TAINAN _ SEPTEMBER 7–10

 Saturday, September 7

We took the high speed train from Taipei to Tainan where we met the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) students for the first time. They gave us a campus tour, and I loved how lush and green it was. The campus reminded me in some ways of UW because of the nature and greenery, but the flora and fauna were so different. The giant banyan trees reminded me of the cherry trees in the quad. Later in the day a few of us did work and laundry before meeting back up with a NCKU student to try beef soup for dinner. We then met up with some more UW students at a listening lounge, which was a super cute place with seating and vinyls playing. The decor was really clean and elegant but still with character, not sterile feeling like some places sometimes get with a more minimal decor style. 

Sunday, September 8

For our off day, Jessy Ned and I started by going to the stationary store right next our hotel and campus where they had tons of cool pens, notebooks, and random goods (I got a lamb stuffed animal). We then went to a nearby cafe which had some of the coolest decor and tastiest coffee I've ever seen/gotten from a coffee shop. Similar to the listening lounge we had gone to the night before, the decor felt very cohesive and curated but with a lot of character. It had a bit of a funkier, warmer, and more colorful design style. I've noticed that in Tainan, a lot of places like coffee shops have a lot more character, personality, and a more curated feel than many that I've been to in Seattle. However, I've been to more places in Seattle so far, so naturally some of them have a lot of personality too but a lot of them also feel much more sterile or corporate. I'm excited to keep visiting coffee and tea shops, especially being in a university area which fosters a lot of coffee and tea workspace culture. After coffee, we walked to a nearby shopping district to visit a thrift store that a NCKU student in Ned's group had recommended him and we each tried on a couple of things. We got lunch at a panini place that happened to have three cats, which was super cute. In the states, I've never been to a cafe that happened to have cats without advertently advertising the fact as a draw. On the way back, we got caught in a downpour which was a lot of fun. Along the west coast, we haven't really gotten big storms or sudden downpours like typhoon season here in Taiwan, especially not while it still being warm enough to be outside and comfortable. It felt really cozy for it to be raining so much and so hard, and we couldn't stop laughing at ourselves as we ran back to the hotel in the rain. After showering and napping, a group of us went to the Garden Night Market where we shared fried squid, Taiwanese sausage and sticky rice, duck wraps, and tea. The food was really tasty, and I particularly enjoyed the squid and the sausage and rice. To finish up, I got some fresh roasted chestnuts, a snack I loved in my childhood but unfortunately stopped being able to find when the one store that sold it near my home closed. It was really nostalgic to crack open each chestnut, and it reminded me of an idea I had had to design a chestnut cracker. I really love the night markets in Taiwan, and I wish we had a more equivalent food culture back home. The closest thing I could think of would be a food court or mall even, but the stores there are often more commercialized or corporate and less local, mom n' pop type stalls. 

Monday, September 9

We started the day with lectures at NCKU and the introduction to our design prompt, where we learned more about sustainable and cross-cultural design. After lunch, we went to a bookstore and indigo dye shop where we learned about the history behind and process of manufacturing and using indigo dye, one of the few natural sources of blue color produced by a plant. We each got to fold and dye a bandana, and it was really inspiring to have the hands-on experience of folding, twisting, and tying the cloth before dunking, massaging, and wringing out our designs. Getting to actually go through the process ourselves made me feel much more connected to the craft and excited to potentially implement it in future designs or personal crafts. I was super nervous about how the design might come out while folding and dyeing the bandana, and the moment of unfolding and revealing the design was very nerve-racking but exciting! I'm really happy with how mine turned out, and I'm even more excited to get to wear and use it and remember this experience. Afterwards we ate noodles at a nearby restaurant before walking home under a little drizzle of rain. We stopped at a pharmacy, and all the design seniors on the trip did facemasks together. It was really sweet to be able to spend some time with the other seniors, knowing we have an intimidating year ahead of us, but likewise that we will all be in it together and support each other :)

Tuesday, September 10

We started the day with a lecture of circular design, thinking about resources streams, lifecycles, and strategies. We also got some fun snacks like a giant pomelo (I used to eat a lot of pomelo when I lived in California, so I really enjoyed this!), lychee konjac jellies, mini cookies, and a sweet puff snack. Our groups started the design process with brainstorming different topics individually before working together to compile categories and brainstorming again to explore those topics. Before we knew it, it was time for lunch, and my group went to the student cafeteria in the hospital and ate in the banyan tree garden, which was really lovely. The NCKU students in my group had classes in the afternoon, so the UW students did a bit more brainstorming on our own before taking a break. After classes were over, we met back up at one of the NCKU students in our group took us to a discussion/study room where we continued brainstorming and working out ideas. It felt a lot like being back in the studio, but with different people and in a different place, and we laughed a lot throwing out silly ideas amongst the serious ones. For dinner, we met back up with other students and walked to a restaurant where we got spicy and sour fish soup, pork soup, and grilled fish, all of which were incredibly delicious (the fish soup was my favorite). On the way back, we stopped at fitness playground and all did a few exercises, stopped for tea, before my group headed back to the discussion area where we had left our stuff. We ended up talking more so than working, but it was really cool to compare and contrast my experiences as an industrial design student with another industrial design student at another school, and I'm really looking forward to gaining more insight into their experiences, processes, and facilities.