Patricia Ribeiro Fernandes writes during a visit to Taiwan:
Taipei was the first Asian city that I visited and I couldn't have
chosen better! As a Portuguese woman, I was interested by the fact that my
compatriots had once called Taiwan “Isla Formosa” and now I understand why!
It's always possible to experience the beauty of Formosa in the
streets, parks, night markets, monuments and buildings and,
especially, in its people! Taiwanese people, more than any other, are
the kindest that I've ever had the pleasure to meet. More than
friendly, they have a genuine pleasure to help others.
Taiwan has an enormous diversity from all senses, in
its culture, nature and gastronomic diversity. And it's amazing the
way that Taipei can feature the ancient and the modern, natural and
urban landscapes and traditional with the progressive.
On the streets, there are Caucasians and Asians all together,
but there is a fact that we all have in common, the
respect for differences that, in the end, is just cultural. Here we
can feel the conscience that we are all people who live together on
the same planet. In short, Taiwan is a country open to the world!
Another sociological fact to consider is values. The respect for the
older people, the low crime rate and absence of a gun culture are nice
features of Taiwanese life. Many important value beliefs have been
lost in the West and lost in many places globally and I think
it is great that Taiwanese still follow good values about family and life.
In old and sick and racist and antisemitic Europe, where I come from, the situation is not that way anymore.
More
than an economic crisis, I really consider that we are living through
a values crisis!
I had the opportunity to visit Hualien too and I loved that seaside city
surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on one side and the mountains of
Taroko National Park on the other side. What a lovely place Taroko Gorge is;
a natural treasure on Earth — isla formosa, indeed!
I never thought that I would feel so good in a country that is so far
away from my home land and so different than mine. Actually, I think that I could live
here forever. Taiwan has really made a deep impression on me. I hope to return soon.