Cooked up Memories

Have thought about writing for a while now, and just the lack of motivation maybe, has prevented that from happening. This is more or less how most of my blogs begin, with me complaining of the lack of driving force to get the job done! But rather than just lament about some issue or more precisely lament about how indolent I have been to lament about any issue at all, this time round, I am going to make a conscious effort to present, or rather document my nine week stay in Taiwan, given that I was there for a Summer Research Project. That last statement had some fancy terminology- 'Document', to start off with; well, I hope it does not turn out as dull as the word itself. Moving on to the other phrase that would have made you think of me as some Science Freak who went all the way to Taiwan to quench his thirst (I'm not saying that I ain't one and neither am I arguing in favour of it) but well, in all honesty, 'Summer Research Project' is just some terminology that has been being passed on for, well, decades. And so I was on my way, just like many others, to spend my Summers at a Foreign University with the goal of 'designing' something(?), as was required for the completion of my degree. I'll leave it for the proposed audience, my department faculty members, to decide if my theatrics were worth seeing in the first place.

Having travelled across the globe on more than one occasion before this trip, I didn't share that strong desire to leave the clutches of this country merely in search of some 'Sophisticated' surroundings, or people for that matter. But the very fact that I had taken on this journey alone (Without my parents that is; That's probably not the thought that comes to your head when I say alone, but even though we are progressing as a society in imagining whom 'teenagers' can travel with, there are still some general preconceptions), made me excited to put it simply. Having spent majority of my time in Pune with my family, moving to Delhi for higher studies brought with it a sense of independence and the freedom to choose the way I went about my daily business; and it would be naive for me to say that I've become more mature, but I've definitely gained experience in those two years. And here I was, on my way to a foreign land, without the 'protection' of those I call family- and I was free, again!

I reached my proposed destination, the University Campus, on the evening of May 12th, and was greeted by my host lab's students. It felt good that there was someone there to receive me, and I instantly gave out my most shy smile, involuntarily of-course! If you've spoken to me once, at the least, you can probably relate to that smile. It's just my introverted self appreciating the little happiness that my mind tends to find in every other conversation. It's an indication that the introverted me is enjoying the conversation; ironical? And there, that smile on my face was enough for me to know, to believe that I like these people, I like the place!

They were showing me the way to my hostel room, on that late Friday evening when we came across the lake on campus; I had heard about it before, but seeing it, in its form, made me take a pause. It was a long pause, and it was only later that I realized that I had been keeping my intended waiting all along while I simply stared at that beauty. The water was blue, as God originally intended it to be, and there was a small bridge that led to a small island in the middle of the lake. Benches by its side, with a wooden canopy; with the windy atmosphere almost tailor made for this setting. 'Mehir', one of the students gave a shot at pronouncing my name, and he distracted me. Oh, that evil creature. We had to keep moving, to the hostel, and that view had almost made me forget that I was tired, after a car ride, couple of flights, a bus journey, a High Speed Rail and well, another bus. A connected world after all, if only we end our personal human grudges? We reached the room, in an isolated corner, on the fourth floor of a building which seemed to be at the end of the University, or rather something that my lack of knowledge told me. It was getting dark outside, and we had to switch on the lights when we entered the room. Yuck! There were a couple of beds with a mattress on one of them- I guessed I was going to share the room with someone. That was okay but the contents of the room were umm...Yuck! There were eggs lying in one corner (Knowing about the lack of Vegetarian food in Taiwan is one thing and sleeping surrounded by the food of the opposite 'sect' is another), watermelon peels in the center, clothes all over! I've seen dirty hostel rooms and probably even lived in such adverse conditions back in Delhi, but there was something about that room that was very uninviting. There was an immediate disconnect, too quick to be true. I voiced my desire to have my room changed, at once. It was a Friday evening and the housing office would be shut for the weekend; they reassured me that they would help me change the room the next week but till then I would have to 'stay' there; I clearly couldn't 'live' there though. Those students left me. (Just a quick background: A few friends from my home university had come to the same host university a week earlier. They were staying in another hostel and were currently out, exploring the city.) I took the keys of the room and decided to explore the campus; Screw the tiredness. I needed to leave the room!  A distracted mind and a few curvy roads led me to a Cafe on campus just near the library. I ordered a coffee and sat down. I needed the caffeine, much more than ever. I was constantly getting thoughts of the room, doubts about surviving in there for the next nine weeks; I wanted to come back, come back to India. An hour, that's all it took; a smile on my face declared I liked the place and a room viewing shattered that belief. I sat there and cried. Weird, how the mind works. You're upbeat and all of a sudden you can't stop thinking of reasons to hate everything, to hate yourself. A lot can happen over Coffee, hmm?

WiFi. Shattering social conventions since forever; but it helped me stay in Taiwan a little longer- in fact I survived the entire nine week period. I contacted my friend who was out there, exploring, He reached the University soon enough. I gave out that smile, again. Seeing a fellow Indian in that apparent time of turmoil helped me calm down, much more than the Coffee beans were supposed to! He helped me buy a mattress on that late Friday night- helping me eliminate the fear of sleeping on a bed without one. Just then, I learned that his room had an empty bed and I could spend the night there- he seemed to be there just to eradicate my worst horrors. And there, I got back my innocence and was all cheerful once again! Thank God It's Friday?

PS: The feelings that I went through have NOT been exaggerated for writing purposes.

The first four hours in Taiwan and I've written a bit too much. If I were to put every mood swing that took place in those nine weeks, I would end up writing a book, and not a very interesting one either. I've decided or rather thought, to present my stay there by highlighting the 'key' experiences and I hope, I can give you a feel of what it really was for me during my stay there.

Two weeks in and we welcomed a long weekend with cheerful enthusiasm. The city we were living in, Hsinchu, was beautiful; but an extended break brought with it the opportunity to explore the rest of this island country. The advantage of having other Indians with you on vacation is that they are always excited, sometimes more than what the situation demands- they made all the plans whilst I just followed. Their plans didn't disappoint either, maybe following the crowd ain't that bad an idea after all. We, or rather they had decided to visit a city that went by the name Kaohsiung (Googling it for the umpeenth time, to get the spelling right!). This was home to Fo Guang Shan, the world's largest Buddhist Museum which houses the world's largest Buddha statue. At times, I wish I read more about History but I sure won't be writing about the historical significance of this place, on this platform. The museum and the statue were supposed to be the largest in the world, but we were thrown off guard when we saw that every structure of that monument was gargantuan. We were greeted by a large entrance gate that had the typical shape that most Taiwanese gates had on display. On reaching the foyer of the museum, we were shocked to see a signboard that read, 'Vegetarian Buffet. 100$'. The legitimacy of all the stories that I had heard prior to reaching Taiwan, about the lack of vegetarian food, had long been verified, and fruits, french fries and ready to eat packets were the only 'delicacies' that I had had the luxury of enjoying in the first two weeks. Naturally, seeing a board that had 'Vegetarian' printed on it, was bound to extract surprise from me! With 15 dishes on offer, most of them boiled vegetables of-course (but tasty nonetheless), it was probably one of the most sumptuous meals I've ever had, and healthy too! If you were a vegetarian on your way to Taiwan, I wouldn't advice against visiting Kaohsiung just for the foood! Barely believing our luck, we finally decided to explore the museum, the sole purpose for which we were there in the first place. There was a 200 meter walk that led to the Statue and the museum and as we started treading along that path, there were eight tall structures the facade of which was strikingly similar to that of a lighthouse. They went by the name of Pagodas. Appalled by the beauty, we didn't waste anytime in putting our selves on display, as we took turns to get each other photographed. But, it's not the vegetarian food or the architectural beauty that made this place a part of my key experiences- these virtues of a place can be found back home. It's what lay ahead of that path, that's worth mentioning and I hope I can do justice to it. We reached the foot of the grandiloquent structure and call it Godly if you may, but it was one of those feelings, not peace exactly; much more than that- there was an internal rush of emotions-calmness rushing through the veins and I lost track of my surroundings. Seeing that structure, in all it's form, I could see through, see through myself. I was taken back to my abode in Delhi. Visiting the temple had almost become a routine, walking there, most of the times, with different companions, from time to time. I did not go there to ask for anything, nothing material at-least. But every time I did go there, I was away from the hassle of the daily conundrum and it felt good, to put it simply. And here I was, standing in the shadow of the magnificent and feeling just about the same, if not better, and I was happy- the smile on my face, that shy smile, a clear indication. Now that I think of it, my mother often asks me to visit the temple, when I'm back in Pune, but I hardly listen. That 'forceful' nature of the task would hardly 'benefit' me, least to say her. But when I do go, from a desire born in me rather than enforced on me, it's all the more..Right. It feels right, and so it did in Kaohsiung too.

The cornerstone of my visit to Taiwan deserves a mention in this article, don't you think? The freakishly Scientific nerd image of mine was thrown into the limelight in the beginning of this article. I had been sending out Emails to professors in various universities from early September, 2016. After various rejections and many more Emails making the trip without returning, it was in April, 2017, eight months and around 150 requests later, that I finally secured this position. There was immense satisfaction! Interning in foreign universities has been a trend for students in the Biotechnology department in my college, but the turn over this year had been surprisingly disappointing and I had almost given in but it's the mini battles that we fight in the head; the battles against giving up, when it seems the only plausible option given the energy and time that had been invested in futile- it's those battles that matter the most, making us a little stronger no matter the end result. And now that I look back at the battle won and the ammunition that I spent, it's a 'bloody' beautiful picture, songs of which will be eminent in the changes that have since then been inscribed in me.

It's your Summer break after a long, hectic semester and you're supposedly working at a lab in Taiwan. Come the weekends, one is naturally inclined to rest and presumably travel to get a break from the monotonous routine of the traditional week-day that had me reach lab by 9:30AM after a breakfast consisting of a fruit plate and milk secured from the omnipresent grocery store Seven Eleven. It's 12 Noon and you would find me at the sole Indian restaurant that offered food at humane prices; the meal compromising of Chawal, Dal, Chola and they added Cabbage Chutney now and then if they felt the need to make it an auspicious day in my weekly calendar. A few more hours at the lab and I was out by 4:30PM to have my daily jog to have that rice processed. Never ever have I had rice on a daily basis before I went to Taiwan, and it clearly didn't agree with me. In-spite of that daily jog, the rice got the better of me, helping me attain a nice, chubby boy image! 6PM and it's the Taiwanese dinner time, keeping the culture of a Jain family of having dinner before sunset, in continued prominence. Empty a ready to eat packet, chop a few fruits and add a Banana milkshake for dessert- that's my dinner for you. The 'frustration' of this food coupled with ever growing enthusiasm to make this stop, would make us cook on the odd-day. One probably requires a good sense of the spices to make edible food, but in these dire conditions, just mixing it all together- is more than what the Soul demands! After convincing my mind that the food was satisfying, I spent a majority of my time by the lake, on campus. It almost called out to me, every evening. I would often reach there just in time to catch the sunset, and sometimes later, but seeing the sky take on different shades of black whilst the water rested there in all 'solidarity', was just the lubrication I needed. This sinuous week-day cycle was followed by a visit to Hualien on one particular weekend. Travel in Taiwan, like so many other things there, is convenient. On that particular day, we took the early morning train to Hualien. One can travel without reservation in these trains. The only catch in that is- you need to pay the entire amount of the ticket. Not that bad a proposition, as you do get to sit for some time, if not a lot as some seats are often vacant. It was a four hour journey and while my friend did get a seat right at the onset, I was left 'stranded'. I thought of spending some time in the space between the two carriages to avoid the attention of the onlookers in the boggie, as I took on different positions to make myself comfortable. It had been almost an hour since I had been straining my muscles without much of an ambrosial return, as the only things that we passed were rudimentary grasslands- nothing too fancy that demanded my attention over my sleep given that I had woken up early to catch that train. Just then the train entered a tunnel and the darkness in there was enough to convince me to exchange positions with my friend and get some sleep instead. The tunnel ends and I look out. The ocean! In all it's might form, the OCEAN. I've seen the ocean before, even enjoyed a few evenings swimming in one, but seeing it then, there through a small vertical window as the train sailed through was something I never thought I would enjoy. I decided to stay longer and just long enough to find the grasslands on my right being replaced by mountain ranges, while the ocean on my left carried on with its coquetry. I've had the luxury of being to Switzerland and see narrow streams flow down below the snowy mountains and standing right there, in the train, I was taken back; this was better maybe, I had to occasionally turn my neck as I was 'trapped' between the wide blue of the sea and the mountains that ranged just about high enough! Spoiled for choice, indeed.

Speaking of trains, I'm reminded of the train station in downtown Hsinchu- my most sort out destination after a hectic week. If you're from Delhi, picture the Central Park in Connought Place. If you're not from Delhi, imagine a round park, simply. Back there, in downtown Hsinchu, there was a structure that resembled India Gate, but a miniature really, enclosed in a circular boundary- the circular park that you've pictured in your head. Roads diverged from this like the spokes of a wheel, and each road had a small rectangular stream, with shops, offering a wide plethora of objects and food delicacies, by it's side. A public attraction, the streams had wooden and rocky sitting arrangements for the commoner, as men and woman alike went about with their musical performances- pleasing to the ear; while they hoped to make a living. I was in Taiwan for nine weeks. I went to Downtown on nine occasions. I liked spending my evenings there and to add to the magic of the place, there was an American restaurant that offered authentic Mexican-American Fusion cuisine (Covfefe?) and an Italian cafe that offered egg-less icecream. With my food requirements taken care of and just the right atmosphere to loosen my nerves, I grew fond of that place and it's the only place I really miss, now that I'm back home, to India.

I was never really too comfortable writing a travel blog to be honest, but it's for preserving the memories, that I really gave it a shot in the first place. Now that I've written this, it's all coming back- just as I wished it would. More than the travel and the work that I did in my lab back there, there was another equally important, if not more, realization that I had. We as individuals have grown so use to companionship that we can't imagine doing anything alone, let alone travel; we crave for someone, anyone to accompany us. And it was there, back in Taiwan, that I realized the importance of being alone, being with oneself, and still being able to enjoy. I recently came across a quote, 'If asked to name the people you love, how long before you name yourself?'- and I couldn't connect to this more. The ability to enjoy when you're alone, is a real judgement of your character! It's something that we all need to work on, something that I need to work on- to love oneself. And once you reach that stage, that would be it..

Cheers

Mihir:)