The Roving Reporter

My bags are (not) packed, I'm (almost) ready to go...

Posted by: Amy Reiter

Monday, February 26, 2007 1:05 PM

Welcome to the first posting on this blog! Though I'm normally an education reporter for The News-Gazette, starting March 5 (only a few days from now!) I'll be taking a month-long detour from East Central Illinois to the Far East. Along with four other central Illinoisans, I'm going on a Rotary Foundation trip to Taiwan.


The trip - arranged through Rotary clubs in the local District 6490 - is meant to be an exchange of information and culture. We'll be swapping stories and experiences, with me telling people about life in Illinois, about The News-Gazette and journalism as it's practiced here and about myself. I'll also be listening and observing as we meet Rotary groups from around Kaohsiung, a large city on the southwest side of the island, and tour around both cultural and vocational destinations.(Momentary glee, since it's hailing as I write this: I'll also be warm - last I heard, temperature there was in the 80s!)


My teammates on the trip are an afterschool program director, a Milliken University professor, a UI water survey engineer and our leader, the finance director for the Danville school district. Rotarians in Taiwan were kind enough to coordinate and will host our whole trip, so our group will get to tour schools and businesses related to each of our jobs and see all the best sights with the people who live there. I'm expecting all sorts of perspectives on journalism, schools and education in Taiwan - and water, too. I can't wait to see everything. (Though somehow skipping the 17ish hours of air travel to get to Kaohsiung would be just fine.)


But first, I need to pack everything I'll need for four weeks abroad. I find when I travel I can always use a pocket pack of tissues, a sweater and a couple plastic grocery-type bags. I also think knowing the word "bathroom" and phrases "thank you," "nice to meet you" and "how much" never hurt.


What are your packing suggestions? What are your travel tips or top 10 phrases to memorize? Any things I should know about courtesies or customs in Taiwan? Let me know, and I'll keep you posted on how those tips worked out for me and what I'm up to - hopefully with pictures and hopefully on a near-daily basis. Cross your fingers on my technological proficiency.

Comments

Be the first to share your opinion!