6. Final Thoughts

Tomorrow is our last full day in Taiwan. In this last week of the trip, we learned how to make a Chinese knot and Chinese opera masks, went to the National Palace Museum, and visited the Raohe Night Market in Songshan. In my Chinese class, we also took our last test and prepared our final farewells.

Over the course of our stay in Taipei, I learned many things about the culture, language, and history of Taiwan. I saw that Taiwanese people are sometimes warmer and more open than I am used to seeing in the U.S. and in Mainland China. For example, at the beginning of our last week, our Chinese teacher made great efforts to make our goodbyes special, passing cards around for everyone to sign, taking pictures, and arranging for karaoke on the last day.

Outside of Chinese class, our culture classes provided additional insight into the culture that Taiwan and Mainland China share through products and practices such as calligraphy, the Chinese knot, and opera masks. Going to the National Palace Museum and seeing historical bronzes, ceramics, jades, and pottery allowed me to better understand the depth and length of Taiwan’s shared history with Mainland China. At the same time, being in the crowded museum and witnessing the differences in behavior between Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese people showed me how differently the two cultures have diverged in modern times.

One of the things I was most interested in exploring in Taiwan was the night markets. In Taipei, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Hualien, I was able to visit several different night markets to see the differences in taste and size in night markets of different geographical areas. The Raohe Night Market that I visited on Wednesday had many stalls and stores selling merchandise other than food, which contrasted with some of the other night markets I saw in Taipei (although the larger markets outside of Taipei, in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Hualien, had many arcade and clothing stalls). Being in the crowded night market at night, shopping for dinner and clothes at the same time, made me feel like I was really taking part in the nightlife experience of Taiwan.

Tonight, many of us will be doing some last-minute souvenir shopping and preparing for our final reflection speech for tomorrow's closing ceremony. Tomorrow, we will also be attending a function and eating with our professor's family.