After a seemingly never-ending row of flight delays and a couple of hours stuck at Auckland Airport, the eleven of us on the programme were able to get on the plane, and we were welcomed by the Korean Air SUPER M safety video. The flight was 12 hours, and while I have gone on other…Continue Reading Weeks 1 & 2: Settling in and Chilling in Seoul (literally) ❄️
你好！My name is Henry, and I’m a Law, Economics, and Chinese student at the University of Auckland (UoA). I have been fortunate enough to receive a Prime Minister’s Scholarship along with 14 other UoA students to study Mandarin Chinese this December and January in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan at National Cheng Kung University…Continue Reading Our journey in Taiwan begins
One of the first things we did in Taiwan was visit a Japanese department store called Hayashi. It’s one week on and I’m back here again, sitting in a café on the top floor, thinking about my time here so far. The hotel that we stayed in for the first week was right in the…Continue Reading Arrival in Tainan
Part One: The Journey The toughest decision to make: what to pack and bring to Tainan, Taiwan? The first thing I did was check the weather, to which I was surprised to realise the beginning of winter in Tainan is like summer in NZ, sunny and reaching highs of 25°C. Naturally, I packed with that…Continue Reading Chapter One: 8,765 km
As a New Zealander studying Chinese in Tainan, I am constantly reminded of the incredible cultural diversity in New Zealand. Tainan is such a different place, always bustling and full of life! Let me tell you what I have been up to this first week abroad. My experience in Tainan has been one of amazing…Continue Reading 我愛臺南
One of the things you will notice exceptionally quickly after arriving in Taiwan is how ubiquitous 7-11 (and its cousin Family Mart) is. These stores are the pinnacle of Taiwanese convenience, and if you spend any time in Taiwan, they will quickly become as important a part of your life as they are in locals’…Continue Reading An ode to Taiwan’s 7-11s