T̶e̶x̶a̶s̶ ̶T̶e̶c̶h̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶T̶a̶i̶p̶e̶i̶ Taipei in Texas Tech
A personal blog archiving 2020 Fulbright-Wu Jing-Jyi Arts and Culture Fellow, Dr. Nick Bowman (Texas Tech University, USA)
LUBBOCK, TX — Although I’ve been back in Texas now for the better half of three months, I’ve stayed in rather closer contact with my colleages at the National Chengchi University. One group that I have been working with is the Taiwan Institute for Governance and Communication Research (台灣政經傳播研究中心), or TIGCR. Their group administers some…
LUBBOCK, TX — Back here in the United States, colleges have been struggling with a critical decision: with rates of COVID-19 showing a potential slowing, is it safe to plan for “business as usual” in the Fall 2020?
LUBBOCK, TX — It’s been just over one month since I repatriated back to the United States, as the Fulbright program shuttered all 2020 grants and asked us to return to our homes. Concerns over COVID-19’s spread in the US lead to emergency declarations, travel bans, and various other concerns that made remaining overseas untenable….
LUBBOCK, TX — I’m sure that we’ve heard the line before: The only thing that is certain is change. Damn you, Heraclitus.
LUBBOCK, TX — As with most of my colleagues around the United States and around the world, COVID-19 has forces rapid, quick, and somewhat radical changes to how we conduct our business. One of the most dramatic changes has been to our classrooms, where concerns over close quarters and personal contact have compelled many college…
LUBBOCK, TX — It’s been nearly three weeks since being called back from Taipei to West Texas, and we’ve been making the adjustment well enough. Like so many of my colleagues all over the world, we’ve made extensive use of Zoom’s live-streaming capabilities — even more impressive, given how many others are also relying on…
LUBBOCK, TX — Teaching at NCCU has been a pretty rewarding experience so far. This week was a planned distance learning exercise—although I didn’t plan on that distance being nearly 8000 miles, the result of being called back to the US about four months early. Rather, the students were given a break from in-class meetings…
UNITED AIRLINES, FLIGHT 872 — Six hours from the US coast, and our flight has been turbulent. More turbulent than normal. Perhaps it’s a harbinger of what I can expect when I land. Rewinding 48 hours ago, and I was preparing for Jaime to arrive in Taipei. We’re a few weeks into the semester at…
MUZHA DISTRICT, TAIPEI — For about a week or so now, I’ve been bugged by a very annoying earache. Waking up with a bit of build-up and generally, feeling like I’ve gone for a sleep-swim every night. Fortunately, I’m one of the 99% of Taiwanese who are covered by National Health Insurance.
NATIONAL CHENGCHI UNIVERSITY, TAIPEI — Walking toward campus, a few final hurdles to clear. I’m up early and I’ve got a breakfast routine down. There’s a few coffeeshops dotting the campus perimeter: Starbucks, Louisa Coffee, and a really good spot on campus that I can’t quite seem to get the name of. They’re all pretty…