In Love with Taiwan

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Arriving in Taiwan

Day 1

After 26 hours in the air and a 5 hour layover in Singapore, I was ready to land in Taiwan at 5:30 pm Monday evening. I had gotten a bit sick from turbulence and just overall motion sickness, but the warm welcome I received as I exited the gate was just wonderful and overwhelming. I spotted Jack, PP Fortune, and Uncle Camera (who I'd known from my bike camp two years ago) all there to welcome me along with my first host family, my counselor Shirley, the president of my club Uncle Jason, my third host father Sunny, and a couple of more people. I could not have received a warmer welcome. :D

Straight from the airport, Uncle Camera drove Jack (past exchange student to Texas who I had met 2 years ago), Julie (host sister), and I to his house to pick up his wife so that we could go to a welcome party and goodbye party. The welcome party was for my arrival in Taiwan, and the goodbye party for Julie, who is going to France as a Rotary Youth Exchange student. It was a wonderful dinner. My stomach could only handle a little bit of food, but it was very delicious. I met my 2nd host family and returned to their house for the night. Because of a death in the first host family, they need a couple of weeks to prepare for the funeral so I will move again in two weeks to my first host family.

However, my second host family is very nice and consists of a mom, a dad, and a little sister or "mei mei" named Claire. She is very chatty and talks to me as if I understood Mandarin. I appreciate it though. She's not letting me have it easy so I've been forced to really listen and try to discern the sounds that come out of her mouth........... so far nothing makes sense at all. I do know that she's asking a lot of questions and I'm just not getting it.

Anyway, the first night was a wonderful start to what I know to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. :D

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Road Less Traveled

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

I really like this quote. It's from a poem written by Robert Frost titled The Road Not Taken. It really hits close to home about my decision for the Rotary Youth Exchange. After graduating high school, most people will start working or head off to college. But not me. I chose the path less traveled, halfway across the world. :D

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Flying with No Expectations

I think it's important to note that as an exchange student, one should go in with no expectations. You can't expect people to act a certain way or the food to taste a certain way. You can't expect you'll get any special treatment or that you will participate in certain activities. You need to realize that you are in a foreign country and YOU are the one who have to assimilate into your country's customs. The more open-minded you are about your schedule and time, the more freedom you have to let the wind blow wherever it may take you. By simply having no expectations, you can't be disappointed about what may or may not happen. I mean, you might have to initiate conversations and be the first one to talk to people, but that's one of the reasons you are a Rotary Youth Exchange student. You are the one who wants to learn about other cultures, not the other way around. It's going to be hard, but the lower expectations you have, the less you can be disappointed.

Farewell for now...

Odd isn't it? You really don't miss anything until it's gone and out of your possession. Today, my brain connected the dots that today was the first of many lasts before I leave for Taiwan. Today was my last Sunday, my last day at Champions Forest Baptist Church, my last day talking with my 3rd graders in Sunday school, my last chicken katsu meal, and the first of many lasts. I didn't realize how hard it was to say goodbye. But you know, I'm more excited about what's to come. But when you have 6 days of thinking and preparing to leave the country, it's easy to forget the big picture. And the big picture is... I will be living in Taiwan as an ambassador for the U.S., building bridges and forming relationships with people in Taiwan to better make peace between our countries and with other exchange students. I will be completely immersed in the Taiwan culture, learning its jargon and studying their customs. No book could ever prepare me for this new life in Taiwan. So while I may be saying goodbye to many things, it's all just a simple farewell. And hello Taiwan, where many a firsts are about to begin. :D

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Nervous + Excited

The clock is ticking. I sometimes just sit around and think of the upcoming days of waking up in a new country. The aromas of foreign food tickling my nose and the Chinese language that trickles in my ear, and soon I hope, out of my mouth. The time is slipping, and now I have less than 2 months in Texas. I am so excited to embark on this journey of growing and learning and building bridges in Taiwan, but at the same time, I am nervous of how I will adapt to life in Taiwan. There are so many differences in cultures that each day is sure to be an adventure.

I have received some great news. My guarantee forms have finally arrived. :D. I have been informed of my first host family. I will have a mom, a dad, a 10 year old sister, a 17 year old brother, and a 16 year old sister who will be in France for a year with Rotary. My father is a Rotarian member of the club that is hosting me. I also will be attending Taipei Kai-Ping Culinary High School. This is sure to be an adventure as it is a school known for their cooking. I am not the best of cooks, but I do love learning and especially... EATING.

My host district is 3480 in which I am very excited to be a part of. I know they are a wonderful district and have known some wonderful exchange students from their district who lived a year in Texas.

My feelings in total right now? Nervous + Excited.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

2nd Orientation

So today was my 2nd orientation for long-term exchange students. It was great. I got advice for how to deal with living abroad, gift ideas, and stories from current exchange students. But it was still very very long....

Bad part was I DIDN'T GET MY BLAZER :(. If you don't know, Rotary Youth Exchange students all get this blazer. Most are blue, but i've seen red. Each students wears their blazer to events and whatnot and collect all these pins from various other RYE students and well.... your blazer turns like this...... which is AWESOME (Google Pics)! I can't wait! And while the 16 of the students got their blazer, me and two other students's blazers were back-ordered. I am very sad.

But I can't do anything about that. So I just have to wait. Which seems to be very much a huge process of the Rotary Process. If you don't want to read about it.... ignore the rest of this post :D! If you're a possible applicant, this may help.

Rotary Process (specific details for my district... other districts will be different)

1. Apply in October for Club Interview. This includes an interview and a written paper about why you want to be a youth exchange student.

2. After you pass Club Interview, you are given a very lengthy application which must have four copies for your December (1st weekend in December) interview. This is a two day ordeal as you have to write a 3-5 minute speech. Then you switch around to 5 different tables, each with 4 people (Rotarians, ex-exchange students, current exchange students) who ask you a series of questions for about 10 to 15 minutes each. After all the interviews are done... then all the students, the inbounds and applicants go to a YMCA. At the YMCA, there are many activities and talks. Many of the Rotarians are still technically interviewing us as they are evaluating how well we interact with other people.

3. Then, at the end of December, you get a phone call telling you you've been accepted. Some even find out your country.

4. First Orientation: end of January and a speech about your country (measure for blazers and sweater)

5. Second Orientation: Mid-March and a speech about Rotary. This is when I was supposed to get blazer :(... But I will get it eventually :D!

6. Orientation Camp: First week of June

7. Wait to hear from host parents, host counselor: Summer

8. Visa/Guarantee Forms/Airport Tickets: Summer

9. Finally get on that plane!! :D

So basically, you have a whole year of anticipation. It's such a wonderful program though because you do have to work very hard and go through all these holes, and makes the program so much more worth it. They also prepare you for a whole lot. But I know that no amount of preparation will truly prepare me. I'm so excited for this adventure! I can't wait.... :D