Kevin Hancock

 
 
Another weekend has gone by.  I watched some soccer on Friday night and I just rested and watched some movies on Sat.  Sunday however, I found a church to go to.  I searched for a English speaking church in Taipei and it turns out there is one within walking distance from here.  I went to the 11:00 service and afterwords I was invited to stay for lunch and a small group.  This was great because I was able to meet more people and they invited me to be in their small group on Friday nights and Sunday after church.  They also invited me to play laser tag with them that night.  I went and had a good time.  They all speak English to each other because they want to practice.  This is also why they go to a English speaking church.

It is now Monday and I went to a Semiconductor company.  We are going to spend two days with this company and in the end they will give Eric and I some sort of internship certificate.  They provided us with a cubical and are giving us some great knowledge on how semiconductors are made.  Semiconductors are used in everything.  It is a silicon wafer that is used for computer chips.  Tomorrow we should be going into the clean room area.  I will get to put on the suit again.  As for my class, it really hasn't started yet because Monday in Iowa is like Monday night here.

Thanks for your emails, hopefully you will hear from me soon.
 
I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, building the robot.  I am now done with my part of it.  On Wednesday I took apart some of the old parts and rebuilt them.  On Thursday and Friday I followed CAD drawings and built some new parts.  I am now done with that and they will put all the parts together on the robot and program it.  This will take a while for them to do, but when they get it done, they will have me come back and test the robot.  I put some pictures up of it.  I enjoyed this work, I am looking forward to see what they have for me next. 

I will be doing a company tour on Monday and should be starting some design work on Tatung's rice cooker after that.  Other then work I have been just hanging out with some people.  I went and played pool with some guys from the virtual reality (VR) lab.  They were good and they taught me another game to play, called 41.  I have also been watching some soccer.  I start my ISU class on Monday.  The class is Thermodynamics II.  My green energy class starts the first of July and will be for about a month. 
 
Today I slept in and didn't start work until 1:00.  The lab assistants were busy this morning and they set up for me to begin in the afternoon.  I went to Tatung Company Head Quarters, which is a few blocks away.  I was greeted by the Manager of the Toes Company.  The VP, who set up my internship, then joined us and we walked to Toes.  Two lab assistants came with me.  When we got there they showed us the robot that they wanted to modify.  My job, for the next two days, is to disassemble the robot and then rebuild it according to the plans.  The robot makes a part and the part is going to be changed slightly.  This means, much of the robot has to be rebuilt to make the new part.  Today we took apart a section of the robot.  Then we started putting it together.  A person from Toes helped us do this.  He does not speak English, so the others have to interpret.  This takes some patience on my end.

The new design in all drawn up on CAD.  We look at the assembly drawings and have to put it together.  Of course this is a very hands on job.  I enjoyed it.  I have always enjoyed building things according to a plan.  Who would have thought I could use my K'nex skills in a job.  Though I will not be building robots as a career, I think the experience is very beneficial.  I may be designing them or manufacturing them.  I can learn a lot of valuable things building one that will help me to design one.  So far I have learned that it is a very precise task and there is a lot to learn about tolerances.

I found out from Dr. Her that I should be doing some design work on the companies rice cookers.  They want me to do some 3D modeling.  This will be some great design work.  Now I have hands-on work and design work.  Good things to have under my belt.

Later on this evening, I ate with around 5 guys from the ME lab.  This was great because I was able to meet some more people and of course we have many common interests.  This lab focuses on virtual reality.  Two guys showed me their research.  It was some cool stuff.  Norman made a hang glider simulator.  Where you wear glasses and see a virtual world.  You could tilt your head right and the screen would move that way.  Not to forget that you are suspended in the air by a harness and you can steer with the handle bar.  The only bad thing was, they distroyed it already :
I hope I will continue to have such great experiences. 
 
Yesterday, I went on the bus again and traveled 45 mins to Taoyuan.  I visited the Wire and Cable Plant.  They do what their name says.  I saw some really cool stuff there.  I was able to see how large power lines are made.  I saw how the copper wire was made.  They get large copper sheets and melt them in a furnace.  The copper then surrounds a thin copper wire.  It is then cooled and stretched to the size that they want.  I was able to go up on the cat walks of the machines and get a good look at things.

I also saw the how they made insulation.  This was for the very large cables that are under ground.  They hold up to 161 KV which is a lot compared to our home voltage of 110 volts (over a thousand times larger.)  The wire with a diameter of around 6 inches was covered with a film and then rubber surrounded the wire.  It then had to be instantly cooled off by water so that it would harden.  I was able to touch the cooling rubber on the assembly line.  It was a very hands on tour.

Later we watched a film and ate lunch.  After lunch in Taiwan it is custom to take a short nap.  They will get around 30 mins to sleep before they go back to work.  So they put us in a room and I took a nap.  This was nice because I woke up at 6:45.  We then saw the fiber optics production line and I saw Ethernet cable  being made.  Testing was a large part of the process and I was able to see that as well. 

Then we went to another company that was at the same location.  It was one of toes locations.  This was really neat because it was a clean room.  I put on slippers, a jacket, and a hair net.  We then entered a disinfecting doorway that blew air on us.  Any time you walked into this building you had to be disinfected.  It was a two door system where only one door could open at a time.  It was like in the doctor TV shows.  It was quite the experience.  They tested new robots at this location.  These robots handle LCD screens.  When they come out with new designs and modifications they build them there and test them. 

Tuesday night I talked to Amanda all night.  It was nice to have such a long time to talk and catch up.  I will be breaking this blog up because other wise it would be way to long.  Stay tuned. 
 
Today I went to the Heavy Electric Plant of Tatung Company.  They make transformers and power meters.  The transformers range in size and the big ones are larger then a combine.  The meters were like the old meters that are getting phased out in the U.S.  They too are getting rid of these and switching to the smart meters.  Someday they will take me to the plant that makes the new ones.

We started the day with a bus ride to the company.  It took and hour to get there.  We then learned about what they do there and many details about the transformers.  They provided lunch for us and after that we went on some tours.

After we got back to Taipei, I went and talked to the VP of a branch of Tatung (TOES).  He is the one who is hiring me for my internship.  I now know what I will be doing.  I will be working for T.O.E.S.  This is a production company for Tatung products.  There are many different types of products made by Tatung.  I am sure I will know more later.  I will be learning how the machines work then doing some design work on the robots.  I will put my 3D models in an automation software and simulate the movement of the parts.  They will then use my automations. I feel this will be very beneficial for me.  He seemed to think this will be a great fit as well.  I will still continue to take tours of other companies.  He stressed the importance of seeing other companies getting to add to my knowledge and experience through this opportunity.  People want to hire mechanical engineers who have seen the machines that they will be designing.

Tomorrow I will go to another company and Wednesday I start with TOES.  Wish me luck.
 
I haven't been able to blog for several days but I have just been too busy.  I am still very busy and I am writing this blog before I go to bed at around 11:00.  I then have to get up at 7:00 so I can go to a company tomorrow.

On Friday, I went to a company that worked on fuel cells and LED lighting.  The LED lighting is very big here and the company is using the industry to fund the Fuel Cell Research.  They don't produce the Fuel Cells yet.  They seem to think it will become a major energy source in the future.  Using it to power homes, buildings, cars, and even cell phones.  They gave a lot of information on how they are made and what their application is.

After I visited with that company, I went to the mechanical engineering department.  I met a lot of people and spoke with several professors.  One who gave me an model engine to rebuild and another who wants me to take a class and do a project on mechatronics.  I really don't know what I will have time for at this point.  Many other graduate students want to show me around Taiwan and also teach me stuff that they are working on.  I may have a lot to do.  But right now I am waiting for my class schedule and then after that my internship schedule.  Until then I will have a lot to do. 

On Saturday, I went to an amusement park.  I went with 12 others and we had a great time.  The amount of fun was not equivalent to the excitement of the rides, however.  I am afraid they have a ways to go, to get to my kind of rides.  It was set up as a magical world and focused more on characters like Disney Land then on exciting rides.  After this we went to the big night market and ate dinner at a Korean restaurant.  The night market looked like a scaled down version of times square.  Lots of lights and billboards. 

Today I went to a beach.  We took the train.  It was an hour and a half away.  Once we got there we just laid on the beach and spend some time in the water.  It was relaxing.  It took all day and I don't have all that much to say about it.  The landscape was really nice.  Taiwan is covered in green mountains.  Oh, and here was a really cool sand sculpting festival there.  So we saw AMAZING sand sculptures.  I will definitely put up the pictures.

Got to get to bed.
 
Check out the "Google Maps" link at the top.  This will allow you to see where I live.  Then click on "satellite" to see a satellite picture of the city.  You can also zoom in and out to see where Taipei and Taiwan are in the world.  I also posted a link in my home page of my address here in Taipei, Taiwan.
 
It has been a few days since I have blogged.  I didn't forget I just didn't have much to say.  Things really slowed down and people are working while I am spending my last days of freedom doing nothing.  The only thing I did on Tuesday was make rice dumplings.  This was fun because it was a somewhat difficult task.  You had to fold a bamboo leaf into a scoop shape.  Then place rice with peanuts in the bottom.  A mushroom, a nut, and some mixed stuff came next.  A piece of pork was added and then rice toped it off.  You then folded the leaf a special way, which was extremely hard to do.  We tied the rice dumpling together with a string and it was boiled for 5 hours.  In the end they were quite tasty.
I spoke with the dean of students while I was there.  He was really nice and we spoke about green energy and possible energy solutions.  He wanted to know what I thought and what I was interested in.  It was a good example of how friendly people are here.  Sometimes it just takes an initial conversation. 
Tuesday night I hung out with my group of friends and played card games.  I taught them a few games including spoons and hearts.  I really enjoyed this because as you all know I like playing games.  My hope is now that they know how to play hearts, we can play more often.  Sam, one of my roommates, knows a lot of card tricks.  I showed him two tricks I know and he showed me around 7 that he knew.  So I am going to practice them and show them to people when I get home.
Wednesday, I watched a TV show called Big Bang Theory.  It is a funny show about some scientists and physicists.  I also played games and did nothing.  Later I went to the night market to eat dinner.  You can't find a grocery store here, or even a Walmart.  They just don't exist.  Apparently they tried to add them but they didn't take because night markets are so popular.  A night market is a street that  has vendors lined up in the middle of the street.  You can buy fruit, vegetables, meat, and meals.  They cook noodles and rice and all sorts of things for you.  Some weird things that people eat are intestines and chicken feet.  To drink they have milk tea and other types of ice tea.  I found a smoothie place that makes amazing passion fruit and mango smoothies.
Today, Thursday, I met with my professor and got some more information about my class and asked him a few questions.  He also signed my paperwork for the university.  He thinks my class will start the 28th and will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.  He mentioned that my class will be taught by many professors because they are going to bring in specialists for each area of green energy.  We will be learning about solar energy, lithium batteries, fuel cells, and what ever else.  This will be great because I will be working with some of these things.  My professor also said I should have the opportunity to help students with conversational English. 
That's about all I have for now.  Tomorrow, I will have to talk about my experience at my company tour tomorrow.
 
Yes it is true, things are slowing down here.  Sunday night I had supper with the group of foreign students and a few others from Taiwan.  The pizza was okay but it didn't have pizza sauce.  They got some really weird kinds of pizzas that are popular here like: Seafood pizza, lobster pizza, shrimp, bacon and pea pizza, curry pizza and some other more normal types.  The shrimp and curry pizzas were good.  We had a good time just talking and hanging out in a dorm room.

Today I meet with my professor.  He confirmed what I already knew about my internship.  That I will be doing a tour of a New Energy company on Friday.  I will then be working for a production company next week.  He didn't know the schedule of my class yet but I believe it starts on the 28th, which is when my online thermodynamics class from ISU starts.  I also should be hearing back from him about some other things.

Tomorrow I will be making rice dumplings with some people and then on Wednesday there is a big festival.  Rice dumplings are a popular food for the festival.  It is in honor of a poet.

One thing I have not talked about is the food here.  The food is okay.  Some things I like and somethings I hate.  The things I tend to like are closer to American food.  Some people asked what I would do if I didn't like the food.  Well, there is a Subway, Mc Donald's, a Burger King, and an Italian place right by where I live.  I have ate at all only once except Subway.  I have taken several trips there.  I have been lifting weights while I have been here.  I am on a pattern of lifting every other day.  I like to have something to do and I want to come back strong.  I have been reading a little bit as well, from the book "One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven."  I haven't gone to church yet so this is a good thing to do.  I think I will be going to a Mormon Church on Sunday.

I have been planning my weekends with some others and I should have some fun stuff coming up.  So stay tuned!








 
It is now Sunday, I am still doing some fun and exciting things.  The beer factory on Friday night was a great time.  It was a large warehouse filled with picnic tables and people.  Taiwan has one brand of beer that they make, called Taiwan Beer.  I believe they make a dark and a light beer.  They sold small keg like things, that groups of people buy.  The glasses are different too, they are very small.  There was a band there that night and people were really into it.  Dancing around, singing, standing on tables, and jumping on the stage.  It was really cool to see.  They played some American songs but towards the end of the night only Taiwan songs were played.
After we left the beer factory we went to a bar that had a rock and roll band.  It was way too loud, even for me.  One thing that is different about here is the expensive popular dance clubs.  There are huge lines and it costs about $25 to get in.  We didn't do that.
Saturday, we went to a market to get some lunch.  I had a noodle soup with ginger pork.  It was good.  Later that night I went with some people to the movie theaters.  They had a buy one get one free movie deal.  Which wouldn't be your normal American deal.  It meant you go to one movie and then go to the second movie right after that one, for free.  The movies playing were, Shutter Island and Dear John.  It was fun, and yes they were in English with Chinese subtitles.
Today I went to the graduation commencement for a little while.  There were a lot of people graduating and a lot of other people there.  I saw two of my friends graduate, then I left.  After that I went to a festival of dragon boat races.  There were boat races going on for three days.  It was funny to watch but it was also raining.  By the way, it is their raining season.  It has rained every day but two.  It doesn't rain all day normally.
If you have contacted me using this website, thanks.   You are all welcome to do so.  Talk to you later.

    Author

    My name is Kevin Hancock.      I am studying abroad from June-August of 2010 in Taipei, Taiwan.  Here is a blog of my experiences.

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    Fun Fact!!!!!!!!
    (I will try and update this often.)

    1.
    In Taiwan they don't normally drink anything with their meal because they always have rice.  They say the rice will fill up with the moisture and make their stomach hurt.  Many restaurants don't have anything for you to drink.  After you eat, you find a near by tea shop and get something there.

    2.
    There is a separate lane for mopeders because there are so many here.
    3.
    Kleenexs are used as facial tissues, napkins, paper towels, and toilet paper!

    4.
    You can count to 9 on one hand in Taiwan.

    5.
    You shouldn't place your chop sticks in your food.  It is correct to set them on top of your bowl.  Sticking them in the bowl represents incense in ashes, which is done in temples.