We have subway in Kaohsiung now!
Lately, I have received two e-mails consecutively sharing the pictures and story of the just-open hot and fresh Kaohsiung subway station. It is a delightful news to hear especially I am not in Taiwan now. There may still exist some problems to solve in order for the subway to function perfectly, however, this is a step long-waited by the general public for Taiwan to make. Although many other countries in the world have already had subway system across the countries' metropolitan areas, and we have just started now (except for the one in Taipei) here in Southern Taiwan and behind by years, I am still very delighted to know that our subway system started to run.
During the past three years working in Kaohsiung, I found people in Taiwan often admire foreign countries advancement. If you can speak English or other languages, you are like the superstar shining alone and treated "differently". I tried to mingle. I tried to be local. And yet, still, I was called a "foreginer" because I do not look like Taiwanese... One of my friends even said, "You so look like a mix by appearance, and that is a plus here and people like that better." "Looking like a mix" is a plus, and looking just Taiwanese is not cool enough. That kind of thinking is very common, I found. Well, looking different may be a cool thing, but I have to say, is no better than looking so local. Personally, I think those who speak Taiwanese fluently are so cool! (Just 'cuz I cannot do it....
) And, looking so local is also so cool (not that I want to look so local or anything), too, because it's different from me. So, I guess, bottom line, people love what they don't have, and as long as they are so different, they are so cool, which I think, is ok as long as we still have a clear understanding of who we are and not "erasing" our own identity. Self-identity, remembering the root of where I came from, has been always the emphasis of my father's education while we lived in Japan.
I am proud of Taiwan despite her imperfections, doubtful gov't operation and disappointing performance of the political leaders in late years. The world doesn't approve us to be a country, but we do function "perfectly" as one country standing in the cold sea of the world, and we are no less than other "approved" and "recognized" countries in the world. We just don't have the title approved by the world, but in our hearts, we do not doubt that we are a country, we have a name, which is Taiwan. The truth needs not permission to stand firmly on its own. And, this is the faith I have in Taiwan that regardless of its future fate, in my heart, Taiwan is still a country which was once called "Formosa", translated as "a treasure island." I always answer people that I am a Taiwanese when they ask me where I come from. And, I am very careful with my behavior especially outside of Taiwan so that I will not disgrace my home country. When we walk on the street of foreign countries, we are walking with our country name written on our entire being, in our language, in our behavior, in all that we do and say. It is sad, therefore, for me to see some other Taiwanese being very rude and violating "rules" in other countries thinking nobody whom they know are looking at them. I want them to remember, no their mom and dad are not looking at them, but the world is. If we are to be respected in the world, we have to start to act like it. We do not go out side of Taiwan to start, we can start the little thing in our daily life such as driving nicely with good manner because, remember, so many foreigners are looking at us inside our country. Let them carry a good memory and impression of Taiwan when they go back to tell their friends and families about us. We should never neglect or underestimate the power of speach when spread across the world. All starts from little kindness and integrity shown in a ordinally occasion.
We can learn from the countries that have more advanced technologies, operation systems and concepts, but we do not need to think all that they have are better than ours. We are a small country, but being such a small country, I am proud of Taiwan that we shine in the pacific sea with many great things that we can be proud of to the world. Nevertheless, I do think we have so many areas to improve such as our traffic manners, showing more courtesy and respect to others and their private lives, materialism, etc. etc., but so as other countries.
I am simply glad to know that our Kaohsiung subway system finally started to run now after the struggles in construction. We should take heart, conscious pride and mind, not a blind patriarch, and strength, and not just by word and debate, but by action and our behavior, to tell the world we are a country, and we are Taiwanese, yes, just like Americans don't call themselves British or any other ethinic origin that their forefathers used to identify themselve although they do acknowledge and cherish such heritages. We need not to be tolerated or approved by the world to call ourselves who we really are.
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