Yuan Fen - Apparently random, but significant karmic encounters

 The photo on the right shows my meeting with Benjamin Chen, the Chairmen of Taichung's Chinese Overseas University.  Its a nice breezy campus near Feng Jia University founded about 50 years ago.  How did I end up meeting the Chairperson?

 Well, Alice and  have a friend Chou Jia) who is in the process of graduating.  He's the handsome fellow in the cap and gown and also in the film project on the right.  He invited us to his graduation.  Somehow, after the flowers and the photos, we were to able to get in.  This seemed a bit disappointing to say the least; although Chou Jia and his parents seemed quite unconcerned as the ceremony commenced with us still outside.  Next we waited a bit and then I followed the parents to the President's office.  She was very nice and took us onto the stage.  We were immediately given VIP seats as you can see from the photo above right.  Afterwards the Chairperson invited us back to his office where I was served coffee and had a long conversation with Ben (the Chairperson) about China, the University and the Terracotta Warriors.  He spoke perfect English, is immensely knowledgeable and has a daughter living in California.  He liked the story about how we met Chou Jia on a street in Taitung last Spring.  We also met the venerable Professor Tsung Tzu Shih  and Max, the Dean of International Cross Straight Affairs (on the right in the group photo). Needless to say, all this seemed to go down well with Chou Jia's parents who subsequently took us out for a delicious dinner.  The Evening wound down with a visit to Lohan's French Eclair stall in the night market.  Lohan was charming and delightful as usual.  His eclairs are very authentic and quite delicious. We waited in seething crowds for a bus, gave up and took a taxi and arrived home to our respective dormitories.
What is so ironic to me is that right after I have planned next year inXi'an I suddenly develop these top notch contacts in Taichung.  It must be, as Ben told me, a case of 'Yuan Fen' - a Chinese concept about seemingly random encounters that for karmic reasons, turn out to be important in life.

And now for something...completely different.  I end this entry with my 'Tongxue' (fellow students and partners in crime) Harbert and Kevin who are of course drinking beer in celebration of the end of our course.  It helps me to balance my paradoxical reflections of self provided by my life in Taichung.  Everything happens for a reason.  Perhaps Yuan Fen applies to everyone I meet.