Some history and guidance for the temple

Yesterday all of the AIESEC EP's (along with Kevin) did an informative tour of the temple and some of the surrounding area with a travel official from the government. It turns out there is two other small temples in the perimeter, and that the Yuan Bao temple grounds extend further than previously thought.

During the tour we learned about the first underground tunnel dug in Taichung (at the intersection of Section 1, Zhongqing Rd. and Jianxing Rd.), built many years ago to allow children to cross a busy street and get to school. There is now a lot of police surveillance in the area due to a large amount of homeless people attempting to live there.

We also learned about the Lai family, the founders of this temple who grew sugar cane in Taiwan, and after selling it in China it allowed them to earn enough profit to build the temple. There are many employees and volunteers at the temple with the surname Lai, but most aren’t actually related to the founding family. But, it turns out Kevin is actually a descendant of the family that built the temple!

Across from the temple there is a long walkway surrounded on both sides by flowers and workout machines. Interestingly enough, under the walkway, there is an underground river (which I really wanted to see, but there is no way to access it). The tour guide and her husband also take care of most of the garden along the walkway; there are many types of flowers and trees and the government doesn’t mind the couple taking care of them.

But, I think the most interesting thing I had learned all day was how the people pray in the temple. I am around the temple most of the day almost every day and see all the attendees praying, but I never understood why or even noticed a pattern in the people praying. I will communicate my understanding so far in the following paragraph.

In front of the Gods keep in each section of the temple there is a large, metal censer (used to store ash burned from incense). Each censer has three legs, is large and round, and has two protruding designs on the side (from what I have seen it has usually been a dragon). For all censers you only pray between the three legs; never aligned with them (as it is considered an insult to the Gods). To pray, you must think or mutter what you ask of the God whilst holding the incense at eyebrow level; this shows respect to the god. After you finish praying you either bow or bend three times, to show you want something. Lastly, you place one or multiple incense in the censer, and depending on your ideals you may place a larger incense in the censer of the God you appeal more to.

In the very front Yuan Bao temple there is a large censer. This censer is dedicated to the sky God, and to pay respects at the censer you must face the sky, not the temple. The tour guide said you often see people praying but face the temple instead of the sky, and this is incorrect (but they aren’t aware of the proper way to pray). Apparently, one of the AIESEC EP’s responsibilities is to inform people, but I have trouble believing they would listen to me… Haha, but you never know. As I am extremely curious about the people that visit the temple, I will update the blog with new information once I find out more.

My purpose

I feel as if though I have stumbled upon a hidden gem nestled in the center of an up and coming city. The people are so friendly, the environment so beautiful, and the food delicious (although I could do without stinky tofu). I followed my instincts after several virtual AIESEC interviews, and my instincts have pulled through. I will really enjoy my next few months here.

The temple always needs help; whether its doing physical tasks such as sorting lanterns for New Years or taping coins to handouts for an upcoming ceremony, helping to create food such as the traditional dish Tanguan (see May's post), or social media such as this blog or our Instagram they always seem to need more volunteers. I am very glad to help them and reciprocate the kindness they have shown myself or the other interns on a daily basis, but maybe not in a way they expect me to. I like to be different, and I think I have come up with several ways to stand out.

In Taipei it is extremely easy to find someone who speaks English, likely because it is a larger city with more tourists and international business. But in Taichung one of the largest obstacles I face daily, if not hourly, is the language barrier. I often resort to smiling and nodding, or pointing and hoping I get what I want. In Yuan Bao temple it is no different; thank goodness we have Jennifer and Poconz here to translate for us or else this internship would have all been a guessing game. Although I don’t speak the native tongue I have quickly come to realize one of my strongest and most unique assets I could contribute to this team; my native English. Strong communication skills (i.e. native English) are a must when giving short but powerful messages over social media.

My ultimate goal in this internship is to create a larger outreach to English speakers in order for Yuan Bao temple to become more welcoming to foreigners like myself. I wish to make it easier and more welcoming for English speakers to experience this temple, whether it is for an hour or a whole day.

I can do this through three different ways: Instagram, translation videos and temple introduction videos, and the blog. Instagram can be a powerful way to convey a message, because pictures along with brief but thorough explanations can be very powerful and remain with someone for quite some time. I wish to use videos because a short, but concise and thorough video can explain a lot in an interesting and artistic way. Lastly, a blog is a very good way to convey my thoughts, and should someone seeking a similar experience to myself wish to see what I was thinking they could see my thoughts quite easily.

I hope these methods of communication are effective, we shall see come two months!

New to Taiwan, new culture

Two weeks ago I arrived in Taiwan after a long, 30 hours of travel. Having never been to Asia, or even away in another country for more than several weeks, I had spent the previous weeks preparing to experience a large culture shock. Right away I noticed some small differences, but over a couple weeks I am beginning to realize some larger cultural differences. After my two months in Taiwan I would like to reflect on this piece and see if my opinions are still the same. I think the largest difference I have noticed so far is the difference between the two countries organization and structure.

I feel that Canadians really take comfort in structure and organization, and we take the large amount of space we have for granted. For example, the driving is very different and almost hectic in Taiwan compared to Canada, but it works (very well!).

In Canada we stick to our lanes with plenty of room in between, our sidewalks are empty except for pedestrians, and there are no scooters zooming around your car; we drive very defensively and become aggravated when someone doesn't follow the rules. But in Taiwan, everyone is paying attention and lanes sometimes don't matter, but there is rarely road rage. I feel that drivers in Taiwan occupy as much space as possible in the road at all times (scooters will fit where cars cannot), allowing for more efficient transportation as more people can fit on the road at that time (however disorganized it is). This could be one of the reasons why Canada has such bad traffic, we don't efficiently use our large amount of space! 

Another friend I had met in Taipei had jokingly described it as orderly chaos, which I actually believe is accurate when compared to Canadian traffic.

I like the way everything is structured here though; people walk more because everything is closer as compared to Canada. They don’t get angry over simple or trivial things, such as traffic. Their restaurants extend all the way to the sidewalk, and people weave between storefront (which makes a walk very interesting and enjoyable). They even allow bikes to ride on the sidewalk! This kind of system makes for efficient travel, at the cost of less organization.

One more large cultural difference is the way that people spend their money and socialize. Eating at restaurants in Taiwan is a lot more common; people eat out much more often, maybe even every day.

It seems Taiwanese socialize by eating at restaurants, and dislike cooking. The food in Taiwan is much cheaper than in Canada, allowing them to spend time at a dinner table as opposed to hanging out in a mall, spending money on entertainment or amusement (such as a movie or coffee), or drinking at a house. In my opinion Canadians seem much more materialistic, possibly because they have more room to own objects, but also because purchasing objects is cheaper than eating dinner together.

We will see if I still think the same in a few weeks!