Suicide at the MTC

So I could easily write reams on the recent devastating earthquake in Sichuan, China or the appalling lack of rescue efforts by the military junta in response to the cyclone in Myanmar (echoes of Hurricane Katrina but on an even bigger scale), however, today I'd rather describe the suicide that occurred right on our very own campus, Mandarin Training Center at National Taiwan Normal University or MTC at NTNU for short.

So I arrive in class today and find out that around 8 AM, a girl had climbed on to the rooftop of the MTC (11th floor) and had jumped off. The girl was a reticent Korean girl, known by few at the institution. She was described as having emotional difficulties since she arrived.

Conor S. said that he had a friend who had an 8 AM class and had seen the girl in free fall from his classroom window. Her impact on the hard concrete ground was described to be a very loud thud.

Our teacher stated that in the morning she witnessed many different reactions: some immediately broke down and started crying, others sat in quiet contemplation, and some even burst out laughing...

During class we had a discussion about the recent events at the MTC and the natural disasters in Asia, which my teacher callously described more or less as "mother nature's population control measures."

The Korean girl in our class said that suicide is a serious problem in Korean society and her Japanese boyfriend said that its gotten so bad that its nearly parallel to the notorious situation in Japan.

She attributes it to the fact that young students in Korean suffer from tremendous pressure from parents, family, friends, and society to succeed and that their success is only measured in entry into prestigious universities and material wealth. She states that girls in middle school even attend cram schools (補習班) until 1 AM or later. She also said that nobody in Korea understands how to let loose or to spend their leisure time. She said this competition is made even more fierce as those who graduate with master's degrees still find it nearly impossible to land a decent job. She claimed the unemployment rate in Korea was around 50%. Seems far-fetched but I have heard from another girl in Seoul that the job market is pretty bleak as well (she left a good financial job and is now studying Mandarin Chinese at Tsinghua Uni. in Beijing).

I'm not sure how accurate her portrayal is of Korea since she always is scathingly critical of her homeland having suffered through the iron-fist discipline of traditional, stereotypical Asian parents.

In class I was saying how it's interesting that suicides in Asia almost always seem to be young students jumping off roofs. Then the Korean girl said it's because it's less painful than slitting your wrists and if you swallow pills someone can take you to the hospital and save you. I feel like it's a really dramatic way to go out and that it's a cry for attention. I wonder if she wanted someone to talk her out of it, but the Korean girl in class said that truly depressed people are committed to suicide when they get to that point. The teacher said that the MTC has a counselor from America available free for those with emotional troubles, but that she's not equipped for the most needy students (usually those hailing from Japan or Korea). The counselor knows Chinese but of course is most fluent in her native English.

The teacher also stated that the girl brought nothing with her--no purse, money, backpack, nada. That her sole purpose of going to the MTC this morning was to jump off a roof...

Walking outside after lunch today, I couldn't help but notice the gorgeous blue skies with fluffy white clouds. The gentle breeze cooling me off while the sunshine warmed my skin. I can't imagine a less appropriate day for a suicide.

**UPDATE**

I found out today that it was actually not an MTC student but a Taiwanese girl who jumped off the roof yesterday. Someone, who had been dating a guy who attended MTC and had been dumped by him. She was heartbroken and then decided to end her life in that dramatic fashion.

***August 7, 2008 CORRECTION*****

I found out that my teacher was dead WRONG (the update above) and she spread the false rumors to all of her students, including me. While I should I have double-checked I thought my teacher was telling the truth.

The girl who committed suicide was in fact a Taiwanese girl but she was not dating anyone at the MTC. She actually wanted to get a government job in Taipei but apparently was not selected and in her despair she jumped off the building. I don't know why she chose the MTC as her location but this is what I'm told from more than one student who had an 8 AM class at the time of her suicide and saw her in freefall from the window. Once again this is what I've heard from a third party but both of them are confident that this is the true reason for her suicide.

After all of these retractions and corrections I'm tempted to just scrap this post but I think I'll leave it be.