Last day in Taiwan

  Wednesday was our last full day in Taiwan. I woke up and had no idea where we were going, as the schedule did not show what the morning had in store. But, as usual, I was down for anything. I hopped on the tour bus and found out we were going to a company that makes packaging for make-up, BottleMate. Okay, not the most exciting visit, but I looked to the future with my usual sense of optimism. And, as it turned out, the BottleMate factory was actually pretty cool.

The company tour began on a humorous note. A representative began speaking to us in Chinese and this continued for several minutes until our professors realized he had no intention of speaking in English. So, our faithful Professor Peng stepped up as the translator. It was a pretty awesome spur of the moment kind of moment. Afterward, we got in the largest elevator we've seen yet. And we've ridden in a large variety of elevators on this trip. If I've learned anything from studying abroad, it's that no two elevators are the same. Some of them have music, some of them speak to you, and some of them even have constellations on the ceiling (the elevator in Taipei 101, the world's fastest elevator!).

Well, I have learned a lot more but we'll save that for the “Taiwan reflection” blog post (coming soon). Now – back to the story. As we entered this make-up bottle factory, I realized that I have never given much thought to how make-up is packaged. It's actually interesting whether you're a guy or a girl. There are huge machines used to make bottles, caps, and to paint these products.

The first floor we explored was the painting area, which we could tell immediately by the smell. The company was producing thousands of one of its products – Hello Kitty containers! We watched as just a few workers ran these plastic cat faces through a machine to paint noses on them and subsequently dry them. Dozens of these Hello Kitties were disposed of for the smallest of mistakes, such as small paint spots in the wrong places. I was surprised with the amount of waste, but the company was evidently adamant about perfect products.

Next, we explored the cool part of the factory – where the bottles are made in a plastic injection / plastic blow process. Hot plastic is squeezed out of the machine in the shape of a small cylinder, which is then blasted with air to expand it into the shape of a bottle. Just watching the machine in work could keep one entertained for hours. A single worker broke off excess plastic attached to the bottles, which would eventually be used to produce more bottles. The man showing us the factory explained that this excess material can only be used to produce darker bottles.

At the end of the tour, we were even given free shampoo and body wash as gifts! They were called “White Musk”. Although I got the sense that these products would have been thrown away had they not been given away – they had the typo of “green tea erxtracts” written in the ingredients – it was still a very nice gesture. This company helped me realize that there are unlimited opportunities to go in business – here was a business I had never heard of that was supplying goods for companies everybody has heard of, such as Gucci! I wondered how the owner decided to go in the make-up packaging business, and I suppose it was simply because there was an opportunity to do so. It's possible to create great products just to support other larger businesses, and that's a very refreshing realization for a future businessman.

After BottleMate, we traveled to a saxophone company and museum. Immediately, the women executives at the company wanted volunteers to try playing a saxophone. As no one else was willing to do so at first (and like I said, I'm down for anything!), I stood up. At first, I played what sounded like bird calls with my saxophone. But after I understood how to breathe into it, and the employee showed me a few notes, I belted out a few melodies that didn't sound horrible. The following picture I like to call my “Bill Clinton impression”.

Next, we explored what is essentially a saxophone museum. There were dozens of different saxophones, including one of the first saxophones ever created. The lights hanging from the ceiling were even made from saxophone parts. I found out that saxophones aren't a very old instrument – the first one was created in 1841 by a Belgium man named Adolphe Sax. This man was even featured on Belgium money for his creation, which reveals that you don't necessarily have to be a leader to get your face on a bill, and that not all men named Adolphe are bad.

At the end of the tour, we got to design a key chain. We cut out pieces of paper with adhesive laced backsides, which were put through a staining process – the same process used to engrave saxophones. I tried making a dragon face, but the mouth is so big and odd, it looks like a dragon fish. It's a perfect reminder of our first day in Taiwan and Harrison Lee, the tour guide at the Confucius Temple who warned us not to become dragon-fish. This goofy keychain will always remind me of my last day in Taiwan.