9/21/2023 6 Comments 1 month inIt has been a while since I’ve posted, but I’ve officially spent 1 whole month in Taiwan. Yay! I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but there's just so much to share.
I started school at the end of August and have been loving every moment. I attend 2nd grade classes at 新莊高中 (XinZhuang Senior High School) in class 205. School here runs a little bit different, in which the students mostly remain in the same classroom and the teachers change rooms every 1 or 2 periods. Class periods also last fifty minutes each with a ten minute break in between. Lunch is about half an hour and most students eat school lunch, which is served in large bins brought to the classroom for students to serve themselves using utensils and bowls brought from home. However, some of the students in my class prefer to bring instant noodles or buy something from the shop at school. The "shop" is a little snack store inside the school that sells an assortment of chilled drinks, warm snacks (like meatballs or fishcake skewers), warm meals (like soups, noodles, or rice bowls), packaged snacks (like chips, crackers, or cookies), packaged breads or cakes, and an assortment of candies, all for a very cheap price. My group's classes include Math, History, English, Chinese (which is essentially studying ancient poems and texts), Civics, Physics, Art, Music, and PE. However, because my Mandarin is so bad it is difficult for me to understand most of the classes so I usually end up using those class times as study hours. I've also been able to try out a few other elective classes like Spanish, Japanese, and I even joined a K-pop dance club. But, in terms of electives, I think it's best if I focus on my Mandarin and don't try to learn two languages at once. Also, I have Mandarin classes at my high school for 1-2 hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning with the other exchange students in my high school, which has been very helpful and enjoyable. I also have additional ~3 hours classes every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon with the other exchange students in my area of our Rotary district. My school has many other language classes but my class group, in particular, is an advanced English class, so many of my classmates speak English very well. I've become quite close with a lot of my classmates and they are constantly helping me to improve my Mandarin. I am incredibly grateful for my class group, especially my two angels (Mina and Yuan), who are two students that have helped to show me around school and navigate my classes. I often get to go out with my friends after school for dinner or shopping, which has been really fun. And I am very grateful to have a host family that lives near my school and allows me to go out on my own till late at night. About a week ago, my host parents and I went to the National Palace Museum in Taipei, which was very large but quite interesting to see. We also went to the cemetery to honor their ancestors, but I don't have any photos from there because that just felt wrong. But it felt pretty similar to what we do at the cemeteries at home, except here we brought a lot more food and alcohol, and there are no egg shells or orange peel tails. Also, here in Taiwan we have to ask our ancestors for permission to leave by flipping two coins and if one is heads and the other is tails, then we can leave, if not we have to stay and wait a while before flipping coins again. Recently, I went on a overnight camping trip to 宜蘭 (Yilan) with my Rotary club, where we river rafted, partied, and made various stops at stores and restaurants along the bus ride back home. I have never seen so many young adults and families at a Rotary event before, it was kind of shocking. Talking about Rotary, we also had our Inbound District 歡迎會 Welcome Party in 宜蘭. It was a super fun weekend where I got to meet all the other inbound students and previous Rotex. They set up various language games, cultural activities, expectation classes, and even a party. They even got us hotel rooms with showers! hint hint cough cough* However, in the past few days I've seem to come down with a bit of a cold. I have a sore throat, runny nose, slight fever, and have been coughing a lot. I also seem to have lost my voice because every time I try to say something, I sound like an ill frog. I was surprised that my host parents brought me to the local clinic right away, but my classmates told me that that is common in Taiwan. I now take 7 large pills three times a day after every meal, 3 pills right before sleeping, and a small shot of cough syrup after every round of pills. But I have already started to feel better and the whole appointment and prescription only cost me $200NTD (~$6USD), which may have been the most surprising part. Speaking of cheap prices, everything in Taiwan is cheaper than America. My meals usually cost about ~$50NTD which is roughly $1.50USD. Clothes are still pretty pricey with items costing about $1000NTD (~$30USD), but I can't complain. I haven't needed to go to the bank at all since I've been here. Regardless, I have been having so much fun and can't wait to see what is in store for next month! Bye for now! - 許美英 natalie <3
6 Comments
A Jen
9/22/2023 17:12:28
I hope you feel better soon! Always look forward to reading about your experiences!
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U Jonathan
9/22/2023 19:30:12
Food and medicine prices are amazing! I like the multi-layered sandwich and the huge dance club. Looks like a very filled first month of experiences! Surprised they let you take pictures in class.
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Moo
9/22/2023 20:45:36
I recognize your wontons! Glad you’re feeling better, and having a good experience! How exciting to see so many pictures with you in it. You have been VERY busy! Why is your name on the board so many times in the Civics class? It’s so fascinating to see how things are different in other parts of the world. K-POP dance class is perfect for you! ❤️
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A. Karen
9/23/2023 00:43:09
Wow! What a collection of pics and words! Love the update (well, not the part about being sick - hope you feel better).
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Bill Bolster
9/29/2023 12:02:44
Way to go. Sounds like you are fitting in just fine. You will get over the cold too.
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Doo
9/29/2023 19:05:17
HB…
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