I was here during the larger Bluebird movement protests at the Legislative Yuan—there taking it all in. I was inspired to write a piece on “the two Taiwans”: Taiwan as a polity with its domestic policy debates, versus the DC‑based conception of Taiwan—war games, military scenarios. The persistent view of Taiwan as a high‑risk geopolitical factor in DC versus what people talk about here—matters that hit daily life—are two very different conversations. That inspired me to understand Taiwan from the ground and share that perspective.