Researching Taiwan

So I did what the man asked me to. I refreshed my knowledge of contemporary Taiwan.

Sitting out here on the second floor of my countryside home - or first floor as the locals call it - I have a view of the tops of the trees and a piece of blue sky. The only way I get to hear about Taiwan these days, is over the Internet. The local newspapers never mention the place. There was an exception about a week ago, when they said Taiwan was going to attend some world health conference in Switzerland. Of course, the report was written by some obviously biased correspondent, so she had to whine and moan about how it meant the government was selling out Taiwan to the Chinese etcetera. I know the people who write this.

So anyway, there was Taiwan back in the news again. While I'm listening to the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire, I surf the Internet for news about Taiwan. The view not from the international media, but from the ground so to speak. The expats. I'm one of those myself, even though I never thought of myself as one. The word 'expat' to me reeks of swimming pools, maids, chauffeurs, and a house in the hills I don't have to pay anything for. A life of privilege, and I have never lived a life like this myself.

The work I do is well paid, but I don't live in villas with swimming pools unless it's part of the game. Sometimes you just have to if you want to fit in. I attended one of those world health conferences myself once, but that was just to get closer to one of the delegates my employers thought the world would be healthier without.

But back to Taiwan. Economy going down, just like the rest of the world. Scared of swine flu, just like the rest of the world. Corruption and complaints and clashes, just like the rest of the world. But when my employers call me, I know something is different.

I knew what it was about Taiwan when I reached the fifth forum thread about the island's politics. It's always that, isn't it. If it wasn't for politicians, there wouldn't be trouble. If it wasn't for politicians, there would be no need for people like me to intervene. Ringa Ringa, goes the music.

AIT

You saw that AIT guy on TV last night, moaning again about how Taiwan should let in American beef?
Like this country isn't in trouble enough, it should worry about eating American beef instead of that awful Australian beef, do you hear me right?
They're so deep in financial, political, economical, military, societal, ethnic trouble, so Mister Wonderful AIT wants them to eat American beef.
They were right to warn me never to let those bums at AIT get anywhere close to my project. They may be Americans, but they're the softhearted, wimpy, useless, big mouth/big face/big no-no type of Americans.
The kind that people all around the world rightly object to and protest against. They're stuffing the big stick right in your face and they still think they're being subtle.
Anyway, AIT is almost behind me now. They chose this dreary, rainy day to tell me it's my last one. In Taiwan, that is. The weather will not help my mood, but it will certainly help me cover my tracks. Took my last pictures of the Taiwanese sunlight yesterday afternoon. Nice weather, but I thought I could venture out one last time by the river without raising any undue alarms. Everyone's at home sitting by the TV watching how this sorry episode of Taiwanese history is going to play out.
If AIT is at all involved, then it will be pointing in all the wrong directions. Not because I kept them gloriously uninformed of what I was up to in the first place, but because they're so full of beef.
Rough seas, rain, wind, cold. I better dress warmly, without letting on that I'm off on a nautical voyage. People like me leave Taiwan on airplanes, to Hong Kong, or even to China these days, ironically enough. Open doors. I'm gonna walk right through them, but in a different direction than they're expecting. Of course they'll be looking for people escaping. But they're not expecting someone who looks like me. And I'm not headed for China or the Philippines anyway. I just want to get deeper into the Pacific. The time is set, the place is in the hands of the people I meet in the dark.
I'm out of here. Forever. I'll forget about AIT. The American Institute in Taiwan. Right. They won't forget about me because there is nothing to forget. I never even met any of them, just got warned about them before I even reached Taiwan.
But that was on another continent again. Maybe that's where I need to begin my story.

Taiwan 2011

Another cold front is coming in soon. From the North, from China. I'd better close the outer windows, or else the wind is going to blow all my documents away, on the cold floor, under the sofa.

If it's getting colder, it means I'll have to be wearing more clothes, though the water will always be cold. The wind will keep the tourists off the beach, though.

Taiwan doesn't have much of a beach culture. So I won't bump into parents taking their kids out for a walk in the sand. The rougher sea will also make the voyage over the water more of an extreme sports adventure than a leisurely cruise. At least, it's not typhoon season, otherwise, the extraction might have to be canceled altogether.

I'll miss some of the food, the sweet, rubbery moaji and the oyster omelets they're so proud about. I'm almost beginning to think it wasn't such a bright idea, killing a president to be.

Taiwan 2011