Taiwan seamlessly blends ancient traditions with modern innovations, exemplified by its vibrant night markets, shopping districts, and numerous cultural museums. My summer immersion language program allowed me to immerse myself in Taiwan's rich culture. Freshly graduated with a degree in Global Business and Asian Studies, I was keen to pursue advanced Chinese language studies and deepen my grasp of the APAC region, which was relevant to my upcoming post-grad job within the global beauty industry.
As a first-generation college student, I had prior experience applying for various scholarships, so the application process with American Councils felt familiar. Receiving the Fulbright-Hays fellowship made it financially possible for me to participate in this program at National Tsing Hua University. However, one of the aspects of the program I did not anticipate was the extent to how culturally immersive this program would be. I studied in Hsinchu, a city that pushed me to use Chinese in situations I hadn’t used it in before. One memorable experience was when I got my nails done, where I was the nail technician's very first foreign customer. We engaged in a three-hour conversation in Chinese, discussing various topics, including popular nail designs. Additionally, I expanded my knowledge of useful slang and grew more confident in my Chinese fluency through weekly meetings with my assigned language partner.
These amazing language learning experiences made me realize the substantial financial barriers that students from underrepresented backgrounds, like myself, face in accessing these kinds of programs without financial aid. Therefore, I made the most of every opportunity that came my way throughout the summer, despite the demanding challenge of learning a year's worth of Chinese in just two months. Another memorable experience was going to a DIY baking studio with two of my classmates to bake my host family a korean-style cake. Upon arrival, we learned that all the recipes, including baking tool names, ingredients, and instructions, were written in traditional Chinese. Though we used a photo translator app, we were proud of ourselves for participating in this very language-immersive experience and actually baking our own desserts from scratch! (photo)
DIY Baking Studio in Hsinchu, it was called 自己做烘焙 (My DIY Bakery)
Another fun experience was when I traveled to Jiufen on my own before meeting one of my friends there the next day. It was amusing because I initially used English to check into my hostel just to ensure I had no misunderstandings during check-in. However, when the receptionist discovered that I could speak Chinese, he funnily asked why I hadn't used Chinese from the beginning if I was fluent.
九份(Jiufen) was beautiful and I had the most amazing experience going to the old street 老街 and ordering a tea set from the famous 茶馆 there with my friends in the CIEE Taiwan program.
Over those two months, all of these experiences I encountered not only significantly improved my Chinese fluency, but also prompted substantial personal growth and reflections. Nevertheless, being able to go through this unique experience as a first-gen Mexican American college student was not without difficulty. I had to remind myself that I belonged in spaces like these where people like me traditionally aren’t in. Another challenge being in a country where there weren’t many people who looked like me and feeling out of place. During these moments, I learned that staying connected to my family and friends back home was important as well as being easy on myself whenever I made mistakes.
Overall, the impact of this study abroad experience on my career and future plans was significant. With a post-grad marketing job in a beauty company awaiting me after the program, I came well-prepared for meetings with a deep understanding of Chinese culture and current consumer trends, which are highly relevant in the global beauty industry. For example, my grasp of Chinese not only helped me comprehend their beauty standards as depicted on Chinese social media but also provided valuable insights into beauty trends. As a result of being able to receive the Fulbright-Hays fellowship expanded my future opportunities. My proficiency in both Chinese and Spanish has expanded my international market capabilities beyond North America, significantly enhancing the value of my skill set for a global business career.
Fulbright-Hays Scholarship Recipient
AC Study Abroad Alumni Scholarship Recipient
Taiwan Intensive Summer Language Program (TISLP) Participant
National Tsing Hua University (NTHU)
Hsinchu, Taiwan, Summer 2023