This is the first of a series of entries about my trip back to my country, Taiwan.*
I am near the end of my trip here in Taiwan. I've only returned thrice since migration to the states 13 years ago, twice of which are related to death of a relative, and all of which lasted less than two months.
So, this is it. Taiwan. My country. I stayed at "Ah-Gong's" (grandfather's) house the day of return. He is of my mother's side of the family. Ah-Gong drove me to my hometown, Feng-Yuin. Located in the Kaohsiung County, Linyuan township, the area is relatively small.
Our first stop was the fishing dock. There, fishing boats dock every morning as scores of men and women gather to drag baskets comprised of ice and fishes from them. As most of the men continued to drag in more baskets, the women begin to sort the fish. After the sorting, nearly a dozen types of fish and half a dozen of shell fish and squids are recognized as the usual catch, but there are always a couple unintended prized catches that often fetch a bonus for the fishing crew.
I remember the dock. Ah-Gong, of my father's side, used to haul fish here. Ge-Ge (pronounced: guh-guh; def: older brother) used to help as well. He was already some seven or eight-years-old. I would only have been four or five.
Mama, along with all the housewives in town would then shop for the ingredients necessary for the day's meals. Bartering occured often, but not in ways one would think when speaking of barters.
A small community as it was, everyone knew each other by name, parents, and children. Buyers would first choose the fish they desired. The choosing process often began with a greeting, updates of recent happenings, and slight gossip.
After the selecting is done, and the chatting calmed, the buyer would then inquire about the price, displaying generosity by reaching deep into his or her pocket/purse and ready to pay for whatever the price may be. The seller would then return another act of generosity by offering a heavily-reduced price. The buyer would remind the seller how much hard work he or she has worked as well as the recent economy, insisting the seller to accept full payment. Defeated, the seller would then recall his or her offer and replace it with a lesser reduced price. Also defeated, the buyer would then accept the demanded reduced price.
The two part their ways after a closing conversation and await to repeat the process with yet another familiar member of the community.
This is the everyday morning life of my town. A morning I've not exprienced for at least seven years. The smell of the sea, breakfast offered by street vendors, and familiar smell of the fishing boats' exhaust come to me as only days ago that I've been absent from this daily operation. The early sun reflects nostalgia off my face as I look on, amused by how the people lived; how I used to live.
to be continued...
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
