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AIT臉譜系列之二十一
當我知道自己即將外派台灣時，大家都告訴我台灣的美食有多棒。自我來台後，我們一家人都很享受在台灣各地旅遊，品嚐當地特產（我五歲的女兒甚至自己會拿肉鬆鋪在吐司上）。我一點都不怕臭豆腐；但是海參的話，還是留在海底好了。但若要說到我們最喜歡的食物，那就非台灣水果莫屬了。我們一家人第一次吃到火龍果就愛上這種水果甜美多汁又豐富的口感（不過吃的時候要小心，一瞬間就可能毀了你的衣服）。我第一次吃到芭樂時，不太知道那是什麼滋味，冰冰脆脆，帶點甜味，對我來說有點陌生，出乎我所料的味道。雖然沒有立刻愛上芭樂，但沒多久芭樂就成為我的最愛之一，我們家現在每次一買就是買十幾個。我們會用新鮮的百香果製作冰沙，幫助我們度過酷暑。我也發現自己可以吃掉一大袋的荔枝。我們家現在已經少不了台灣這些美味的熱帶水果。如果想念家鄉的好滋味，我在附近的商店就能買到新鮮、高品質的美國蘋果、桃子、櫻桃、蔓越莓、柳橙等。難怪台灣平均每人消費的新鮮水果量在全世界可以平列前茅！--- 楊熾 #FacesofAIT

When I found out I would be coming to Taiwan everyone told me how great the food was here. My family and I have enjoyed traveling around Taiwan trying the many local specialties (my five year old daughter has started putting 肉鬆 on her toast). I even enjoy stinky tofu, although I am happy to leave the sea cucumbers at home in the sea. It’s Taiwan’s incredible fruit, though, that has been the greatest joy to eat. Red dragon fruit was an instant favorite with my family with their rich, sweet flavor (even if they are a quick way to ruin a shirt if you’re not careful). The first time I tried guava I wasn’t sure what to think. It was cool, crisp, slightly sweet and at the same time foreign to me and unexpected. Despite my initial hesitation, guava soon became one of my favorite fruits and we now buy them by the dozen. We made iced drinks with fresh passion fruit to help us survive the summer heat. I also found myself eating big bags of lychees. Taiwan’s delicious tropical fruit has become a staple at our home. And when I miss the taste of home I can easily stop by any number of local stores here and pick up fresh, high quality U.S. apples, peaches, cherries, cranberries, oranges or almost any other fruit from the United States I might have a hankering for. No wonder Taiwan has one of the highest per capita consumption rates for fresh fruit in the world! -- Andrew

AIT臉譜系列之十一
「台灣是全地球最友善、最棒的地方了。媽，我想要永遠留在這裡。」這是我家小孩說的，她可是在過去16年搬了7次家！派駐來台一年後，我真的非常同意她的話。東西好吃，風景宜人，但我覺得最棒的莫過於這一年來我認識的人。這裡的活力和人情味不是每個地方都有的。不管是在天母公園遛狗，或是跟家人到向天山健行，或者到台北市立美術館走一走之後，再沿著基隆河騎YouBike，我們所碰到的人都非常友善、隨和，而且親切。我的孩子們都覺得這裡就是他們的家，身為媽媽以及一個需要在世界各地遷移的公務員而言，沒有比這一點更令我開心的了。--- 何蘭 #FacesofAIT

"Taiwan is one of the friendliest, nicest places on the entire planet. Mom, I want to stay here forever.” -- that coming from my middle child who has made seven major moves in the last 16 years. A year into our assignment here in Taipei, I couldn’t agree more. Yea, the food is fantastic and the natural landscape breathtaking, but what I really love is the people I’ve met over the last year. There is a sense of vibrancy and warmth that you don’t find everywhere. Whether walking with my dogs in Tianmu Park or hiking with my family up Xiangtian Shan or through Taipei’s Fine Arts Museum and then riding YouBikes along the Keelung River, people are friendly, easygoing, and kind. My kids feel like this is home, and – as a mom and public servant who moves around a lot – I couldn’t be happier. - Lara

AIT臉譜系列之十六
我愛台灣！這是我第二度旅居台灣，第一次是在1970年代中期，當時我是摩門教的傳教士。從我第一次來台至今，我看到這塊美麗的土地上發生了很多正面的改變，唯一不變的是台灣人的熱情與好客。高雄是一個非常適宜居住的城市，充滿生機與活力，也是進入南台灣的門戶。南台灣有太多地方值得探索了-- 從台東美麗的太平洋海岸，到嘉義的阿里山；從欣欣向榮的高雄港，到歷史古都台南；從屏東悠閒的農村風情，到澎湖奧妙的海底世界；每一個地方都有我的足跡。我很喜歡在台灣旅遊。我搭過計程車、巴士、地下鐵、輕軌、普通列車、高鐵、螺旋槳飛機、和噴射客機。我也會自己開車或是騎自行車；當然，我也會靠自己的雙腳步行探索台灣。有些時候，步行也許是最佳的方式。無論是晚餐後沿著愛河散步，觀賞壽山的夕陽餘暉；到駁二特區看藝術展覽、逛特色小店，再來一支黑糖口味的霜淇淋；或是爬上旗津的燈塔，將旗津港的美景和港邊的船隻盡收眼底；在高雄徒步旅行可以在街頭發現很多美好的事物與驚喜。

我的信仰在我的生活中扮演很重要的角色。我每週都會上教堂，也參加很多教會主持的慈善公益活動。我衷心感謝在台灣能享有高度的宗教自由、宗教多元、和宗教包容。我每週去的摩門教會就在幸福川旁，對岸就是一座道教寺廟，走路就可以輕鬆到達台灣最古老的天主教堂玫瑰聖母堂，從我家開車到佛光山也只要30分鐘。我也看到許多不同的基督教會、清真寺、還有左營的孔廟。各種不同宗教信仰的人在台灣和平共存，這真的是一種福音。我派駐高雄的任期在夏天即將期滿，我一定會想念這一個叫台灣的寶島！-- 杜維浩 #FacesofAIT

I love Taiwan! I have lived here twice: once in the mid-1970s as a Mormon missionary; and now as chief of AIT Kaohsiung. I have seen so many positive changes in Taiwan since my first time on this beautiful island. In fact, the only thing that seems not to have changed is the warmth and friendliness of Taiwan’s people. Kaohsiung is a great place to live! It’s a vibrant, exciting city, the gateway to southern Taiwan, which has so much to offer: from the beautiful Pacific coast of Taitung, to Alishan in Chiayi; from the bustling port of Kaohsiung, to the historic city of Tainan; from the idyllic farm fields of Pingtung to the incredible undersea life of Penghu. I have seen all this and more. I like traveling in Taiwan. I’ve taken taxis, buses, subways, light-rail trains, regular trains, high-speed trains, propeller planes, and jet planes. And I’ve driven my own car and pedaled my own bicycle. And of course I’ve walked. And sometimes, walking is the best. Whether it’s a stroll along the Love River after dinner watching the sun set over Longevity Mountain, exploring the art and shops of Pier Two and eating a brown sugar ice cream cone, or climbing to Cijin Lighthouse and taking in the amazing view of the harbor and all of the ships offshore, walking in Kaohsiung one finds beauty and surprises around every corner. My religion plays a big role in my life. I attend church every week, and participate in many church-sponsored social and charitable activities. That’s why I truly appreciate the religious freedom, diversity, and tolerance that exist in Taiwan. My Mormon chapel sits across the Hsing-fu Canal from a Taoist temple, and it’s only a short distance from the oldest Catholic church in Taiwan, the Holy Rosary Cathedral. Buddha Light Mountain is just a 30-minute drive from my home. And I’ve seen the chapels of other Christian denominations, Muslim mosques, and the Confucian Temple in Zuoying. People of all faiths coexist peacefully in Taiwan, and that is truly a blessing. When my tour in Kaohsiung ends this summer, I will truly miss this amazing island called Taiwan! — Bob