July 5th - Lunch with Director McKay, Australian Commerce and Industry Office, Taipei (ACIO Taipei)

After meeting Director McKay for the first time on May 27th, our team was very honor to have the opportunity to dine with Mr. McKay, Ms. Chen, and other staffs from ACIO Taipei on July 5th. This appointment was arranged since we met Mr. McKay in May. Mr. McKay was very friendly and kind to invite us for lunch with him before we fly to Australia on August 13th. Mr. McKay himself is the Director of Education Office at ACIO Taipei.

Mr. McKay at the press room of ACIO Taipei

We arrived at ACIO Taipei before noon, and Mr. McKay delivered a presentation on Australia's general information and education. Before the presentation, on behalf of National Tsing Hua University, our instructor, Prof. Hsu  presented the gift to Mr. McKay. In return, Mr. McKay and all other staffs at ACIO Taipei also prepared gifts for us. Therefore, all of our teammates got a T-Shirt and several booklets and brochures on Australia's educational information.

After the presentation and its following Q&A time, Mr. McKay gave us a short tour of the Office. It has one of the most magnificent views of Taipei City. There are several art collections displayed in the Office, creating  an ambiance of artful modernity and interior fashion. All those pieces of arts are from Australian artists. The Director said by displaying the arts, the government showed support and effort to promote Australia's modern art and culture. 

Shortly after the tour, we walked to have lunch at the nearby restaurant which was also located in Xinyi District. The food was great, and Mr. McKay helped us a lot by answering all of our questions, regardless of if they were relevant to our program.

Very awesome food! Thank you, Mr. McKay and ACIO Taipei!

Mr. McKay shared his insights and experiences about the differences between Western and Eastern culture. In addition, he wished us good luck, and was looking forward to the result / achievement / learning from the program.