Why I Can Proudly Say: I Come from Taiwan

CS1B Final Paper

Topic: Why I can proudly say: “I come from Taiwan.”

Student Name: Yu-Ju Chang

While I was browsing the internet searching for the best picture related to Taiwan for which I will use as my cover for the eight topics, I typed in the keyword “Proud” and “Taiwan”, and one of the results that topped the list was a question asked in Yahoo Answers which really caught my eye. The question is, “Why are people from Taiwan so proud even though their country is very dirty?＂The question was elaborated with other harsh comments and questions. I felt devastated reading those comments, however, it propelled me to really think thoroughly about a question that had bothered me since I came to America, “How should I explain my pride for Taiwan to foreigners?”. Although this question does hit me every now and then, I had never really given it a thought, since, no one really bothered to care or to even bring up my country during conversations. It is after coming to America that made me vitally feel how an outcast Taiwan is among countries. Therefore, I started feeling “Ahh… Maybe Taiwan is really a small and unknown country that has no existence at all.” Yet, my doubts were slowly swept away, and I’m here to tell you why.

I remember once in class, we were discussing about elections, and Dr. Dee concluded that, “Both America and China has yet elected a female president.” Hearing this statement, it occurred to me that Taiwan has one already! Despite she might not come from the party I support nor do I support her manifesto, however I am proud that Taiwan has achieved such a universal milestone in modern democracy. Yes, Taiwan is a relatively small country, however we have a complete democratic system, that we all follow, respect and are truly proud of. And I am proud to say that by the fact that we have a female president, it shows that we have truly accomplished the ideal of having a country that has virtually achieved gender equality.

Secondly, as the Olympics closing ceremony came to an end, I went to check the newest updates of the medal count. Taiwan got a total of one gold, two bronzes. Despite it is not as glamorous as those countries that topped the medal counts chart, yet in a country with less population, it is definitely something worthy to feel proud of, especially under the complicated political situation Taiwan is in. Although we cannot compete in the name of our country, and that there are many restrictions on our country that is in some ways unreasonable, our athletes still put full efforts under such circumstances. Thus, this is why it makes us even more proud of our country, a place where people strive to do their best no matter how unfavorable the situation is.

There is also one thing that bring me pride of my country after I came to America this summer, something more lighthearted, that is, there is Boba everywhere! Boba milk tea is a beverage that origins from Taiwan, and many Boba shops you see here in Los Angeles are Taiwanese franchises, such as Chatime, and Coco, which you can find one right across UCLA. Hence, even though Taiwan is often met with rebuffs with attempts of joining the international community or seeking equivalent respect as other countries while taking part in international events, at least there is something that’s popular universally today that represents Taiwan.

Also, according to the harsh comments on Taiwan I’ve mentioned in the beginning, Taiwan is a dirty place. Although I’ve never really gave a thought about whether Taiwan is a clean place or not, after spending some time temporarily living abroad, there is one significant difference I feel about the cleanliness of Taiwan and America. That is, recycling. We have a very complete recycling and trash sorting system in Taiwan, that is taught since the very first day of school, maybe even at home before starting the K-12 education. We have three kinds of recycling bins, one for paper, one for plastic, and one for tin cans, which is different from having only one recycling bin here in America. Also, we have garbage bags sold at a relatively higher price than normal trash bags, propelling people to thoroughly sort and recycle their trash. Since the more you recycle means the less garbage bags you’ll need, thus reducing the money you have to spend on buying garbage bags, which is definitely a daily necessity, and ultimately, making sorting trash deeply rooted in Taiwanese culture.

Before coming to America, I had always admired foreign culture, foreign societies, and ignored all the good and beautiful things of Taiwan. I focused on the weaknesses and defects of Taiwan, and didn’t recognized its’ strengths. And if not feeling strongly of the indifference and ignorance people feel about Taiwan after coming to America this summer, will I start noticing the wonderful qualities of Taiwan and our people. If not feeling like I can’t really talk about my country in any conversation or situations here in America, and people don’t seem to care or bother to listen, not to say mention our country, will I feel so urgent and certain that I want to talk and share about Taiwan whenever I get a chance. That is why I undoubtedly chose “Why I can proudly say: “I come from Taiwan.”” from the very start, since it is the sole opportunity to really introduce and share about Taiwan to those who don’t know much about our country.