Hello All!
Last week I finished my internship in China and it was utterly bittersweet. I loved all the friends I stumbled upon and will miss everyone so much. However, I am glad to now be on a new adventure and reunited with people that speak American English!
This week I met up with all of my Chinese classmates from college to start a month long study abroad program in the city of Kaohsiung. Kaohsiung isn’t really the city that everyone thinks of when they think of Taiwan, so I will give it a little introduction to familiarize some of you with its background. First, they are Southerners, and they are proud of it. The people are laid back, friendly and extremely hospitable. I would even dare to say moreso than their neighbors in the north that resemble the culture of the American Eastern Seaboard. In a way, the Southerners are the Californians of Taiwan, and the Northerners are the New Yorkers. In result, this stark difference in culture tends to keep the southerners in the south and the northerners in the north.
So far, we have visited a cultural museum in Meinong, have tried traditional Hakka food, and have started our first week of classes in the University. The atmosphere is extremely different to that of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. There is so much space to move around here, likewise, not many people to occupy such space. There are many parks and most people ride motor bikes instead of the subway system.
The main challenge I have with adjusting from China to Taiwan is the difference in local language. They call almost every transportation mode by a different name, likewise the food and trash cans are also called different words. However, despite the differences, I love the new setting and can’t wait to explore it more in the coming weeks!
Until next week,
-LM