A Typhoon and an Eclipse Bring Home the Importance of Nature
Michael Nekrasov | August 17, 2009
Michael Nekrasov poses in front of a statue of Chiang Kai-shek, who ruled Taiwan.
As I write this article, a major typhoon is making landfall. A few days ago, we saw the last sunset we would see in days as the sky turned blood red and we watched the sun melt into the rough waters as warm moist wind howled around us. Already, incredibly strong wind lashed rain at the windows.
Luckily, we were spared, but almost all the other towns around us were hit much harder. Many have not had water in days. By contrast, we've had daily water shut offs and some minor wind damage, but none of the flooding that has hit all around us.
I think the typhoon has really reminded us about the destructive power of nature.
We are thankful to have gotten out of it unscathed; many were not so fortunate.
One thinks little of the outside world when living in sheltered cozy San Diego. Daily life consists of traffic, fluorescent office lights and computers. The one week in the year when it does rain, people panic, get into car accidents and stay indoors. Wildfires are probably the only thing that forcibly reminds the suburban dwellers that there is a harsh world out there, which does not abide by work schedules and calendars.
Taiwanese sunsets before the typhoon.
Here in Taiwan that world is all around us. The lab we are working in is modern, with computers, air conditioning and all the modern conveniences that we cherish so dearly. Though even here it is often easy to get lost in work for days, nature is all around us permeating our fragile work world. Calls of birds and cicadas ring out from the trees. Fiery sunsets coax us outdoors and signal the end of our workday. Rain and wind decide when it is a good time to go exploring, rather than carefully planned schedules. Some days, like today, nature lashes out at us and tells us to stay inside. Other days it reminds us of the beauty and splendor of the world around us.
A shot of the solar eclipse.
Several weeks ago, we were in Taipei and got to witness an almost total solar eclipse. We went out for breakfast and were sitting at an outdoor street stand eating shaubing and youtiao (fried-bread sandwich) along with xiaolongbao (dumplings) and doujiang (soy milk). While we were eating, we got to watch the eclipse— and it was like something out of a movie.
Restaurant goers, taxi drivers and pedestrians all stopped in the middle of the streets, looked up and stared. I had a darkening filter for my camera and passed it around to the patrons, waitresses and cooks of the street stand so they could look at the eclipse without hurting their eyes. The idea that people all over Taiwan and many other parts of the world were standing all at once peering at the sky made me think of how small the earth truly is. While we were at the street stand all watching the eclipse, it was the first moment I felt like I was just like everyone else around me. It was nice to be part of a communal experience instead of just being the tall white foreigner who stands out in any crowd.
A UCSD PRIME student surveys the damage caused by Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan.
Just last week, we went on a journey to Lanyu (Orchid Island). The island is off of the south coast of Taiwan and is home to the Tao people. It is a lush tropical island with jungles in its mountainous center surrounded by taro fields and rocky shores lined with coral. Among the island’s inhabitants are multicolored fish of all sizes, different kinds of crabs, sea snakes, tiny owls, chameleons, goats and countless other creatures. The week we spent there was one of our most memorable in Taiwan. Every day offered picture-perfect sunsets, swimming, snorkeling and encountering life at every step. We even got to teach one of our friends how to swim—during a monsoon.
Nature does have its drawbacks. Turbulent water means that the fresh sea water flowing into the lab gets shut off, which delays or terminates experiments. Incredibly bad weather like today keeps us indoors and often interrupts travel plans. But that is nature and the real world we are working to understand and protect. On campus we can be taught in a rigid, sterile environment, but when sent out to the field, we have to learn to adapt to whatever the world throws at us.
Nekrasov and fellow PRIME students do research on corals and enjoy Taiwan's natural wonders.
I am nearing the end of my time in southern Taiwan. In the next two weeks, I will be heading north to Taipei and Taichung, where I will spend the remainder of my stay. Although in a way I am looking forward to the faster-paced culture and life of a big city, I am going to miss the rural south, with its clean, fresh sea breeze, clear blue beaches and majestic coral reefs, just an hour’s drive away.
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