Taiwan OELP Day 4 Reflection

Gladys:

Today, we went to National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

The guide talked to us about the different art pieces. She talked to us about the artist basic background, what method the artist used to paint the art piece, what kind of inspiration the artist got to paint the art piece, etc. I think after the visit to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, I learnt how to appreciate art better and learnt more about the different types of art. I also noticed this umbrella lock before entering the museum and I thought it was pretty interesting as I never seen it in Singapore before. I think its a good invention so that the staff can have an easier time finding their own umbrellas.

Later on in the afternoon, we went to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village.

This village was set up as another source of income for the aborigins. The theme park was set up so that people will be attracted to come to the village. The village is being set up in a way that in order to play the rides at the theme park, you need to walk through all the displays set up by the aborigins and as you walk, you will be able to learn more about their culture. I think it is a very sad thing that they have to set the village this way in order for the younger generations to learn the aborigine's culture but it was a really successful method. As I walk pass all those displays, I got to learn more about their culture and their way of life. They make great efforts in updating the amusement facilities and services to attract more people to the village to raise awareness about the aborigins among the younger generation. There was also this display at the village that I saw. I had the words "饮水思源".

I think they are trying to say that they are thankful of what their ancestors did in order for them to have such a culture and they will never forget. We also got a chance to see their aboriginal dance and some of us even got to learn this dance moves.

I think I had a lot of fun learning their culture and playing the rides at the amusement park. 

At the end of the day, we went to Fengjia Night Market. I was really happy as I finally got the chance to try some of their local famous food like 大肠包小肠 and experince the night market life.

The for some of the drink stalls, they would give out free samples in order to attract customers to their buy their drinks and I think this is a really good way to run a business. I think all the stall vendors in Taiwan are really polite, if youenter a stall and didn't buy anything, they will still say thank you for taking time to browse throught their stalls. I think this is something singapore should learn from Taiwan, shop assistants should learn to help promote their stall more instead of waiting for customers to come amd they should also learn to be more polite so that customers would like their service and return to purchase more goods from the stall. I also realise that many stalls in Taiwan sell the same type of shirts with the same prices in different stalls. This is so that customers don't compare the prices and buy the shirt from only one stall. They make all stalls have equivalent chance of selling their goods. I had a really great time eating their culinary delicay and experiencing the night market life, something I will never forget.

Claudia:
Today, we took the high speed train from Hsinchu to Taichung. After arriving at Taichung, we proceeded to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Upon reaching the museum, there was a tour guide to bring us through the place and explain individually who were the artist of each of the artwork and what the artist meant to express through the piece of work. Personally, i felt that the experience was very enriching and interesting, i found it hard to believe that artists could express how they felt or what they were thinking about through such work of art and it wasn't something that anyone could achieve. I think that the tour guide played a crucial part in making our trip there a fulfilling one as without her explanations, we could not have figured out and understood the artwork and the trip there would be very boring.
In the afternoon, we went to the Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village. It was highly anticipated by many of us as there was a theme park inside the culture village and us being playful little kids, we definitely wanted to try out some of the rides!
We first took the cable car to the peak of the hills there and enjoyed the wonderful scenery from above. It was a much better experience than taking a cable car in Singapore as the scenery was a lot more beautiful and the cable car travelled higher above the ground(woop thrilling :D) Then, without hesitation, we dashed for the theme park and took a number of rides, namely the free fall and viking. We had a lot of fun and played til we almost puked, but then again i kind of regret not going to visit the aboriginal parts of the village more as those were the places where we could learn more about the aboriginals, instead of spending our time playing at the theme park. But after that, we went to watch a performance by the aborigines and we also participated and danced their traditional dance with them and that was an eye opening yet embarrassing experience as not many of us could dance very well xD
In the evening, we went to Fengjia Night Market and this was one of the places that i looked forward to going most in Taiwan. We tried many of the local taiwanese street foods, namely the glutinous rice sausage, the bbq squid and the nacho cheese baked potato!! The night market was packed with people and i guess that it is because the food at the night market is delicious and the prices are also very very cheap as compared to the food in Singapore. Also, many stalls gave out samples of their food and i think that this is a very good sales strategy because when people taste the food for free and realize how good it is and they will then go back to the stall to purchase it instead of having to wonder about whether or not the food will be to their liking.
Overall, i had a very fulfilling and fun day and i get to experience Taiwan more today!! :)

Jing Yan:

We first went to the Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Some of the art pieces were gross and inappropriate for little children but i guess you have to look in the artistic point of view to appreciate their artwork. However, some of the other artworks were also very interesting and had deep meanings to it. I feel extremely thankful for the guide who explained each artwork to us as some of them were very abstract. I think i would not be able to understand the meaning of the artwork if she was not there. It was a great experience! After that, we went to the long awaited Aboriginal Village. We spent quite a long time there as we could take the exciting and thrilling rides there. Although it was supposed to be a village, there was an amusement park. It was a pity that the Aboriginals had to build an amusement park there to attract people to their cultural village. They could educate the younger generation to show that their presence was sigificant and they would have more people knowing about their culture. The free-fall ride was the most memorable. It dropped at the speed of 107 miles/h and my heart literally stopped. I think that it was a pity that the Aboriginals are an "endangered species" as i felt that they were interesting. The amusement park was also built to attract tourists/people to visit the aboriginal village. It was also an alternative source of income. However, i think it would not be too high as they had to split the earnings among many other tribes. We learnt some simple steps from the traditional aboriginal dance which were included in their performance and it was a joy to learn. 

A photo with one of the lead dancers

Learning the dance :D

At night, we went to fengjia night market. The store owners were all extremely friendly and helpful, helping us throw away our rubbish and allowing us to try samples of their food even though we may have no intention of buying them. This is one point the Singaporeans can learn from. We should all learn from their friendliness and initiative, which would raise the standards of the service we give to our customers. Store owners should all take initiative to approach their customers to provide them with answers to what they need. 

Kheng Lon:

Day 4
Today is the 4th day of our Taiwan Trip. After our breakfast, we brought our luggage along with us as we were staying at a different hotel today. I was quite reluctant to leave the hotel as I find this hotel spacious and unique. The trip to Taichung was nearly 2 hours! It must have been really hard on the bus driver. Along the way, the tour guide briefly explained to us the places that we are visiting today.

After a while we finally reached Taichung. Our first stop, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts!

The museum tour guide explained different art pieces to us in detail. We learnt about the history and how these art pieces came about. From the art pieces, we can learn and find out what the illustrator is trying to express. I find this very enriching as some art pieces reveal the histories of different place. I have to say the museum tour guide did a great job in explaining the different art pieces. I find this painting special as it was the work of a Japanese trying to paint a picture based on folk activities held during ghost festival in Keelung. Even though the artwork does not seem like much, it depicts the cheerful atmosphere from a Japanese point of view.

Afterwards, we made our way to Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village. We managed to experience some cable car rides. It was an amazing experience as we were able to enjoy the scenery from a frightening height. We laughed and chatted, having a great time. After the cable car ride, we were given free time to try out some of the rides in the amusement park. The rides were thrilling and our bonds strengthened as a class.

After a while, we returned to our meeting point to watch a performance by a aboriginal tribe. They displayed a culturural dance which captivated us for a long time. The aborigines  wore their tribal clothes which I find colourful and pretty unique. Some of us even got the chance to dance with them. They laughed and danced along with the aborigines. The dance had 4 parts and they learned them quickly. Even though I did not join them, I also had fun and cheered along. Afterwards, we managed to take some selfies with the aboriginals. After this visit, I find it very sad that amusement parks had to be built so as to attract tourists to learn more about the aboriginal tribes. The aborigines were trying to spread awareness about their culture, yet without the amusement parks, would tourists still continue to learn more about them? I felt very guilty as I think I should spend more time, learning their culture instead of having fun with the rides. After all, their culture existed a long time. It is important that we show our respect and learn some of the unique cultures.

Next, we made our way to Fengjia Night Market. We were given some allowance to spend. I heard that Fengjia Night Market is well-known in Taiwan. When we reached there, we can already see hordes of people. We then proceed to buy food for dinner. Even though most of the food were quite oily and unhealthy, they were surprisingly delicious. I guessed there is no harm trying different food once in a while. The chicken cutlet was huge and was one of the popular food in the night market. I tried one and find it really tasty. We even did some shopping in some shops. Some drinks  were really cheap. For example, they sold 1 litre bubble teas for only 45 ntd and they taste as good as the ones in Singapore! The vendors were very kind as they offered to help throw our rubbish. We shopped and ate along the way, having a wonderful together. Finally, it was time to go back and we returned to our new hotel.

We sure had a spectacular time today in Taichung. Today was fun and enriching. On another note, I think that we need to be more considerate to the bus driver. For example, on our journey back to the hotel, one of us found a cockroach scuttling around in the bus. This was the result of us not throwing away our food wrappers and rubbish. The bus driver had to drive long distances but never once complained. I think we can do our part by clearing the rubbish and not make so much noise so that he can concentrate better.