Setting Off with a "Message in a Bottle": Cathay Pacific Helps 11 Youths Travel the World

Carrying drift bottles to Nepal, she invited backpackers she met along the way to write down their thoughts about the place and their visions of a simple life, then put them in the bottles and pass them on to the next person. The final goal was to have the 10th person mail the bottles back to Taiwan, so that the courage and energy of global backpackers could be shared with travelers in Taiwan... This is an ambitious travel plan by a university girl, and one of the 11 “World Citizens Island: A Journey with a Mission” travelers sponsored by Cathay Pacific. Through the message in a bottle, she hopes to share the concept of a simple life.

What kind of impact can a single trip bring? In 2013, the “World Citizens Island: A Journey with a Mission” event hosted by the World Cultural Association sent 129 travelers to five continents around the globe. Among them, 11 travelers sponsored by Cathay Pacific will head to Swaziland, Sri Lanka, London, and other destinations in June to embark on multifaceted explorations and build their dreams.

 

Among these 11 travelers, Li Mengpin, currently studying Applied Mathematics at National Kaohsiung University and the executor of the message in a bottle project, is lively and loves to travel. Her experience as an international volunteer made her realize the importance of communication between people, and further inspired her to bravely pursue new dreams. She plans to go to Nepal to experience the simplest and most ordinary form of happiness. During her two months in Nepal, Li Mengpin will continue the “message in a bottle” activity she conducted during her Taiwan island loop trip to interact with the outside world, bridging the growing emotional distance in modern society.

Xie Junhong from National Kaohsiung Normal University, in addition to being a tutoring volunteer at a Hope Primary School, is also pursuing a graduate degree in interdisciplinary art, with a particular concern for underprivileged children. Having never been abroad before, Xie Junhong will go to Swaziland, where the disparities in class and living environments are stark. Through art therapy in the form of theater, she aims to help local children learn how to express themselves and piece together a complete image of themselves.

 

Traveler Zhang Enci, who is heading to Sri Lanka, grew up helping her parents sell clothes at traditional markets and, in a financially difficult environment, earned tuition money through part-time jobs. She advanced from National Chengchi University’s Department of Diplomacy to National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Political Science. With passionate aspirations, Zhang Enci interned at the Asian Foundation’s Sri Lanka office for three months. After witnessing firsthand the post-civil war social reconstruction and the tense, complex atmosphere between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities, she decided to explore, through the lens of a Taiwanese youth, the inspiration brought by the political rights struggles of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Moor community. She plans to bring these reflections back to Formosa, another island nation, to re-examine the role young groups should play in political life and their future prospects.

Lü Xuehai, Chairman of the World Citizens Culture Association, pointed out that the “World Citizens Island: A Journey with a Mission” event, which sponsors 129 young people to venture into the world, is a globally unprecedented initiative. Even though securing the plane tickets faced significant obstacles, they sought sponsorships one by one to give young people the courage to explore and the opportunity to see the world.

 

Luo Yingyi, General Manager of Cathay Pacific Taiwan and Korea, stated that the power of a single trip can be immense. By supporting and encouraging young friends to step out of Taiwan, embrace the world, and chase their dreams, they face various difficulties and challenges, all while seeking a new future for Taiwan.

 

These 11 young travelers will set off to different countries and regions one after another, personally experiencing the local political, economic, cultural, and social customs. They will apply what they’ve learned, using their own eyes and hands to truly experience the real world. More stories about the travelers: www.wisland.org/html/index.php.

 

 

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