Spend two nights in the countryside and experience the slow life of rural tourism

General News Jan 1, 1970By Emily Carter 0 views

The Japanese shows "Spend a Night in the Countryside" and "Operation Rescue the Poor" are programs I really enjoy watching. Over the past few years, I have done some work at Qingxiu Temple in Hualien to help farmers and community mothers, and I ended up opening a moms' little shop and a farmers' market. I also often bring young people to stay at farmers' homes, eating and sleeping for free; when they leave, they have to complete a farmer's story as a way of giving back. But unexpectedly, this has often turned into disaster-relief volunteering because of typhoons.

Here is how it happened. Around me there are always some hardworking farmer friends and young people. So I often encourage these young people to do volunteer work during their holidays, and at the same time, to avoid it becoming mere show, I suggest they hold fewer tutoring camps and take part more in real society. These young people followed my suggestion, coming to Hualien from all over Taiwan, China, and it became an action of staying five nights at farmers' homes. The farmers did not charge, but the students had to produce a presentation for the farmers when they left, including text, photos and a PPT file, as a way of giving back.

This plan produced many amusing incidents and frictions. Ordinary farmers are not homestay operators, and in fact no one had experience hosting strangers, so it often took two or three days to adjust. For example, the farmers always hoped the students could get up earlier on their own, but the students often chatted until midnight before sleeping. After two or three days, the students finally realized that while they slept until eight or nine, the farmers had already finished work, and because the farmers felt awkward waking them, they simply cooked breakfast for them and went out to avoid the embarrassment of "still sleeping" students. After two or three days, the students felt guilty that they started each day only around noon, and so began to seriously face the farmers' lives. The farmers also tried to please these somewhat impolite "university students," "other people's children," and "young masters," and even had some illusions in their hearts, thinking their own children had come home.

As the time to leave drew near, both sides finally adopted a cooperative behavior and faced the farmers' story presentation together.

The result was often that the farmers felt the students had written them up too favorably, unlike themselves. Especially when they saw their own photos projected large on the screen, these images made the farmers feel embarrassed.

On the day of parting, these somewhat immature university students either gained a godfather or a godmother. After returning home, they would even receive chicken or the finest fruit sent by the farmers.

After some time, typhoons, as usual, made landfall in Hualien. This bunch who had eaten others' food and thus felt obliged did not forget kindness or betray gratitude at all. They always contacted the farmers as soon as the disaster occurred, so in Hualien there were wave after wave of disaster relief efforts, not only from them—these people who had stayed in Hualien—but also from their friends.

These things make me feel that it is beautiful.

For this reason, I prepared a volunteer house. This homestay, usually used as a guesthouse, always packs in forty or fifty people during disaster relief. People sleep everywhere in the hallways and on the sofas. I never had the ability to take care of exactly how they showered or ate, because in a house of just over thirty ping, there are only two bathroom facilities and only one kitchen. The young disaster-relief volunteers always said, no problem, no problem.

These things make me feel that it is beautiful.

Last year, the public-interest organization left Qingxiu Temple, but we did not stop the lease on the volunteer house. We always keep the rooms ready, waiting for young people to take action.

In the past six months, many unfamiliar volunteers have taken action, helping Meihua Mom's peaches and Grandma MIKO's sweet potato field.

We seriously thought that the office next to the 7-11 by the rear station - Shanzai Shop - is actually the best volunteer travel station.

It can help everyone stay two nights in the countryside.

The people we currently assist include,

1. Senior Sister Yizhu's iron eggs

2. Yaying Mom's egg rolls

3. Xinyun Mom's handmade soap

4. Miko's sweet potato field

5. Luoshao peaches

6. Huang Minghan's daylilies

7. Chief Luo's pomelo orchard

8. Uncle's woodworking workshop