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The mission of the Taiwan Fulbright is to create a world with a “little more knowledge and a little less conflict.” My official grant period ended on June 31,  and the final week of June ended with a culmination of requirements including a presentation, a video shoot, and a final review for the graduate students I was co-teaching at National Taiwan University.  We are now five days from our Taipei departure. In our final month, our mission has been to take in as much culture as possible. Xiamen, China was on our list of places to visit. I was determined to see the Tulou (round houses) in Fujian Province and Leila was determined to see The Great Wall. In Fujian, the round houses made of earth construction are listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, and they date back centuries. They are an architectural marvel and China has masterfully preserved these structures. Xiamen also happens to be near where Leila’s grandmother’s father lived. He was an educator that built a school just 30 minutes outside of Xiamen in a place called Tong An.

We arrived in Xiamen by ferry which was just a short 30 minute travel distance from Kinmen, Taiwan. This was both of our first times in Mainland China and we were disembarking on water. We spent the prior weekend in Kinmen, an area filled with military history and architecture so close to Chinese vernacular that it had a unique identity beyond other parts of Taiwan. It is the geographically closest point of Taiwan and China. 

Our our way to the round houses, we stopped in Tong An to see if we could locate the exact property of Leila’s paternal grandmothers roots. Leila and I (along with a guide) explored this small village that has yet to be absorbed into the metropolis of Xiamen. It had a feel of an informal settlement. My mother-in-law forwarded me photos taken a few years back when her brother visited. With this information, I was able to find the home and neighborhood. We went to the village center and they told us to speak with the elders. They would know the most about the family and the history of the family that lived there. Together we ventured out, looking for signs or evidence that matched the photo. Somehow we found it quite quickly. I saw a home that matched the architecture style of a building in the background. We turned right, and then right again and there it was, it matched the photo precisely. What remained of the homes was ruinous, just a few brick walls. As we wandered around the neighborhood taking photos, the first person we ran into was a young woman with two young daughters that were four and eight. It took Leila seconds to connect with her new friends. Their mother mentioned to us that the landlord of the area would be back shortly, and he would have more information. The oldest daughter brought out her butterfly collecting box and as I was taking photos, I could see the girls running around chasing butterflies. When the landlord returned, he introduced me to the community elders, all of whom had attended the school Leila’s great grandfather built. They mentioned that the school had been demolished and replaced with housing in recent years.

The next moment I turned around, the girls were enjoying popsicles. The elders invited us in for tea but we unfortunately didn’t have time. I told them that we would return one day. As we were walking away, Leila said to me in her inquisitive six year old voice, “I wonder when my great-grandfather was a little kid if he used to catch butterflies. She (referencing her new friend) was so good at it.”  In that moment, I thought about Leila’s travel experiences, and they way we had experienced the space so differently. Travel to her is more than a new place, a heritage site, or a delicious meal. I mentally replayed our travels, and realized, Leila’s strongest bond has always been with the people. (To give you a fuller picture, all of these conversations were fully taking place in Mandarin Chinese. Other than the tour guide, no one else spoke English. So Leila is fully immersed in her communication. Her Chinese has advanced to a point where she can converse easily with her peers. Usually the first question we are asked jointly, after we see shocked faces is, “where did she learn to speak Chinese?”)

When we were on The Great Wall, she found another young companion that matched her in spirit and mischievous nature. We were on a wall, but at that time it functioned as a unifying bridge. I hope Leila maintains this desire to connect. I could learn more from her to me more open to making genuine connections with strangers. 

As an African American with roots in the South, I can’t define my precise geographic ancestry outside of the United States, and my family can trace our family history back to the US 1800’s per census records. Our family reunion always places my paternal and maternal grandparents in rural counties in Mississippi. We are American with unknown African roots which for me the link of the unknown just makes firmly roots me in America. Leila can connect back to a place ancestrally with such specificity in a way that I likely will never be able to. She’s not fully aware of the reasons that this is the case. I’ve started to introduce the realities of war, the slave trade, and the children locked in cages at the US Mexico border as I write this. She is still in disbelief. It seems implausible. My parents live a 200 meters from where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The impacts of extreme racism and hate are actually terrifying to me, I can’t imagine the fear it would strike in a child.  Conversations about history are so important and necessary, but so difficult. But also know that being armed with accurate information is essential. My hope is that if someone tells her to go back to where she came from, she can clearly articulate the history of Indigenous people globally, and then discuss the way her family came to be American citizens. She will know that Americans with African or Asian Ancestry are no less American than those with European ancestry. 

After leaving Tong An, and traveling a little over two hours west, we arrived at the Tulou clusters. The location of the Tulou is isolated but often connected to principles of feng shui, which translates  from Chinese to wind and water. Even in site selection, these families, who ventured came from Northern China for safety reasons knew they needed to select a site that had the features that connected it to nature. In my research and observations of residential spaces across culture, the central courtyard has been an architectural tool to encourage communal living. I have observed these outdoor spaces used frequently in Ghana, Italy, and most recently in the round houses in Fujian Province. One individual round house would be set up for a large extended family. The round shape produces non-hierarchical spaces in a typical four story round house. The first floor would be used as bathroom and kitchen, the second floor is storage and 3rd and 4th floor was for living and sleeping. It makes sense that then services requiring water be on the first floor, and I could envision a large group of people retiring to the first floor beginning to cook. I imagine this was a shaded and communal feeling. And the balconies connecting each floor which allow you to engage visually with the activities on either floor where a social connector. Parents could be cooking on the first floor and see kids playing on the balcony above. Viewing this space, my imagination took me to a place of how people occupied the Tulou, and I’d look into reality to see my own child peeking around corners and zooming in and out of rooms with a childlike wonder. We blew bubbles from the top floor to see how far they could fly. We took time to experience the space. 

Towards the end of our trip to China and Thailand, Leila asked when we were going to Wakanda. She also later followed up by asking if she could place flowers on her grandparents graves the next time we visit Mississippi. I could sense her feeling of rootedness. Her narrative u folding in her mind. We also traveled to other cities including Bangkok, Shanghai, and Beijing where I created of hundreds of social media worthy photos, but nothing captures the feeling of what we experienced. It is not something you can photograph. I felt it in Ghana and witnessed it in Leila’s interaction with young girls throughout China. I am not sure what to call it, but it is the space between seeing a building in a photograph and walking through it, touching the materials, and smelling the air that surrounds it, sensing the history while meeting the people that occupy it daily. It’s being there, being in the moment, and experiencing a space and understanding it’s users. We have had many great experiences during our year in Taiwan, but this trip to China seemed especially different. Perhaps after being outside of our traditional comfort zone for almost a year has evolved the way we move through the world.

And finally, we could give you advice on how to catch a butterfly, but we never succeeded. These beautiful, metamorphic creatures evaded us every time. As we would come close, they would just fly beyond our reach. We will continue to admire their beauty from afar. What we learned is that we will continue to make friends, explore the beauty of nature and the built environments interactions within it, and continue to remain open minded to the ways in which all species navigate the world with kindness. 

Until next time,

TheMatriArchitect

 

Kelly K. Porter is a brilliant Regional Planner Manager based  in Austin, TX. He came to visit Leila and me in Taipei, and this month he is the guest contributor for the blog. Kelly was born to be  a transportation planner. When we were in Philadelphia, he showed me the many maps his family had gifted him throughout his childhood. Layered on these maps, he had sketched alternative transit routes. I imagined a 7 year old Kelly laboring over those maps, and I have witnessed him discuss the intricate details of transit systems, expressways, and main thoroughfares of any United States city you can name with friends, associates, and strangers.   

Guest Blog by City Planner, Kelly K. Porter, AICP

For full disclosure, this was my first time traveling to Asia.  And by far, the longest flights I have ever taken (15 hrs from SFO to HKG and 11 hrs from PEK to LAX). As with all travel, I learned a lot about the places I visited, but more importantly learning about myself, my place in the world, and my connection with the people that make the place.  To go from gentrified Austin by way of gentrified San Francisco, where the name of the urban redevelopment game is less about different groups cohabitating, but more of out-right erasure (less violent colonization), Asia was a breath of relatively fresh and authentic air. I say this because although there is evidence of a colonized past and somewhat imperialized present with a bit of white washing, largely the region’s I visited in Asia were all about maintaining and evolving there own uniquely Asian cultures, authentic, yet global.  This post will highlight this Afro-Texan Boy of Fort Worth’s first experience in Asia by my travels to Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Beijing. Also, a caveat, I am a city planner, a foodie, and a total nerd about both.

 

 

 

 

 

Ieo Ming Pei was a brilliant architect with a career that lasted over 70 years. He was born in Canton, China and eventually relocated to Shanghai before moving to the United States to study architecture. Leila had the chance to see her first I.M. Pei masterpiece in Taichung, Taiwan. Luce Chapel is a spiritual space on the campus Tunghai University. It was designed as a collaboration between Pei and Chen Chi-kwan in 1954. The project was delayed and eventually completed for a total cost of $125,000 in 1963. The original specified material was wood but they reconsidered given the humid conditions of Taiwan. They also adapted the design to adhere to typhoons and earthquakes inherent to the region. And some 60 years later, and after Pei is no longer with us, Leila and I witnessed several students celebrating graduations in a space designed by him. It seems as if we cannot escape this particular ritual. This is usually a quiet space, but we happened to arrive at one of the busiest times of the year. The campus has not built densely around the chapel, but continued to give it the breathing space it deserves. We pray quite a bit at the various temples that we have visited, and Leila often prays for our family and our country. I whispered to Leila, “Look, he designed the building to model praying hands. Do you see it?”  I told her she should say a prayer when we entered the building. It is brilliant. It is abstracted and figurative but not too literal. The way the light penetrates the building is awe inspiring. This was 20 years before the Louvre was completed but just as striking. Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe often said that “God is in the detail”.  Perhaps he was correct.  

 

 

 

The Graduate

Leila attended Ms. Lam Montessori, a Mandarin Chinese immersion program, in Brooklyn since she was two, and this year she was able to attend school at the original location in Taiwan. This year was a special school year for Leila because she was given the title of “kindergarten graduate”.  My husband and I learned quickly this  was not a superficial title, but one that came with responsibilities. Leila’s school curriculum is diverse. She is learning how to clean up after herself, how to cook, and her role as a leader in the larger school community.  She is also learning division and multiplication, how to read in English and Chinese, and African drumming. During the year, she was given responsibilities that included:

• Class helper (each Tuesday)
• Holiday Program Performance (School attends only kindergartners perform)
• Reading Mandarin Book to her classmates during story-time
• 7 km Ride bike
• 1.5 km Hike 
• School sleepover (independently making breakfast and taking care of herself,
• 200 meter relay race

What is more remarkable is that I had to support her in the above mentioned activities as a solo parent while teaching and completing research. I had to show up events with an abundance of  hugs, kisses, and love.  And of course it wasn’t just about showing up. The week leading up to the event I had to navigate Taipei on bicycle to find a way to procure appropriate clothing that ranged from hiking sandals to a graduation dress.  I asked willing parents to take videos for me while I took photos, and some days, I had to clear my calendar to be fully available for Leila’s school activities. Missing any of these events was not an option.  I had to be present with flowers, a big smile, a positive attitude, and love multiplied by two. It is true that if Leila had these events at her school in New York, I would have likely attended them all as well, but since we have been in Taiwan, I have noticed that the emotional support and nurturing that Leila requires from me is greater. Before moving to Taipei, this was a responsibility my husband and I shared, and this year it was completely on me. Leila has always been good at communicating her need for affection. When she was a baby less than a year old, if I was holding her with one hand, she would grab my other hand and pull it toward her own back.  While in Taiwan, Leila would randomly say, “Mom, I need a hug,” and I would stop whatever I was doing to embrace her.  Throughout the year, most events were attended by a diverse arrangement of parents, some Dads were regulars, but the Moms were a persistent presence. The graduation was an exception.  It was clear that this was the event of the year, and parents dressed up to celebrate the graduates for their hard work.  There was a two guest maximum and the room was filled.  During the ceremony, there was a father daughter dance, and I had to step in to be Dad while Leila and I waltzed together.  Leila would have never complained because she is very sensitive to my feelings, especially with regards to our life in Taiwan. In this moment, I knew she missed her dad, and I missed my husband. Feeling her sadness on this joyous occasion was difficult for me.  Her sadness was a momentary pause as she was back to her next dance number within minutes, and as you can see from the photo below, she is generally an exuberantly happy child, so I am very fortunate.  After the ceremony, I gave her a beautiful bouquet textured with her favorite colors, and we celebrated at her favorite restaurant.  When she replays this event in her memory, it is my hope that she remembers it with fondness. My take away is to continue to celebrate each milestone with as much enthusiasm as possible.  There was such a warm feeling in the room from all of  the parental joy.  I am sure the happy feelings reverberated to all of the graduates, and I can imagine that it must have such a positive impact on their perception of  school and learning.

The Bike Ride & Mountain Climb

On a cloudy Friday afternoon, the graduate parents met at Dadocheng and waited for our graduates  to arrive. It had threatened to rain that day, so we were all hopeful the weather would not disrupt the ride. We share a Line Group (similar to WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger but predominately used in Taiwan), and I could see the parents posting about weather concerns all morning.  The parents rented bikes in the location to prepare for the 7 km ride along with our children. There were families on tandem bikes, and parents with smaller children with rear seats. Overall, it was a enthusiastic display of parental and family involvement.  Those of us working had to take the afternoon off to be with our children.  In one of my early posts, I mentioned Leila could not ride a bike. We purchased her bike and begin to preparation last September. She started in training wheels and quickly progressed and was riding comfortably by October. Throughout the year we incrementally increased our distance. When I met her the day of the ride, she ran to give me a big hug, jumped on her bike, and joined her classmates riding around the park.  We rode together and she finished with ease, and it ended up being a really beautiful day.

The Sleepover

The same night of the bike ride, the kindergarten students were required to complete an overnight sleepover at the school. We went home after the bike ride, showered and took her suitcase back to the school. She joined her classmates with excitement. They were responsible for taking care of themselves. They had to arrange their sleeping bags, make breakfast, and clean up. We were asked to record a message for them before bed. Leila said mine was boring, but she thought her dad’s message was hilarious.  He wasn’t going for funny, and I probably should have gone with a lighter tone, but I have saved both recordings, and plan play them again for her high school graduation to see if her perspective changes.

The Relay Race

The relay race was scheduled on Leila’s birthday but was rescheduled because of weather. I would describe the event as the Ms. Lam Montessori Olympics. All of the kindergarten graduates from the five Ms. Lam Montessori schools would compete against each other. The rescheduled date was a warm day, a Thursday morning, and parents and children had a good time. There were lots of smiles and hugs. Leila ran hard even though her team was quite behind when she received the baton. She ran 200 meters and handed the baton to her classmate. I was proud of her even they though they managed to get last place. She asked at the end of the race where was her trophy. I explained that only the team that won received trophies.  She seemed fine, but I think she’ll keep that in mind the next time she is training for a race.

Beach Clean-up

The beach clean up was a school-wide event, so we were joined by several other families. Unfortunately, the beach was not conveniently accessible by mass transit, however, one of Leila’s classmates parents offered to give us a ride. Leila and I often have conversations about plastic and waste and to think of ways that try to find ways to reduce our waste. When the whale died off the coast of the Philippines, and marine biologists found 88 pounds of plastic in its stomach, I wanted to let her know just because we toss something in the trash, we really don’t know where it may end up. We spent 2 hours on a gray Sunday morning retrieving washed up trash and the trash that folks leave behind on the beach. Your actions have impact. I am sure each object we retrieved (hundreds of small caps for a bottled beverage) had a story.

Camp Taiwan

Leila and I spent three nights and two days with the kindergarten graduates and parents at Camp Taiwan.  Leila climbed the rock climbing wall three times, participated in archery, zip-lining and her favorite and most greatly anticipated activity,  river tracing. It was a fun but exhausting weekend but good to know we could drive just an hour to the Northeast of Taiwan embedded in fresh air and a comfortable camp sites with many activities for the children.  I had the opportunity to get to know some of the families much better and connect children faces with families.  As I am beginning to connect and meet and grow more comfortable with life in Taipei, it all seems to be coming to an end.

Taipei Montessori School

From my observations, regardless of economics, Taiwanese culture considers education very important, and while the approach to education may not be universally agreed upon (traditional vs. progressive methods), it is universally expected that all children should strive to achieve. Leila’s school year was pretty amazing. Not only one did she make friends and become embedded in a new system quickly, the school was also instrumental in helping me navigate the language challenges. Ms. Lam Montessori is considered a private school and expensive by Taiwanese standards, and while I love it, I recognize that it is likely not economically diverse. Evaluating her experience in Taiwan, I couldn’t help but think about the United States education system. While away, I overheard complaints of decreased education funding and insufficient teacher pay, and in New York specifically, I learned about the problematic under representation of black students in specialized high schools in New York.  The way racism permeates the US school systems is unfortunate.  I imagine there could be positive shifts if our society believed that every child is capable of academic success.  Leila’s teacher often emailed me directly and sometimes on weekends.  In some cases, the teacher was communicating something in English that would have been difficult for me to figure out in Mandarin, other times, there was an adaptation issue. Having a direct pipeline to the teacher made me feel that the teacher was invested in Leila. My mother was an involved and engaged parent, so I learned from her example that it is important to be present and involved as a parent. But reflecting on my mother’s outreach, my mother was the one largely reaching out to the teacher, not the other way around. The relationship was more one-sided. In this instance, I felt that we were mutually invested and anytime Leila was having issues with understanding and adapting the teacher contacted me.  Leila and I had a fantastic academic year with an amazing teacher, so I do not want to transfer my isolated experience to all Taiwanese schools. However, my experience here has made me more deeply concerned about the failure of the educational system in America to educate all students regardless of income and race.  What if we eliminated bias from the system and started off with the premise that all children have the ability to excel academically? 

 

The Arrival

Culture is not static, but is architecture?

When arriving to Kucapungane after a seven hour hike, my first priority was resting. There was a shared space near the home where our group would be sleeping. It was a roofed area that was open on all sides and was positioned in a way that felt as if I was cantilevered over the mountain.  Peaking over the edge, I could see the structure was situated in a way that if I dropped something below it might be impossible to retrieve it. The common area was organized with a place to cook, dine, and casually gather. It is space that can provide protection from the rain, but still allow for 360 degree views of Beidawu Mountain (北大武山). This is where our group shared most of our meals. Taking a moment to sit on an actual surface, I observed the home directly across from me. While admiring the stone slabs, the proportions of the apertures, and the personalized objects surrounding; I glanced at the roof and noticed a small solar panel.  The Kucapungane settlement  has been in existence for an estimated six hundred years, and I was witnessing one of the most modern environmental integrations for energy collection. This solar panel represents the symbolic conflict within the Rukai Tribe to evolve while maintaining authenticity.  Efforts to preserve Kucapungane and teach younger tribe members historic building techniques, are important to tribal identity. Unfortunately, there seems to be a conflict between the modern and the traditional.  Once Rukai tribe members had access to “on-the-grid” comforts in successive relocated sites, preserving Kucapungane  as it was originally conceived historically has been challenging.  Culture is not static, people are not static, but there is an expectation that historic architectural sites should be.

The Solar Panel

Only Rukai members 40 and over have lived in the original settlement of Kucapungane and community members that have a strong memory of this place are aging.  In 1978, the Rukai Tribe made a decision to relocate to the base of the mountain. In 2009 after Typhoon Morakot, they were forced to relocate again.  The current settlement, Rinari,  sits at the base of the mountain. In 2017, the Kucupugane site was named a World Monument, and the government of Taiwan started to invest in the restoration of the Kucapungane settlement.  They have proposed to renovate forty of the over 20 homes over the next 10 years.  Each year, four homes will be selected from an application process that requires partial investment from the family and a requirement of a family member to participate in the construction process.  

What is the future of Kucapungane?  From my observations, three options remain a possibility.  It can be a space treated as a sacred heritage site that is frozen in time as a museum-site artifact, or it can be treated as a space for Rukai members to re-occupy, retrofit, and evolve as community members see fit, or it can be a combination of the two. The long term goals of the space are not clear, but the reality is that it will be difficult for those living with electricity and indoor plumbing to return. So, what does it mean if  you freeze a culture in time?  Is is subjected to cultural tropes that are outdated and fictionalized?  There seems to be a danger that exists with freezing a heritage in the memory of greater society. Especially a group of people that are continuing to evolve.  It is important to reconcile the ways that culture is not static.  The ancestors existed in the past, but they live in the now.   And in the now, many people want to access indoor plumbing and electricity.  The challenge of how they reconcile these competing factors continues to be an issue.

Indigenous Architecture & Site Planning:

The most striking element of the Kucapungane settlement is the creative site planning.  The way the homes are organized and settled into the mountain required intentional and thoughtful planning.  Even the spacing of the homes among each other are harmoniously consistent. Each home is linked by a common patio and that patio acts as a sidewalk connecting each building.  Imagine that to walk from home to home, you would have to enter your neighbors front yard. Imagine the ways that your relationships with your neighbors may be different if this was the approach to the design.  The shared patios is inlaid with slate. Some homes had a seating area surrounding the patio signaling that they were spaces welcome for a pause and others were just enclosures that signaled you should pass quickly through.  The architecture itself is in various states of preservation. There are homes that have been continually maintained by families throughout the years, and there are others that are in a ruinous state. I could clearly see the slate stacked walls have the staying power in the structural longevity of the space.  They remain peaking out at various heights. The size of the homes may vary based on the hierarchy and importance of the family. The range from 168 m wide to 250 m wide. When walking into the spaces, what I’ve noticed not only here but throughout Asian is the threshold height is quite low and the threshold is built so that you must raise your foot to step inside.  If you bump your head once, you will remember that in order to enter this spaces you must always bend down and lift your foot. The typical door height is below 5’4”. One could imagine that the time these areas were built the society was in general shorter, but it has also said that when you enter into the home you must humble yourself by bowing and the compressed structure makes this a physical requirement. You must bow before you enter the home. Once you enter, the interior material is a dark stone and the space has minimal windows.  In fact, when we slept in one of the homes, the morning was so evident as when the first person opened the door, light punctured the space like a shard.  The space had a total of two similarly sized rooms. There were twelve people total asleep in the house, and I think we were all so exhausted from the hike that sleeping on a stone slate floor in a sleeping bag seemed comfortable. We were lined up like sardines on the raised platform.  The exterior environment in the mountain is so pleasant. I can imagine the public exterior area was occupied more than the home throughout the day. The home serves the function for protection from extreme weather, some cooking, storage of  personal items, and sleeping.

Rukai Women

When in Rinari Settlement the Rukai women I immediately sensed the women are the heartbeat of the community. When visiting, I can also see that the older generation of women serve a critical function in the community with babysitting and taking care of the younger children. I imagine that in 1970’s version of Kucapungane, women would go to the weaving room (the tabelangane) to make the clothing, they would care for the children, they would clean and require the natural meat for the hunt, and tend to the farming.  Anything that would be needed as a purchased item would have to be carried in the (four-eight hour) hike. The logistical distance from the school, the healthcare, the grocery store are a barrier to any permanent re-settlement.

The Rukai community is organized around activities in the community churches. Within the Rinari Settlement, there are a total of four churches.  So, on Wednesday and Sunday many people are engaged in church activities. (The Ming Dynasty stopped the growth of Christianity in the 1860’s early following Spanish and Dutch colonization, but in the mid 19th century US and UK missionaries promoted Christianity.) We arrived on Easter Sunday, and were invited to a church event.  There wasn’t pageantry or special hats and dresses that I have grown to anticipate on Easter. Women and men were in work clothes and several church members were installing the new patio stone flooring on the exterior patio. This looked like grueling and intensive work.

Women and housing present an interesting issue. Like many cultures, historically Rukai women were unable to inherit property. This was also the case for the Rukai Settlement. So many of the places that are in Kucupagane, the women in the society have less input because in general, they don’t have ownership.  This creates a complexity in deciding the future of Kucupagane. Women may feel connected to the place, but they do not have any legal connection to the land.

The Tablegane in Rinari

The tabelgane (weaving room) is a women only space, and in Kucupangane (top of mountain) it is in a ruinous state.  They have re-built an example of this very particular space in the Rinari Settlement. The space is currently unused. When reaching Kucapungane, I realized that Tabelgane has a big problem. It does not fit the context. It was built in as a standalone home, not a rear retaining wall against a tiered mountain structure. Also, the front patio area and other contextual surroundings are missing. A building alone does not represent culture or the context of its history.  You can not transport a building to a place and insert the people and expect the building will be able to do the work but the beauty of Kucapungane is the intelligent site planning. This is missing from the latest Tablegane.

 

Japanese Colonization (1895-1945):

Throughout Taiwan there is evidence of Japanese culture, and this is also clear in Kucapungane. Japanese colonizers added a prison and a school.  The prison was quite small and the school was large, but the school proved to be a substantial shift in the culture. Rukai young people were required to learn Japanese and had a structure built dedicated to this purpose.    

     I am not a recreational hiker.  When I submitted my research proposal to Fulbright, I understood that indigenous architectural sites I was proposing to research would be challenging to access. The Tao site is on a remote island in southeastern Taiwan and the Rukai site is a 6-8 hour hike in the mountains. On Monday, April 25 I came to understand how difficult the Rukai Journey is to Kucapungane.  Beidawu mountain is nestled in Southeast Taiwan and stands at an elevation of 3092 M (10,144 Ft). A subgroup of the Rukai community settled in this area and  integrated housing into the cascading tiers layered in the mountain. It is an exquisite integration of nature blended with architecture. Materially they used the mountain rocks to create walls and structure and wood to create the roofing structures. The stone slabs are resilient, they stood the test of time and largely remain throughout in a ruinous state. The wood is long gone in most homes. The stone can be found in the mountain and in the surrounding area. The wood is the hardest material to acquire and the most difficult to maintain. It takes approximately 20 years to grow the tree you will need for a strong beam. And while the mountain is covered in trees, the trunk of the tree is not the strength and diameter needed to create a  strong enough beam. Since the tribe relocated the settlement in 1974 to have more access to modern amenities and economic opportunities, the site in Kucupagunae site in Beidawu mountains has been largely abandoned. In 2016, the site was declared a heritage site by the World Monuments Foundation, and since then, has been in a gradual process of restoration.  The majority of the tribe members currently live at the base of the site in Rinari settlement.  

     The natural landscape surrounding Beidawu mountain is gorgeous. I started the hike the day after Easter Sunday. When most Americans were completing their celebration rituals; I was beginning my Monday admiring God’s creations. As we started our journey, (5 students, co professor, teaching assistant, and two guides), I stared at the mountain, I took in the fresh air and took a vow to be present and mouthed beneath my breath,“This is crazy.” One of the students overheard me and giggled and added, “I also think this is crazy.” But, visiting this site is one of the reasons I came to Taiwan. Existing indigenous architecture is rare particularly with this type of historical context. So I extended myself beyond my comfort zone. Staring at the beauty of the mountain and the surrounding riverbed, I mentally confirmed that the most beautiful places in this world are natural landscape, and architecture has yet to live up to the what was created naturally. Mother Nature is brilliant. She will always be the greatest architect of all time. There are some spaces that have designed with the express intent to mimic nature’s aesthetic wonder – The Birds Nest in Beijing, Fallingwater in PA,  Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Lalibela in Ethiopia. They are beautiful in their own way.  Most architecture in US cities, towns, and suburbs, do not bother to make the effort.    

     The hike was quite difficult for me. I purchased over $1,000 in equipment from a hiking store. My instinct that this is a hobby for the economically privileged was confirmed.  Dr. Huang,  co-professor and experienced hiker was thorough on what we all needed. I packed a backpack that was 9 kg (19 lbs). I filled my water but not too much because I was nervous about carrying the weight. The first leg of the journey was walking along a flat but rocky riverbed. This seemed like a safe beginning. The mountain is massive and this walk begin to give me a sense of the scale. I looked up into the mountain to see if I could catch a glimpse of the settlement but I saw only trees and rocks. When we reached the end of the path to the beginning of the mountain, our group took a rest. I looked in both directions and could see no possible way forward. This was not the case, our guide with grace showed us how to navigate a series of rocks. I cannot confirm that it was with ease. I felt clumsy and awkward, but he helped us navigate the way safely. I can say that I survived un-scarred. The hike varied. I don’t know the technical terms, but there was rock climbing, walking along the edge of the cliffs with ropes on both sides, and paths made of stones that were nestled under trees. I imagined a time when Rukai people made these journeys with less manicured conditions carrying much heavier loads. I felt a consistent pinching in my right shoulder and was relieved anytime I could put down the backpack. I recently was advised to get a knee brace from a local physician, and I have had consistent metatarsal pain since running a half marathon last year. It’s likely that each of these ailments is linked from my body overcompensating in multiple directions. Being present also means being present with the pain which I have learned to ignore.

  The journey is an immediate connection with nature,  and I was aware that my actions had a very direct environmental impact. Our systems are convenient, but not necessarily environmental nor do they make you conscious of your consumption. When I produced waste, I had to find a way to store it. Human waste, water resources; I was hyper aware of everything. We were told we would not have access to shower but luckily our host gave us space to shower once we arrived. The shower was boiling hot water pot in a space with a cold water source. There was a bowl to combine them in the shower room. The water from the shower was piped from a nearby creek. Being conscious and aware of the systems that we take for granted is a step to beginning to understand how every action impacts the environment.

     I will unlikely take up recreational hiking. I admire the beauty of nature usually from a safe distance and return to indoor plumbing and my comfortable bed. This experience has created increased awareness, that it may take a little inconvenience (maybe even discomfort)  to create a more sustainable world. Leila and I are required to separate our food waste and learn the extensive recycling process when we moved to Taiwan. And while different and requiring an extra step, I think that composting food waste now feels natural. It was a at first inconvenient, but I think about the impact and the importance of connecting action to impact. The built environment is one of the greatest producers of waste, and I am certain there are ways that we can begin to divert and recycle waste in the construction process. When we reached the level walking path on our return, the group noticed waste everywhere. Someone had been at the site a night before and dumped trash along the riverbed. So after seven hours of hiking, they started collecting trash and began an impromptu waste clean up of the area. There actions spoke so highly about character, compassion toward nature, and approach to the environment. Next week, I will go into more detail about the Rukai Tribe, the challenges of the heritage conservation process and my thoughts about the site planning and architecture, but I felt that allowing space to discuss the process for arrival is critical to understanding the architecture.

Where was Leila?

     I have been plotting Leila’s childcare surrounding this hike for several months. While she went with me to Rinari Settlement at the base of the mountain, I felt the hike was too intense for her participate.  Many Rukai people mentioned children as young as 3 have completed the journey, but I know that with my own inexperience and her school schedule,  it would have been difficult for her to make the journey. I was very nervous about being away especially knowing that WiFi access in the mountain was inconsistent. There were times when I had very limited access. Between three babysitters, three friends, and coordination with one set of extra keys; Leila managed to have a good time. Everything that I am able to do as a working professional mom is enabled by a strong support system. I’m fortunate to be able to hire sitters and have friends that I trust to help me navigate my work schedule while my husband and I are in different cities. Since I don’t require a full time nanny, I have a more challenging time locating part time care.  So, I have managed to find several part time sitters that help me out from time to time. I am grateful for the women (the sitters and the friends) who enable me to do my job. I do not do it alone, and  I could not do it alone. I often reflect on Audre Lorde’s speech at a 1980’s conference when she criticized white women feminist scholars for having the privilege to attend a conference while mostly women of color looked after their children. I am a researcher and an architect and that is possible because I have a community of people that enable me to maintain my career. I also recognize that the ability to do this is a privilege. It was not included in my initial proposal, but being away from Leila had me often thinking of what it life was like for a Rukai mom.  I hope that in my future research on indigenous architecture that I can highlight not only the architecture but the understanding of the life and spatial perspective of the Rukai housing from the women’s perspective.  Indigenous architecture is not highlighted in the space of architectural history, and rarely is the experience of women addressed in architectural history.  As a mom that depends on other women for my career, I want to be sure contribute to and speak for women who have not had a historical voice – women whose experience has been erased.  

 

 

The last 30 days Leila and I visited seven cities, celebrated her sixth birthday, and started activities surrounding her kindergarten graduation. To say we have been busy is an understatement. Balancing work and motherhood while traveling is challenging and rewarding, but everyday I start the day by taking a deep breath and making an attempt to live in the fullness of each moment. Managing life in Taiwan has been made easier by my  conscious decision to choose to do what is best for us both in the moment.  Sometimes if Leila is tired, I let her sleep in and show up a bit late for school.  (I have even stopped judging myself for it.)  Or, when we are traveling, I have started setting limits. There is so much to see, but I understand how many places she can visit in one day and how this can even vary depending on the day. She has an impressive capacity to sit through lectures, graduate courses, and material that would be considered age inappropriate. In this regard, she has surprised me. I recognize that this time for us is so unique. She will have memories from our life in Taipei for years to come. Our experience has been mostly positive, but, sometimes, Leila has meltdowns just like a typical six hear old, and sometimes they happen in the middle of immigration in the airport. In those  moments, it feels as if everyone’s eyes are on us. We have been in a space over the past eight months where largely we are the only people that look like us everywhere we go. I have flashbacks from my childhood of my parents telling me that I could never misbehave or show emotion in public because well, I represent every black person in the world and I should not attempt to reflect poorly on my race. I understand where they were coming from. They grew up in the Jim Crow South, and the racial politics remain oppressive in America today.  And growing up in Mississippi, I was the first generation that attended integrated schools, so there was a lingering expectation that I had to be perfect — at all times. Not because perfectionism was healthy or normal, but because the “white people” around us could never see our vulnerability or weaknesses and they already assumed we were inferior. It made me feel invisible. I have made a conscious decision to let this dialogue rest  – even in my own head. I have let Leila know that in these meltdown moments that she is only representing Leila. – not every child from America, not every person of color in America, or every multiracial little girl in the world. She is allowed to feel what she is feeling. If you need to take a moment to cry or be upset, I will give you the space to do that, but she does have to understand that at some point we have to pick up and make it through whatever “this moment” is. I do give her space to feel what she is feeling. I do my best to listen patiently, even when I am exhausted or frankly, embarrassed. My philosophy on mothering has transformed and will probably continue to transform, and while I want to raise a respectful, kind, and strong “Leila”, I also want her to know whens she comes into a space she is representing “Leila” not a entire race, gender, or religion.  And anyone that doesn’t get that, well, that is their issue, not hers. THEY should expand the people they encounter OR avoid making assumptions about one group of people based on race, religion, sexuality, and gender.  I am not responsible for anyone’s limited capacity to understand humanity and neither is Leila.   

Taipei, Taidong, Lanyu, Rinari, Kaoishung Tokyo, Kyoto, and back to Taipei. This weekend Leila completed a 7 km bike ride with her classmates which was followed by an overnight sleepover at her school. Here are our photographs of highlights with descriptions of our 12 top moments from the last 30 days.

Happy 6th Birthday Leila!

Leila loves to celebrate her birthday. She begins the planning process the day after her birthday party from the previous year, and she contributes ideas throughout the year. Leila turned six on March 9. Originally, her school had a multi-school relay race planned on her actual birthday for all of the kindergarten graduates but because of rain it was rescheduled. Her teacher was instrumental in helping me plan.  She worked with Leila to create a guest list.  Then, she collected the emails for me, and finally, in the most critical step, she helped me translate the invitations into comprehensible Chinese.  She even helped me select a place that was popular with the parents.  I have to say from a execution perspective it was the most stress-free party. The venue provided the food, entertainment, and play space. Leila and I showed up only with the cake and gift bags, and she had a great time!

Taitung to Lanyu

In this photograph, Leila and I are sitting directly behind the pilot on a flight from Taitung to Lanyu. After Leila’s birthday, I scheduled a flight to this southeastern Taiwanese city. Weekends are prime travel times for us. I make efforts to maintain her school schedule as much as possible, so we had to make use of our Saturday evening and Sunday after her birthday.  From Taitung airport, we were able to access the daily (and limited) 12 seat planes to Lanyu that are so vulnerable that they could be canceled for its rainy, and unfortunately, it rains quite a bit.  Luckily we had sunny weather and no canceled flights.   Sadly the balloon bracelet in the previous image had to be thrown away at security.  

Orchid Island

Lanyu/Orchid Island is a beautiful place. There are not large resorts or developments. It is mostly a natural island off the southeast coast of Taiwan.  What I appreciate about the approach to the land is that is is not punctuated with tall buildings. There isn’t a building that could compete with the beauty of the mountain and the coastline.  Its only fitting that the indigenous tribe decided to place their buildings underground.  

Indigenous Architecture at Lanyu

Yami people in Lanyu were known for creating homes below ground to withstand the intense typhoons. The homes are surrounded by a tiered retaining wall constructed from rocks. The roof line sits below the retaining wall. There is a setback of approximately 5-6’ from the retaining wall to the edge of the home. The retaining wall has drainage pipes that are linked within. When I entered the home, the roof line was so shallow, that I could only sit within the space. The interior was a dark wood interior and decorated with personal items. 

Pintung County, Taipei: NTU to Rinari

This semester I am teaching a class at National Taiwan University with Dr. Shu-Mei Huang. Five students were selected to travel and explore heritage and conservation of the Rukai Tribe settlement at Kucupagane. Next week, I will be hiking 5-6 hours with Dr. Huang and students to the top of the photographed mountain. The original settlement that is currently being preserved has been listed by World Monuments Foundation.  The homes in the mountain have been estimated at 600 years old. The Rukai people relocated from the top of the mountain in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The site they moved to was destroyed by Typhoon Morakot in 2009. The settlement of Rinari, at the base of the mountain,  is where they currently live. Leila also joined me on this trip. She spent most of her time sketching. She was determined to have drawing competitions with my students. If you look at the photo closely, you can see that she is walking with the group.

Pintung County, Taiwan: Indigenous Architecture Rukai Tribe

Rukai architecture has a defining characteristics of stacked slate walls the frame the home. The structural integrity is maintained without mortar or mastic and is stacked strategically.  The slate is sourced from the adjacent mountain, cut, and organized. The coloration and variety adds to the interior and exterior aesthetic value. 

Kaoishung, Taiwan:  National Kaohsiung Center for the Fine Arts

On our return from Rinari, Leila and I made a quick stop to Kaoishung, so we could see National Kaohsiung Center for the Fine Arts designed by Francine Houben of Mecanoo Architects.  The design was inspired by Banyan trees found in the region.  Notice how the wall and the floor are continuous.

Kyoto, Japan: The Golden Temple

Japan was our travel choice for Spring Break. Kyoto is the original capital of Japan which means it’s embedded with beautiful temples and historic architecture. One photo couldn’t possibly describe it. Leila and I spent four days exploring. We saw monkeys, the bamboo forest, and many temples. This city certainly deserves its own post and a designated research architectural fellowship. But, for now, here is the golden temple. I selected this photo because it is a beautiful integration of  of landscape architecture and architecture.

Tokyo, Japan: Sakura

Leila and I took the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo and arrived in 2.5 hours with plans to spend our weekend in Tokyo. Tokyo is a metropolitan city. I looked at all the things I wanted to do and reminded myself that I couldn’t do it all. I know we will be back to visit Tokyo. The one thing that is so special about this particular time is that Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) are in full bloom, and everyone I spoke to who had been to Japan commented that our visit overlapped with the beautiful bloom. Luckily when we arrived Tokyo, we went to Yoyogi Park and were surrounded by these beauties.

Tokyo, Japan:  Chuo and Koto

Fun is necessary. We balance museum visits with kid activities and this is one of them. Leila bounced, rolled, drew, and shopped!  When I was just “the architect” I traveled with intensity visits 2-3 museums a day. Now, I’ve been forced to slow down – in a good way. Hearing her genuine laughter makes my day and I get to experience the city as a mom.

Taipei: Graduation Bike Ride at Dadocheng

Leila had responsibilities as a kindergarten graduate – one of which is a 7 kilometer bike ride. The parents rode together with the children. She was excited, prepared, and maintained her endurance throughout. Inserting fitness into school is beyond cool – especially at this age.  I hope that she continues to understand the importance of continuing an active lifestyle.

Taipei: The Sleepover

Leila completed her first overnight sleep over. This means we are closer to the end of my Fulbright year than the beginning. When her teacher first told us about the sleepover, it seemed so distant. Now, we are making mental and actual preparations for our New York return. Everyone said the time would pass quickly, and it has. As we are planning our final months, it feels surreal.

 

 

 

 

 

“You can leave Hong Kong, but it will never leave you.” 
― Nury Vittachi, Hong Kong: The City of Dreams

Walking Tour – Shek Kip Mei – First Public Housing Hong Kong

Hong Kong Baptist University – Seminar

Walking Tour History of Hong Kong Shopping Malls

Walking Tour – Hong Kong History of Suburban Development 

Public Transit – Hong Kong (Accessible, Clean, & Efficient)

Bus to the Ferry:  Front row seat

Hong Kong & East Asia Pacific Regional Travel

When visiting Hong Kong over 10 years ago, I was immediately struck by the number of skyscrapers and high density buildings punctuating the skyline and the seamless and efficient integration of  mass transit into urban life. My recent return I was able to take a deeper dive in understanding the urban planning footprint. There are no urban settlements or indigenous architecture remaining in Hong Kong. Dr. Lachlan Barber, Associate Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), was instrumental in organizing a seminar on behalf of my research and was also able to organize walking tours so I could get a quick and clear understanding of the spatial and cultural history of Hong Kong. My first visit to Hong Kong was as a tourist; this visit was as a researcher. Hong Kong’s approach to affordable housing was what I found most fascinating.  Almost 50% of the residents in Hong Kong live in public/subsidized housing. The statistic was so startling, I wanted to understand it in comparison to Taipei and New York where affordable housing occupants are less than 1% and less than 5% of the populations. Hong Kong’s approach toward affordable housing is not perfect, but just judging by usage numbers alone, their approach is much more progressive than both Taipei and New York. Look closer for a deeper dive.

Affordable Housing Stats: Hong Kong : New York : Taipei

                                      AH Residents                  % of Occupants                    % of AH Stock

Hong Kong                 3.3 million                             48.8%                                          44.7%

New York                    421,400                                    4.9%                                            8.2%

Taipei                             18,360                                      .68%                                           .6%

 

Taipei, Hong Kong, and New York are listed among the top 20 most expensive cities for housing in the world and each city has issues, of varying degrees with affordable housing. As the price of real estate continues to escalate, the need for affordable housing increases. Each city has a different response to providing affordable housing. While there are different degrees, that the issue is prices continue to increase more rapidly than incomes, and the supply of affordable housing can not keep up with demand.

Hong Kong

When many people from Mainland China migrated to Hong Kong in the 20’s and 30’s to escape Japanese occupation; the city received a population influx.  Post World War I, the country was in a recession and couldn’t build housing needed to accommodate the new residents. New residents occupied space informally by building informal settlements.  These settlements resulted in a massive fire, which led to the first government built affordable housing in 1953. Ship Kap Mei is now a museum/hostel that you can easily access throughout the city. Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) has created evolving . Now, the housing is built by the government and the average wait time for public housing is 6-10 years.  The majority of buildings are located in the new territories and are included in the high density look and feel of the city. While of the cities listed, it has the highest percentage of stock and population participation, it still requires a significant time to access. While rented space is somewhat accessible, there has also been little progress made in providing affordable access to home ownership

New York

A brief history of NY public housing funds its origins in 1934 with the establishment of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). At the end of 1935, NYCHA dedicated its first development, called First Houses, located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Robert Moses famously had the goal to clear all urban tenements and promoted high density residential buildings.The majority of NYCHA developments were built between 1945 and 1965. Unlike most American cities, New York, the largest public housing system in the US, depended heavily on city and state funds to build its housing, rather than the federal government. This has created issues. With most recent reports in the last year, NYCHA, responsible for 176,000 apartments in 2418 buildings, continue to struggle with maintenance issues. NYCHA public housing  is in crises. The buildings are struggling with basic maintenance – lead-paint hazards, mold, heating failures and and chronic mismanagement. Is this an issue of mis-management or a lack of funding?  I’m not sure, but it is hard to conceive that in New York; we have failed to get this right. Now, we have occupants living in conditions that are unfit for occupation.

Taipei

Because of Taiwan’s various occupations, it’s development of affordable housing policy has been delayed. Currently, Taipei has 6000 public housing units and only .068% of the population occupying these units. While New York and Hong Kong were creating affordable housing policies, Taiwan was recovering from Japanese colonial rule and adjusting to KMT occupation and martial law.  The urban planning of Taipei was largely neglected during this period since Taiwan was ruled under martial law from 1949-1986. During KMT this time very little attention was paid to planning initiatives and most investment went toward military investment. The plan was to build a strong military to return to China to take over the communist party. This is largely a result of the resource distribution during KMT rule. The military settlements that were created in the 1950’s and 1960’s (two of which I’m researching Toad Mountain & Treasure Hill) are included in the public/subsidized housing that was created in the history of Taipei.  These were largely created because of the population influx of 1.5 million people as a result of the Civil War in China. In 1975, Taiwan published a “Public Housing Act”, but it largely was not executed because lack of skilled labor to construct new buildings, difficulty in acquiring land, and overall lack of organization. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was established in 1986 and the current President, President Tsai, has established initiatives for affordable housing.

Hong Kong Public Housing adjacent to market rate housing

New Developments (displacement issues)

Biking not encouraged  

 

New Places with My Favorite Girls

I should have known, when LaToya shared her longing to return to indigenous settlement research, that within a year she would be on the other side of the world with a Fulbright Fellowship, Leila in tow, and us celebrating my 1st Chinese New Year in Asia .

The reality of my vacation was so much more than I could’ve imagined, Taipei, Taiwan – their adopted home; Hanoi, Vietnam – cultural excursions; and Palawan, Philippines – sun, sand, and cocktails.

I was in awe of their adjustment to Taipei in less than 6 months, Leila is celebrated among her Taiwanese classmates, LaToya’s comprehension and careful pronunciation of Mandarin, and their mastery of trash collection(see earlier blog post).  Best of all was experiencing their favorite places, restaurants with yummy dumplings and noodles, sights that offer majestic views of the city, their “central park”, and night market with the stinky tofu.

 

 

On to our Girls Trip…. Hanoi, Vietnam. Our boutique hotel was in the heart of the city with a balcony overlooking the crowded streets. We explored those streets by bus, on foot, and even cycle rickshaw to visit museums, temples (including Confucius), Hoa Lo Prison – “Hanoi Hilton” during Vietnam War, and oh can’t forget the water puppet show. We enjoyed scenic excursions down rivers, up mountains, and through caves. And our inner foodies loved every meal, snack, and morsel.  Our visit ended with a magical send off, we arrived at the airport at the stroke of midnight for Chinese New Year.  No, we didn’t lose a glass slipper, but there  were plenty of fireworks.

Next stop, Palawan, Philippines to a private resort island.  Although the villas were sold out for Chinese New Year, we had infinity pools and beaches to ourselves every day until sunset.  We literally wore our swimsuits to breakfast because our entire days were spent in sun, sand, and water, with occasional breaks for refreshing cocktails from our favorite bartender. Leila’s fav was the Palawan Sunset.

 

As I scroll through the many pictures that will never be posted on social media, I must say, this is my fav pic of the trip.

Of course there’s a story behind it.  I was lounging pool side while watching Leila enjoy having the pool all to herself.  She gets out of the pool with a serious look on her face. I figured she was focused on getting a towel to dry herself. Instead, she climbed on me, while dripping wet, and we both burst out laughing. Throughout this trip, the three of us explored, learned, relaxed, and most of all laughed.

A recent study concluded that going to new places with your favorite girls extends your life expectancy.  Please drop me a line if you know a doctor that writes Girls Trip prescriptions.

 

 

 

10 Photos 10 days (Lunar New Year)

VIETNAM

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Aldous Huxley famously said, “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” As an American traveler,  I’ve heard many people speak of the many countries that are worthy of tourism, and what places are romanticized as ideal. I’ve come to realize that within those very suggestions there is layered implicit bias. When Tam (maid of honor, travel companion and decades long friend) decided to visit Taipei for three weeks, we knew that we wanted to travel beyond Taiwan to celebrate the Lunar New Year.  I had been told by many locals, that the Taiwanese spend the holiday celebrating with family so Taipei would be relatively quiet. Deciding where we would visit was largely determined by the the places between the two of us that we had yet to visit.  She had been to Japan, Bali, and Singapore. I had already visited Hong Kong, Bangkok, and South Korea.  We also wanted to remain generally in the region and travel toward warm weather.  As a child, I heard the country Vietnam always in the context of War. So when we decided to visit Vietnam, I had to release my own preconceived notions. Hanoi has an urban energy surrounded by  frenzy of scooters, tall buildings, and a density of people. However, just an hour outside of the city we  traveled to Halong Bay.  The natural landscape was absolutely stunning. We spent the day on a boat taking in the natural landscape throughout the bay. We also explored Sun Sot (Surprise) cave and were even visited by a family a monkeys.  (I’m pretty sure that was the highlight of Leila’s day.)   

French  Colonial Architecture – Hanoi, Vietnam

At first glance, I could immediately see the French Colonial Architecture throughout Hanoi. Stylistically, it reminded me of New Orleans.  While visiting, we stayed in the “Old Quarter”. While you can see the beauty in the architectural fenestration, I was also deeply aware that the presence of European architecture also represents colonization, erasure of culture, and annihilation to anyone who disagreed.  French colonist came to Vietnam in the 1886 and established a council to “turn Hanoi into a European City’.  There are French styled villas, tree lined boulevards with traffic circles, beau arts decorative motifs, and interior courtyards.

St. Josephs Cathedral, Hanoi Vietnam

One of the first structures designed and constructed at the direction of French Colonists was  St. Josephs Cathedral in 1886.  The church was designed in the Gothic Revival style to resemble Notre Dame in Paris.  The cathedral is located in the Old Quarter in Hon Kiem Lake Square.  The original site was a Buddhist Temple Baoh Tien Pagoda. French colonist demolished the previous temple to build St. Josephs.  The square multi-colored flag in front of the temple is usually displayed in religious space.  This is a space that we happened upon on one of our walks throughout the Old Quarter.  It is fascinating that French Colonists first built a church.  It is a reminder to me how Christianity has been used over and over again as a tool to reinforce cultural oppression and genocide.

Hoa Loa Prison – Hanoi Vietnam

We continued to learn about the dark side of French colonization at Hoa La Prison. Shortly after the French Colonist began construction on St. Josephs Cathedral, they started construction on Hoa Loa prison so they could jail Vietnamese residents who resisted colonization.  The museum shows how women and men who fought for independence during French occupation where tortured and executed (guillotine not photographed but present). I was a struck by a quote from Comrade Ngo Gia Tu, ” . . . I’m determined not to accept any action that is assigned to me. I’m not the one who founded Communism.  Communism was created by circumstances or by the oppression of the capitalists in the world that harms the interest of workers and peasants!”  Ironically, this is also the same prison that housed American POW’s  during the Vietnam War.  It is often referred to as the Hanoi Hilton.   The photograph above shows the American POW’s that were located here during the war including late Senator John McCain.  

Climbing 1000 Steps – Ninh Binh, Vietnam

We traveled outside of the city to Ninh Binh Vietnam, and Leila and I climbed 500 steps  to access this breathtaking view.  I mention this as a reminder that although Leila sometimes appears much older, she is only five and sometimes, I ask so much from her.  She is an adventurous spirit ready to tackle any activity that comes her way. We went to several places in Vietnam, and some places that were not so exciting for a five year old. She was with me every step of the way although not photographed in many of the museum photos.  Our travels givers her access and an introduction to history, culture and geography in the spaces where they took place.  This is valuable access that I hope will be shape her understanding of the world.

PHILIPPINES

Hotel Not Accessible by Car – From Busuanga Airport to Sunlight Eco Tourism Island

Our trip to Palawan was a test in patience. From the airport, we were picked up and taken 45 minutes away to the dock.  After boarding the speed boat, we had an additional 45 minute ride to our hotel. Once we arrived on the island we all immediately sensed that all of the drama of the journey was immediately worth it.   We had an island to ourselves.  There were other patrons but the space was so generously allocated that we had moments of seclusion.

Infinity pool + White Sand Beaches

This pool is equivalent to heaven for Leila.  The past three years, swim lessons have been a consistent activity in her Saturday schedule, but since we moved to Taiwan it was one of the activities that I eliminated from her list so that we could maintain some balance.  While in the Philippines, she lived in the water during our visit.  After breakfast, she went directly to the pool and remained there until sunset.

Beautiful Sunrises and Sunsets

According to John Berger,  ‘The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight.” Our individual villa with personalized balcony gave us easy access to breathtaking sunrises each morning and star gazing at night.  Leila and I often say when we watch the sunset, that we are sending the sun over to wake up our friends and family on the other side of the world.  The sun is our global connector.  We imagine that when we are saying goodnight to the sun that our friends are saying good morning at the same time.

 

Finally Relaxing and unplugging

It took several days but I finally allowed myself to relax and unplug.  Thanks to a spotty WiFi connection, I was forced to disengage and it was absolutely worth it.  I returned to Taipei energized and ready to begin the semester.  Rather than documenting every moment, I decided to live in the moment.

Settlement Near Cebu Airport 

On our return, we had a lengthy layover in Cebu and decided to get lunch at a restaurant just beyond the airport.  Seeing this settlement located adjacent to the river with access to beautiful views of the mountains immediately brought me back to my research on urban settlements.  The restaurant attempted, with little success, to obstruct the visual access to the settlement by applying translucent glass.  The contrast is striking, and I’m certain that the reality beyond the tin roofs and the dynamic roof lines is a fascinating story about resilience.