This morning, we were crowded in the meeting room at my aunt’s office when Mom dropped the bomb. “Guess what,” she proclaimed, “we may have a chance to meet the Vice President today!” After a few raised eyebrows and a few “whoa”s, we dogpiled into our private van and raced off to the Presidential Palace.
When we arrived, our belongings were checked and taken away for safekeeping. Simon forgot his wallet. (We will come to explore the significance of this event later.) We were not allowed to take bags in, so we had to carry our precious belongings by hand. After the check, we proceeded in and the tour started.
Did you know that the Presidential Palace is shaped in the shape of the Chinese character ri? Apparently, the building was built during the time Japan owned Taiwan, and the ri character was the first character in the word ri ben, which means “Japan”. We didn’t just learn about that. Along with other interesting facts, we saw the clothes that the previous presidents wore! After walking through multiple rooms and gazing at notebooks, we arrived at the gift shop. (Now, does anybody realize the importance of Simon’s wallet?) Within 30 seconds of entering the shoppe, Simon discovered that he forgot his wallet. After sulking for about five minutes, he was back to his energetic and perky self. Megan, however, brought her wallet with her.
Then, we were alerted: We would have the chance to have a quick two minute photo and handshake session with the Vice President! Excited, we tromped on to the meeting room and rested for a few minutes until he came in.
When the Vice President arrived, we all stood up and shook his hand, and then the photo session commenced. After the session, the Vice President left, and so did we.
~Christina
When we entered the Cathay Charity Group headquarter meeting room, a long rectangular-shaped table, leather swivel chairs, and complimentary waters greeted our eyes. We sat down, and prepared to interview Mr. Chien. Five minutes later, he entered the room, and greetings resounded throughout the room. We stood up, handed him our presents, and the intereview commenced.
