Week-end Travel: July 10, 2010

On Saturday, July 10, the student teachers and some San Sin students traveled by bus to Sandimen to the Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Culture Park in Pingtung County.  The park provides a history of 14 different tribes of native aborigines. It is located in a mountainous area with beautiful natural scenery.

The first stop was the Dragonfly Bead Art Studio, where glass bead making and glazing was demonstrated.  Native aboriginal women produce the glazed beads, selecting designs designated for each month of the year, each having deep philosophical meaning.  The beads are believed to carry eternal blessings from ancestors, and the string embodies their eternal spirits.  The teachers and their students learned how to perform bead-making by melting the glass, refining and decorating the bead shape, and adding color designs to the glass surface. They were very proud of the finished product!

The student teachers enjoyed the performance of Aboriginal songs and dances in the Naluwan Theater. They also visited the traditional city of Meinong, most well-known for the Hakka culture.  They stopped at the Meinong Folk Village, which is famous for the production of Chinese Hakka umbrellas and other traditional craft items.   Everyone shopped for souvenirs and special treasures to bring home to America.  Finally, they visited the local ice cream shop and enjoyed ice cream treats (some ate Tofu ice cream and loved it!).