And so it begins! Week 3 has started and to speak for all of us, the first few weeks flew by. Due to our fabulous hosts and full schedule, our down time has been minimal and our experiences thus far in the Taiwanese culture have been incredible, to say the least. To be immersed in a culture so different from our own was intimidating at first. The nerves and excitement that confused many of our emotions when we first arrived have turned into anticipation and elation for the next amazing thing.
Today we went on our first Enterprise Company Visit. The company we visited was Gold Joint Industries – ACE; a Taiwanese based Geosynthetic Company. Known world wide for “its work in combining geogrid/geotextile with Eco-engineering to reserve and restore the Nature”, we experienced the company and its products first hand. Beginning in a large auditorium, our group watched an informative video on ACE. The video introduced the company, their beliefs, their products, and what they promote – a better Earth. Having learned of the natural disasters relevant to Taiwan in our second culture class earlier last week, it was appropriate and educational to visit a company that was directly related to reconstructing and potentially preventing of the effects of these natural disasters. Existing on the grinding edge of the Philippine and Eurasian Plates, eastern Taiwan experiences earthquakes almost daily. ACE produces a variety of products, their most popular products being ACEGrid and ACETex. I was intrigued at the ingenuity of these products and their emphasis on creating green environments rather than concrete retaining walls and barriers. ACE is on the front edge of this market and will presumably grow as the industry leader with more time and research.
When our company tour ended myself and 4 other AU students were approached and asked to be part of a promotional commercial being filmed there during the time of our visit. The fascination of foreigners continuously fascinates me. To be filmed and photographed by professionals for a commercial that would be aired in Taiwan was an incredibly unique experience that certainly added to the high-energy day. We were escorted to a large conference room where we, along with a cast of actors, were asked to perform a mock business meeting. We shook hands, reviewed portfolios and sipped tea. Bright lights flashed. The director spoke Chinese, his words far to fast to even begin to decipher and his gestures just as awkward and confusing. We all just kept a smile glued on our face and enjoyed the company of the other actors who spoke broken English amongst our broken Chinese. The director clapped, the doors opened, and the cast and crew graciously thanked us as we returned back to our group to board the bus. The entire enterprise visit was incredible and we are all anticipating the upcoming visits in our near future.
The wheels rolled and we waved our goodbyes, as it was time to travel to our next stop for the day – the fish Market. Located about 30 minutes from campus the fish market sits on the Taiwanese coast. The smell of the ocean filled the air followed by the smell of seafood; faint at first, it grew stronger and stronger until we finally reached our destination. Similar to the layout of the night markets; street vendors littered the area, all promoting their fresh seafood. Prudence, our Chinese teacher, demonstrated how to eat snails and other shellfish. Sucking on the opening of their shells, the small piece of meat pops out. While seemingly to small to enjoy, the little snails and shellfish filled our mouths with flavor. Garlic, spicy, and butter all exploded into our mouths – an enjoyable experience to say the least! Squid, octopus, and other exotic sea creatures filled the tables. Following the advice of Chris, a fellow student, a group of us purchased a Sea Urchin to eat. While spikey and tasteless looking from its exterior, its sweet meat insides were quite delicious. I never though I would eat a sea urchin, but I guess it is just another new experience I now have thanks to this breathtaking trip in this remarkable country!
Remember to stay in touch with the @COBETaiwan Twitter account and the collaborative photo album!
[…] and hope you’re doing well. Today I have the pleasure of sharing the most recent post for the AU COBE in Taiwan blog! Jacob wrote a captivating tale describing the strange happenings of today, and you absolutely have […]
[…] with enterprise visits because of our delayed trip to Taipei. However, having just one visit to The Gold-Joint Industry has opened my eyes to how organizations in Taiwan might differ from those in the United States, […]