Monday 19 December–Sunday 25 December Studying December is a time full of study and work for the Taiwanese before the arrival of the Spring Festival in mid-January. So, we naturally spent much time behind our desks in class and the library. NCKU’s library is impressive and provides a calm space to focus on homework. As…Continue Reading Taiwan: Week two
January 16th 2022 10:02 AM 大家好！ The last few weeks have been exciting and busy. Tomorrow, we leave to go to our elementary school service project. This will be our last activity for the trip. Before I move on, I would like to thank 360 international, Education New Zealand, the NCKU Chinese language centre, and…Continue Reading *alexa play teeth by lady gaga*
One of the things that I was missing out on so far during this trip was the chance to get out of Tainan. Tainan is a beautiful city, but there was still a lingering sense that there was a whole country to explore. Luckily, the end of my classes gave me a free day to…Continue Reading Tai gao in Kaohsiung
(Being busy has resulted all my posts being belated, but we will pretend this was posted two weeks earlier) It is crazy to think how fast 2022 has gone by, especially as it has officially been my last year at the University of Auckland! Ending the year in Taiwan is not a bad choice. I…Continue Reading Chapter Four: Welcome 2023
In all honesty, I feel like the older I am, the less excited I get about Christmas. However, this was the first time I would be spending it not in NZ, and away from my family. To help with the being away from home, a secret Santa was organised amongst us PMSA students in Tainan,…Continue Reading Chapter Three: Christmas (feat. concert)
We have reached a strange point in the trip. We have officially passed the midpoint of our journey, which now counts as the longest continuous time I have spent outside Aotearoa. It is a strange time to pass through because we have adapted to life in Taiwan, and, at the same time, we have not….Continue Reading Tourist trapped
Taipei’s New Year’s fireworks are world-renowned, so it was impossible to pass up the opportunity to see them. That was the primary driver of the most intense all-nighter I have pulled. Despite the difficulties, it was an enriching experience. Our night started in the day with a 1:30 pm train from Tainan to Taipei. Given…Continue Reading New year, new city
January 2nd 2022 9:56 PM 大家好！ 圣诞快乐！ 新年快乐！ This last week has been very busy. Busy enough that I forgot to submit my last blog for review! Last week was Christmas, which was very different and interesting. It was hard to be away from family, however. This was the second year in a row in…Continue Reading its not all fun and games sometimes, and that is ok
December 22nd 2022, 11:05AM 大家好！ 我希望你们很好！ 这周很忙！ 我们去上课，去开会等等。 This week has been our first official week in the 大学的宿舍, and I had not realised how much of a difference it would make. I will not lie, it has been a bit of an interesting experience to live in the 宿舍, more than anything because of…Continue Reading 台南 Shenanigans Continued: speaking 中文
大家好 and hello to you, reader! This fortnight’s blog post is about experiences I’ve found interesting as I settle into 台南/Tainan. They’ve challenged my cultural disposition as a second-generation Chinese-New Zealander in Taiwan. Reader, I hope you enjoy the journey through my thoughts. McDonald’s Mcdonald’s has unfortunately become my weekly haunt. The familiarity of the…Continue Reading McDonald’s, Tradition and Cultural Identity