How to make an impression on the president of Taiwan

Steve gets to travel for work much more often than I do. However, through a quirky kind of luck, a couple of opportunities I’ve had for work travel have frankly blown all of his away. Most notably, on one of those trips, I had the opportunity to meet the president of Taiwan.

On my first amazing trip in 2004 I was invited to make a presentation at a Status of Women conference at The United Nations. It was based on an advocacy campaign I developed for a child welfare agency on changing the way media cover stories about child sexual exploitation. The agency had a connection with someone at the UN who had been watching its work and I got an invitation out of the blue.

It was my first trip to New York and Steve tagged along. There were many highlights, but a big one was the identification badges we were issued to gain entrance into the UN headquarters building. When I come across them sitting on my bookshelf, I fantasize that I was once an international diplomat. I’ve never left one of Steve’s corporate gigs with anything cooler than that, although the eight or so tech-branded tote and laptop bags come in handy now and again.

Meeting the president of Taiwan

By far, though, the most amazing travel opportunity I had was a 2012 presentation I did in Taipei for an international conference that focused on innovative ways to combat child sexual exploitation. I had developed a campaign that aimed at mobilized men in the cause for a Canadian NGO with global affiliations. The NGO in Taiwan was interested in learning more about it. I was honoured and thrilled.

Just days before I left, I learned via an email from my conference contact that the presenters at the conference (one of whom was the chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child) would have an audience with President Ma Ying-jeou.

Huh?

I re-read the email about 10 times before this information sunk in. I was going to meet the president of Taiwan. Only because I was speaking there with a legitimately influential person (the UN chair), but still! Steve has never met a head of state.

This news sent me into a frenzied panic of research on protocol and obsessive rehearsal of the Mandarin phrase, “Hello, I’m pleased to meet you,” (nǐ hǎo. wǒ hěn gāoxìng gěn nǐ jiànmiàn – in case you’re wondering). I consulted with others in the organization I was representing who had met with Taiwanese dignitaries before for tips on being culturally appropriate. I was told be sure to wear pantyhose and closed-toed, dark shoes and that I should definitely bring a gift for the president. Don’t wrap it in white or black as both colours symbolize death. Red, on the other hand, symbolizes good luck. Got it!

I’m always up for buying a new pair of shoes, but what the heck do you buy the president of Taiwan?

Let’s not be an obvious Canadian

I didn’t want to do the obvious Canadian gift thing – nothing to do with polar bears and certainly not anything maple flavoured. Everyone must do that. I opted for an Inuit soapstone carving of a loon from the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Classy, eh?

The day of the presidential meeting was remarkable and just a bit overwhelming. I don’t even remember the presentation I delivered the day before. After everyone attending the meeting surrendered their phones and purses at the entrance of the Presidential Office Building, we were ushered into a palatial room with the kind of plush carpeting that alarmingly swallows the heels of one’s closed-toed, conservative pumps. Walking with even an ounce of grace was impossible. We were then ceremoniously seated in a very large circle. Each seat had its own little side table with an ornate teapot and cup next to it as well as an exquisitely wrapped (in red) gift. Then, we sat in silence for what I’m certain is the longest awkward pause I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never studied other humans for social cues more closely than I did that day fearing I was going to cause an international incident by making some culturally ignorant misstep.

Perfect photo-op

All of a sudden, two aids flung open the large double doors at the entrance and in walked – the president, followed by about 10 media photographers. The president’s people stood up. We all stood up. The president took his seat at the front of the room. We all took our seats. After a few welcoming remarks, the president shook hands for a photo op with the UN committee chair and the photographers immediately departed. The president took a sip of tea. We all took a sip of tea (Score! I knew dipping into it the moment I saw down was a no-no).

Before the close of the meeting – which turned out to be a brief, seemingly rehearsed conversation between the UN chair and the president about Taiwan’s efforts to improve child rights—an aid indicated to me that I could now present my gift to the president. I was the only one with a gift. Sigh … I guess that was better than being the only one without a gift.

I wobbled over to President Ma through the thick pile, said my rehearsed line in Mandarin (which I’m completely confident I butchered) and quickly switched to English to thank him for Taiwan’s work on the issue explaining that the small gift I was handing him was from the Canadian organization I was representing.

The president smiled and shook my hand vigorously asking, “Is it maple syrup?” “No, no,” I assured him smugly, thinking how smart I was not to go for the obvious. “Too bad,” he said, “I really love maple syrup.

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