Isla
Formosa - The Beautiful Island
Where do I begin describing this amazing
journey I had, together with my girlfriend Martine, in Taiwan from February
until the end of August? Like this picture above, the adventure on the isla
formosa was colorful, exotic, local and full of life.
Prior to departure in early February, neither
me, nor Martine really knew what we had set out to do: live in another part of
the world for 7 months without really knowing the language, the culture or
anyone in the place we were visiting. If was frightening, but equally exciting.
Sitting at about 4000 feet is Jiufen, the city
shown in the photo above. Jiufen is a picturesque city in the mountains north
of Taipei. It is a very popular tourist destination as it is a unique
representation of Chinese-style architecture combined with the extraordinary
nature that gives Taiwan the nickname “The Beautiful Island”.
One of the thing that surprised me was the big
presence of buddhist religion and culture on the island. Seen by the photo
below from Dharma Drum Mountain Monastery and National Park, there any many
Buddha statues around Taiwan and the religion has a very big presence among the
local inhabitants of the island.
It was very neat to be able to visit some
temples around Taipei and the island. We really got a local sense of the
culture and emerge ourselves with the local traditions and cultures. The photo
taken below is from a famous temple on the west-side of the island in the town
of Lukang (鹿港鎮). This is among the most famous temples
in Taiwan and it has a very vivid historical aura about it when you visit. It
really gave me a new perspective about what the buddhist culture and tradition
was about.
The architecture of buildings around Taiwan
was completely new to me, as I am used to wooden houses and a more maritime
style from home in Norway. Below is the Chiang-Kai-Shek Memorial hall, it is a
landmark in Taipei and a must visit spot for tourist visiting the island.
Needless to say, cold Norway does not have
palm trees. It was very fascinating to live in a place that was very tropical,
as seen by the trees at our campus, National Chengchi University below. The
school had 18000 students and is the 2nd best university in all of Taiwan. It
is located in the southeastern part of Taipei that has 5 million people. To say
that going from 500 people in a Norwegian village to Taipei is a contrast is a
massive understatement.
The photo below shows downtown Taipei and the
famous Taipei 101. To live in a city that was so vibrant, full of time and a
constant huzzle and buzzle was for me a very neat experience. There was always
24hrs restaurants, endless shops to find things and a lot of stuff to do.
Compared to Norway, Taiwan had very cheap prices on food and drinks, as well as
activities and shopping, at least the local souvenirs. The international brands
had similar prices to the states and Norway,
One of the definite highlights from the trip
has to be the food. Taiwan is a melting pot of Chinese cultures and the food
was mind boggling in its variety, flavors and tastes. Needless to say, most
meals contained rice or noodles, together with some small dishes like pork,
chicken, beef or fish together with mixed vegetables. Thought it took some
time, I am an avid user of chopsticks and I was quite successful in using them
by the end of the trip.
To be able to go out of your comfort zone and
experience loving somewhere where everything is foreign was equally challenging
as it was rewarding. Looking back, I feel very fortunate that I was able to
have this journey and I find it more rewarding when I know I came here through
PLU`s study away programs. I would strongly recommend everything to travel or
live abroad, it is a great experience and it really puts things into
perspective. You will end up looking at your own culture in a whole new light
and have a very unique outside-looking-in perspective about your culture and
your values you have learned to know.
