Love Boat Archives | Talking Taiwan Podcast

Dr. Michi Fu Straddles Between Living in Taiwan and the U.S. Ep 118

Felicia Lin — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 21:58:23 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Dr. Michi Fu is a professor, psychologist, writer, public speaker and experience creator. She spoke with me about how her mother’s decision to retire in Taiwan led her to decide to take a one-year sabbatical in Taiwan and to apply for Taiwan citizenship- which proved to be an arduous process but well worth it in the end. It has allowed her to more easily travel and straddle between living in the U.S. and Taiwan. As she’s spent more time residing in Taiwan, she’s faced challenges adulting in Taiwan due to limited language and cultural proficiency. We spoke in depth about how she’s dealt with all this by learning to let go of cultural norms and expectations, and found ways to build a community for herself in Taiwan.

While in Taiwan she’s connected with expat communities like the Black lives Matter and Burning Man Taiwan communities, participated in a bilingual version of the Vagina Monologues, and she’s also been invited to participate in the 228 Transitional Justice Project. I found that to be a timely topic of conversation indeed, with the 74^th anniversary of the 228 Incident having just passed.

Also referred to as The 228 Massacre, or The 228 Uprising, 228 is February 28, 1947, the date that the arrest of a cigarette seller in Taipei sparked protests over the corruption and repression of the ruling Kuomintang party at the time. What followed were the disappearance and execution of thousands by the Kuomintang. Some say up to 20 thousand were murdered. It led to the declaration of martial law and it was the beginning of the reign of White Terror in Taiwan that lasted for decades.

CORRECTION: At the 45-minute mark of Michi’s interview when she stated that she had arrived on holiday for her dissertation, she had arrived during the Dragon Boat Holiday for her sabbatical not her dissertation.

Photo above of Dr. Michi Fu is courtesy of Tobie Openshaw

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Michi’s upbringing and where she grew up
Michi’s connection to Taiwan
The study tour that Michi has co-organized with Dr. Tsuann Kuo (Founder of NATWA II)
How Michi’s perception of Taiwan has changed over time
How she’s met expats who have made Taiwan their home and out be interested in applying for citizenship in Taiwan
The reason why Michi decided to apply for citizenship and residency in Taiwan, and to split her time between the U.S. and Taiwan
What’s involved in the process to apply for citizenship and residency in Taiwan if you have a Taiwan birthright (i.e. parents born in Taiwan, and have residency and citizenship in Taiwan)
What the Yo yo card is and how to use it
Residency status that children of Taiwanese nationals can apply for to stay longer than a passport visa
The number of days required to stay in Taiwan in order to able to apply for citizenship
Michi’s sense of Taiwanese and Taiwanese American identity
Michi’s participation in the 228 Transitional Justice Project
The challenges of learning a language later in life
How Michi sometimes feels like a Third Culture Kid
How Michi has learned from cultural misunderstandings
How Michi has connected with and made friends through the expat community in Taiwan
What Michi misses about the U.S. when she’s in Taiwan
What Michi misses about Taiwan when she’s in the U.S.
What advice Michi has for those considering applying for Taiwan residency and citizenship
What advice Michi has for those considering spending more of the calendar year living in Taiwan
The different cultural expectations of Taiwan and the U.S.
The challenges of adulting in Taiwan with limited language and cultural proficiency
The wage gap for certain professions in Taiwan vs. the U.S.
The things Michi considers in deciding to live in Taiwan full-time
How Michi built her own sense of community by connecting with the expat community and Facebook groups

Auntie Sewing Squad Combats Covid-19 One Mask at a Time Ep 75

Felicia Lin — Sun, 17 May 2020 17:38:08 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

What a fun, spirited conversation I had with my guests Valerie Soe and Kristina Wong! We could certainly use more conversations like this in this post-COVID-19 world. We talked about the Auntie Sewing Squad, a sewing circle formed during the global Coronavirus pandemic, that has taken on making masks first for frontline medical and essential workers, and now for vulnerable marginalized communities, who have no financial means to purchase masks.

My guests are Valerie Soe, an Asian American Studies Professor and Film maker, and Kristina Wong, a performance artist. comedian, writer and elected representative.

Valerie has been on Talking Taiwan previously to talk about her documentary film Love Boat: Taiwan and she recently made a microdocumentary, “Sewing in the Time of Coronavirus,” which incidentally, is how I learned about the Auntie Sewing Squad.

Kristina, is the force behind the Auntie Sewing Squad. She recently streamed a live performance, “Kristina Wong Sweatshop Overlord” over Zoom and YouTube. It’s her latest work born out of the current COVID-19 lockdown, about how she went from volunteer sewist to a “sweatshop” overlord in ten days.

Listen in and enjoy our conversation!

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

The mission/purpose of the Auntie Sewing Squad
Why Kristina was initially reluctant to wear a mask herself when the pandemic first hit Los Angeles
How the Auntie Sewing Squad grew from a dozen members to over 600
Writing Auntie Rebecca Solnit’s piece for The Guardian which mentions the Auntie Sewing Squad
“Aunties” located in states other than California
What funds donated to the Auntie Sewing Squad (via Kristina) used for
The unfortunate acronym that represents to the Auntie Sewing Squad
What “Auntie Care” is
Does Kristina plan on making the Auntie Sewing Squad into a non-profit organization
The microdocumentary film that Valerie made for A-Doc (Asian American Documentary Network)
How Kristina helped an LA hospital fix broken N95 masks that were given to them by the Federal government
Stories about the amazing dedication of the sewing aunties
How you can support the Auntie Sewing Squad even if you don’t sew
How much longer the Auntie Sewing Squad will continue sewing masks
Kristina’s connection to the “Love Boat program”
Kristina and Valerie’s advice for how to deal with lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic

Love Boat Taipei: An Interview with Best Selling Author Abigail Hing Wen Ep 67

Felicia Lin — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 04:44:04 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Earlier this year I went to Books of Wonder (in New York City’s Upper Westside) to attend a book launch event for Loveboat, Taipei. There I heard the book’s author, Abigail Hing Wen speak frankly and openly about her 12-year writing career and journey leading up to getting her first book Loveboat, Taipei published. All too often when we hear of success stories like hers, what gets lost is what it took to get there. I was really impressed by her story of persistence and tenacity.

After getting her first book rejected, writing five novels along the way, she wrote four versions and 26 drafts of Loveboat, Taipei, before deciding to make Ever Wong the main character. In her interview with me she was just as candid- talking about all of the hard work behind honing her craft of writing and how Loveboat, Taipei, a story about the rebellion of youth in a safe environment actually brought her closer to her parents.

The latest exciting news is that ACE Entertainment (the producers of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series) has optioned the film rights to Loveboat, Taipei.

If you’d like to learn more about the Love Boat language study program, be sure to listen to our previous episode, episode 66 which is about Love Boat: Taiwan, Ep 66 Interview with Valerie Soe a documentary film made about the Love Boat program.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Loveboat, Taipei has benefited from the growing interest in diverse characters and storylines
The Love Boat study program experience
When Loveboat, Taipei hit the New York Times bestseller’s list
Abigail ‘s decision to step off the path to becoming a law professor and to try writing
The first book Abigail tried to get published, but was ultimately rejected
Abigail ‘s decision to enter an MFA in writing program
How Abigail persisted for over ten years after her first novel was rejected and wrote five novels before Loveboat, Taipei got published
How she wrote Loveboat, Taipei from four different perspectives before deciding to write it from the perspective of Ever Wong
The process of shopping around a book to get it published
How Loveboat, Taipei has been optioned for a film by ACE entertainment
What Abigail hopes that people will learn from the story of Loveboat, Taipei
The announcement that Loveboat, Taipei has been optioned for a movie by ACE Entertainment, the producers of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series
How important it is for writers to have critique partners
Her role as a Senior Director of Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence
Abigail’s future book projects
What advice Abigail has for people who want to write a book
The feedback that Loveboat, Taipei has received
How Loveboat, Taipei has brought Abigail closer to her parents

Love Boat Taiwan: Interview with Asian American Studies Professor and Filmmaker Valerie Soe Ep 66

Felicia Lin — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 03:07:00 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

For many overseas born Chinese and Taiwanese, the Love Boat Taiwan language culture study program was quite the cultural phenomenon and rite of passage. We are dedicating two episodes of Talking Taiwan to the topic. The first will feature Asian American Studies professor and filmmaker Valerie Soe who’s made a documentary film called Love Boat: Taiwan. Learn more about the Love Boat program, the lasting impact on its participants- college and high school-aged individuals away from home for 6 weeks in Taiwan. It was the quintessential summer camp experience.

What’s interesting to me is that the Love Boat program, which was started and run by the Chinese Nationalist government (aka the Kuomintang) set out to aggrandize the Republic of China (which at one time claimed to rule all of China), but instead, what it seems to have done is to solidify the difference between Taiwan and China in the minds of Love Boat participants.

In the next episode of Talking Taiwan, I’ll be speaking with New York Times Bestselling author, Abigail Hing Wen, a Love Boat alum herself about her debut young adult novel, Loveboat, Taipei.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

What the Love Boat program is
How the Love Boat got its nickname
How the program evolved over time
The lasting relationships and Love Boat alumni connections
Selection of the Love Boat program counselors
Escape routes that Love Boat program attendees used to sneak out at night
The Baby Boat or Tugboat program
Typical rites of passage for the Love Boat participants
Why Valerie had to stop working on the documentary for a year
How to raise money for an independent documentary film
What advice Valerie has for documentary filmmakers
What Valerie would like people to take away from her film
The influential alumni of the Love Boat program

Love Boat Archives | Talking Taiwan Podcast

Dr. Michi Fu Straddles Between Living in Taiwan and the U.S. Ep 118

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links and Terms:

Auntie Sewing Squad Combats Covid-19 One Mask at a Time Ep 75

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Love Boat Taipei: An Interview with Best Selling Author Abigail Hing Wen Ep 67

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Love Boat Taiwan: Interview with Asian American Studies Professor and Filmmaker Valerie Soe Ep 66

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links: