On Wednesday July 14th we went to the Hsinchu science park. We we met by a beautiful lady at the main building. We followed her to a meeting room where she gave us a presentation on Hsinchu science park and the future outllok of science parks in Taiwan. The presentatiion was quite impressive. It showed Taiwan's transition from an industrial country into a high tech hub for the world.
Taiwan's economy will benefit greatly from all of the science parks. They are focusing more on high tech and innovate products that have higher profit returns. Also, this will help get Taiwan more recognition from other countries. We took a bus tour of the Hsinchu facility and got to see buildings for some of the biggest companies in Taiwan. These companies along with the Taiwanese government have put a lot of investment into Hsinchu and the other science parks. There is little if any government interference with the business operations of the companies.
The future looks bright for Taiwan.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Temple in Taipei
Since coming here I have been meaning to see some unique buildings or places. One such place is a temple. I entered a small temple in Danshui and was amazed by its beauty and style. Esther walked me through some guidelines, for example, you have to walk in through the right entrance and have to walk out the left side. The middle door is not to be used. You could smell the essence from the burning wood as people were praying. Later that day, Stanley told me that a main temple rests in Taipei. After hearing this I had been longing to see it with my own eyes.
7/18 Sunday Morning - Stanley being the nice and cool guy that he is offered to take us to Taipei to show us around the city and take us to the temple. We meet at seven-eleven and go eat breakfast, our whole guy group, Stanley and Abby(Stanley's girlfriend). After breakfast, we socialize for awhile and try to figure out our plan. Some of the guys want to use their free time to do some work so we have to part ways. We take a cab to the train station; me, Stanley, Abby, Ivan, Matt and of course Ankit(picture man). We take the train to the MRT transit and take a subway to Taipei.
We arrive in Taipei and the excitement rises. Stanley asks us to follow him so we follow Stanley. As we follow Stanley he points out various places and gives us information. And then we see the temple, even from a distance it stands out. The elegant style and vibrant colors make it a sight to see. We walk through a gate that seems to be made of gold into a beautiful open area. On the right side there is a waterfall and colorful fish swimming in the water below it. We walk through the right gate into an area with some shops. As we keep walking we come to a big open area with a temple in the middle. There is a pot in front of the temple where wood is burned. You could see people praying both in front of the temple and the burnig pot.
We walk around the temple and come to some rooms with statues of gods. Each god reperesents a different aspect of life. While behind the temple we notice a man staniding there and throwings these wooden objects on the ground. We find out from Stanley that he is praying and the way the objects land gives the person an answer. This was very interesting but the best part of the temple was coming up.
Matt and I walked upon a shop in the temple area and bought some beads. Stanley and Abby gave informed us of a blessing ritual that most people do when they buy beads. Abby accompanied us to the front of the tempe in the middle of the square. We prayed in front of the temple and then took our beads to the burning pot and made three circular motions over the pot. So now I currently wear blessed beads.
The whole temple scenario was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot about another religion and culture. I'm gald I got to see it. Thank you Stanley and Abby.
7/18 Sunday Morning - Stanley being the nice and cool guy that he is offered to take us to Taipei to show us around the city and take us to the temple. We meet at seven-eleven and go eat breakfast, our whole guy group, Stanley and Abby(Stanley's girlfriend). After breakfast, we socialize for awhile and try to figure out our plan. Some of the guys want to use their free time to do some work so we have to part ways. We take a cab to the train station; me, Stanley, Abby, Ivan, Matt and of course Ankit(picture man). We take the train to the MRT transit and take a subway to Taipei.
We arrive in Taipei and the excitement rises. Stanley asks us to follow him so we follow Stanley. As we follow Stanley he points out various places and gives us information. And then we see the temple, even from a distance it stands out. The elegant style and vibrant colors make it a sight to see. We walk through a gate that seems to be made of gold into a beautiful open area. On the right side there is a waterfall and colorful fish swimming in the water below it. We walk through the right gate into an area with some shops. As we keep walking we come to a big open area with a temple in the middle. There is a pot in front of the temple where wood is burned. You could see people praying both in front of the temple and the burnig pot.
We walk around the temple and come to some rooms with statues of gods. Each god reperesents a different aspect of life. While behind the temple we notice a man staniding there and throwings these wooden objects on the ground. We find out from Stanley that he is praying and the way the objects land gives the person an answer. This was very interesting but the best part of the temple was coming up.
Matt and I walked upon a shop in the temple area and bought some beads. Stanley and Abby gave informed us of a blessing ritual that most people do when they buy beads. Abby accompanied us to the front of the tempe in the middle of the square. We prayed in front of the temple and then took our beads to the burning pot and made three circular motions over the pot. So now I currently wear blessed beads.
The whole temple scenario was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot about another religion and culture. I'm gald I got to see it. Thank you Stanley and Abby.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Night Market
When I first stepped into the night market I was amazed. I have never been to anything like it. So many places to see in such a packed area. It was very crowded but it wasn't a bad thing. You can find anything, I mean anything at the night market. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time at the night market.
Taiwan
AMAZING! FREINDLY! BEAUTIFUL! These are some of the words that I feel about Taiwan. When I first came here I didn't know what to expect. I was very excited and enthusiastic but was unsure how we would be welcomed. Well now I know. It's like I never left home. Every person in our class or people we meet elsewhere are super friendly and treat us like family. My only issue is not staying any longer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)