Taiwan Haiku

As many of you know, I am a runner. What many of you don't know is that I compose haiku (three lines Japanese poems with 5, 7, and 5 syllables in each respective line) to help pass the time while knocking back the miles. I ran several kilometers most days while here in Taiwan and the following is a haiku I wrote about the many motor scooters that I was constantly dodging while running. Enjoy.

Scooters on the streets
like leaves in the autumn wind.
Chaotic beauty.

Karaoke

So everybody knows that Karaoke is THE thing to do out here for fun. There are signs all over the place for KTV which indicates that it's a Karaoke bar. You go in, get a private room and hang out with your friends and sing! What could be more fun? Now what everybody may not know is that at almost every restaurant we've been to there is a t.v, microphone and book of songs ready to be selected and butchered at the drop of a dime. Ok, maybe not everyone is doing the butchering but I sure am. And another thing you may not have known is that these large tourist buses cruising around the countryside are well equipped as well. It has almost become the norm for a sing along to break out on our way home, or to breakfast or anywhere for that matter. Performance of the year definitely goes to Ansony for his version of "My Girl". So one last thought before I sign off for the last time on this blog. It is common knowledge that people tend to "fudge" some lyrics when singing along to their favorite songs. Well, here they love The Eagles "Hotel California". My favorite line so far, and yes we have heard multiple people say this lyric, is....."Mirrors on the ceiling....Pink champagne and rice". Classic

District 3510 Conference March 16th and 17th

GSE: Gift Screw-up Experience?

Before this GSE trip we did our homework and learned that gift giving is an important part of Taiwanese culture. As such, we spent a lot of time individually and collectively purchasing small gifts to give while here in order to honor this custom. While our gift giving experiences here have largely been positive, we have definitely committed some gift giving faux pas many times.

Allow me to first share just a few good gift giving etiquette tips that we've learned. Give and accept business cards with both hands. Don't shove the business card into your pocket (or at least not in front of the card giver...wait until later). Admire the business card for a few seconds. Especially with respected people, dignitaries, etc. don't give a nicer gift than they give you or give them a gift unexpectedly when they can't reciprocate. When taking photos during gift exchanges (very important part of the process), there are specific places where the giver and receiver need to stand. Give gifts in gift bags it you can- especially red ones (red is a lucky color here). And so much more.

It is said that sometimes we learn best when we are learning for our mistakes. If this is true then our GSE team is becoming experts on this topic. We've definitely committed many errors of gift giving protocol (including many described above plus a few others). We have often felt unsure or ourselves during gift giving situations and sometimes quite embarrassed after some gift exchanges because we totally had a Gift Screw-up Experience. But we've been learning from our mistakes and getting better all the time as we continue to acclimate to Taiwanese culture. Fortunately the Taiwanese people are lighthearted, kind and forgiving, which has helped to make our GSE experience (no matter how you define the acronym) an incredible one.

Home study

Today we were fortunate to have Rotarian Brandon and wife Lulu share their amazing home with us. Brandon's home us full of antiques from the Ching Dynasty and was designed by him as well. He had so many interesting pieces but I think what I enjoyed most was the opportunity to enjoy a quiet afternoon in the home of a fellow Rotarian. Chatting and getting to know them a little better. Thank you Brandon and Lulu and thanks to President Vincent of The Rotary Club Kaohsiung Grand Harbor for making this one of our most memorable days.

Visit to Pingtung National University

This college sits on a beautiful 300 acre campus. Most of the majors are vocational in nature. They have many agricultural programs, degrees in animal training and woodworking and design. They also have an endangered species conservation area where students can earn various degrees. I was very impressed with the woodworking department. The work they were doing was amazing.

Vegetarianism in Taiwan

If there is one country in the world where I wouldn't mind being a vegetarian it would definitely be here. As a caveat, we've figured out that a vegetarian meal isn't exactly what we've grown to expect. Often it includes a wide variety of fresh, tasty, locally grown vegetables including lotus, exotic mushrooms, bamboo, baby corn, etc. However, my favorite vegetarian dish has got to be the broiled whole fish that comes served up over a hot flame. No! Actually I think it's the pork rump that I just can't get enough of. No, no no, it's definitely the sizzling beef strips served on a bed of scallions. Wrong again, my final decision is that it's the black (not blackened) chicken that comes out in a piping hot soup broth. Ok, so I can't decide which of these delectable meats are my favorite part of the vegetarian meal. I guess we can all agree that they are all delicious and that even when our hosts tell us that we're going to have a "vegetarian meal" it may very well include any and every meat that your little heart desires, as long as vegetables are somewhere on the table. Yesterday we had a "real" vegetarian meal which was completely 100% satisfying. However, on our way back in to town we drove by an area that is famous for it's pork legs. We ended up with a 3lb bag of pork just in case we were so inclined. What wonderful hosts we have had each and every day here. The Taiwanese Rotary family is so generous and hospitable. Any time we open our mouths and express an interest in anything it's like the world stops and they would walk over fire to make it happen. Oh and one last tid bit of knowledge that was new to me. Those who follow the teachings of the Buddha adhere to a stict vegetarian diet that actually does not include meat. Nor will it include garlic or onions. They say it excites the system! Who knew. ciao, off to district conference!