At 7:58 am on Wednesday morning, a greater-than-7.0 earthquake hit Taiwan. At 8:02 the first message came through my LINE account (instant-messaging app used in Taiwan) to a group of Fulbrighters: “Hi guys! Just checking in…earthquake just happened. Everyone ok?” In the hour or two afterward, dozens of messages. People checking in, sending photos of shattered… Continue reading On Missing an Earthquake
Tag: Taiwan
Fluency or bust!
Sometimes when I tell people that I teach Chinese history they will ask, “Can you speak Chinese?” Answer: yes; that’s one of the skills required to get a job like the one I have. But sometimes they will ask, “Are you fluent in Chinese?” And that question always gives me pause. It depends on what… Continue reading Fluency or bust!
Proof that the universe has a sense of humor
One of my favorite moments in Taiwan so far: A few weeks ago I was at the new year’s dinner that Academia Sinica’s Institute of History and Philology (IHP) hosts for its employees. The IHP is my host organization for this stay in Taiwan. It is the oldest and one of the larger institutes belonging… Continue reading Proof that the universe has a sense of humor
Talking trash in Taipei
Since we arrived in Taipei, I have spent a lot of time pondering trash. At nearly every apartment I viewed in Taipei (thanks to the misadventures I chronicled in this earlier post and this one, I saw something like twelve altogether), the landlord described in detail the building’s system for garbage disposal. Often they actually walked me to… Continue reading Talking trash in Taipei
Having a blast at the Lantern Festival
Sonja and I had an explosive time at the Lantern Festival celebration that the big temple in our neighborhood put on last night. The Lantern Festival or yuanxiaojie 元宵節 is the day that marks the official end of the lunar new year holiday. “After today,” a Taiwanese friend cautioned me, “it would sound weird to keep saying ‘Happy… Continue reading Having a blast at the Lantern Festival