DUPAYA, John Edward L.

5-ChED

Prologue

I heard my own footsteps sounded of the walls of my room. The thuds

against the wooden tiles somehow conveyed a sort of nervousness. I was so
anxious. Oh! What to bring? What to bring, I mentally cried. Tomorrow will be
our flight to Taiwan and yet Im still here not ready for the said tour. My clothes
were packed ages ago but still one cannot know if it is enough. Open. Close.
Open. Close.

I didnt know how many times I did that to my luggage bag. I rechecked
everything I put in my hand bag and check-in bag. Wallet check. Passport check.
Itinerary check. Clothes? Maybe. I closed everything tried to calm down. Still,
something about this eerie wind of the night makes my skin crawl.

I woke up excited. I checked everything again and waved goodbye to my

mom and little sister. I and my blockmates, together with our professors, arrived
in NAIA Terminal 1 around 8 am. It was a little bit hot that day. We checked in our
luggage and waited for our flight.

Our flight is not that smooth. There is so much turbulence that I couldnt eat. I
check my bag and shoot. Now I know what I forgot. I left my prepared food and
medicine in our unit.

Professional and Ethical Responsibility

We arrived in Taiwan around 3pm. It is my second time to travel to

another country. The first country I travelled is Hong Kong. I am still aware that I
am carrying not just my family name and the name of the school but also the
countrys name.

I am expected to be on my utmost behavior. I need to be on my best

behavior and act rationally and ethically. I need to be patient when they dont
understand me because of language barrier. They speak differently than us.

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 DUPAYA, John Edward L.
5-ChED

There is this instance when we are out to buy food. We asked for a paper/plastic
bag so that we dont need to carry the food we bought. Because of language
barrier, we have tough time to explain what we need so we needed to point it/act
it out. I am sure not to forget to say, Excuse me and Thank you. Aside from
that, I am a tourist of a foreign country so I need to abide by their rules and law. I
already researched about their rules and laws before coming to their country.
After all, ignorance of the Law excuses no one. For instance, the picture below
shows the road to the night market in Shihlin District, Taipei. I waited for the
stoplight to turn green in my direction before I cross the street.

In every plant/place we visited, I always remember to be on my best

behavior. Saying please when I want to buy something within the vicinity,
throwing trash in the trash bin (with the correct label if it is recyclable), thanking
the vendors when I got my food or goods, and saying excuse me when I need to.
It is also my responsibility to listen on what our tour guide/speaker told us to do
as a sign of respect. When I cant understand what they are saying, I ask them to
repeat it.

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 DUPAYA, John Edward L.
5-ChED

Since it is our not our home country to begin with, I need to remember
that I am a professional. I should always keep in mind to have my
professionalism and my ethical responsibility in check, especially since we will be
the next batch of Chemical engineers. Knowing the culture of the place,
interacting with different people, openness to corrections, criticisms, and
openness to learn new things are the diverse ways to learn and as well as to
understand professional and ethical responsibility. Through this educational tour,
I was able to ask and learn new things from people working in Taiwan. The
educational tour taught me that no matter what your race is, your color, your
culture, and your profession, I can connect to them; we can connect with one
another. Knowing these responsibilities is very important. It should always be
visible even if I am in the Philippines.

The Language Barrier

As a tourist in a country with different language spoken, effective written,

visual and oral communication is a must. Through these, we can understand and
everything went smoothly.

For instance, our tour guide, Ms. Sophia, fetch us in the airport. I cannot
understand her at first when she was explaining that our first cuisine will be a
Chinese cuisine. I am having a tough time to decipher what she is telling us. I
came to realized that some Taiwanese arent fond of saying arriving instead,
they say arrived even though we didnt arrived yet. Sometimes, the she
pronounces wet as red. It is hard to tell what theyre saying unless they point it
out to you. Sometimes, I need to ask her politely to repeat what she told us.

At one point, in Kong Yen, a food manufacturing company, I need to ask

her again what they do in their production because I wasnt able to understand
her. I realized that communication really plays an important part in our life. I
adjusted myself so I can cope with the people around me. As a future chemical
engineer, communication will be a need in my work place.

During the tour, an effective written and visual aids helped me to

understand what is happening in the plant. Kavalan, Kong Yen, Imei foods, and
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 DUPAYA, John Edward L.
5-ChED

the schools we visited have visual aid which is very helpful in understanding the
process of the plant/the features of the school.

Engineering in Taiwan

The world as of now is facing a lot of problems. Such problems can be

answered by engineers. Researches and innovation can solve global, economic,
environmental and even societal problems. The educational tour helped me
realized that problems are not forever. The companies we visited offered
innovative products and DIY products which deals with the current issues in
Taiwan. Kavalan made drinks which is locally theirs. They also have coffee and
ice cream with whiskey on it.

Another problem in Taiwan is their water. We visited a waste treatment in

Taiwan and I was amazed on how they treat water and segregate their solid
waste. The incineration plant, Wen-Shan Incinerator, treats their segregated
wastes by incinerating them and delivering their ashes to other company.

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 DUPAYA, John Edward L.
5-ChED

This strike me hard. I began to ask myself on what should I do and what
can I contribute to the current problems in the Philippines. Comparing our
situation with Taiwan, I can say that our path to development is not that good. I,
as a future engineer, must think of a way to help our country.

Life-long Learning

I really loved to travel. I always get the place near the window so I can
see the beauty of the place. As were travelling, I was amazed by how their
government planned. The roads are not that confusing, there are trees
everywhere, and some of the place looks like a city but Ms. Sophia told us that it
is just a province.

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 DUPAYA, John Edward L.
5-ChED

After a couple of days, we visited one of the schools in Taiwan,

specifically National University of Taiwan. I was amazed by how beautiful their
school is. There are ponds which have fishes and turtles on it, trees, beautiful
flowers, etc.

I can truly say that this trip is one of a kind. Having trip is an amazing
experience and is worth treasuring. Aside from helping me acquire new
knowledge and experience, it helped me to strive better and be a better future
chemical engineer. It helped me to think on how will I help solve different
problems, to be innovative, to be resourceful and to learn more, to grow more.

Our visit in NTU (National Taiwan University), made me want to pursue a

graduate school. It will not only give me more knowledge on the field I want to
master but it will also educate me that the world need us to solve the problems. It
needs us to help by being innovative.

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 DUPAYA, John Edward L.
5-ChED

Contemporary Local and Global Issues

Comparing Taiwan to our country, there is really a large gap. Taiwans

local issue is related to their geographical status. There is a limited source of
water which is what Ms. Sophia told us. This issue didnt hinder the country to be
developed. Another would be the climate in Taiwan is different. It is very cold in
the country when we arrived there. Taiwans waste disposal is good that little or
no trash are scattered everywhere. Unlike in our country where trash is scattered
everywhere.

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 DUPAYA, John Edward L.
5-ChED

The roads are clean and there are specific parking lots for vehicles.
Taiwanese are taught on segregating trash and the apply it when collection
comes. In our country, it is taught but some of us doesnt apply it. I want to help
our country to learn on applying these things. As a future engineer, I need to think
of a way to have a profound impact in our current problems and in the problems
of the world. As an engineer, I shouldnt settle for less. I should learn from
experiences and mistakes, from people around me and from the speaker who
are experts on their field.

Epilogue

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 DUPAYA, John Edward L.
5-ChED

It is our last day here in Taiwan. I learned many things. It is a wonderful

experience not just because it is an international trip but also, this helped me to
be a better individual. I learned that I shouldnt settle for less, that I should be
more aware of what is happening in my country, that I should research and
innovate even if it is costly, and to learn more. My experience here in Taiwan will
never be forgotten.

It was a wonderful experience. It was an honor to be part of this trip

because of the things I learned and the experiences I felt. When we think of it, 6
days is long but for it is not enough. Maybe one day, Ill be back here in Taiwan. I
just hope that in the future, our country can attain or can overcome its problems
just like in Taiwan. I am willing to give service just to see this dream come true. I
walked on the pavement which leads to the airport. I took one glance. Oh my! I
am sure I will miss this place.

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