Yilan

Among the 200+ Taiwan Fulbrighters assigned to counties and universities all across mainland Taiwan and its outlying islands, I spent my grant year in Yilan, the green, picturesque, and often rainy county southeast of Taipei along Taiwan’s eastern coast. Emerging from the freeway tunnel that bores through much of the mountainous divide between Taipei and Yilan, I was greeted with Turtle Island and the Pacific Ocean on my left horizon, high mountains on the right, and a sea of rice paddies in between. Set-up, orientation, and move-in were all completed on that same long, first day, but what I remember most about that day, and what Taiwan does not let you forget, was how oppressively hot and humid it was. And, without any personal transportation for the first month, we were all forced to adapt fast if we wanted to go anywhere besides the comfort of our air-conditioned apartments (which, while the excitement of new beginnings was enough to get me out and about that first month, the closing months of the year with the returning heat did not carry a similar spark). On the other hand, when the sun is not out in full force, Yilan is notorious for its constant typhoon-like weather. According to local accounts, this year was hotter earlier and particularly less rainy than in years past, though with that said, we still experienced a stretch of 30 days with continual rain in October and November. But, although the weather did take up some serious mental real estate, the natural resources, friendly faces, and delicious food will be what I hold onto the tightest.

Yilan County’s major population center forms a triangle in the northern part of the county, with Toucheng, Sanxing, and Su’Ao townships as its vertices. The two largest townships within this region are Yilan City and Luodong, both centrally located and split by the Lanyang river. While there are plenty of rice paddies and other farms, the geography outside of this triangle quickly switches to forested mountains, rocky river valleys and a number of natural geothermal springs, including one of only two worldwide natural mineral cold springs in Su’Ao (the other is in Sicily.) Some notable landmarks include Taipingshan National Park, famous black sand surfing beaches in Wai’Ao, and Turtle Island, a small island off the northeastern coast of Yilan that looks like — you guessed it — a turtle and can be seen ornamenting the ocean horizon from any unobstructed eastern view. I lived in a small apartment with two roommates, Benton and Eric, in Luodong. Our apartment was situated in a historic neighborhood boasting a constantly packed traditional market, some of the oldest streets in Luodong, and many, many smiley neighbors who would greet us every sunny day after getting off of work as they chatted amongst themselves in Taiwanese (different than Mandarin, mutually unintelligible).

The people in our neighborhood were always friendly and would say hi or hello when passing on the stairs or getting on our scooters. We’d see many more during trash time, which is the specific time in the evening that the garbage and recycling trucks would drive past our house playing Fur Elise or The Maiden’s Prayer on loudspeakers and ready for everyone to huck garbage and that day’s specific recyclables into. Ours came at 9pm everyday, and although a bit of a nuisance, I enjoyed feeling like part of the community. The five hours or so between the end of the school day and garbage time were often filled with going to the gym, going for a run at the Luodong sports park, driving to a nearby waterfall or hiking trail, or, most often, trying a new restaurant. Because our apartment was equipped with just a sink and a fridge, eating in was almost never an option. But, lucky for us, eating out in Taiwan is entirely commonplace and is often cheaper than cooking at home. So, almost every night around six or seven, I’d decide it’s time to eat and either find a new place on my phone or be adventurous and just take a walk and see what I could find. As the year went on, I zeroed in on my favorites, and have thoroughly enjoyed chatting with and getting to know the owners and their families that seem to always get a kick out of the little white boy coming in and ordering the same thing every week. My favorite breakfast foods have been danbing, a thin crepe layered with egg and scallions and dipped in a sweet soy syrup; black pepper buns, thin, hollow pastry filled with seasoned pork and topped with sesame seeds; and steamed sweet potatoes. Lunch was nearly always at school and not particularly appetizing. My favorite dinner foods have been salmon bowls, topped with roe, seaweed flakes, scallions, ginger, and an egg yolk, all layered on a bed of sticky rice; salty Taiwanese ramen, usually with a nice jammy egg and some local seasonal veggies; convenience store instant noodles with at least three different flavor/meat packets; and xiaolongbao from my most favorite little food stand just down the street from the apartment.

Going out to eat nearly every night did get exhausting however, especially in the pouring rain or the killer heat, and needing to be on alert for conversations with locals or owners was a must, but the warmth I felt from the piping hot food, my neighbors’ camaraderie, and Yilan’s natural hot springs all outweigh any negatives from the year, and I’ll cherish these interactions for the rest of my life. Yilan will forever be my second home and I can’t wait to go back.

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