I took my family to the July 4th celebration (and I use the term celebration loosely) in Tien-Mu at TAS.
OK. Did it REALLY suck as much as I thought? As far as I’m concerned, it was a total embarrassment.
Thoughts or opinions anyone?
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Originally posted by Christine: [b]Hey folks!ORIENTED will be located at BOOTH R13 near the China Post, Taiwan News, AmCham, United Airlines’ booth, etc.
COME OUT AND SAY HELLO!
Most importantly, you don’t have to be American to attend!
You just have to be ORIENTED![/b]
15:00 – 16:15 ICRT Live Music
16:15 – 17:00 Do Chen Band
17:00 – 17:05 Nan Shan High School Cheer Leading Dance
17:05 – 17:10 Speech by Mayor Ma
17:10 – 17:15 AIT Director Douglas Paal’s speech
17:15 – 17:35 Aerobic Dance perform by California Fitness Center
17:35 – 17:55 Watermelon Eating contest
17:55 – 18:10 ICRT live music
18:10 – 19:00 “Down Beat” band from “The Pig”
19:00 – 19:20 Beer Drinking contest
19:20 – 19:40 1st Lucky draw
19:40 – 20:15 Shades Band, Grand Hyatt Ziga Zaga
20:15 – 20:35 2nd lucky draw
20:35 – 21:00 Shades Band, Grand Hyatt Ziga Zaga
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Originally posted by sandman: Well, just take a look at that lineup! Can you say "booooooring afternoon!"Is this supposed to be fun, or is it some kind of twisted punishment for being American?
A celebration or a wake?
You were warned in advance, O’Brian. You should have been more OrIENTeD!
Welllll… if I HAD gone, I would have approached it with an anthropological state of mind, there to take in some kitchy Americana and get that good ol’ “expat in Asia” feel.
When I was in Tianjin, there was a group of guys called the Hash House Harriers: an International Sunday running club of beer chuggers. Yes… the pit stops along the trail of chalked arrows winding through a part of the city offered ice-cold brewskies!
You are asking us to to criticize a subculture. My people have fought a long and hard battle against this and I wouldn’t do it because I know how it feels. As an old girlfriend of mine used to say that adage, “whatever peels your banana”.
I couldn’t say it better.
If there’s any US holiday that doesn’t need to be observed in Taiwan it’s definitely the Fourth of July. The last thing we need is a patriotic holiday, especially when the US does not recognize Taiwan as an autonomous state. You might say that the issue is much more complex, but if you were a “non-entity” in theory but a country in every other respect, would you like your “trading partners” to celebrate their independence on your soil? That would be just another slap in the face.
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Originally posted by superfly2: If there's any US holiday that doesn't need to be observed in Taiwan it's definitely the Fourth of July.
Israel, the Republic of South Vietnam and Taiwan have been the 3 largest recipients of US foreign aid in history. America’s relationship with Taiwan is just alittle bit more than just “trading partner”.
I’ve been to 4th of July celebrations put on for expat communities in just about every country in Asia, and the ones here are THE WORST! Year after year, the ones in Taipei are a big waste of money (and time).
Could you elaborate (a little).
I last went to a US Independence Day deal about 12 years ago and arrived at dusk in time to get faced on the beer and watch the fireworks, which were pretty OK.
I heard that in the day they had events geared for families like three-legged races and hot dog eating contests. There were a lot of booths then selling those nice, high-calorie foods…and did I mention beer?
We used to go only for the fireworks. Don’t tell me they stopped doing that?
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Originally posted by O'Brian:Israel, the Republic of South Vietnam and Taiwan have been the 3 largest recipients of US foreign aid in history. America’s relationship with Taiwan is just alittle bit more than just “trading partner”.
I don’t feel like looking up statistics, but isn’t Korea up there somewhere??
Out of the 8 years I’ve been here, I think for 5 of 'em I checked out the TAS July 4th, either as a volunteer or attendee. My impression is that the event is definitely deteriorating. Not only in magnitude, but in quality and authenticity.
It used to be a fun event, yes, with traditional US picnic games for kids and adults, rowdy crowds, culminating in an okay fireworks display. That was then.
BUT that was also when TAS used to host the event in their track and field area at the back part of the campus. Plenty of space to move around in and with some grass to walk on; thus, resembling a picnic-like environment.
However, there has been a progressive move of the venue from the more hospitable back area to the awful concrete plaza surrounding the front of the campus.
And now the surrounding environment seems more an event featuring vendors and their wares, rather than one for folks to come and enjoy the holiday with families and friends.
I’m all for cultural events, but done in a way that should befit the occasion. If this “celebration” is ever going to regain the oompah it once had, the venue must change. In the least.
ps. I heard they didn’t let the organizers use the track and field area because the track got a new, special coating of, well, track coating stuff; and that the authorities, of what and whoever they might be, wouldn’t allow a fireworks display. Party poopers
No fireworks? What, pray tell, would be the point of a Fourth of July celebration without fireworks?
Were they afraid the sky-rockets would be loaded with anthrax spores?
Jeez!
Whoever organizes these things please read this thread and pull your finger (or is it fist?) out.
So … July 4th is all over rated then … typically American
Nah … hahahah … just takin the piss
4th of July, comments? Hmmmmmmm. Who cares. It’s July 14th, Bonne fete de Bastille, and Happy Birthday France!
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Originally posted by Picasso: 4th of July, comments? Hmmmmmmm. Who cares. It's July 14th, Bonne fete de Bastille, and Happy Birthday France!
Hold on while I roll out my handy guillotine! It slices, it dices…
Heyyyy, that link is cool. Why somebody would go through so much trouble to put up an English site re: the guillotine is beyond me. Maybe it’s a midwestern suburban goth thing!
[QUOTE]Originally posted by O’Brian:
[Israel, the Republic of South Vietnam and Taiwan have been the 3 largest recipients of US foreign aid in history.]
So if the US is more than a trading partner, what is Taiwan? Still not a country. This means that the significance of the Fourth of July on Taiwan soil is completely void.