excuse to visit her instead.
Though its name translates to “Great Safety,” Daan
District in Taipei is an important educational, commercial, residential, and
cultural area. It also lists some of Taipei’s most expensive
residential real estate. The educational institutions hubs, such as
National Taiwan University (國立台灣大學)and
National Taiwan Normal University (國立臺灣師範大學)are all located in this district. The daily
morning walk to this Forest Park from the University dorm would take only about
5 minutes.
We watch all the different groups of early risers doing
TaiChi, traditional dance, and Qigong. You really need to see these
people’s exercises to see the vibe of the city. I feel good to be a
part of their morning routine.
Daan Park morning jog is one of the high-lights of my
14-day Taiwanese language training.
Merciless Mother Nature
The earthquakes in Taipei on 9/15/2015
3:45 a.m. woke me up frightened. Then, another one in Kaohsiung on
9/24/2015 2:00 p.m. made me nervous. Why? I should be
like all of you feeling nothing and getting used to this daily shake, rattle,
and roll! The biggest fear was that Dengue Fever continues to plague
southern Taiwan – Tainan and Kaohsiung cities. I canceled the trip
to visit Ben’s professor at NCKU in Tainan and suffocated myself indoor at my
sister-in-law’s all-walled-in house (Kaohsiung) on the morning of 9/24/2015
because I was afraid of mosquito bites from morning jogging with shorts
exposing my bare legs. The super typhoon, Dujuan, the eye of the
storm was on her course to land in Taiwan two days before my
departure. Ben’s family and I were celebrating the holiday of
Mid-Autumn festival (中秋節). The festivity was cut short unfortunately. I vowed to come back again soon and stay a little longer to
make me feel like I am really home. Because I had really forgotten so much about how I
experienced the merciless Mother Nature’s pounding of this precious land when I
was growing up in her bosom. Definitely, the sense of belonging needs
more time to be reconnected.
Nowhere Feeling Like Home
I always thought I was the luckiest
person in the world. Once I am home, the sense of loss is quite
heavy. I need some time to re-adjust.
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