At 6:50 a.m., everyone set off toward the Hyvä Desert. From there, Amy and Lien drove to school in another car, and Neil drove to work in his. The drive to Washington Bilingual Elementary School is long, and most of the children are dropped off by their parents. So, they create their own traffic jam, and the last 500 meters to the drop-off line at the school takes a while because everyone must wait for every single child to get out of the car, sometimes with hugs from their parents, etc.
On the way back, Amy and I had time to talk about upbringing, education, and the Taiwanese language, which is being lost among today’s “middle” and younger generations. Lien understands what her grandparents say, but Chinese is predominant at home and isn’t taught in school, although politicians also lament this development.
Amy dropped me off near the National Taichung Theatre and went to her office. There, I started my three morning tasks: Top up the Youbike card at 7/11 and print out the Loi for Turkmenistan. Wait (and write) at the Opera Cafe. At 11:30 a.m., the theatre opened to the public, and my first surprise was that admission was free.
Second, it partly resembled a department store, as you could buy not only souvenirs but also shoes and jewelry. There were also several restaurants where you could eat. The building itself is, of course, worth seeing.
At 2:00 p.m., film director Fan Ke Chin and his team arrived at “Dessert Hyvä,” the café owned by Carrie, Amy’s sister. Her pastry shop and café had been chosen to represent Taiwan’s economy. “Hyvä” is Finnish and refers to Carrie’s affinity for Finland following an extended stay in Lapland. Therefore, the Finnish ambassador was also invited, and the television segment is based on a conversation between him and Carrie. First, a makeup artist arrived, followed by the entire crew (three cameras, translator, sound engineer, director, and several others).
(photos will be added)
Amy and Carrie then explained to me a twist to the situation: The KMT (pro-China) governor was also present, and Carrie made no secret of her support for Taiwan’s independence, evident on the walls, stickers, and, not least, her “Taiwan cake.” They joked that the governor would remove her from the portrait series. But considering how complicated the domestic political situation in Taiwan is due to the divide between the pro-China and independence movements, and how anxious people are about the existential threat China has posed to them for generations, the laughter gets stuck in your throat. Many, especially younger people and parents, are thinking about Plan B, not just for the war, but also for the post-annexation period and that can even mean buying an apartment outside Taiwan.