If you had told me three years ago, as I was getting ready to
apply for colleges, that I was going to attend to National Taiwan University
and study literature, I wouldn’t have believed you. All throughout high school,
I jumped around between wanting to study international relations and music
therapy, and those are what I had applied to most universities for. After a
friend had applied to NTU, I thought I would give it a try too.
Now, originally, I was going to attend Fordham University for
international relations, and even took a trip to New York City to visit my
future campus over Spring break before committing. (Taiwan’s acceptance results
came in later, just before commitment deadlines for US universities.) I had the
beautiful picture in my mind that I would become a NYC city girl, grabbing bagels for breakfast before heading to my 8 AM
class in Lincoln Center. But, I decided I just wasn’t cut out for the fast-paced
New York lifestyle. Instead, I am now a proud Taipei city girl, ordering a 飯糰
fàn tuán before my
9 AM class in 普通
pŭ tōng. It’s a
different picture, but one that is equally amazing.
When I first told everyone I was going to Taiwan, they all
looked at me with surprise. “All the children in Taiwan are begging to study in
the United States. Why would you go the other way around?” And I always
replied, why not?
Taiwan is an absolutely wonderful place to study. It’s clean,
convenient, and everyone is really friendly! The cost of living and tuition is
significantly lower than the United States, let alone New York, so I don’t have
to worry about graduating with crippling student debt. While the college
student stereotype is having to survive on cheap $1 ramen in the dorms, maybe
adding an egg as a luxury, I just have to go downstairs to get a full
well-balanced bento, complete with rice, vegetables, and meat, for the low
price of $2. I love my classmates and (most of) my professors, and the campus
is a beautiful blend of historic buildings left over from the Japanese era and
modern buildings built with new technologies.
School aside, my Chinese has gotten SIGNIFICANTLY better. Now,
I’m not saying it’s as good as my other Taiwanese classmates’, but I can
actually write full essays in Chinese (not without a couple mistakes, of
course). I’ve also learned much more about Taiwanese culture and politics, and
have developed a real interest in more than just my personal identity as a
Taiwanese-American, but in the collective identity of Taiwanese today. I have
gotten in touch with more of my Taiwan-based extended family, who have taken me
in like a daughter (shoutout to my aunt for bringing me home-cooked meals
during finals), and found a community in their church’s university small group.
This experience has not been without culture shocks (despite
having taken family vacations to Taiwan multiple times), but I wouldn’t have it
any other way. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I didn’t
choose NTU, nor do I really care. As I realize this journey is over halfway
over, I’m sad that I may have to leave soon, but also excited for where the
next chapter will take me.
