Entering the third week of classes, my studies are steadily busy. I spend a great deal of time studying new characters and preparing for the next day's class. I still feel as though I am trying to find the most efficient way to study. Honestly, it can be frustrating, and at times "circuit overload." However, little by little I notice my Chinese improving, making all the hard work I do now all the more worthwhile.
I do want to share some of the highlights from the past two weeks.
Located just minutes a way from the school by taxi, the Ri-Xiang Farm is a popular place. Besides being an organic farm, Ri-Xiang is also a restaurant, crafts workshop, and garden.
All the food prepared is organic, the vegetables and fruits are fresh, and they offer buffet lunches or ready to order entrees. Comparatively, a bit pricey, about $10 per person for the buffet, but worth the experience and taste.The school took us there as a field trip, so we were given somewhat of a VIP experience. T
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let us dig for our own yams, which we could take back to cook. Gave us a tour of the gardens with information on each plant (took a while). Fed us, best part. And gave us a craft project of building a small sprouts garden box. It was a fun experience, except, digging in the heat was not fun. 
But, I found a yam. (This picture of me digging reminds me of Michelle Obama's gardening with the kids at the White House photo shoot. I am just posing with a shovel, with my man bag still over my shoulder.)This last weekend I went to Costco and FangJia night market. Briefly, Costco in Taiwan is much like Costco in the US. I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but I did manage to snap this shot of shoppers wheeling their carts down an escalator.
Costco here was two stories, the bottom floor was food and car services, and the 2nd floor was shopping.FangJia night market was much similar to my earlier post on Shilin night market. FangJia is Taichung's largest night market. The only really cool thing I wish I could have taken a picture of was a traditional Chinese clothing store. They wouldn't let me take pictures either. They had some very unique and beautiful clothing. Lee-Chew, one of the UPS students, bought a qi pao (traditional Chinese dress) - which cost her about $150 US.
According to the CIA World Factbook, Taiwan's 2008 estimate for average GDP per capita, based on Purchasing Power Parity, is $31,900 US. Compare this to China's 2008 estimate of $6,000 US. Without having to do much investigating, one could deduce the standard of living in Taiwan is a little higher, and so is the cost of living. Therefore, what I have found to be true is that expendable/disposable purchases are actually relatively more expensive than say food. Buying a shirt in Taiwan, depending on brand, can range anywhere from $2-3US to over $50. Not much different than the US, especially if we think about what plain T-shirt can run in the states. The best value in Taiwan is definitely food, excluding any imported goods. For example, I bought a large box of Nature Valley Trial Mix Bars that would sell for about $9.95 at Costco US, but I probably paid $12-13 for the box here in Taiwan. Evidently, Costco in Taiwan doesn't sell many Taiwanese breakfast/snack bars (don't know if a Taiwan company makes any?). Almost all snack foods were US made.
While on the subject of what things cost, I looked into tutoring English to earn some side money. After talking with US students who have done this, there is money to be made tutoring English. This is where having a higher GDP per capita pays off. One can earn about $400-$700NT per hour tutoring English, depending on education level. I have posted fliers around Tunghai University for tutoring English at $450 per hour (about $13.70 an hour). There is an added benefit to this. Not only can I earn money, but I can also discover a little bit more about the Taiwanese perspective on international issues, culture, etc.. Not to mention, meet new people.
Another bit of exciting news, while browsing the internet for what a road/triathlon bicycle would cost in Taiwan I came across some interesting information about the bicycle industry. Here is an interesting link on where bicycles come from, and what determines where a bike is truly from: http://allanti.com/page.cfm?PageID=328
In short, what I discovered is that most bicycle frames come from Asia, with the higher-end frames originating from Taiwan. That being said, I went online to find bicycle companies located in Taiwan. I just so happened to find this company: http://www.agogobike.com/en/company/?aid=1
Agogo Bike Company is located in Taichung, just minutes from the school. I sent them an email asking to visit their factory and learn a little bit about how bicycle frames are built and assembled, in addition, asking how the bicycle industry has transformed from once a hand crafted art to a factory produced product. I would really like to find out how bike companies from China and Taiwan compete and/or work together. Before coming to Taiwan, I applied for a research grant to study the "direct three links" between China and Taiwan. These links are direct air and sea travel, direct postal shipping (not having to go through Hong Kong), and standardized agricultural and food safety regulations. Still researching this topic, I could focus my attention on the bicycle industry between China and Taiwan. Both countries' bicycle industries have exploded and have continued to remain large producers of bicycles, once mainly for general transportation, now broadened for specialized sports, such as triathlons. Now that China and Taiwan have more cars of the road, and with the advent of more efficient public transportation, bicycles have dropped from being the number one way to get around the city. I rarely see people riding bikes for transportation here. People will either take the bus, drive a car, or usually they own a scooter.
Sorry for the lack of photos on this one. I'll post more as I continue to experience.
- Ryan
