Taiwan Day 17
July 18 - Tainan to Kaohsiung Today was an especially long day, we woke up at seven a.m. and I got on the phone with my boyfriend. After our call, I finished packing up the last of my things and he headed downstairs with our luggage in tow. The bus took us over to breakfast, I kept it simple this morning. Very delicious. Then we drove off to a fort. The grounds were beautiful and I asked the god of education at the top of the fort a question. I asked if I was going to get all As next semester and he said yes! So I took my pencil and went about my day. Then we walked to the temple of the sea goddess. I also asked her a question. I asked if I should be a pilot, she said I should. Then I was told if I do become a pilot that I must return to thank her. An excuse to return to Taiwan in the future. All the while military aircraft was flying overhead. It was very distracting for us. I was getting asked lots of questions and involved in many conversations because of my military involvement. We left the area and drove to Old Lin’s department store. It was very elegant on the inside and learning about its lengthy history was quite enamoring. I mostly sat and waiting for everyone to do their shopping. Most things in there were out of my price range. The we went to hot pot. I scarfed down as much meat as I could. I was stuffed by the end. At this point we had traveled to Kaohsiung, we went to Pier 2 which funny enough wasn’t on our itinerary but was a place that me and Alexis were planning on going. I asked if we could stay and shop for awhile which was generously granted by my tour guide and teacher! I got some art for my boyfriend. Our final stop was the MRT station to get money on our passes. Then we got to the hotel and I’ve been resting ever since.
Academic Reflection
There are so many things I could talk about from today. I’ll go with diving into the history of Old Lin’s Department Store or Hayashi Department Store. Built in 1932 during the Japanese Colonial Time, it was a very busy part of Tainan, but after the end of the Japanese Colonial Period, the owner returned to Japan, and the Hayashi Department Store was left empty, leaving people to eventually forget about its former glory. In 2014, its status as a department store was restored, with a great many limited edition Hayashi goods on sale inside. Some must see features include the elevator's floor indicator which is the old style dial type, now probably the only remaining one in Taiwan, which preserves the authentic feel of the place. Then the Torii shrine on the top floor which is also one of a kind, it’s all the way on the top of the building, past the fifth floor. It’s a neat view from up there and a cool piece of history. I even spent some time trying to find the old bullet holes. Speaking of which there is also a hole in a wall from the bombing by US Forces during World War II. It’s hard to tell just by walking around how old the building is. The refurbishing was really well done, but also the upkeep of this place and its history is just commendable. I highly respect how Taiwan treats its historical buildings and how clean everything is here.
