Taiwan tour

My phone vibrated. It was Lynn. "I am in the airport pickup hall of the second terminal." She had tagged me and sent a photo of herself holding a sign with my name on it. Wow, celebrity treatment - I don't often have my name on a sign for airport pickup. 

It took me a second to find Lynn in the cavernous arrivals hall, and she spotted me before I spotted her. "Kirstin!" she exclaimed. "Hello, how are you? Welcome to Taiwan! Would you like some coffee?" She handed me a plastic cup of iced coffee with a lid - she must have bought it just a few minutes ago. My body doesn't handle caffeine well (at all), but I briefly considered actually drinking it. How do you turn down a spontaneous, thoughtful gift from your host when you land on the other side of the world? 

International scholars on our way to Kaohsiung: Ole Varmer, 
Andy Viduka, Jung Young-Hwa, me, and Elena Perez-Alvaro.

We climbed into a van outside and then stopped at an airport hotel to pick up the others. One by one, the seats filled with guests of varied nationalities - American, Australian, Spanish, Dutch, and Korean. We were the invited international scholars for the 2025 International Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage. Two of Taiwan's government agencies - the Bureau of Cultural Heritage and the National Academy of Marine Research - were co-hosting the conference. It was an incredible honor to be asked to speak. 

Our first day in Taiwan was a bit of a whirlwind. After getting picked up in Taoyuan, the Taipei suburb where the international airport is located, we traveled on Taiwan's high-speed rail to the other end of the island. I always envy other countries' rail systems. I watched vegetation, houses, towns, and what I think were rice paddies whip past my window at 300 km per hour. We made it from one end of Taiwan to the other in just under two hours. 

When we arrived in Kaohsiung, at the southern end of Taiwan, our first stop was the National Academy of Marine Research (NAMR). Our group was ushered into a conference room, where teacups and packaged pastries were waiting at our seats. We found our nametags, and then NAMR's President, Chen Chung-Ling, entered the room. I was bracing myself for a very formal meeting - everything about the setting suggested it would be - but Dr. Chen had the casual air of a busy academic. She wore black pants and a loose checkered shirt. I exhaled. Ah yes, even on this side of the Pacific Ocean, I could recognize my fellow researchers by pure vibes. 

Group photo at the NAMR office in Kaohsiung

Dr. Chen told us that NAMR is a young government agency, only 6 years old. They are tasked with understanding and managing all of Taiwan's waters and disseminating the information to the public. The more she spoke, the more NAMR reminded me of NOAA in the US. Both agencies prioritize oceanography, forecasting, and public education. 

After leaving the NAMR office, we arrived at our hotel in Kaohsiung. I joined the other scholars for a dinner of beef noodle soup (a classic Taiwanese dish) and then crashed into bed. I am so grateful to be in Taiwan.