We Are in Taiwan!

Hello everyone! This is Ayende and Mira, proud to write the first blog post for the Taiwan 2026 GIP Trip! After a tiresome 14 hour flight filled with sour gummy skittles and the newly released movies you always get to watch on a plane (how do airlines get access to them???), we finally arrived at Taoyuan International Airport located in Taipei, Taiwan. It felt great to finally step into a new country and leave a week of difficult finals behind, literally. We walked through the airport all the way to customs where we needed to fill out a long google form and then wait in a long line for non-citizen entry. We were able to push through these obstacles, but then another road block appeared. We needed to find our luggage. We searched through baggage claim areas, yet somehow our luggage was almost impossible to find. That was when Ms. Chung roared from the crowd and exclaimed that our baggage was in baggage claim number 7, in the back of the airport! Finally we were all able to change, refill our water bottles, and eat the snacks sunk deep into our daypacks. We were refreshed, and although we were extremely tired due to the jet lag, we were ready to take on the adventure for the day!

Waking around the airport with the group, we noticed a yellow minion poke out from the heads of airport goers. There, beneath the minion connected to a pole, stood a man with a bright green shirt and glasses. His name was Vincent, and he was going to be our tour guide for the entire trip. While walking to the exit, he explained to me (Ayende) that he was a bit nervous to take on a group of wild high schoolers, but then he expressed how he was totally ready for the challenge and excited to get to know us all. I knew we were in the right hands! We walked out of the airport and into the humid air that surprised me even when I knew it was coming! The airport was cold before we exited and we had also been in an air conditioned plane before that, so it just really knocked me back! We walked to a bus which, inside, looked like the tour bus for a 70s Taiwanese rock band. It had blue leather and curtains made of white and blue fabric all around the vehicle. Our first stop was High Life, a small little convenience store. There we had a brief moment of respite after doing so much, eating rice balls, non-alcoholic “beer” flavored chips, and even hotdogs! It was one of the first moments to test the Mandarin we’ve all been learning for years, asking the cashier how much a specific item was or even asking for ketchup, something that I did after buying 2 hotdogs!

After that tiny, yet deserved, stop, we traveled into the heart of Taiwan filled with beautiful farm land to experience the Taiwan Hakka Museum. We met with our museum guide, and then she led us to one of the museum bathrooms because we had all been on the bus for 2 hours. During the bathroom break, somebody accidentally pressed a red button that triggered an alarm, but when that was fixed, we were finally ready to learn.

In the museum we visited an exhibition called Thank you Hakka which shared the history of the Hakka people in Taiwan and all over the world. First, our guide introduced us to how southern Chinese migrants migrated all around the world including Taiwan. Different living experiences created a different Hakka culture, and their descendants have recognized themselves as the Hakka people. Then we explored a section of the exhibit that shared Hakka civic life by pointing out their specific style of housing: a pool in the front and mountains in the back to create balance with the elements. We also got to see instruments Hakka people played during weddings and funerals including the er hu and singing traditional songs in the Hakka languages. Finally, at the end of the exhibition, we got to see the modern impact of the Hakka people on Taiwanese society as they are uniting with local students to preserve their culture, pursuing equity in Taiwanese society through new laws, protecting their land, and promoting sustainability. One recent act that the Hakka community accomplished was preventing a dam from being built that would harm the native butterflies in the regions. Overall all the exhibitions were very inspiring and showcased the resilience of the Hakka people.

However, what is even better than seeing the culture? Tasting the culture! At the end of our tour, Ms. Chung and Mr. Lu treated us to flower shaped popsicles with one flavor being a green “Hakka flavor” that represented cultural tastes through a nutty tea-flavored treat. We also got to try mochi in peanut sauce. Next we hit the road again and stopped for lunch to taste more Taiwanese culture. For our first full meal in Taiwan we had beef noodles. The plates were brought out sizzling hot filled with beef, mixed vegetables, egg, and noodles. Students could see the egg yolk cooking on their plate.

After everyone was satisfied with lunch, we made our way to Sun Moon Lake, the largest natural lake in Taiwan and one of the island's most famous scenic destinations. When we arrived, we first made a quick stop at our hotel to drop off our luggage before heading down to the pier to go on a private boat tour. Although the weather started to heat up and become humid, the lake breeze cooled the group down as we made our way down towards the lake. During the tour Mr. Vincent shared with us some cool facts about this tourist destination. We learned that the lake's name, Sun Moon Lake, comes from its shape as the eastern side represents a sun, while the western side represents a crescent moon. The east and west sides of the island were separated by the Lalu islands, considered a sacred island by the indigenous Thao people. Those who are not indigenous Thao people cannot set foot on the island, which is used for prayer. According to the Thao legend, the lake was discovered when hunters chased a white deer into the mountains and found the beautiful body of water. While sailing across the lake we also stumbled across mechanical devices that help the lake produce hydroelectric power. Mr.Vincent informed us that the lake is a major source of hydroelectric power and is connected to one of Taiwan’s important pumped-storage power systems. Then we came to a stop at a pier that was connected to a Buddhist temple called Xuan Guang Si. There we took some great scenic photos before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. When we got back to the hotel we did a group debrief where everyone shared, in Chinese of course, what their favorite part of the day was. Before we head to dinner we are going to make our first stop at 7, not 7/11, 7, to grab some snacks, eat some great food, and rest up for a new day of fun.