Finally it is the day that we leave for Taiwan. We all gathered at Changi airport Terminal 3 at around 6.45am today. It was early in the morning but everyone was bubbling with excitement at the thought of going for the trip. We could not stop chattering and some of us even gave Branden birthday presents as his birthday was yesterday. Seeing all the commotion, one cannot help but get excited along with them. For most of us, it may be the first time we are going overseas without our parents which added on to the adventure for this trip. After we checked in our luggage we took a group photo and it was time to bid farewell to our loved ones. The immense pride in their eyes made us even more excited as it indicates to us that we are finally becoming independent from our parents care. We are growing up and this trip was proving it. We boarded the plane and in a blink of eye, 5 hours on the plane was gone, before we knew it we landed in TaoYuan airport, Taiwan.
From TaoYuan we met out guide, Anne, she was so bubbly and upbeat, trying to lift our spirits and make us livelier, though we were tired from waking up early in the morning. We then proceeded on a bus ride to the capital city of Taiwan, Taipei. On the ride we saw some great scenery as we passed by tall mountains which were covered with the greenery of trees. It was definitely a sight to behold to think just on the outskirts of Taipei such beautiful scenery awaits.
Next we went to a local broadcasting station of Taiwan, Hakka TV. There we got a tour which was very informative. Firstly we were brought upstairs where we watched a live recording of a program. Seeing all of the technology involved in making a show made us all stand in awe. The show we witnessed was simple with it only being a dance or sports tutorial, however a lot of technology is involved; such as sound proofing the walls, specific lightings, calculated timings of the camera transitions and many others. I could see the pressure on the instructor as he had to switch his line of vision every time the camera switched which required split second reactions. He seemed comfortable in his environment he was evidently experienced in this line of work.
Next we went underground to look around the storage area for the sets of various shows. Some of us even got to take picture with a set for a popular childrens show. I was amazed at the mass of equipment and sets all stored in one area. It leads me to respect the people involved behind the scenes more as evidently a lot of effort was put into creating these beautiful sets.
Following that we went to the broadcasting room in the building, there, we saw many television screens all showing different kind of show. It looked so busy yet the atmosphere felt so calm. The employees inside showed no sign of rush as they allowed the programs to just play on. We were all awed by this sight to think that the television shows we take for granted takes so much effort to be produced indeed it is a fact worth respect.
Afterwards, we proceeded over to another building which was further uphill. This building contained more information about the hakka culture and also stored the many awards which bring this station much pride. There we got to know that hakkas actually speak 5 different dialects which gave me a shock as I did not expect there to be so many. Also the display cases had so many awards that it was definitely an eye opener, I never anticipated for a station to have so many awards. But then again Singapore only has one station so I guess it is understandable that most of us were surprised since we only have Mediacorp as a lone broadcasting station.
Further on into the tour we got to know more about the hakka culture such as the different meanings of our Chinese last names. Just like that the tour ended we thanked the guide from the station and made our way to a buffet steamboat dinner, which was absolutely delicious.
Finally, we carried our tired bodies to the hotel where we had our final reflection, debrief and finally lights out. This would conclude out first day in the city of Taipei.
~Jacelyn :)
