Chin-Ho Lee
Dear Saishu-kai friends:
One year has passed since we, the Saishu-kai, started our HP last June. I appreciate to have the privilege of using the HP. I enjoy reading communications from our classmates. I personally think it is a wonderful idea to have a HP of our own where we can share experience.
Since my last communication I have traveled to Taiwan quite frequently. I continued to work there as a part-time consultant. I was there last September, December, March, April, and May. You see I spent a lot of time there. I keep an apartment in Taipei, where I work most of the time. I also travel to and work in Hsinchu, and Toulieu – cities south of Taipei.
Last time I was there the northern part of Taiwan was in a drought. Taipei, in particular, was having a severe water shortage that the city has to stop the supply of running water every fifth day. The severity of the drought has eased somewhat this month when the rainy season has finally arrived. The drought in Taiwan has never been heard of in the past. Nobody knows why it is happening recently. The Air Force of the Defense Department was called to help making synthesized rain, but it does not work all the time. The success of synthesized rain depends a lot on weather conditions. The citizen and government officials often gathered to pray and beg gods for rain. The action is by no mean scientific and most of the time it does not generate results as hoped. It is an ancient practice but is still being observed today in Taiwan
My next scheduled trip to Taiwan is in late August. So I will spend the next 2 months working and relaxing here in Cleveland, Ohio. I will be taking care of my consulting work from home using e-mail, phone, or airmail. When I am not busy working I play golf and spend time doing gardening work.
I play golf with my wife and friends about 1-2 times a week, for fun and as a means of doing exercise. Most of the time we play 9-holes. It is a very relaxing game. I like golf very much even though I only make a slight improvement each year.
I have a small backyard-garden where I plant tomato, nira, hana-curi (small cucumber), shungiku, and 6-8 kinds of Chinese vegetables, for enjoyment and for the table. I have been doing gardening for the last 30 years, and have a lot of experience making good crops every year. The benefits of doing backyard gardening are many. The homegrown vegetables are garden-fresh and chemical-free, and they taste a lot better than what you get from the stores. Besides, you get the enjoyment and self-satisfaction from doing it. But best of all, it gives you relaxation that is truly priceless.
I have to tell you a piece of good news about my family. Last month we welcome our second grandson. Our son got his second son in two years. On our way coming back from Taiwan in our last trip, we stopped by visiting our son and grandsons in California. We had good time together.
June 20, 2002