During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, Taiwanese American Heritage Week is celebrated during the 3rd week of the month.

This year, in honor of Taiwanese American Heritage Week, members of the TACL National Board are sharing a story of either growing up Taiwanese American, of Taiwan, or of both.

We’d also love to hear your story — please share on social media and tag @taclorg and hashtag #lifeTA and #TAHeritageWeek

My TA Community – Wellington Tzou

One of my fondest memories growing up TA was the community around me. The friends I made are people that I still hangout with, even now. The community brought me a sense of belonging with peers of similar backgrounds and shared experiences.

The community I had growing up played a significant factor in why I helped start a TAP chapter in Atlanta. I felt that there wasn’t a community of people of the same age group and background, and TAP helps fill that gap. 

Childhood Friends + The Beauty of Taiwan – Yen Ting

Growing up in Taiwan until the age of ten before moving to the US, I have a handful of childhood friends whom I still keep in touch with. Unfortunately, I rarely get to see them after I graduated college and said goodbye to the frequent summer visits to the motherland, so I treasure every moment I get to hang out and catch up with these old friends. I was able to make a trip to Taiwan in June 2018, and a couple friends and I decided to leave Taipei and travel to Nantou for a fun getaway. One of the spots we hit up was Hehuan Wuling, the highest point in the Taiwan highway system standing at 3,275m, or almost 11,000 ft.

I remember waking up at 4:30am in the cute rural hostel where we were staying to catch the private group bus that was to take us up the mountain to see the sunrise. The group had some elderly, so the tour guide reminded us to be aware of altitude sickness and to alert them if any symptoms were felt as we were driving up the mountain roads. Big red puffy jackets were provided for us in case we got chilly from the cold mountain air when we made a rest stop before continuing. Since it was still dark, we were able to see the stars in the sky very clearly without any light pollution. The bus stopped at a spot where we could wait for the sunrise in between the mountain ranges, and it didn’t disappoint. After that, we were taken to the actual highest point in the highway system where there was a parking lot and tourist signs. By that time, we were fighting crowds to take pictures and enjoy the view; it didn’t take away anything from the experience though. The tour ended with a quick stop at a photo op spot where the tour guide taught us how to take a photo like we were floating in air before we headed back down the mountain. Taking in the island’s natural beauty with good company makes this experience one of my fondest recent memories of Taiwan.

Birthday Party in Taiwan – Christina Hu

One of my fondest memories from my childhood is captured in this picture. I am here with bunch of friends celebrating a birthday at McDonald’s in Taipei. I think it is quite amazing how nice McDonald’s are in Taiwan. Most of us are in school uniforms so I thought it could be a fun image to share!

Summers in Taiwan – Sharon Hsu

Growing up, I would look forward to every other summer break, where my mom, brother, and I would fly to Taiwan and spend the entire summer there. We would alternate between staying at my grandmother (mom’s mom) place in 北部 (bei bu), or the northern part of Taiwan, and then also my grandmother (dad’s mom) in 南部 (nan bu), or the southern part of Taiwan.

While thinking about what to share, I was going through old photos and stumbled across this one. This jogged a memory of walking along the streets of Feng Chia Night Market with my family and stopping at different food stands. Feng Chia Night Market is located in the central area of Taiwan, where I haven’t really been to before this visit.

What makes this memory special to me is that my dad studied at Feng Chia University and growing up, he would often bring up his time there, including the food stands near campus. At the time, I was so excited to finally get to experience a bit of what my dad had experienced. While looking at this photo, I found myself smiling fondly at the photo and knew that this was the memory I wanted to share.

#lifeTA #TAHeritageWeek #TaiwaneseAmerican