Last Blog Post

Since the last blog post, Monday night, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we took part in the usual classroom activities in addition to a few outside of classroom experiences. Monday night we went to see an hour long Chinese Opera show which I surprisingly enjoyed. A lot of my friends back home are not huge fans, and they have described their experiences to me, so naturally I was skeptical about it. Although the singing is not what I am a particular fan of, the acrobatics and some of the comedic timing were excellent. The choreographed fight sequences and weapons display were some of the surprising yet best live displays of coordination as well as showiness I have seen in recent years.

Tuesday we went to a vegetarian buffet which was really good! Though I am not a huge fan of vegetarian “sashimi” which essentially felt like a jelly. It was also Erica’s birthday so Travis, Cindy, Elaine and Vina all took us to karaoke which was fun. It was also less expensive than in the states, with a total being $15, including a buffet and soft drinks. In the states, a room costs anywhere between $100 an hour for a small room that fits about 5-7.

Wednesday after class we visited the National Palace Museum which surprisingly only holds a really small fraction of the entire collection (about 20%) with the rest still in Beijing. We walked around and learned about the different dynasties and saw some of the exhibits that held porcelain, bronze vessels and other things. We saw the famous jade bok-choy with two insects. I was surprised to learn it represented a woman’s purity and fertility. We also saw a rock that looked like braised pork in soy sauce.

Thursday was just the usual class and we learned how to make Chinese Opera Masks. I am still not finished painting it, but will do it back in the states!

Observation theme: Efficiency

Taiwan is surprisingly efficient. In retrospect, I suppose the entire country has to be efficient given the dense living conditions and lack of space per person. In terms of crowds forming along the platform at the MRT, to our visit to the Tamsui campus of Tamkang University, to our fast food excursions, and to our water bottles, everything just screams efficiency through their process management, which relates to my Operations Management major. To see what theories and concepts I have learned in my major related classes (such as Six Sigma) have been implemented in a large scale to my observations in Taiwan.

At the Tamsui Campus during our tour in the Memorial Library, there was one panel that talked about how Tamkang University implemented the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) in streamlining its education offerings to its students as well as providing the best quality with continuous improvements throughout the years.

On our water bottles, and in some buildings I have seen, they have all been marked ISO 9000/9001 and/or 14000 or 140001. ISO stands for “International Organization for Standardization” and getting certified with either of those numbers are recognized/ certified for meeting their management standards. Those marked with some variation of 9000 are recognized for quality management standards, while ISO 14000 is for environmental management standards. For something as minor as a water bottle, to have that claim is impressive, at least to me. In water bottles in the states, only in recent years have companies begun to incorporate greener practices in their bottle design for instance, using about 20% less plastic by making the caps shorter and using less plastic in the overall bottle. The overall urgency to be green and efficient is not just a forced mandate but a way of living. In the states we take a lot for granted, and so much waste is created but never recycled smartly.

Last two days here and it’s time to eat as much as I can because once I’m in the states, the abundance of cheap food within walking distance will be nonexistent.

Pictures (in no particular order of listing because my internet is lagging and won't display them):

Exterior of National Palace Museum, ISO listing on water bottle, Chinese Opera shot, City night picture from the 11th floor laundry room, our last night market, and a guy making glass animals right in front of us.