As my stay in Taiwan closes, I am immensely grateful to have the opportunity to study abroad in a
different country. I wanted to highlight three main things shaping my experience in Taiwan: National
Taiwan University’s (NTU) swim team, UCEAP, and ICL.
When I first came to Taiwan, I was looking for a community experience similar to what my swim club
offered me at UC Irvine. I joined NTU’s swim team and was instantly humbled by how good everyone
was. Furthermore, due to the language barrier, I was always relying on someone to tell me what sets
we were doing and what skills we were practicing. As I pushed through the awkwardness of being an
international student and continued, however, I became close friends with many on the swim team.
Every night after practice, the team would go out and eat dinner. Even though I couldn’t speak Chinese
well, I stayed and ended up having interesting conversations with different people. The experience they
gave me was unique from UCI’s swim club, and it was interesting to see cultural differences within pool
etiquette and teamwork. For example, you must always have a swim cap on when you are in the pool.
(I learned this the hard way.) People’s swimsuits were also different, with wider straps and no
midsection showing. These were much different mannerisms than what I was used to, so it took some
time to adjust, but I am still grateful for the experience all the same. Yesterday, I had dinner with two of
my swim team friends. I thought it would be okay, but I was so sad to see them go.
UCEAP linked together most of my current friends. It was like my freshman year of college again where
everyone was meeting everyone for the first time. I am immensely grateful to UCEAP for starting us off
with a foundation before the program even began so I could familiarize myself with my classmates. It
made me feel less alone, knowing that everyone was feeling the same way I was. Speaking to so many
people forced me to become more in touch with who I was and who I wanted to be, setting me up for
conversations with new people in the future. Throughout my journey at NTU, especially throughout the
last month and a half, I got close with my classmates and people outside of my program. UCEAP acted
as a stepping stone between people I was familiar with and unfamiliar with, and I am so thankful for the
network UCEAP has provided me with.
At NTU, my favorite class was International Companions for Learning (ICL). ICL is a program promoting
cultural exchange by coordinating online meetings between international students and Taiwanese
schools. I provided slideshows every week to present to the school I was assigned to, and I was
partnered with a Taiwanese student to translate my presentation. My favorite topics were on Halloween,
Thanksgiving, and pop culture because I felt like these were the most culturally different. The school I
served was a middle school in Hualien, although other students also served elementary schools in
different areas in Taiwan. At the end of the semester, ICL arranged a field trip to go to Hualien. In that
trip, we visited three different schools: two middle schools and one elementary school. I felt like a
celebrity because everyone knew who I was! The trip helped me get closer to other international and
Taiwanese students serving Hualien schools, so I was thankful I made new friends before my time here
was over. I also got to meet my students! They were so cute and taught us how to make tangyuan,
glutinous rice balls, and traditional Indigenous food. We also got to tour an aquafarm nearby and ate
their famous golden clams.
I am so grateful to NTU’s swim team, UCEAP, and ICL for opening my eyes to Taiwanese culture and
making my study abroad experience wonderful. Even if I come back to Taiwan again, it will not be the
same experience, and I am proud to say I have made the most of my time here.
