The Journey Begins (almost)—Sida Lu

Hey everyone! 

My name is Sida Lu (larger one pictured), and I will be the other blogger for Marshall’s LINC Taipei 2013 trip. 

A little information about me: I was originally born in China and speak fluent Mandarin Chinese; I moved to America when I was five years old and grew up in Northern California before coming down to USC to enroll in the joint program between the Marshall School of Business and the School of Cinematic Arts. My interests include sports, food, and sleeping while my “disinterests” include waking up, cooking to survive, and heights. My first choice when applying for LINC was Taipei, because back in high school I had a lot of Taiwanese friends would go back to Taiwan for breaks and come back bragging about how absolutely amazing their experience was— kinda made me curious (and a tiny bit jealous…), so I jumped at the opportunity to find out what Taiwan was like for myself.

The past few weeks have been rather rough, with endless mountains of papers, interviews, and finals to study for. Even worse than that, once you finished all your work, there was the unenviable and equally endless task of packing up all of your belongings to move out for the summer.

But somehow, minimal sleep and maximum boxes later, we’ve all triumphantly reached (limped to) the finish line— all done with our freshman year of college, and more than ready to finally go on the LINC Taipei trip. 

I guess the sense of readiness can also be attributed to our past few early morning LINC Taipei classes, where we’ve learned about the history of Taiwan, taken a look at their economy, analyzed diplomatic relations between Taiwan, China, and the United States, as well as local politics, traditions, and culture. We’ve also thoroughly researched the companies that we’re scheduled to visit on our trip, and prepared for a case competition at the National Taiwan University, aka the ‘Harvard of Taiwan.’ 

Or you could attribute the sense of readiness to being tired of the status quo of spending your entire life in America and reading about/hearing about Taiwan for so long without actually experiencing it. Nothing will beat actually setting foot on Taiwanese soil, and getting culture shocked out of our comfortable American bubbles. 

Either way, its safe to say that our LINC Taipei 2013 class is more than ready to finally board our flight tomorrow and have this once in a lifetime experience.

After all, who knows if we’ll ever be back to Taiwan again? Definitely going to look to make this trip memorable, and I’ll try my best to share some of those experiences with you guys on this blog. 

Thanks for reading & until next time!

-Sida

P.S. My LINC Taipei roommate Shashank (smaller one pictured) says he is very excited to finally go and see the Great Wall of China. I don’t think I have the heart to tell him…

Hi everyone! I’m Brendan Nguyen, and I’ll be one of the bloggers for this year’s LINC Taipei trip. In due time, within the next two weeks, I hope to provide you all with a sense of what Taipei is like - culturally, professionally, and socially - complete with photos, videos, and first-hand accounts of my experiences!

With my last LINC class session completed a couple weeks ago and final exams concluded today (finally!), all I can say is, “Bring it on, Taipei.” Ever since I found out that freshmen could become involved in an international business program called LINC, I was enthusiastic immediately. When I applied, I listed Taipei, Taiwan, as one of my top destination choices. Needless to say, I’m glad that, in just three days, I’ll be heading to an amazing foreign country outside the borders of North America for the first time. That’s right. For the very first time. I’ve visited my fair share of states, plus multiple vacationing trips to Mexico and Canada. Never before, though, have I ever been outside of the continent. Pre-trip jitters? I’d say so. I flown to other states without family before, but this is my first time doing so to another country. I’d imagine that the culture shock I’ll experience in Taiwan will be incredible. I think this will be my first time experiencing an environment in which English is not the dominant language - an obstacle for someone like me who’s only fluent in one dialect. I’m glad I’ll be traveling with a group of my peers because I’d be helpless if I was by myself.

Despite my worries, I have nothing but excitement for LINC Taipei 2013. One of my primary reasons for wanting to go on this trip is exactly why I’m equally as nervous. I want to experience an entirely foreign culture. Looking ahead, I don’t know when I’ll have another chance to travel abroad that is so easily attainable as LINC is. The fact that USC’s Marshall caters so much to freshmen students is so special, and I’m glad and appreciative that I’ll finally be a beneficiary of this wonderful opportunity. I know I’ll have an awesome time meeting with top-notch companies and prominent business executives, while also soaking in Taiwan’s cultural atmosphere as a curious tourist. I can’t wait.

Until next time, I’m out!

-Brendan Nguyen

Reflecting on a great end of the year -Anh Cao

It’s been a couple weeks since we all came back from Taiwan. Keeping in touch with everyone has been pretty easy with Facebook and emails. We even were able to contact our friends from NTU that helped us during the case study and around the night market. I still miss the Taiwanese sausage and delicious boba, but I know that it only means I need to go back very soon! I cannot wait for all the abroad trips I may encounter during my years here at Marshall, but without a doubt this will be one of the most memorable. I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity and do not regret my choice in destination. I bet everyone had a great time on their LINC trips, but the people and faculty on this particular trip definitely created the experience.

During my study at Marshall, I will once again be able to work with the classmates I met through this trip and no matter what we will share a Taiwan LINC bond that no one else experienced. I learned a lot during this trip about business, Taiwanese culture, and most of all about the connections Marshall has given us. I really miss the friends and bonds I made in Taiwan, but it won’t be long till the Fall semester starts and we can all go back to our Marshall experience.

Thanks USC for this amazing experience!! The Trojan Family really cannot be found at any other university and I am grateful we all were given this experience. Fight on and until the Fall I’m out! :) -Anh Cao

Tuesday: This day started at the National Taiwanese University where we met a number of students that we worked on our first case study with. In our LINC class we were split into groups and throughout the semester we have worked together on various projects. It was not until the end of the week that I realized as a group we have grown and developed into better business students, as well as bonded as classmates. A shout out to my Team 1 the Fighting Pandas!  The best part of this day was experiencing the nearby night market (Gong Guan) at the end of our day with our new found friends from NTU. There was good street foods from Taiwanese Sausage Rice Dogs to a variety of delicacies in a bag. 

Wednesday and Thursday: These two days were the core part of the company visits (ITRI, Ritek, Ma-Tek, Giant, and HCG) where we had presentations an on occasion a product line tour. Many of us were curious about the marketing or management aspects of their companies and discovered that although some of their business practices differed, we could still apply some of the concepts to our learning experience.

Friday: We woke up extra early and caught our high speed rail train to head towards Tainan in the southern parts of Taiwan. Although we encountered some obstacles we all learned to keep better track of everyone and had a chance to explore the station longer. Uni-president was our last company visit and the best part had to be wearing a lab coat, booties, and a hair cap before walking into an air shower. This was to ensure that the production line would not be contaminated. After tasting their milk tea, juice, and milk we all wanted to try more of their products. The rest of the day was spent on a cultural tour where we visited a tree house and a fort. This was a different opportunity for us to explore a side of Taiwan other than the corporate industries. The gift shops were cute and taking a camera around was worth it, even though there was rain.

Saturday: Our first almost whole day on our own. A group of us headed to Xi Men Ding to shop in their local stores and try more of Taiwan’s delicacies. The fried quail eggs tasted fantastic and the Taiwanese sausage was to die for. Bargaining for items was one of the hardest parts of this trip, the first being the language barrier that sometimes left me in a cloud off confusion, but overall utilizing hand signs and basic words sufficed (although having someone speak Mandarin was crucial for cab rides and not being cheated for prices). Coming back in the evening, all the group prepared for our final presentations to create something fun summarizing, as well as reflecting, on our week-long trip. In the end the Fighting Pandas wooed the class with our photos, testimonials, and, entertaining rap. Thanks to Johnny and Alex for pulling that together.The ending banquet with the class was bittersweet as some said good bye because they would not be heading back with us.

To the Fighting: We did well in the final presentation and it was a memorable week for all of us! Thanks to Bethany, Annice, Johnny, Alex, and David (Lupeng) for being a great group and showing that the Fighting Pandas are awesome!!!

To Professor Wolfe: Thanks for leading the trip and the class all semester. Taiwan was definitely one of the best abroad experiences I have had! The food and people was all you said it would be if not more.

To Hal: Thanks for curbing my gift shop addiction and teaching me that the Don Gato song is not the same without your rendition. Maybe I can help you photoshop that banner in sometime.

To Guille: Thanks for helping us this whole trip and making sure that everyone was safe, accounted for, and doing our best.

I can’t wait for my future abroad trips and to tell everyone about how awesome LINC is!! In the end I am glad to have been given the opportunity to transfer into LINC Taiwan from another trip. I would not have changed a thing on this trip. I met 34 other great freshmen business students and I am excited at the possibility of being in many future classes with them. Now for a really long trip home to Los Angeles! :)

-Anh Cao

IT’S OUR LAST DAY IN TAIWAN! We’ll be boarding the plane in a few hours. Wish us a safe and comfortable flight back home!

So…

Yesterday was a free day for all of the students and faculty, which meant we could pretty much go and do whatever we wanted. My friends and I decided to go to Tamsui. It was a very beautiful coastal area, lined with many little shops for food/souvenirs/etc. We took many pictures with the beautiful scenery, watched a Turkish man make a show out of serving ice cream, and shook the hand of a Gold Man. It was a very unique experience. Although it was the northern coast of Taiwan, it was very different from beaches or coast back at home. Here, it was extremely crowded, not only with traffic in LA but with pedestrians packed like sardines; good thing we visited the place early! The food stands here seemed more like an experience; there was so much variety and unique local delicacies. I’m very glad that I had the chance to visit an area that was different from the bustling city of Taipei. Now, I feel like I have a more well-rounded view of Taiwan.

After we returned, we all attended a banquet where we presented about what we expected, learned, and loved about our trip here in Taiwan. A few groups were especially entertaining. They made raps, wrote haikus, and created memes on what happened throughout our LINC trip. It was a great way to recap on all the things we learned and experienced on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. I realized, as people were presenting and giving speeches, that I will miss everybody so much once summer begins.

This journey has been amazing, and it allowed me to meet so many amazing friends (all the while sharing the experiences of being in a new country). I hope these relationships will last, and I think they just might since we have been through so much together—EXTREMELY HOT/HUMID weather wearing our business formal attire, waking up at 5 AM to visit corporations, sitting through countless technology company presentations when we know nothing about science, eating foods that freak us out, etc. All in all, we accepted challenges and excelled together in each case. I’m very proud of my group and hope to see them again after we get back to LA. 

-Emily Vuong

Hello everyone!

So today might have been one of the toughest days for all of the students and staff because our journey began at 6 in the morning! We all had to wake up extremely early and catch a train ride on the Taiwan High Speed Rail. It was really fast and scenic! The trip went from the north of Taiwan (Taipei) to the south (Tainan), and it took only about 2 hours! Along the way, we also had the chance to see many rural sites in Taiwan that we wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. The fields and mountains were very nice, very different from the urban city of Taipei where we stay. 

Our first stop in Tainan was Uni-President’s Taiwan milk factory. Uni-President is one of Taiwan’s most impressive companies, as it controls the franchises of Starbucks, 7 Eleven, etc. There are about 4000 7 Elevens in the small island of Taiwan. The manager we met with at Uni-President was Jackie Chen, a very proud USC alumni. He gave an exciting presentation on how to survive and thrive as a business person in Taiwan’s cultural atmosphere. We then went to take a factory tour of Uni-President’s milk factory. This experience was quite interesting because we all had to go through a very thorough sterilization process, just like the milk! But of course our process was different! First we wore hairnets, lab coats, and shoe covers. Then we went through an air shower, washed our hands, and rinsed them with alcohol. Finally, we went to see the factory and the production line. It honestly was an honor to visit Uni-President because of its significant status in the Asian food market. 

After, we went on a cultural visit in Tainan. We went to visit the Banyan Tree House. It was a house that was intertwined with giant banyan trees, and it’s commonly known as “the tree-house”. However, it was very wet today because it was raining! It was difficult to wander and explore the intricate place. I still really enjoyed it because it was very beautiful and serene. Afterward, we went to a Dutch fort in Taiwan named Zeelandia. It was very nice and historical, and the old cannons still exist there. The misty rain and the beautiful plumeria flowers, along with the serene Asian music playing in the background, made the experience unforgettable for me. Although I despise rain, I thought today was very enjoyable! 

Oh, we also ate at MOS Burger tonight for dinner. One of their famous specialty dishes is the rice-bun burger, where the burger bun is made of rice. It was really yummy! Apparently, it’s very famous here in Taiwan but I’ve never seen it anywhere in the States. 

Tomorrow, we have a free day! How exciting, right?! My friends and I are planning to go visit the Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial and Dan Shui (to see the coast). Hopefully, we are able to do both before doing our final presentations tomorrow at the banquet dinner! The presentations are about our experiences while on this trip. Can’t wait to hear about other people’s adventures! I’ll give you an update tomorrow night! 

-Emily Vuong

Today, our group went to visit two big companies Giant Bicycle Company and HCG (maker of sanitary items, such as toilets and wash basins). It was very interesting because we had the chance to meet the executives of each company, get an introduction to each company, and get factory/production tours of each company. It was a great eye-opener for all of the USC students, since we are very familiar with white collar offices but not so much blue collar working conditions. 

After we returned to the hotel, my friends and I decided to go to the the most famous night market in Taiwan, Shilin Night Market. It was extremely extensive and busy! There were many eager vendors that enticed us to shop for food, trinkets, and clothing. It was a blast trying new foods and shopping around without a time limit. We all bought some souvenirs for ourselves and our friends and family. Tomorrow, we will be leaving the hotel at 6 AM for a company tour and then going on cultural visits, so we have an early and busy day ahead of us. Hopefully, it will be fun! 

-Emily Vuong

Hello! 

Today, our group visited 3 science/technology companies in Hsinchu & the SCience Park in Taiwan—ITRI, RiTEK, and MATEK. Through these company visits, we learned about many new and innovative technologies that we did not know existed before. One very interesting invention that caught everyone’s attention at ITRI was the paper speaker. It was a thin, flexible/malleable sheet that seemed like just a big piece of paper/poster. However, when plugged into an iPod, music pours throughout the room. It was very intriguing because we learned that the thin sheet could have been cut into any shape or size and retain its function as speakers. Some classmates commented on how great it would be if we could use it in auditoriums or on ceilings! 

After a full-schedule and rushed day of visiting Taiwan’s best technological companies, we returned to the hotel at around dinner time. Some of my close friends and I decided to head out to the famous Din Tai Fung for dinner, since it would not be as crowded on a Wednesday night. We split up and took two taxis to get there. We were lucky because we were seated immediately when we arrived. After studying the menu for a bit, we ordered many dishes of their famous Xiao Long Bao’s and dumplings. It was very delicious! We then wandered around the local street shops to explore the local culture. Most of us bought some local and/or famous Taiwanese snacks to bring home with us. My friend Sana and I also spotted some middle-aged ladies taking a dance class outside in a park and we joined them for a few minutes! It was definitely a fun experience. We then took another cab back to the hotel and then hung out in the lounge. We had a fun time bonding with each other tonight and now we’re trying to figure out where to eat tomorrow after two other company visits!

-Emily Vuong

Today we met a group of university students from the New Taiwan University that are currently studying Management. We joined them in a case study studying the industry of intimate apparel, while comparing the brands of Victoria’s Secret, Wacoal, and Triumph. Not only was this the first case study I have experienced in college, but also the first time I conversed and competed with foreign students. They were helpful and knew what they were talking about to the point where we relied on them for specific Taiwan industry opinions. Overall, so far the trip has been a great opportunity to expand horizons and meet people both from Marshall and from NTU. I have had a better sense of how to present, as well as how to successfully respond to a case study.

Additionally, afterwards we had some of the students take us around a night market where we bought delicacies and unique/inexpensive clothing items. Although I have realized how time consuming currency exchange can be, it is a good opportunity to practice my math and curb my spending habits. It has been pretty entertaining and knowledgeable so far, and I hope to continue on this path to one of the best abroad experiences I will go through. Tomorrow we will be getting ready for three company visits in a city known for its innovative and technological capabilities. Until next time, Anh

“Woke up. Ate breakfast. It was good. Not sure if I recommend eating there again. Then we went to NTU to analyze the company Triumph, maker of bras and underwear. Finally, I succumbed to the call of pork blood and indulged in the famous Taiwan treat. The end.” -Johnny Tan, LINC Taipei trip-mate

One of my new friends from the LINC trip, Johnny, pretty much summed up the day! But in a quite interesting perspective! 

Today, we went to National Taiwan University to participate in a case competition regarding the intimate apparel company Triumph. The Marshall students separated into teams and collaborated with NTU students to compete and present a case to the Triumph executives. It was extremely exciting to work with the NTU students on the case, learn about their different perspectives, and do a presentation with them. They were extremely friendly! Oh, and the NTU campus is extremely big and very beautiful, strewn with tropical trees and even animals (like frogs!). The amount of bikes on and around their campus was too great to count, just like USC except with even more bikes! 

Afterwards, we all had the opportunity to listen to the Triumph general manager Adrian Kang speak about the company, its industry, and his perspective on consumer products. He is a USC alumni! I am personally interested in this topic of business, so it was amazing to have the chance to learn firsthand what the industry is like in Asia. It was also very nice of him to give us helpful advice for our careers in the future. I doubt that many freshmen in other schools may have the same kind of opportunities that we have and I feel so lucky!

Then, all of us USC students headed to the Gongguan night market in Taiwan. Many of us were very lucky to have some of our new NTU friends show us around and suggest different foods to try! They were incredibly kind and fun and I’m very glad to have made new friends! I really hope to see them again. 

The Gongguan night market seemed very big to me, but the NTU students said that it was smaller and not as much of a “night market” as the famous Shilin night market! It was still very exhilarating because it was a totally new experience for all of us USC students. With the NTU students, we went to get shaved ice, special boba drinks, oyster omelettes, cream puffs, etc.! By the end of the night, I was very full (although we walked around so much!). We even had a little bit of time to return to the NTU campus and wander around for a bit. We heard some croaking sounds as we wandered, and I was so shocked when I found out it was due to the frogs that live on their campus. It was the first time I’ve ever heard a frog in my life!

Then came the time to part from our new friends. The case competition and the night market experiences definitely helped to create a close bond between NTU and USC students. It was amazing to learn about their lives and their perspectives on issues; it really opened my eyes and allowed me to create new friendships! It was a sad parting, but we took a group photo (above) and am making plans to possibly meet up again this week! Can’t wait!

-Emily Vuong