I Came to Know You and Myself Better, All to Our Mutual Advantage
From understanding your country and my country better, you and I have learned from each other and become better informed.

Wong Leefong
National Taipei University of Education

My visit to Japan last September, originally planned to last one full month, was postponed because of Typhoon No. 21 and was cut short to be a three-week visit (September 11th through October 3rd). During this period, several typhoons befell both Taiwan and Japan, bringing heavy rainfall to both countries. As a global citizen and as an education practitioner, I have felt most strongly about natural disasters and have come to realize the importance of preventing natural disasters and minimizing their harmful effects.
I have learned that we all need to keep our eyes wide open and keep our ears always ready to listen for all kinds of impending natural disasters, so as to figure out what best measures to take before unavoidable natural disasters befall us.
I was honored and thankful for the opportunity to give three speeches on September 15th, 22nd, and 27th. From these three speech events, I had the most valuable opportunity to meet with researchers, education practitioners, and student support personnel responsible for student protection in Hyogo on matters of disaster prevention and reduction. I came to understand better what specific and effective measures the Japanese people take to prevent natural disasters and reduce their harmful effects. My understanding of what the Japanese people do when encountering natural disasters is most enlightening to me if I myself will ever encounter such horrible circumstances in the future.
I miss the pleasingly quiet campus of the Hyogo University of Teacher Education, which is filled with fragrant flowers and happy birds singing. I also miss the lunch( HIKAWARI and Healthy Lunch set) in the Student Dining Hall in the university. By the way, in contrast to this, the National Taipei University of Education where I teach is actually quite noisy due to heavy traffic of people and vehicles, although there are also flowers and grass and an athletic field on campus. Indeed, I have learned a lot from my three-week stay at the Hyogo University of Teacher Education.
Thank you all very much for your generous hospitality. I hope it will soon be my turn to reciprocate your hospitality here in Taiwan. I look forward to welcoming you in Taipei!