After eating a delicious breakfast at the Riverview Hotel, we headed to our first company visit of the trip – the American Institute in Taiwan. Because the US doesn’t officially recognize Taiwan as an independent country in order to avoid direct hostility with China, there is no embassy on the island. Instead, AIT acts as a de facto embassy, where Americans can go if any issues arise during their stay. AIT’s main objectives are to make the US stronger, safer, and more prosperous, promote Taiwan’s resilience, bolster Taiwan’s security, and expand Taiwan’s connectivity. The main focus of our time at the institute was commercial relations between Taiwan and the US. The two nations heavily invest in each other, with Taiwan being the US’s 7th largest trading partner – a surprising number given Taiwan’s small size and lack of recognition as an independent country. The visit was really interesting and provided a lot of insight about how the US and Taiwan interact with regards to commercial service. Later that day we also visited a supply chain management business, where we learned about the rather detailed and tedious process of manufacturing products and items. After coming back to the hotel and taking some time to relax and cool down from the heat, I ventured into Taipei on my own, where I explored the numerous shops in the city and got a better grasp for navigating the city. I had a really fun time going into malls and convenience stores and seeing what kind of things were being sold, and I even found a few places I’d like to revisit later on. I’ve also begun planning out what kinds of food and places I’d like to try and visit at some point during my time in Taiwan, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to get to some of these areas as I continue adventuring the country!
