普左傑實習心得02：拜訪台灣重要瑰寶紀政女士

拜訪台灣重要瑰寶紀政女士

日期：2024年9月7日 

作者：普左傑 Isaac Platt Zolov

紀政女士是台灣著名的奧運田徑運動員。她曾經當過三屆立委，現在也是台灣總統府國策顧問及臺北市政府市政顧問。

我9月7日禮拜六跟台灣公民參與協會和何宗勳理事長與他的公民記者學生們參加八里拜訪紀姐。當日的活動包括採訪、午餐和討論。由於這是我第一次來八里，當地的風景讓我印象深刻。我天天平時就在台北市中心上課、吃飯、逛街等，所以我很感恩有機會來台北從來沒去過的地方。

 

雖然我的中文水平真不完美，在採訪中對我有最深的影響的部分是討論今年台灣在巴黎奧運會。大家都知道在今年奧運中，主辦方不讓台灣代表團用台灣的名字、國旗和國歌。甚至我在美國同學平時討論這話題。在討論這話題方面，紀姐那麼強調說台灣就是台灣，不是“Chinese Taipei”（中國台北），也說她會發起2028洛杉磯奧運台灣正名運動。由於她在奧運和政治方面已經做出很多貢獻，我真很期待看將來的正名運動。

 

最後，紀姐請我們吃超好吃的甕仔雞（也教我台語怎麼說）。在聚會中也有很多機會認識跟多公民會會員和公民記者。我們聊了許多話題，不但讓我練習國語，而且也讓我更進一步了解台灣各種方面的文化和歷史。公民記者，他們也採訪我！我心裡很緊張，但我講中文時感覺到自信也進步更多。

 

對我來說，整天活動都很豐富，我回到家的時，我的室友還沒起床。那時候我真想到，沒有其他的美國留學生有我那麼幸運的機會！真感恩公民會給我那麼多機會體驗和瞭解台灣人的公民參與經歷。

Visiting Former Taiwanese Olympian and Activist, Chi Cheng

Chi Cheng was the first Taiwanese female Olympic gold medalist, with her sport being Track & Field. After her retirement from sports, she has served many roles in the Taiwanese government, and now continues to run her own foundation in Taipei. 

On Saturday, September 7th, I went with the contingency of TCPA members and Mr Ho’s student journalists to visit Ms Chi at her home in Bali, for a daylong schedule of events, which included a welcome ceremony, an interview & discussion with Ms Chi, and a large lunch banquet. As we arrived after an hour-long bus & train trip, I was already in awe of the peaceful scenery of Bali, which contrasts my otherwise busy days living and going to class in Taipei’s City Center. 

As I am not a native Mandarin speaker, I was definitely not able to understand the entire interview happening. However, the part that had the deepest impact on me was the discussion of Taiwan’s representation at this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris. Everyone knows that the fact that Taiwan was stripped of its name, flag, and national anthem made international headlines. Even my friends and classmates back in the US were discussing it. When Ms Chi began discussing it, she emphasized her anger at the fact that Taiwan is Taiwan, and that there is no such thing as “Chinese Taipei”. At the time, she also announced that she will be launching a campaign to correct Taiwan’s name at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Given her incredibly extensive background in both sports and politics in Taiwan, I am incredibly excited to see where this movement will go. 

Lastly, Ms Chi took all of us out to a delicious lunch banquet near her home. I was able to try many different Taiwanese delicacies, including Weng Zai (urn-roasted) Chicken, which I was also taught how to say in Taiyu. At this banquet, I was also able to chat with other TCPA members and reporters, which not only allowed me to practice my Mandarin, but also allowed me to better understand various aspects of Taiwan’s culture and history. After interviewing Ms Chi, they then surprisingly interviewed me–in Mandarin! I was so nervous, but it definitely helped me to improve my confidence with public speaking. 

While I had such an interesting day, by the time I got back to my apartment, my roommate still hadn't woken up! It was at that time that I realized how lucky I am to have such a unique opportunity interning at TCPA. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned, and it’s only been a few weeks!