Toastmasters from District 76

Seven toastmasters arrived in Taipei this evening, including 安部雅文 ABE MASAFUMI(武蔵小杉クラブ), 酒井こずゑ SAKAI KOZUE(輝クラブ), 酒井愛里 SAKAI AIRI, 渡辺吉人 WATANABE YOSHIHITO(神楽阪クラブ), 安孫子勝広 ABIKO KATSUHIRO(神楽阪クラブ), 宮本文江 MIYAMOTO FUMIE(神楽阪クラブ), 小堀則之 KOBORI NORIYUKI(築波クラブ). After the direct flight between Taipei and Tokyo resumed, the distance between two metropolitan cities became shorter. More and more Japanese Toastmasters are learning Mandarin. I'm planning to take the direct flight to the charter ceremony of the first Mandarin Toastmasters Club in Japan in 2011.

Three Taiwanese Toastmasters, Lydia, Mei-miao, and I, joined the dinner party to make it a perfect ten. In the middle of the dinner, Toastmaster Watanabe proposed each member gave a short self-introduction. Sakai Airi was the first lady to break the ice, she attempted to speak in Mandarin, I volunteered to be her interpreter. Followed by Kobori Noriyuki, he also introduced himself in Mandarin. When it was my turn to convert his message into Japanese, to my surprise, I translated Kobori's words into Mandarin. I spoke Mandarin like a foreigner, as if Mandarin were not my mother tongue. Weather it was due to the few glasses of beer or not, I was amazed at my feeling about the Japanese language. I felt Japanese was my mother tongue for the first time.

Toastmaster Watanabe is a Taiwan fan. He comes to Taipei twice a year to enjoy the Chinese cuisine, the Toastmasters meetings, and the Taipei marathon. He doesn’t come alone. He brings old members and first timers with him every time. He is the Toastmaster Ambassador of D76 in Taiwan. His wife gave birth of their first child in October this year. Toastmaster Watanabe is excited to bring the little son to Taiwan when he is three. I look forward to teaching him the Mandarin language.

I love Chinese food very much, the Chinese food tastes twice good among Japanese Toastmasters members. I never miss the chance to enjoy the Peking duck with Japanese Toastmasters, especially at "The Dragon" Restaurant where my father used to take us to have the authentic Peking cuision in my childhood.

My father was born in Peking. He came to Taiwan in 1949. I am his eldest child. From my childhood, my father talked about the delicious Peking food. Whenever we came to Taipei from Chia-yi, we were eager to taste the best Peking food at "The Dragon" in Taipei. After the good meal, we would take the train back to Chia-yi for four hours. The Peking duck tastes thrice good with my father looking over me in the heaven.

"It is such a pleasure to have friends coming from afar", said Confucius two thousands and five hundred years ago. Many thanks go to Toastmasters from District 76 for bringing back my sweet childhood memories. The Peking duck tastes more delicious as I grow older and wiser in Toastmasters!