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Lee, Michelle (李婉儀)
I have been visiting Taiwan ever since I was born. My parents are both born and raised in Taiwan. Therefore, I have been exposed to Taiwan and all it's cultural wonders. My parents often explained and introduced Taiwan's ideals multiple times. Sometimes I feel like my house is representative of Taiwan sometimes. Yet, coming back this year it was different then the usual surroundings I was use to. At meisan, where my family lives, it is high up in the mountains so I was kind of use to all the bugs and grass and heat waves. Though what really struck me as being different was the people that I got to work with and the children or adults that I taught and learned from. There was three hundred and fifty people gather from all over world in one specific area. We all had one goal in mind and that was: teaching English. So seeing that I was not the only one mixing my culture together felt really comforting. I enjoyed teaching my students daily. The bonding that teachers feel with their students are real and made me appreciate the process teachers go through every school year. Not to mention all the paperwork and lesson planning really opened my eyes. I mean I completely respect my teachers and I now understand how much they work towards educating us. The most important thing I got from this program is that people bond quickly.
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Ng, Kevin (吳逸臣)
My two weeks teaching at BaLi Elementary are easily among the most memorable experiences of my life. Although living in a rural area sounded appalling at first, the principle, teachers, and host family at the school were very welcoming. They constantly made sure we were comfortable in our OWN house and took us out on weekdays and weekends to explore Taiwan from a more local perspective. Their hospitality and care made our stay at BaLi all the much better. But what really made my experience volunteering with AID Summer so special was the kids.
The students at BaLi Elementary are brilliant. I taught the highest level class and their English proficiency far surpassed what I had expected. After the first day, my teaching partners and I already had to redesign our lesson plans to challenge our students. But AID Summer isn’t all about teaching. Every break I would be able to play with the kids, learn their games, get to know them personally, understand their young love lives and exchange contact information. All of the students in the camp were eager to introduce us to their lives. Not only would they play with us at school, some of the students living near our host family would come over after school or at night to play basketball and just hang out with us.
Anyone that knows me back at home knows that I do not cry during tearful goodbyes but I could not help myself seeing my students come early to say their final farewells. The image of one of my top students standing on the side of the road watching me as my bus drove further and further away from BaLi just broke my heart. I will never forget the teachers, staff, and fellow teachers’ assistants at BaLi Elementary and most definitely will not forget the students there. I can say confidently that AID Summer is an incredible program that forges freindships that will last a lifetime.
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Li, Marian (李人婕)
The two weeks I spent teaching were unforgettable. I can’t believe how lucky I was to be selected to participate in the Summer AID 2012 session. It’s even more incredible how I was placed at Lishan Elementary. It was refreshing to see how people led their lives in the mountains and how every was different from home. I come from Florida, a place known for its flatness and its sunny beaches so being on a mountain was an experience in itself. I really enjoyed the different perspective this summer experience has provided for me, both in the visual sense and the teaching sense.
I remember when I first groggily woke up from our long journey from Taipei I caught my breath when I saw the mountains. Although I wasn’t completely in my right mind at the time, I recall being confused because I thought we were just sightseeing. When it finally hit me that we arrived, I felt nothing but excitement. I hadn’t even met the kids I was going to be teaching, but I knew I was going to love it here.
Everyone we have met during my time here has been more than willing to go out of their way to help us in with our endeavors. I was actually worried prior to coming to Lishan because I felt that my Chinese would prove to be a language barrier that would inhibit my teaching skills. When we arrived we met school faculty that helped us, even when they themselves weren’t completely fluent in English. I feel like we bonded over these past few weeks since we helped them with their English and they helped us with our Chinese. I will never forget the people we met here because they made our time here even more special. I will always remember how we went to a peach farm after school to celebrate my roommate’s 18th birthday; it’s not every day that you can run up and down a mountain path picking ripe peaches straight off the trees. I also remember our weekend out exploring the mountains; the Lishan teachers took us to see all the amazing views and all the sights Lishan is known for. They were so lively and they made everything more relatable to us.
Not only were the teachers and teaching aids extremely kind to us, but also our students were outstanding. During my time here, I decided that I wanted to teach the basic level kids. I’ve never really had much experience handling younger children, especially in Chinese, but I really enjoyed the challenge these two weeks provided me. The children were pure and sweet to us; though at times, they were a bit rowdy and restless. It was impossible not to smile with them though. Especially in my grade, discipline is rather important since it is the school’s responsibility to teach the kids manners. Even though that was the case, it took a lot of effort not to turn a blind eye on a few trouble makers since they were too cute. Also, I can’t help but feel proud when I got the post-test results back because there clearly was an improvement, showing me that the kids actually learned and listened to me. I also learned a lot from the kids. I really enjoyed my time with them because they taught me to never overlook the little things; every little thing counts. I felt that we had so much to share with one another. During the first week of teaching, I unfortunately caught a cold and many of my students took note of that fact. I will always remember that one of my students, Sophia, gave me three herbal tea bags and a pack of cough drops. I still remember how she told me, in a cute, childish voice, to drink the tea and get well soon. Although my time with my students was short – a little too short if you ask me – I feel like we’ve been through so much together and I can’t imagine tomorrow without seeing their bright smiles.
All in all, this experience has been a real eye opener. I felt that I connected with everything here at Lishan and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I really appreciate AID Summer for giving me this amazing opportunity to come back to Taiwan and give back to this community. I have made so many memories that will last me a lifetime. If I ever have the chance, I want to come back to Lishan just to see my students again and see how far they’ve come. Every one of these Lishan kids has very bright futures ahead of them.
Not only was my experience at Lishan memorable, but also the people I met throughout my 4 weeks in AID made my time in Taiwan even more special. Although we’ve only known each other for a short month, it seems like we’ve been through so much together, making it really easy for us to bond. I can tell that our relationships we have made will definitely continue even after this program is over.
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Shew, Victoria (許毓慈)
Beginning the program, I thought I knew what to expect. My friend had done it before, and we just had to teach kids for 2 weeks and we get a free tour of Taiwan! Easy right? That's what I thought.
When I went to training, I got my first glimpse of the other 7 people that I'd be working for 2 weeks. I was unsure that would happen. I wasn't even sure if I liked these people. They were high school students for heaven's sake and I was already in college! I thought I got to leave high school behind already! But as our time together grew, so did our relationships with each other. I don't know when the transition occurred, but suddenly, they were my friends, and just as quickly, they were my family.
We learned a lot during our training sessions, but as each lecturer noted, nothing could have prepared us for what was to come. Teaching was crazy. The first day, the kids just stared at us. Stared. I felt judged every second I was standing up there, every mistake magnified for the entire class of 19 to record and analyze. Would I ever get their respect? Am I even credible enough to be their teacher? Everything we planned ended early. We were running ahead of schedule with no back up plans. We were stumbling over words. The kids just stared. By the end of the first day, I thought, "oh god, what did I get myself into? I can't do this. The kids don't like me. My teaching partner is sleeping. in a corner. when we should be prepping the next day's teaching material. ALLENNN!"
The second day gave me hope. The kids were loud. Energetic. Some even distractingly energetic. And thus it began. It flew by in a blur. I remember thinking each night, it's going so fast. And it did. Soon, one week was over. Closing Ceremony performances had to be made. Our class danced to "Count on Me", and seeing them on stage the last day made me so proud. I wished I could have stayed with them longer, teach them more, give them more that I had to offer. 2 weeks is never enough, not for everything I could have given them. Maguang elementary school, Yellow shirted "angel" counselors, my students of class B1 (Best Class- We're Number 1! As I always joked to them), and my 7 other teaching partners. They combined to make a summer that I will never forget.
Nothing I say can ever fully express everything that happened this summer. But I guess I'll end with this:
Life only passes you by once, and if I could relive it again, AID Summer would be something I would do forever.
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