The Architect – What will happen to Toad Mountain?
Toad Mountain is a settlement located between Wanlong and Gongguan district in Taipei. Similar to Treasure Hill, it is a short fifteen minute walk from the National Taiwan University Campus (my host institution) and also like Treasure Hill, it is also a settlement for military dependents. Toad Hill was likely resurrected earlier but occupied by military inhabitants beginning in the 1940. As time has progressed, Toad Mountain is has found itself situated on highly profitable real estate in direct proximity to National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST). In 2000, the Taipei City Government allotted parts of Toad Mountain NTUST. The campus was growing and needed more space to house students. NTUST went as far as to sue two households for illegal occupation even though the stipulation states that all residents must be properly relocated if any development plan is to be completed. In 2011, NTUST requested that the Ministry of defense bulldoze the 39 dormitories left vacant by villagers in 2011. A grassroots movement formed and the Toad Mountain art festival was created to raise the profile of the village. While Treasure Hill has been re-developed, Toad Mountain’s fate remains unclear. There is no current plan for the preserved land. It still remains to be seen what will happen to the inhabitants and the overall settlement. Approaching Toad Mountain spatially, it felt more as if I was walking on a private property where Treasure Hill is available for public use. And recently, the published material on Toad Mountain has decreased. To find more details on the progress of this project, I am going to have to conduct additional interviews and connect with the advocates for maintaining and preserving the settlement.
The Matriarch – Writing our own stories
Leila’s school in Taipei offers some English, but is primarily a Mandarin immersion environment. I could have enrolled her in an International School where English was the dominant language, but I decided it would be best to primarily immerse her in Mandarin learning. Since she started school in Taipei, I have been working with her at home on English literacy. Leila and I have completed workbooks together and other small tasks, but never worked in a more structured learning environment than usual. The new declaration this week is that she is not a fan of the small books with the simplified vocabulary, but I’ve found that we can work for hours if she is engaged creatively. Last week, since I was receiving so much resistance about the stories that she has been reading, we started writing our own stories. The best part is She doesn’t actually consider this “work”, and she can sit for hours thinking of stories about all sorts of topics. She draws photos of the narrative and then articulates the story and I help her with the words. In the evenings, at bedtime, we compare the stories she creates to the stories that we are reading and dissecting the characters, the plot, and the narrative arc. (Last night, while reading her own story, she admitted that some of the storylines didn’t make sense. ) It has been a learning device that is more enjoyable for both of us. And, when we returned to the simplified books to review them, she could easily get through them because the vocabulary she using to develop her own books is much more challenging. She has a creative spirit and I feel fortunate to be able to nurture it while we are here.
Life in Taipei – Sexual Assault & Pick-pocketing Panic Button
I recently had a Sexual Harassment Prevention training here in Taipei that was executed by the Fulbright program. The last one I attended was over 20 years ago for my first job after college. At the end of the session the presenter asked for questions, and very few people participated. There was an awkward silence, and the session ended. When I went to get water during our break, I noticed an informal session by the water cooler. There was a smaller gathering of women having a separate (honest) discussion just moments after the training. It seemed obvious in that moment that the large group format was intimidating and and the topic would have benefited from a smaller discussion group. It wasn’t that people in the group had little to contribute to the conversation, it was more so that the format had created a space that it was difficult to share or ask questions.
Architecture is a creative, progressive profession that prides itself on being a system rewarded by strict meritocracy so the there is an attitude that discussing discrimination and sexism is a waste time. Unfortunately, it is just as needed in our profession as any other and avoiding the topics have led to continued problems on race and gender. In Taipei, on public transit, I’ve noticed “sexual assault” panic button on all public buses in Taipei. It seems that an issue that is not being addressed is that most people do not feel that they have a safe space to report any issues (witnessed or experienced) without fear of being attacked or penalized. I suppose this issue has less to do with Taipei in particular and more to do with global issues involving reporting assault. I don’t necessarily believe a button is the answer but perhaps there needs to be more discussion on safe spaces for people to report/discuss any issues. Our society has been a failure to sexual assault victims as we can see #whyididntreport stories are numerous and trending on twitter. Maybe the question shouldn’t be, why people wait to report; but what systems do we have in place that individuals feel safe to report.
