Meeting Rex & Mai-Ling Ma and sightseeing in the country side

Tuesday afternoon I rode down the elevator after work with a gentleman who introduced himself as Rex Ma, formerly of Savannah, GA. He taught Civil Engineering for over 25 years at two colleges in the city, and continues to own a home there that he visits each summer. He retired to return to Taiwan and care for his aging mother. She is will be 90 next May, has suffered a stroke, and now lives in Taipei with her elder son. Rex applied for a job teaching English at YZU, then became an Associate Professor of Engineering. He is teach Physics and Calculus in English to new students in the engineering program. He has the ear of the President, and tries to keep him informed about the University's progress using English in all classes. He met Mai-Ling at a local restaurant, and they have been married two years. She is very beautiful and a very talented businesswoman. She sells insurance and manages over 100 people. They live in Jongli, a 20 minute ride from the campus.

Rex and I exchanged stories about our teaching experiences in the US and Taiwan. He was shocked that I was a Fulbright (no one even knows there is a Fulbright on campus!), and that none of the visiting professors knew each other. He was appalled that my colleagues had not offered to take me out and about during my stay. I still think they perceived me as having family ties with no need for them to offer me rides or to go lunch with them. I felt quite isolated when on campus, but, as usual, the students, teaching, and research made it all worthwhile. I turned out to be just like all the other professors...work 2-3 days a week, and high-tail it out of town. YZU is truly a commuter campus, not unlike TAMU-CC.

Rex and Mai-Ling invited me on an outing for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, June 16. I had planned on viewing the Dragon Boat races, but it turns out they were held last week-end...another TM for me! The next two posts will show you our day-long adventures that took us out of the city and into the country side where Taiwanese city families go to breath fresh air.