While the journey was long (24 hours of travel), we were all excited to meet one another and finally get to our in-country placement: Taiwan! In preparation for our specific Fulbright experience, we each read fiction and nonfiction, watched films, and listened to podcasts that helped us begin to understand the fascinating history, culture, and complex politics of Taiwan. I traveled to China ten years ago and wondered how Taiwan would be similar and different? I've also been to Israel and wondered how the political situation would feel on the ground. 

For our first full day in Taipei, a couple of my fellow Fulbrighters organized a trip to the little town of Jiufen. Somehow, I had missed learning about this ahead of time, so I didn't know what to expect. Given my state of travel exhaustion, I was hesitant to go. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to roam around the neighborhood, maybe get a foot massage and investigate saunas or hot springs. However, I suffered from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and went along for the ride. Physically, my overall feelings were worsened by my motion sickness for the last 20 minutes of the Uber ride to Jiufen. However, it is often true when traveling that one cannot predict everything and it's good to leave things open to serendipity. I'm glad I did. 

The town was lovely. Less than an hour east of Taipei (see map below), Jiufen proved itself to be a great way to begin our experience in Taiwan. This mountain village with narrow streets, souvenir shops, and tea houses got us out in the sunlight, walking around, tasting food, and talking to one another. There are unfounded claims that it was the inspiration for Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away." Japanese Director Hayao Miyazaki, himself has debunked the assertion, explaining that he has never even traveled to the town and that a Japanese town called Dogo Onsen in Ehime. In the late 19th century, during the Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945) the Japanese DID transform the little village into a locally discovered gold rush capital. Undoubtably, they had an influence on the town's culture, architecture, and infrastructure. I, of course, loved learning the history.

My fellow Fulbrighters were wonderful as well. There was a cohort who really liked cats -- I was not one of them -- and they stopped at the Houtoung Cat Village. I was happy to arrive early enough in the day that the Jiufen streets were still fairly empty: it was the slow-roll that I craved. All those cats would have creeped me out somehow. This day was an important opportunity for all of us to get to know one another a bit more, as we figured out how to manage travel logistics, exhaustion, hunger, and how much we each like to shop! Additionally, it was not far away, so it was easy to return to the hotel and nap before dinner.

One of our most interesting stops was at the Jiufen Shengming Temple (see photos in IG post above). Technically, it is a Daoist temple, but in no way matched my classroom characterization of Daoism as being "simple and living in harmony with nature. Any one/thing that drawn attention to itself would not be following the Way of the Dao." This temple, in fact, was brilliantly colorful and filled with detailed statues, all comparing easily with the most vibrantly ornate Hindu temple in India. These decorations depicted dragons, warriors, fierce spirits, and scenes of divine battles, showing the values of loyalty and heroism. What I learned later is that traditional temples in Taiwan demonstrate a mixture of influences under one roof: Daoism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism, and Taiwanese folk religions. Daily practices usually include morning incense offerings and personal prayers of health, prosperity, and family wellbeing. These are usually intended to invite positive energy and center the mind for the day ahead. 

While in Taipei for our first few days, we unsurprisingly indulged in delicious food: a welcome banquet at Hungkan Dim Sum, a reserved VIP at the famous Din Tai Fung at the base of Taipei 101, and of course, at a night market whose name escapes me. We were taken on guided cultural trips such as a visit to the National Palace Museum, the Shung-Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and Liberty Square, and the Dadaecheng Historical District. We also learned more about the history of Taiwan, the varied Fulbright programs in Taiwan, and how essential the US-Taiwan relationship is from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As someone who is gluten and dairy-sensitive, I was frankly surprised by how much gluten and dairy there was in Taipei! Somehow I thought more rice than wheat flour would be used in cooking. Our initial breakfasts were at the Notch Cafe Bending each morning -- an absolutely lovely cafe that served up beautiful coffees in a charming setting that could accomodate all of us at once. While they did serve oat milk, they didn't have anything to eat without wheat bread! The next morning, I first stopped at the 7-11 next to the hotel, to purchase a delicious sweet potato and hard-boiled eggs. I loved being part of the morning hustle to work, watching carefully how locals selected their food, carried it to the register, and paid for it electronically.m

Prior to traveling to Taiwan, I learned that Taipei is considered a "sponge city" -- "an urban planning model that uses nature-based solutions—like parks, wetlands, and permeable pavements—to absorb, store, and slowly release rainwater rather than relying solely on traditional concrete drains and pipes. [1, 2, 3]" This concept and practice is super-interesting to me because as an ancient history teacher, my students and I engage in learning about early city-building, natural resources that shape those civilizations, and the governments that manage all of it. At the end of the school year, we spend multiple weeks going in deep on an interdisciplinary project called "Future Cities," where groups of students must design and build a futuristic city that manages stormwater, made only of recycled goods.

Of course, I was immediately intrigued with the beautifully-designed (even whimsically) manhole covers! I find it fascinating when a society makes art in the most pedestrian places -- like the safety cover to access the sewer or electrical systems underground. Also very whimsical, are the waste management trucks, of course! Playing Beethoven's twinkling "Fleur-de-lis" to invite residents to bring out their garbage seems to counter the miserable feeling most Americans have about the stink of garbage in the US.

We spent two full school days at the KIST (KIPP-Inspired School in Taiwan) charter school in rural Yuli township. It is in its 9th year as a public charter school, run by a foundation. KIST has taken over 13 "dying" schools in Taiwan. In this location, the regular public school was struggling because they were losing teachers and students. The birth rate is declining and it's difficult to get teachers to the rural area. Students tend to be children of rural, indigenous, and new immigrant spouses.

The school's targets include building:

• confidence and resilience across all students,

• multi-cultural competence = world citizens,

• independent learners who are critical thinkers and

• students who make good choices.

Because students choose this school, they and their families make the promise to buy in to the philosophy and the workload. The higher expectations include "no shortcuts to success" and a full day everyday (other public schools in the region are half day). They utilize every moment of the school day, as rural areas do not have many cram schools for students.

The classes we visited were very well structured. Every teacher gave super-clear directions about how students should move around the classroom, how to manage materials, and how to behave (although that was clearly embedded deeply across the school). While students were compliant, they also had time/space to be goofy. Some classes had 25 students, others 10, and the 6th grade had six boys. Most were learning English, as the Taiwanese national government has "primary English language education goals center[ing] around the ambitious Bilingual 2030 Policy, which aims to elevate national English proficiency, boost global economic competitiveness, and remove language barriers in international trade and governance. The core framework shifts English from a traditional academic test subject to a practical tool for daily communication and instruction. [1, 2, 3, 4]"

This school seemed unusual from what historically has been considered typical in the Asian context: it is collaborative, not competitive, has a "growth mindset" woven throughout the curriculum and how teachers continue to hone their craft. Constant coaching is provided for teachers (esp. because many are not certified, but come through Teach for Taiwan). The overall school culture is caring, which supports safe learning for students and teachers. Teachers clearly enjoyed their students, although administrators also said, "our teachers are exhausted. We don't know how to solve this problem." 

We spent two days visiting the two campuses of a private Catholic school in Hualien City. This school, and therefore the classes were much larger than those in Yuli: the primary school classes ranged from 16-31 students on the day we were visiting, while the high school classes averaged in the upper 20's to 42 students in a class. In most, but not all classes, students sat in tight rows and in many they used microphones. I was told that students who score low sit in the front, near the teacher. Spots in each leveled class are competitive, as a student could move up/down to another level at the end of each term. Grades and rankings were very public. Everyone seemed to know what number they were.

The typical school day was from 8 or 8:30am until 4pm. High school students continued to "cram schools" for a few additional hours on many evenings. While students were tired and stressed, they were very friendly and polite to our group of Fulbright teachers. The principal had worked in a Taipei school for 31 years, then retired to Hualien, saying that they kids are more outgoing, and willing to smile and talk. He said that the rural families tended to be more down to earth and less compttitve than in Taipei, where they are far more stressed ("We focus more on multiple intelligences than social status."). The legacy of the nuns who used to teach at the school has been to pass on values of compassion to everyone. He thinks that private school teachers work together more often, whereas teachers in Taipei are more competitive with one another and move if not "successful." 

We had the opportunity to serve as an informal AMA (Ask Me Anything) panel in one of the high school English classes. A few of the most memorable questions were: 1) Is it true that American students have no self-discipline? [Me, eyes wide open in surprised amusement: "Well, yes... and no... it depends. We have the full range of students in our public schools..."] 2) Do Snickers bars in the US have more sugar than they do here? [I don't know, but I would assume so because everything in the US has more sugar."]  3) What do you think about the future of AI and how students should be learning about it? [I'm super-concerned about the future of AI. I worry about whether or not people will have the critical thinking skills to be able to question AI's conclusions. I worry about if people will congnitively offload too much. I worry that governments will not put guardrails up to control rogue actors.  AND I think that we all need to be engaged in the conversation about how to recognize AI, how to use it ethically, and how to guide it's usage so that we continue to have democratic governments and decision-making.]

We asked if we could eat lunch with the high school students in their lunch room. The food, of course, was healthy and delicious. We shared photos of our families (they had special permission to have their phones on them that day), pictures from our schools, and information about where we lived. Being very interested in student voice and agency, I asked them if they could change anything about their school, what would it be? One student said that she'd like to NOT go to school 12 hours a day, so she could do art or sports. When I asked what they'd be willing to give up or cut out, they couldn't answer. The education system's expectations are so deeply culturally engrained, they cannot imagine giving up anything if they want to get anywhere in life.

We had a couple of very special experiences learning about the Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples: 1) at the Stella Maris Ursuline High School and 2) in the town of Ceroh. These were spent learning about history, language, music, culture, food, craft, and traditions.

In the town of Ceroh, we were scheduled for a day of cultural activities with the Amis people. "Driven by the 'Milpaliw' (mutual aid) spirit, the tribe offers cultural tourism featuring five-color painted rice and traditional arrowroot harvests to preserve ancestral flavors." We tried our hands at designing patterns with the colorful rice, braiding the "love" bag straps, making fermented rice wine, and eating the most delicious food in all of Taiwan. We were treated to more singing and were told that it was rare for anyone to ever sing alone, that it was a community activity (click above left to hear the music).

At the high school, there is a weekly two-hour block of time built into the schedule, where students are able to choose to go in deep on a topic of their choice. For some students, this is an independent art project or science experiment and for others, it could be to participate in the small group global studies course or the experimental indigenous class. Students from the latter class created and presented a powerful presentation for us. They shared about their languages: their grandparents sometimes speak their native languages, but their parents usually do not. The Taiwanese government is beginning to hire teachers to travel to different schools to introduce indigenous languages to the school-age population. Students shared small objects of importance to their traditional beliefs: antlers, beaded necklaces, small handmade "love" bags, woven materials, instruments, and pipes. Students then sang us a song that they had written -- from their combined cultural heritages. It's hard for me to explain why it brought me to tears, I suppose due to the youthful sincerity of the singers, perhaps the ancient sounds, and the complete awe I felt observing their pride, and the challenges they must experience (click above right to hear the music).

We were lucky to be able to sit with the students at lunch and hear more about their lives. We also had fun merging our student guides from the Global Studies bilingual class, as the two groups of students didn't seem to know each other well. One student said, "We have 16 indigenous groups in Taiwan; how many do you have in the US?" I was stymied and couldn't imagine the correct answer: 35? 75? I Googled it and was surprised that in the US we have 575 federally-recognized Native American and Alaskan American tribes! I love that travel to other places helps me learn about my own home!