蕭琮嬿 Miffy Hsiao
Upon stepping out of the airport's glass door, I was not greeted by the familiar humid air I was used to, but instead, I found myself surrounded by a low-toned scenery. Even the roadside trees didn't look familiar. I couldn't resist taking photos to share with my family back in Taiwan.
The streets of Israel are winding and curvy, which didn't surprise me as someone living in Keelung. However, what surprised me was that the streets here weren't the straight and advanced roads I had imagined in Western countries. There were many construction sites partially completed, which reminded me of what Johnny said during the introduction session - that Israelis know what matters most and choose save the resource for it, so basic infrastructure might not be perfect. During this journey, I repeatedly realized a similar mindset, including the drip irrigation technology, which is also a typical case. Perhaps it's due to the desert environment where resources are scarce and they must prioritize the most urgent and essential matters.
Although water is precious, there was an abundance of it throughout this trip, from the Mediterranean Sea on the first day to the Sea of Galilee later on. Color of the Mediterranean Sea exceeded my imagination. I used to wonder why artists born by the Mediterranean could depict gentle seawater. Now I realized that the sea could truly be tiffany green!
From Jaffa to Tel Aviv, there is a beach full of sunlight and vitality. People were running and playing volleyball, and animals were also regular visitors to this pure white beach. Dogs chased and jumped in the waves, while cats greeted passersby with enthusiastic meows. This made me ponder why, as a country surrounded by the sea, we are distant from it and tend to keep our distance from animals. I speculate that it might be related to our environment; Taiwan's rivers and seas can easily flood, and there are occasional news stories about people being swept away by water. As a result, we were often advised not to touch or get close to them, and the phrase "better safe than sorry" was a common warning from parents. This attitude also made me think about our fear of failure, which I didn't sense in Israeli culture.
"Not being afraid of failure" is one of the reasons why Israel has become a startup powerhouse. For startups, failure is an inevitable process, and after visiting many local startups, I noticed that they were not afraid of entrepreneurial failure. They even confidently promised their customers a better outcome after evaluating opportunities. In Taiwan, a single entrepreneurial failure can feel like life is ruined, leading us to prefer thoroughly evaluating all possibilities before taking action. However, such a
mindset might cause us to miss out on opportunities for innovation and growth. Apart from the low cost of trial and error, it might be due to a well-established fundraising system and a supportive environment for startups. Some business models I saw in Israel are also common in Taiwan, but they managed to raise significant funds. Even if a venture fails, it doesn't hinder next startup idea. I was impressed that they not only considered the product itself but also approached it from an international perspective, considering more use cases and solutions. Additionally, some business models, especially in the fintech, are difficult to execute in Taiwan due to our regulations. The conservative nature of Taiwan's regulations and sensitivity to "government favoring specific industries" might be reasons why Taiwan's startup scene hasn't flourished like Israel's.
However, I don't believe Taiwan should completely copy Israel's approach. In the eyes of Israelis, I deeply felt their pride in their history, beliefs, and culture. Israelis see remembering their past important because it help create a better future. For example, at Yad Vashem, we saw many students and soldiers visiting, and the guide told us that every soldier is required to know why they are fighting. So, as Taiwanese, we should also remember who we are. Some things have evolved with cultural and historical context, and blindly imitating others to become stronger might lead us to lose our essence.
I remember the evening when I had a conversation with Ambassador, Ya-Ping Lee. She not only shared with us that we should learn from Israel but also mentioned that Taiwan had many strengths. For instance, Taiwanese companies, although seemingly lacking in innovation, are usually very stable. We tend to think more about long-term sustainability rather than reach a peak as soon as possible. On the other hand, Israel tends to pursue short-term profitability, and their startup turn out selling to foreign companies. I don't think there's a definitive answer on which is better. From this visit, I learned that there's no single perfect model, but we should always remember who we are, learn from others' strengths, and think about how to create the best approach in different environments.
Finally, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to JTCA, NTU-OIA, and everyone who made this tour possible. As mentioned earlier, understanding the "why" requires observing more. I am thankful for this opportunity to broaden my horizons in Israel and get to know these amazing friends around me.
Upon stepping out of the airport's glass door, I was not greeted by the familiar humid air I was used to, but instead, I found myself surrounded by a low-toned scenery. Even the roadside trees didn't look familiar. I couldn't resist taking photos to share with my family back in Taiwan.
The streets of Israel are winding and curvy, which didn't surprise me as someone living in Keelung. However, what surprised me was that the streets here weren't the straight and advanced roads I had imagined in Western countries. There were many construction sites partially completed, which reminded me of what Johnny said during the introduction session - that Israelis know what matters most and choose save the resource for it, so basic infrastructure might not be perfect. During this journey, I repeatedly realized a similar mindset, including the drip irrigation technology, which is also a typical case. Perhaps it's due to the desert environment where resources are scarce and they must prioritize the most urgent and essential matters.
Although water is precious, there was an abundance of it throughout this trip, from the Mediterranean Sea on the first day to the Sea of Galilee later on. Color of the Mediterranean Sea exceeded my imagination. I used to wonder why artists born by the Mediterranean could depict gentle seawater. Now I realized that the sea could truly be tiffany green!
From Jaffa to Tel Aviv, there is a beach full of sunlight and vitality. People were running and playing volleyball, and animals were also regular visitors to this pure white beach. Dogs chased and jumped in the waves, while cats greeted passersby with enthusiastic meows. This made me ponder why, as a country surrounded by the sea, we are distant from it and tend to keep our distance from animals. I speculate that it might be related to our environment; Taiwan's rivers and seas can easily flood, and there are occasional news stories about people being swept away by water. As a result, we were often advised not to touch or get close to them, and the phrase "better safe than sorry" was a common warning from parents. This attitude also made me think about our fear of failure, which I didn't sense in Israeli culture.
"Not being afraid of failure" is one of the reasons why Israel has become a startup powerhouse. For startups, failure is an inevitable process, and after visiting many local startups, I noticed that they were not afraid of entrepreneurial failure. They even confidently promised their customers a better outcome after evaluating opportunities. In Taiwan, a single entrepreneurial failure can feel like life is ruined, leading us to prefer thoroughly evaluating all possibilities before taking action. However, such a
mindset might cause us to miss out on opportunities for innovation and growth. Apart from the low cost of trial and error, it might be due to a well-established fundraising system and a supportive environment for startups. Some business models I saw in Israel are also common in Taiwan, but they managed to raise significant funds. Even if a venture fails, it doesn't hinder next startup idea. I was impressed that they not only considered the product itself but also approached it from an international perspective, considering more use cases and solutions. Additionally, some business models, especially in the fintech, are difficult to execute in Taiwan due to our regulations. The conservative nature of Taiwan's regulations and sensitivity to "government favoring specific industries" might be reasons why Taiwan's startup scene hasn't flourished like Israel's.
However, I don't believe Taiwan should completely copy Israel's approach. In the eyes of Israelis, I deeply felt their pride in their history, beliefs, and culture. Israelis see remembering their past important because it help create a better future. For example, at Yad Vashem, we saw many students and soldiers visiting, and the guide told us that every soldier is required to know why they are fighting. So, as Taiwanese, we should also remember who we are. Some things have evolved with cultural and historical context, and blindly imitating others to become stronger might lead us to lose our essence.
I remember the evening when I had a conversation with Ambassador, Ya-Ping Lee. She not only shared with us that we should learn from Israel but also mentioned that Taiwan had many strengths. For instance, Taiwanese companies, although seemingly lacking in innovation, are usually very stable. We tend to think more about long-term sustainability rather than reach a peak as soon as possible. On the other hand, Israel tends to pursue short-term profitability, and their startup turn out selling to foreign companies. I don't think there's a definitive answer on which is better. From this visit, I learned that there's no single perfect model, but we should always remember who we are, learn from others' strengths, and think about how to create the best approach in different environments.
Finally, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to JTCA, NTU-OIA, and everyone who made this tour possible. As mentioned earlier, understanding the "why" requires observing more. I am thankful for this opportunity to broaden my horizons in Israel and get to know these amazing friends around me.
