Tainan to Taipei

Taiwan was never a place that I would have thought to travel to. I knew very little about the country or the people. However I felt like this trip would be once in a lifetime. So with the small amount of knowledge that I had gathered from a few short class meetings, our group of fourteen set off for San Francisco airport. I couldn’t say that I was excited to start this journey just a few days after finals, or maybe it was the fact that I was terrified of the three weeks in a completely unknown place. But I am so glad that I did.

Tainan National University of the Arts

            It’s a weird feeling to leave the airport and not know the time of day, date, or able to read anything around you. If it wasn’t for the help of Shinyu, I’m sure we would have never made it to the school.   

            Upon arriving at Tainan National University of the Arts, I immediately felt at home. Everything around me seemed so alive and green. I wanted to explore the campus and the area around it. Some of my first thoughts were thank god there are other trees than pine. Walking to and from the studio you had to always watch you step or you would crush family of frogs or an over sized snail.

            Working in the graduate studio was a nice change as well. I felt a big push from everyone around me. I had no idea what to make and I often felt intimidated by the skills sets of other artists. Going to the lectures really helped these feelings. The professors have a very different outlook on the world, and different way of making art. I felt they were sharing grand secrets with us. This trip made me really question why I make what I make. I realize that I need to change my body of work quite a bit.

I was very interested in the media and advertizing in Taiwan. Women ware long pants and try to cover themselves so that they do not darken their skin. Skin whiteners are sold in beauty stores ect. When our culture wants to be golden tan, Taiwanese women want the opposite. I think it is always interesting to see the media in other cultures.

            My two favorite things about Taiwan were the night markets and the views. The night market is a place for kids to hangout as well as shopping and dinner for the family. Walking through the first time was overwhelming. The smell of stinky tofu filled the air. Other than that I felt like a child wanting to taste everything without meat. I grew quite commutable with this space. People are so helpful and kind, its hard to have a bad day. Then the views. There was a point that I was sitting on top of a mountain looking into a valley filled with jungle. I watched a bird in the distance flying in a sea of green. This was probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Now it feels like it was just part of an amazing dream.