16. TMU |
From December 31st, 2009 night to January 1st, 2010, I stayed at my dormitory because I was sick but I did not miss to see firework from Taipei 101. My dormitory is new and has only 7 rooms. I live with 6 international classmates and the 4 Taiwanese friends. It quite near Taipei 101, around 15 to 20 minutes, but I cannot go through the crowd of people at that night. First time, I thought I want to go to see the fireworks from Taipei 101 at the mountain near my dormitory that quite clear to see Taipei 101. Although, this period is the time to prepare my final examination but if I went there, I would be fresh and charge the engine of life before it, the sickness cannot predict, but it not bad at all, I could watch Taipei101 from television and stick the news from Thailand by internet until midnight. After that I went out from my dormitory to see the fireworks from Taipei 101 with my neighborhoods. We stood in front of our houses along the street and saw the fireworks through out of the building, it was very beautiful. More... |
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During the new-years eve, a lot has been said about Taiwan regarding the new-years preparation, at the 101 building (second tallest in the world) we have seen a lot of people coming with there foodstuff as it was said that people have to be at the site earlier than 12 midnight or else there will be no space for every one, thus we left for the site by 11:00pm waiting to see the display of the fire works.
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It was a glorious night in Taiwan, and my first new-years experience outside my country, I went with friends and colleagues’ to Taipei 101 to witness the display of fire works that last for few minutes, before we finally work down home to our dormitories.
 The first Taiwanese food that I tried is “Tea Leaf Egg” or (Cha Ye Dan) form ICDF orientation lunch. First time I think it is like Thai food that calls “Khai Pha Loh” that made with some spices but when I ate I just know it is made with tea. And also this period, I knew and tried many kind of food from Shi Da Night Market and also at the other night market as Tonghua Street Night market, Raohe St. Tourist Night Market, Shilin Night Market like:
Braised Snacks (Lu Wei), include a variety of items that are cooked in braised sauce made with special herbal ingredients and often include chicken wings, tofu, seaweed, pork blood cake etc.with a strong herbal scent and have special taste that is like none other.
Spicy Hot Pot (Ma La Guo), The mouth-watering hot pot soup is seasoned with hot spices and has a variety of hot pot ingredients such as meat, cabbage, mushrooms, corn etc.the ingredients are often with dipping sauce for extra favor.
Salt Pepper Chickens (Xian Su Ji) are deep fried chicken pieces seasoned with salt, pepper and basil.
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 Before I came to Taiwan, many friends advised me that the foods here were different. They never explained why, so I came with a vague idea about the nature of the food stuff, surprisingly it was the other way round.Taiwan has many traditional foods; among them ‘chow fan’ is my favorite (fried rice), it consist of vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, sweet pepper, and onions it can be combined with any type of meat that one prefers such as chicken , pork, beef or sea food, all these ingredients are fried with white rice that have already been cooked, some soy sauce and other seasonings are placed to give the meal a better taste however, chow fan can also be eaten as vegetable fried rice if one does not eat meat.
Very nutritious, most of the essential nutrients that one needs is present in this dish. Is an attractive meal due to the combination of colors of the vegetable, the dish is affordable and accessible.
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 Different but delicious…, it’s hard to imagine that something with such an awful odor could be so tasty; this is the case of Chou Tofu, or Stinky Tofu which I prefer to call it. Found most often at night markets and roadside stands, Stinky Tofu is a popular Taiwanese dish made from fermented tofu. It can be served in various forms, including steamed, stewed, cold or my favorite deep fried topped with soy sauce and vegetables.I have tried many Taiwanese foods but the one that stands out most to me is the Stinky tofu. Perhaps it’s because of the odor which I don’t like. Usually it is the smell of the food that makes you desire the food more, but ‘stinky tofu” is unique, it has a very strong odor. Some have described the smell as, Child poop”, “Hellacious,” and have gone as far as to say, ‘Not eating that… over my dead body!” But I was courageous, a good friend took me to a popular chou tofu restaurant to have dinner, I was overwhelmed by the smell but after some encouragement from a good friend, I finally got the courage to try it. So, I ordered the fried chou tofu which doesn’t have such a strong odor. When the order arrived it was a huge contrast between the smell and the taste. It was not bad at all. I couldn’t believe it. A couple days after I tried it again and it tasted even better. Ever since, Stinky tofu has been a regular I enjoy.
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Taiwan is a big developed country of Asian continent, located several thousand km far from BURKINA FASO. Thanks to relationship between TAIWAN and BURKINA FASO, TAIWAN as in the past gives every year scholarships to BF students permitting them to study abroad. Having that opportunity arrived in Taiwan since August 23th, 2009 for two years studies in international nursing master. Before coming in Taiwan we had some good ideas of this country which name is famous in working hard with courage for the development.
 My name is Nadjy Joseph and my Chinese name is Qiao Nai Qi. I come from an island in the Caribbean called Haiti.I have the chance to get the ICDF scholarship for a master degree in health care administration in Taiwan. I was so happy and I was expecting to discovered many things about this country.
Before coming to Taiwan, I made some research to get to know exactly this country where I am going to live for the next two years. My research tells me that Taiwan is an island like Haiti, off the eastern coast of China between Japan and the Philippines. It is about the same size as Belgium where I went twice and its total area is 35, 801 square km different than my home country Haiti who have 27,750 square km. Taiwan was given the name “Formosa” means “beautiful island” by the Portuguese explorers 500 years ago when they first saw it. Another thing that I learn is the official language on the island is mandarin not Chinese like I taught and the two most important cities of Taiwan are Taipei, where I’m going to live and Kaohsiung.
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 CULTURAL SHOCK EXPERIENCESWhen I first set foot in Taiwan, I didn’t have the slightest idea what I would encounter. All I knew for sure is the general concept everyone has about Asian people: slanted eyes, black straight hair, and thinly built. So, I knew that I would be seeing doubles because everyone would look the same to me. I, however, came with an open mind to learn more about their lifestyles, food and traditions. I thought that this would be the secret in overcoming what most students fear when going abroad to study- CULTURAL SHOCK!
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 On August 23rd, 2009, I departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok, Thailand) at 08.25am and arrived to Taoyuan Airport at 13.00pm to join with Taiwan ICDF orientation period start on August 25th, 2009. First, I am not only depressed but also homesick so much because this is the first time in other country. After two days, I knew more friends from many countries (most from Central America and Africa) so I feel better. Because I think, this is a good opportunity to learn more each other and exchange some culture, life style and language between Eastern and Western.More... |
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When it’s night, it’s day, but it’s the same time.
The moment I arrived in Taiwan, I entered a parallel universe. I had spent 2 days travelling from my home in St Kitts and Nevis to Taiwan, 21 hours of direct flying time to reach the other end of the globe, to experience an atmosphere rich in culture and full of friendly people eager to make you smile; a different but life enriching experience.
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