Our Taiwan Adventure! Rotary District 5650 GSE Team Visits District 3500

Taiwan...Fall in Love with this Beautiful Island

2009-06-20T09:56:00.011-05:00

Early on in our trip to Taiwan we met Bruno Huang and his lovely wife. Bruno was our interpretor for our visits to the Yi-ming Temple, The Orchid Garden and the Hsinchu County Government Trip. He asked a big favor of our GSE Team...to help promote Taiwan to the world! He stated, "Taiwan is such an amazing place! I am sure that everyone will fall in love with it once they come."

Mailani, Jeff, Meagan, Chris and I can truly attest to this statement. We did fall in love with the beautiful island of Taiwan and it's hospitable, generous people. Taiwan is promoting itself as a premier tourist destination. Travel there...you won't be disappointed!

Go Team!

2009-06-17T22:33:00.005-05:00

Our Taiwan Team!

As a gesture of respect for our host country of Taiwan, our team wore Chinese attire for our farewell dinner and presentation in Taoyuan. We really love our Chinese clothing and continue to wear it at home in the U.S.A. - at work, at Rotary, at weddings and just for casual wear. Plus, when people ask us about the clothing, it gives us a chance to tell stories about Taiwan!

A favorite photo, taken after a bike ride along the coast (Taiwan Strait, western side of Taiwan) when we stopped for a water break. We took a moment to sit on these concrete pedestals to chat, relax (Jill even did some yoga!) and listen to the soothing sounds of the sea.

Dressed alike in our Rotary GSE jackets, we received these beautiful plaques with crystal replicas of Taiwan along with an individualized message for each team member. 谢谢

La La Shan - Home to 5,800 Year-Old Trees

2009-06-05T23:44:00.008-05:00

The former name of the Lala Mountain was Daguan Mountain. In 1973, a professor of Culture University discovered here a wide expanse of red cypress divine trees whose view is similar to that of the divine trees in Ali Mountain. The name of Lala Mountain has spread since then, and the mountain has attracted many tourists from various areas. In 1986, the government formally established a nature protection zone in Daguan Mountain. In addition to cloud-reaching red cypress trees, the Taiwan yellow cypress trees in the zone there are also color-changing trees such as green maple trees and beech trees. In autumn when the weather turns cool, green leaves change into red, thus rendering the view even more poetic. To facilitate tourists, the forestry bureau has built a footpath for viewing landscapes. After entering the recreation zone, walk along the trail. You can see giant red cypress trees whose ages range from 500 years to 3,000 years. Among them are five giant trees about 2,800 years-old.

http://travel-taoyuan.tycg.gov.tw/e_content/spot/spot02.aspx

Friends!

2009-06-03T00:08:00.006-05:00

Having a laugh with our Rotary friends at The Tea Museum

Three Jeff's!

What a fun group at PDG Porite's house - we ate, talked, karaoke'd and danced!

Wendy & Tyler

Wendy lived in California during her teens, graduated from the University of Southern California and returned to Taiwan to marry, work and raise her adorable son, Tyler.

A List of Our Adventures in Taiwan!

2009-05-29T18:33:00.003-05:00

Vocational visits:

Red Cross (2 – local Taoyaun branch and National Society Headquarters in Taipei)
Afamado Goods Inc (a vehicle accessory international trade business)
Tranergy Technology Co, LTC. (a solar company)
Hsinchu Science Park Authority
Hsinchu City Mayoral visit
Foreign Affairs Administration visit
Famous “meatball soup” store
Orchid Farm (2 – Hsinchu and Taoyuan)
County of Hsinchu (Governor) and Magistrate
ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute)
Hsinchu Incinerator Plant
National Tsing Hua University
Lin Yuan Food Factory with a DYI "popcorn snack"
Mr. Tea factory
KY Handmade Paper Mill
Dairy Farm (family destination)
Mt. Snow Tunnel and Control Station for the National Freeway 5, the longest tunnel in E Asia
King Car Group Whiskey Distillery
Ai Jia Development Center (handicapped children’s home run by a Catholic church)
Eva Airlines, Cargo division
Doctor’s office visit – impromptu for team member
Mayor of Dasi’s office
Chuan Gui Soyfoods Processing Plant (tofu factory)
Ceramic Art Plant tour
Toilet factory (a diverse array of ceramic household items)
Extreme Fitness - which included an entire mall floor of family entertainment: batting cage, pitching games, bowling, basketball, jogging & rollerblading track

Cultural visits:

Glass Museum
Buddhist temples (7) and Tao temple (1)
East Gate (Hsinchu)
Markets – Old Streets, Night, Jade, Snake Alley
Historic Train stations (2 – Hsinchu and Miaoli)
Military Dependents Village Museum of Hsinchu City
Nan Liao Fishery Port (We ate sushi, shark and more)
San Yi Wood Carving Museum
Lungteng Historic Bridge “The Fallen Bridge”
Tours of the Miaoli District Agro-museums - silk, farming, bio-produce, etc
Brooke Trail hike
Shei-Pa National Park area exploration and museum
National Palace Museum
Taipei 101
Nature walk at the Pottery Mill
Danced with Aborigines
Pinglin Tea Plantation & Museum
Mingte Reservoir private collector's "museum" tour
Aboriginal elementary school visits (2)
Lanlashan Forest Reserve… Hiking in the mountains…viewing the 1,000 year-old large trees
Flower gardens and tea farm
Bus ride to Yilan County to the northern-most point of Taiwan where we viewed the Pacific Ocean and the Taiwan Strait….drove the Pacific Coast Highway of Taiwan
Toucheng Farm, a 110 acre oasis of orchards, crops, plants and animals
Shihmen Reservoir
Taipei County Yingko Ceramics Museum
DIY pottery painting
Visited the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial (learned about Chinese and Taiwanese history and watched the changing of the guards)
National Theater and Concert Hall (briefly heard the symphony practice!)

Other:

Reflexology massages
Attended formal wedding engagement party
Rode bicycles along the Taiwan Strait shoreline
Karaoke at Party World/KTV - VIP room
High speed rail, subway, boat ride and taxi to, in and around the Taipei Metro (public transportation is excellent)
Spa swimming, hot spring and relaxation
A vast array of food that was diverse, beautiful in presentation, tasty, healthy and a fun adventure! Our entire team did a fantastic job of learning and using chopsticks!

Taiwan Street Scenes

2009-05-29T18:10:00.003-05:00

Preschool

Parade performers

Scooters

The Rotary Flag Gift

2009-05-29T17:52:00.006-05:00

The gift of a Rotary flag is recognized around the world as a gesture of friendship. Each Rotary club designs its own club flag and these flags are exchanged with other Rotary clubs and are given to community & civic organizations & businesses.

USA, Taiwan, China...Greece, Brunei, Pakistan

2009-05-27T01:57:00.007-05:00

Google Analytics reports that our blog has viewers in 41 countries -
thank you - 谢谢你 - to our blog visitors from around the world!

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Hand-Processed Oolong Tea

2009-05-27T00:36:00.004-05:00

The production of delicious oolong tea requires time-honored tradition and outstanding craftsmanship. The best oolong tea is picked by hand during the spring and winter months in southeast China and Taiwan. Oolong teas are partially oxidized teas and undergo the most difficult and time consuming processing method. First the leaves are withered in direct sunlight and then shaken gently in bamboo baskets to lightly bruise the edges of the leaves. Next the leaves are air-dried in the shade until the surface of the leaf turns slightly yellow. The process of shaking and drying the leaves is repeated several times. The oxidation period for oolong teas is less than that for black teas and depends on the type of oolong. After the desired oxidation level is reached, the leaves are panfired at high temperatures to prevent further oxidation. http://www.thefragrantleaf.com/oolongtea.html

In small mountain towns where tea is grown, we were fortunate to watch many small shops process their own tea leaves. To our untrained eyes, the tea leaves looked the same, but we discovered that there are rigid standards for quality in these highly-prized oolong leaves.

Seafood, Glorious Seafood

2009-05-26T00:22:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that less than a month ago we were dining on the incredible seafood of Taiwan.

生日快樂 Happy Birthday, Meagan!

2009-05-22T15:00:00.005-05:00

By the ocean in Taiwan

With the aboriginal kids Meagan loved so much

Surprise, Meagan...it's your birthday!
If you'd like to wish Meagan a happy birthday, please post your comments below or find her on Facebook - Meagan Morris of Nebraska.

Students Learn about Taiwan from Jill

2009-05-22T14:54:00.003-05:00

Jill gave her first presentation about Taiwan to students in her son, Zachary's, class. And as you can see, they all like showing the "Victory" sign that we learned in Taiwan. Since then, Jill has given presentations to her co-workers and others at Red Cross, too.

Thanks for sharing our Taiwan Adventure, Jill!

The Nebraska Fight Song - Singing for Our Supper

2009-05-17T22:48:00.002-05:00

We were invited to a Rotarian's home for dinner in the mountains of Taiwan. The hospitality extended to us was amazing - they prepared many, many dishes and even bought us Coke since they heard our team likes soda.

Performing "The Nebraska Fight Song" was a big hit. We became known for singing this song and including everyone in our "Go Big Red!" chant at the end!

Xie xie (thanks) to our hosts and their friends for an enjoyable evening & dinner!

Scooters - So Popular in Taiwan

2009-05-16T00:53:00.004-05:00

We saw all kinds of things and people being carried on scooters, including many dogs.
People rode in all kinds of weather, in all kinds of clothing and in all types of shoes. Most people wore helmets, many wore face masks and some wore cloth mitts on their hands like the girl in the picture above (we heard to keep them shaded from the sun and to keep them clean.)

Train - Subway - Boat

2009-05-16T00:36:00.003-05:00

We rode a bullet train, a subway and a boat - all in one morning - on one of our trips to Taipei.

No seats on this subway - just a railing to lean against.

Fun boat ride both ways - we made friends on each trip.

Cultural Drum Exchange

2009-05-13T19:56:00.006-05:00

USA Chris and Taiwan "Jason" share their drum talents when we visited an aboriginal school in Taiwan as part of our GSE trip.

The World's Mr. Tea

2009-05-13T00:34:00.005-05:00

Our team learned about the historical Taiwanese industry of tea when we visited the factory of The World's Mr. Tea.

With all of the automated factories we saw on this business exchange, the tea business appears to still be very labor-intensive, from the ladies who handpick the tea leaves to the people working in this factory that bag the tea and prepare it for shipment.

Superb!

Fast Food Taiwan-Style

2009-05-12T23:41:00.005-05:00

One of the most frequent questions our team has been asked is about the food. Yes, almost 100% of what we ate was local Taiwanese food. Only once did we eat as a team at McDonald's and that was in an emergency situation, a story for another blog...

When we visited Taipei 101 (the tallest building in the world), we enjoyed walking around the food court and comparing it to American food courts. We found that most fast food restaurants had variations of food for their local customers. McDonald's - called "My Dung Lao" in Mandarin - served green tea. Domino's Pizza offered giant shrimp pizza.

And this submarine sandwich shop offered a fruit sub!

One part of Subway's menu says "Local Favorites."

We found very little fried food in Taiwan, but it appears that KFC fried chicken is gaining popularity there. So, even though it was available, we avoided eating American-style fast food and instead ate local dishes - lots of seafood, pork, noodles and delicious fresh fruit and vegetables.

We love the iPhone...and the newest iPhone!

2009-05-12T02:36:00.004-05:00

How cool!
One of Chris's host families had this newest iPhone - much smaller than the iPhone available in the U.S.
Chris and his iPhone. Our iPhones worked in Taiwan (at least where there was wi-fi), so we all got to Skype and check emails courtesy of Chris. Chris downloaded a neat iphone app for learning Mandarin and I kept my Mandarin and Taiwan notes on my iPhone.

Taiwan - Beautiful Island (like Hawaii!)

2009-05-12T02:12:00.003-05:00

The morning view out to sea from a Taiwan golf course...stunning.
In so many ways, Taiwan reminded me of my home state, Hawaii, including of course the beautiful flowers, sunny days and ocean views.

Taiwan (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣), also known as Formosa (from Portuguese (Ilha) Formosa, meaning "beautiful (island)"), is an island located in East Asia off the coast of Mainland China, southwest of the main islands of Japan but directly west of the end of Japan's Ryukyu Islands, and north-northwest of the Philippines. It is bound to the east by the Pacific Ocean, to the south by the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, to the west by the Taiwan Strait and to the north by the East China Sea. The island is 394 kilometers (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89 miles) wide and consists of steep mountains covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation. (source: wikipedia.com)

Delicious Food

2009-05-11T00:04:00.008-05:00

Are these American french fries? Almost - they're fried sweet potatoes sold by a street vendor. Yummy! or in pinyin Mandarin - Howtzuh!

Another street vendor - this time it's a Build-Your-Own-Ice Cream-Bar. The ingredients you see here can be added to your own ice cream, including the phenomenal Taiwan pineapple, lychee and beans (also popular in Hawaiian snow cones/shave ice).

Chicken fingers!
Actually, it was a delicious shrimp dish, but I remember when this was served at dinner and Chris very excitedly thought it was American-style chicken fingers.

Rotary Service Project in Miaoli

2009-05-10T23:50:00.009-05:00

Rotary is a service organization -
and here is one great example of service, a community park in Miaoli that Rotary helped fund.

A timecapsule for the residents of the city - to be opened around 2060 if I remember correctly. What a fun community idea!

Popular Fashion

2009-05-09T01:00:00.004-05:00

Fashion in Taiwan is fun, trendy and cute!

These are fashions that we saw are popular in Taiwan:

layers, English writing, long necklaces, lots of bling, crystals on clothing (men's & women's), very short layered skirts over leggings, knee-high socks, fashion jeans, genuine Rolex watches, no wedding rings, American athletic shoes, fancy sandals, Crocs, jade, school uniforms, very long shirts, mens' polos, Hello Kitty

Toucheng Farm - Relaxing Recreation

2009-05-08T18:06:00.007-05:00

From Violeta's blog: Toucheng Farm was graced with five American visitors, all members of the Rotary Group Study Exchange. They were accompanied by the President, Mr. Anton Ku, and other members of the Taoyuan Rotary Club. They stayed for a half day visit last April 28, 2009.

Violeta, in the red vest above, is a wonderfully energetic tour guide who is fluent in many languages. Originally from the Phillipines, she has lived in Taiwan for 30+ years and used to run a company that brought in workers from other Asian countries to Taiwan.

Jill wrote wishes on a piece of bamboo and tied it on the wishing tree.

Ahhh - we could have stayed here all day! These wooden hammocks were surprisingly very comfortable and with a fountain to the side and ducks wandering around, it was the perfect way to relax on a sunny day.
Check out Toucheng Farm's blog with pictures from our GSE visit (http://tcfarm.blogspot.com/) and their website (http://www.tcfarm.com.tw/en/html/aboutus.htm)

R2D2 a.k.a. Swine Flu / H1N1

2009-05-08T08:53:00.005-05:00

We started hearing about the swine flu in our last week in Taiwan, but it didn't hit home until we arrived at the Taipei airport and saw more people in face masks than usual. They passed out forms on the flight into Tokyo asking if passengers had been in Mexico, Canada or the USA in the last 10 days. Since we'd been in Taiwan for the last month, we were OK.

Once in Tokyo, we saw medical teams passing through the airport. Later we learned that these medical teams were boarding planes coming in from Mexico, Canada and the USA and were screening passengers for high temperatures and other indicators of swine flu before allowing the passengers to disembark.

The funny flight attendants on our flight from Tokyo to Minneapolis said they made up a new name for the swine flu since H1N1 sounded too uptight - they are calling it R2D2!

Rotary GSE - Business & Cultural Exchange

2009-05-07T09:42:00.006-05:00

GSE: A FANTASTIC professional & personal opportunity happening around the world every year!
Pictured above, the 2009 GSE teams exchanging between the USA and Taiwan:
D5650: Team Leader - Mailani Veney
Team Members - Jill Orton, Jeff Barclay, Meagan Morris & Chris Gorman
D3500: Team Leader - PP Peter (Wu Te-kun)
Team Members - Wayne (Peng Gwo-wei), Liber (Chen Jia-jun), Alice (Chen Pei-Chun), Jessica (Chang Fang-Chieh)

The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.

For each team member, the Foundation provides a round-trip airline ticket between the home and host countries. Rotarians in the host area provide for meals, lodging, and group travel within their district.

For more information, contact your local Rotary or visit www.rotary.org

Incredible Chinese Art

2009-05-05T23:11:00.005-05:00

We were fortunate to be invited to view a person's private collection of Chinese art, including statues, silk hangings, calligraphy, portraits and many more. This collection was on three floors with lots of security. Since Taiwan is in an earthquake-prone region, many of the pieces of art were secured to the walls and floors, like the statues in the picture above.

My favorite piece of art - this enormous jade boat. The detail on this jade boat was unbelievably intricate and I could have studied it for days. We saw art that ranged from the microscopic to the large - Chinese art is amazing in its diversity and perfection.

The picture doesn't do justice to the size of this piece - it was big and impressive.

Chinese art (中國藝術/中国艺术) varies throughout different periods of history and is influenced by religions, politics and philosophers.

Buddhist Temples

2009-05-03T11:18:00.009-05:00

The GSE Team visited Buddhist Temples in Hsinchu, Miaoli, Jhungli and Taoyuan.

Tsu-Sze Temple, Shan-Hsia, Taipei County

YM Temple in Hsinchu

Matzu Temple in Miaoli
Matzu Temple #2 in Miaoli

Maitreya Buddha of the Bao Jue Temple in Taichung

Temple in Downtown Hsinchu

How to have fun in Taiwan!

2009-05-03T10:34:00.009-05:00

Meagan always rocks!

Ta-da...and here is the ocean!

Chris is excited about his 7-11 egg sandwich!
The amazing Jeff balancing act
With our friend, "Saint," a Rotarian who manages the Landmark Hotel

Biking on the Beach

2009-05-03T10:13:00.002-05:00

GSE Team...Mailani, Jill, Jeff, Meagan and Chris enjoy the exercise of biking along the western seashore of the Taiwan Strait!

A Young Buddhist Monk

2009-05-03T00:21:00.003-05:00

While touring the Taipei County Yingko Ceramic Museum, we met the nicest monk who was gracious enough to pose for some pictures with us, flashing up the popular "Victory" sign!

Things We'll Miss About Taiwan

2009-05-02T21:54:00.006-05:00

MAILANI

The friendly, generous people of Taiwan!
Sharing Taiwan with my wonderful GSE team
Rotary in Taiwan
Eating with chopsticks
Awesome fruit
Reflexology massages
Spur-of-the-moment dancing & karaoke
People singing me "Mai Lan Mei Lan"
Speaking a little Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka
Silly t-shirts
Adorable Taiwanese schoolkids so excited to see Americans
Learning about Chinese superstitions
Neon lights everywhere
Marveling at the traffic
Pretty women who wear very little make-up
Calling Rotarians by their titles (DG, PP, CP, etc.)
Strangers taking our photos
Basu degwaa (fried sweet potatoes)
New surprises every day!

JILL

Seeing the mountains and the ocean within a few hours of each other
The variety of healthy breakfasts
Buying shoes
Feeling like a Queen
Outdoor markets
Being the only blonde
Singing karaoke & dancing
Feeling very safe
Getting a lot of pictures taken of us
Spas
Kampai'ing at noon
The variety of food
Beautiful flowers & vegetation
Tea - cold, hot, dessert, gelatin

JEFF

Hot tea
Food that's healthy for the body & skin
Eating uncooked baby octopus

CHRIS

Taiwan Beer
Night markets
Mister Donuts
Fun t-shirts
Teaching people American slang

MEAGAN

Meeting successful people with diverse careers & backgrounds
7-11
Watermelon
Bargaining
Basu deegwa
Staying with different families
Seeing cute aborigine children
Stinky tofu
Bubble tea
Karaoke
Big Red flashlights

Vocational Visit to EVA Cargo

2009-05-01T19:47:00.002-05:00

Cargo!

View from EVA Cargo looking out at the airport

Chris talking business!

With the Chairman of EVA Cargo (center) and an EVA Airlines Captain (far left)

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial

2009-05-01T18:47:00.003-05:00

Taiwan's late President Chiang Kai-Shek with General MacArthur

One of two guards at CKS's memorial - the guards have duty in one hour blocks. The changing of the guard is gracefully executed with a lengthy choreographed moves that include marching with knees high up, gun twirling, stomping and chants.

Above is a view from the CKS Memorial looking out on the National Theater of Taiwan. The Memorial is on the same grounds as the National Theater and the National Concert Gallery and was designed as a "space of tranquility amid the bustle of a modern city." It is a beautiful building and a must-see for anyone visiting Taiwan.

Red Cross Around the World

2009-04-30T11:03:00.008-05:00

The Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Welcomes American Red Cross Employee Jill Orton

A vocational visit to the local Red Cross was my primary request as a Rotary Group Study Exchange member. The Chungli Area Rotary provided not one visit but two!

Rotarians Younger, Tony and Jeff arranged and accompanied me on my first meeting. I had the pleasure of spending over two hours with Alice and her paid and volunteer staff at the Red Cross Society Taoyuan Branch. A volunteer Instructor, Iain Chao, did a superb job of interpreting and giving a presentation about the services provided in Taoyuan Taiwan. Some of the interesting information that I gathered was that their most successful program is Home Care services . The government has selected them as one of three organizations to provide this service to it’s citizens. CPR training is primarily free. Businesses/Schools pay a small membership fee to the National Headquarters.

The most interesting class I learned about was Driver’s First Aid. (Learning to respond if there is a traffic accident.) The Taoyuan Branch trained over 6000 students in their classes last year. They are very interested in the “practice-while-you-watch” training concept and are just starting to think about training with the Automated External Defibulators (AED’s). We talked about Blood Services , volunteers, disaster relief and more. Alice was very gracious in answering my many questions! The visit ended with the giving of gifts and taking pictures. A big thank you to everyone for making my request become reality!

A few days later when our team was in Taipei Rotary member s Finance and Tony went out of their way to arrange an impromptu visit to the National Headquarters. The Red Cross Communications Department provided a warm welcome to the GSE Team and Rotarians. We took pictures and exchanged gifts including pins!

A thorough “Introduction to the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China” was provided in Englilsh. It gave a historical sketch that during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, the Chinese and foreign citizens in Shanghai formed what eventualy become the Red Cross Society. The Red Cross Society of the R.O.C. is a 3-leveled national civil organization, with the headquarters, the chapters, and the branches. There are chapters in Taiwan, Taipei and Kaohsiung subordinate to the headquarters, while there are 21 branches under the Taiwan Chapter. The national headquarters of the Red Cross society of the R.O.C. is in Taipei City, comprised of 5 departments (training, social services, junior and youth services, planning, and international & public affairs). Each unit has its different mandates: promotion of voluntary service, training & consultation service, disaster relief and preparedness service, social relief service, junior and youth service, cross-strait humanitarian service and International humanitarian assistance.

The commitment is “where there is catastrophe, there is the Red Cross; where there is the Red Cross, there is hope.” The Red Cross Society will continue to provide timely and needed service to the people under the founding principles of brotherhood, humanity and voluntary service.

I was so proud to be a member of the Red Cross and get a broader perspective of how my organization provides services to people around the world!

Mailani's Birthday Parties Taiwan Style

2009-04-28T11:25:00.005-05:00

16 years old (see candle)? YES!...times 2 and plus 8!

District Governor-Elect Surgeon & his fantastic family threw me a SURPRISE birthday party complete with excited kids, a silly birthday hat and singing. They really made me feel at home.

District Governor T.Y. - so gracious in throwing a birthday party for me at the last minute!

A surprise birthday lunch courtesies of the very fun JhungLi Rotary clubs - they sang Happy Birthday in Chinese, we karaoked "Mei Lan Mei Lan Wei i Ni" and did the bunny hop.
Jill and I are both Vintage 1969 - she'll be 40 in October :)

Jeff-ooh! (The brother in-law of Taiwan)

2009-04-26T03:11:00.004-05:00

Life is so good here. Everyday is a new experience that has been above the last. Each day we get the chance to learn something new. We have had a chance to learn about business, daily life, great food, parks, wildlife, schools, culture, and so on. The life here is much different then home but yet I still feel very comfortable about where I am.
After visiting two schools with unbelievable little kids, we had the opportunity to see 1000 plus year old trees. We finished the day with the night market. Every day starts early and finishes late but each day goes by so fast.
The team I am traveling with have been wonderful and a lot of fun. We all have tried new things and we all have been up to the challenges with a willingness to try.
This last week will go by quickly. This will be a trip with so many lasting memories. Thank you Rotary for this wonderful opportunity.

Jeff-ooh is my Chinese name and means brother in-law in Chinese and a lot people here like calling me Jeff-ooh!

Doing Business in Taiwan

2009-04-25T20:04:00.002-05:00

Rotary International's Group Study Exchange Program is a business exchange between two countries meant to build goodwill and understanding. Our GSE team is overwhelmingly impressed with the business being done in Taiwan. From food to products to high tech, Taiwan has it all. The Taiwanese are doing business very, very, very well!

Here are some of the vocational tours we've been lucky enough to experience so far:

Hsinchu Science Park
Industrial Technology Research Institute
Solar Energy Company
Incinerator Plant
Food/Grain Factory
Tea Distributor
Paper Mill
HQ for Tunnel Operations
Plastics Factory
Commercial Real Estate Developer
Brokerage Company (Stocks, Securities)
Red Cross
Non-profit Childrens' Hospital
Cake Factory
Whisky Distillery
Jewelry Store
Boutique Clothing Store
Aluminum Window Factory
Golf Shop

The Red Sox are Beating the Yankees at 8:30AM!

2009-04-25T19:40:00.004-05:00

Talk about an awesome way to watch a baseball game, eating egg sandwich and drinking milk tea is fantastic!

I am currently staying with a Rotarian named "Steel." (Guess what he sells...) Steel is so in tune with his business he decided to build his home directly in the middle of his factory. Every night when we return home we are greeted by two security guards and roughly 15 guard dogs, the meanest of them all being a snow white tea cup poodle who only likes me when I have rice balls.
Coming to this home, I was concerned about the language barrier. Both Steel and his wife rarely use English, so they have been using their 13 year-old son, Jason, to translate - going as far as to call him at school to talk on speakerphone. Steel's wife, Tsai Yuan could not say more than hello or goodnight when I came to their home one week ago. However, one week later, and a lot of practicing, she read me the first few pages out of her English book, and got really excited when I understood her when she asked "Do you want to go to sleep?" This has been a great week in Jhungli, and I will miss this family very much.

Jhungli has been a great city, we are finding out how diverse this little island is with every new experience. I wish I had a clicker for every time we say "Xie Xie" (thanks)... it would be in the millions by now with all the amazing people we have met.

Over and out from Jhungli! Go Red Sox! 16-11 over the Yankees!

Learning About Business - Taiwan Style

2009-04-25T10:47:00.007-05:00

One of the most important components of the Group Study Exchange experience is the vocational visits. These visits are crucial to our experience..especially since the world is becoming such a globalized economy. We've had the wonderful opportunity to visit many different types of companies while in Taiwan and I know each one of us has taken new ideas from these visits and plan to incorporate those into our business lives at home.

We've visited most of the businesses together as a GSE team. However, Wednesday we were able to visit businesses separately. Each team member visited companies tailored to their career interest areas. In my case, that meant companies that have some sort of marketing, advertising or journalism component in their work.

My first vocational visit was to an innovative realty company called Gold House. Chung-Li Chung Yung Rotarian House is the General Manager of this successful company. I tried to keep my questions in line with the marketing and advertising component of the business and what I found was that they are implementing some great marketing ideas to beat out the tough competition in Chungli. For example, they have a sales staff that "hits the pavement" and seeks out clients on the street. They also have an impressive website that lists properties for sale and all of the pertinent information clients need.

My next visit was to Cheng Hsin Aluminum Company, or CHA for short. CHA is an innovative company that manufacturers alumninum windows and doors and is managed by Rotarian Win. His father started the company and they've built it into a successful operation that now boasts four separate brands. What I found most impressive is their online marketing strategy: CHA was the first aluminum window and door manufacturer in Taiwan to have a web presence and use search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising to boost their sales.

My last visit for the day was to Bao-Shyang Jewelry store owned by Chung-Li Chung Yang Rotarian Diamond. It's a beautiful boutique shop in the heart of downtown Chungli that offers the finest jewelry around. Diamond said his business primarily comes from referrals..something I thought was very interesting! He obviously makes good relationships with his clients: many are repeat customers that have kept the store booming for nearly 20 years!

I can honestly say I learned a lot about business from all of the companies we visited on this trip. All of the Rotarians we've met are incredibly successful and it's easy to understand why after seeing how hard they work!

Aboriginal Taiwanese Kids - Our Best Experience Yet!

2009-04-24T19:06:00.003-05:00

Silk Worms are Fascinating

2009-04-23T17:46:00.002-05:00

Showing the different stages of the silk worm - from baby to adult to cocoon. It's interesting to watch them eat the leaves - they are voracious eaters!

After I asked to pick one up and was admiring it, our hosts and guides talked excitedly to each other. Finally, one of the translators asked me, "Do you have mulberry bushes in America?" I told her yes. She asked if we had other types of bushes, too. I told her yes. She asked, "What is the temperature in your state?" I told her that it varied - from very cold to very hot. This prompted more conversation in Chinese. Finally, she told me she that even though we have mulberry bushes, she thought the weather in Nebraska didn't sound right and that further she didn't think the airport authorities would let me bring silkworms back to America! We realized that she misunderstood my request to hold a silkworm - they thought I was asking to bring a silkworm home with me.

5 BMWs in Taiwan

2009-04-22T11:09:00.003-05:00

Rotarian PP (Past President) "Language" is kindly translating our blog for our Mandarin-speaking friends on his blog found here.

To view different blog entries, just click on the days of the calendar on the right side of his blog and it will link to the entry for the day.

So, why the title 5 BMWs? Read from PP Language's blog...

(Courtesy Prof. Chyan-Deng Jan, National Cheng Kung Univ., Taiwan)

5 BMWs ?

Yes, 5 bright Midwesterners: Mailani, Jill, Meagan, Jeff and Chris.

Nothing to do with BMW cars at all!

Just a trick for making them popular, could be a stupid idea and the author, Rotarian “Language” is to blame.

五輛BMW車?

不是啦，其實是 “五位冰雪聰明中西部老外”：美蘭妮(團長), 婕薾、玫茛、杰扶、克里斯 (團員)，Language出個點子封他們為5 BMW加強印象一下。

Whisky Business in Taiwan

2009-04-21T11:30:00.004-05:00

How's this for a business idea? The large company, King Car, decided it liked the idea of producing its own whisky, hired some engineers, sent people to Scotland to learn how to make it and voila are now producing award-winning whisky. This is a common story in Taiwan - business people like a product or think it will sell, start a business, work VERY hard at it and are successful.

Kavalan single malt whisky is the first whisky produced in Taiwan. They use spring water from Snow Mountain in Taiwan in combination with the latest technology to produce a spirit they say falls on the taste line between Jack Daniels and Scottish single malt.

Rocking the Rotary!

2009-04-20T18:09:00.005-05:00

Chris & nametag at the Paper Mill

Meagan & her pretty red Rotary shirt

Jeff and the versatile Rotary suit jacketJill models the fashionable Rotary scarf
Mailani displays the useful Rotary nametag

Wearing the Rotary logo is not only professional, but has been a great way to connect with people - from local Taiwanese to Americans in the airport to a British GSE team we met at a museum, wearing Rotary clothing, pins and nametags is our way to meet people easily.

Our Chinese Names & More Photos

2009-04-20T09:58:00.006-05:00

We'll never forget Danny - he translated most of our names into Chinese using 3 characters. Translation into Mandarin Chinese is much tougher than just creating a word around sound - Danny really put thought into our names, their meanings and their pronounciations. Our final names are: Orr J-eer (Orton Jill), Jeff-ooh with a rising tone on the 'ooh' part (Jeff), May-gahn (Meagan), Chris-su (Chris) and Way May Lan (Veney Mailani).

Chris & Jeff are terrific ambassadors in all our meetings, including this one with the Mayor.With PDG (stands for Past District Governor) Porite. PDG Porite's chemical company has 10 locations around the world, including one in Missouri. He told us a funny story about driving at night on I-80 from Des Moines to Omaha one winter and how he was freezing in his car even with the heater on. Yep, the midwest is definitely colder than Taiwan.

Conquering the Taipei 101 臺北101

2009-04-20T09:36:00.003-05:00

So, the story of our day...Jeff was flying by the city, saw Meagan picking up Taipei 101 (the world's tallest building) as Chris was giving Mailani a helpful push to to the top and Jill came tumbling after. Well, almost...

Superman Changed in a Phone Booth - We Had the Street!

2009-04-19T11:36:00.003-05:00

Jeff's Taiwan Experience

2009-04-19T11:08:00.002-05:00

Wow, what an experience! Life here has been great. The people, the food, the tours, and the family of rotary is beyond words. Every person we encounter is genuinely nice, they go out of their way to make us feel special, and important.

The seafood is so good! I have eaten things I thought I never would and enjoyed it. Each meal is a 10 plus course meal with Taiwan beer, or whisky to help finish the 5 star meals off.

It took me to come to Taiwan to visit a dairy farm. We have met so many successful business people that have been so kind in explaining their businesses and showering us with gifts.

I made a vow not use a fork, only chop sticks. We went to a buffet with so much seafood, where I ate raw baby octopus, it was supposed to be cooked. Whoops! I figured it out after I tried to eat the squid raw.

Taiwan is a must place to visit!!

Xie Zi (Shoes!)

2009-04-19T03:13:00.002-05:00

Our Mandarin Chinese tutor, Jeremy Jewell, asked each GSE Team member what we wanted to buy when we were in Taiwan. My answer was “wo yao mi xie zi.” (I want to buy SHOES!)

While in Hsingchu the team visited Rotarian Hummer’s store where Chris and I bought shoes! Mine were even “hong sa da xie zi” (red shoes).

Miaoli offered us the awesome experience of having our own personalized wooden shoes made! Meagan, Mailani and I were thrilled!

Stay tuned to what shoes Chungli and Taoyuan have to offer!

We're Always Prepared for Surprises!

2009-04-18T20:25:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe that we've been in Taiwan for almost 2 weeks! Every day has been an exciting mix of surprises and Saturday was no exception. Our gracious hosts told us to dress casually because we were going into the mountains. The entire team dressed in our finest hiking gear and we set out for the day. Our first stop was a beautiful stream. Next up, an aborigines dancing performance in the mountains. It was so fun! The dance troupe was comprised of men, women and adorable children who even invited us to dance with them!

Next up, lunch! We asked if we needed to change into more formal attire, but they told us that it was just a casual lunch and not to worry about what we wore. But, when we walked into the restaurant we quickly realized that it was a formal engagement party! We definitely stuck out like sore thumbs, so we asked to go back to the car so we could change.

We didn't have a place to change our clothes, so we make the street into an impromptu changing room (don't worry, we were discreet and there was even a small trailer right by the car where I ducked into to change my shirt.)

After changing we went back to the restaurant where we enjoyed a nice lunch and toasted the adorable couple. Mailani even went up to say a few words of thanks..luckily our clothes were changed, otherwise it would have looked like she was teaching one of her Jazzercise classes!

The afternoon was a relaxing mix of shopping and sightseeing. We capped off the night with a lovely aborigines dinner and a cocktail party at the Past District Governor Porite's beautiful home. We even sang a little karaoke (my favorite activity!)

I'll definitely remember this day as one of my favorites on the trip. Now, time to get started with another day of surprises!

Photos: Bridge, Ocean, City, AFB

2009-04-18T17:38:00.003-05:00

Broken bridge - the result of an earthquake

On the campus of Tsing Hua University - this is a house for the ducks

Overlooking the ocean

Typical city scene - with light traffic

A Taiwan Air Force base

CT & Family

2009-04-17T11:05:00.007-05:00

CT, a gracious host to the entire team for 2 days, poses here with his really cool engraved wooden bed.Party at CT's!CT with his pins: Major Donor, Rotary's 2009 Theme & the Lincoln #14 Club!

CC - CT's really awesome son who just moved back to Taiwan from Singapore. Hi, CC!

Getting HOT at the Incinerator Plant

2009-04-16T18:31:00.005-05:00

The Hsinchu Incinerator/Energy Plant - they burn 200 trucks of garbage a day and generate enough power to sell to other parts of the island. It was a very impressive (and odor-free) plant.

Yes, Jeff is taller than everyone we've met so far, including Suzanne above. At least it's easy to spot him in a crowd!

The HOT team in the control room of the incinerator. Can you believe that it only takes 5 engineers to run the operation? It's that automated. See the TV screen behind us showing the incinerator in action. There are 3 - 5 people whose jobs are to sort through the garbage - by hand and with little shovels - to separate out items that can't be burned or are hazardous.

Tea Time in Taiwan

2009-04-16T11:27:00.005-05:00

Hey, all you pop and coffee drinkers...time to expand your horizons and try tea with us! Yes, we all like our coke cola and coffee but each of us has embraced the love of tea. We have been served tea in the morning, before vocational visits, at each meal...hot or cold. At the district conference the GSE Team had the honor of going through a tea ceremony twice! Today, upon visiting the Mr. Tea factory, I found my favorite to be Chi Tea. Whether we are sipping High Mountain, Oriental Beauty or even the sweet JuJube tea we invite you to try it with us upon our return! Meagan, Mailani, Jeff, Chris and I have enjoyed the cultural and healthy habit of drinking tea!

Hsinchu Governor & the City Council Meeting Room

2009-04-15T18:36:00.001-05:00

Chris Blogs to the Husker Nation

2009-04-15T17:52:00.003-05:00

Hey Husker Nation! Chris here, writing to tell everybody how much fun we are having here in Taiwan. It's ridiculous how many amazing friends we are making here. From the temples and museums to the businesses and universities, this trip has far exceeded anything we could have ever imagined.

Our understanding of the country has been accelerated, and our Mandarin is coming along extremely well. We also found out that Nickleback has a BIG following here in Taiwan. I have had an awesome time playing music and talking rock bands with all the Rotarians and their kids.

We are currently at the West Lake Resortopia, I am fresh off the golf course after hitting balls with the Miaoli Rotary Club. It has been relaxing being in the country after a whole week of the city life.

Thanks out to everybody who has left Skypes, Facebooks, and emails! Keep em coming!

And to all my Nelnet folks, I still know the Interest Rate Cap on a Consolidation from 1998, hope Overtime is looking good! :)

Go Big Red!

Whoops! Our cultural mistakes...

2009-04-15T05:21:00.007-05:00

Well, as wonderful as our trip has been, we have made some cultural blunders along the way. Here are a few for your amusement and/or education:

1. Jill wore her shoes in her host family's home. (In Asia, you are not supposed to wear your shoes inside.)
2. On a hot day, I used chopsticks to hold my hair up like I used to do in Hawaii. (In Taiwan, chopsticks are only for eating.)
3. Some people who will remain nameless threw toilet paper down the Asia toilet (toilet built into the ground very low). (You are supposed to throw t.p. in the stall's garbage can.)
4. We have been standing on the wrong side to receive gifts. (You are supposed to stand on the left of the person giving you a gift.)
5. Chris stole a man's spoon. (You are supposed to let someone give you a sample of food from a spoon and not take the spoon.)Stay tuned - I'm sure we'll add more to this list!

The MIT of Taiwan

2009-04-15T04:38:00.006-05:00

We asked and they delivered! Chris and I asked to visit a university as one of our business visits and our hosts in one day arranged a fantastic meeting with the #2 and #3 administrators at Tsing Hua University - the "MIT of Taiwan." Tsing Hua is famous for being one of Taiwan's top universities and a top engineering university in the world. We learned about the university's history and vision, received beautiful crystal business business card holder gifts, visited a pretty garden on university grounds and the new Technology Management College, home to its MBA program among others.

Their university system is different than in the U.S. Taiwan Uiversity funding comes primarily from the government, 20% from industry and the rest from the student. Thus, the cost is significantly less than American universities. At Tsing Hua, tuition & fees cost NT$60,000 - $80,000 - about US$2,000 - $2600 per year. A lot less expensive!

Ni Hau to a Taiwanese Host Family

2009-04-13T19:21:00.002-05:00

A great host family - their oldest daughter is in the U.S. studying under the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Their son is 15 and studies in school 12 hours a day and their daughter is 11 and just as cute as can be.

Rotary District 3500 Conference

2009-04-13T09:30:00.005-05:00

"The team" at the 11th Rotary District 3500 Conference - with District Governor T.Y. and Rotary International Director Jackson. We presented to a huge group of people in an auditorium (think a portioned off Qwest Center) and ended by performing the Nebraska Fight Song and leading a "Go Big Red" chant! This is now our signature performance wherever we go. The Conference was fun with the opportunity to be treated like Rotary rock stars - everywhere we went people wanted to toast us and take pictures with us. We'll add more pics to this post later when we have more internet time.With the pink ladies - they taught me to "look cute" - a popular camera pose for women in Taiwan!

Resting...we stepped out of the conference center to take a rest. Fun can be tiring!

A partial crowd photo of the many people at this conference.

First Host Families

2009-04-11T12:45:00.009-05:00

Here's Chris with his fun host-stay Rotarian, Doris. Doris operates an Avon business in Taiwan.

Meagan really enjoyed living with her host family and their 3 children.

Tony & Julia - a classy couple who opened their beautiful home to me for my first days in Taiwan. They were giving of their time and their knowledge - my morning lessons in tea (accompanied by exquisite honey and almond cream) along with flowing conversation made for great memories.

We love Taiwan!

2009-04-11T11:45:00.010-05:00

Sunglasses courtesy of "Hummer", a Rotarian who owns shoe and clothing boutiques in Asia. He has all the latest in trendy shoes (ask Jill to show you her nifty red rope shoes!) and clothing. A true entrepreneur, Hummer branched out from shoes and clothes to introduce his own line of sunglasses, too.Angel, the President of her all-female club in Hsinchu, gave each member of the team valuable jade cow figurines - to celebrate and bring us luck in the "Year of the Cow."

Standing in front of the huge clock donated to the city by Rotary. The clock can be seen for miles and is in front of the city's Glass Museum.

Super Meeting with the Mayor

2009-04-09T18:35:00.002-05:00

http://www.hccg.gov.tw/web/News?command=showDetail&postId=204875

Food of Hsinchu

2009-04-09T15:03:00.005-05:00

Fancy dessert at Lakeshore Hotel. The Taiwanese fruits are the best desserts, like pineapple - YUM!

The famous Hsinchu pork meatballs. The story is that a son created these very tender meatballs for his mother who had trouble eating tough foods. He created a method for tenderizing them by first pounding the meat until it becomes a thick liquid and then forming them by pinching the meat. Hsinchu meatballs are traditionally served in a broth-based soup.

Korean BBQ with egg, kim chee, pork soup and a coffee custard.

The presentation of cooked seafood before it becomes a soup.

Hsinchu Science Park - Bringing the world FANTASTIC technology

2009-04-09T14:39:00.008-05:00

It's hard to believe that in only 29 years this science park has produced much of the world's coolest technology. What started as an area for farming tea has evolved since 1980 into a home for 400 companies and 130,000 high-tech employees. Above are pictures of scooters at the park (it looks a lot like Silicon Valley in San Jose), our team after receiving a gift of a flash drive and what silicon looks like in a raw state and as a silicon wafer.

Fun in Hsinchu

2009-04-08T18:53:00.005-05:00

At lunch, the Hsinchu Rotarians presented us with this great red banner of greeting.

A very generous present for each of us from District Governor, T.Y. - two working watches. I set mine to show Taiwan time and Nebraska time.

EP, President of the Hsinchu South Rotary Club, presenting me with his club's flag. Rotarians exchange customized flags as a gift of friendship among clubs. I brought flags from my District 5650's 45 clubs to exchange with the 62 clubs of Taiwan's District 3500.

Posing with my host family, the French youth exchange student, Hsinchu South & the Taiwanese team coming to Nebraska next week to learn about midwest business.

The best airport welcoming committee!

2009-04-07T20:55:00.013-05:00

WOW! What a welcoming committee! We were met by a very exuberant crowd of Rotarians holding a sign for us at the airport yelling, "Nebraska!" "Rotary!" "Nebraska!" It was an awesome way to be greeted - I recommend it to everyone. The level of hospitality in Taiwan is overwhelming - they are just so happy to have us here.

We are spending the next two weeks in Tsinchu visiting companies and Rotary clubs in the world-famous industrial parks. I think tomorrow we have a vocational visit at a semiconductor plant. .

Of the people hosting us for the next week, there is the Assistant District Governor, a retired chemical engineer who used to run a 2,000 people polyester-manufacturing plant ("Tim"), the Rotary Coordinator for our Group Study Exchange ("Language"), an environmental engineer who got his advanced degree from Oklahoma ("EP"), a man who owns a jewelry/high quality clothing shop ("Diamond"), an engineer ("Tungsten"), an architectural engineer who builds factories in the technology park ("Jaiky") and a businessman in the cargo industry ("Cargo"). They are all presidents of their Rotary clubs in this county. Here is a photo of the group with their cute handmade sign that says: "Ak-sar-ben" with the letters filled in with the word "Nebraska."

This first night the Rotarians paid for us to stay in a very nice boutique hotel since we arrived so late (arrived at the airport at 10:30 p.m. + 40 minute drive to the city in Hsinchu). Once here the team went to 7-11 to get food (I had awesome sushi & Japanese cookies) and then we went wandering around the block of our hotel. (We are all still on Nebraska time, so it felt like 1:00 in the afternoon to us.) We ended up going to this little karaoke pub that was a riot. Again, the Taiwanese were very attentive - the level of customer service here is outstanding! - bringing us a plate of fruit, cherry tomatoes and a bowl of toasted peanuts. For those of you that know us, you will be very proud to learn that we actually sang a song! Yes, of all the songs in the book, there were about 10 English ones and our group chose a rousing rendition of...."Jingle Bells!" It was hilarious. I think the Taiwanese overlooked our sub-standard singing ability (except for Jill, the rest of us can't sing very well) and showed their appreciation with lots of applause.

We in turn applaud Taiwan for a wonderful first day here!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-04-07T15:43:00.005-05:00

Omaha - Monday 8:00 a.m.

Minneapolis - 5 hour layover spent at the Armed Forces Center
Taiwan! Tuesday 10:30 p.m.

Our families wish us good-bye...

2009-04-07T15:05:00.006-05:00

Family! A bunch of our families came out to wish us farewell at our "So Long" party.
From above, it's Jill with her husband, brother and sister in-law; me(Mailani) with my sisters, my brother in-law and my husband; Meagan with her younger brother and his girlfriend; Jeff with his two sisters; and Chris with his mom, dad and co-worker.

GSE Taiwan " So Long" Party!

2009-04-06T13:04:00.006-05:00

The Rotary GSE Taiwan team planned a going away party! We called together our family/friends/co-workers to come say "Kanpai" with us! The party was held in Lincoln at the Red9 in the upper Cloud9 room. Everyone ate, drank and had great conversation. Those who were most adventurous stayed and danced the night away with the local Dance-Band 3-2-1.
Thanks to those who joined us for a fun evening. We are grateful for for your support as we prepared to embark on our grand adventure for a month!

Meeting the Omaha Rotary Club

2009-03-23T20:34:00.015-05:00

Presenting to the Downtown Omaha Rotary Club was memorable because...

They are Jill's GSE Sponsoring Club...THANK YOU, Omaha Rotary!

Their speaker, Joe Moglia, Chairman of TD Ameritrade, was energetic and informative in his explanation of the economic crisis.

They are a large club that meets at the classy Field Club.

Their President, John Mock, sported very fun hair.
Thanks also to Katie Thompson of Club #14 for running our presentation slides and to Lehua Stonebraker for joining us as a guest. Xie xie, Omaha Rotary!

Happy Birthday, Jeff! 生日快乐

2009-03-20T11:23:00.007-05:00

Jeff and Scott Ritter (Jeff's business partner and good friend) threw a super birthday bash at Grata's in Lincoln. Among the many people there was Bret Beer (pictured below) - Bret & the Lincoln Saltdogs donated the awesome baseballs for our GSE team to give as gifts in Taiwan.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Signing baseballs for our Taiwan hosts

2009-03-20T09:46:00.014-05:00

Robert Rapp is the fabulous District 5650 GSE Outbound Coordinator and a former GSE Team Leader to Venezuela. Robert hosted the team in his beautiful Omaha house - serving up homemade lasagna and grape juice from his family's vineyards. The team learned more Mandarin from Jeremy and even some Taiwanese (another language).Later, we had fun with sharpies, autographing baseballs. We hope our Taiwanese hosts enjoy the baseballs as gifts, especially since we learned that baseball is the #1 sport in Taiwan.

Presenting at Rotary #14 (Downtown Lincoln)

2009-03-03T21:51:00.006-06:00

From the rotary14.org website: "Our Club Assembly on February 24 was....a send off for our Group Study Exchange (GSE) participants who are headed for Taiwan in April. There are four young professionals who will be joined by Rotary Club #14 member Mailani Veney on a trip to Taiwan. The members of the Team, Jill Orton, Jeff Barclay, Meagan Morris, and Chris Gorman, represent businesses in Omaha and Lincoln. They will visit a number of Rotary clubs while they’re in the country as well as learn more about how business operates there."
Presenting to Club #14 - a very large Rotary club - was a great dress rehearsal for all the presentations we will give in Taiwan. Each of the team spoke a little Mandarin and were showered with good wishes and advice from the many Rotarians who have been to Taiwan.Xie xie (thanks) to Club #14 for sponsoring Jeff Barclay and Chris Gorman for GSE!

Our weekly Mandarin lessons are FUN!

2009-03-03T20:21:00.007-06:00

The National Acrobats of China

2009-02-12T22:36:00.007-06:00

Xie xie to my mom, Gwen Cook, for arranging for our GSE team to see the National Acrobats of China performing to a sell-out crowd at the Lied Center. The acrobats were amazing - using their incredible strength in simple but beautiful routines using props like cloth, bikes and spinning plates. Plus, for the team it was fun to hear so much Mandarin being spoken in one place.

Sharing the Excitement

2009-02-05T20:08:00.007-06:00

The best thing about Group Study Exchange is the opportunity to visit Taiwan and experience their culture on both a professional and personal level (obviously!)

The second best thing about GSE is the opportunity to share our experiences with Rotarians throughout Rotary International District 5650. Mailani, Chris and I gave our first official GSE presentation about our upcoming trip last Friday, January 30th, with the Lincoln South Rotary club held at The Knolls Country Club.

We each had the opportunity to talk a little bit ourselves and about Taiwan as a whole. It was a wonderfully positive experience as the Lincoln South Rotarians are just as excited as we are for the trip. It was bittersweet for me because Lincoln South Rotary is the club sponsoring my trip to Taiwan. I tried to thank them as much as I could..but I'm not sure I have enough 'thank yous' to express my gratitude.

Friday night also found us celebrating our upcoming trip with the 2008 GSE Australia team. Australia team members Aaron Babcock and Jennifer Jones graciously welcomed us into their home where we were joined by the other team members - Christine Billings, Matt Novak and team leader Judy Peschio - along with District 5650 Governor Sharon Wherry and her husband Dan.

The get-together was a great energizer for the trip. We were able to spend some time getting to know the Australia team. I think they were questioned-out by the end of the night - we had so many questions about their experience and they definitely gave us some wonderful ideas and pointers that we can use on our trip. I think the thing that struck me the most about the Australia team was their camaraderie. They became genuine friends during their time abroad and I'm looking forward to that with our team as well.

Thanks again, 2008 GSE Australia team, for a wonderful and eye-opening time!

Oh, How Time Flies!

2009-02-04T21:56:00.008-06:00

It's hard to believe that we're only about two months away from leaving for our GSE trip to Taiwan! Time is going by so fast..but don't think we've been slacking. Quite the opposite, really!

So, what have we been doing? Well, learning Mandarin Chinese, of course! One of the main languages spoken in Taiwan is Mandarin. We want to learn as much of the language as we can before we leave to help bridge the communication gap and show just how excited we are to be immersed in the Taiwanese culture.

We tossed around several ideas on ways to learn Mandarin. We thought about Rosetta Stone software. We also considered using YouTube videos and books for self-study. However, no book or computer software can take the place of using a real, live tutor to help us understand and learn the language!

Our wonderful tutor, Jeremy Jewell, is an expert in all things that have to do with Taiwan and the Chinese language. We've had three lessons with him so far and will continue working with him until we leave for Taiwan. He's been an invaluable resource for us - giving us lessons on not only the language, but culture and ettiquette as well.

Of course, we already have some favorite phrases that we're learning, including:

Nǐ hǎo - Hello

Wǒ tīng bú dǒng 我聽不懂 - I don't understand

Duì bù qǐ kě shì, wǒ bù xí guàn zhè ge cài 對不起可是不习慣这个菜 - Pardon me, but I am not accustomed to this
**This is our favorite! There's no doubt that we'll encounter some foods in Taiwan that we're not used to eating, so this phrase will come in handy!**

The most important thing is that we're having fun learning Mandarin. Be sure to quiz us on our Mandarin skills the next time you see one of us!