A Fairy Tale...

When I was in senior high school, I was crazy collecting stamps and coins from different countries (I do collect coins and currencies now, but not very much into it as in the past)... Most collections are through exchanges with other friends who had similar interests... I used to go to some exhibitions and stalls where they display some rare coins, currencies and stamps and know more details.
This incident happened when I was probably in grade 8th or 9th.We use to finish our lunch very fast and spend rest of the time playing or going out of the school campus to buy some snack. It was summer time and my favorite Indian Gooseberries were sold around the school campus. In particular, an old lady will sell the berries with salt and chili powder sprinkled on it for 50 paise or one rupee in small paper cones (Mouthwatering!!!). We use to buy it from her and take it to the classroom and eat it during class time without the knowledge of the teacher.
One day, the lunch time was about to finish and I suddenly felt like buying a packet of gooseberries. I ran immediately outside to look for the old lady. There were few kids buying the stuff from her. When I gave her the money to get some berries, the bell rang. She gave me the berries and handed me the change. I didnt even look into how much she gave me back and ran back into the school. I went to the class and put the berries under the desk and looked into the coins she gave me. Thats when I noticed one of the coins she gave me was quite different. Since the class started, I couldnt put much attention on that. So, I slipped it into my purse in a separate pouch and listened to the teacher (Of course, I enjoyed the gooseberries in between).
I came back home and took out the coin from my purse. It was not any Indian coin for sure. It looked so different and I couldnt understand the things written on the coin. There was a picture of a person standing sideways on one side of the coin. On the other side, it was written "5" and some other things which I couldnt understand. Though I was little upset for getting some unknown coin from the old lady, I was quite happy to get some coin from some unknown place and was curious in knowing the details about it.
I tried to show it to some people whom I thought can give me some information about it. But, none of them could come with an answer. Some people told me that it could be a coin from Japan. Anyway, I kept the coin safe in my collection. Later, I collected many coins, but I always got it from people who were from those countries and so I also had the information about those coins. Among all the coins I had (Well, I still have all of them with me), that coin was special and its details unknown.
Many years passed. I finished my school, joined college and had no interest on those collections. They were sleeping safely on my wardrobe. I did my Masters' degree and by the end of the last semester, I was trying to apply for a PhD. I tried many countries and through many channels, but things were not working out.
I went to do my project in a research center. Thats when I came to know about a PhD program in Taiwan through my advisor. I also applied for it and got through the selection process.I was very happy and excited that my dream came true to go out of India to study. So, I made all the arrangements and with the help of many good people, I could do all the processing pretty much in a smooth manner.
The day came when I boarded the flight with all excitement. It was my first trip outside India and the excitement even suppressed the feeling of separation from the family. I reached Taiwan safely and was taken to the Institute. I forgot to change my money from USD to local currency (New Taiwan Dollars). Anyways, I managed to get some small money (300 NTD) from the administrative assistant of the institute as a loan with which I could manage a day or two.
With that money in hand and some small idea about where to get some food, I walked along the street near to my place. I went into a shop which looked like a small eatery and asked the person for some food (In English). But, the local people in Taiwan dont understand much English and speak only Chinese or Taiwanese. He replied me in Chinese and I couldnt understand anything. But, his actions said that the food was not ready yet. Also, the food didnt look Vegetarian and I didnt know how to ask.
Being tired from a long trip and confused with the language and the place, I walked slowly looking for some small shop. Then, I saw one which looked like a place selling some biscuits and drink. I went in and picked a packet of biscuits and a bottle of drink. There was an old lady (probably in her 70's)and I asked her the price for the stuff. She took a calculator and typed 30. I gave her a 100 NT Dollar bill I had and she gave me some change back. I looked into the coins she gave me back and counted it to see whether I had the right change. Thats when I noticed that one of the coins she gave me was something familiar. Yureka!!! I have the answer for a long time question. Yes, the coin I got from the old lady (who sold gooseberries to me) many years ago was a Five New Taiwan Dollar. There was no doubt about it and I realized it the moment I saw it.I cant explain the feeling I had at that moment. But, its really something amazing. It could be a mere co-incidence but still interesting. Right?
(Well, to still confirm, I took the coin out of the wardrobe when I went home after an year.And yes, its a 5 NTD)


Images showing the front and back side of a five New Taiwan Dollar

Well... Few questions linger in my mind regarding this...

1. A very old lady who may not have any idea about the existence of such a country got a coin from that place. How could that be?

2. There were many kids buying berries from her and the coin could have reached someone else's hands. It came to me, that too, when I was crazy collecting coins.Why?

3. I was trying out for a PhD in many countries. But, I got to get here. I just knew that there was a country named Taiwan but never had any idea that I will be in this country.

Well... There are many questions for which we can never get an answer...