After being used to single rooms, living in a dorm with someone else has been a new experience. I am grateful to have a great roommate (shout out to Tessa), and so far so good! The first good thing about moving into the school dorms was finally being able to wash clothes, especially because it…Continue Reading Chapter Two: Dorm Life, Uni Life, Shopping Life
I don’t know about you but when I imagine celebrating a Winter Christmas, my mind immediately goes to snow, hot chocolate by the fire and ice skating, however Winter Christmas in Tainan was definitely not that! First of all, Christmas isn’t widely celebrated in Tainan and isn’t a public holiday so in the days leading…Continue Reading A Winter(?) Christmas in Tainan!
As our first week of freedom drew to a close and our impending classes loomed on the horizon, I began to settle into a more regular routine. The reality of classes beginning daily at 9am and my insistence on receiving a nightly eight hours of sleep meant I began to closely watch my bedtime in…Continue Reading Dorm life and settling into a daily routine
Tainan is a beautiful city with architecture hailing from multiple different periods. However, it has forced me to recognise and think about another aspect of civic beauty we often neglect – our footpaths. Despite the time we spend admiring the skylines above us, we take very little time to look down at our feet. Tainan’s…Continue Reading Mind the gap
Part Three: The Purpose Being a language exchange, we of course have Chinese language classes at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Chinese Language Center (成功大學華語中心). I was originally placed in H class based on a test done prior when I was still in NZ, but after discussing with the teacher, I decided to move down…Continue Reading Chapter One: 8,765 km (continued)
Recently, I’ve found myself comparing Tainan to my hometown, Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland. It’s no question that Tainan is different from Tamaki Makaurau, with its boisterous traffic like a chaotic but orderly anthill, its buildings crouched over the footpath and its alleyways quiet, culturally rich enclaves. …Continue Reading Unalikes and Likes
여기에서 together 무질서한 그대로 데카당스 이곳으로 날 던져 generation /we’re here in this together the way that it is disordered the décadence is where it’s at i jump inside, generation/ -tripleS, <Generation> As anyone would expect, moving overseas to a country where you have around the same, if not less, capabilities as a primary school…Continue Reading Chaos-Routine
Hello, and welcome to my first blog post!!! Going to Korea has always been my dream, and now that I’m here, it still doesn’t feel real! When I got the email telling me I got in, I was shocked and immediately told all my friends and family about the good news. I have been here…Continue Reading Korea in My Eyes!
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) ❄️
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