2nd Day

Today we did so many things. My host and I walked down the street and got breakfast to take back to the house. We got bacon and egg sandwiches. Then we just hung out for and hour or so,  then I had to get ready to met the president of Taiwan University. That afternoon when we were waiting for Simon and his host Yoyo, we had McDonalds. Then we had our own little Private bus for all of us. Simon was very nice along the trip and didn’t bother anyone. Not like he usaully does. When we got there we met him and gave him our business  cards along with our gifts. He talked about the meaning of life. He said once you figure that out,  you know right from wrong and you know what to do. After that we all went to a place for dinner. I don’t exactly know what the place was called but it was a big shack with tons of little places to eat. It was very, very casual. It was kind of like a food court; the food was really good after that we dropped everyone off because my host was the only one who drove a car at the time. We drove for 15-20 minutes and then Tom and I (in host family) walked to the train station and rode the train back to the house but we had to walk a long way back though.

1st Day

That day was great. first we went for a walk and my host showed me around. Then we went to a market that was outside to pick up some things for dinner. There we saw 2 stray dogs playing with one another. There were meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables, clothes,  and shoes. It was very interesting. In the afternoon we met with the legislator. He was great. He talked about how you have to be truthful and honest.

The Head of the Department of Legislation

The morning dawned bright and early as we drove towards my aunt’s office. We would meet the legislator that day, and we were very excited! When we reached my aunt’s office, (she’s also a legislator,) we walked in and sat down in the waiting room. We had a small pre-meeting in which we discussed the CKSAP schedule. Then we checked our questions to make sure we didn’t have copies of the same ones. After that, we settled down for a long wait; Simon fell asleep. (“Hey! That wasn’t sleeping! I was just resting my eyes!”) We waited for two hours, and then we walked to the meeting room of the Department of Legislation.

When we entered, we were greatly surprised. The room was surrounded by a circle of chairs and portraits on three sides of the room. (The left, right, and head of the room.) Portraits of past Legislation Presidents hung on the walls. We approached the seats, and were pleasantly pleased to find complimentary cake and Coke on the tables. We waited for about 15 minutes, and then the President of the Department of Legislation walked in. My dad gave a short explanation of the CKSAP program, and then we handed him our gifts. (On my part, it was Dr. Covey’s two books, a flag of the US and a CKSAP pen set. Megan gave him a Pinehurst No.2 Cap. Simon gave him a wooden bookmark, and Yoyo and Tom gave him a painted egg, which was painted by Yoyo himself.)  Then, we sat back down and the interview started.

Apparently, the President of the Department of Legislation values having a true heart greatly. He believes that many leadership qualities stem from having a true  heart. Sincerity is another quality that great leaders must have; keep your promises. His advice to kids: Don’t give yourself too much pressure, respect what you do, synergize, and keep yourself healthy. After answering our many questions,the President of the Department of Legislation, Mr. Wang, bade us goodbye and left. We followed soon after. We were honoured to be able to interview such a great leader.

~Christina