Life | 生活

October 17, 2024

I promise that, although work is a big part of life right now, I still find time to do things that bring me joy. Pursuing my interests and passions here in Taipei has been a great way to keep myself busy and meet some new people.

I’ve really enjoyed playing in orchestra. In my first post, I mentioned that there were two orchestras in Taipei that I planned to check out. During September, I rehearsed with the National Taiwan University Alumni Symphony Orchestra on Saturday afternoons. Our rehearsal space is on the 7th floor of this building that we go through the back door of a 7-11 to access. When I say it like that, it sounds really sketchy, but it’s honestly kind of cool; it feels a little Alice in Wonderland-esque. Getting to rehearsal is a whole different story…the space is located along the MRT line in New Taipei City that was significantly damaged during the major earthquake in Taiwan last April. As a result, it takes about an hour and a half to get to rehearsal on public transportation. Thankfully, I’ve only had to take the train/bus one time because my stand partner offered to carpool with some other orchestra members and me. I’ve really appreciated his generosity in taking me to and from rehearsal.

We were supposed to perform Brahms 4th Symphony on October 4th, but our concert got rescheduled due to a typhoon day. I’m set to perform with them this upcoming Saturday, October 19th at Zhongshan concert hall in Taipei, a very historic hall built by the Japanese during the 1930s. I’m looking forward to it! It’s been fun to get to know a few people in the orchestra.

The 7-11 door to rehearsal (in hindsight, a somewhat boring photo)

A couple of weeks ago, I checked out the other orchestra, the Taipei Civic Symphony Orchestra. Their rehearsal space is in this tiny basement that is not very well set-up for a full symphony orchestra to rehearse. It’s quite cramped, but we make it work. TCSO is made up of amateur musicians and music teachers. The caliber of playing is quite high, and I was quite impressed. The group has been around since 1999 and has done performances all over Taiwan and even overseas! They’re planning a trip to Morocco for next August…not sure if I’ll be able to go, but we’ll see. It’s very expensive and it’s difficult to take time off of work. I have three concerts on the calendar with TCSO, two in December and one in February. In December, we’re playing Rachmanoniff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a couple of Offenbach overtures, Vivaldi Winter, Brandenburg Concerto no. 3, and a couple of other pieces. One of our concerts is in Chiayi, a city in south-central Taiwan, and the other is in Taipei. I’m perhaps most excited for our February concert which will be performed in Taiwan’s National Concert Hall. We’re going to perform Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 and Brahms Symphony No. 4 (it’s a Brahms party)!

Something I’ve appreciated, especially about TCSO, is the sense of community in the orchestra. Although I’ve only been to two rehearsals, I’ve made a few connections with some of the members, and people have made an effort to welcome me as a new member. It’s been so inspiring to meet amateur musicians who are much older than me. Our concertmaster is an investment banker. A lady sitting next to me told me how she bought her violin when she was 18 and after college didn’t pick it up again for 20 years. Our principal cellist is from the Netherlands, moved to Taiwan 30 years ago, speaks fluent Chinese, and is a Dutch professor at a local university. My stand partner is a med student.

A very silly panorama taken on my first day of Taipei Civic Symphony rehearsal. As you can see, the rehearsal space is quite cramped, but everyone is happy! Try to spot me!

My experience of music and community in these ensembles has been somewhat different than my experiences in college (obviously, I guess). I loved my time at St. Olaf, and the more rigorous musical environment pushed me to become the violinist I am today. I learned so much about solo, orchestral, and chamber violin playing through the dedication of my professors and through my peers. My experience in the St. Olaf Orchestra was especially meaningful and filled with community— my role as president of the council, going on tour, and playing Christmas Festival at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis are some of my most treasured memories of my college experience. St. Olaf celebrates high-level amateur musicianship, but I didn’t see a lot of examples of amateur musicianship after college during my time there; I heard stories from non-music majors that they loved their time in their ensembles at St. Olaf, but stopped playing because they didn’t have the time, couldn’t find community in amateur ensembles, or felt that the quality of amateur ensembles wasn’t high enough. These stories made me afraid that I’d never find a good orchestra to play in and that I’d just quit violin forever, making the 14 years I’ve spent studying music feel like a waste. The past 7 weeks of rehearsals with the TCSO and the NTUASO have inspired and encouraged in the following ways as I’ve met musicians from all walks of life:

High-level musicianship is possible and accessible to me after St. Olaf (something that I, somewhat irrationally, had trouble believing was true).
If I stop playing violin for a period of time in the future, it does not mean it is impossible for me to start playing again.
Amateur orchestras also have community, it just looks different from my musical community in the St. Olaf Orchestra.

Yay music and yay orchestra!

My other big activity outside of work is swing dancing. Taiwan has a surprisingly vibrant Lindy Hop swing dance scene, and I’ve really enjoyed getting involved. I’ve gone almost every week since starting work and have met some fun people! Everyone’s been super welcoming; I’m starting to remember people’s names which opens up more opportunities for connection! I also invited my friend Lukas and my coworker Evelyn to join me a few times. One of the reasons I love swing dancing is the social aspect of the dance. Although it’s a partner dance, you’re never expected to show up with a partner. At swing social dances, I dance with different partners for each song. There’s a whole set of etiquette for this, of course. The first time I went to a social dance in Minneapolis, I was really intimidated by the idea of dancing with random people, but now it’s a lot of fun! Swing dance socials are a great way to be social and have fun without knowing a lot of people—perfect for young people who’ve moved to a new city and don’t have a lot of local friends.

SwingTaiwan

At Friday social dance with my friend Lukas

Friday social dance with Lukas and Evelyn

I’ve also had my first Chinese class with my new tutor. I’m working with her 1-on-1 to improve my professional Chinese and daily conversation abilities. My first class was great, and I’m looking forward to continuing with her! Princeton in Asia is providing me with some language grant funding to cover about half the cost of my classes which is really helpful.

I’ve gotten back into running! Sometimes it makes me feel like a twenty-something having a midlife crisis, but it’s overall been really good. I enjoy getting outside and moving my body after a long day of sitting at work. My most memorable run was during a typhoon! Don’t worry, it’s not as dangerous as it sounds. Two weeks ago, we had two typhoon days which usually give us a day off of work. However, since my company is hybrid, I still had to work from home. I was so stir-crazy by the end of the second typhoon day, that, after assessing the weather outside and noting that it was barely drizzling and not too windy, I decided to run a couple of laps around Da’an park near my apartment.

Typhoon

Me in the typhoon (nothing much to see here)

I took a little trip to Taichung for the Mid-Autumn Festival back in September. Hannah and I met there for the day which was a lot of fun! We saw a snoopy-themed 7-11, visited a museum with a conservatory that was very cool, ate tasty food, and drank bubble tea. The best part of the day was leaving refreshed after spending time with a sweet friend.

Hannah and me

Really cool indoor rainforest place

Day incomplete without fruit tea (it was so hot outside)

I also checked out a Taiwanese baseball game with some Princeton in Asia folks at the beginning of October. The game was truly unlike anything I’ve experienced in my life. It was heald in Taipei Dome, a massive indoor baseball stadium. When the home team is at bat, cheerleaders dance on top of the dugout, and words to each player’s individual walk-up song are projected onto the jumbotron. The song plays for the duration of the at-bat (to give you a sense of the atmosphere, I've gone to the trouble of uploading a video to YouTube for your enjoyment). When the away team is at bat, the stadium is relatively quiet with the exception of the away team’s cheering section in far-left field. I didn’t have much investment in the outcome of the game but really enjoyed spending time with PiA folks and munching on Taiwanese fried chicken.

Taipei Dome

PiA folks including Sam and Makaela, my fellow fellows

Anyway, these are just a few of the more major happenings of my life outside of work. I’m thankful for the people I’m meeting along the way and for the connections that have enabled me to join these communities.

With love from Taiwan,

Miriam

P.S. Food and boba updates are live!