Author: Catherine Lee

TaiwanLeave a comment

Mt. Keelung基隆山, Jinguashi金瓜石 POW Camp and Jiufen九份

Catherine Lee

An Indian Summer (or in Chinese, known as an Autumn Tiger!) ~ Yippee! Yes, a whole 3 days so far of temps up to 32°C, with blue skies, blue seas and butterflies ~ time to get the sunglasses, sun cream and sun hats back out, YES! And if there’s one place in Taiwan where a fine day is rare, it’s the N.E coast and the mountains above Keelung.  I was up there 2 months ago to climb Teapot Mountain 茶壺山 and Banpingshan 半平山(check out that blog post here) and at the time, thought that if there’s ever a fine day again, that’s … Continue reading Mt. Keelung基隆山, Jinguashi金瓜石 POW Camp and Jiufen九份

TaiwanLeave a comment

Taiwan Elections ~ coming soon!

Catherine Lee

Taiwan is gearing up for presidential and legislative elections on January 16, 2016, so the next few months promises to be a very lively time indeed.  Campaigning is in full swing. Loud speaker vans roam the streets, campaign billboards are up all over.  One thing’s for sure, Taiwan elections are never boring and never quiet! Freedom of Speech is of course a greatly valued right in any democratic society, and Taiwan people make the most of it.  This was the scene on the footbridge in central Taipei yesterday, looking towards the Control Yuan ~ one man with a loudhailer letting … Continue reading Taiwan Elections ~ coming soon!

St. John's University, TaiwanLeave a comment

Renovations under way!

Catherine Lee

Just in case you’re wondering how come I no longer live on the St. John’s University campus ~ well, this is the current state of my former house …. As you can see, major renovations are well underway – the aim being to convert the row of 5 houses into guest house style accommodation to be run by the SJU Tourism Department – to give their students some practical experience.  Not just all the interior walls are gone, but also the stairs…. Yep, just watch this space lol! Continue reading Renovations under way!

St. John's University, TaiwanLeave a comment

Welcoming Global Teams International!

Catherine Lee

An surprise visit yesterday from a team of 5 from Global Teams International ~ YES! Well, it was certainly a surprise for most of our students, and although I knew that 2 people were coming to visit, when 5 turned up – that was the nice surprise!  The 2 leaders, Sheryl and Michael had been to a Global Teams Conference in S. E. Asia, and had now come on their first ever visit to Taiwan.  So here they were ~ from USA, Korea and Costa Rica ~ and they were well-entertained by our students, who sang, talked, shared and posed for photos ~ … Continue reading Welcoming Global Teams International!

TaiwanLeave a comment

Halloween party ends in exorcism for 12 students – Taipei Times

Catherine Lee

Pray for Taiwan…. After hosting a haunted-house party for Halloween on Thursday, a dozen students from Tainan’s Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science experienced acute discomfort that some attributed to possession by malicious spirits, and the students were subsequently rushed to a nearby temple to undergo a mass exorcism. Source: Halloween party ends in exorcism for 12 students – Taipei Times Continue reading Halloween party ends in exorcism for 12 students – Taipei Times

St. John's University, TaiwanLeave a comment

St. John’s University welcomes Mr. Drew Schramm

Catherine Lee

St. John’s University has a large number of very distinguished alumni, many of them CEO’s of well-known Taiwan companies, and many of them very active in the SJU Alumni Association ~ and always willing to help support their alma mater! And so it was that this past week, one of our distinguished alumni, Mr. Gary Chen, arranged for one of his clients, Mr. Drew Schramm to address St. John’s University as part of our Distinguished Lecturer Program, on the subject of ‘Sourcing in Asia’.  Here we all are ~ with Mr. Gary Chen far right next to Mr. Drew Schramm, and then … Continue reading St. John’s University welcomes Mr. Drew Schramm