Taiwan: Go there. Past Review
By Kendall B (Computer Science, Trinity University) for
CIEE: Taipei - Intensive Chinese Language and Culture
I have already made plans to go back. I want to take a year to be in Taiwan and study after I graduate.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was definitely lighter, but outside of class merely living was a language course. I was lucky enough to have a modernly trained teacher (who did not humiliate students for poor performance) and classroom environment was similar to in the US. Other than language and rigor, it wasn't much different from Trinity. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff onsite was almost always available in their office and if not by cell phone. A few times in our program people became ill/injured very late at night, but the staff stayed with them in the hospital until 4 in the morning when everything was done. The staff were all knowledgeable. The program was a little big for my liking, we had 30 Americans which didn't force us to always use Chinese. My expectations were met. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in an all-girls dorm (no co-ed in Taiwan, really) with 3 Taiwanese roommate. It was very safe at ZhengDa, because it is situated outside of the heart of the city. Compared to the living conditions in the dorm in the US, I'm pretty sure that prison cells are more comfortable. We had to purchase mattresses, AC cards, locks for our door, etc. However, they let us live in the best female dorms on campus, so I really can't complain too much. We were very close to our classes and could take buses to Taibei for things to see and do. |
| * Food: |
Food was amazing, don't be afraid to take risks. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went to Taizhong, Pingxi, Sun-moon lake, jiufen, and a ton of places around Taipei. I went to Hualian to participate in a Buddhist ceremony and a Confucian Ceremony. With one of my friends we visited her friend in Tainan. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
When I got sick, I was able to arrange and appointment with a doctor the same day, it was quick and painless and I was accompanied by my program coordinator. Be careful wearing highheeled shoes, especially if you aren't great at wearing them, because the ground is uneven and easy to trip on. One girl dislocated her knee because of this. It was good compared to home and much cheaper. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Just on normal food, about 20 bucks a week. I didn't need to spend much money, but I like to go shopping, so i can't recall the need to buy stuff's prices. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Have some money on you when you get there to buy a mattress (don't expect much) you probably need about 2000 NT to be safe. Some of the field trips required money. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I could practice with tutors, language ambassadors, friends, shopkeepers, strangers, anyone. Yes, I used Chinese everyday. A lot of people can read and write English in Taiwan, but have trouble listening and are embarrassed to try to speak it, however they are always excited and happy to speak Chinese with you, and even more excited when you use Taiwanese. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't be shy, just try to talk to people. It's hard, but it gets easier. |
