Manju loves nature , eat out will bring own environmentally friendly tableware. Chopsticks and spoons are gifts from National Taiwan University to foreign students.
2023.1.15/24/29
My name is Manju, and I am from Kathmandu, Nepal.
I am in second year graduate student Master's Program in Biodiversity at National Taiwan University in Taipei.
I met Mrs. Ju Chen Lin (aka. Ginger) at the exit 6 of the Shandao MRT on Saturday, January 7, 2023.
We had arranged our visit to the Hope Farmers Market for 10 a.m. Before this, I had never met her.
I could have met her if I had attended the Lunar New Year Host Family Program organized by the Office of International Affairs (OIA), National Taiwan University (NTU), with the objective of pairing international students with Taiwanese families.
Unfortunately, I had to undergo self-health management the same day.
It was so great of her that she announced a Rice Field Experience event in Yangmingshan for the students so that they could get familiar with Taiwanese culture beyond the academic degree.
After receiving an email from OIA regarding the event, I immediately contacted her, showing my interest in joining the event.
It didn’t take me long to get to know her dedication towards nature and environmental protection after some conversations with her through mail and phone calls.
She suggested us to visit the farmer market.
I went a week before but couldn’t find it.
I called Ginger and we decided to go together.
That day, when I reached the station, she was already waiting for me.
I could easily recognize her through the handloom bamboo bag she was carrying on her back, as it is not common to observe mainly in Taipei City.
We visited Hope Farmers Market.
It was a huge market that opened only on weekend.
Every weekend, farmers from different parts of Taiwan come to this market to sell their agricultural products.
hat week was from Yilan County.
Ginger introduced Silver Willow plant to me which is grown in Yilan and Taiwanese people decorate their living room with this plant during the New Year, representing wealth.
fter the visit, we went to her sister (Judy)’s apartment in Nanshinjiao for lunch. After such a long time, I went to the kitchen and prepared food from the vegetables we bought at the market. I feel so great eating lunch together with the family.
Image 1-3: Ginger buying a type of mushroom in farmer market.
She also bought rice noodles and some vegetables, such as chrysanthemum leaves, lotus root and burdock root (Inset left and right), that I had never eaten before.
She used a handloom bamboo basket to keep the purchased stuffs instead of using plastic.
She avoids using plastic and plastic wares for environmental cleanliness. Photo: Manju Maharjan, 2023
My second visit to her was on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, for the Rice Field Experience event.
It was Chinese New Year, a day of celebration.
owever, the weather was quite challenging.
Since the morning, it had been drizzling and cold.
People say its typical Taipei weather. I left my room early that morning.
We plan to meet at Xinbeitou station, exit 1. Xinbeitou was definitely a new place for me, but the connection I built with Xinbeitou and the nature took me back to my home country, Nepal.
Image 4: While waiting for the car at Beitou station for Xinbeitou, my attention was caught by this design displayed in the waiting hall.
Basically, it describes Xinbeitou at a glance, both in words and art. Xinbeitou is famous for hot springs, the Witch’s home, music, and landscape. Photo: Manju Maharjan, 2023
Figure left one
Image 5: The local bus no. 9 from Xinbeitou to Yangmingshan leaves every 40 minutes.
While we had to wait for 20 minutes for the bus, we visited a nearby park and the hot springs outside the hot spring hotel.
It was my first time experiencing a hot spring, and I feel so relaxing.
The cold weather that day demands the hot spring too. Photo: Ju Chen Lin, 2023
Figure right two
Image 6 and 7: Above: A beautiful view of the farmland in Yangminshan where Ginger borrows some area for rice cultivation.
Many farmers grow different kinds of vegetables, flowers and fruits.
This reminds me going to the field and growing crops in my home country. Photo: Manju Maharjan, 2023
Below: I was helping my family to plant the rice in the field during the rice plantation season (May-July) Photo: Gagan Maharjan, 2019
Image 8: A canal constructed to irrigate the crop field.
Previously, it flowed only downward,
but due to climate change and heavy rainfall,
Water town management unit made an extra route for the discharge of water to the river to prevent flooding in the field.
However, in other months, some farmers in the lowlands often face the problem of insufficient water to irrigate their fields. Photo: Manju Maharjan, 2023
Image 9: Solitary bees don’t build their own hives.
However, the availability of nesting sites is very essential for their survival and breeding.
Ginger bought this solitary bee hotel and placed it in a tree nearby her field.
The concept of solitary bee hotels was brought by a group of three students from Entomology department at National Taiwan University and Chung Hsing University in order to provide settlement for solitary bees in urban areas. Photo: Stephanie Zhang, 2023
Image 10: Digging the field with a spade was a new experience for some students.
This made us realize the hard work farmers do to grow crops.
We buried the dried leaves and branches (collected from NTU) that we brought with us in the field.
As a result, the dried leaves and branches turn into fertilizer after they get decomposed.
This also helps to increase the microbial diversity in soil. Photo: Manju Maharjan, 2023
Image 11: After returning from the field, Ginger welcomed us to her home with a warm and freshly prepared rice milk that kept our bodies warm.
ice milk is simple to prepare and beneficial to one's health.
t is beneficial for some patients or kids who cannot consume artificial milk or have no appetite.
very day, Ginger starts her day with a cup of rice milk. Photo: Stephanie Zhang, 2023
Image 12: We made a rice ball of two different shapes: round and triangular.
Ginger suggested us to chew rice for 30 times to feel its actual taste.
After that, we added some ginger, plums, jelly fish and smoky fish inside the rice ball and chewed again.
We could taste the difference.
Ginger also prepared a set of delicious soup and vegetables for us.
esides all those dishes, smoky fish that had been prepared in smoke for 8 hours by native people became our favorite. Photo: Cheryl Hau, 2023
Image 13: Ginger explained the importance of rice fields for environment.
She also explained the difference in root structure of rice plants grown in chemically fertilized and organically fertilized fields,
and how these structures help in combating climate change challenges.
According to Ginger, a good farmer always focuses on maintaining a strong and healthy root rather than productivity. Photo: Manju Maharjan, 2023
Image 14: The juice extracted by boiling the lemon grass and mugwort leaves, we collected from Yangmingshan.
Ginger dips her feet in the juice, which provides relief after a long day of hard work and keeps her body warm.
This also helps in improving blood circulation in the body. Photo: Manju Maharjan, 2023
Image 15: After having lunch together, Ginger taught us some basic strokes of Chinese calligraphy.
We enjoyed practicing calligraphy, though we struggled handling brush and maintaining constancy.
Ginger suggested us to practice on breath in and breath out, a major skill required to maintain the flow in Calligraphy.
Calligraphy requires huge patience and dedication.
Ginger uses calligraphy as a form of medication.
She recommended to practice calligraphy during our spare time.
It not only improves our calligraphy writing but also enhances our concentration skills.
Image 16: A group picture to end our visit.
Devy Yulianti from Indonesia,
tephanie Zhang from USA,
Manju Maharjan from Nepal (back),
Cheryl from Hongkong (front), Ginger,
and Marco Hadisurya Susilo from Indonesia (left to right).
Although we met for the first time, we spent quality time together and became a family in a short period of time. Photo: Cheryl Hau, 2023
I ran into Ginger again at her sister's house the following time. After my first visit to her, Judy and I built a strong connection.
Judy invited me to her place as Ginger, along with two other NTU students (Andrius and Thinn),and her friend were coming for lunch.
This time again, she prepared a bunch of delicious food for us.
Preparing food on our own is good for our health.
However, due to their busy schedules, people often prefer to buy from the store.
In the afternoon, we went to visit Hongludi Nanshan Fude Temple and the Myanmar store.
It was a joyful day.
After meeting Ginger, I met many new friends and learned many things from her.
She has become the source of inspiration for healthy diets, environmental protection, and nature conservation.
I am delighted that she made me part of her family, even though I have my own host family.
I also want to express my heartily thankful towards NTU OIA for arranging the host family program for international students.
Image 17: A group picture taken at Hongludi Nanshan Fude Temple. Along with Ginger, her friend and sister’s family joined us. Photo: Anonymous, 2023
Postscript
Manju's lottery ~ "Duanyu Painting Congee"(斷虀畫粥 duàn jī huà zhōu) .It isdescribe not being afraid of hardships, become a pillar of the country in the future.
My own rice field is in Tainan. In 2021, the severe drought in Taiwan will increase the rental of terraced fields in Yangmingshan.
Because I eat more brown rice/good oil/natural and complete food,
with a sense of gratitude, I will hold the Spring Festival foreign raw water terraced fields and nutritious rice food activities.
There are three levels in total 11 students from different countries participated.
Manju’s family has terraced fields near Kathmandu, and she often goes to the fields with her relatives to plant rice (round rice).
Probably because of the declining birth rate, ask young people (including Taiwanese or foreign students), if they say they can cook, most of them cook for themselves when her parents are not at home.
Manju was surprised to hear, too.
She said that she often cooks for her family
It takes a lot of manpower to grow rice in terraced fields, connecting people and their family and more connections
Seeing Manju who took the initiative to help,
reminded me of the time when my father was born in a farming family in Yilan when Taiwan was very humane and helpful.
Persuaded parents to come to Taiwan to study biodiversity, and she did research on African weed,
It is very touching to learn the knowledge with enthusiasm and implement it into daily life.
1.9 foreign students, she packed the largest bag of dead branches and leaves to Yangmingshan
2.2/17 So far, she has gone to the Farmer's Market in Hope Square four times
3.used to eat bread and cakes for breakfast, changed to purple sweet potatoes or Taiwanese local ingredients.
4.The third time went to the host family, she bring vegetables to cook.
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