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La La Shan

Welcome to the Mountains
The overnight trip to LaLa Mountain was legendary.  It was great to have a trip with the group together and enjoy some great activities together. 
The drive to the mountain takes about three hours.  One of the students got carsick so we had to take him back to the dorm which added over an hour to the drive.  Thanks buddy.  Once we finally reached our destination, we could immediately tell how different the mountains are from the city.  The air is thinner and less humid.  It was also a little rainy and foggy so their were times when we were literally walking through the clouds. 
The first stop was a village where some of the Native Taiwanese people live.  They served us lunch of fresh whole fish and wild hog.  All the food had great flavors and we ate it straight with our hands.  After lunch we made a traditional dessert where you pound sticky rice into a thick paste and dip it in black sugar.  Very fun and delish.  After eating, people took turns singing songs from their native country.  Because we have such a diverse group, we heard songs from Taiwan, Vietnam, Kurdistan, Brazil, and India.  Next we took a tour of their christian church where Esther and Danny played some classical music in the sanctuary.  Finally, we toured the Elementary school where K-6 attend.  The school really focused on the local region.  They are extremely in tune with the nature around them.  They study local bugs and insects, grow local vegetation, and even have a lily pad pond to raise tadpoles.   I would have loved to go to school there.  Dr. Jih explained that because they are an aboriginal group, they receive more governmental funding which allows the school to do all it does and have such a low student to teacher ratio. 
Finally it was dinner time and we had a traditional Taiwanese dinner.  This is the 4th time I've been to a restaurant like this.  There is all you can eat rice, and then they bring out lots of dishes that are served family style.  Some of the common dishes are a whole fish, whole cooked shrimp, day lily soup, goat, bamboo, mushrooms, cabbage, roast duck or chicken, and lots more.  One of the difficult things to get used to is that the Taiwanese don't always have a drink with their meal.  Sometimes you get a small cup of tea, but whenever i would ask Dr. Jih if we could order a drink, he would say, "That's what your soup is for." haha. 
After dinner we all loaded up on snacks and went back to our rooms which were really awesome. It was amazing to get to sleep on a real mattress.  This was the only night that the girls and guys got to hang out past 11pm and get to know each other better.  I invented a sumo wrestling game that I'm thinking about bringing to the states. 
The next morning we woke up to have a traditional breakfast...but me and Becky had to have some real food so the cook make us toast, fried eggs, and peanut butter.  It's a good thing too because next we took a 10K trek across the mountain.  The scenery was absolutely gorgeous.  The main attraction of the LaLaShan nature preserve is the old trees.  They are giant trees ranging from 400-2800 years of age.   Literally some of the trees were around in 800BC which is unreal.  The United States has only been a country for more than 200 years so that tree was 14 times older than the USA.  WOW!!  Although there was a steep incline for the majority of the hike, the trails and stairs made it safe and easy to navigate. 
Some of the most interesting parts of the mountain is that the main crop is peaches.  There are peach stands everywhere.  The mountain is also home to a species of monkeys which love to eat peaches, so while we think monkeys are awesome, the farmers don't love them so much.  The peaches are delicious and quite expensive.  Along with just fresh produce, they make a variety of peach products.  One i tried was peach honey tea which was delicious.  The peach wine and liquor is a little on the strong side.

Hot or Not!!!

Things about Taiwan that are Amazeballs:
1. Bubble Tea - Tea that has these little chewy balls at the bottom made of sweet tofu.  so rad.
2. Night Market- You can buy everything here! Yeah, love it. 
3. People - The people here are so kind and will bend over backwards to make sure you get the full experience.  I seriously owe so many people but they won't ever allow me to pay them back. 
4. Adorable kids - Everyone here is gorgeous in general but the kids are cheek pinching adorable.  Especially if they are little nugget chubby faces.  PS - they are scared of giant blonde chicks. 
5. Skin protection - Guys and girls alike work hard to keep their skin white.  They wear sunblock, longsleeves, carry umbrellas, and even use skin whitening creams.  I know the reason isn't just to be healthy but i'm sure it's why most asians look so young!! 
6. Prices - Wow the cost of living here is amazing.  From what we have learned, most people save 40% of their income, pay for their kids college, and can still afford to live comfortably.  You can have an amazing multi course meal in a restaurant for around $4. 
7. Style - Everyone here dresses so cute.  There are a lot of bows, leggings, dresses, hats, giant glasses, floral prints, scrunchies, lace, and hilarious t-shirts.  Guys even carry murses. 

Things I could def live without:
1. Floor Toilets!!!  I don't get this.  Last time I went to Lowe's, toilets were like $40.  Why would you subject yourself to this mess?
2. Driving.  If you have road rage, don't come here.  Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way so you nearly get hit by a car or moped on a daily basis.  Also, no one stops unless there's a redlight. 
3. Humidity - It gets hot in the summer in the south, but you could cut through the air here with a butter knife. I think there is about 5% oxygen in the air. 
4. Stinky Tofu - This is hilarious to the Taiwanese...i guess they're used to the smell.  This is a real street food and it smells like ass. 
5. Wifi - All the FREE wifi here requires a login and password....ugh...where would i get this??
6. Sizes - It's really hard to find sizes in clothes other than small and extra small.  Not that I think you should cater to obesity like we do in America...but come on!!
7. The Bed Situation - Mattresses here a like a chunky comforter.  Not to sound like a brat, but you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, why not go all out on a mattress??? 

Misc. Can't decide what I think of this stuff.  It could go either way.
1. Masks - Most of the time when people where a mask it's for good reason, they are sick and don't want others to catch it or they don't want to breathe in the exhaust from cars and mopeds.  It's still kinda hard to get used to though.
2. Health Inspection - There are some restaurants and other establishments that would not pass health codes in the US of A but we still ate there..and the food was good.

Night Market Syndrome

So most cities in Taiwan have a night market.  This is when people open up their stands in front of the normal stores in the street and sell food, clothes, souvenirs, accessories, just about everything you can think of.  It opens around 5pm every single day.  Being the shopaholics we are, Becky and I frequent the night market every single night until the very last second when we have to get back to our dorm for curfew at 11pm.  (PS - the night market is directly behind our dorm so it's a little too accessible.) 

Last night we were walking back to the dorm after dinner when Becky, who has a BS in microbiology so she's a legit scientist discovers the phenomenon of "Night Market Syndrome".  It's the urge you feel every night right before bed to go buy something, no matter what it is.  You must make a money transaction before you are locked into your dorm.  Becky's fix is a milkshake from Tip of the Iceberg, a dessert stand by our dorm, and Cosmed, and drugstore we also frequent.  Mine is usually any accessory with a bow or some black tea. 

Even if you don't need anything or couldn't possibly eat or drink another gram of food, you have the strongest urge to go buy something.  You'll find any excuse to make your way over to the night market to go buy something.  You find yourself digging through people's conversations, waiting for any chance to suggest visiting the night market. 

Examples:

Person #1 - "I bought my girlfriend a bracelet in Taipei 101.  What do you think of it?"

Me - "I need to buy some more souvenirs for my family.  I'm going into this shop real quick."

Person #2 - "Does anyone have plans tomorrow?"
Becky - "Hey do you want to go get a watermelon drink...I think I'm gonna go get one. Yeah I'm going." 

We're not sure what kind of treatment would work best for this illness.  Once we leave Taiwan, it will obviously be harder to find the types of goodies we have grown accustomed to here, and especially at such low prices.  I'm thinking about checking myself into rehab when we land in Nashville so I don't end up going broke or gaining another 50 lbs once i get home and am not confined to my home at 11 every night.  

I'm sure case studies and much more research will need to be done before this issue can be cured for good.  Good luck everyone.   

Fun Little Saturday

Saturday we visited some great landmarks in Taipei including the National Palace Museum, Taipei 101, and Freedom square. 
The National Palace Museum was interesting because it showed art that is exclusive to Chinese Culture.  One of the wierdest things in the museum that is also probably the most famoust is the Jade Cabbage which is bok choy made out of solid Jade. 

From the museum, we headed over to Taipei 101 which is the tallest skyskraper in Taiwan.  It's over 101 stories tall.  Inside is a full mall that has every designer you can think of (just about).  I was able to land some Dolce & Gabanna flats for 60% off.  Best day so far. <3  Some of up bought tickets and rode the elevator to the top.  The elevator took us up to the 88th floor where there was a 360 inside observatory.  The elevator went so fast that my ears popped.  It only took about 40 seconds to go up more than 80 stories.  From the inside observatory, we took the stairs up to the 91st floor where there is an outside observatory.   This was a lot more fun.  There was a great breeze so we were able to stay up there a while and take tons of pics.  After all the shopping and site seeing, we finally ended up at Freedom Square. 

This is a great area with tons of asian style architecture and landscaping.  There were tons of locals and tourists walking around.  This is the square a lot of people go to to watch the countdown and fireworks at Taipei 101 just like Americans do at Times Square. 

Presentation for A Whole New Mind

Field Trips!!

Tuesday we went to Taipei and toured the Taipei Rapid Transit Co. and the Traffic Control Center.  Between the two, they control the metro system, buses, trains, bike rentals, ferries, parking systems, everything having to do with transportation in Taipei.  It was really interesting how smooth everything runs, and how dedicated they are to lowering their carbon footprint.  On the videos we watched, they said about 45% of all citizens use public transportation to get around.  That's amazing!  I would totally take the bus to work but it would take about 90 minutes each way, and really not be any cheaper than paying for gas..so if you ask me that's not a great system.
Here's a more detailed account of this field trip if you're REALLY interested in public transportation.  http://bachungli.pbworks.com/Classwork#

We also visited some other places like Taipei's tallest (or maybe longest) bridge called the Valentine's Bridge.  The legend says that if you walk over it with your significant other, you will break up.  How romantic.  Here's my lovely artsy shot of the bridge. We went to a really large night market and also for a ferry ride.  My favorite part: seeing the Turkish Ice Cream man.  He was all big and sweaty and was singing and serving up ice cream from a long stick.  Then Danny, our Taiwan guide and amazing cat says, "Oh yes, that is Turkish ice cream man, he will do tricks for you". So sweet. 

Anywho, Today we visited Hsinshu Science park which is kinda like Silicon Valley in California.  It's like an all inclusive city where all the businesses are high tech companies.  This park alone developed over $27 billion on revenue last year, which was actually a 20% drop from the previous year due to the economy.  All the industries there fall into 6 categories:

• Integrated Circuits
• Computers and Peripherals
• Telecommunications
• Optoelectronic
• Precision Machinery
• Biotechnology

Some of the companies you might recognize are Acer, Logitech, and Dupont.  The reason the city of Hsinchu was chosen over other areas is because of the universities which also call the city home.  These universities filter graduates into the companies.  Most awesome thing developed there: the computer chip that was created for Furbies. 

First Impressions

The first impression of Taiwan is that the people here couldn't be nicer or more helpful.  I'm learning a lot about hospitality...and I thought the southerners were supposed to be hospitable.  We've been included and invited to outings with our classmates and people we met at the Chungli Toastmasters club.  Last night we went to a Bowling Alley, Arcade, Batting cages, and Restaurant with a group of 20 made up of MTSU, PSU, CYCU, and Toastmasters.  Not only did they drive us around so we wouldn't have to pay for a taxi, but they kept buying us arcade tokens so we could play all the games we wanted.  On the right is the photo of our group at the restaurant.  There were over a dozen different dishes for us to try. 

Some other funny things i noticed is there is a 7 Eleven on EVERY corner.  They aren't gas stations, just convenient stores.  Other than the random McDonald's or Burger King, the American influence is a little more subtle.  Most of the music is imported from the US, and the majority of people's clothes have English writing on them but Chinese is definitely the most prevalent.  The photo on the left is one of my favorites.  It took us a few minutes to figure out this is a movie theatre.  All the posters look almost hand painted instead of the standard movie posters we're used to.  See if you can figure out which movies they are advertising.  As a Mass Communications major, I am trying to relate experiences here back to communications and the media. I still need a research paper topic!! 

All in all it has been a good trip.  The heat and humidity are out of this world uncomfortable.  You're are drenched in sweat from the moment you step outside.  I've had trouble with communication.  I didn't bring a laptop...my cell phone broke....I can't figure out how to use my phone cards....and i can't find wifi for my ipod very often. Other than that....things are good. It's just a very different culture but all the obstacles are worth the reward. 

Check it out, we all have matching polo's! haha

Taiwan Idol

I hope I get to meet this kid.  He sings better than Whitney Houston.

Hot, Flat, and Crowded

In this liberal friendly account, we learn why the world is hot, flat, and crowded, and some possible solutions to the problems we face as a global society.

Sucess Made Simple

This is the tale of how Amish entrepreneurs beat the odds against failed business and a look at some of the factors that might add to their success.

Chapter 1 - Eye to the Horizon. 
Success can be attained first by having a vision which is key in an amish business.  You have to have some sort of overall goal other than just making money.  The prime reason for owning a business for many amish is to provide for their families and to have something to pass down to their children when they are adults. 

Chapter 2 - Getting Smart
This chapter looks at how amish are able to successfully run businesses require accounting, inventory, client databases, managing employees, bidding jobs, etc that other non-amish businesses use, but they only have an 8th grade education, not an MBA.  The answer, they work under a mentor for many years before starting their own shop, they read extensively, they try to learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others, go to seminars, and sometimes use outside consultants. 

Chapter 3 - Market Bound
The amish use sales and marketing like other businesses even though they aren't as flashy as what we're used to.  Some businesses have printed literature while others rely on roadside signs and word of mouth.  They find the most effective method is storytelling.  Because amish products don't usually fall in the low cost area, they are expected to be of high quality and last a long time. 

A Whole New Mind: Part Two
The rest of the book is divided into what Pink calls the six senses of R-Directed thinking.  They are high concept, high touch senses that can help develop the WHOLE new mind.  They are:

1. Design
2. Story
3. Symphony
4. Empathy
5. Play
6. Meaning

Chapter 4: Design is the complement to utility that makes the things around us not only work, but aesthetically pleasing.  One example is a toaster.  Walk down the small appliance aisle at Target or Lowe's and you'll notice that not only are their a wide assortment of reasonably priced toasters, but they are all designer.  I'm sure you'll see chrome ones, retro styles, and bright colors.  His reasoning is that you only use your toaster for a couple minutes a day, the other 99.9% of the time it's just sitting on your counter for you to look at.  So why shouldn't it be fun to look at? 

 

The remainder of the chapter talks about how design has crept into every facet of our lives.  Design isn't for just the rich and famous, but everyday people.  Even the low income housing here in downtown Nashville looks like a quaint subdivision with coordinating exterior colors and bright white trim.  Pink refers back to Target a lot, and their use of world renowned designers for their discount mass produced inventory. 

 

(Besides the photos and illustrations this book includes, another really cool thing is the Portfolio at the end of each chapter.  Behind the explanation of each of the six senses, he includes several exercises that can help you become more in tune with that sense.  It's worth buying the book just for that.)

 

Chapter 5: Story is a way for humans to make sense of the world.  If I were to ask you the plot of a movie you saw in 11th grade, you would probably be able to picture some things and give me an answer, but if I asked you a question about Geometry, something you studied all year in 11th grade, it may be harder to recall.  That's because our brains have an internal "story grammar" that help us understand the world through story.  We need things to have a beginning, middle, and an end and a way to connect all the parts in order for it to make sense and resonate in our minds. 

 

One example of how stories can be a matter of life or death is in medicine.  By simply diagnosing the symptoms a patient has, a doctor may be missing something important.  By listening to the patient, how they became injured, any factors leading up to that point can make a huge difference.  The example Pink used was the story of two postal workers who worked at the same location which incidentally had been exposed to Anthrax.  Both workers went to separate doctors and explained their symptoms, both mentioning the Anthrax.  The first man was treating only for his symptoms, sent home, and few days later died of Anthrax.  The second man, was administered tests, given antibiotics, treated for Anthrax, was kept in the hospital overnight, and survived.  The doctor of the survivor said she thought the man had pneumonia, but she listened to her patient and followed her instincts which ended up saving his life. 

 

Chapter 6: Symphony is another way of saying, seeing the whole picture.  This is probably my favorite of the six senses because i find myself thinking and saying this all the time.  "How does this fit into the big picture?"  "In the grand scheme of things is this going to matter?"  I find myself getting frustrated with people who fuss over minute details instead of looking at the big picture.  Pink talks about how the ability to draw usually means people use symphony. 

 

Symphony also relates to seeing relationships, crossing boundaries, inventiveness and making metaphors.

Chapter 7: Empathy is the act of putting yourself in someone else's shoes, and feeling what they feel.  It's different from sympathy because you're not just feeling sorry for them you are "feeling their pain".  Did you know that facial expressions are universal and Charles Darwin even wrote a very controversial book about how animals express emotion through facial expression?  In 1965, psychologist Paul Ekman conducted a study that proved facial expressions are products of nature rather than culture.  He showed photos of people making different facial expressions to other people all over the world.  From the bustling streets of Manhattan to the secluded tribes of New Guinea, all the people were able to come up with the same emotions based on the faces. 

Seven basic human emotions have clear facial signals: anger, sadness, fear, surprise, disgust, contempt, and happiness. 

There are many levels of facial expressions which are:

• Full and Intense
• Slight Expression- the first prickle of an emotion of failed attempt to hide an emotion
• Partial Expression
• Micro Expression - when a person is trying to hide their feelings

Another interesting fact, while men and women do technically have the same capacity for empathy, women are usually found to be more sensitive to the feelings of others.  In fact, when polled, both men and women say they feel more intimate, enjoyable, and nurturing in their friendships with females. 

Chapter 8: Play is emerging more and more as an important quality in life.  People are not just happy to have food to eat, and a roof over their head, but we also want to have fun.  This ideology is working it's way into the workforce as well...and why shouldn't it?  Aren't most of us more likely to work harder for a company and have more loyalty if we are having fun?  That's just my opinion. All i know if all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy...and who wants to work with that. 

"Humor represents many aspects of the sophisticated thinking required in automated and outsourced time.  And just plain laughter can lead to joyfulness, which in turn can lead to greater creativity, productivity, and collaboration." 

Chapter 9: Meaning

A Whole New Mind: Part One

Chapter 1: Right Brain Rising

In this chapter, Pink discusses how the brain is divided into two hemispheres and how these two hemispheres perform separate tasks.   The left side is similar to a computer.  It is able to solve problems, reason, and memorize thousands of practical things.  The right side is more creative and organic.  It can read facial expressions, innovate and imagine.  Together, the left and right sides allow us to function with the practicality of a robot while also emoting and understanding the world as only a human being can. 

Pink lists the four differences of the left and right hemispheres

1. L controls the right side of the body, and R controls the left side of the body
2. L is sequential and R is simultaneous
3. L specializes in text and R specializes in context
4. L analyzes the details and R synthesizes the big picture

Throughout life you may have been labeled as a left-brainer or a right-brainer.  Personally, I identify more with the right brain as I am left handed but also consider myself to be more artsy and creative than practical and detail oriented.  This gives us two basic approaches which Pink refers to later in the book.  L-Directed Thinking is an attitude to life this is characteristic of the L hemisphere - sequential, literal, functional, textual, and analytic.  The other is R-Directed thinking which is an attitude to life that is characteristic of the R hemisphere - simultaneous, metaphorical, aesthetic, contextual, and synthetic. 

Of course no one can get by using only one side of the brain but I'm sure most of us can identify more with one side than the other.  Which brain are you????

Chapter 2: Abundance, Asia, and Automation

Abundance - It's no shock that America is a land of abundance (and waste).  If you drive down any major interstate in the US, you'll start to notice clusters of the same stores and restaurants.  TJ Maxx, Target, Ross, Stein Mart, PetCo and Lowes seem to always be together in the same shopping centers.  I live within a 5-mile radius of three Wal-Mart Supercenters. Three examples of abundance Pink gives are:

• The "American Dream" is to own a home and a car.  2/3 of all Americans own their home and 13% of homes purchased are 2nd homes.  The US has more cars than licensed drivers.
• Self-Storage is a $17 Billion industry - a business devoted to storing the extra stuff that won't fit inside your house, garage, and attic. 
• The US spends more on trash bags than 90 other countries spend on everything. 

Asia - Everyone has heard of outsourcing.  Every time I call Chase Visa to try and get my late fee forgiven, there is an Indian person on the other end of the line.  But America outsources more than call centers and telemarketing.  There are hundreds of thousands of middle class Indians who go to a good college to get engineering and IT degrees who earn approximately $15,000/year for what the same employee would make $60-70,000/year in America.  They do just as good of a job, but are able to outsource to a country with a much lower cost of living. Notice the jobs that are being outsourced OUT of America are L-Directed thinking jobs? 

Automation - Outsourcing isn't the only threat to American "knowledge worker" jobs.  Automation has been doing the work of a human better and faster since the industrial revolution and even before.  While we usually think of robots as taking over the jobs of factory workers, there are now such advanced computers and programs being created that can take over the jobs of computer programmers, accountants, medical and legal professionals and much more.  Again these are L-directed thinking type jobs.  One example in the book talks about legal websites.  While a lawyer may charge $180 per hour, USLegalForms.com offers legal forms and other basic documents for $14.95.  Instead of paying a lawyer thousands of dollars to draft a contract, people can now find the document online and then have it customized by their lawyer for a couple hundred bucks .

The  purpose of these examples is not to freak anyone out but to merely stress the point that we cannot expect to pursue careers that are simply L-Directed.  It's the human factor in these occupations, the R-Directed thinking that sets us apart from robots and computers. 

Chapter 3: High Concept, High Touch

In the figure to the left you see Pink's pattern From the Agricultural Age to the Conceptual Age.  It shows how man has had to evolve to move on to the next era.  He says. "We've progressed from a society of farmers to a society of factory workers, to a society of knowledge workers.  And now we're progressing yet again - to a society of creators and empathizers, of pattern recognizers and meaning makers".

Field Trip Agenda

I tried to find a better calendar format but couldn't find a gadget for that.  Here is the tentative Schedule for the field trips

Week One

July 7 - Leave America!

July 8 - Arrive in Chung-Li, Taiwan

July 9 - Tour of Campus Chung Yuan Christian University

July 10 - Tour of the City

Week Two

July 12 - Opening Ceremony/Banquet then class

July 13 - Taipei Rapid Transit Co and Taipei City Traffic Control Center

July 14 - Class and visit Hsinchu Science Park (like Silicon Valley in Ca.)

July 15 - Class and Field Trip to ???

July 16 - Class and Tour

July 17 - National Palace Museum and Taipei Confucius Temple then Taipei 101!!!!

Week Three

July 19 - Class and Field Trip

July 20 - Lecture and Class
July 21 - Lecture and Formosa TV Station
July 22 - Kingcar Co. and SanHo Paper and Carton Co.
July 23 - Class and Tour
July 24 - Tour and Rest

Week Four

July 25 - Trip to La La Mountain National Park (Overnight Trip)
July 26 - Return from Mountain trip
July 27 - Class Presentations and Closing Ceremony
July 28 - Leave Taiwan
July 29 - Back in America! (Welcome Home Party hopefully) :)