2009年6月25日 星期四

Today we arrived at the Mei-Feng Highland Experimental Farm after a long drive from Taroko National Park. The past few days have been very busy but also very exciting. One of the highlights of the trip so far was staying in the aboriginal hotel on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The atmosphere and setting were very relaxing. Also, the evening's performance was fun and entertaining. It was very interesting to see such a different culture, and the people were so welcoming and hospitable. I really enjoyed the simpler things like wading in the ocean, admiring the spectacular views, and gazing at the stars at night.

I had been looking forward to whale watching for a while, and we finally went out on the ocean on Tuesday. Although we just saw a few dolphins and not any large whales, it was still fun (and I got a pretty sweet farmer's tan out of it). I had three favorite moments from Taroko National Park. First, I really liked wading in the stream even though I fell down and got soaked. Second, I thought Swallow Grotto was really cool. I think I could just stand there all day and watch the swallows fly in circles. Last, the water curtain was really amazing - I have never seen anything like it before. I didn't get much sleep on the bus ride here, so I think I'll try and catch up on sleep tonight.

-Pat

2009年6月18日 星期四

the next few days

Over the past few days the group has traveled to a variety of interesting places. Most recently we visited FRI or the Fisheries Research Institute where we were shown models of fishing ships. Some ships used circular nets with a diameter of one kilometer or a straight line fifty km long carrying thousands of hooks to catch tuna. In addition we were shown a net used to scrape the bottom of the ocean in order to catch some kind of shrimp, however this net will trap anything in its path and its use has destroyed coral and other marine life, in fact ninety percent of the catch is unwanted marine life and only ten percent is actually the desired shrimp. The tour guide also showed us some new fish products mainly such as fish ice cream and fish cake to trick small children into eating fish. There was also a display of cosmetics dereived from fish scales and deep sea water that is supposed to make one look more beautiful, the current cosmetic products now usually use collagen from pigs so maybe using fish scale products is not too bad.

To think more like a fish I decided to go swimming in the morning. There are a few tips one should know when going swimming. First they do not sell tickets until eight oclock in the morning even though the pool opens at six so I was forced to swim at six and then wait until eight oclock to pay the people which is a little inconvenient. However, it is worth swimming in the morning because there are less people. At night there are usually four or five people per lane. Patience told me that when she swims there are fifteen people per lane but I do not think that is possible because there will be more people in the pool than water and the water will probably overflow. When I swam at night it was crowded and I hit a few people because I was swimming too aggresively but then some elderly women came into the pool so I tried to avoid bumping into them.

2009年6月16日 星期二

New experance by volcanic


Hi I'm Oum
Yesterday I learn in chinese course I got chinese name Gula and today very exited
with volcano becouse I never see it before ,thank you.Today very tried I'm just for rest' bye bye

Oum from Thailand, Hello


My name is Kunlachat Burana you can call me " OUM ". I am a student of Entomology department, Agriculture faculty, Khon Kaen University ( KKU ) , Thailand . It so surprise,very happy and exciting to joy this program. I ever worked in Forest Entomology Research Center 2 of Natural Park Wildlife and Plant Conversation Department . This instate take care about forest insect biology and ecology, observation and survey in Natural Park cover northeast and past of north Thailand sometime around Thailand. My position is scientist assistance which worked about collecting data of insect specimen, surveyed, observed and managed butterfly farm. Sometime, I support data of insect biology for students and visitors who came to field trip at my work place . That are the reason why she recommend me to attend this course.
Biodiversity Agriculture and Culture are very importance and have more relationship with each other.I think Biodiversity and Agriculture make the Cultures. The Cultures told for national and race but some Agriculture and Culture damaged Biodiversity in home. This program can make the person who join know about the topics of the program. I am very glad and thank you director give me for the chance to join with this program.
The program in this summer course are very interesting , schedule more adventure and more knowledge. For knowing in different Biodiversity Agriculture and Culture , I think is very sure form this program make a new experience and exchange with other student . When finish this course and I will back to my hometown, I will be tell and present everything which I touch for everybody, Thank you again for best thing to me.

2009年6月15日 星期一

hello

Hi,

My name is Shen-Ho Yang, but Ron is fine with me too. A little about myself, I was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan but went to the states for high school and college. I am majoring in Agricultural Consumer Economics with concentration in Agricultural-Finance at UIUC.

The reason I want to attend this program is because I don’t have the opportunity to go to many different places in Taiwan, which I think is kind of sad. However, this program at NTU provides me the chance to travel around some parts of Taiwan while earning credits at a low cost. Then, I am here in NTU with other people and ready to enjoy the program.

The only sports I play are tennis and baseball/softball. I used to be on my high school’s tennis team but I haven’t played it for almost 3 years, so I am like a rookie now. I start to play softball with my friends at UIUC during weekends since freshmen year and I still have quite a lot to learn both offensively and defensively.

If you have any more questions about me, I will be happy to answer them. I am also looking for people to play tennis, or throw some balls. If time is allow, maybe we can go to Taroko batting cage as well.

------------------------
We went to lots of places in Taipei like the CKS memorial hall, Taipei main station, Taiwan Museum, traditional markets etc… in the past few days. Even though I had been to those places long ago, it is still nice to walk around again. The lectures about Taiwan are great and just like the review sections for me. I like the lecture about cetaceans because I don’t know much about them prior to the lecture. The videos about dolphins at the end of that lecture were interesting too.


Shen-Ho (Ron) Yang

2009年6月13日 星期六

Hi everyone!
My name is Patrick, but most people just call me Pat at home. Feel free to call me whatever you want, even "tall kid". I'm from a suburb of Chicago, Illinois in the United States and go to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which is about 3 hours south of Chicago by car. I'm majoring in Natural Resources and Environmental Science with a concentration in Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

My first few days here have been great and very exciting. Everyone in the program is very nice and they all are very dedicated. I just want to thank everyone for their time and effort and making me feel so welcome in a world that is so different from the one I am used to.

We have been very busy so far and have already seen many things. I really enjoyed going to Freedom Square; the buildings and memorial were very beautiful. The National Taiwan Museum was also very nice. The historical exhibits about aboriginal cultures and Blackfoot disease were very interesting, but my favorite exhibit was "The Deep". The various characteristics and adaptations of the deep sea creatures were bizarre and fascinating.

Yesterday's lectures were interesting as well, and I especially enjoyed the one on cetaceans because I haven't learned much about them before. The geography lecture also got me excited to visit the places that we saw pictures of and were told about. I can't wait to go to the mountains! I'm looking forward to today's lectures.

-Patrick

First Few Days

Hi, my name is Justin. During the school year I attend a small liberal arts college (Oberlin) in Ohio in the United States. Because the program has run out of pencils we are forced to write our journal entries on this blog.

So far everyone has been very nice to me, I have only been attacked by a few people (joking). I feel fortunate that the professors and teacher's assistants have dedicated so much time and effort to take care of us (especially me because I am a very unpleasant person to be around).

At Oberlin I major in biology and creative writing. It is interesting that most of the students here have very specific areas of study such as entomology, forestry, or the Applied Studies of Lowland Insects with respect to Legumes.

So far we have seen the Chiang Kai-shek memorial which is a very tall white marble building that one can get to by climbing a series of stairs and small platforms. The building is trapazoidal in shape with walls that slope upwards into a blue pagoda like structure (I am not really an expert in architecture). The memorial is particulary impressive because its height contrasts with the wide open space around which consists of paved stone and gardens. In the background one can see Tapei 101 which used to be the tallest building in the world before the top fell off. It has the fastest elevator in the world which travles at 35 miles per hour ( Last semester I researched elevators for a story I wrote about a man who is trapped in an elevator for a day).

So far I have gone running every morning. I am on my school's cross country team so I need to train over the summer, my coach says if I follow his plan I will be able to run faster than a car. While training, I have noticed a lot of other people playing tennis and basketball. In America most people are still sleeping in the morning. Today I watched some old men play basketball which was funny because they are better than me--they run some good pick and rolls and throw no look passes. Plus it is also fun to watch them taunt/trash talk each other.

I am sorry that this post is so long but the program directors have told me that if I write enough that this post will count for the whole month.

2009年6月10日 星期三

Hey there!

Hi everyone! My name is Adrianna Krzywicka but I'd prefer Ada if you don't mind or any other nickname you think up for me :D I'm originally from Poland aka I was born there but I grew up essentially in the United States since I got here when I was three.

I'm an incoming sophomore to UIUC and right now, I'm declared as an Environmental Science major (which makes me so happy!) but I also want to declare a secondary degree in International Studies since I love traveling the world. I've only really been to Europe to visit my home country but I love to discover new cultures and exploring a place you've never been to before. I have an addiction to exploration due to my intense curiosity.

I try to be open-minded and easy going but I love to try new things and I seriously cannot wait to get to Taiwan! My favorite pasttime has to be hanging out with friends, just chilling and talking and having fun. I love to make people laugh (I sometimes go overboard, please bear with me) and the sport that has stolen my heart has to be badminton. Swimming tries to get that spot too.

Animals are awesome and I'm a diehard fan of elephants because I think baby elephants are cutest thing ever with their fuzzy tuff of hair on top. I have a pet dog named Penny and a turtle named Jackie Chan.

If there is anything else anyone wants to know about me, I love carrying out conversations and having fun so ask away!

- Ada

2009年6月2日 星期二

Hi guys.
My name is Roger.However,most of my classmates call me "MOMO" and I am accustomed to hear this name. If you want to know why I have such a nickname, I can tell you a short story later.

I'm a sophomore from department of agronomy in NTU. Maybe you don't know what agronomy means. That's normal.Because I also had no idea before I attended university. Absolutely,now I can tell you that "Agronomy" or is called "crop science" is to research some food crops,such as rice,wheat,soybean and sweet corn.In addition,our the most important slogan is "We feed the world".

I'm a easygoing,optimistic and friendly person. I have fervent passion for sport. I am fond of playing volleyball,basketball and tennis. Therefore,I am one of my department volleyball team.I also like traveling. It is one of the reasons I join the BACT course.I come from a agriculture county in middle Taiwan. That's why I am rather enthusiastic about the BACT course.

The final exam is coming soon. It also means that I can see you guys quickly. Althought I was born in Taiwan and have been to many famous scenic spots, I know I only touch the skin of Taiwan and ignore the other kind of beauty about my country.Therefore,I'm extremely looking forward to exploring my own country,Taiwan with you by joining the BACT.

It will be a beautiful and forgettable experince for us.^^


Nice to meet you all.

Roger

2009年6月1日 星期一

Hello! I'm....

Hi guys,

I'm Kevin Lee from the department of foreign languages and literatures at NTU. This year is my third year of study, and I'm glad that in each of them, I'm able to experience something new and challenging, which aptly describes the BACT of 2009.

I'd rather say I'm the kind of person who likes to play by ear, and just see how things go and adjust himself/schedule accordingly. But, however random or casual the way I dress and look on things, that should never be mistaken for the way I work. In fact,I enjoy working as a team, and for that matter, I've been the secretary for a student newsletter of my department for a semester (Previously I was in the marketing sector) and I'm interested in doing so in the following term!

Besides, as a humanity student who has taken courses from other fields of studies but biology (I did it in high school though! haha), I have to be frank that the prospect of working on some scientific project is a bit, yes, a bit daunting. But anyway, it's always great to learn through trial and error and I do look forward to gaining lots of invaluable experience working with your guys.

Last but not least, I've also been part of the campus-tour project for about a semester. Personally I'd suggest the presentation be based on the history of NTU, something that tells a story of the past, present, and maybe the future of the university. But of course, this should be open to discussion. So far I haven't read from most of the NTU people here yet. In case you're interested in the presentation on 6/12 and have read this message, please write me an email to further discuss our ideas/thoughts. :D

Ps. I'm a rather active member of the Facebook community, i.e. friend requests are highly appreciated and welcomed! :D (search Kevin Lee, or kevin512512@hotmail.com)

Best,
Kevin

2009年5月30日 星期六

self introduction from Ginjill : -)





hey guys~
I'm Ginjill, nickname: Ginny, or if you wanna call me "Ginnyboo", that will be allright: ) (Actually I prefer the last one haha, cauz' it's my ID of all web-blogs and even on BBS, and it sounds a little bit stupid XD)
I'm also a junior from department of animal science & technology in NTU, just the same as Janet. We applied for this program together, and both are really looking forward to it!

Though I've lived in Taiwan for over 20 years, many places within this program schedule are those I haven't had chance to explore, as a result, it's really special for me to experience it with people from many countries. I think it'll be quite cool!

I'm easygoing, and love to make friends. I'm fond of music, too. Besides, I love dancing, and have joined the school club of pop dance a year ago. Though I'm not the one who always attracts others' attention, but I think I'd love to have a chance to enjoy the fun of dance with all of you! (ps. I luv reggae, girl style and lockin, but I 'm not quite good at the last one, I just think it's a cute style!)

Anyway, here's only a little part from me. I'd like to know more about everyone and I think so do you. So maybe let us leave some imagination for each other, and expect the trip in the coming glorious summer!!!


wish we all can enjoy it :-)

kisses and hugs, Ginny

Self Introduction from JANET!!!


Hi, there~
I’m Janet, a junior studying Animal Science in NTU.
My Chinese name is 林致均(Lin, chih-chun). I know it’s kinda hard for foreigners to pronounce my Chinese name, so don’t worry, just call me JANET ^____^

I like traveling. I’m full of energy and always feel so fresh during the travel. Sometimes I will just freak out if I get any cool photographs with my dear Canon digital camera during the journey. (I’m not really good at photographing though…) BTW, I’ve been to 12 countries and still seeking for more exciting adventures.

My friends always say that I get the "urge to laugh" too easily. But I can’t help…I just like to laugh!! Nothing wrong with it!!!

Anyway, I feel so great having this opportunity to join BACT program! Although I may not join much of the activities during the first week coz the finals would be rocking around us at that time, I can’t wait to explore Taiwan and to share things about Taiwan with new people. It’s also an excellent chance to know what kind of place Taiwan is in the eyes of foreigners. Hopefully we are all going to have a great time together!!!


Janet :)

2009年5月26日 星期二

Self Introdution--Patience

Dear all,
My name is Patience, which ironically I don’t have very much. You can see pretty much my parents’ expectation there. ; ) (Truthfully…the name Patience sounds very close to my Chinese name!) I am a senior clerk working for college of Bioresources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University.
I am pretty sure you all heard of and know me, in a sense, and have been harassed by my email bombing. And I would like to clarify that I am not nagging in nature!!!!



I am very happy to have this honor and fortunate opportunity to hold this summer program and to be acquainted with you.



Being a senior clerk at NTU, yet there’s nothing“senior” about me. I just graduated from university a year ago, majoring Russian, double majoring history, and the two don’t mix together, not interested in Russian history!!!



I am outgoing, rational, and humorous in a cynical way. I like reading, (nerd is my middle name…), movies, rock/alternative bands, basketball and yoga.



Nice to meet you all.



It is truly my pleasure to put this program together with Jack!



Looking forward seeing you all!!

Patience

2009年4月28日 星期二

Photo gallery of 2007 and 2008 BACT!

I found the link on the website the other day. I am very surprised at the beauty of Taiwan. It is truly a Taiwan I have never known before. I feel very ashamed to admit that I don't really know the island as I imagined.

Anyway, I would like to share the link with you!

http://biodiv.ntu.edu.tw/biodivctr/upload/BACT/album2.html


Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Patience

2009年4月14日 星期二

Introduction to 2009 Biodiversity, Agriculture and culture of Taiwan Summer Program

Taiwan, situated in subtropical and tropical Asia, is an island of 36,000 km square with coast line stretching 1,100 km, possessing 4000m mountain. Due to the huge elevational difference, the climate changes along the altitudinal gradient, producing a diverse and abundant wild fauna and flora. From geological perspective, Taiwan is a relatively young island, hence volcanic activity, gorge cleaving and rock formation are wonders still in action today. To sum up, National Taiwan University is offering you the “Biodiversity, Agriculture, and Culture of Taiwan- A Summer Program” for an experience in a world you never knew. All the courses will be taught in English.

During the 32 days course, we will bring you from the ocean to low, mid, and high elevation, where you will see why and how an island as small could be endowed with such high biodiversity. We’ll also arrange for you to visit the world famous National Palace Museum, to get hands-on experiences with the bamboo and tea culture, as well as the Chinese calligraphy and language. You’ll have taste of the Taiwanese delicacies and even the chance to make some yourself! Shopping and eating at night market is another activity for you to explore. And more…

Program dates: 2009.6.13~2009.7.14

Course Credits:
3 (NTU and UIUC will issue 3 credits to their students.)

Living Expenses:
For International Students USD 2,000
For NTU students NTD 20,000

(Including all the tuition, accommodation, travel expenses and insurance within Taiwan, books, course materials, T-shirt, bag and other souvenirs, 70% of the meals...etc)

Tuition: Waived

Application Deadline: April 30, 2009

Contact person:
Ms. Patience Ku (ntuciaeae@ntu.edu.tw)
Center for International Agricultural Education and Academic Exchange, College of Bio-Resoource and Agricultue, National Taiwan University

2009年3月26日 星期四

Welcome!!!

Dear All,
Welcome to join the 2009 Biodiversity, Agriculture and Culture of Taiwan Summer program.
We're very happy to have this opportunity to introduce you the unthinkable "Taiwan experience"!This course not only offers excellent lectures but also plenty of field trips to get first hand information and actual experience!

This blog is set up for all participants to have an interactive platform interact with each other, to share experience and reflections, to have a head start.

So,be preared and look forward to this summer! This program is beyond your expectation!

2009 BACT Official Website!!

The official website of 2009 BACT summer program!

http://biodiv.ntu.edu.tw/biodivctr/upload/BACT/