Frequently Aked Questions

It's really interesting that people we've met have some similar questions for us that we would like to share here !! we are trying hard to make the answer as accurate as possible, but it's just based on our current limited knowledge !! lol ~ here we go ! You betchA !!

Q-1. Did you guys know each other before you came to on this GSE trip ?
No. After we knew we were chosen for this team last November, we contacted each other through internet only. Lateron, we started to meet each other and gather together for various events, such as Rotary club supper, preparation for our presentation...etc. So our friendship started with being teammates, then develped to be good friends... till now, WE ARE FAMILY !!!

Q0. Where is Taiwan ?







Taiwan is an island located in East Asia off the coast of Mainland China, southwest of the main islands of Japan but directly west of the end of Japan's Ryukyu Islands, and north-northwest of the Philippines. It is bound to the east by the Pacific Ocean, to the south by the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, to the west by the Taiwan Strait and to the north by the East China Sea. The island is 394 kilometers (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89 miles) wide and consists of steep mountains covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation. (source: Wikipedia)

Q1. What's the relationship between Taiwan and Mainland China?

Taiwan is an independent country. We DO NOT belong to Mainland China ! We elect our own president and we have our own flag ! We are TAIWANESE !!!

Q2. What's your demographics?

Area: 34,507 km² (13,323.2 sq mi)
Population:23,036,087 (2008)
Density:668/km²

Q3. What's the weather like in Taiwan ?
it's wet and hot and sticky in summer as we sweat a lot !
The temperature then is about 90 degree F, while in winter it's about 41 degree F. Thus, we LOVE snow ! because we don't have it in Taiwan !

Q4. Why do you still live with your parents ?
People in Taiwan usually move out when they get married unless they study or work far from home. And... we are all SINGLE, that's why !!

Q5. What are the religions in Taiwan ?

A wide diversity of religions can be found on Taiwan, due to its multicultural history, and religious freedom written in the constitution of the Republic of China.

Buddhism- 35%
Taoism - 33 %
Christian - 4%

Q6. What's the average age to get married ?

Well, we don't know, our average age is 27.5 and none of us is married yet !!

Q7. Did you like the food in US ?

Should we tell the truth !?
alright, here are our favorite so far : Quesadillas & salsa sauce @Zorbas, peanut butter and jelly sandwich @Kesley's, hot brownie/cobbler with vanilla ice cream @everywhere, buffalo stew @Drayton, fried Walleyes @Detroit lakes & Toasted Frog in Grand Forks.

Q8. What's the difference between Chinese and Mandarin ?

Chinese is a language family consisting of languages mutually unintelligible to varying degrees.Spoken Chinese is distinguished by its high level of internal diversity, although all spoken varieties of Chinese are tonal and analytic. There are between seven and thirteen main regional groups of Chinese (depending on classification scheme), of which the most spoken, by far, is Mandarin (about 850 million), followed by Wu (90 million), Min (70 million) and Cantonese (70 million)

Q9. Is Taiwan same as Thailand ?

NO!!! it's 2 different countries ! please refer to the world map !

Q10. How long does it take to fly from Taiwan to Minot, ND?
Were it a direct flight, we would say... 17 hours.
However, we took 4 planes for this trip, and it took us 26 hours in total (including waiting time) to get there. Here's what happened:
Taipei -> Tokyo - 3 hours
Tokyo -> Los angelos -10 hours + 2 hours waiting
LA ->Minneapolis - 3.5 hours + 6 hour waiting
Minneapolis -> Minot - 1.5 hour