For some people, 30 days in Taiwan may not seem that appealing, particularly when arriving the day after a fairly large earthquake, but for me, it has been a trip full of once-in-a-lifetime stories that can never be told or even summed up by photographs. I was able to see and do things that I have never done or seen before, and to travel in a way not normally possible as a western tourist.

One of the best experiences of the trip is that I was staying with local families, a really fantastic way to see a country and get to know all about it. I spent my first 10 days in Taipei, which is a vibrant but heavily populated city of both old and new side by side.

Following Taipei, I travelled down the east coast of Taiwan to Hualien, a coastal town surrounded by one of the seven national parks. This town is situated about 5 miles north of the Tropic of Cancer. This was a complete contrast to Taipei with beautiful marble cliffs and exotic wildlife and where crystal blue waves of the Atlantic Ocean lapped up on the beach.

As I was an ambassador for Rotary, I was constantly attending official engagements, where my two colleagues and I were the centre of attention. We covered a total of 121 official engagements and ate at over 62 banquets. I met many teachers and visited a variety of schools and IT related businesses, including one of my own employer's large suppliers, A-Open.

Whilst staying with local families and visiting schools something that hit me immediately in Taiwan was the emphasis and value put on learning.

I was of course keen to learn about Taiwan’s ICT facilities, and as would be expected they were very good. Many schools were using the latest Windows XP on new PCs and they also had some novel ways of using equipment. Every school I visited also taught the basics of touch typing to children.

Though schools were undoubtedly well equipped, they are much larger in size. An average primary school has around 1500 on roll, so per pupil, they were not as well funded as the UK equivalent. The teachers in Taiwan have all had similar IT training to the NOF training that has been offered here. I have to say that meeting the children in the schools was a pleasure. I watched them playing in orchestras, performing traditional dances and spent time with them in their English lessons. All were perfectly behaved.

It’s hard to describe such a wonderful experience in so few words, however if you are considering a trip to Asia, seriously consider Taiwan, and make sure you enjoy both Taipei and travelling to see the rest of this beautiful island.

                         Steve Charman

Back to top