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Kao, Yu-Ming ( 高育茗 )
I never really participated in any camps, especially not one that required me to travel by myself to another country and stay there for a month. I had no clue what to expect and was apprehensive about having to establish relationships with a large group of strangers. It sounded like an incomparable opportunity though; I not only get to volunteer and teach English, but also tour some of Taiwan, all without any cost other than the very expensive plane ride there. Eventually, I found myself at Chientan. The first hectic and hair-raising experience of finding my roommates and getting luggage up the stairs was no representation of the overall wonderful journey ahead.
The first week wasn’t perfect what with the program’s long lists of demerits, tacky orange shirts, barely there wifi, and busy schedule. Soon though, I found myself settling in, hitting it off almost immediately with my fellow volunteers that were going to Taiping Elementary with me. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better group, and as one of us put it “we’re all decent people.” We quickly dubbed ourselves “Team Tina” after our designated teacher who was completely chill and full of character in the most silent way. She loved rabbits and was an avid photographer, capturing every moment of our lives at AID. We yelled the chant “team tina” whatever chance we got as we competed for prizes during class hours, capturing the attention and amusement of the nearby teachers and volunteers. We often cheered each other on, embracing our inner asian self as we shamelessly cried “yay” in a cutsy voice and chinked it up every opportunity we had. We all agreed that never have we acted in such an Asian way, but none of us really minded. I felt that people generally liked us; they appreciated our optimism and enthusiasm.
I’ll never forget that initial drive to our school Taiping Elementary, up in the mountains of Jiayi. I understood that we were going to be in the mountains amidst tea farms and felt blessed already that we got the mountains rather than simply land or sea. It wasn’t until we started driving up the 1000 meters to reach the school that I felt how lucky we truly were. Gazing at the beautiful sunset through the palm trees as we made bend after bend upwards into a thicket of clouds, we gaped at the beautiful sight as we tried in vain to capture it on our camera. The mountain air was thinner but much cooler so that during school hours it was a perfect 78 degrees fahrenheit. The school days were filled with the voices of children from each classroom during class and screams and pattering of sneakers between classes. The school day and after school hours meshed into one as the children crowded around us even at breakfast and stayed to play long after school was over. We shared so many precious moments with these kids whether it was long hours of teaching vocabulary during class, chowing down delicious food during lunch, receiving and giving each other gifts as a token of love, and playing basketball together right before dinner.
I quickly settled into a steady and peaceful routine there in my two weeks at the school. The school day itself was long, full of review and full of piggybacking kids. Then in the afternoons we would often run up to a lookout area, running a total of about 5 miles. My initial decision to join this seemingly crazy run honestly stemmed from how strange it would be for me to stay by myself at the school while the other five ran. Indeed the first time I ran, at about a little less than half a mile in, I yelled at the others to go on without me, saying that I couldn’t make it. I truly believed I couldn’t because I have never felt so tired as the air was thin, it was all uphill, and I never had the habit of running. Elizabeth though, stayed with me the whole way and cheered me on. Even now as I look through my photos, I have taken so many at the top to document how proud I was of myself that I forced myself to do what I thought was impossible. Thanks to my beautiful and fit friends, I got in some great exercise and was able to see the mountain view several times in those two weeks.
I initially expected to have lots of free time at night but that was not so. I spent about two to three hours filling in form after form of working journals on the AID website and making materials for the next day. No matter my plan to sleep earlier, I always somehow ended up sleeping at 12:00, which for me, was not a lot of sleep for waking up at 7:30. However, eventually I got used to the later hours and did what necessary to be ready for the next day. The weekends were filled with great fun and of course, tons of pictures. The two weeks at Taiping went by so slowly each day but collectively the time flew by and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye.
For the closing ceremony, my kids danced to Who Says by Selena Gomez. I initially opted for a cuter song but somehow my kids disliked everything but didn’t outright reject this song. My partner and I decided that the song had a good message and so for the performance I made them and myself and my partner crowns. The crowns all said something different and positive from the lyrics about the kid such as “perfect”, “worth it”, or “beautiful”. It was endearing to see the kids with their crowns on their head, dancing and singing in their cute offkey voices to the song. When it came time for us to give parting words though, I was the first to cry. It never even really crossed my mind that I was to be extremely sad about this parting, but somehow, the waterworks started after I said something about “I’ll never forget everyone.” Choking back sobs, I finished what I had to say to each kid. Eventually almost all of us were crying at the end as we hugged our children tightly for one last time. It was such a sad feeling that I would probably never see any of these children again. Each time I stopped crying I would only hear the wailing pitiful cries of the children and begin crying again. After a good 20 minutes of simply crying, we ate lunch, and suddenly, it was all over.
On that sad note, we started the tour which again I was apprehensive about since it involved so many people when I was used to the comfort of our little group. Soon though, I found that seeing the other volunteers was actually great. Team Tina was reunited with the Canadians, the group of people that sat at our meal table back at Chientan. Not only was it lovely to see these familiar faces but on the second day of the tour at sun moon lake, we soon befriended another extremely silly and friendly group of people. Together we dubbed ourselves the wolf herd which eventually branched out to include the whole Bus E. Throughout the week I found myself part of a huge family as we did our chant, howling like wolves and holding up the wolf herd hand at any opportunity and for any picture. To me it seemed, no one else had as much spirit as our group.
The tour was not perfect but it was overall very fun and exciting. As much as I disliked repacking and sleeping in a new place every night, it was great to move to yet another wonderful cultural city in Taiwan. I found myself eating and drinking lots as well as participating in many “yolo” moments. There were so many thrilling and ridiculous moments I have had on this trip from sneaking behind the waka waka group and dancing with them on stage during the talent show to climbing on the rooftop and sleeping there while gazing at the cloudy sky. There was also the time when YMCA played into our headsets at the museum in Taipei and we all started dancing to what appeared to be nothing to the bewildered museum guests. There were so many other memories I can’t capture in photographs or words but remain in my brain so that I may pick them out and smile once in a while.
The goodbye this time was not easier than the first and was possibly more painful because of the finality of the whole camp. As I looked upon all the faces of the various groups of people I had befriended from the Jiayi girls and Canadians to the wolf herd, the counselors, and of course my own Taiping group, I was filled with a bittersweet feeling. Thanks to these people I have had the adventures and experiences of a lifetime and yet I have to say goodbye so soon. It would be foolish to think that I would be seeing them often or at all as we all very literally live in the four corners of the continent with many of us going off to different colleges in the fall. Still, as I clung to my friends, snapped a few last photos, and kissed them on the cheek goodbye, I can only hope that I will see them again someday and that they will not forget me for I will not forget them and the memories we’ve made through AID summer of 2012.
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Tsai, Andy (蔡承翰)
I’m not unfamiliar with Taiwan, having visited for many years due to both sides of my family living in Taipei; nevertheless, I could never avoid traveling around Taiwan as a tourist: viewing it as a vacation spot for photographing landscapes, exploring exotic cuisines, and buying eccentric gifts for my friends at home. The sense of feeling like an outsider to the land of my parents, along with my comparatively abbreviated Chinese literacy, irks me to no end. (Albeit, it improves every visit and every day I’m here, as I motivate myself to self-learn through memorizing and looking up any unknown characters that catch my eye and occasionally eavesdropping on street conversations). The opportunity to work with and be immersed in the lifestyle of students living in Taiwan--especially rural Taiwan--was a rare and unique experience that truly allowed me to live a new culture completely different from that which I was raised.
My teaching group was assigned to Nan Hu Junior High, in Miaoli County. The moment we stepped off the bus, we noticed and realized how different this school and these students would be compared to middle schools back home, perhaps even different than the schools in urban Taiwan. From waking up every morning to a panoramic view of lush hills surrounding the campus, to encountering an assortment of creatures inhibiting the school, such as giant moths, scurrying lizards, and swallows flying in and out of their nest in the hallway ceiling, the rural campus was definitely a remarkable place to live for two weeks.
On the assumption that compared to elementary and high school students, middle school students were more likely to rebel against authority and be difficult to control, I was nervous about teaching junior high; however, the students surprised me by being incredibly well-behaved, cooperative, and eager to learn, contrary to my expectations. While sometimes shy and unresponsive, the students were never disrespectful to us; the class controlled itself so well that throughout the two weeks, we didn’t have any difficulty enforcing any rules or disciplinary action unlike some of my fellow volunteers that had to implement a few punishments in order to maintain control.
My partner and I designed the school day to be fairly relaxed: we didn’t assign any homework or give any graded tests, we took the students’ collective opinions into account when creating lessons and playing games, and overall approached the students as friends as much as teachers. The teaching itself wasn’t too difficult for the most part, although we realized when teaching grammar how many subtle exceptions there are in the English language and how difficult grammatical intuition is to grasp, which are concepts that we as native speakers don’t consciously notice or even think about, but are necessary for the students to learn. We see how concepts that are blatantly obvious to us may be confusing to others, and allowed us to view the English language, and well as the methodology of teaching, from a new perspective.
Even though we were the established teachers, speaking and playing with the students also gave us an unparalleled opportunity to learn not only Chinese, but also a new culture and style of education dissimilar from what we as Americans are familiar with. One thing I’ve noticed was how considerate, independent, and selfless the children were compared to American students, and helped me realize how tremendously blessed my peers and I were to have the opportunities and comforts at home that we all too often take for granted. We became close with many of our students, and many of them made personalized cards for us on the last day. Two weeks isn’t enough to teach the students much, but the one thing I wanted them to realize was that communicating in English is a practical skill, and like many other skills, it can be fun to learn. I would have gladly taught for another week or two if I had the option. I miss every single one of them, and my hope that one day, somewhere, I’ll be able to meet up with a least one of them again.
Maybe it’s because I didn’t mind not having many of the luxuries that we’re used to, or maybe it’s because the heat, humidity, or insects didn’t bother me as much as they didn’t some of my group mates, but I grew to love living and teaching at the school, and it was more difficult for me to leave it than it should have been.
I’ve been to these types of programs in Taiwan before: ones designed for foreign students to experience Taiwan’s language and culture, and the one thing that has always amazed me was how open these peers, who all arrive from different places, are to making friends, since I would never be able to do so at home. We’ve went from complete strangers to close friends in under a month, only to leave to our separate homes, unsure of when or if we’ll see each other again. Perhaps the knowledge that this was only temporary makes the relationships we make even more precious, that the fact that we may never see the friends we’ve made here again makes us grasp our friendships more tightly. I’m no stranger to these sorts of friendships, yet I realize that every individual has an impact on one’s life, regardless of how long you’ve known each other. While it was depressing to see the program come to a close, I’m glad that I had an experience that made leaving so difficult.
Two weeks or a month is only a minuscule portion of one’s life; even so, I felt that the way I’ve spent my time during the month of AID Summer was of much higher quality than many other months I’ve lived. It felt like a long and lucid dream in which I was constantly avoiding awakening; of course, having an ending gives the experience value. Whether I was spending late nights creating teaching plans or spending time with friends, I was exhausted the entire month. But, I was happy, and my hope is that others can realize that growth and happiness can be found in other people through experiences, relationships, continual learning, and service.
I thank 邱世方，古正豪，邱文舜，and all the counselors who have taken care of us, as well as AID Summer for making this opportunity a reality. I hope that I can meet some of you again someday.
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Yang, Rachel (楊雯傑)
I have really enjoyed my time at AID Summer and learned a lot about others and myself. I have loved my time at DaChen elementary s hill and having the opportunity to teach English the school's disadvantaged children. It has been quite amazing to see the. Hangs in the students English abilities after just two weeks. At the beginning, many students did not speak at all and refused to participate in class, too embarrassed of messing up. Other students only spoke in Chinese and, though they knew the answer, they refused to say it in English. We worked on fixing these problems. Y esqvoishing a point and reward system. After the fist student received a reward, it fueled the desires othe other students to do better as well. We also had a lot of competitions where the kids would be split into various sized groups. We would make sure that we called on everyone on each team so that every student had to at least try. We were amazed when we were practicing for the closing ceremony and all the kids were able to sing the multiple songs we had taught. We no longer had to pick on people on class either because we always had a multitude of volunteers. The children were extremely sweet and caring regardless of how rowdy they. Kyle be, they would always. One up to me during break and ask me to play with them. This whole experience has let me help these students build confidence in their English abilities and allow them to practice using English continuously in daily conversations. Quite a few students seemed to really enjoy learning in English as well. I have also learned how to be more patient and learned that I hav to tailor the way I teach sometimes to suit the student I am trying to help or the subject being taught.
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Conroy, Kiffa (張能)
AID had always been in my peripheral vision since I first heard about the program when I was 12. 2012 was the first year I was old enough to apply for a volunteer position. I eagerly sent in my application, and prepared my self for the month-long wait for admissions results. The apprehension I had towards my admissions decision turned to all-out nervousness when I finally realized that I was going to spend most of my summer away from home, doing something that I had never really experienced at all before. However, in hindsight, I now realize that in spite of my apprehension, I kept a very open mind towards the entire experience-- perhaps my only advice for anyone thinking about applying to AID 2013 or beyond. AID surpassed any and all prior expectations I had, in almost every way.
The first week spent at the Jientan overseas youth activity center serves as much purpose training one to become a teacher as it does helping one meet everyone and bond over the copious amounts of time spent together. One aspect of the first week I especially liked was how the program allowed one to create deeper relationships with a smaller set of people, rather than try and introduce all 350 volunteers to each other. Though it's possible that my group of 8 was the exception instead of the norm, I truly believe that nearly every single volunteer thoroughly enjoyed the time spent together with their group.
Armed with a plethora of games and teaching techniques, my teaching group (4 sets of 2 teachers per class, 8 volunteers in total) headed to our designated school with much more confidence than just 7 days prior. Yet, sitting in our classroom, holding a hot-off-the-printer stack of pre-tests, my teaching partner and I still didn't know what to expect.
We soon realized that there was no one size fits all approach to teaching, at least not for a short term assignment like ours in which every day counted. Our 10 students couldn't have been more different; their personalities ranged from the quite, but brilliant twins to a boy that had trouble sitting still for more than 5 seconds. Luckily, my teaching partner and I were prepared to be unprepared: our play-by-ear approach to classroom discipline complimented our more rigorous method of teaching.
Of course, there are many more faces to AID than the volunteering component. Meeting new people (you spend 4 weeks with essentially the same core group of 4-8 people 24/7), living in compromising living conditions (adaptability is key!), staying up late writing tests with your teaching partner (you'll never look at your teachers the same way again)- the list is inexhaustible. To those that aren't sure whether or not they want to apply: AID volunteer program isn't simply something that can be described- it must be experienced.
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Chen, Shannon (陳萱玲)
Allow me to begin by saying I got into the AID program from the waiting list. I was extremely excited when I was first notified of my acceptance in June. Before going into the program, I had only the vaguest ideas of what the program would be like. My neighbor, who had participated in the program last year, gave me a basic idea of what to expect but even with that foreknowledge I was lost on how to prepare. Thus, when I got to the training center I wasn't sure of how to conduct myself. It was only after a couple meals together at the table with my group mates did I really start to relax. We started joking, playing card games, and working together. We spent time outside the allotted time frames working on journals, lesson plans, and the opening ceremony for the first week. It was the beginning of a friendship that I hope will continue to grow even after the conclusion of AID Summer 2012.
While the training sessions at Jian Tan were not all that applicable in the classroom my partner and I were assigned, they did serve to spark ideas and boost my confidence. We found ourselves planning many of the activities one or two days before teaching. It was easier to gage where the students were and how they receptive they were to the information that way. The teaching plans we generated to Jian Tan were useful only in that they gave us possible teaching topics. Deciding the specifics were always better left to the weeks while we were actually teaching.
Every day we came up with a schedule but it became something more of a reference for the teachers rather than a guideline for the day’s activities. Sometimes we would have to switch activities around to better fit them into the schedule and other times we would have to cut out entire activities since the ones we planned earlier took longer than we had anticipated. All the teachers also found it was practical to share lesson plans and teach similar topics with to the different classes. This was especially true if the lesson plan was particularly exciting for the kids.
While most of the other classes had various difficulties with their kids, my class was surprisingly well-behaved and willing to participate. Our 3rd and 4th graders were very enthusiastic and energetic. At times, when we gave an assignment they didn’t finish before the break bell hit, they would continue working until they finished even if it took their entire break. They were also very creative and adaptable; namely with the closing ceremony. The class decided it wanted to do a short skit instead of singing. However, we found out we had to prolong the time of the performance so we divided the class into different groups to sing as well. While we worked with one half, the other half came up with adorable motions and props to go with their song. In another instance, during our sports unit, we brought them outside to try the sports. At first they were content to play among themselves, but after a few minutes, they drew my partner and me into their games. They were also quite eager to be part of as many pictures as possible. When I took out my camera to snap a picture of one or two students, more students would try to join the picture until I had to step back to be able to get all of them into the picture. After two weeks of dealing with their energy, my partner and I were drained but sad to see them go.
Tour week was filled to the brim with activities. After the first week, I had been afraid we wouldn’t go to any more night markets and I wouldn’t have the chance to get more Taiwanese knickknacks. I was wrong. We went to at least two more night markets and so many stores I might not have enough space in my luggage to bring everything home. During this time, I also got to know the counselors who were around our ages. It was a bit of a surprise but a welcome one. They joked around with us trying to boost the energy on our bus and get us excited about our destinations. They were tons of fun to watch as they interacted with the other counselors and those on bus 3. Tour week was exhausting but passed all too quickly. When Friday came and the AID Summer 2012 program ended, I had not expected the rush of emotions as I departed. It truly was a unique and unforgettable experience. I will always be reminded of my fellow AID Summer 2012-ers in my daily life and expect to meet up with them in the future. :)
Note (@ AID): It might be a good idea to allow people from the previous AID years into the next summer's forum to let new people ask them questions or for suggestions.
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Yen, Derek (顏翊峰)
Taiwan AID 2012. People would always joke about the acronym of the program and be like “we’re bringing AIDS to Taiwan”. I personally, didn’t take this program seriously at first. Especially with the pre-midnight curfew, demerits, and the silly icebreakers we were made to do. I felt like we were being treated like kids again.
However, this program took on a more serious tone once our training began. And I began to understand more about “Assisting Individuals with Disadvantages” Starting from the second day, teachers came and went cramming information about cultural etiquettes, teaching sentence patterns, to vocabs into our intelligent but narrow-minded heads. They knew that we were the cream of the crop, and wasted no time in getting their message across. In order to teach students, we had to think like students. This meant making us go through a tight schedule, childish but simple activities, and the competitive rewards system.
After a week, I felt ready to teach in a classroom.. or so I thought. Coming into this program, I had little to no experience in the art of teaching. I felt that teaching in an Asian classroom was going to be subsequently easier teaching in a Western-style classroom. This was based on the notion that Asian students were quiet, disciplined, and willing to learn. I found the opposite to be true, at Ren Ai Elementary School. The students there were a mix, some the epitome of excellence, and didn’t have an ounce of motivation.
The first day was chaotic, because we had a hard time controlling them. We were studious and hardworking students coming out of training, not experienced and strict teachers. Not only that, one of our assignments proved to be too difficult, so we had to revise our lesson plans. However, the first day was also groundbreaking, because we came face to face with the realities of classroom teaching.
Eventually, we got used to the hectic schedule, and some of us got better at managing the class. The most amazing turnarounds were our students. They grew to admire us for our knowledge, love us for our personality, and sense of humor. During the breaks, our students would come crowding around us, asking questions like “what are you up to?” “where are you from? ”, and personal stuff like “do you have a girlfriend? ”.
On the last day, I felt sad to leave all these students, because they had gone through a lot. Every single day, they pushed themselves to get involved and participate in the activities that we set up. No matter how difficult, each of them had become a bit more proficient in the English language. I felt that our two weeks had gone a long way at making English fun for all of them. And not only that, they had their eyes opened to a whole new world.
All in all, I felt that I had changed just as much as my students. Coming into the classroom, I was a shy, inexperienced teacher in training who somehow turned into a decent mentor. This was the result of patience, hard-work, and the undying support from the students. Leaving Ren-Ai Elementary School, I felt that I was leaving more than just my presence, but a part of my former self.
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Hou, Vivian (侯維懿)
When I first got accepted into this program, I was both nervous and excited. I communicated with many people on the forum, especially after schools were assigned. I worried about how well I would get along with my group members, but once we met, we got along really well. In Chientan, it was a more "getting to know each other" type of hanging out. But once we arrived at our school, we had so much fun, whether it was teaching, playing with our students, or just hanging out at night.
The presentations in Chientan and working on teaching plans really helped in our preparation for teaching the students at our school. Even then, we had to spend hours every night preparing for the next day, making powerpoints, prezis, and games. The students were extremely well behaved, and quiet at first. After a few days, they starting warming up to us and were more talkative and willing to participate in the games and activities we planned for them. We became extremely close to the students, and when it was time to leave, everyone in our teaching group started to tear up, and many students started bawling. It had been such a wonderful experience working with the students, and seeing that we meant that much to them truly makes this program a much more significant part of my life.
This program not only allows you to volunteer and teach students English, but also gives you the opportunity to meet and make close friends, and experience an entirely different culture. I became very close to a few other members, making friendships to last a lifetime. This month in Taiwan may have been my best experience yet there, and I will always remember how much fun I had teaching, touring, and exploring the many parts of Taiwan with amazing friends.
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Chen, Daniel (陳有靈)
When I first landed in Taiwan I felt unprecedented waves of both apprehension and anxiety; as if I were the man in the arena. In the United States before my flight, I tried my best to prepare for what was to come; however, the simple truth is that there is no way to ready oneself for such an experience.
First and foremost, the unique combination of challenges and novelty this camp has provided for me has been most memorable and influential; thus I must extend the greatest deal of appreciation to all faculty members, both on and off site. Without their work this program would not have been such a success.
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Wei, Christine (魏均霖)
“Good morning, class!”
“Good morning!”
Every morning had opened up the same way, and hearing the class chorus in reply was a heartwarming experience that few other occupations have the opportunity to indulge in. I had awaited each day with a sort of nervous anticipation. The days before teaching started, I had been wrought with worry, envisioning all sorts of problematic scenarios and wondering if I could manage the classroom, have fun, and still manage to teach the children English. But in the end, all my worrying was rendered unnecessary—I found myself teaching a class of high-spirited children, eager to learn and ready to have a good time.
Even while it was fun to play with my students, though, it was quite exhausting to stay up late nights planning the next day’s lesson materials and trying to stay energetic even when children outnumbered me 17 to 1. The memories were worth it in the end, though. With the principal and other friendly school staff around as a sort of paparazzi, pictures were uploaded of the day’s events by the time the day was through. Some bring tears to my eyes even now, thinking about how overjoyed the kids were to bake cookies, make sandwiches, and mold pineapple cake as we taught them English.
The end was bittersweet. Farewells never seem to be anything but; almost our entire class cried during or after the closing ceremony, and some of their goodbyes moved me to tears, too. During the two weeks we taught them, we had grown fairly close to them, to the point where they would willingly give massages, play catch, and let teachers in on primary-school gossip. They grew progressively rowdier and playful but still respected us as teachers; not once did I ever truly get angry at them.
The host family and the school staff were all extraordinarily hospitable and helpful as well. Our teaching group befriended many of the teacher assistants, and outings were merrier than ever. Night markets, biking, food, and more filled long nights afterschool, a brief respite from work. But more than anything else, the compassion and kindness those people showed us are unforgettable.
Both the weeks before and after the teaching period were helpful or enjoyable in their own ways, too. The teachers that came to lecture about teaching strategies and what to expect in the classroom were fairly helpful; they helped mentally prepare me for the weeks to come. Although I ended up concocting many strategies of my own in my mind during those two weeks, exposure to different styles of teaching was beneficial to my teaching experience. The week after all the work was pretty fun, too, with amusement parks, DIY craft-making, and souvenir shopping.
Ultimately, the AID summer program has turned out to be enlightening and enjoyable; it has certainly left an unforgettable impression for me of summer 2012.
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