My name is Kawin (嘉文), and I was a Huayu Enrichment Scholarship recipient in 2023 who studied at the MTC at NTNU. It has been nearly two years since I left Sweden for Taiwan, and although I had only received 6 months of scholarship, I ended up extending the stay with the help of CSN and returned recently in July. Please excuse my long letter, as it is a heartfelt sharing of a journey that affected me profoundly.
As I look through the motivation statement I had written in 2023 for the Huayu Scholarship, I want to convey that my journey to Taiwan far exceeded my expectations. I stated in the letter that I am a tea lover and have been for a long time, and tea was one of the reasons I had traveled to Taiwan previously. I had also written “.. my dream is to one day be able to read and research about tea on my own in Mandarin.”, and although reading is still quite the challenge, my deep immersion in the local tea circle improved my Mandarin very quickly.
My passion for tea was a passage into a deep immersion in a culture and circles where no one spoke English, and I did not let this deter me; rather, it was an incentive for me to throw myself out there. Along the way, I came across people who were fascinated that a foreigner like me could like tea as much as I do, and they let me into their circles - these people are now my good friends. Suddenly, life was filled with all things tea; I attended several tea parties, events, lectures, markets, exhibitions, expos, and more. Me and my local best friend from the tea circle started also arranging tea events ourselves to share Taiwanese teas to tourists and foreigners in Taipei.
The epitome of it all was when me and my best friend and I were introduced to a young tea master in Pinglin, who at the time was working independently with his tea productions. We begged him to show us and teach us about tea production, as this was also something I was deeply curious about. We then found ourselves among passionate people who saw tea as a craft, as an art. As we followed our teacher, I found myself falling in love with the intricacies of tea production, and just being out in the deep forests and mountains was a life-altering experience. I started developing a great interest in sustainable tea production, both in terms of environmental protection, and also seeing tea not as a commodity, but as an art piece.
Now back in Sweden, I am hoping to carry on as a tea practitioner grounded in the Taiwanese tea arts and continue to spread tea knowledge, tea culture, and teas from passionate masters that I met during my journey. I believe there is great potential to expand tea culture here, collaborate with Swedish and Taiwanese artists, and establish tea as more than just a beverage. Please do let me know if the Mission has any support or advice regarding small businesses with connections to Taiwan. I would be very grateful for further support on this as well.
I would like to thank the Taipei Mission in Sweden for the support with the scholarship. Without this extra push, I am not sure I would have gone to Taiwan when I did. Taiwan has become a place where I also feel at home, and I know that this connection will last for a lifetime. This time in Taiwan also cemented that tea is for me a way of life, and that I can make a lasting impact in this world — through tea.
