It feels like it was yesterday when my heart fluttered, just thinking about entering a university. Time flew so fast and now I am a fourth grader who is just before the graduation. From in and outside Sookmyung, I had a fun time learning and experiencing many things. However, on the other hand, I was striving so hard to build ‘specs’ (lincences or qualifications that are useful for obtaining a job) like outside activities, English certificate scores, and grades. I felt something lacking and was unsatisfied to end my university life like this. So I decided to apply to be an exchange student.
Preparing
I hesitated a lot before making my decision to apply as an exchange student. But after I chose to apply, getting ready for it was completed speedily. Fortunately, I passed an interview with International Affairs and was confirmed to study abroad at National Taiwan Normal University. With advice from a chief professor of my major, as I was preparing to leave Korea, I studied Chinese characters harder and set diverse plans to gain a fruitful experience in Taiwan.
Learning Chinese Deeper, More Marvelous it Gets
When I first arrived in Taiwan, I was shocked to find out that in packed signboards at streets, there were more letters that I did not recognize than those I knew. It was because the letters we learn at university were simplified letters commonly used in China, and in Taiwan, they use traditional Chinese characters. Along with the letters, it took some time for me to get used to Taiwan’s tone and pronunciation being different from in China. On the first day at National Taiwan Normal University, orientation for exchange students was held. It was interesting because half of the exchange students were from China. China and Taiwan have been in conflict for a long time due to their different ideology, but they gathered in Taiwan to know and understand each other. It was quite an unusual scene for me who was from a divided country.
I got to study Chinese Literature at Department of International Languages, and after university lectures, I went straight to a language institute to continue studying Chinese.
Language Institute of National Taiwan Normal University is popular for its systematic curriculum and outstanding professors, and they waive tuition for exchange students. In university classes and institutes, I often studied with foreign friends who also came to Taiwan to study abroad. Therefore, I tried hard to interact with Taiwanese friends after class, using Chinese as much as possible. Also, I tried learning calligraphy that I always had interest in, but never tried with the excuse that I did not have enough time. I didn’t get good scores, but it was a great opportunity to feel the genuine beauty of Chinese characters.
Pleasant Journeys in My Memories
With my university life in Taiwan, I planned and conducted long and short trips. The days when class ended early, I visited secondhand bookstores and read books of diverse fields thoroughly, or enjoyed the scenery of this beautiful island Taiwan and had a time to think about my future and me. On the weekends and holidays, I backpacked and took a journey by trainor tried having a home-stay with a traditional Taiwanese family.
Once, I went to the countryside and had a home-stay with my Mongol friend. The host family of the house were big fans of Korean dramas, so we all gathered and watched. Even my friend, who saw the drama for he first time, was so into the drama and was busy asking me all about orea. Because I was Korean, I was able to get hospitality and had a joyful trip. When walking the street in Taiwan, a Korean song can be heard from anywhere at any time, which sometimes gives people confusion that they are in Korea. Due to the Korean wave, Taiwanese are often friendly to Koreans.
Those journeys I took in Taiwan made my thoughts and life more affluent. Even now, back in Korea, I try to remember the saying “Travel like daily life, live daily like traveling,” and I am making effort to think of even a minor part of my everyday routine as special. Wherever you are preparing to study abroad, I recommend you to take lots of journeys there.
Great Country to Enjoy Foods
In the dormitory where I was living, there was a big student diner. Every day, diverse dishes were prepared, but within a month, I avoided going to the diner because the foods were greasy and oily like the features of Chinese food. I randomly ate meals and went to the convenience store and the result was losing 4kg of my weight. But soon, I became aware of a night market next to the dorm. Night markets are popular attractions and are called flowers of Taiwan. One of the most famous night market ‘Sadae Night Market’ was the one next to our dorm. My friends and I visited there almost every night to enjoy delicious and various foods. Shop owners even worried if we didn’t show up for few days. So the joy of losing weight only lasted for a short time, and I gained it all back again.
Another interesting part of Taiwan’s food was about vegetarianism. In Taiwan, it’s easy to see specialized vegetarian restaurants or vegetarian menus at ordinary stores. I went to a vegetarian restaurant often because one of my friends was a vegetarian. Only 5000 won was enough to buy well prepared vegetarian food and I, who love meat very much, was also into the charm of vegetarian meals.
Experiences that Frightened Me
Because Taiwan is hot and wet, there are many bugs. An especially giant cockroach in Taiwan was a shock. On summer nights, huge cockroaches as big as men’s thumbs are moving along the streets and I was so scared to even take a step forward. Once, it came out from my roommate’s bed and it was swimming in the toilet. Therefore, to survive the summer in a Taiwanese dormitory, to be safe from attacks of mosquitos and cockroaches, installing a mosquito net is a must.
Moreover, sometimes big and minor earthquakes occur in Taiwan. If the ground is shaking left and right, it’s okay to carry on what you were doing. However, if it is moving up and down, you should quickly find shelter. One time, in the daybreak, me and my friend took a stroll in a schoolyard and were sitting on the stairs watching the sun rise. Suddenly, the stairs and the ground started to shake hard. I was frozen for a moment, but it took only few seconds to realize that it was an earthquake. I stood up and ran down the stairs as fast as I could, leaving my friend behind. Then, the earthquake stopped and the friend of mine laughed really big saying “I never saw you running that fast before!” It was a very embarrassing moment to be startled and leave my friend like that. We went back to the dorm and everyone was awake. The friend and my roommates made a joke about me running away and it was fun talking about it, but right at that moment, I felt really sorry for my friend. Minor earthquakes randomly happen, but huge earthquake do not occur often in Taiwan, so you don’t have to worry about it a lot.
Leaving Taiwan
I changed my flight plan four times, postponing coming back to Korea and returning on the last day of my visa. Above all, it was hard to say goodbye to the friends I lived with for six months. I even had regrets that I should have been friendlier to friends in other rooms. Six months in Taiwan that gave me happiness more than I have dreamed will now be my cherished memory for my whole life.
