Being a tourist in Taipei

by | Saturday, May 17, 2008

I woke up this morning, feeling maybe for the first time in this entire trip, tired and a little homesick. I ascribe the first to the rather hectic schedule I have had the past 10 days so, continually on the move, presentation after presentation, meeting after meeting, never in a place for more than a day. The homesickness I ascribe to hanging out with Hsueh-Hua, Han-Chin, and (the one most to blame) their 8 year old son Matthew. I guess I was suddenly reminded, in a very forceful way, of the three people back home in Okemos, whom I haven’t seen or talked to in a while

The day was spent doing touristy kinds of things – all of which can be gleaned better from the photographs, some of which have been uploaded to Flickr and others will be sometime soon.

Dinner, for once, was a quiet affair, a veggie Subway sandwich, in my hotel room watching Taiwanese game and reality TV shows (not that I understood a word!).

Just a couple of thoughts about Taiwan, little things that surprised me. First, it turns out that pretty much everybody is a fan of the Yankees. This is mainly because of Chien-Ming Wang who is a pitcher for the Yankees and a national hero back home. Almost every body you meet, from a cab driver to an academic follows every game and knows the most arcane of baseball statistics.

Second, is something I saw during my first evening here at Taipei. We were strolling around after dinner through the inner streets, generally looking around the shops till we came to a small public park in the middle of this hustling, bustling marketplace and people’s homes. What first drew me to this park was the sound of country music blaring through a music system. And there, in the middle of the park, were approximately 30 people, mostly middle aged women, slow dancing in formation. This combination of Alan Jackson, smells of food from the restaurants and open-air stalls, and the gentle aerobic dance was just wonderful to see.

What a beautifully crazy world we live in.

I am off tomorrow to Hong Kong, one day, two nights and then back to India.

Topics related to this post: Fun | Personal | Research | Teaching | Technology | TPACK | Travel

A few randomly selected blog posts…

Of metaphors & molecules: Bridging STEM & the arts

Of metaphors & molecules: Bridging STEM & the arts

Update on blog post that was published May 30, 2018 - since the article is now published (2 years since it was accepted for publication). Square Root: Illustration by Punya Mishra What do President Kennedy's speeches have to do with cell biology? And what does the...

Tools “R” Us: When objects become you

Tools “R” Us: When objects become you

Danah Henriksen shared an article with me recently “When objects become extensions of you.” It is an interesting piece arguing that “Whether they are tools, toys, or mirror reflections, external objects temporarily become part of who we are all the time.” Essentially,...

The perception of taste

A new study (with brain scanning no less) indicates that the more expensive the wine the better it tastes. As the MindHacks article (Higher price makes cheap wine taste better) reports, participants rated the more expensive wine as being more likeable even it was...

12 Days of Christmas, the desi version

I love mongrel culture the mashing and creative remixing elements from different cultures and traditions to construct something new and, hopefully, wonderful. A great example is something my daughter, Shreya, showed me the other day. It is the 12 Days of Christmas...

Synthesis: A creative cognitive tool (2 articles)

Over the past couple of years my research team (the Deep-Play Research group) and I have been writing an on-going series of articles  about rethinking technology and creativity for the 21st century. Published in the journal TechTrends, these articles have been great...

Special CITE issue on TPACK

The CITE Journal had a recent special issue devoted to TPACK. You can access the special issue (edited by Judi Harris and Matt Koehler) here or individual articles below. Bull, G., & Bell, L. (2009). TPACK: A framework for the CITE Journal. Contemporary Issues in...

Wislawa Szymborska, 1923 – 2012

Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska passed away a couple of days ago. I first heard of her on an NPR show a few years back (and had included a couple of her poems on the blog - see here and here). If you have never read her work, I entreat you to do so. She is an...

Creativity in the lives of accomplished teachers

How do exemplary teachers incorporate creativity in their teaching? In this dissertation study, Danah Henriksen  interviewed National Teacher of the Year award winners (and finalists), to better understand their beliefs, interests, and practices involving creative...

TPACK Newsletter #40, March 2019

TPACK Newsletter #40, March 2019

Here is the Special Spring 2019 Conference Issue of the TPACK Newsletter (#40, March 2019), as curated and shared by Judi Harris and her team. (Previous issues are archived here.) This special issue include all the TPACK-related papers/sessions that...

5 Comments

  1. Punya Mishra

    Yes I did, and I think I did write about it too… I also have a ton of photos from 101. Check it out here. [The Taipei 101 pictures start around two-thirds of the page down and continue on to the next page. Enjoy.

    Reply
  2. Daniel

    Have you visited the Taipei 101? It sure is one of the most exciting buildings in the world.

    Reply
  3. Punya Mishra

    No, I am now in India for a few days and then I go back to the US.

    Reply
  4. Sandra

    Are you still in here(Taiwan)?

    Reply
  5. Sandra

    Are you still in here Taiwan?

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *