My creative thinking is usually developed thematically, and I am always concerned with the events and following developments that occur around me. With the Internet, I was able to learn about events such as Taiwan’s food safety issues, new political developments and the election, and Occupy Central with Love and Peace in Hong Kong during my residency in France. Here, I could immediately obtain some different answers unlike those in Taiwan; in addition to discussions among fellow Taiwanese people, I could also seek advice from Western friends.

When I first arrived in Paris, I knew that there were many homeless people in the streets. However, actually being here, I was still shocked by the scenes in front of my eyes. Paris is filled with the homeless people, and they can almost be considered as part of the scenery of the city. Walking in the streets of Paris, you can easily encounter a group of homeless people that occupies a corner of the street. Compared to my previous experience from over ten years ago, the demographics of these homeless people have changed, and there are fewer Hippie-like youths; rather, there are more poor and ill elders and women, as well as entire families. This more or less reflects the serious issues faced by France, such as the economic crisis and skyrocketing real estate prices. Nonetheless, whatever I saw in Europe, I was always reminded of the things back home in Taiwan, and I always tried to compare the two places.