Home to Taiwan

---

Notes to my faithful readers: I am now in Europe and am doing blogs from recent trips but I am also catching up on my blogs of travels through Asia and Africa from this past summer. Here’s my itinerary: San.FranciscoKyotoNagoyaTokyoSeoulBusanBeijingXianChengduChiongqingShanghaiXiamenGuangzhouShenzhenHong.KongMacauTaipeiSingaporeDurbanCapetownRotterdamMunichRomeFlorenceVeniceBrusselsBerlinBarcelonaMadridParisIstanbulMilanPragueBudapestAmsterdamNew.DelhiHyderabadLos.AngelesSan.Francisco. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for the comments! I love them. Keep them coming.
--

Being back in Taiwan was both a familiar and foreign experience. Since my family immigrated to the States when I was nine, I have been back in Taiwan several times to see my relatives. This time though, would be the first time going to Taiwan after I have been to China. China and Taiwan have had a strange relationship for the past fifty plus years. When I was a elementary school student in Taiwan, we were taught that communism is evil and that people suffered immensely under Communism. Part of this was certainly true, though, as with any story, there are two sides. This time, I had a glimpse of the other side, though admittedly what I have seen of China has already undergone nearly two decades of rapid transformation. Nonetheless, I felt that people in China did feel loyalty to the Communist government, as it did provide the people with many things that they wanted. More important, I think that people preferred the regimental Communist rule over the chaos that plagued China in the years since Europeans came to dominate China. Today, I think many people in China do not understand why Taiwan would not want to join back with mainland China. In fact, it is very possible that someday China’s economic development will overtake that of Taiwan. To be sure, this is just my simplified view of the current state of affairs on either side of the Taiwan Strait. Reality is much more complex. In any case, my trip to China has added many layers of understanding about China. Mainlanders could no longer be a one-dimensional enemy entity.

When I saw my Mom and my Aunt at the airport, I was exhilarated. I wanted to share everything about my experiences in China, but it soon became apparent that they wanted to share their experiences in Taiwan with me as well. They took me to the night market where we had some super yummy Taiwanese food. There they talked about the recent events happening to my extended family in Taipei.

My grandfather had fell and injured himself very badly. Even before that, his mental capacity had deteriorated rapidly, due to Alzheimer’s I think. A major reason for me to go on this trip this summer was to see him, in case anything should happen to him at a later time when I could not possibly make it back to Taiwan on short notice. As it turned out, the day I made it back to Taiwan was just before the day my grandfather was to be released from the hospital. In a way, it was perfect timing. For the next two weeks, I would help my relatives get my grandfather adjusted to his new apartment while helping my Dad in his clinic when his nurse was out on medical leave. Not much of my time would be spent on my own. Instead, I followed my Mom or Dad around, stayed at the clinic, or stayed with my Grandfather.

My Grandfather is one of the people I admired the most. The first reason is that he came from a very humble beginning and eventually became a successful businessman, despite having to fend for himself from the start and not having had education beyond the second grade. His confidence and knack for business are hopefully inherited in me. Second reason for my admiration of him is his love for my Grandmother. They married quite young, and until my grandmother’s death some seventeen years ago, they appeared to be quite in love. In fact, my grandfather told me a few years back that his devotion to my Grandmother is one of the keys to his success, even after her passing away. My Grandmother was known for her immense kindness and love. To this day, I believe she watches over me and sees to the good fortune I have had in my life. In any case, my Grandfather still talks about her quite passionately. He never even considered another marriage, unlike his friends after their wives had passed away. The third reason why I admire him so is his love for his children and grandchildren. My Grandfather is a giver when it comes to the needs of his children. Though he did not always understand or approve of the ways we lived, he had continued to offer his support when it was needed, even when it was not deserved. For these reasons, and despite his shortcomings, I aspire to be like him. If I can be half as successful as he is and half as charitable as my Grandmother, then I would consider my life to have been worthwhile.

Originally I had planned for only one week in Taiwan. But towards the end of the two weeks, I felt I was not ready to go. I wanted to spend more time with my loved ones. I wanted to contribute more to their wellbeing. But for now, they seem to be doing okay on their own. The nurse came back to the clinic to work, so my Dad had the help he needed. One day my Dad and I went hiking in Yangminsan, a dormant volcano in a national park of the same name within the city limits of Taipei. We talked much about what he wanted to do with the next phase of his life. In this way, I also feel I will also need to enter the next phase of my adulthood.

My relatives had hired a nurse to stay with my Grandfather. For several days, I stayed at my Grandfather’s apartment while the new nurse developed a routine. It was also an opportunity to see my relatives, including an Aunt who came back from Japan to see my Grandfather, as well as my cousins back from Poland and the U.S. Also some of my younger cousins had become so grown up. Suddenly I felt older, though in my heart I don’t feel much more than in my early twenties.

Among the things I did in Taiwan included going to the stores and food stales I had gone to since I was a kid in Taiwan. The butcher in my neighborhood even remembers me and told me about the good things my Mom did for her. It was quite nice to hear good things about my Mom from strangers, as often we have biased views about our own parents. I also went to Taipei 101, currently the world’s tallest building. Underneath it is a mall, featuring all the luxury brands known worldwide. In the years since I left Taiwan, it had become quite cosmopolitan and fashionable. This was not the Taiwan I remembered. It is true that you can never go home again.

My Mom accompanied me to the airport. As I made my way past the security gate and customs agent, she stayed tirelessly behind the glass wall watching me and waving at me. She told me she could not bear to let me go. I felt quite heartbroken as I walked to the gate. For some reason, I had not expected to have such a powerfully emotional experience this summer. It reminded me of when I was eight-years-old, I had to watch my Mom go on a trip from the airport. I remember crying incessantly behind the same glass walls. With the same heavy heart, most of me boarded the plane to go to Singapore. Parts of me remained in Taiwan.

---