"The Taiwanese are very generous. We were provided an opportunity to come here to learn -- and even in the aftermath of the earthquake the center really went out of their way to take care of us," says Branko Volceski, an automotive maintenance trainee at the Central Vocational Training Center in Taichung. "We want to donate blood to the victims of the quake and told the director here we would like to help with the reconstruction efforts."
Volceski echoes the sentiments of many other Macedonian trainees currently in Taiwan as part of a 98-member group receiving vocational training on the island. Fifty-eight Macedonians are being trained at the Taichung center, which offers courses in industrial electronics, automobile maintenance and furniture making.
The remaining members of the group are undergoing training in computerp-aided manufacturing and tool-and-mould design at another center in Taishan, Taipei County.
PHOTO: CATHERINE SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
While many in Taichung were shaken by the quake, the trainees said the center's authorities were quick to respond to the situation and expressed their commitment to stay in Taiwan to finish the course.
"We were very scared (when the earthquake happened), but after a couple of days our emotions have calmed down and I think almost everyone here wants to finish our four month training," said Nikola Filiposki of the furniture making group.
"It's the first time any of us have been in such a big earthquake. In Macedonia there are small earthquakes, of course, but most of us are too young to have experienced the big one in 1963, which was about 6.3 on the Richter scale."
"It was only the first night (Tuesday) that we spent in the parking lot (next to the hotel) and the hotel management provided us with great care. We have running water and electricity now ... we are very satisfied with the accommodation," Filiposki added.
"Mr. Cheng (from the Labor Council) came to see us at the hotel two hours after the earthquake," said Gjoko Muratovski. "The hotel management was so nice, they brought us cookies and blankets and made sure we were okay."
Director of the Taichung Center Ding Wen-sheng (
Camping outdoors
"We provided a tent in the center of the campus for the 18 traineesswho did not feel comfortable returning to the hotel," Ding said. "But after four or five days, seeing that the situation had settled, they voluntarily returned to the hotel."
"The current charge d'affaires of the Macedonian embassy in Taiwan, Verka Modanu, along with myself, met with the trainees on the Wednesday after the earthquake to brief them on evacuation procedures and address their concerns," said Steve Shen (
"Some of them had wanted to change to another hotel that offered rooms on lower floors (the traineess are placed on the 5th-8th floors), but after assuring them that professional contractors had checked the hotel for damages and assessed it as safe they were willing to come back," Shen said.
Four trainees in the Taichung center are scheduled to return to Macedonia this week, but not all of the cases are directly related to the earthquake.
Goran Hadsi Dimov, one of the departees said, "I am not too much affected (by the earthquake). But after seeing the scary images of the devastation here on CNN, my family is very worried and insists that I return to Skopje ... they don't believe me when I say our hotel and center is quite safe."
Hadsi Dimov, who has been married for one year, chuckled. "I'm a family man, you know," adding that his family had pressured him to return home.
Another scheduled departee, Krste Dislijev, said he is leaving because of health problems. The humidity in Taiwan had exacerbated his sinus problem.
Modanu said the Taichung trainees have mostly adjusted from their earthquake jitters. "There were originally seven people who wanted to leave, but after seeing the situation calm down, three of them said they want to stay and finish the course," she said.
The others who are leaving decided to do so out of homesickness or health problems, Modanu added.
Compared to their fellow trainees in Taichung, who were much closer to the quake epicenter, the 40 Macedonians in Taishan said they were not as emotionally affected by the earthquake, but expressed frustration with interruptions in their courses that were brought on by the disaster.
"Some of us did not sleep for couple of days after the big earthquake, but we are okay now," said Kiril Zabokov, a trainee in the computer-aided manufacturing group.
"We always have a counselor with us at night, and we were standing by her car listening to the radio for the latest news on the night of the quake," he said.
Power rationing following the earthquake has been causing interruptions in classroom lessons, said a group of trainees, who were touring a machinery trade show in Taipei.
"Because our class and training involves lots of computer use, the power outages have really caused a problem in the classroom instruction," said Igorche Petkovski of the computer aided design group.
While the trainees said they could understand the inconveniences caused by the earthquake, they pointed out there was a computer shortage to begin with.
"There are computers for each person in the classroom, but we don't have any chances to practice after classes," said Goce Stefanovski, who took a six month leave from his company to attend the training program. "Without post-instruction practice, we cannot accomplish anything."
Computer shortage
The Taishan trainees said they were promised by Macedonian and Taiwan authorities in Skopje that each dorm room would be equipped with a computer for after class use.
"We are here to learn but where are the tools for learning?" asked Petkovski.
"The training program is very computer intensive but currently we are spending 50 percent of the day without computers. Getting the computers would be the biggest step to make the program work," he added.
"We have told Taiwan's foreign ministry officials, our embassy here and the center of the problem," said Stefanovski. "The foreign ministry said they would get back to us on the problem. But with all the problems your government has to face after the earthquake, I know it may be difficult."
"Tupurkovski visited the center last week, he knows about the problem," said Petokovski. Vasil Tupurkovski is the director-general of Macedonia's Agency of Reconstruction and Development -- the agency administering the training program -- and a candidate in the country's presidential election later this month.
Shieh Wen-chin (
"Because of the power rationing we are replacing hands-on instruction with lectures, he said. "When normal usage resumes next week the center will open the classroom for the trainees' use until 9:30pm on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays."
The center has other adult classes on other weekday nights and on the weekends the computer room is inaccessible because of the security system, Shieh said.
"The center does not have the resources to buy more computers, the money has to come from the foreign ministry," he said.
Despite the earthquake, trainees in both places expressed their strong desire to finish their courses, and some trainees even said they want to stay in Taiwan after the program is over.
"Two of the Taishan trainees said they like Taiwan so much that they want to look for employment opportunities here afterward," said Modanu.
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