🌸Hirodai Ambassador [Study Abroad News] Maika Ito, 2nd year, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine No.9

Ms. Maika Ito, 2nd year student, Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine

[Destination] National Taipei University of Education (Taiwan)
[Study abroad period] August 2023 to January 2.
[Type of study abroad] Long-term study abroad at a partner university

 

I have been studying abroad at Taipei University of Education in Taiwan since February of this year.

This time, I would like to write about the trip to Kenting in southern Taiwan that I took during my break from my Chinese class at the end of my third semester.

First, my third semester Chinese class ended in mid-November. There will be a two-week break, and the fourth semester will begin again at the beginning of December.
This is my third textbook this semester, and the vocabulary and grammar have become even more difficult, so I have more time to review. When I couldn't understand a word or the grammar was difficult, I asked my Japanese seniors and my study buddy friend named Gakuban. The class consisted of two presentations, an oral language test, and a written test at the end of the term.

 

Two presentations were given about my favorite leisure activities and most unforgettable trips.
I prepared the PPT, wrote the manuscript, practiced, and although there were still many issues such as pronunciation, I was able to do well. I was happy to hear my Chinese teacher say, ``You're much better than before!''

In the colloquial language test, students look at three pictures and try to create and tell a story on their own. I decided to talk about my experience. I was nervous and can't remember everything well, but I think I was able to finish speaking one by one without any problems.

The written test had many duplicate questions, such as those practiced during class and work questions, so I was able to solve them because I attended class and reviewed properly. However, there is a writing problem at the end, where students look at three pictures and create a story, then imagine a fourth picture that is not pictured to complete the story. That's what it was.

I practiced it a couple of times for homework, but it was very difficult because the pictures were completely different and I had to use the grammar I had learned.
If you are thinking about studying abroad at this university, I think you should practice writing and speaking a lot.

 

After completing my third semester of Chinese class, I no longer feel reluctant to speak and write. However, that doesn't mean I can understand everything. There are still many words and grammar that I don't know, so this was a semester that made me want to continue studying.

 

Next, I will write about my 2 nights and 3 days trip to Tainan (Kenting). I went on this trip with my Korean friend who is also an exchange student and roommate.
Broadly speaking, I went to three places. 3. Hengchun Kenting 1. Elubi Park (southernmost part of Taiwan) 2. Pingtung National Marine Biology Museum.

First, since I live in Taipei, I took the high speed train (bullet train) for two and a half hours from Taipei to Kaohsiung in the south, and then took a three-hour bus ride to Kenting.
On the first day, we ate egg cakes in the morning and had dinner at the Hengchun Kenting night market. As you can see in the photo, it was very delicious. I think Taiwan is truly a country of gourmet food ^^

 

On the second day, we went to Elubi Park, the southernmost part of Taiwan. Although the wind was strong, the weather was clear and the sea view was beautiful.

 

There was only one bus per hour, so we missed the bus and waited for a long time at the bus stop, when the manager of a drink shop in Enobibi backed up his car and came back for us both. took me to the park. It was a miraculous encounter, and the locals were very kind and made me feel happy.
In the evening, I went to the fishing port and ate sashimi for the first time in a while, and then went to a nearby night market, bought food at a food stall, and ate it with my friends at a guesthouse.

 

On the third day, we headed north to the Shinkansen station to visit the Marine Biology Museum. Since it was close to the sea, there were a lot of different creatures, so it was a lot of fun.

After that, I moved back to Taipei.

 

What I felt through this trip was the sadness that my study abroad would end in just one month, and the joy of being able to speak so much with my Korean friends in Chinese alone.

We met in April and at that time we couldn't talk at all and had to use a translator, but now we can talk about all sorts of things, including silly stories and love stories, which makes me very happy. I was a little nervous at first, but I was able to finish it without any problems. It was also a trip that made me feel really lucky to have met her!

 

It's less than a month until I return to Japan, but I want to do my best during the remaining period so I don't have any regrets about my classes or life in Taiwan!
I would be happy if more people would want to study abroad in Taiwan because of my article.