Chapter 2: the grind and the refined - Cultural institutions

There are all kinds of cultural institutions; some of them physical, others are created, maintained and destroyed in the relations between people. Over this weekend I have visited a few of the physical ones and was reminded of some of the transparent ones.

You may not think of 7-Eleven as an institution, least of all a cultural one, but it is one here. For one thing, this chain and other similar establishments, are more prevalent here than in my little piece of the USA. They are used like any other convenience shop but also have the added benefit of supplying office workers with quick lunches, cheap family outings and even serve as places to ship mail and packages to. 

A shrine on the way

I have also been to the Natural Museum of Natural Science (http://www.nmns.edu.tw/index_eng.html), which made me wonder what kind of science is unnatural, and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (https://www.ntmofa.gov.tw/english/), that I highly recommend. In particular, it had two exhibitions that attracted me: one was titled "Finish and Unfinish",dealing with works of arts at different stages and about when you can actually call a work of art "finished" and why. The other was of painting by Hwang Chao-Mo, a local artist that has spent a lot of his life in Europe, and painted the vistas there, particularly around Belgium.
I also took my first selfie there, but the less that is discussed the better.

The entrance to the museum of art

The science museum

The rainforest pavilion of the botanical gardens, part of the science museum

I've encountered a few westerners during this trip, and they have always smiled, nodded or said hello. I don't know if this is an influence of the local friendliness and politeness or just seeing a supposedly more familiar face, but it does make me wonder. How similar are we? How different? I've come to realize that understanding, like learning, is an ongoing and changing process, and that "bottom lines" are temporary at best. Is that a paradox or an oxymoron? The world is a strange place, as it should be.