The Taiwan Alumni Association in Los Angeles was established to create a network to provide our American friends who have studied in Taiwan – whether through the Taiwan Scholarship, Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, or other Taiwan-focused programs – to share their learning and living experiences in Taiwan, and learn more about this dynamic island nation which they usually consider their “second hometown”.

Every year, the Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in LA hosts a range of activities to give the TAA members a chance to get together.

At the first Taiwan Alumni Association event for 2018, alumni and their guests began by meeting up at a bubble-tea shop called Classroom 302 (3年2班), and dining on popular Taiwanese dishes and snacks. This gave the alumni an opportunity to talk about their different experiences living in Taiwan and also talk about future events with TAA they would be interested in participating in, before the highlight of the evening: attending Cloud Gate Dance Theatre’s performance of “Formosa”.

Alumni widely feel that there is a great opportunity to network both professionally and personally with other alumni in the Los Angeles area that is still largely untapped. As Alyssa Johnson, President of the TAA in Los Angeles said to the participants “It can be difficult to get together frequently while we’re managing our busy lives, but TAA events offer great potential for alumni to connect with other individuals who share their academic, linguistic and cultural interests in Taiwan.”

Tatumn Walter, a TAA member, expressed her excitement about seeing the performance. “It was a lucky treat for me, truly a piece of serendipity for me, here in the US. I'd first seen Cloud Gate Dance Theater perform live at their home theater in Danshui, while I was studying Chinese in Taipei, with a Huayu Enrichment Scholarship. Seeing this performance here tied many parts of my life together -  it was performed 60 minutes from my home town, with a backdrop featuring Chinese characters, and poetry dealing with Taiwan.” She was very grateful for the wonderful evening spent with friends who also have profound memories of Taiwan.

Many attendees expressed interest in helping with the preparations for TECO in LA’s next activity in June, when they can learn a Dragon Dance, and in partaking in other cultural and craft activities.

Photo:Education Division of TECO in LA Invited the Taiwan Alumni Association to a Cloud Gate Performance in Irvine.