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Lu, Chenkai (陸振愷)
When I first heard about this program from a friend, I was kind of nervous and excited about joining this as well. I was mostly excited about the one week tour after the teaching. I also underestimated the amount of work it takes to prepare lessons for the kids everyday. Though I had some experience being a teacher's assistant before, I was still slightly intimidated by the two weeks of being an actual teacher.
During the first week at Chientan, we attended numerous lectures that helped us learn how to teach Taiwanese kids English. I have to admit that though the first week was very boring, some of the tips the teachers offered us were very important when we started teaching. We also bonded with our group and learned a lot about each other during the small group meetings every day. However, once you get past the first week, it gets more fun.
When I arrived at our school, Ren-Ai Elementary in Taitung, I didn't know what to expect. On the first day, the kids were rowdy, which I didn't expect. We started using only English to talk to them, but by the end of the week we knew we had to use some Chinese as well so they could understand some of the instructions. Over the two weeks, the kids became more comfortable with us and many became more active during reader's theater or TPR activities. I also learned a lot about the kids' daily life and in return I told them about my life in America.
After class each day, our group would meet with the teachers and we would discuss teaching strategies that worked well and didn't work well so that we could improve our teaching skills. We spent much more time than I expected on the working journal and preparing the lesson and materials for the next day. I now appreciate how much effort teachers put in every day preparing lessons for students.
One of my favorite parts of the two weeks was the water balloon fight at the end of the program. It was actually more of a water fight after our supply of 400 water balloons ran out in less than four minutes when it was suppose to last forty minutes. Some kids started filling buckets of water and pouring them over our heads while others equipped themselves with water guns. All of the kids enjoyed bombing the teachers and it was great seeing everyone participate, even those that normally stayed quiet in class.
During the weekends, the teachers and our teaching group went on tours around Taitung, and we visited beautiful beaches, watched aboriginal shows, drank tea, and relaxed in the popular hot springs. I even ate dishes I never thought I would try like snails and geese.
At the end of the two weeks, we watched the kids perform their reader's theater, and I felt a sense of pride seeing my students' hard work being played out. When the closing ceremony ended, all of the kids hugged the teachers and I realized how fast two weeks can fly by. After becoming friends with the kids and being almost like an older brother to them, it was heartbreaking to leave them. However, I hope that someday I will have the chance to visit them again, as well as all the people in my group.
This program has truly been one of the best experiences I've had and helped me mature and be a better teacher. One important tip I learned is that while I do need to discipline students whenever the classroom becomes too chaotic, it's more important to respect them because they will respect you and your directions in return. I am going to miss my students' yelling, playing cards with my group at night, Dorothy's Chinese accent, Tom's fast rides, Derek's dancing, and much much more.
I want to give a final thank you to the teachers, Jane and Sarni; the alternative service people(as Tom said), Steven and Lin 哥哥; Tom; my team, Derek S., Derek Y., Dorothy, Jamie, Emily, Nancy, CH,; my sixth graders; and our camp counselors for making this summer one of the best I have had. I hope I will never forget these memories!
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Zhang, Dorothy (張陶雅)
During my four years of high school, I had always wanted to go to Taiwan because I had seen many Taiwanese dramas and thus really wanted to visit the land and meet its people. However, it was a little too expensive for my family, and I did not have any relatives that I could stay with. In the past couple of years, I have had a few friends participate in the AIDSummer program, and they all could not stop talking about the children they taught and about the diversity of people they met. Now, I can join my friends in praising the AIDSummer program.
My time at AIDSummer was truly remarkable. Right when I got out of customs, two smiling counselors were waving a poster. I was relieved to see them because I wasn’t too sure about my travel plans, and both were extremely accommodating in letting me use their phones to let me family know I arrived safely. When I arrived at Chien Tan, I had already made a new friend with one of the counselors. The following day, I went into a room that was a bit small for the 350 volunteers plus their parents plus the counselors and found out who my roommates were for the week. When I found out that four of them were college graduates, I was a little nervous as to whether or not they would accept me because I was four years younger than them, but they did not judge and even showed me a few tips on college living. One of my roommates was actually in my teaching group, so I got to know her before I even met my full group. My teaching group was truly one-of-a-kind. First off, we had two sets of twins in my group, so getting names to faces was a bit of a challenge at first. It was really cool how the program put people from different states in one group; I had people from Washington, New Jersey, and Virginia. We all got along well with each other and were very devoted to developing teaching plans, at least for the first night. After that, we practiced how we were going to teach, which started one way but after our teacher’s corrections, we had the “perfect” teaching structure. It was definitely hard work just pretending to teach, but because we practiced, we were prepared when we got to our school. Because we were going to Taitung, we had to ship our luggage there ahead of time and flew down there. When we arrived, the humidity literally slapped us in the face. For me, I instantly knew that I would have a pretty rough time because the weather is so mild in Oregon. However, I soon forgot about the heat and humidity because we were warmly greeted by the staff of Ren Ai Elementary. One of the teachers, Sarni, was from the US and complained about my two pieces of luggage when others only had one. After dinner, we were left to our own devices, which was to get settled down, but our teacher visited us and brought the wonderful gifts of shaved ice and mochi. I was overjoyed because it is one of my favorite foods, and the shaved ice was welcome on any day in Taiwan’s tropical climate.
Soon, we met the children. Despite our less-than-appealing opening ceremony that had included a “magic trick” with the twins, the children loved us. Of course, the first few days, they were a bit shy, but after that, they would ask us to play with them. It was probably our teaching structure that allowed us to connect well with the kids. Instead of having the kids read out of a book, we had the kids play games using the vocabulary they just learned. One of the games got really competitive as kids were pushing and shoving, but they were enthusiastic and demonstrated that they actually learned and remembered. When it was time for us to leave, a few of the kids were crying because we were more than their teachers; we became their big brothers and sisters. Even now, I still keep in touch with the kids by Facebook, who treat it as their “Neopets”.
Teaching was the best part about Taiwan, but the tour during the last week was just as memorable. My bus’s counselors were very friendly; they let us sleep when we were supposed to play “get-to-know-you” games. My generally stayed together, so wherever the bus went, I was able to have fun no matter what because I was with my group mates. We had developed a very close bond to each other, and I am glad that I got one more week with them. When the tour was over, I was the first of my group to depart, which was a very sad time for the members of my group. Tears were shed, and as I sat on the bus to the airport, I felt blessed to have spent a month in Taiwan with my group. I hope to participate in AIDSummer one more time to have this same experience all over again.
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Huang, Olivia (黃郁玫)
1,548 photos. One month. Thirty one days. Five states. Eight people. These are the numbers that defined the summer before my senior year. I found myself sitting on the bus, headed towards Yilan, Taiwan with seven others just like me—volunteer teachers bound for Da Xi Elementary School to teach English. In the distance, the beauty of rural Taiwan and its peaceful nature came rolling into view. The bus pulled up to a beautiful school directly neighboring the beach, and the glistening view of the ocean drew us further into the campus. I took a deep breath and the everlasting presence of the salty ocean breeze, nestled within a humid curtain of air dissipated any unease in my mind.
At that time, the unsettling feeling I felt was this: My fear of failure. My fear was like a stubborn weed growing in a field of problems, low self-confidence, lack of outspokenness, overthinking and overstressing, that I suffered from. Hoping to outgrow this weed, I made the important decision of signing up for an overseas volunteer program during my Junior year. Upon my sister’s advising, I applied for the Assisting Individuals with Disadvantages program, abbreviated AID.
Truthfully, I never had much, if any, experience with teaching before AID. To me, a good teacher is someone who can combine humor, learning and fun within a lesson, motivates, guides and instructs you, and is open and passionate towards the subject. I thought back to my teachers in high school, both the good and the not so great—there were those who transformed what would have been a heavy lesson into a language I could understand as well as those who were detached and almost mechanical in the classroom. I thought to myself, how can I teach English in a simple way they would be able to understand, as my teachers had done for me in the past?
Soon the first day of teaching came along, and the moment we entered the classroom we were immediately approached by greetings paired with a mixture of smiles or timid expressions by the first few in the room that morning: “Good Morning teacher”. Eight first graders sat in their chairs, itching to move out of their seats. They peered at me and my teaching partner, eyes wide with anticipation and watching the two figures towering over them at the front of the classroom. I scanned the first row: the young boy in the front with chubby cheeks and large eyes stared at me and made funny, silly expressions; right behind him sat a girl with her hair tied up in a ponytail, topped off with a bow, preoccupied with a frumpy look on her face. On the left side of the classroom, the remaining two girls sat side by side asking questions back and forth, one with two long braids and the other with a short playful bob. From the back, one of the twins constantly had random outbursts in broken English.
From my impression of the morning, I quickly realized teaching eight first graders in one classroom would not be easy. The symptoms of a fatal disease were already running through the room on the first day, and grew even more persistent as the weeks went by: Short attention span, also known as S.A.S. Complaints of thirst, the hot weather, and desires to go to the beach and computer room arose from every corner of the classroom. Every time the bell would sound, signifying a break, shouts of glee and invitations to play escaped the students’ mouths. For the rest of that day and the remainder of the next several weeks, we used every tactic possible, enticing the kids with treats and board races, playing educational videos on the projector, and finally managed to squeeze our lessons in.
As we were saying our goodbyes to the students on the final day, one of the students in my class, Kenny, looked up at me with big, eager eyes. He told me to do what he called “QQ”, so I squeezed his cheeks and a toothy smile brightened up on his face. Before turning to leave, he shouted to me “Don’t forget this”. After that moment, I realized that the bonds the teachers had made with each and every student was something priceless and unforgettable; they treasured us as both friends and teachers. I had been successful as a teacher and finally removed the weed in my life—I realized to believe in my own potential, in all walks of life, whether it be teaching students or chasing my dreams. The people I had met on that trip, from my group members to my first grade students, helped me to realize that if things go wrong and not the way planned, it’s okay. I learned to not fear failure, but embrace it because as there are always ways to work with it and overcome it. I came into this program thinking I was teaching English, but came out learning how to be more confident in myself as an individual.
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Stacy, Stephanie (張玉天)
I am so happy that I chose to come to this program. I feel as if I have learned lots and made many new friends and memories that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. At first I was a bit hesitant about coming, but as I got used to teaching and the girls I came to love every second I spent. Going to Da Du was amazing. Christie made us part of her family and by the end of the two weeks all of our kids felt like little brothers and sisters. We really grew to know and love each kid we taught. It was lots of exhausting hard work, but it was more than worth it for the amount of fun we had.
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Huang, Jamie (黃靜儀)
I can still recall being admitted to the AID program like it was yesterday. At first, I thought I read the admission letter wrong, but after a couple of times of re-reading, I realized I was chosen to be one of the teachers. Excited, I began jumping and running around the house screaming that I was picked. I began preparing my teaching plans and all the activities the students could play. Changing things here and there, also creating back-up plans in case something didn’t work out. Also, additional ideas were brainstormed so I could take my mind off of what school I’m going to be assigned to.
Finally: Taitung, Ren-Ai Elementary School.
Before I knew it, I arrived at Chientan Youth Activity Center, learning how to teach and manage the students. The week went by slowly; nonetheless it became my turn to prove what I had learnt.
I arrived at Taitung on Friday of the first week. Eager to explore the new place, I wasted no time on unpacking. I threw everything in my room and went out to see what is there in Taitung. Starting from left to the right, my group and I began looking at all the stores, seeing what there was in our living area. Checking out every single store that we were interested in, 7 Elven and the 100 store became our best friends as the teaching weeks went on.
Before I knew it, school started. To tell the truth, when I saw the 6th graders, I was a little nervous and afraid that they might not like me or won’t listen to me. So, when I heard the school bell ring, I knew the battle had begun. At the beginning, my students were hesitant and shy to speak to me, but as time went by they started to open up more. While teaching, I noticed I had to adjust some of my English for the students to understand what I wanted them to do. At first they were scared to speak but as we practiced more frequently, the more confident they were to speak. Other than teaching, class management was a little difficult. However, I learned that if points are involved, it gets really easy to control the class.
Time flew by fast, before I knew it, it was time to leave. All the students were crying, hoping that we wouldn’t leave; even I was reluctant to leave them. But the teaching time has ended, as we all hugged and said our goodbyes, to settle their pain, I promised them that I’d come back and visit them again.
I am very thankful for this opportunity to come to Taiwan and teach these students. I could never ask for anything better than this. Taitung kids are very kind hearted and super cute. I will never forget them, and hope that one day we will meet again as friends. I will never forget this summer and my new friends I made.
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Tzung, Ashley (宗瑞晨)
The AID program has opened my eyes to places of Taiwan beyond Taipei. I was apprehensive going in, but I ended up not wanting to leave my school. The bonds that I made with my teaching group are lifelong, and we all hope to be able to return to our school and see our student again. I learned a lot about myself as a person and my capabilities. I have opened up and become a more outgoing, independent, and strong person because of this experience. I did not think that I would get so much out of this program, but it will be something that I remember forever. Not only has my Chinese improved, but I have thought more closely about my native language of English. I hope that the AID program knows how much they have affected my life because it's something that I will never forget!
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SHEN, ILENE (沈艾琳)
My name is Ilene Shen, I’m 16 years old, and this is the first time I have done AID. After spending 4 weeks with my team and about 300 other people, I can truly say I enjoyed my time here. Even after the first day passed, I had already bonded with my team in so many ways and was excited for what this month would bring. After training, (the lectures got boring after a while I’ll admit, but they were useful), I headed off to Da Du Elementary in Hsinchu and the two weeks whizzed by so quickly. At first, the students were extremely shy, so the first few days were painful. I remember trying to get my students to introduce themselves—we tried many different methods, including the Hello Song, but their reticence drew them away from participation. Although we succeeded in the end, we learned that the students needed a lot of time; it wasn’t that they didn’t want to learn. But as the weeks passed, they started to opened up and I could feel a tangible bond between the students and me. I felt satisfied and happy as a teacher when my students started participating, answering questions and having fun playing games. Another bonus to teaching at Da Du was the fact that our team had little excursions on the weekends. For example, our teacher took us many places, like department stores and always considered what we wanted and tried to incorporate it in our schedule. She definitely deserves a big thanks for all she has done for us. The care and amount of love I received at Da Du was amazing. The students, my team, my teacher, the principal—everyone was so dedicated to making our whole team complacent. On the last day, after we performed our skits for the magistrate and officials, my students came rushing in with notes and little prizes for all the teachers. I was so moved and loved them so much that I started tearing up and crying. The tears flowed uncontrollably, and I realized how much I meant to the kids and vice versa. After hearing certain kids speak at the school’s closing ceremony about how they were so lucky to have this opportunity, I felt a warm feeling in my heart and knew that this was a truly precious experience.
After Da Du, I went on the Southern Tour with many other groups, and was on bus 1. Although we spent a short amount of time together, everyone bonded and we all had a good time, regardless if we were practicing for the talent show or just chatting. It was a nice way so sum up this program, and I enjoyed it so much. Especially because I’ve never been to southern Taiwan before, this trip was exciting and I finally got a chance to explore attractions and the culture of this part of Taiwan. All in all, I am so glad I decided to sign up for AID and had this wonderful opportunity to meet new people, teach underprivileged elementary school kids English, among much else. I will always remember this summer and what I did during my time in Taiwan. Lastly, I simply want to thank everybody for making my stay here the best it could be. Have a great rest of summer everybody!
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Hwang, Irene (黃書涵)
At a lecture, one of our teachers said that we, as volunteers, wouldn't be teaching without payment. No, we would be paid with the smiles of the kids we helped. At that moment, all I could think of was the cheese. It was so stereotypical and cheesy. But now that I think about it, that is exactly what we got paid with. Not only so, but I feel as if I got overpaid with the gratitude of our students. All our kids were extremely friendly and spent lots of time both inside and outside of the classroom. They were sooooo cute! Also, the tour was great and very fun. However, there were a few aspects of the program that seemed not as glamorous. For example, the first week of training was very mundane, but I felt like it was a necessary part of the program. Furthermore, the demerits system seemed a bit unfair and overly restrictive. But overall, I am very glad that I got this opportunity to participate in AID Volunteer Program. This has been probably the best summer I've ever had, and I'm very appreciative of all the people who made this possible. So for you guys who aren't sure whether or not to sign up, I very much encourage you to join because its a great deal of fun and an amazing learning experience. :D
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Lee, Euphemia (李思潁)
AID Summer 2012 has been a very metamorphic experience for me. Signing up to be a volunteer was beyond exciting for many reasons. Firstly, I had never traveled to a different country on my own. Secondly, this was my first ever visit to Taiwan. In the midst of excitement and anxiety, two AID volunteers warmly greeted me at the airport. My adventures only started from there. The next few weeks were a whirlwind of excitement. I met several people, made wonderful friends, and experienced once in a lifetime opportunities! Teaching at my school was not only one of the most difficult things I have done, but also one of the most rewarding. I would like to think that I taught the children something useful; but in reality, they taught me more than I could have ever hoped to teach them. I also could not have asked for a more supportive teaching team. Through all the long tiring days of teaching and tons of medically needed laughter, we were able to survive the two weeks. We were only able to pull through each day because we had each other’s back. Although saying good-bye to my school was difficult, all the amazing people I met on tour soon replaced the feelings of sadness. Every day was jam packed with so many different activities, it is difficult to pinpoint what we did and where we were on a certain day. One thing is for sure though, I will never forget all the fun I had at every destination with my fantastic friends. All too soon, the program came to its end. At the closing ceremony, everyone bawled their eyes out. We may have said our goodbyes, but this certainly is not the end. It is only the beginning of friendships that will transcend lifetimes.
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Lu, Chenhao (陸振豪)
AID summer 2012 is the best summer program I've attended thus far in my life! Ever since the time when I found out about my enrollment into the program on the aidsummer.net website, I knew my first four weeks of summer in Taiwan were going to be amazing. Yet, I had no idea how many unforgettable memories and friends I would make in this short period of time. When I heard that I was assigned to a school in Taidong, I wasn't expecting it to be fun because I knew Taidong wasn't as populated as Taipei, and it's known mostly for its beautiful landscapes, which I wasn't as interested in as night markets and malls. Thus, when I got off the plane and arrived at the school in Taidong, I wasn't really excited to live there for two weeks, and I thought I'd be bored the whole time. However, by the end of those short two weeks, I ended up loving that place! I loved living close to 7-11 and being able to buy food at night and going to the night market on Sundays. The thing I miss the most about the city is my school, Ren-Ai Elementary, and the people there! Although we didn't have the luxury of teaching in AC rooms, we were fortunate enough to have computers and projectors in the classroom. Our teachers, Jane and Sarni, are incredible at what they do and they helped us tremendously over the two weeks, from buying materials for our art and craft lessons to giving us ideas on games to play in the classroom. We also can't thank our ti-da-yis, or guys in military service, enough, they were our personal chauffeurs and took us to wherever we wanted to go. Last of all, the kids at the school were very fun to work with. Although they were sometimes disobedient in class, all of them were willing to learn English even if English was a challenging subject for them.
I was fortunate enough to have been placed into a group with two other people I know, one of which is my twin brother. Coincidentally, (or maybe not) my brother and I were grouped with another pair of twins and we quickly bonded with them because of our special "twin" connection. Interestingly enough, we also had two Dereks in the group so we joked that we had three pairs of twins in our group. In the four weeks that we were together, we bonded closely almost like a family; we went to each other's room, ate each other's food, and even shared each other's flu!
While I came away with 60GBs of photos and videos from the program and the experience of teaching English to non-native speakers, the most rewarding part of the program is the priceless memories that I created with the other seven people in my group. Now, whenever I see a person wearing an orange polo shirt, I will always remember the incredible summer I had with them at AID summer 2012!
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