It has been ten years since I have been overseas. In the summer of 2009 I went to India with my family to visit my distant relatives. I knew that this out of country excursion would be much different than the last. I was alone. Unlike many of the students attending this study abroad program, I was arriving two days early to explore and preemptively adjust for jet lag. As I boarded my long flight, my conscience was eased when I sat next to Justin, a 14 year old Taiwanese-American boy from Boston. He was visiting his grandma in Taipei, which was great news to me, because he was able to tell me about his favorite foods downtown where I was staying. His father even helped me navigate the Taoyuan airport. Upon arrival, I knew that I shouldn’t be worried.
My first impressions of Taiwan were very positive. It was extremely clean and seemed to be running like a well-oiled machine. The I-house (university dorm) staff spoke English and were very helpful. I began exploring on foot the next day and realized that my sense of direction was not near as good as I thought it was. What made this area tricky for me was the dozens of narrow alleys with seemingly endless places to eat and explore. Unlike in Taiwan, in the United States, alleys in cities like this would typically have very few of these types of stores. They would also generally be considered to be unsafe, especially at night. I found it to be an incredible experience just to be able to walk around these alleys to get an authentic taste of Taiwan. However this “taste” that I craved was not as easy to attain as I would have thought. As ashamed as I am to admit it, the first place I ate was McDonalds. I chose to eat there because I realized that my new biggest anxiety in Taiwan was my fear of speaking Chinese. Although I have taken classes for this very purpose, I feared that I would make a mistake or sound foolish. I was able to order in English and left with a full stomach, but I needed some encouragement in my Chinese abilities.
As a naturally social person, I began to meet more of the American students on this trip and I found comfort in knowing that most of them shared the same apprehensions about practicing our Chinese out in public. Together we would go out and get food, and I would be more comfortable asking for a glass of water and smiling as I would say (in Chinese), “Sorry, my Chinese is not very good.”
In order to become good at something, you must practice. As the days go on, I am realizing that I may sound foolish at times, but I have become much more confident in my speaking abilities. What is also a major assistance in my Taiwan adventures is my Chinese language class. My Chinese class in America is more vocabulary based, so it is mostly in English. However, my class here is completely in Chinese. It is a refreshing challenge to actually be able to listen and follow along with what Wu Laoshi (my teacher) says, and to converse with her in Chinese. I am excited to see how much my language skills will increase throughout the rest of this trip.
Program: Tradition and Modernity in Taiwan
Term: Summer 2019