2012-06-28

     Going to Jinshan for blue dye had been one of the highlight events I was greatly looking forward to. Though it was my second time doing the blue dye since our art teacher let us try the dye in elementary school for the first time, I could not really recall how my first piece of work came out with patterns. Kindly, the lady taught us how to make the star, flower and diamond. Honestly speaking, it made me feel down when I realized I could never do art as I wish as I was a kid anymore. The inspiration of art in my head decreases and is gradually confined and restricted while I grow older. I am no more a creative and innovative girl as I was in childhood. :(

     Dharma Drum Mountain was never a place that I would pay a visit to if it had not been because of BACT. I am neither a pantheist, nor atheist; I am more an unreligious person. However, after encountering Dharma Drum Mountain, I am strongly for the concept raised by Master Sheng Yen. Living harmoniously with the environment is crucial and that everyone should be aware of. The vegetarian meal they provided was very delicious and perhaps it is one of the best vegetarian foods I have ever had. The pond with stones on the bottom did bring peace and calmness to my mind. The ripples brought up by the wind were especially what I was fond of. Moreover, I was truly grateful to be given with the consecrated water, and the opportunity to ask questions of the Buddha for help. Surprisingly, after I told the Buddha my concerns, a number soon appeared in my head.

“A lack of self-understanding increases vexation.”

     Juming Museum was more like a park full of his masterpieces. It was also my first time having the chance to pay a visit to the museum. There were really a lot more installation artworks to be explored and introduced, but due to the time constraint...

     Tomorrow will be another exciting day: the experimental design and lecture given by Thomas Gavin, Yingge Ceramics Museum and night frog observation.

2012-06-27

     After arriving at the visitor center, we watched the film introducing Yang-Ming Mountain with an awe-inspiring and innovative start of the scene that a woman is playing cello alone on the top of the mountain. The following route introduction is perfectly mixed with the melodramatic story. Our field trip began with this entertaining and knowledgeable Yang-Ming Mountain introduction video, which indicated the good start for the up-coming trip which would be full of wonders.

     During the walk on the Balaka trail, firstly, I was paying full attention to the road, for fear that I would fall down to the mountain due to incautiousness. I personally have been a poor multi-tasker and have never been able to devote myself in two things at the same time; therefore, I was sort of upset since I knew I was going to miss all the beautiful and amazing lives along the trail once I put my mind onto the safety problem. However, thanks so much to Dr. Tsai and Miss Fan, I learned a lot more from their thorough elaboration on insects and plants. The insect living in the self-built bubble house is the one I like the most. Along the trail, we have come across many different kinds of insects, such as a special kind of cicada, a small brown mantis (it was my first time seeing a mantis with my own eyes), a katydid, lizards of small sizes, a dead stag beetle… and so on. The sad story happened this morning is a small lizard accidentally died due to one human step. Hope the small soul can be a happy angel somewhere in the heaven.

     The cute lady in Siaoyoukeng volcanic scenic site did give us a very clear picture regarding to the site. Afterwards, we headed to Beitou. It was the third time I went into the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, but I still learned something new today; for example, I had never known “pataw” means “witch” in aboriginal language. The thermal valley, which we went after the tour in the museum, is another place that says the thermal movement underneath the land without words. Coming to Beitou, the trip is be complete without having a tour in one of the most beautiful eco-friendly library in the world—Taipei Municipal Library, Beitou Branch. It’d be a great pity for foreign students to miss having a visit there.

2012-06-26 Tuesday
     The video displayed in NTU Zoology Museum was really special, playing the sounds made by various animals, such as the Brown Wood Owl, Collared Scops Owl, Oriental Cuckoo, Muller's Barbet, Bamboo Partridge, Crested Serpent Eagle, Cassowary, Short-finned Pilot Whale and Minke Whale. It truly surprised me the nostrils of the whales are on the top of their heads, and that the Minke whales use sounds of lower frequency in order to make the sound travel for a longer distance to reach other individuals, while Short-finned Pilot whales produce ultrasonic so as to locate and tell where their foods are. Moreover, Short-finned Pilot whales make the sounds and pass it to the fatty organ in the forehead called "melon", which plays as a role of amplifier, before transmitting the sound into the sea, when they use their adipose tissue to receive the reflections.
     Having a tour in NTU insectarium was full of surprise. Though the camphor smell was uncomfortably strong, it was amazing to learn NTU has a large number of well compactly preserved insect specimens. Learning the endangered insects species in Taiwan always raise awareness to any actions regarding to the protection of them. What surprised me was that Dr. Tsai, who just had just given us the lecture of the insect of Taiwan yesterday, remembered me and called my name. I'm thankful to be remembered by the professor after only one day. I was really touched when Dr. Tsai tried his best to show me the specimens of treehoppers that I asked whether there is any in the insectarium. I was fascinated by the loveliness of the unique horns on the heads of the treehoppers.
     The following lectures I love the most was the Flora of Taiwan taught by Dr. Hu. The one of a kind characteristics and distinct functions caused by evolution of all kinds of plants intrigue me. I can not wait to go to Yang-Ming Mountain tomorrow to come across the fauna and flora in person!

2012-06-24 Sunday
     It's always difficult to cram dozens of names into one's head in a day, not to mention connecting the names and their majors with people's faces. Though I did not get to chance to talk to everyone today, I'll try my best to get to know all the fellows and memorize their names as soon as possible. :)
     After the orientation, even though I already had the concept of what BACT is last year since it was the very orientation held in Forestry and Resource Conservation Department building that made me apply for this summer program, having the orientation in full English still made me feel extremely excited about what we're going to do for the following days: learning and having lots of fun during the countless of trips, harvesting the crops in the paddy on our own, having a try on the blue dye, doing the handmade pottery...etc.. I truly cannot wait for the program to officially start on Monday.
     Due to the concern about the likely-to-rain weather, the itinerary is slightly changed. Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was the first place we went for the afternoon Taipei tour. It was really a pity that the memorial was under reconstruction, so the stairs up to the statue was not open to public. After a lot of group photos in front of the memorial hall, we moved to National Taiwan Museum around Taipei Main Station on foot. Although I've lived in Taipei for 7 years, and have been in Taipei Main Station area for numerous times, it was seriously the first time I actually walked into the National Taiwan Museum. Lunch in Taipei Main Station was after the tour in the museum.
     Hope I'll get to know everyone in the scavenger hunt game tomorrow! :)

2012-06-25 Monday
     Frustrating as it was, I missed the opening ceremony, the opportunity of knowing all the speakers of BACT and taking a group photo. Luckily, I still made it to the scavenger hunt game: the item collection, broom spinning, two people three feet, water balloon, noun guessing parts. Being steamed under such humid and hot weather let us know how exactly the dim sum feels. It was also interesting to learn the similarities between NTU and A&M University during the scavenger hunt game from Shelby, for both have a school belt and the hearsay. Fu Garden has its say that if a student is in Fu Garden for skipping class, he/she will bump into an old man who will ask him/her to return to class, or otherwise he/she will be flunked; if couples have a date in Fu Garden, then they will for sure break up. While there is a saying regarding to an oak tree in A&M University, if boyfriends and girlfriends date underneath the oak tree, they are never going to get married, but if people propose there, their marriage will last for a lifetime.
     After finishing the exhausting walk around almost the whole campus, it's time to feed our starving stomachs up with delicious lunchboxes. Following the nap during lunch break time is the lecture pertaining to fauna of Taiwan by Dr. Yuan. It was truly amazing to learn how the history and location make Taiwan such a place full of beautiful species. The film produced by BBC is so well-made and is one of my favorite movies. Later on, the introduction of insects of Taiwan brought to us by Dr. Tsai stirred up my curiosity towards insects for that I have lost the love for them for a really long time. The video played in the end of the class reminded me of how much I love caterpillars and butterflies when I was in elementary school living in Tamshui, and of how much I enjoy observing the metamorphosis and even kept many kinds of the caterpillars as pets.