Written by Matthew Merritt (Yale University), Student Correspondent for CET Taiwan, Summer 2023
“You don’t know a place until you’ve been to its version of ‘middle of nowhere.’” Growing up in a small town of 2,000 called Bridgeport, Alabama, I’ve always held this view. Rural farming communities are the backbone and identity of our nations.
You’ll find this message in many places, with my particular recommendation being Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead. Her book beautifully relays the beauty, tribulation, and essentiality of rural communities.
So, naturally, I ventured to see Taiwan’s rural countryside last weekend and, after a four-hour bus ride snaking through the hairpin turns of Yaba’s Mountain (亞爸的山), began hiking in Shei-Pa National Park (雪霸國家公園).
Sweeping View of Shei-Pa National Park (left) and beautiful Yellow Plumeria (right)
My 6-mile hike was quite fun! I saw the coolest mushroom and frequently experienced panoramic views of the mountainscape. I even had the chance to meet a band of monkeys, who I must admit are not very friendly folks.
Having missed the last bus out of the forested aspect of the national park, I found myself a 4-hour walk away from my evening lodging. A kind soul gave me a ride, dropping me off at the hostel just in time to have hot pot before they closed up for the night.
I began looking forward to an early night’s rest when the owners of the hostel invited me over to their table of friends and family and offered me a drink. I spent the next four hours passing time with new friends.
If “making the world your classroom” were a particular moment for me, the moment most salient is the conversation I had with these folks. Through their stories, I learned about Taiwan’s indigenous communities, one of which the owner and his family were part of; and I learned new vocabulary, like warm-hearted (熱情) and farm (農場).
Cabbage farm on Yaba’s Mountain
The following morning, I chatted with two farmers who work on the cabbage farm surrounding the hostel. Coming from a family of cattle farmers myself, we discussed our mutual love of the land and outdoors.
If you really want to know a place, you must talk to the people who tend it. My dad, my new friends, and folks in other rural communities I hope to meet all play integral roles in forming the essence of our world. Yet, Kingsolver rightly points out that our lives and our contributions so often get overlooked.
Family and Friends of Yaba’s Mountain Hostel
By venturing to rural farming communities like Yaba’s Mountain, I’m making these lives a focus and developing a deeper understanding of Taiwan. Whenever you have the opportunity to travel, I encourage you also to seek out rural landscapes; I am sure you will find folks whose spirit of community and connection shapes our world.
With appreciation,
Matthew 🙂