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Wang, Jenny (王瑋洁)
When I entered the classroom on my first day of teaching and saw thirteen pairs of curious eyes staring at me, I had no idea what the next two weeks would be like. Before arriving at Long Shan Elementary School, I thought that teaching English would be a simple task – my students would all pay attention to me while I taught some vocabulary and sentences, and then we would all play a game at the end of the day. The two weeks would be fun and simple. When I started speaking English that first day and only saw blank stares in return, I knew I was in for a challenge. During our training sessions at Chientan, the teachers advised us to use English most, if not all, of the time. But after learning that my students could not really comprehend English very well, I had to switch to Chinese. At first, I was a bit nervous because I was afraid that the students would have trouble understanding my Chinese. But quickly, I was able to easily communicate with them.
Now, I can say that my two weeks at Long Shan Elementary School have been one of the most challenging, rewarding, and fun experiences of my life. During that short period of time, I bonded with the children and got to know each of them. I always cherished the moments during breaks when I would have conversations with my students, and the hours after school when I would play basketball with them. Before class every day, the students would all come up to us and ask us what the lesson for that day was. We were excited to see that they were so enthusiastic about learning English and having fun along the way. The teachers at Long Shan Elementary School were all so friendly and helpful. I loved playing ping-pong with them after school, getting their tips on teaching, and just talking and laughing with them. After two weeks, it was very difficult to leave the students and teachers. Through tears, we exchanged e-mail addresses and Facebook pages, promising to keep in touch. During the closing ceremony, I expressed how much I wished to come back and visit Long Shan Elementary School and all its students and teachers one day.
Though I did face challenges and difficulties along the way, teaching was really a rewarding and unforgettable experience. Even as I write this essay, I think about how much I miss my teachers and students. Some days, I just think back and see my students pulling at my shirt and asking me to play with them. I still see their beaming expressions when they were told they answered a question correctly. I hear the sound of their laughter when we played a game or danced to a song together. I remember their eager expressions when we awarded them prizes at the end of each day. I still see our saddened expressions as we said our good-byes on the last day of classes. I look back and hear the sound of my teacher knocking at my door every morning to wake us up. I see him coming around to visit our classrooms during the day, smiling at us when he meets our gaze. I see us playing basketball after school and laughing during dinnertime every night. AID Summer left me with unforgettable memories and rewarding knowledge while leading me to meet people I will never forget.
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Hsu, Emily (許欣平)
I’m not going to say that AID Summer 2012 was life-changing, because it wasn’t. Few events are ever truly life-altering.
I’m not going to say that my students mastered the English language in two weeks, because they didn’t. Two weeks is simply not enough time.
I will say that AID Summer was one of the best, most unique experiences I have ever had, because it was.
Within our Jiufen teaching group, we bonded over shared experiences and intense card games (girls are superior to boys :P). Together, we braved cockroaches, mosquitoes, wasps, gigantic spiders, and enormous moths. (You get used to the ridiculously large bugs after a while.) Together, we climbed Keelung Mountain at 4 a.m., went paintballing, took pictures of the sunset, and ate delicious yuyuan.
Within the classroom, my teaching partner and I bonded with our students as we got to know them better individually. Cindy with her adorable stuffed animals, Vivi with her cute sulkiness, Tess with her quiet niceness. Eric with his determination, Jake with his intelligence, Stanley with his enthusiasm, Rex with his childlike characteristics, Ivan with his hat and sunglasses. All were eager to learn, the main quality any teacher would hope for.
By the end of the two weeks, I was impressed by how much everyone had learned, students and teachers alike. Several members of my teaching group became expert cockroach killers. Personally, I learned several interesting card games as well as the lyrics to quite a few songs. I’m really glad to have met and become friends with the people I did.
I’m happy to have made a difference – however fleeting – during those two weeks. While the kids will most likely not remember everything we taught them, hopefully we strengthened their desire to learn. Ultimately, that’s the most important impact we could have made.
I miss Jiufen.
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Kwan, Bernice (關怡欣)
I applied to AID expecting only to gain teaching experience for 2 weeks. I came out of this program with a completely different view of it. In the course of 4 weeks, I met and became close friends with the most amazing people, and got to see a new side of Taiwan and its culture. My teaching group and I were assigned to Cingshuei Elementary in Changhua, a rural area in central Taiwan. The first week of training proved to me just how unprepared I actually was to teach English, and surprisingly I learned a lot from all those lectures. On the first day of actual teaching, I was nervous, but loved my kids immediately. In those 10 days, I saw them open up more to the language, and my teaching partner and I had a great time in the process. The tour, which I was originally skeptical about being in, was also great. We had the opportunity to visit some of Taiwan's most famous landmarks and attractions, such as Taipei 101, and enjoy some of the most beautiful sceneries and views. This summer, thanks to AID 2012, was definitely unforgettable.
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Chang, Katarina (張以欣)
AID is one of the best programs for one to attend. It is a life changing experience. The people that surround you are amazing. The children that you teaching help bring out the best in you. The experience bring you back as a person to the better half of yourself. A person that is not consumed with college applications and finding the perfect college. Your teaching group will know so well by the end of your time spent together, you know that you have made life long frineds if you work to stay in contact with them. This is truly a special experience that only a few well have the pleasure and honor of attending.
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Tyan, Jasper (田耕睿)
I heard about this program about 2 years ago, at that time I was too young to apply. This year I turned 17 and I was eager to seize the opportunity and so I applied. After being accepted and looking at the forums, it was all a bit overwhelming. 350 random strangers trying to get to know each other. It was even more chaotic the first day with all of us crammed into a room.
My worries were unfounded, I soon clicked with my roommates and we had a lot of fun during the week of training. Then off we went to our respective schools. I was assigned to Sandi Elementary in Pingtung up in the mountains. When I first found out that I was assigned there, my mom warned me about the landslides and the typhoons that hit the area. I wasn't expecting much in terms of facilities and rooming. Sandi blew my expectations out of the water. They had just built a new building in which we were housed in; it had A/C, wi-fi and an elevator to bring us up to the 3rd floor. The four guys slept in a room while the girls slept right next door. This living arrangement really allowed for the 8 of us to bond. I'm so thankful that we all lived together, instead of like some other teaching groups where they were all spread out.
During my time at Sandi, I was fully immersed into the Taiwanese Aboriginal culture. For that alone, I'm so thankful I was assigned to Sandi Elementary. Other schools may have been in rural Taiwan, but nobody else experienced aboriginal culture like my teaching group did. In addition to that, I loved the beautiful scenery I saw everyday. I woke up with the sun coming out from the mountains behind me, and ate dinner to the sun setting in the far-out distance over Pingtung and Kaoshiung. Those two weeks, went by so quickly, it was over before you knew it.
Tour was a lot of fun and I'm glad that they decided to remove the demerit system. It helped facilitate a more relax atmosphere compared with the first week of training in Chientan. I wish it was longer so we could've stayed at some places for a longer period of time.
Overall I'm very thankful for the AID program for helping create a memory that will last a lifetime. Thanks to all those that were involved throughout the process. Thanks to all the counselors who had to take care of all of us. I know it was very tiring for you all. Thanks to my teaching group, Laurie, Farrah, Ivanna, Greg, Victoria, and Ryan, you made the past 4 weeks go by so quickly. I'll miss all of our inside jokes and the close-knit family that we created. I'll miss the late nights that we spent together, just talking and hanging out. I'll miss a lot of things, but I'll always cherish the memories we've created. A3-3 for life!
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Lee, Katherine (李念潔)
Throughout my entire life, I have always been proud of being Taiwanese, but equally proud of being American. This summer, I had the opportunity to be an American and a Taiwanese at the same time, experiencing and immersing in Taiwanese culture with the eyes of an outsider. Prior to being in the AID program, I looked at my time there as not hugely significant, simply another phase of my life that I had to endure.
That view changed as soon as I stepped onto Taiwanese soil. The counselors were kind and considerate, and though apprehensive, I began to look forward to my four week stay in Taiwan. I met my teaching group for the first time, and although we had contacted each other before through Facebook, it was at the Jien Tan in Taipei that I truly got to know their personalities. I learned that there are some things you cannot glean from a Facebook account, from online chatting. I loved discovering new things each day about my new friends, and their respective talents, strongholds, and idiosyncrasies. We spent the week learning how to teach the children at Ba Li Elementary School, the school that we were assigned, yet I was still doubtful regarding how much I would actually enjoy the teaching experience.
And with the start of the two week teaching time, I learned my second lesson. I found that I loved teaching the kids, and that I enjoyed learning more about them and their lives in rural Taiwan. They were mostly eager to learn, and those who learned faster helped their neighbors. I was teaching the class with the least amount of knowledge regarding the English language, and therefore did not have to change my teaching plans very much since I made them with the assumption that they knew virtually no English. I began to pick up on what the children could or could not do, and adjusted the daily schedules and activities slightly to accommodate their learning styles. I discovered which methods could potentially cause crying, and so attempted to avoid those scenarios and find games and activities in which everyone was a winner. I felt that I was successful in bringing English to these children, for even if they do not remember everything we taught, they were exposed to a different culture for one of the few times in their lives. I especially loved the bonds we formed with the children, for during breaks they would run into the classroom to show us the insects they caught or to ask us questions about America and our lives there. Their interest and eagerness to learn truly inspired me to teach them as best as I could.
The two weeks of teaching was not easy. I had to deal with at least six crying children who were bawling for various reasons, and the children became more rowdy and unruly as the days went on. However, I learned from my mistakes and I believe that just as the children learned from us, I was able to learn from them. I discovered that to be a teacher, you must be incredibly flexible and sensitive, quick to detect signs of danger and able to change courses smoothly if needed. I also learned to be patient, because for every loud and uncooperative student there was a quiet one who truly wanted to learn what I was teaching. I loved to reward the children and see their faces light up when they received the prizes they earned with their hard work: it made me realize for the first time of the true joy of helping someone else.
I will never forget my experience at AID summer. I will never forget Ba Li Elementary, nor my students, nor the amazing experiences I had there, thanks to the amazing teachers and administration that I met during my stay in Taiwan. It will forever remain imprinted in my mind, the children, the rice fields, the hot days in the sun, the loud chatter of high-pitched voices repeating vocabulary or practicing sentence formats, and most of all, the faces and personalities of my fellow teachers. Through this program, I have met so many unique and talented young adults from all over the United States that I would never had the chance to meet otherwise, and I am forever grateful to have been given this amazing opportunity to have the experience of a lifetime.
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Chan, Bernice (陳慧瑩)
When I first heard I would be going to Lishan Elementary and Junior High School, I had no idea what to expect. In English, it’s not clear at first that Lishan is high up in the mountains. All I hoped for was that there would be stars. Over these two weeks, I’ve discovered so much more than just a sparkling night sky. I’ve found solace in the mountains—when the children are rowdy and they finally quiet down at nap time, the view outside the window calms me.
Teaching at Lishan
I’ve always loved working with children but I’ve never actually been the teacher—the one standing in the front of the room trying to keep their attention and make learning fun. I loved teaching. It was daunting at times to flesh out lesson plans down to the minute to make sure there was enough time to fill in the periods. But hearing my students sing the English song I taught them a few days ago during break time, having them ask me to play the alphabet phonics song again even after three times, it makes it all worth it. After class I read my students’ reflections, in Chinese words simple enough for me to understand, and I love reading that Jeff had fun because he got to dance, Claudia was happy because someone shared really good candy with her that day. It’s bittersweet to read Vivian’s reflection on the last day of class—hearing that she’s sad to see us leave and hopes we will come back to Taiwan.
Throughout these two weeks I’ve learned to think on my feet. I’ve learned to improvise. On the first day of class, my projector screen wouldn’t stay down, so I put an umbrella on the handle which held it down. When there’s 15 minutes left in class and there’s nothing on the lesson plan, I’ve found ways to review the material. In these two weeks I’ve gotten a better sense of what the students need help with—namely phonics in sounding out words and spelling. When I hear that they say “N” as “un” instead of “en,” I realize I should place emphasis on enunciation.
In these two weeks I’ve learned a lot about Taiwanese culture from talking to the staff here who served as teacher assistants. I don’t speak any Mandarin, which was a great barrier to understanding everyday conversations and interacting with the people who live in Lishan. Luckily, my teaching assistant, Max, spoke English. After class, Lee, my co-teacher, and I would sit with Max and just talk about life in Lishan or Taiwan in general—the differences and similarities between his life here and our lives in America. I’ve learned that the garbage truck plays Fur Elise—an act many music loving Americans would find offensive. I’ve been in awe in the efficiency of Taiwan as a country in the way the train stations are so structured and orderly with a clear metro etiquette enforced. Coming from New York City’s subway systems, this clearly was not the case back home.
In these two weeks I’ve not only learned about Taiwanese culture, but I’ve shared a great deal of American culture with my students. They’re in awe when I tell them the cost of a hot dog in New York City. Or when I show them a video of Shamu in Sea World, or the incredibly tall roller coaster, King daka. They’re amazed that on Thanksgiving all we do is eat. At the same time, I’ve learned a lot about my students and what their lives are like. One of them, Kimi, keeps pet bugs. I was grossed out at first and had no idea how he could just let them crawl on his arm or sit on his head. He seemed hurt when I told him that in America we kill bugs. Over time, I’ve learned that this is the culture. What I’ve learned from this summer is that “it’s not weird, it’s culture.” This was a common response from Max whenever I was shocked by what he told me about Taiwan.
In these two weeks, I’ve also learned how to move on. I realized again that things don’t always go your way, but you have to make the best of what you have. After the first week, I went from having 16 students to 7. I was upset that the students I was just getting to know—the students that I really had a goal of impacting, left. Many of them had to return to their regular school to complete summer classes. Another one of my students, Kim, stopped coming to class after two days. After we ate out at a restaurant one day, I saw her walking in the streets. I asked her why she stopped coming to class and she told me she had to work. It hit me then that earning money for the family was often a bigger priority than education. The next week I was being driven down the main road in town and suddenly Max said “that’s Kim’s house.” I glanced over and it looked like a metal box—sort of a makeshift home. There was no front door and her living room was wide opened. He later told me that her family was poor with only her mother raising her and four sisters.
AID stands for Assisting Individuals with Disadvantages. Inside the classroom, you can’t tell at first who the economically disadvantaged students are. You can’t immediately tell that Kimi has a prosthetic leg from prior car accidents. You don’t know that you saw Kim wear the same purple sweatshirt because her family doesn’t have that much money. You can’t tell that Jeff has a learning disability—perhaps ADD or ADHD. I believe that every child, despite disadvantaged homes or circumstances, is a happy, fun-loving child at heart. My goal these past two weeks has been to encourage the kids, to inspire them, to spend individual time with them—to sit there with Brian even after the bell has rung and sound out each letter for him to spell. This whole experience opened my eyes. Yet I still can’t fathom how people live on a mountain.
Currently, Vivian, another one of my students, messages me on Facebook. From the way her sentences are phrased, it sounds like she uses google translate to talk to me. I try to keep my sentences simple for her to understand. But even though there’s a gap in our communication, I can piece the words together. I can fill in the gaps and understand that when she says “You need always to Lishan,” she means “You need to always remember Lishan.” It’s hearing her call me “Teacher” even while talking to me on Facebook that—I don’t know what—it makes me happy, to put it simply.
The chances of me returning to Lishan in the near future are slim, almost none. That’s why when I read that she wrote “I hope my teacher will come back next year” in her reflection, it’s bittersweet. I don’t know the next time I’m returning to Taiwan—this is my first visit and may be my only one for a while. I was so ignorant of Taiwan before I came here—I didn’t know that it wasn’t considered a part of China and I had no idea why. But after three weeks of being here, I love it. I want to travel to more places, meet more people, hear that there are opportunities for what I want to do. The world is so large.
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Yeh, Frank (葉日佳)
From the first day I learned that I was accepted by AID summer, my passion for this camp started to grow. I started to write up my lesson plan, to buy my plane ticket, to get my heart and mind ready for the great summer ahead. Throughout the camp, I learned how to teach young children. However, the most important thing that I have learned is the connection that will attach teachers to their children. It is no ordinary connection. Only after two weeks, these children have become very connected to my group. These children have changed our lives, as they have shown us how our lives and thoughts were back in the day. At the closing ceremony, the tears of the children brought us to our knees. The connection was so strong, so incredibly strong. Leaving the children and seeing them run after the bus as we left was one of the most moving sights that I have ever experienced in my life.
Of course, the work was no easy work. It was intense and tiring. But the result outweighs the price exceedingly. We have learned how to work as live as a group, as a team, as a family. Life in a rural area is very different from living in a developed area. However, through that life, each of us has learned how to be more independent, which will indeed aid us in our lives in the future as we grow in to individuals and mature adults.
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Duan, Michael (段祥安)
I did not know what to expect when I first arrived at Lishan Elementary School. Because I was teaching the basic class, I had a few concerns about the English-speaking levels and learning abilities of my students. I was told that the students knew their ABCs and some limited vocabulary, but that was about it. Naturally, I was worried about whether I would be able to effectively teach my students, because I wanted them to be able to graduate from the two-week program with a greater understanding and command of the English language.
The first day of teaching was exhausting. My teaching partner and I had to quickly determine our students’ prior knowledge of English, as well as figure out the most efficient ways to begin teaching our material. Although my students did begin the program with a very basic understanding of English, they were eager to learn, which was crucial to success over the two weeks. During the first five days of school, we began with teaching numbers, colors, and greetings, which the students were able to understand reasonably quickly. The students were soon able to not only memorize but also apply the material in real-world situations, showing a true grasp of the topics that they learned about.
During the second week of teaching, we mainly taught about sports, animals, and body parts. This section of the curriculum proved to be a lot more challenging to my students, and it became apparent that some were struggling with the material. My teaching partner and I adapted to this change with increased review sessions and games, which proved to be effective at helping the students absorb and understand all of the different vocabulary words and concepts that we were teaching about. It was occasionally frustrating for me as a teacher to see my students having difficulties comprehending what I was teaching about, but it was always rewarding when they finally began to grasp the material.
Now that the two weeks of teaching are over, I look back on what my students have accomplished and cannot help but feel extremely proud of them. Their diligence in the classroom and willingness to learn new material paid off, because they graduated from the program with a better foundation and increased confidence in their English skills. More importantly, as a teacher, I hope that my students continue to pursue their studies in English, and be able to utilize all of what they have learned in the future.
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Lin, Jodie (林紹裘)
I didn’t know what to expect when I came to Lishan. I had taught 5th graders before in my hometown, and since I was teaching a similar grade level at Lishan, I thought that the experience would be more or less the same. It wasn’t. I am mind-blown by the experience. On the first day, I became immediately frustrated when the students refused to participate in any class activities. I had given-up a job offer, a summer, and a vacation to come to Lishan. I had spent countless hours locked-up at Chien Tan preparing and revising the lesson plan.
On the second day, I slowly gained the students’ trust, first by rewarding a candy for a raised hand then by giving a sticker for participation. The students were beginning to open-up to me. Still, I saw my success as a credit to my teaching abilities and leadership. I did not understand the students
Nothing changed until almost a week later, my partner and I taught family member vocabulary and phrases to the kids. We asked each student to describe their families to the class. I was shocked when I realized that more than half the class came from broken families. Embarrassed by my insensitive question, I tried to change the subject. However, the students did not seem flustered by the question. At most, they were flustered by the English that they were required to speak.
Soon, the little details began to register in my mind. Wendy wore the same pink vest three times a week. Grace never took off her jacket. Joe’s glasses were broken, his sneakers were old, and almost all his clothes were torn. After talking with Grace and Joanne, our TA’s this year and last year’s summer camp teachers, I was heartbroken. These kids came to school to escape from whatever realities were at home, whether it was debt, abuse, or work. The students had a sincere appreciation for the little that we could do here.
From then on, I vowed to put all my effort into teaching these kids. Although our kids were excited, my partner and I were extremely nervous about the class skit, which was to be performed at Closing Ceremony. The task seemed impossible to pull-off when the students could barely pronounce their lines. Both my partner and I also stayed after school to make the dozens of props for our Peter Pan production.
The production was far from perfect. Kids still forgot their lines or hesitated between sets, but I didn’t care. The laughter on their faces during rehearsal was already etched into my mind. I always remember when Hook killed Peter or when the pirates “killed” the Lost Boys after the skit was over.
So, I just want to thank my students. Thank you Wendy – for volunteering to be Wendy when everyone else was too scared. Thank you Joe – for being Hook and killing Peter more times than I could count. Thank you Jessica – for being the most adorable teacher’s pet. Thank you Darren – for being Peter Pan. Thank you James – for your drawings. Thank you Joyce – for being my most improved student. Thank you Yo-yo and Ray – for spelling almost every word I could throw at you correctly. Thank you Annie, Mandy, Kevin, Shirley, Grace, and Michelle.
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Chang, Kevin (張碩榮)
I found my experience in taiwan very rewarding. There is no better feeling than feeling like you have helped someone and that makes teaching one of the most rewarding experience a person can have. I genuinely feel that I have helped the students I taught, and I feel they have taught me much as well. They have given me a greater understanding about what motivates children and learning that is an eye opening experience. Looking at the world with this new knowledge I see now that everyone is a child at heart, children simply haven't learned to hide it yet. Teaching is definitely an experience everyone should have as it gives a clear look at human nature.
About the program itself I found the staff very helpful and genuinely caring. They became not just our guides, but our friends. We heard valuable advice at the program center, and the teachers at the school provided essential guidance and support for our efforts. Teaching is much harder than I expected and I am grateful for all the help I received that made it as manageable as possible. Also, my fellow volunteers were great fun to be around, and my group members in particular were both fun-loving enough to enjoy being around, and mature enough to work well with. I had a lot of fun with them and didn't feel like we had to waste time to have fun either.
All in all, I have found AID summer so be an indispensable, rewarding, and enjoyable personal experience and I recommend that anyone who have the opportunity to join to do so.
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Kung, Felix (龔成英)
I came to Taiwan AID summer 2012 uncertain how well the program would be. Teaching English for two weeks? Is that actually fun? And how about all the other volunteers? Could I get along with them, or would I stay miserable for four weeks? But when I arrived the first day, I knew immediately that I had nothing to worry about. Everyone else was like me, nervous but looking to make new friends and have fun. Everyone was so smart and kind, and because we're all part Taiwanese, we could understand and relate to each other. When it came time to go to our schools, the teachers made us feel like home. They helped and cared for us like we were their children. The students were excited to see us and teach them too. Some of them were even jumping on my back on the first day, shouting "bei wo bei wo!" And during the evenings, I got to bond with seven other wonderful volunteers. We stayed up eating, watching movies, playing games, or just straight up talking. During the tour week, I made more friends with our tour bus, and we the talent show with all ten buses was truly fantastic. The best thing I got out of this program was making incredible friends - I became closer with many of them than some of my best friends at school. I had so much fun at AID - I still think about all the great experiences and friends I made everyday. Thank for all the teachers, organizers, and counselors who helped make this event the best experience of my life.
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Chen, Christina (陳薇安)
It is common sense (I think) to expect that the experiences garnered from AID would be mainly centered on teaching. Three out of four weeks is devoted to teaching, after all, and the program name as well as its clever acronym allude to it none too subtly.
This was partially correct.
I was able to learn a lot in this respect, in all of the ways that one would imagine and more. However, there was another important facet of the program that I had initially neglected to take into account: getting to know a varied crowd of people who would eventually become some of the best friends I’ve ever had. AID isn’t just about getting to help kids in disadvantaged areas; it’s also about making relationships and learning how to live independently.
AID sounds and is wonderful—but make no mistake, there were some disillusioning aspects to it. Firstly, the volunteer student populace is not as diverse as the program would like you to think it is; the vast majority was American, with some Canadians thrown in and perhaps one person from Europe. Nearly everyone was at least partly Asian. Next, the rules were not to be taken lightly. Some of the volunteers got to know this through firsthand experience, and only intervention by a higher authority was able to extract them from their situations. Lastly, there were a number of awkward activities such as icebreaking, singing, and endless group-picture-taking. But what were all of these things in the face of the happy result? Ethnic diversity was never an issue; everyone was unique in his or her own way. And in the end, we all managed to find our place within a group, if not within the entire scheme of things. The regulations seemed strict at first, but it was eventually realized that they were placed there above all for our safety. Furthermore, they were fair; no one was excluded, not even the counselors. And the touchy-feely icebreaking, the singing of camp songs, and the pictures all became either distant memories or lasting customs. I was able to meet a lot of people on that first day (if only by face and name), and in my experience the songs eventually became fond keepsakes from the first week at Chientan. The pictures, though awful to take in the Taiwanese heat, served to be precious mementos of my time with AID.
As for the teaching, I had the time of my life. I was aware that there were those who didn’t feel the same way, but my experience as a teacher was amazing. I was assigned along with seven others to Neihu Elementary in Yunlin County. It is a far cry from the city, but soon, that didn’t matter. We adjusted to living in the school dorms (which were, by the way, air-conditioned), surrounded by fields and mosquitoes. We adjusted to the stifling heat in the classrooms and out in the field. And we adjusted to the rigorous schedule of teachers, learning both to teach and to be taught. Hard work is key; I was rightfully able to get as much as I put in. On the days when I had spent the previous night hashing out lesson plans with my partner, I was rewarded; as for those other days, I learned that hardships are amplified when one is standing in front of a classroom of sharp, observant kids. The work was fun, though, and gave me a chance to get closer to my group mates as well as the teachers at the school. And the satisfaction one feels at the end of the two weeks, mixed with trepidation and happiness and a bit of melancholy, makes all of the prior difficulties worth it. The most convincing factor for me was the students. As the days passed, I found myself trying harder for them. I wanted them to get a good grasp of English, wanted them to find out everything they wanted to know about American culture, wanted them to feel the happiness that they were giving me. And while that may have caused a little more lenience than necessary on my part, I think (I hope) I managed to achieve what I wanted to do. It was inevitable that I would come to love those kids, and the hardest part of the two weeks was when I had to leave them.
There is just too much to say about what occurred socially during the program. It is definite, however, that my teaching group became very close. The magic of it was that us eight, who had been virtual strangers at the beginning of the program, managed become a family after four weeks. We went through everything together; it soon progressed to the point that even when we were allowed free reign with the entire camp, we chose to stick together. Even after the end of the program, we have promised to keep in touch. The relationships formed with the staff at our school were equally strong. Though our supervisors were adamant about doing what we were there for, they were equally adamant that we have fun. We went to various restaurants, scenic sites, and even a weekend trip. They got us anything we needed, be it food, materials, or just plan companionship. During the time that we were able to know them, the school staff became our friends and family; we even got to know their respective family members. Furthermore, the yellow-shirted counselors from that first week at Chientan became our pals as well. A week doesn’t sound very long, but it took only seven days for us to form emotional ties. With all of the people that we were able to meet throughout the four weeks, it was no wonder that each time we parted from someone tears would fall.
A day at AID was a paradox: enough experiences to fill a lifetime, but contained within a time so short. All combined, AID was the best month I’ve had in my life. The experiences and opportunities it offers are priceless; definitely, if given the chance, I would do this again.
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Chu, Emily (朱怡帆)
This summer, I had a wonderful experience at AID Summer 2012! When I arrived at Chientan Activity Center, I was immediately impressed by the quality of room arrangements. I was expecting to be sleeping in old wooden bunk beds (possibly stacked three-high), but instead we spent the week in rooms that resembled hotel rooms, each equipped with a flat-screen TV with cable. Life at Chientan was, while monotonous at times, quite enjoyable. I met a lot of new friends and had a chance to get to know my teaching group before being sent to our assigned school.
When we got to our school, Yunlin's Neihu Guoxiao, we were greeted by the principal and several teachers, which made me feel extremely welcome. It was clear everybody truly appreciated the time and energy we had put into this program. I taught the lowest-level English class, so my partner and I started with the basics: the ABCs. The kids were so cute and eager to learn! Though every class had its troublemakers, they made class that much more interesting. One of my favorite parts of teaching in Yunlin in such a rural area was that when the teachers took us out for dinner, we would often pass our students riding their bikes along the roads. They would greet us with wide smiles and enthusiastic waves.
During my two weeks at Neihu Guoxiao, the teachers and faculty took such good care of us! They provided more food than we could finish, taught us calligraphy, took us out on the weekends, and were always there for us when we were having both classroom troubles and personal health problems. I always felt so safe and looked after when I was under the care of the staff at Neihu Guoxiao, and it made me feel very lucky to have been sent to such a wonderful school.
I hope to be able to go back to Neihu Guoxiao in the future to visit, and I feel very blessed to have been able to touch the lives of so many. I will never forget the experiences I had at AID Summer 2012. From all the friends I made, to all the places I went, to all the experiences I encountered, AID Summer truly made my summer vacation one-of-a-kind.
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Chang, Lee (張立傑)
From the first week of AID Summer to the very last day, I could say that as a whole, it has been a very eye-opening and perspective changing experience. Honestly the lectures the first week were a bit boring, but the insight I gained from them were probably very valuable to my teaching experience as a whole, even if I was not fully paying attention, just being there probably helped to teach me a lot itself. The first week was also a great time to explore and make friends with the people who would be at your school, as well as other people in the program. I’m a little disappointed to say that I did not really take any time the first week to get to know the counselors, because most, if not all, of them are great people, and I am a little bit disappointed that I didn’t get to know them even better on the last week of tour.
As for my time teaching, my time at Lishan Elementary School was very enlightening. I could say that the kids probably learned as much from me as I learned from them. In the beginning, they were all shy, but as time went on and the days passed, I got to know them better and they came out of their shells. Sometimes, they were rambunctious and sometimes they were very quiet and didn’t pay attention, but overall, they were very good kids and very enthusiastic about learning English. I feel that sometimes I could have taught them ‘better’, but looking back on the experience overall, I think we did a pretty good job and that the children enjoyed the experience as well and they will have memories of it that will last for a long time.
Sometimes it was a bit difficult to work when the internet went down, but I think Bernice and I improvised pretty well and made new plans that seemed to work pretty well. I found that sometimes the children were only mimicking us, but I believe that is a good thing, because it is a step to understanding, and when we noticed it, we addressed it and tried to turn mimicry into comprehension.
The students especially enjoyed song and dance and anything that involved active movement, and the class would get really loud at times, I heard rumors that the other classes were jealous of all the fun they thought we were having because they could hear us from upstairs, and we did have a lot of fun together indeed.
The greatest thing that I hope the students can take away from this experience is the importance of learning English. The words that the principal gave on the morning of the closing ceremony about the importance of English struck me as very important and it is something I hope has been revealed to the children in our two weeks at Lishan. From them, I learned that I have to be more patient, and I learned how to work with people who don’t speak English, which is my native tongue, this was quite a new experience for me, even though I was a teaching assistant at a Chinese school, it was quite different teaching children who did not speak English, but I found that, more often than not, most children act in basically the same way. I also found that acting as a translator for my teaching partner was a very eye-opening experience as well, since my grasp of Chinese is not amazing, I would sometimes have to think on my feet to piece together whatever I was trying to convey to her, and I believe that it worked a different part of my mind than I usually use, and I am glad to have had the experience of such a thing.
I am extremely grateful for these experiences as a teacher and I have come to the conclusion that I would never want to teach elementary school children because it is extremely tiring and I now respect my elementary school teachers all the more for doing such a great job. If I ever were to consider a career path in teaching I would probably stick to older children. As a volunteer at Lishan Elementary school in AID summer 2012, I can truly say that the experience has been truly perspective altering and eye-opening, and I am truly grateful to all those who made it possible including the students. I am also very indebted to all our invaluable T.A.s, for without them some things would have been nearly impossible and much would most definitely have been lost in translation.
The last week of AID Summer I would say wrapped up this exhilarating month with a bang. I got to explore all of Taiwan with newfound friends on Bus 1, including counselors. Some people would complain about the living conditions, but I am just grateful that we didn’t have to live on the bus and that we were provided for, and all that I would have to say to them is that they should be grateful for the experience overall, and I’m sure that they are. As for living in a room with 7 other people, it’s not an experience that happens every day and despite the difficulties, I actually relish and enjoyed the experience. It was a quite a way for me to be introduced to new people, I had never even met these people before because they were on a different bus and I was amazed to find out how interesting and talented that they were. It was experiences like these throughout AID that made it special for me, making connections and learning about new people.
For the most part, I enjoyed all the places we went to, and I feel like it was an important mix of different kinds of experiences. Despite, the camp’s rule of not being allowed to play at the seashore, I think that AID compensated for it in other ways, and I know that the strict rules were just the government looking out for us. As a whole, this month will be unforgettable and I have made lifelong friends and experienced things that will influence my decisions for a lifetime.
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Li, Justine (黎可涵)
Going into this year's AID summer program, I was a 17-year-old, recent high school graduate - one who was definitely excited and looking forward to the summer and the road ahead. Coming out of it, though I am still excited for college and beyond, I am now an 18-year-old, incoming college freshman who is more prepared than I was before this program - one that provides so many unforgettable experiences and lessons to be learned all throughout its duration.
Training week was alright. I had the best roommates I could ask for, a group that included three members of my teaching group. I had the chance to spend time with them, my dining table, the rest of my teaching group, our amazing mentor, Apple, and a little time with the other volunteers from AID. Regarding the lecture time, teachers like Ms. Evelyn Wen had a positive impact on me. On the other hand, I do wish we could've had at least a little more time with our teaching group and mentor (Apple), i.e. Group Time, rather than extensive time in the lecture halls. if the lecture time allotted allowed us to also spend more time interactive and exchanging ideas with other groups and the rest of AID that would've been great too.
The following weeks were what the AID program is all about and what I came for; once I got on the bus with my teaching group and the Ching Shuei group to head for Changhua, the excitement kicked in, full-on.
I can still remember the day and time we arrived at our school, Chao Yang Elementary, met one of our resident alternative-military men, Douglas, for the first time, and even when we went out to eat, go supply shopping that night, and hung out that night - from the hospitality and compatibility we felt from the people at Chao Yang and between all of us, even from the very first day, I knew the next two weeks at least wouldn't be as bad as it could be and would be spent with great people.
After some nervous excitement Sunday night, and a relatively smooth first day on Monday, the next two teaching weeks seemed to just fly by. With each class and every time spent with our students and each other, not only did we learn about our students' abilities but we learned what everyone thought about certain things, including American culture, about what they liked doing and learning about, and about everyone in general - all while exchanging ideas and sharing experiences about a multitude of subjects including our different cultures. In the end, this all made it that much harder to leave but also made these memories that much more vivid. I'll never forget our four-room dormitory and two-story school, but most of all our two alternative-military men, Max and Douglas, our mentor, Apple, the school principal and directors, our friend, Lucy, my ~26 students, all of Chao Yang's kids, even those that graduated and/or often visit the school, my friend, our school stray dog, my 5 fellow volunteer teachers and friends, Alison, Catherine, Rachel, Jerry and Anthony and the innumerable memories we made, from playing Bananagrams in the dorm, to dancing with the previous program's volunteers and 6th grade dance team, to our night runs and workouts, crazy early morning antics, and also to the in-depth talks about anything and everything.
Then it was suddenly Saturday, the day of our departure, the day of our reunion with friends from other groups, the day of another round of goodbyes, with Apple and temporarily with Max and Douglas, and the beginning of our Southern tour week. Ten Drum Culture Village, Formosan
Aboriginal Culture Village, rock climbing and survival skills training, Daichi (Daxi) Lao Jie (with its delicious guava and cactus ice), and the Presidential Office Building (I sincerely thought it was very interesting) and the talent show/farewell party - all were activities and places I probably never could have experienced without AID and were made so fun and interesting particularly because it was spent with the AID volunteers and in my case, Bus 1's Wiki, Ivan, mindy, jason, and Ee-John.
I only heard good things and reviews about AID before considering applying and joining myself - now I can assertively and wholeheartedly know and tell others about my equally if not even more thrilling and enriching experience as a 2012 AID summer program volunteer. As I mentioned before, I am now an 18-year-old, incoming college freshman, and I had one of the best summers and I don't regret joining even a bit, even during the summer before my first year in college. AID was a great program that taught me so much about my heritage and human interaction and learning; I can only hope that I was able to make the summer of Chao Yang's students equally as fun and enriching and possibly even play a role in their education and learning of English and American culture as well as maybe open their eyes to the endless world of never ending possibilities beyond their home, Chao Yang, beyond Chang Hua and beyond Taiwan.
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Chen, Catherine (陳艾琳)
I was as apprehensive as I was excited when I sent in my acceptance to AID, if not more so. The ideas of spending a month in a foreign country where I hadn’t been for nearly ten years and of being thrown into the countryside to teach complete strangers were terrifying. When I arrived in Taiwan, I was relieved to find that our training in preparation for teaching was extensive, and that many of the volunteers were like me–not that good at Mandarin, not that in touch with Taiwan, but all willing to learn more about their culture and to help make a difference.
Arriving at Chao Yang Elementary School, I don’t think any of us really knew what to expect. What I know I didn’t expect to be leaving with was a newfound camaraderie with my teaching group; as people who’d lived together for a month, we learned each other’s quirks, made each other laugh, and supported one another. I certainly didn’t expect to feel such sadness upon departure–compounded by the wonderful students who came to wish us goodbye and the realization that for the last two weeks, the school had truly felt like home.
Teaching was something that I thought I’d experienced before, but working with these fourth graders turned out to be a brand new experience. They were initially more introverted than other students that I’ve taught in the past, and I first thought the next two weeks would be a drag. Thankfully, as we edited our teaching plans and styles to accommodate for their abilities, and established a daily routine, the students became more outgoing and willing to talk to us. While they told us about anything and everything, I’m glad to say that what my partner and I brought them was a taste of the world. We gave them the opportunities to decorate a Christmas tree, to taste a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, to make pancakes in the American style (with plenty of extra butter!), and to play American dodgeball. AID Summer has truly been a unique chance to experience something radically different, and to hopefully make a difference.
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Chang, Alison (張詠文)
When I started teaching at Chao Yang Elementary School, I was extremely nervous. I didn’t see how the one week of training in Taipei could possibly render me qualified to teach twenty or so students for two weeks. My first day of classes only made me more anxious – although I could more or less speak and understand Mandarin fluently, I discovered that many of my students were accustomed to speaking Taiwanese, of which I only know a handful of phrases. I felt more helpless as I looked around at the Mandarin written around the classroom and was only able to read 50% or so of the words. We had originally intended to run classes solely in English, as AID had instructed, but the students would not respond, merely gazing back at us with blank faces. But even after we switched to Mandarin, some of the shyer students still would not speak at all. I was frustrated, to say the least.
Yet I soon discovered that what former AIDers told me was true – the beginning is tough, but you become a better teacher every day. As we got to know their strengths and weaknesses, we were able to create lesson plans that were both fun and educational. We quickly found that they absolutely loved playing Pictionary, so we incorporated it into nearly every afternoon as a means of reviewing vocabulary. We were even able to set up teams that were more or less equal, to keep students from becoming frustrated by unbalanced groups. As the students got to know us better, often stopping by the dorm during the afternoons or evenings to chat about our languages, favorite foods, hobbies, and cultures as a whole, they opened up in the classroom, too, waving their hands in excitement to answer questions or to come up to the board to draw. Their interest in America and my life back home surprised me – I never realized how exotic and exciting other countries could be to kids for whom travelling was very unlikely, if not impossible. I also surprised myself with the amount of Taiwanese culture I was absorbing from being around these students and in this community – although this was my 8th time visiting Taiwan, it was the longest amount of time I had ever stayed, and also my first chance to leave my comfort zone of staying in my relatives’ houses in Taipei. Some of the things I learned about the kids and their lifestyles shocked me; some of the things made me smile. Overall, every conversation just helped me understand them better as people and as students.
As the teaching period drew to a close, I suddenly realized that I had come to care for the students more than I’d thought possible in a mere two weeks. It struck me that it was very possible that I would never see them again, and I started tearing up because I want so badly to stay updated on their lives, to watch over them and keep them out of trouble. I wished desperately that I had succeeded in helping them even in the smallest of ways, but I also didn’t see how I had the power to really make a difference. However, when the time came to give them little souvenirs from New York City, open the floor for any questions they had on any topic, and say good bye, I was shocked by how much they cared about us, the teachers. They clamored for us to sign their NYC bracelets and keychains, and then they even asked us to sign their hands and arms! As a concert pianist, I have performed in front of thousands of people, given hour long solo concerts, and even recorded a performance and interview for national radio, but I had never felt more famous. Question after question about how long we were staying in Taiwan and what we were doing once we finally flew home rang out, and I started tearing up again when I realized that they truly were interested in our lives. They asked us to please come visit, and I answered without hesitation that I would do everything I could to come to Chao Yang again. When we went up onstage during the school’s closing ceremony to sing and dance to Maroon 5’s “Payphone,” I looked around at my students, smiling and dancing and singing (and yes, making up a few of the words, but singing nonetheless!), and I suddenly felt certain that, at the very least, they had come to love English more, and many of them had truly become more familiar with and skilled at the language.
Throughout the afternoon and early the next morning, we heard students’ voices calling at the dormitory door for us to come out. Some came bearing bubble tea or breakfast sandwiches, others homemade cards and stuffed animals; all of them had a wistful look in their eyes that I know was very much present in mine (and still is, whenever I am reminded of them – like now). The tears only flowed faster when I looked out the window of the bus at the four students who had gotten up before 7:00 am on a Saturday to see us off, and I cried again when I read the first of many tearful Facebook messages. Even now, a week and a half later, every time I read their “Teacher, when will you be online?”s or the “Teacher, come visit us!”s and the “Teacher, please don’t ever forget us!”s, especially from those quietest students whom I never suspected cared so much about keeping in touch with me, I smile and tear up at the same time and quickly open up Google translate so that I can respond to them in what is probably very strange sounding Chinese.
The tour, of course, was also incredible – although it felt very strange to be reunited with other teaching groups after bonding so intensely with my own for two weeks, there was also a wonderful feeling that we had earned the right to eat and shop all over Taiwan. After trying to teach my students about America and my own culture, I was now being taught about this Taiwan that I had proudly called my home country for so many years. Although I am an awful packer and usually get nauseated during every car ride, I soon picked up the rhythm of getting all my stuff together every morning only to move to a new location that night, and I quickly fell asleep every time we hit the road.
Perhaps this sounds cheesy, but when we finally returned to the Chien Tan Activity Center where we had lived during the initial training week, I felt more than ever that I had grown up. There are little things, like my decision to ride roller coasters (which I’m incredibly afraid of!) at the Aboriginal Culture Village or to eat miscellaneous meat that was served at dinner, but there are also bigger things, like new phrases that I’ve learned in Mandarin or Taiwanese, or the weight that both me and my suitcases have gained in the form of food and new clothes. And for the past few years, I had become set on becoming a musician or a psychologist/neuroscientist, but when someone at Chao Yang told me that I should consider coming back to Taiwan someday to teach English, I found myself seriously considering it – not just for a moment, but even now.
I don’t know if I will end up teaching in Taiwan, or, sadly, even if I will ever return to Chao Yang and see my kids. But I do know that prior to this summer and this experience I never would have considered living anywhere but New York. I came here with the intention of teaching a class of students about my language and my culture, but I think that I have gained even more. A month ago at Chien Tan, the AID instructors told us that we are paid in six figures – in $MILE$ – and we all laughed. But it couldn’t have been more true. Everything that once annoyed me, from the fluorescently orange uniform shirts to the notoriously unreliable Wifi, now only makes me smile. I don’t think I’ve ever changed my mind about so many things during four weeks as I have this summer, but I couldn’t be happier that I did.
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Huang, Tiffany (黃晶)
When I first registered for AID Summer 2012, I was excited because I have wanted to participate in such a program for years, but I had never reached the age limit. At the same time, however, I was filled with a sense of anxiety; I have never taught a group of kids, and wasn't sure if I knew how to control the classroom.
During the first week at Chientan, I was often very bored. While it was fun meeting new people, we had to sit in lectures all day, and often times, the teachers treated us like five year olds. Many times, their lessons overlapped, and they taught things we already knew. I think that next time, they should directly give us ideas we could teach the children instead of sitting through such long lessons. In addition, I found the demerit system very restricting. Some of the most basic freedoms were prohibited. Volunteers weren't allowed to leave Chientan at all, which I find highly unreasonable because all of us are over sixteen and know how to take care of ourselves.
The two weeks of teaching were an amazing and unforgettable experience. Although I soon discovered that teaching was a very tiring activity, I interacted daily with my students, and it was enjoyable teaching them English in fun ways. The kids were adorable, and would always try interacting with us. When the time came to leave, I found it difficult to say goodbye, and found myself shedding many tears.
During the two weeks of teaching, our teaching group also got extremely close. Having spent two weeks together 24/7, we learned about each others' little quirks. We became a tightly-knit family.
I found that the last week of tour was slightly boring because most of the time was spent on a tour bus. We'd usually only stay at sites for twenty minutes, and get on the bus for two hours. In addition, I feel like some of the places we visited (temples) were slightly boring and would not appeal to our age group. However, I enjoyed spending more time with my teaching group.
I feel that the way AID separates volunteers into teaching groups (region and age) can be improved because sometimes, people get put into groups of people they already know, and I think that in participating in AID Summer, a big benefit is making new friends.
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Su, Ivana (蘇秀蘭)
When I had first read the letter of acceptance, I was excited that I was given the opportunity to participate in a program as significant and massive as this. But I admit that as July crept closer, the excitement gradually shifted to fear and anxiousness. Now that the initial shock wore off, I was forced to face reality-- what if I didn’t fit in with my teaching group? What if my poor Chinese was too much of an obstacle in communicating with others? The “what if’s” that I worried about, combined with the fact that I would be alone in a country to which I had never been, definitely contributed to the nervousness I felt on the first day of Training Week.
I knew that without a doubt, I would be homesick during the first couple of days. And I was.
There were so many rules, rules that I wasn’t used to. I missed New York; I missed home; I missed my family. But when we were shipped off to our schools and forced to bond with our teaching groups, I came to realize that in a way, I had found another family here. In our small group of eight (which had seemed so much larger in the beginning), we formed strong ties with each other over the course of a mere 2 weeks-- revising teaching plans late in the night, discussing our students during lunch everyday, playing with the kids after school.
And the kids-- the kids were absolutely wonderful. They were adorable and playful at times, and then they were rebellious and stubborn the other times. But most importantly, they had a genuine interest in learning, which definitely made my teaching experience more enjoyable.
In retrospect, contrary to my feelings at the start of the program, I had such an incredible time during this past month. I am incredibly grateful to have had an experience like this, as it will be an unforgettable one. Would I do this program again in the future? To be quite honest, I would not-- I wouldn’t be able to help but compare every single detail of my first and second experience. I am perfectly content with the memories I have now, and if I could go back to relive them, I would.
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Van, Kathy (文蔚君)
I went in expecting less than what was given, therefore, i am thankful and glad that I was given this opportunity to meet so many great people and interact with them as well. they have taught me many lessons with their lifestyle and culture, in which i will take on home. from teaching the students to spending time with my group to my bus...its been a crazy ride. My only wish was that I was hoping to meet more people if time was given accordingly or activities were not so separated.
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Chen, Ava (陳芝平)
Ava Chen - AID Reflection (July 2012)
I have lived in a bubble for most of my life. Needless to say, I had my reservations about secluding myself on a mountain for two weeks to teach English. Miles and time zones away from the comfortable familiarity of my home, I forced myself to spurn a stubbornly meticulous mentality in favor of a more adaptable attitude. It took some getting used to, but I knew the experience would be worth it.
Meeting new people has never been easy for me, so I had my qualms about the first day of training at Chientan Youth Activity Center. But awkward intros aside, I found my three roommates – who were also my female groupmates in A1-6 – to be unique and engaging people. Together with the two guys in our group, we formed an interesting motley crew. I was intrigued by how starkly different in character we were from each other, how we brought such a variety of personalities together in our group. Throughout the week, we also met and briefly befriended a slew of people in orange shirts, and before I knew it, I was sharing my first round of wistful goodbyes with almost friends before my group shipped out and up 2000+ meters to the high mountains of Lishan.
Lishan definitely was a step further away from my comfort zone. I hadn’t realized how lucky I was in the birth lottery until I witnessed their standard of living. But there was also a subtle beauty in this existence. Living with nature as a houseguest not only consisted of frogs and slugs in our bathroom, but also included morning explorations of peach farms at sunrise and weekends spent at the renowned Fushoushan and Wuling Farms. And though we had to deal with the sink falling off the wall and a synthetic waterfall when the school water tank broke, we also got to enjoy a night under the stars and karaoke in the school library. We were shown this side of paradise by our invaluable aides: a conscript, an ex-conscript, a chemistry teacher, and their group leader. They were the ones who took us out sightseeing and made stargazing and karaoke night possible. They were there to dismantle the sink for us and to mop up the waterfall with us. They helped discipline the kids and kept us sane as well. Basically, these people went above and beyond to make our experience at Lishan not just bearable, but incredible.
Finally, teaching the children was undoubtedly a trying but rewarding effort. By the end of just day one, I already felt discouraged and overwhelmed. Participation initially ranged from the noisy outbursts of rowdy boys to the unyielding silence of the girls. Maintaining control was harder than expected, and actually imparting information to the students seemed impossible at first.
As the days wore on, the stretches of weariness and frustration did not diminish. However, they were soon coupled with a more powerful feeling of personal devotion to the children. Class became more than vocabulary and grammar; we aimed to connect with our students and to learn more about their lifestyles while sharing glimpses of ours with them. We played Western music and American sports with them in an attempt to open their eyes to our world, and over the course of the two weeks, I began to notice little things about them as well. Many girls wore the same outfits day after day, and one of the more mischievous boys sported broken glasses and torn clothing. On the day we learned about family, the students introduced their families to the class. It was a shock to discover that many of them lived in single-parent households or were even raised without parents. Their temperaments in school were just the tips of some very dark icebergs.
As the students began to open up to us, I soon realized how relatable they were as well. Linguistic, cultural, and geographic barriers aside, they were not so different from children I’d encountered elsewhere. They needed attention, craved love, and deserved every chance at success. Their growing eagerness to learn and absorb was at once heartwarming and heartbreaking for me. From carefully color-coded notes to hours spent making props after school for our Peter Pan skit, the students exhibited a genuine desire and determination toward self-fulfillment.
I truly wish I could give these children more than just the two weeks I have allotted to their education. I wish I could provide for them all the opportunities they so sorely lack. At the very least, I hope that I have cultivated an interest in them to explore more of the world that exists outside their own, just as I have done by coming here myself. I now know to appreciate not only the life I have been fortunate enough to live, but also the vastly different lives led by these children and their families. The two weeks I spent at Lishan consisted of more than just teaching English to remote mountain children. My interactions with the students, my surroundings, my group, and our support team of helpers have truly opened my eyes to a world that offers so much more than at first glance.
After my second round of goodbyes (this time with the people at Lishan), my group and I reconnected with other AID volunteers on the southern tour. This last week gave me the chance to further delve into other aspects of Taiwanese culture while bonding with fellow ABCs from Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, Canada, and other parts of the world. As the program drew to a close, I realized during our last few days at Chientan with everyone the extent to which this experience has changed my worldview and my mentality. On the plane ride home following my third and final round of goodbyes, I found that I had come away from my month in Taiwan without that protective layer of my bubble. Beyond this layer, I had discovered a whole new world.
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Lee, Yang-Chieh (李暘婕)
It’s been a while since the program ended, yet the four weeks of AID is still deeply embedded in my memories. It’s distressing knowing that the weeks of the AID summer program passed by so quickly; especially since everyone, groupmates and students alike, all became so close, almost like family. But I admit, although many tears were shed and we did have some rough times, there were also fun times where laughs were shared, and times where we worked hard together to conquer our troubles.
As someone who has never ever gone to things like summer camps or programs like AID, this experience was really new to me. I was a bit nervous about meeting my group and upon meeting them for the first time at the training center, it was, needless to say, awkward and exciting. Since our group was four girls and four guys, for the first couple of days, we were kind of two groups: guy group and girl group. However, after trying a few “get to know each other” nights, we eventually became a group as a whole. Eventually, what got us really close were times where we did teaching plans and free time where we found the *magic* in Monopoly Deal card games and karaoke, haha~ It was kind of nice to see that our group stuck together almost all the time even during the entire tour week. Honestly, I could not have asked for a better group! C2 -2, you guys are AWESOME <3
I have to say, teaching middle school children was so much harder than I initially thought it would be. All of our teaching plans and preparations that our group had made during teaching week were almost all realized to be ineffective, and basically inadequate, the first day we taught at the school. Many of the students in the classes had varied English levels, making it hard to come up with lessons that would not be too easy or too hard for the class as a whole. So we had to stay up every night to make plans for the next day, using whatever methods we could to make the lesson plans both educational and enjoyable. I started to realize during the first few days of teaching that the reason that most students did not (or refused) to participate was not because they didn’t understand or didn’t want to, but rather because they were afraid to. So everyday, during break, lunch, and after school, I would try to talk to each student to try and get to know them, ask about what they would like to learn, and get a feel of their individual English levels and learning habits. After getting to know each other more, the students became much more closer to us, began to show more interest during class, and weren’t afraid to ask us questions anymore. It was actually kind of funny how during the day us teachers would teach the students English, and then after class was over, the students would, in turn, each us Mandarin and Taiwanese. One important thing I learned from teaching is that to be a good teacher isn’t necessarily a teacher that tries to cram as much information into a student’s head. Rather, a good teacher is a teacher who takes the time and patience to understand students, to encourage them towards their goals, and to try to become a good influence to them. I would like to think that I was able to make a difference in letting them recognize that learning English can be fun and isn’t as hard or as scary as they initially believed it to be. By the end of the teaching weeks, the students were able to hold their heads high and proud as they shouted out English words loudly during review games and as they sung songs like “What makes you Beautiful” and “Just the way you are.”
It was defiantly sad to leave the school >< The students and us cried and hugged and said goodbye (the students gave us goodbye gifts and even chased after the bus waving to us…!...) The same thing happened at the end of AID summer when all of us, one by one left to head back home. However, even though the students live in Taiwan and our group are separated by West/East Coast Cali and NJ, we all still talk to each other via facebook and…uh…online games haha~ Overall, I think that the AID summer program was a really great experience. Not only did I get to meet a lot of awesome people and sweet kiddies, I also learned a great deal about myself, my own culture, the lifestyles there, how to teach, and how fun Taiwan is!
AID~~~super! Hahaha~
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Lin, Victoria ( 林家因)
Chientan was our prison that first week. Between the horrendous orange polos, the ID numbers, and the maddening confinement within that building, how could it be anything but? I had spent the past two months in the middle of Taipei living a life of absolute freedom, a blissful existence free from time and responsibility. In the city, I had grown accustomed to a life among strangers, where I would only speak Chinese and my American life was eons away. Suddenly, I was at this outpost of American teenagers in the middle of Taipei and it was strangely jarring to be hearing so much English and to know that these people were not meant to remain strangers. And moreover, there were rules and demerits and bed checks and overwhelming frustration at being treated like a child. I wanted to scream. The days were made bearable by massive games of Pulse in the lobby with new friends, gossiping with my roommates, and scavenging for eggs with my vegetarian table girls. Classes passed a little faster, days a little easier, but I still counted down the days until we could go to our schools. A week seemed to stretch into forever.
Saturday finally rolled around and A3-3 piled onto a bus bound for Pingtung. We pulled up at Sandi Elementary School after a long bus ride of song writing and karaoke. I stepped off the bus to see lush green mountains rising up behind the school, illuminated orange by the setting sun, and Rainbow House to our right. Giddy and breathless with excitement, we went into Rainbow House to assess our living situation and discovered an elevator, spacious rooms, a lounge, and a roof with a view of the glittering city below and the Kaohsiung skyline. A grin broke over my face at the sight of it all. The potential of the eight of us together in a place like this was completely intoxicating. There was a wonderful sort of certainty that these people were about to become my life and that we would have the most amazing adventures together in the coming weeks. All of a sudden, two weeks seemed impossibly short.
It wasn't enough time. But then again, I'm not sure if any amount of time would've been enough with my teaching group and the people at Sandi Elementary School. The loneliness from Chientan quickly faded as our shields fell away and I fell in love with my group. Our time at Sandimen consisted of diluted orange juice, movie night fails, nine in a car 7-11 runs, birthday surprises, Jesus shoutouts, constant teasing, three in the morning hikes, silly pranks, Contact, and a lot of sass. At night, we would climb onto the roof of Rainbow House where we would gaze out at the glittering city lights spread out below us and talk for hours and hours. And then there were the people we met there, who were kinder to us than we ever deserved, not only trusting us with their children's education, but also teaching us in return about their aboriginal culture. I am truly more grateful by the day to have been assigned to Sandimen. Living among the Paiwanese people for two weeks allowed me a more intimate glimpse into their lives and their traditions than I otherwise would have been able to experience. Above all, the children were the best part of those two weeks. The overwhelming love and trust that the children so readily gave my teaching partner, Ryan, and me was touching.
We were so lucky to have been at a place so beautiful, with such freedom allowed, with such kindness, with each other. We have parted ways since the end of AID, and will never be together the same way again, but we'll always have our memories of Sandimen.
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Huang, Karen (黄佳恩)
A.I.D...... SUPER!!!!!!!
Super exhausting. Super stressful. Super people. Super fun. Super memorable. Super summer.
The four weeks spent during the AID program were full of highs and lows that somehow added up to an amazing time. The week of orientation at Chientan was certainly an experience. The classes were long and boring but also quite fun as the members of the C group battled for "jiang-ka's". The information we learned during the lectures was also quite overwhelming. For example, the kids aren't going to listen to the teachers and 5-7 vocab words per day was already too much. Everyday our group slaved over lesson plans and kept revising it as new instructions were given. The week was stressful and annoying but ended up being a lot of fun as out group bonded over prison, ramen, and monopoly deal.
When we got to Guoxing, we found out that everything we learned at Chientan was useless and a waste of time. The lessons were overgeneralized and more suitable for elementary school students. We all threw out our original lesson plan and began planning day by day. We also never used the textbooks provided by the school. The students were brilliant and already knew most of the stuff we were planning to teach. They were also very quick learners. The main challenge was having them get over their fear of speaking. Solution: games. The students in my class would get so involved with the games that we had to change to rules to make things safer or quieter. We learned not to teach a lot of grammar since their normal English classes focus mostly on writing and grammar. Instead we used a lot of youtube clips, songs, and other forms of media to make it more interesting. The main point was to make them see that English was fun and useful. We shared a lot of random American culture with them in our lessons. We even had an impromptu lesson about facebook. Words like "profile picture, mutual friends, chat, comment, apps" were more applicable to them than learning the classic textbook words. The hardest part about teaching was trying to find things that they were interested in learning. Teaching also required a lot of improvisation. Many times the school's planned activities turned out to be something that we had to arrange ourselves. So lessons and activities were created on the spot. After a few days, the kids opened up and it was a lot of fun. We played games, sang songs, hung out after school, made pinatas, and other fun activities. Instead of teacher/student we became more like friends. Some of them were so sweet and even bought us bubble tea or came to hang out in the gym at night where we were sleeping. The last day when we left a lot of the students came very early in the morning to say goodbye. After much hugging, crying, and picture-taking we finally boarded the bus only to have them chase after us through the town. It was so touching and sad to leave the school and wonderful people.
The teachers who took care of us were also super caring. All but one of us got sick during the teaching weeks and they would take us to get medicine, bring us to the doctor, and check up on us throughout the day. Whether it was making sure we fevers weren't too high or making sure we drank enough supau, they cared for us like any other worried parent. They bought us ridiculous amounts of food, tried to get us to sleep earlier, took us to 7/11 and yummy stinky tofu places at night, put up with our awful karaoke skills, and took us sightseeing on weekends. The teaching weeks were stressful and tiring but a lot of fun. The students and teachers at the school made the experience precious and memorable.
The week of tour was not exactly what I was expecting. Much of the time was spent waiting for people. We'd sleep on the bus and then get off for 30min-1hour which was barely enough time to go to the bathroom and take a group picture. It was really frustrating to finally get to a cool place but not have time to enjoy it. However some of the places when we were given time to roam around by ourselves were a lot of fun. Towards the end, we all realized that it didn't really matter where we were or what we were doing. We created our own fun and had a blast with the counselors and other volunteer teachers. All together, A.I.D. was awesome because of all the people I met along the way.
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Lee, Iris (李宛欣)
AID has made this summer unforgettable. In the beginning I was a bit worried since orientation had not gone very well. I do not enjoy being treated like I am five years old while sitting through three hour lectures and having my personal space violated through ice breaker exercises. The two weeks teaching at my school however made it all worthwhile. Teaching proved to be much more tiring than I had originally thought. I pretty much lost my voice by the end of the two weeks. Given that, I don't think I could have taught the whole two weeks without a teaching partner. So thank you! Having the most advanced class, I also had most of the older students. Some of them were even taller than I am! Even so, they listened very well and their level of English exceeded my expectations. One girl wrote "white water rafting" for a game of hangman! However I had a pretty quiet class, so to encourage class participation, my teaching partner and I focused on reviewing previously learned material rather than teaching something new that they most likely will not remember. It has been such a great experience teaching my students for those short two weeks. And it was not just the students that made the teaching worthwhile, but also the helpers, our table teacher, the principal, our host family, any other staff that we interacted with while at our school and obviously, my group members. Spending all of our time together during these few weeks made us so close. And the number of people crying at closing ceremony! That surprised me quite a bit since my students were so quiet most of the time. I don't think anyone in our group really realized how much of a difference we were making until our table teacher started talking about the students one day. It was shocking how many are growing up in single parent households or have never been to a department store. Thinking about it, it's pretty likely since we couldn't even walk to a convenience store from our school. The kids have such great hearts and minds, and are the cutest things the in the world! However, as memorable as it was, I don't think I would ever participate in AID again, because without those kids and my group, it would never compare.
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Wang, Andrew (王國軒)
Upon finding out that I was to be assigned to a school in Pingtung, I was indifferent because I did not know what it was; I just knew that it was a place in Taiwan. It was my mother who decoded the cryptic traditional Chinese on the website. She told me that the place I would be spending two weeks in was home to an aboriginal tribe. She told me, I’m guessing from her own knowledge, that the people there looked different: darker skin and bigger eyes. She then told me casually to be careful of typhoons since Pingtung apparently it is prone to natural disasters. Naturally I was a bit hesitant to accept that I would be going to someplace different. Quite honestly, I’ve been to Taiwan five times and have only stayed in Taipei and occasionally Yilan – my mother’s birthplace. So I have really never stepped foot on such foreign turf or be exposed to anything but city life in Taiwan.
Sandi, Pingtung put simply is beautiful. The village is endearingly compact and everyone seems to be acquainted with everybody. The food there is extraordinary. The people there are alive and personable. And the view there is phenomenal. Experiencing new things by yourself is one thing. Being able to share it with others is another. My wonderful posse made the entire experience truly unforgettable. The eight of us assigned to 三地國小 became a small, sometimes dysfunctional, family in the end.
The first day in the classroom shattered any perception that it was going to be a cakewalk. Teaching proved frustrating at times, but always rewarding at the end of the day. Teaching English in English – I would like to point out – is borderline impossible, especially to a group of 5th graders with little patience to spare. God forbid if the children don’t find themselves having the time of their lives during a game. If there’s anything I learned, it is that children will speak their minds – with absolutely no filter at all. So in the two weeks, I had to adapt to the environment. At times I had to be stern and establish authority. Sometimes the kids would forget that we were their teachers, and not their slightly older buddies. I don’t think those boundaries were ever set. But I had a blast in the classroom. At the end of the day, it would be the eight of us sharing teaching horror stories.
I would not have spent my summer anywhere or anyway else.
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