Today we started the day with a class session in which we meditated, reflected on our experiences in Taiwan so far, and showed what we learned by crafting two essays. I found the hardest part of the assignment to be describing the role that religion plays in economics and the extent to which it has an influence in the business realm. Although this was challenging for me, I found the activity to be helpful in the sense that I really had to think about and draw connections between business, religion, and what we have learned so far about the history and culture of Taiwan. This enhanced my understanding of the connection between religion and business and has caused me to start noticing religious shrines or Talismans that are present in most businesses.
After class, we took the MRT to Zhongshan to do some quick shopping and have a quick lunch. We stumbled upon this small local restaurant run by a single woman. The woman who owned the restaurant inherited the business from her mother, the founder, after she passed away. The food was, of course, delicious! We also encountered a friendly customer at the restaurant who helped us order our food. I think it has been super awesome that the general crowd of people here in Taipei have been friendly so far. After lunch Kyla and I headed back to the Ximen district to try coffee from the famous Fong Da coffee place with Professor Chen and Professor Young. Even though Professor Chen thought that the coffee tasted similar to Sheetz coffee, Kyla and I really enjoyed the coffee and being able to spend time with the professors. We plan to go back and buy some coffee beans or tea to take home!
Our afternoon activity consisted of a tour of the NTU, National Taiwanese University. We started the tour at the NTU main entrance gate which was designed during the Japanese colonial era, so the style of the gate is reflective of that. I remember the students saying that the gate acted as a physical boundary and symbol of NTU, connecting the university and the surrounding city, and the space in front of the gate was commonly used for student activism and expression. Two things that I particularly enjoyed seeing during this visit was the athletic complex and the library. It was exciting to finally see a pool again and I thought it was cool to see a small glimpse of the World Masters Games. I also enjoyed visiting the library as it was cool to compare it to Bertrand Library! The thing that I thought was the most fun about this visit was that we had the opportunity to bond and form friendships with the students we met. We chatted about the animals that we owned, sports that we played, and got to ask them about their experiences as students at NTU. We even connected with many of them on instagram.
For our evening adventures, a few of us ventured all the way north to the last stop on the red line. We were able to see the pacific ocean and walk around the more beachy area. Although we did not spend much time there, I still enjoyed being able to see the beautiful mountains and ocean. I even collected a few shells to bring home with me!
