Talking Taiwan

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Dr. Michi Fu is a professor, psychologist, writer, public speaker and experience creator. She spoke with me about how her mother's decision to retire in Taiwan led her to decide to take a one-year sabbatical in Taiwan and to apply for Taiwan citizenship- which proved to be an arduous process but well worth it in the end. It has allowed her to more easily travel and straddle between living in the U.S. and Taiwan. As she's spent more time residing in Taiwan, she's faced challenges adulting in Taiwan due to limited language and cultural proficiency. We spoke in depth about how she's dealt with all this by learning to let go of cultural norms and expectations, and found ways to build a community for herself in Taiwan. While in Taiwan she's connected with expat communities like the Black lives Matter and Burning Man Taiwan communities, participated in a bilingual version of the Vagina Monologues, and she's also been invited to participate in the 228 Transitional Justice Project. I found that to be a timely topic of conversation indeed, with the 74th anniversary of the 228 Incident having just passed. Also referred to as The 228 Massacre, or The 228 Uprising, 228 is February 28, 1947, the date that the arrest of a cigarette seller in Taipei sparked protests over the corruption and repression of the ruling Kuomintang party at the time. What followed were the disappearance and execution of thousands by the Kuomintang. Some say up to 20 thousand were murdered. It led to the declaration of martial law and it was the beginning of the reign of White Terror in Taiwan that lasted for decades. CORRECTION: At the 45-minute mark of Michi's interview when she stated that she had arrived on holiday for her dissertation, she had arrived during the Dragon Boat Holiday for her sabbatical not her dissertation. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Michi's upbringing and where she grew up Michi's connection to Taiwan The study tour that Michi has co-organized with Dr. Tsuann Kuo (Founder of NATWA II) How Michi's perception of Taiwan has changed over time How she's met expats who have made Taiwan their home and out be interested in applying for citizenship in Taiwan The reason why Michi decided to apply for citizenship and residency in Taiwan, and to split her time between the U.S. and Taiwan What's involved in the process to apply for citizenship and residency in Taiwan if you have a Taiwan birthright (i.e. parents born in Taiwan, and have residency and citizenship in Taiwan) What the Yo yo card is and how to use it Residency status that children of Taiwanese nationals can apply for to stay longer than a passport visa The number of days required to stay in Taiwan in order to able to apply for citizenship Michi's sense of Taiwanese and Taiwanese American identity Michi's participation in the 228 Transitional Justice Project The challenges of learning a language later in life How Michi sometimes feels like a Third Culture Kid How Michi has learned from cultural misunderstandings How Michi has connected with and made friends through the expat community in Taiwan What Michi misses about the U.S. when she's in Taiwan What Michi misses about Taiwan when she's in the U.S. What advice Michi has for those considering applying for Taiwan residency and citizenship What advice Michi has for those considering spending more of the calendar year living in Taiwan The different cultural expectations of Taiwan and the U.S. The challenges of adulting in Taiwan with limited language and cultural proficiency The wage gap for certain professions in Taiwan vs. the U.S. The things Michi considers in deciding to live in Taiwan full-time How Michi built her own sense of community by connecting with the expat community and Facebook groups Related Links and Terms: Michi's Psychology Today Profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/los-angeles-county-monterey-park-ca/73177 The local love boat program that Michi attended: The 2006 Overseas Young Health Professionals Program OCAC Taipei, Taiwan Love Boat Study Tour Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Boat_(study_tour) OCAC (Overseas Community Affairs Council): https://www.ocac.gov.tw/OCAC/Eng/ NATMA (North American Taiwanese Medical Association): https://www.natma.org/ NATWA (North American Taiwanese Women's Association): http://www.natwa.com/ NATWA II: http://natwa.com/natwa2/about.html TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office) TECRO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States): https://www.taiwanembassy.org/us_en/index.html Yo yo card 悠遊卡 (Pinyin: Yōu-yóu Kǎ) aka EasyCard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EasyCard https://www.easycard.com.tw/en/about Hong Kong's Octopus card: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_card www.octopus.com.hk Shēnfènzhèng (民身分證) the national identification card of Taiwan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_identification_card_(Taiwan) What is 228?: http://www.taiwandc.org/228-intr.htm https://228massacre.org/ Third culture kid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_culture_kid Thrive Tour (private) Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/491147317734655/ A video from the first class of a tour that Michi organized for the Masters of Global Health program for NTU (National Taiwan University): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K70K9OKd80&feature=youtu.be A list of the Facebook groups that Michi joined and that connected her with the expat community in Taiwan: Taiwan Foodie Girls Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/302771153463762/about Formosa Improv Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/FormosaImprovGroup Women Anonymous Reconnecting Mentally Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/323198761492476 Subtle Taiwanese Traits Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/583249345764112/ COVID-19 group for returnees Facebook group (in Mandarin Chinese): https://www.facebook.com/groups/889736338130271 The play White Rabbit Red Rabbit: https://www.nassimsoleimanpour.com/whiterabbitredrabbit Burning Man community in Taiwan: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BurningManTaiwan Black Lives Matter community in Taiwan: https://www.facebook.com/BLMTaiwan Our Talking Taiwan listeners may be interested in these other related episodes: Love Boat Taiwan: Interview with Asian American Studies Professor and Filmmaker Valerie Soe Ep 66: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/love-boat-taiwan-interview-asian-american-studies-professor-film-maker-valerie-soe-ep-66/ An Interview With Author Jennifer J. Chow About The 228 Legacy and Her Other Books Ep 65: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/interview-author-jennifer-j-chow-228-legacy-books-ep-65/ Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative: Founders Stefanie Davis and Patrick Springer Ep 84: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/black-lives-solidarity-global-initiative-founders-stefanie-davis-and-patrick-springer/ Jaleea Price Talks About Living in Taiwan Ep 90: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/jaleea-price-talks-about-living-in-taiwan-ep-90/ Boba: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/what-is-boba-bubble-tea-tapioca-balls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_tea White Terror Era: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror_(Taiwan) https://www.fpri.org/article/2017/02/taiwans-white-terror-remembering-228-incident/ Vagina Monologues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vagina_Monologues

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: This week we welcome back Anthony Kao, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Cinema Escapist to Talking Taiwan. I've asked him to recommend films that help familiarize people with Taiwan. He'll be recommending films about Taiwan that best represent certain decades, eras or significant historical events. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Anthony's recommendations are of films made after the lifting of martial law in Taiwan 1987 In selecting films to recommend Anthony tried to select a variety of film genres to suit the different tastes of Talking Taiwan listeners The films Anthony recommends represent a diverse array of Taiwan's culture and historical phenomena The five films that Anthony recommends: A City of Sadness (1989), Yi Yi (1999), Cape No. 7 (2008) The historical and political relevance of Anthony's film recommendations The Taiwan history film trilogy by film director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢): A City of Sadness (1989), Good Men, Good Women (好男好女1995), The Puppetmaster (1993) New Taiwanese Cinema Second New Wave of Taiwan Cinema Related Links: Cinema Escapist: https://www.cinemaescapist.com/ Cinema Escapist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinemaescapist Cinema Escapist on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinemaescapist A City of Sadness (1989): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_City_of_Sadness https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096908/ Good Men, Good Women (好男好女 1995): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Men,_Good_Women https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113256/ The Puppetmaster (1993): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Puppetmaster_(film) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107157/ Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), Film Director: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hou_Hsiao-hsien https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396284/ Yi Yi (1999): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Yi https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0244316/ Edward Yang (楊德昌), Film Director: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0945981/ Three Times (2005): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Times Cape No. 7 (2008): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_No._7 Seediq Bale (2011): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warriors_of_the_Rainbow:_Seediq_Bale https://www.imdb.com/title/att2007993/ We Te-sheng, Film Director: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei_Te-sheng https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0917669/ On Happiness Road (2017): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Happiness_Road https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7543904/ Hsin Yin Sung, Film Director: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3403663/?ref_=tt_ov_dr New Taiwanese Cinema: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Taiwan#New_Taiwanese_Cinema,_1982%E2%80%931990 Second New Wave of Taiwan Cinema: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Taiwan#New_Taiwanese_Cinema,_1982%E2%80%931990 The 10 Best Taiwanese Movies of 2019: https://www.cinemaescapist.com/2019/12/best-taiwanese-movies-2019/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Anthony Kao is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Cinema Escapist, which is often the first or only publication that covers Taiwanese film or television shows. I've found it has some really great reviews and recommendations of films from and about Taiwan. Cinema Escapist also covers films from all around the world and takes a look at their social and political context. Anthony spoke with me about how he started Cinema Escapist and their unique approach to discussing film. Next week we'll have Anthony back to recommend films about Taiwan that represent different decades or historical events significant to Taiwan. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Where Anthony's interest in film comes from Film as a way to explore the world Cinema Escapist's focus on international films and the social and political context of films Anthony's interest in Taiwanese film and television How Cinema Escapist is often the first or only publication that covers Taiwanese film or television shows Publications about Taiwan recommended by Anthony Anthony's approach to writing about film When and why Anthony started Cinema Escapist How Cinema Escapist has changed over time What's behind the name "Cinema Escapist" The challenges of running Cinema Escapist which has a completely volunteer staff The interesting experiences and people that Anthony has met through Cinema Escapist Cinema Escapist's plans to go into podcasting Related Links: Cinema Escapist: https://www.cinemaescapist.com/ Cinema Escapist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinemaescapist Cinema Escapist on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinemaescapist Goodbye Lenin (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301357/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Bye,_Lenin! Yi Yi (film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Yi New Bloom Magazine: https://newbloommag.net/ CommonWealth Magazine: https://english.cw.com.tw/ The News Lens: https://international.thenewslens.com/ Talking Taiwan Episode 91 about the Austin Asian American Film Festival: Prismatic Taiwan: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/austin-film-festival-prismatic-taiwan-a-series-celebrating-queer-taiwanese-cinema-ep-91/ Film Director Jean Luc Godard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Godard https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000419/ Cinema Escapist articles on The News Lens: https://international.thenewslens.com/author/Cinema%2520Escapist The Great Buddha+ (film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Buddha%2B https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7010412/ The 10 Best Taiwanese Movies of 2019: https://www.cinemaescapist.com/2019/12/best-taiwanese-movies-2019/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: This week's guest is Jason Wang who we've had on Talking Taiwan previously. In Episode 102 Jason spoke with me about how his advisory firm Cypress Rivers started producing PPE to support health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, through an effort called Face Shields for the First Line. At the time he mentioned that Face Shields for the First Line would be transitioning into the making of face masks. So we're welcoming Jason back to tell us what's happened since we last spoke. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: The continuing spread of COVID-19 and new variants which necessitates continuing to practice safe hygiene measures such as social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks The double mask that STC Next Health is producing which consists of an outer shell and inner filter The masks are antimicrobial due to the use of nano-coated silver Other products that STC Next Health produces like antimicrobial zinc oxide tape for use on common high touch/high traffic areas such as door handles or hand railings Talking Taiwan listeners can use the code: talkingtaiwan at checkout to get a 10% discount off their purchase of items from STC Next Health Related Links: STC Next Health: https://stcnext.health/ STC Next Health's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stcnexthealth/ STC Next Health's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/stcnext_health/ Talking Taiwan Episode 102 featuring Jason Wang: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/jason-wang-how-his-advisory-firm-makes-coronavirus-face-shields-for-the-front-line/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Charles Yu is a Taiwanese American writer, author of the novel Interior Chinatown, and winner of the 2020 National Book Award for fiction. He spoke candidly with me about how he and his family are dealing with the pandemic, his writing process, what it was like appearing on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and how he transitioned from a career as a lawyer to television writing. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How Charles and his family are doing during the pandemic · The piece that Charles wrote for The Atlantic about life during the pandemic · How Charles first started writing poetry as a child · How Charles' Taiwanese parents' reactions to his interest in writing have changed over time · How Charles recently found some of the poetry that he wrote when at Berkeley · Charles' connection to Taiwan · How Charles started writing Interior Chinatown in 2013 and the concept changed over time · How/why Interior Chinatown is written in a screenplay-type format · Charles' approach to writing · His appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah · Charles' writing for TV · How Charles was previously a lawyer and quit to work in TV in 2014 · The difference between writing books and for TV · Charles' interest in writing his own TV series · How Charles feels about being compared to Franz Kafka, Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams · Why/What motivates Charles to write · What themes inspire Charles to write · Advice Charles has for some struggling to write their first book · Why it took Charles seven years to write Interior Chinatown Related Links: Charles Yu's website: https://www.charlesyuauthor.com/ Charles Yu's Atlantic article " The Pre-pandemic Universe Was the Fiction": https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/04/charles-yu-science-fiction-reality-life-pandemic/609985/ Order a copy of Interior Chinatown here: https://www.amazon.com/Interior-Chinatown-Novel-Charles-Yu/dp/0307907198/ TAF (Taiwanese American Foundation): https://www.tafworld.org/ TACL (Taiwanese American Citizens League): https://tacl.org/ Charles' interview on TaiwaneseAmerican.org: http://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/?s=charles+yu How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe | Charles Yu | Talks at Google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckmJt3AsU4c Charles' appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0afVYOb4kA Charles on Twitter: https://twitter.com/charles_yu

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: This is part two of my interview with Tony Coolidge. Tony is the Founder of the Atayal organization, which is named after his mother's indigenous tribe. In this interview Tony talks about his work with Indigenous Bridges through his nonprofit, the Atayal organization, and shares his perspectives on some of indigenous people he's interacted with from around the world. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: The work of Indigenous Bridges Why Tony moved back to Taiwan in 2009 How Indigenous Bridges serves to connect indigenous people from all over the world How the mission of the Atayal organization shifted from sharing the culture of indigenous people to connecting indigenous people with each other How Indigenous Bridges is about building trusted relationships based on shared cultures and cultural exchange The sister city relationship between Orlando, Florida and Tainan, Taiwan Sister tribe programs that are being developed The indigenous youth ambassador program of Indigenous Bridges Virtual cultural exchanges and conferences that are now being developed due to the onset of COVID-19 The common experiences and challenges of indigenous people Possible solutions to the economic hardship that is often experienced by indigenous people around the world How the rights of indigenous people in the U.S. compares to Taiwan and other parts of the world The connection between the Maori indigenous people of New Zealand and the indigenous people of Taiwan The migration of Austronesian people and how they originated from Taiwan What Tony learned from the Maori indigenous people of New Zealand How the Maori are a source of pride for New Zealand The government's role in preserving indigenous culture How indigenous rights are protected by the United Nations and indigenous people can create treaties with each other The struggles in trying to return property to the indigenous people of Taiwan How the recognition of tribes gives them access to resources The fight over resources between the different indigenous people of Taiwan How Tony hopes that his work reveals that Taiwan is a far more diverse and interesting place than people have originally thought How former President Lee Teng-hui's role in changing the perception of indigenous people in Taiwan Tony's experience representing indigenous people at the UN headquarters in New York Related Links: Indigenous Bridges programs of the Atayal organization: https://www.indigenousbridges.org/ Voices in the Clouds, the documentary based on Tony's 2004 trip to Taiwan: https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/5485/Voices-in-the-Clouds?fbclid=IwAR1qjJPdz9cglu_NIK3X399mbSiZiAsTT4hztaHXbRDbYX1nZBo_vbqbk2A A link to the "Village in the Clouds" article about Tony's trip to Taiwan in 1996 that led him to discover his indigenous roots: https://indigenousbridges.blogspot.com/2021/01/village-in-the-clouds.html Video footage from indigenous language competitions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpdlwzeeA3YU19JZsJMbYqA/videos General information about Taiwan's indigenous people: https://oftaiwan.org/taiwan-101/taiwan-indigenous-people/ A video produced about Tony's work creating the Taproot Cultural Exchange program with New Zealand Maori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV64quV53m0 A blog page about the Taproot Cultural Exchange program with New Zealand Maori: http://aceca-taiwan.blogspot.com/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Did you know that there are 16 indigenous tribes officially recognized in Taiwan and up to 29 self-identified tribes? Also, Taiwan's current President Tsai Ing-wen's paternal grandmother was from the Paiwan tribe. My guest on this episode of Talking Taiwan is Tony Coolidge. Tony is the Founder of the Atayal organization, which is named after his mother's indigenous tribe. In this interview Tony talks about finding his indigenous roots and the indigenous people of Taiwan. This is part one of a two part interview. In part two of our interview, Tony will talk about his work with Indigenous Bridges through his nonprofit, the Atayal organization. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How Tony discovered his indigenous roots Tony memories of his mother and the lessons she taught him Tony's mother's connection to Taiwan and her indigenous roots The first time that Tony visited Taiwan and met his mother's family Tony's mother's village Wulai The documentary film that was made about Tony's month-long trip to Taiwan with his brother during which time he met with several indigenous peoples and learned more about the culture Tony's mother's struggles as an indigenous person and why she may have hidden her indigenous background from him The pressure that Tony's grandfather (his mother's father, who was the chief/mayor of Wulai) had to show allegiance to the Chinese under the Kuomintang regime How the indigenous peoples' identity was suppressed under the Kuomintang regime and led to discrimination and abuse of indigenous people The discrimination that indigenous people faced under the rule of the Kuomintang and Japanese How the discrimination and abuse of indigenous people has changed over time Tony's desire to preserve indigenous culture How policies of former President of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian and the changing attitudes of the media contributed to changing people views of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan Some key facts about the Atayal tribe (that Tony's mother belonged to) The mountainous and lowland indigenous tribes of Taiwan How many indigenous tribes are presently recognized in Taiwan The story of how the Atayal tribe's custom of headhunting was ended How Tony's sons are learning the Atayal language Tony started his nonprofit organization in 2001 In 2004 Tony's nonprofit had its first indigenous cultural festival in Orlando, Florida Alice the teacher of indigenous cultures that Tony met in 2004 and how she was instrumental in arranging the trip during which much of the documentary about Tony's life was filmed Tony's trip to Taiwan in December 2004- January 2005 with his brother and the documentary film crew How the trip to Taiwan affected Tony's brother How the death of Tony's father-in-law happened in the middle of the trip and film The challenges that Tony and his brother faced during the trip The similarities and differences amongst Taiwan's indigenous tribes How the lives of indigenous peoples changed overnight when the Japanese removed them from their villages in the mountains How have the indigenous peoples of Taiwan have adjusted over time Social issues facing young indigenous peoples The story of an indigenous policeman, Sakino who created a hunting, survival club through with he passed down indigenous knowledge The most memorable moments of Tony's 2004 trip to Taiwan The abandoned village in the mountains (in Pintung) that Tony visited in the documentary film How the 16 tribes now recognized in Taiwan were mostly originally mountainous tribes because the lowland tribes have been assimilated so long ago Research has shown that more than 70% of Taiwanese have some indigenous DNA Related Links: A link to the "Village in the Clouds" article about Tony's trip to Taiwan in 1996 that led him to discover his indigenous roots: https://indigenousbridges.blogspot.com/2021/01/village-in-the-clouds.html Film Director Wei Te-sheng: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei_Te-sheng Voices in the Clouds, the documentary based on Tony's 2004 trip to Taiwan: https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/5485/Voices-in-the-Clouds?fbclid=IwAR1qjJPdz9cglu_NIK3X399mbSiZiAsTT4hztaHXbRDbYX1nZBo_vbqbk2A Indigenous Bridges programs of the Atayal organization: https://www.indigenousbridges.org/ Video footage from indigenous language competitions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpdlwzeeA3YU19JZsJMbYqA/videos General information about Taiwan's indigenous people: https://oftaiwan.org/taiwan-101/taiwan-indigenous-people/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: When I first interviewed Elena in 2013, she had just won the Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition. She was launching her Taiwanese tea business Té online. Since then, I've wondered how she was doing and a couple of years later, I learned that Elena had opened a tearoom in the West Village. I've visited the tearoom and it is a place of pure zen where tea drinking becomes a ritual. A true ambassador of tea, Elena sees the tearoom as a way to connect with others, to experience tea, and to demonstrate how it is brewed. Many of her customers are dedicated tea drinkers who first cultivate their tea drinking habits there. In this space, tea drinking is an activity of tranquil introspection. In October of 2017 I invited Elena back on to Talking Taiwan for an update. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in the podcast: What's happened since the last time Elena was interviewed on Talking Taiwan in 2013 What it was like opening and running the tea shop The tea education and tea tastings that Té offers How Elena was able to get press for Té Advice for people who want to open a brick and mortar store like Té What's next, her future plans for Té Related Links: Té Company: https://www.te-nyc.com/ Té Company on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tecompany/ Té Company on Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tecompany Té Company on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tecompany Elena's 2013 interview on Talking Taiwan: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/tt027-elena-liao/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: The last time I had my guest Supei Liu on was six years ago to talk about her work with Nomi Network. Supei is the VP of Global Initiatives and Co-founder of Nomi Network. Nomi Network combats human trafficking by creating pathways to safe employment, empowering women and girls to break cycles of slavery in their families and communities. After spending seven years based in Cambodia and India, she's relocated to the U.S. Last week we got caught up and talked about what's she's learned from her experience working with Nomi Network, and how she's come to see herself as an entrepreneur. She also shared some thoughts on how to navigate parent-child relationships. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How Nomi Network has grew and developed up to 2014 What learnings there have been for Nomi Network since 2014 How Nomi Network focused on providing job skills training How Nomi Network faced a bottle neck after 2016 and switched from trying to create employment opportunities to partnering with businesses or organizations that have employment opportunities How world view and the definition of success varies depending on cultural context What Supei has learned about happiness, fulfilment and success (from working and living in Asia for seven years) Supei's return and relocation from Asia to the U.S. Personal stories of how women have grown and been helped by Nomi Network's training How Nomi Network started doing virtual training through Zoom How the Coronavirus pandemic affected Nomi Network How Nomi Network selected 240 graduates of their training programs to become community outreach workers; these community outreach workers were trained to become contact tracers, and they would educate and inform the community about the best health and safety practices related to COVID-19 Since May of 2019 Nomi Network has been able to reach 160,000 people through its 240 community outreach workers and staff Supei's upbringing and background How Supei was able to work through parent-child issues with her mother when she lived with Supei in Cambodia for three years Supei's transition from the corporate to nonprofit world in 2008 When Supei realized that she's an entrepreneur Entrepreneurship as the pursuit of solving problems How Supei worked with a distillery to create liquor from a cashew apple fruit Supei's proudest accomplishments How Supei's work is going to change now that she's relocated to the U.S. Why Supei has decided to return to the U.S. What Supei is working on beyond and outside of Nomi Network How courage is not the absence of fear Related Links: Nomi Network: https://nominetwork.org/ Nomi Network products: https://www.buyherbagnotherbody.com/ Nomi Network on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nominetwork Nomi Network on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nominetwork/ Nomi Network on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nominetwork Nomi Network on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7UaUlyqMy2B1KL1S2_l5HQ Supei's previous interview on Talking Taiwan: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/nomi-network-cofounder-supei-liu-discusses-human-trafficking-ep-104/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Since March of this year, we've been publishing new episodes of Talking Taiwan on a weekly basis, so for our last episode of 2020, we thought it would be fun to look back and see which were the top five episodes of the year. It comes as no surprise that 2 of the episodes are related to the Coronavirus pandemic. Through it all, it's been amazing to see our listenership grow. In fact, I've really enjoyed hearing from listeners who've reached out to tell me how much they've enjoyed listening to Talking Taiwan. Thanks for all of the positive feedback. We look forward to continuing to deliver new episodes about interesting people and stories connected to Taiwan. Which episode was your favorite of 2020? Let us know by leaving a comment below. Don't forget to check out our new feature starting in the new year called "Talking Taiwan Shorts." We will be creating 100 short one-minute videos for our YouTube channel highlighting a GREAT segment from one of our podcast episodes. Be sure to check out Talking Taiwan's YouTube channel, or go to our website here for "Talking Taiwan Shorts." Below are links to the top five Talking Taiwan episodes of 2020. Wishing you a wonderful rest of 2020, and a Happy New Year! CORRECTION: At the 15:32-minute in the interview, Dr. Keating remarks, "We are 75 years at the end of World War I." What he meant to say is that, "We are 75 years at the end of World War II." Related Links: Number 5 Talking Taiwan Episode of 2020 Number 4 Talking Taiwan Episode of 2020 Number 3 Talking Taiwan Episode of 2020 Number 2 Talking Taiwan Episode of 2020 Number 1 Talking Taiwan Episode of 2020