In this episode, Eloise, Fil, and Hanna dive into the buzz around more cruise ships docking in Taiwan, innovative drone tech for monitoring water quality, and the UK band Shame, bringing chaos and their golden underwear to Taipei soon.

Amanda is in the studio to chat about the challenges of writing her new book, How to Break a Girl, while staying true to and believing in yourself!  Check it out at https://howtobreakagirl.com/ !

In Taiwan, tea is part of our everyday life. From morning oolong to late-night bubble tea, tea follows us through every part of the day. Tea is also how we treat our guests—we always make tea to show our welcome. This week, we’ll learn some Tâi-gí words and an idiom related to tea. So pour yourself a warm cup, take a deep breath, and let the fragrance guide us into today’s Tâi-gí lesson.   ●Words to Know: 1. 茶米 tê-bí (n.) tea (leaves) 2. 啉茶 lim tê (v.) to drink tea 3. 紅茶 âng-tê (n.) black tea 4. 烏龍茶 oo-liông-tê (n.) Oolong tea 5. 泡茶 phàu tê (v.) to make tea   ●Idiom of the week: 賣茶講茶芳，賣花講花紅。 Bē tê kóng tê phang, bē hue kóng hue âng. (Those who sell tea praise its fragrance; those who sell flowers praise their redness.)

Join us today as we open last week's letters! One of them includes a starry night postcard from London, an elephant postcard, and a bunch of souvenirs. After that, we will hear what people have to say over email. If you would like to contact us and have your message read on air, please send a letter to P.O. BOX 123, 199 Taipei, Taiwan, or email us at English@rti.org.tw. You can also reach us on social media: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram at @Rtienglish.

We’ve followed Dan Orlovsky’s journey full circle—from a simple craving for the taste of home, to building Kaohsiung’s only Israeli restaurant, Loracorlo, and navigating the realities of running a business across cultures during uncertain times. Now, in this final chapter, we go beyond the surface and take an honest look at what it really takes to keep a restaurant running—not just in theory, but in reality. Dan opens up about the behind-the-scenes challenges, the constant pressure of sustaining a business, and the moments that truly tested his commitment to the dream he set out to build. More importantly, we explore the mindset that kept him going. What does it take to push through uncertainty, setbacks, and exhaustion? What drives someone to keep moving forward when things get tough? Dan also shares his advice for those thinking about starting a business in Taiwan, along with his vision for the future—bringing this journey not just full circle, but forward. If you’...

One of Asia's biggest documentary film festivals is coming back! Pei-hua (佩樺), festival programmer for the Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF), reunites with Wanson after two years to give listeners a glimpse of TIDF this year, including its focus on Palestinian archives, Sensory Ethnography Lab, and Green Team (綠色小組). TIDF 2026 will take place from May 1 to May 10. Tickets are on sale right now. Please refer to their website for more information. If you would like to share your feedback, please send your words or voice notes to: wanson@rti.org.tw You can find Wanson on Instagram (@wansonscafe) and YouTube (阿善Café/Wanson's Café) Producer: Wanson Wang Production Assistant: Tony Chen

Two Malayan sun bears previously housed at Taipei Zoo have been relocated to Japan as part of a conservation effort for the vulnerable species, leaving Taiwan without any Malayan sun bears. Taipei Zoo says they aren't sure what, if anything, will replace their habitat enclosure at the zoo. Formosa Fauna is back this week to entertainingly teach you about animals both in Taiwan and abroad! Spend the next 20 minutes listening to this episode and feeding your noggin with fun facts about the animal kingdom so you can become smarter than all of your friends. In this episode:  - Taipei Zoo sends their remaining Malayan sun bears to Japan  - New Taipei opens its first wildlife rescue center  - New Taiwanese documentary follows mountain hawk-eagle for over 12 years  - Rescued Formosan black bear mother and her cub released into the wild  - Chiayi builds a fence to protect terns from dogs  - Iceland Fashion Week adopts a fur-free policy  - Retired racehorses are used in American miscarr...

Have you ever considered how much better some of our favorite scenes on TV are due to the powerful music that accompanies them? We often become so immersed in the experience that we don’t even think about the music separately; yet, it resonates with us on a deep level. Today, I am joined by Thomas Foguenne, one of the talented composers responsible for this impact. We will discuss his early education, the different career paths available for composers versus film scorers, the composers he admires, and the various approaches he takes in his work. Thomas Foguenne is a Belgian-Taiwanese composer and pianist based in Belgium and Taiwan. He holds degrees in composition, piano, chamber music, and harmony from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Mons (Belgium), where he also studied orchestral conducting and electroacoustic music. In 2024, he won the Taipei Golden Horse Award for Best Film Music for his score for the Singaporean film Stranger Eyes by Yeo Siew Hua, after being nom...