Taiwan,welcome back!

So... After almost two months of holidays in my country, that has decided to punish me for its abandonment with extremely unpleasant weather conditions, I came back to Taiwan. It was not that smooth of course - meteorologic curse didn't let me go till the very end. In Moscow I got to know that there is a typhoon coming to Taiwan and in Hong Kong I was told that my flight was cancelled. When I finally arrived to Tainan, it started to rain cats and dogs (they call it here tropical storm, that for those born in the north of Europe sound so cool and adventurous) and it did't stop for 3 days. Still, I don't want to complain, I arrived safe, with all my luggage, including a huge elephant pillow, that my dad was insisting on me to take (and as always he was right, because it occurs to be the best plane pillow ever), just in time for Mid-Autumn Festival. And that means - for moon cakes, barbecue and staring at the moon.
There is a lot of legends involved in the origin of this event. Moon cakes, which, by the way, can be filled with literally everything, starting with pineapple and finishing with pig leg, become famous during Mongolian rule over China in XIII and XIV century. Supporters of previous Song dynasty, displeased with foreign rule over their country, organized the rebellion using the opportunity of the upcoming festival and ordered to place the messages with outline of the attack inside special cakes. Since the origin of Mid-Autumn festival comes from Moon cherishing, cakes that became a reason of successful rebellion were named moon cakes and are supposed to commemorate the great success of Chinese. To be honest - and of course that's just mine subjective idea - moon cakes are not delicious at all and... they are being sold absolutely everywhere, but I have never actually seen anyone eating it, maybe except foreign students, treated by their teachers.
As Chinese people believe (believed?), waxing and waning Moon reflects vicissitudes of fortune of all human beings. The full moon symbolizes reunion, hence family gatherings are being held in that very particular day. Taiwan has its special traditions of those reunion, rather in western than oriental style - outside barbecue. It is said that that tradition started with a very successful add of barbecue sauce/soy sauce (I heard two different version). Although grilling outside is considered to be illegal (because of pollution its causing), during the festival's night parks and streets are full of people with their little bbq stands and air full of delicious smells (unless someone burn something), which last until the next day!
Eating outside allows Taiwaneses to fulfill another tradition, which is watching a full moon, that supposed to be particularly bright and beautiful around autumnal equinox. Behind that custom lays a romantic legend about two lovers: Houyi and Chang'e. There are a lot of versions of that story, but the ending is always the same - after taking the pill of immortality, Chang'e is flying to the moon, where she leads a very lonely life. One version of the story says that Houyi, who was known in the whole kingdom as the greatest archer,who shot down 9 of 10 suns, which were burning earth causing drought and famine, build the palace in the last of the suns and one night per year he can reunite with his beloved Chang'e. That night is of course the night of Mid-Autumn Festival and everyone is hoping to see at least a shade of Chang'e, who can't wait to see her Houyi.
To sum up-my Tainan hasn't change at all. I moved to a new place,I'm preparing myself for a new job and I'm trying to master my Chinese, but I have to confess really gladly,that people here are as nice as they used to be. When I see thames I just can't stop to wonder who the hell came up with the catch phrase for Thailand,describing it as the land of smiles???

Biological practical knowledge

I was 23 years old when I saw a cockroach for the very first time. Such a 'delay' of practical and visual knowledge of diversity of the Earth species was caused by the fact, that before that event I haven't been to China - that's were it happened. It seems for me that in Poland we don't have cockroaches, at least not in our houses. Well, as famous saying goes, our learning process never ends. Since than I've discovered that those lovely animals not only appear from nowhere in, for example, your kitchen, but that they also can swim (that's why now I always check the toilet before using it), jump (even on really high curbstone) and fly (that one I still haven't seen, but I was told that they don't do it to often - we are naturally still talking about flying abilities - because of laziness).
I have realized that last year brought me a lot of practical knowledge about nature diversity, especially the one of animals kingdom. In Thailand I saw a huge lizard/crocodile (opinions of witnesses are divided) and I learnd that crocodiles can run faster than people, so basically your ways of salvation become strictly limited. In Lao during a cruise on Mekong river we happened to have a stowaway - a tarantula, bigger that my hand and really, really disgustingly hairy. It seems that a person can really get used to absolutely everything and this conclusion is taken from the reaction of local people, who didn't even care about the spider, but enjoyed a free show called 'Look, those Westerners are sissies'. Luckily it was not a snake, because in that case my reaction won't limit to jumping and screaming only; more probably a walking on a water miracle would be repeated in a high speed version. Now I know that there is no way to kill a tarantula by standing on it (and just to be clear, I was not the one doing it). In Cambodia I luckily avoided a close meeting of the third grade with a snake, and I strongly believe I owe that one to my feminine intuition and inborn detest toward almost all of amphibia, with little examples for turtles. But cherry on the top of cake was sleepping, also in Cambodia, at the alligators farm - and that fact was discovered on the very last day of my stay there, the very morning of Christmas Day. Now I know that alligators do make sound, something in between creaky window and butchered chicken. Not nice at all, I swear.
In light of those adventures, all of the minor and 'popular' animals doesn't count at all, I even stopped reacting on rats crossing the street in front of restaurant. I even said 'hello' to a cockroach that appear, as always, from nowhere, but, to be totally honest, I got a little bit afraid when it started to run around, and it really looked like it had some intentions to chase me :) If my progress in overcoming 'spoiled by civilization' mode won't stop, I am really afraid of what I will be able to write in one year. If it starts with greetings for a maggot, which definitely is a form of personification,where can it ends?!?!?!?!?!

My first year in Taiwan

I know that I'm about to leave Taiwan for less than two months, but I can't help the feeling of nostalgia... I know that I'm gonna miss that place, especially after my visit to Penghu, and even the perspective of eating my mum's mushroom soup is not helping. It feels like I have already accepted the fact, that Taiwan is my home - at least for some time :) Maybe it's also today's weather (it's been raining cats and dogs for two days, what has created a perfect environment for frogs, which are giving us today a concert that synchronization and loudness could be find inspiring even by the members of the Boston Orchestra) or all the fuss that is inevitable while doing a large scale packing and gifts buying that makes me feel so sentimental. But honestly it's not a bad feeling. Not at all. I heard ones that if you want to judge your past year, think about the events that had happened to you during last 365 days (in case it's not a leap year of course). If your memories will make you cry or laugh, it means that you live your life and you can not say that it was a bed period or wasted time. And when I think about my last year, spend in Taiwan, I can't stop but both smile and cry, mostly of happiness.
I've arrived to Tainan totally alone, I didn't know anyone (not to mention that I didn't know a traditional chinese writing system, because till that time I've been studying simplified version of it), I didn't know where to live or where to eat - sadly, my first dinner here was at Subway. I felt like if I was illiterate, not being able to read anything. I have to admit that at the beginning I also had a problem with understanding local pronunciation. So, as usual for the beginnings, it was not easy. But then... Sometimes I can not believe that that many good things can happen to one person in such a, relatively, short time and that so many dreams can come true. I meet here friends and people whose words, actions and feelings towards my person really touched me, giving me unforgettable memories. I have seen thousands of really wonderful places - I've been to my dream trip around South -East Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam with it's Halong Bay that I was dreaming to see since the first time I saw Indochine and, what's also important, I was accompanied by the men much more handsome that Vincent Perez [SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!] and Cambodia, where I've witnessed a sunrise in Angkor Wat
at Christmas Day), I've travelled to Korea to be on my friend's traditional wedding, I fell in love with Hong Kong and I travelled around in Taiwan. I experienced (actively) all of the Chinese festivals, from which my favorites are Lantern Festival (because of incredible scenery) and Dragon Boat Festival (because boat racing is really fun). I've improved a lot my Chinese and thanks to that I feel more and more comfortable with this language. I've found a goal in my life and I get to know what I really want. I ate a lot of new dishes, some of them really bad - but food is a crucial element of each of the cultures, so... I had no other choice :) I saw a full lunar eclipse. I've gone to a real fish market at a really inhuman hour. I saw a ceremony dedicated for Confucius at 4 am (!!!!!!!!!!). I've started my marathon training and during my races i made friends with old people who are training tai qi in the parks. This year my passion  and adventure with photography started. But all of it won't be that awesome if I wouldn't find one more thing. Love. A true love, that comforts, but doesn't want to poses. Love, that gives inspiration and makes you believe that everything's possible. Love, that make you smile all day long.
Yes, I can openly and definitely say, that this year was absolutely amazing. I know that this kind of "sum ups" are more popular on 1st January, but for me arriving to Tainan was much more important break through that a change of one number in dating system. Now I just can't wait to see my family and friends and come back here full of hope, that the next year would be as great as this one was. Or maybe even better - dreams don't have limits indeed :)

The land of chrysanthemums - Penghu Islands

Lava from the eruption of Datun volcano, which happened around 10 millions years ago, created a little archipelago of 64 islands in the Taiwanese Strait. This place happened to be my favorite (at least till now) spot in Taiwan and the place of one of the best holidays ever. That place is called Penghu, known in the West as  Pescadores, and for local people as 菊島 (Jú dǎo), Chrysanthemum  Island. For me it is a Flower Island, since countless kinds of flowers can be find literally everywhere, including purple bindweed on the beach and succulent plants in the graveyards.

The adventure with Penghu starts during the cruise from Taiwan, when you can observe clear water changing it color from light turquoise, through sky blue to deep navy blue, while the strong wind ( that's the reason Penghu is a surfer's paradise) is playing with your hair. It can be definitely less pleasant for those who suffer from seasickness - and I was, unfortunately, in both of the stages.

      

Penghu is extremely tourist friendly, both because of its people and one of the best signposting system in the world - it is really a challenge to get lost in here. The best way to explore the islands is by scooter - and riding a scooter is an attraction itself, especially for those who had never done it before.

Chrysanthemum Island has a lot to offer - beautiful beaches, rock formations, fisherman's villages, aquarium, amazing seafood, cactus fruit flavor ice creams and thousands of huge temples, which can be find absolutely everywhere. It doesn't mean that Penghu people are more religious than other Taiwan's habitants. It is just a 'religious' version of keeping face, not being publicly humiliated or accused of stinginess. So if one family sponsored construction of the temple, the other rich family needs to catch up with them. And according to Chinese tradition, which works also for gifts giving, the second person must dedicate bigger amount of money. Result? One little village has two enormous temples in the distance of less than 500 meters.  If you're seeking foe religious enlightenment - you won't find a better place :) And what's even better - those temples are almost always empty, hence perfect for shutterbugs!!!

Three of those temples deserve a special attention. The first one is the oldest Matzu (goddess of the see)  temple in Taiwan. The second - little, hidden shrine with hundreds of statues of Buddha, with an amazing keeper, who does not worry at all about language barrier. Last but not least - the Baoan temple, placed under the banyan tree, that according to the legends is 300 years old and is the biggest and the oldest tree in all Penghu archipelago. The origin of the tree is hidden in legends, but it doesn't change the fact that a temple and shadowed yard in front of it are a great spot that gives 'oriental' atmosphere and makes you feel like you really ARE in Asia!!!

    

We were very lucky, because the day of our arrival was the last day of the Fireworks Festival - a relatively new event, without deep meaning, which is just one one the high season attractions in the island. Show gathers both tourist and locals - and no wonder, because it was the best fireworks I've ever seen (and according to my reliable source of information - better than the Disneyland show).

Just to sum up - I love Penghu and it became one of my favorite holidays/long weekends destinations. We were staying in a great room with the enormous terrace and windows on three of the room's walls. We were waking up with the view to the sea and - surprise, surprise - to a temple. We had an amazing seafood lunch (for 5€!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) that included pumpkin seafood noodles, ballon fish, squid, clams and a lot more that unfortunately I can not name (I'll blame my place of birth, were seafood is still the most expensive dish, with not a lot of varieties). We travelled the whole day on a scooter, getting tanned (and sun burned in some places). We play in the beach, we ate tones of ice creams, fresh fruits and the best noodles ever. We saw a sunrise and than we went to the morning (starts at 4 AM) fish market.

       

We simply enjoyed it, probably more than we would enjoy a holidays in any luxurious resort. I'll recommend Penghu to anyone who likes beautiful places, not crowded by tourists, with reasonable prices and a lot 'to do' activities.

History will teach us nothing?

 As shown many times by countless records of the history, the most fatal events are caused by indecision. The world's most powerful empires collapsed because of wavering, second thoughts and shilly-shallying. One of the most spectacular example of this kind of turn of events is the story of Chinese Empress Dowager, Cixi, who was unofficially ruling China for almost 50 years, till her death in 1908.
 Her adventure with the emperor's court started when she was chosen as one of the emperor's Xianfeng concubine. By plotting and bribing servants, she became emperor's favorite and soon she gave him a son, the most valuable thing a women could have offered. Her position at the court rose very quickly and soon she started to rule the country 'behind the curtain'. As claimed by Puyi, the last emperor of China, Cixi did not care about anything but power, and she was using laws and codes as she pleased, but never treating them as something to stop her actions and decisions. She considered herself the wisest women ever, smarter even than queen Victoria. Although her conspiratorial actions gave her almost authoritarian power over 400 millions people, her conservatism, ignorance and blind self - confidence, brought China to so called century of humiliation, when foreign forces gained more and more power over the country. As a result, the Middle Kingdom undergo through wars and invasions, the Qing dynasty collapse, China lost its political and economical position and, consequently, was being forced to sign unequal treaties, open their market and give up some of the Chinese territories, for example Taiwan.  A lot of modern sinologist claim that today's Chinese people patriotism and pride of economical progress are the results of the last century events. It's the first time since more than 100 years, when Chinese people can be proud of their achievements and, what's probably even more important, are being admired by the nations which caused their misery.
 Many an opportunity has been lost to indecision, and for me, a modern Sinophile, a Cixi example seems to be more  convincing that the ones of Western history - and believe me, Polish one could give me countless names and events.
 But coming back to indecision and its consequences - I have made my decision. I think quite important one and, to be honest, the first one in my life, that might seem to be a little bit unreasonable. I have decided to stay in Taiwan and to try to realize my dream here. I have a lot of things to fight here for and some of them are absolutely priceless for me. The biggest problem is that till now I didn't have to fight to much for anything, everything was comparatively easy. But there must be always the first time, right? Well, mine has just begin :) Decision has been made, so at least the stress of hesitation is over. one less thing to worry - is't it a good beginning of the fight?

Honour, Bravery and Motherland

 Honour, bravery and motherland - those three words are supposed to be something like Polish motto, that is commemorating courage of Polish soldiers and civilians fighting in countless war and uprisings for independence of the country. Well ,as nice as it sounds, I believe that nowadays no one pays attention to those virtues. As one of so called 'demotivators' claims : 'Before it was an honour, bravery and love for your country that make people talk about you. Today it is stupidity that puts you in the centre of the attention.' In spot of current events I strongly believe that today this motto belongs to Japan.
 Personally I am not the biggest fan of The Land of the Raising Sun, although I do really like Japanese art and architecture. What scares me a little is the strict code of behavior, that regulates all of their lifes and deprives them from spontaneity. I do realize that this is a huge generalization, that Japanese society is evolving and that of course there are an exceptions, but that is not my main point. What I want to say is that something you can not accuse Japanese of is luck of honour and love to their motherland.
 The whole world was terrified by the news from tragic earthquake and tsunami. We were also touched by reports of  5 years old kids preparing themselves calmly for the evacuation, a prime minister who gave up his salary, all of the citizens that were not trying to make a business on other people misfortune. But what I do really admire is the fact that lately Japanese pensioners volunteer to replace the stuff working in Fukushima. They do not try to be a heroes. They are just very practical and they can see further that their noses. The explanation they gave claims that since it takes up to 20 years for thyroid cancer to attack one's body, they will not even have chance to get sick, so what is the point of letting that many young people who have kids and all of their life ahead to such a big risk?
 The collective way of thinking of Asian countries always wonders me and make me realize that we, so called westerners, could learn so much from others. Since, as claimed by Churchill, nothing better that democracy had been invented so far, why won't try to make it closer to perfection? Maybe some new, less selfish values would be helpful in the process.

Taiwan in a word

Two days ago I participated in a mandarin speech contest for foreigners. I had to choose one chinese word -or rather,to be more precise,one chinese character - that in my opinion describes Taiwan the best. I have chosen a  word FAITH (信). And although I was a little bit disappointed  -  first of all, I didn't manage to get to the finals, mainly because I got totally stressed out when I was on a stage and, second of all, since content was supposed to be the crucial criterion for speeches valuation, I haven't even suspected that "hot" and "beautiful" might be winners - I put in my speech all my heart and my real, honest beliefs, that were not motivated by any intentions for winning the first place, even if it means to pay the price of saying something you are not really convinced about just because you think that someone wants to hear it. I am proud of my speech because from the very beginning I knew what the word is gonna be, and there are my real emotions and feelings hidden behind each of the word. Because of that I am totally convinced that it deserves to be published, at least at my very own blog :) So, here it goes:

There is a word describing a distinguished human feature - the feature that we lack in the modern word of technology, rush, anonymity and chase of money. That special feature makes us dream and gives as a desire for life.
This word is FAITH. In Poland we say: faith makes wonders. I strongly believe that we should take those words into our hearts.
Please take a look at the character. It component's are 'person' and 'speech'. (I do realize that this part is kind of unclear for those who don't speak Chinese, but believe me - it makes sense :). Then I decided to choose that character, I realized (definitely not for the first time) how amazing and meaningful Chinese characters are. There are two reasons why I have chosen this character, among thousands (or as foreigner student very often beliefs – millions) of others, to describe Taiwan. Both of the reasons refer to faith. But there is something more.  The first reason has connotation with people, and the second one – with ability to speak. Coincidence? I don’t think so…

信任 TRUST, HAVE FAITH IN

Taiwan is commonly known as Beautiful Island. Portuguese sailors, discoverers of Taiwan, used that name for a first time in 1517. The name was given because of astonishingly beautiful scenery viewed from the ship. And although Taiwan has all of the features that make that name adequate nowadays – let me just mention eastern cost, forest of Alishan and breathtaking Taroko Gorge – I strongly belief that today’s Taiwan beauty is its people. Their disinterested and selfless help offered in any occasion, now matter if you asked for it or now, and capacity of enjoying the most valuable thing we owe – our life – bring me back faith in people and better future for our world. That experience, for me, is priceless.  

自信 BE SELF CONFIDENT

I am totally convince that almost all of foreigners, who are trying to break the mystery of Chinese language, got to the point then they realized that the key to that secret, if exists, is very well hidden. I had that feeling when I arrive to Taiwan. I was saying to myself – I have been studying Chinese for 3 years, I have filled hundreds of pages with Chinese characters, and… I am going to a restaurant and a menu could have been written as well in Turkish or Armenian and my level of understanding would be probably the same.

But than I met two people, who brought me back faith and self-confidence - those are teachers from National Cheng Kong University Chinese Language Centre – Yang Tingting and Liang Bizhen. Thanks to them I am still working to improve my speaking Chinese abilities and what is important  - I can see a progress!

There is a motto describing Taiwan: ‘Taiwan will touch your heart’. A friend told me that it is not touching our hearts but our souls. And I thing that both heart and soul would be touched by Taiwanese people. They will bring you back or increase faith in people. 

Although, as I said before, I didn't qualify for a final round, I think I manage to obtain something more valuable - I really managed to touch someone's heart... One of my school teachers happened to be in Taibei in the day of the competition and today she gave me a self - made diploma, which says that I am the best. It looks like something that seemed to be a failure turned out to be a personal success. What more than generate somebody's strong emotions a future writer can be dreaming about?