Dragon Boat Festival

The infamous Dragon Boat Festival was held in Kaohsiung from June 3rd-June 6th. Our months of training and hard work came down to this one weekend. The festival was so much fun and such a great experience. Hundreds of people lined the Love River to watch the races that went on all day for 4 days. At the festival there are vendors that line the streets selling souvenirs, food, and other little trinkets. There were teams that flew in from the USA, Israel, and an abundance of Taiwanese teams. The energy was great and the sense of team spirit was prevalent. 

About the Competition

Dragon Boat racing is an important part of Taiwanese, and other asian cultures. It originated in China over 2000 years ago and emerged as an international sport in Hong Kong in 1976. Unlike other rowing or paddling sports, dragon boating is important in culture because of its ceremonial, ritualistic and religious traditions. The modern racing component is just a small part of the significance of the sport in Asia. The significance of the dragon is that they are traditionally known to be the rules of rivers, lakes, and sea. 

The festival in Taiwan hosts two kinds of boats for racing. There are first the small narrow boats that consist of 20 paddlers, 1 steerer, and 1 drummer. And the larger, heavier dragon boats that have the same crew with an additional flag catcher. It appears that Taiwan has been one of the only places that uses this traditional method with a "flag catcher". When the boat crosses the finish line, there is someone atop the dragon head to catch the flag, if the flag is not caught the boat's finish is disqualified. 

The pulsation of the drum beats produced by the drummer may be considered the "heartbeat" of the dragon boat. The drummer leads the paddlers throughout a race using the drum beat to indicate the frequency and synchronicity of all the paddlers' strokes. One of the MOST important aspects in dragon boating is synchronization of the paddlers. If the strokes do not all go, and out of the water at the exact same time, the strokes can be very ineffective and actually work against the boat. 

Our Teams

NSYSU has submitted one team for the past 4 years - an international team. They have won 3 years in a row so there were big shoes to fill. This year there was such a high interest that we were able to submit 3 teams. Some people had to paddle on 2 teams to fill all the position - but the great thing was that anyone who trained all semester got to participate in the race. The first team was of course the international team. Since there was so much pressure to get 1st place again this year and keep up the school's tradition - this team consisted of the strongest guys and some of the top female paddlers (and 1 girl for drumming and 1 girl for catching the flag). The next team was the men's university team. This team consisted of mostly all of the guys on the team (international and Taiwanese). Then that left the mixed team. This was for any guy who did not make the international or men's team - and all of the girls. This is the team I was on. At first, this team felt slightly neglected during practices and disappointed we did not make the international team. This team consisted of about 15 girls and the rest were guys. 

Results

Now, I am sure you are probably wondering how each team did in the competition. . .

Men's Team
The outcome of this team was very unfortunate. After racing two great races against three of the best teams in their division, they got disqualified at the 3rd race because of an error in registration. Thankfully most of the guys on this team were also on the international team, so racing for them was not put to a complete halt. 



International Team
The international team was clearly a strong competitor from the beginning. Starting with the first race, their times were incredible, and the teams did not even come a close second. The exciting thing about this team is that they got to race at night which looked so cool with the boat all lit up. At the finals NSYSU got the gold medal! They were able to keep up the winning streak and make the NSYSU international alums proud. 

Mixed Team
Like I have mentioned before, the mixed team lacked a little confidence that the other teams had. We were sort of the underdog. Through training we became really close as a team and our confidence began to build. We started to train on the river, and realized we may have a chance at this. We communicated really well with each other and we worked really well together.  We got 2nd in our first 2 races, and this gave us a lot of hope. We finished 4th in the finals but were so proud of our accomplishments. We were racing against some very talented teams (their times were in line with some of the men's teams) and we still got a trophy and a prize of NT5000 (around $170). I am so proud to be a part of that team and I know we all gave it our all. 

Now that dragon boat is over, it comes with a bittersweet feeling. I am glad it's over because it was very intense training so hard the months leading up to the competition. Some teams train all year, we only trained for 3 months - we needed to make every second count. I'm sad it's over because it was such a big part of my experience here in Taiwan. I made so many great friends, and everyone on the team really bonded. Now that this is over, I know that the semester is coming to an end. This dragon boat experience taught me a lot about communication, trust, confidence, patience, perseverance, loyalty, commitment, respect, and friendship. I will cherish every moment and every memory.  


Throughout our time training, and at the festival - we all took pictures and videos. I took some of these memories and created a video of our experience. I hope you will get a sense our commitment and camaraderie. 


To see the video just click on the link below ;)

NSYSU 2011 Dragon Boat

Love always,
Chantal
xo

A Place to Call Home

The past few weeks have been pretty uneventful. I finished Chinese class, and I am rather sad it's over. I really enjoyed the class and my teacher was so kind and helpful. Dragon boat has basically consumed most of my free time. The race is this weekend, so hopefully my next post contains good news!

Dragon Boat Mixed Team

I've been in Taiwan for a little over 3 months now, and I am sure than some of you still don't know much about it. I thought I'd take this opportunity to paint you a little picture of the place I have been calling home for the past while. 

Taiwan

Taiwan, or Republic of China, is a little Island located southeast of China. The capital is Taipei City and the entire island has a population of a little over 23 million people. Around 86% are decedents of Han Chinese - often referred to as native Taiwanese, 12% come from (or ancestors come from) Mainland China, and the other 2% are known as Taiwanese Aboriginals. 

Language & Culture

The main language is Mandarin, but some also speak Taiwanese, even though it is decreasing in popularity. Religion plays a large role in Taiwanese culture. Over 93% of the population believe in Buddhism, Confucianism, or Taoism, and often in some combination. Temples can be found virtually around ever corner. Some are big and extravagant, some are small and barely noticeable. 

Fo Guan Shan Monastery

Climate

The climate can be classified as marine tropical. The northern part has a rainy season from January through March. The southern part does not have the same rainy weather. The entire island experiences hot and humid weather from June to September. Typhoons are earthquakes are not uncommon. Since I have been here, the weather has ranged from 20-33 degrees Celsius. 

Education

Education is extremely important in Taiwan. Starting at an early age kids go to Cram School after their regular school day to attend extra classes. This can include English classes or prep for higher grades. In High School, students will prepare for 3 years to take their university entrance exam. All students attend University and most will advance to complete their masters. University is very competitive and Taiwanese students spend a lot of time studying. 

Geography

Taiwan's geography consists of a mixture of beaches, mountains, forests, cities, islands, and plains. The majority of the island (two-thirds) consists of mostly rugged mountains running in fives ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island that are along the east. The other third of the island on the west are the Chianan Plains that are home of most of Taiwan's population. There are several smaller islands, including Green, Penghu and Orchid Island that offer some beautiful beaches.

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung is the city I have been calling home for the past 3 months. Its is located in the southwest of Taiwan. It is the second largest city in Taiwan with a population of about 2.9 million people (includes Kaohsiung county). The people here have proven to be some of the nicest I have ever met. English is not very common in Kaohsiung, so communicating can be challenging. Despite the language barrier, Taiwanese are extremely patient and want to help you in any way they can. Foreigners are not very common, so walking down the street people often stare, wave, and sometimes ask to take pictures with us. 

Students out for lunch

Food

Fried rice from the canteen

Food is a very important aspect in Taiwanese culture. People love to eat! And something interesting in Taiwan is that people always eat out. Some people never even cook at home. Because of this, there are restaurants everywhere. Mostly, there are small Taiwanese restaurants that are simply a small kitchen and a few chairs and tables out front, which often have the most delicious fried rice along with some weird local food. There are also some western restaurants that serve burgers, pasta, and pizza. Another thing that is very popular is all-you-can-eat BBQ or hot pot. You pay around NT200-400 ($7-14 Canadian), and you cook your own meat on a BBQ or in a hot broth, with a time limit of 1.5-2 hours. This food is absolutely amazing. Tea and juices are very common as well, there are countless places where you can find a variety of tea (hot and cold) or places that make fresh fruit juices. Bakeries are found on almost every street corner. They make everything from bread to savoury buns to delicate pastries. I never thought some of the most delicious desserts would be found in Taiwan. 

BBQ

En route by scooter

Transportation

Parking lot at school

The most common form of transportation is definitely by scooter. The sheer number of scooters is astonishing. The majority of people on the road are driving a scooter. Most of the students at NSYSU rent them for the time they are here for around $300 per semester. The funny thing about scooters is what people manage to carry on them. I have seen a family of 4, a man with 3 dogs, and a man with a chair on the back. It's very impressive what they manage to put on those little scooters. 

Night Markets

Shoe shopping at the night market

Night Markets are very popular and exciting. They consists of numerous streets lined with vendors selling everything from food to clothing, accessories, and shoes, all for extremely cheap. There are also places to play games. The streets are often deserted during the day (except for the weekend) and filled with people at night. You can often bargain to get a cheaper price, even though sometimes you feel bad because it's already so cheap. People go to shop, eat, or catch a movie at the movie theatre, or even just to walk around the exciting market. 




Beauty
Beauty is very important to Taiwanese girls. They are often dressed in high heels, fancy clothing, lots of make up and perfect hair, always wanting to look their best. They get their hair done on a regular basis. Someone told me that some Taiwanese girls don't even own shampoo because they go to the salon so often to get their hair done. They believe beauty is defined by being skinny and white. They avoid the sun at all cost. Even if it's 30 degrees, they will often wear long sleeves and cover themselves from the sun with an umbrella. There are even treatments and creams that make skin whiter. This is much different than western girls. 

Night Life
The international students love to party in Kaohsiung. Alcohol is cheap and the bars are always packed. The two most popular bars are Dreams and Lamp. Both places you pay between $10-$20 to get in and there is an open bar. On ladies night, girls get in for free! There is a huge dance floor and a stage where hired girls dance. The bars stay open very late, but so do many restaurants so it is not uncommon to spend the night at the bar dancing and then catch a meal before retiring for the evening. Below is a video of a bunch of the international students going out to Lamp. 

KTV

Another popular night time activity is KTV, which is a Taiwanese form of karaoke. The difference is you can rent a room for the night and drink for really cheap. If you have a small group, you can get a small room. Or if you have a large group - there are huge rooms available with big screen TVs, couches, and tables. There are a ton of English songs and it's a guaranteed good time!  

View from the roof of the dorms

NSYSU
The university I am attending in Kaohsiung is National Sun Yat-Sen University. The campus is absolutely beautiful. There is lush vegetation all around and the beach is a 5 minute walk away. The view from the roof of the dooms is breathtaking and the sunsets are unreal. Some of the great things about the campus include: an outdoor pool, fresh juice and tea stands, a cafe in a courtyard surrounded by trees (a delightful place for a morning coffee), a garden with a pond in the middle of the campus, a gym and outdoor track, and the numerous places to eat. The international students have created quite a bond and it has been really interesting getting to know people from all over the world. Many of us have joined the dragon boat team together - this has been a wonderful experience. 

At the "secret beach" on campus

In one of my classes, my teacher showed us a video made by a couple Taiwanese students that did an exchange in Europe. The video is quite funny and discusses some of the cultural differences between Taiwan and Western countries. This video made me laugh and I want to share it with you. (Just click on the link below)
Taiwanese Culture - From the Students Perspective


Sadly, the semester is coming to an end in the next few weeks. I will be very sad to leave Taiwan. The experience has been so incredible. I have learnt so much about different cultures and about myself. Our flight is booked to Bangkok on June 27th and Arthur and I will be travelling to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia for 6 weeks. I am very much looking forward to the new adventure, but I am dreading having to say goodbye to all the wonderful people I have met here. 


Lots of love,
Chantal
xo