There are ten museums in National Taiwan University, and guided tours are held regularly every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Each tour includes a visit to three museums. Today my companions are Jenny and her eight-month-old baby Ian. As we walk along, Jenny, an alumna of NTU, is surprised to learn the rich collections of the university.
週三的第一個博物館是人類學博物館，學生填升學志願時人類學肯定不是熱門的系，但是這個博物館很精采，有很多台灣十四個原住民部落的收藏。圖中是邵族在日月潭中划的船。
The first museum on the tour every Wednesday is Museum of Anthropology. The major is never a popular one among incoming students, but the collection is definitely amazing, housing mainly the objects and artifacts from fourteen aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. In the picture is the canoe rowed by the Thao on Sun Moon Lake.
邵族很依賴日月潭的魚爲食，所以他們發明捕魚器，魚可以進魚籃但是出不來。
The Thao depend much on the fish in Sun Moon Lake, so they invented innovative bamboo fish traps.
原住民的圖騰可以成為文創產業的靈感。
The totems of the aboriginal tribes are wonderful inspirations for the cultural creative industries.
分佈於中央山脈南端和東海岸的排灣族的藝術表現以木雕爲重點。
The Paiwan people, who can be found at the southern tip of the Central Range and the eastern coastal mountain areas, are known for their wooden carvings.
The Tao tribe, living on Lanyu, is the only one without the tradition of headhunting. They rely heavily on the ocean, and their native canoes are not only of practical use but also known for their artistic value.
第二個博物館就是我非常有興趣的植物標本館，是個草木扶疏的好地方，戶外有溼地植物園和日本植物庭園，而蕨園在定時導覽時才開放。
The second museum of the day is TAI Herbarium, which highly interests me. It is a lush piece of land with three outdoor gardens, including the wetland plant garden, the Japanese plant garden and the fern garden, which is open only on guided tours.
There will be a bread-fruit tree festival on August 17 in the herbarium, which is this coming Saturday.
之前在青年公園的生態老師說，台大有很多穗花棋盤腳，最近應該都在開花，今天終於看到了，一株植物就像一個人，要追蹤它的成長才能看到所有的相貌。
Two weeks ago the ecology teacher I met in the Youth Park told us that small-leaved Barringtonia can be found on the campus of NTU. I am very lucky to have seen some in bloom today. It takes much time to observe a flower so that we can see every stage of its growth and death as well.
台灣萍蓬草。
Yellow water lily, native to Taiwan.
最令人期待的是蕨園，因為只有在解說員的陪同下我們才能進去，帶領我們的小男生冠甫說他常常只能在鐵門外徘徊。
The highlight of the day is the fern garden because it is only accessible with the company of a tour guide. Our campus guide, a student of NTU, says he often lingers outside the iron gate, wondering what's inside.
解說員告訴我們這個花園很像侏羅紀公園，蕨類的年紀和恐龍一樣老，照片中的蕨類可以把整個人蓋住喔！
The tour guide compares the garden to the Jurassic Park. It's really amazing to learn that ferns are as old as dinosaurs. The ferns in the photo are tall and thick enough to cover a person!
蕨園不大，卻是個極其有趣的空間，接下來我就要在這裡工作，很令人期待。
The fern garden is not huge at all, but it's so full of life. I am looking forward to working here in the coming months.
散步之旅中沿路遇到很多台大的校友和學生，大家完全不吝嗇和彼此交談或互相幫忙，而且都是很聰明的人，發問了諸多令人驚艷的問題，而跟著我的珍妮也看到將來當志工的機會，我在想，這個夏天因為覺得自己生活很狹小，在擴大視野的路途中得到很多意外的收穫，上帝對我真好！
During the walk, we've run into many graduates and students of NTU. They don't hesitate to talk to us or give us a hand. Besides, being really brilliant, they ask advanced questions on the tour. Jenny also sees the possibility of working as a volunteer in the future. Looking back on this summer break, I came because I felt my life was so narrow. But I've found new possibilities along the way. What a lovely gift from God!
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