志工感言 (Reflection) >> Chicago
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Korner, Paige (柯和平)
For weeks, I'd waited and anticipated for my big trip to Taiwan. My family and friends were all excited for me and I'd become somewhat of a hot topic around my town. I was the girl, the foreigner who was going all the way to big, bad Taiwan to teach English to students! I never thought about all the challenges that I might face and the struggles I would have to overcome. I didn't know, stepping on that plane and waving goodbye to my mom, that this trip would change my life in many ways.

It was silly of me to think that everything would be easy. I found myself getting overwhelmed during training week -- sweltering in our hot uniforms, sitting through hours of lectures, having to impress new friends. Everything was nerve-wracking and I was scared that I'd gotten myself into more than I could handle. However, with the help of my new group mates and the fun counselors, I survived training week only to discover that I was in the face of much larger challenges.

Compared to everybody else, we didn't have the best living situation -- in fact, we might have had the worst. We slept on the ground in an English classroom, a room riddled with spiders and creepy, crawly things. You couldn't take a shower without looking up and seeing something disgusting hanging from the ceiling, wiggling its insect legs at you. More than once we were woken up in the night by a showering group mate screaming in horror and trying to kill the spider with a stream of water! We were also way up a mountain in the middle of nowhere -- people complained about only having 1 7-11 nearby when we had absolutely none! The nearest store was 20 minutes away. Our classrooms were full of dark, huge stinging bees that dive bombed us as we taught and we often were too scared to go upstairs as large spiders had a tendency to jump out at you.

The children were rambunctious and you could never quiet the entire group at one time -- somebody was always chatting and stirring up trouble. The class clowns had as much power as we did and the kids would do almost anything when led by them. They didn't want to do their work and always wanted to play. They seemed unconcerned when my teaching partner and I were frazzled and only responded to what they felt was the most important threat -- getting our teacher mentor.

We felt isolated at our school because we couldn't go anywhere and always retreated to our rooms after classes. We had little connection to the outside world and were always focused on correcting our lessons, tiredly punching keys in the middle of the night for last minute PPT changes and organizing pre-tests.

However, there is always a bright side. Without the bad things, it's impossible to see the greater ones and the things that you should appreciate.

That creepy classroom and isolation brought our group together quickly. The girls who stayed in the room with me became my best friends and will remain that way for a long time. Within a day, we were used to each other's weird habits and weren't afraid to be our true selves. We stayed up late, talking about our problems back home and things that were going on now, while we tried to stream a movie on bad WiFi and slurped up hot cup noodles. We danced around until midnight, listening to the same stupid song over and over again. We killed spiders for each other, screamed together if we were dive bombed by a bee, shared make-up, and choked on bug spray as a group.

But it wasn't just the girls in our group that stuck together. How could I imagine becoming friends with such a diverse group of people? The boys were so interesting and we all bonded over different things. I can't recall a single bad or tense moment between us. Truthfully, I only have good memories of eating dinner together in the practice room, swapping drinks and meals, practicing our opening ceremony, laughing as we played ping-pong. Everything was an adventure with us, a new opportunity to get to know each other better. I consider them some of my greatest and most loyal friends now.

We were well taken care of by the school staff and our teacher. They were funny, bright, and cheerful. The gloom of our living situation and the isolation in the rainy mountains was immediately lifted when we all hung out together. They felt less like authority and more like family. We were so upset to leave them because, in taking care of each other and sharing laughter, we became closer than we could have ever imagined.

And those kids... they were hard to handle but one thousand times more wonderful to meet. I will never forget my hardworking students Grace and Anna, who desperately wanted to learn English. I can't forget Anson, Dale, and William, who sat in the front and always raised their hand, even if they didn't have an answer prepared. How could I ever let go of Jacky, Sam, and Jerry, my little troublemakers who made me want to laugh and cry at the same time? Or quiet William, who was a brilliant artist? Smart and confident Jerry? Determined and loud Anita? I wish I could see them all grow up and guide their paths, watch the decisions they make and cheer them on. I wish I could experience that moment of hearing them speak words that you've taught them. I wish I could hear them laugh and see their smiles one more time. But, instead, I can only wish them the best.

It was sad to let them go and to let Youmu Elementary go. We'd had so many memories in the span of two weeks -- spending our weekend in Sanxia, hiding from the typhoon. Going to the small night market together and playing games in the arcade for hours at the mall. Staying at the principal's house and struggling to finish a level on the Wii altogether. Eating breakfast in the school office. Wrap-up meetings in the computer lab. Bubble tea and fried rice in the practice room. That was my life for two weeks, a routine I grew used to. It was too hard to let go.

However, it was worth it when I saw my counselors again and all the old friends I'd made. Tour week was beyond special to me -- among all the melancholy of leaving, it was a bright spot in my life. I never guessed that I would befriend so many people in Bus A. These were people I'd only seen in passing during training week or didn't know at all. We came from different states, countries, and backgrounds. But in the end, through all our talent show practicing and endless hours of listening to rap music together on the bus, we weren't just a bunch of groups on Bus A. We WERE Bus A -- confident, loud, and fun-loving. Leaving them and my counselors was such a bittersweet moment. I was so thankful for our memories and all that we experienced together. Having to go was terrible but knowing that I walked away with so many wonderful experiences was a comfort.

There's a popular saying: No pain, no gain. Without the pain of struggling to teach my students, I wouldn't know the pleasure of seeing them succeed in talking to us in English. Without sitting around in the sun all day, I wouldn't know how great it feels to enjoy cold bubble tea with my Bus A friends in the shade. Without the hard work and sweat that I put into teaching my kids and making so many new friends, I would never have so many great experiences and relationships with others. AID Summer was not a walk in the park as I believed -- it was a mountain climb of an experience. However, getting to the top and observing everything that I'd accomplished? Completely worth every minute of it.
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Lee, Erica (李昭儀)
As I get into the car to leave my host family's home, I'm overcome with a flood of emotions. This experience in Taiwan has been unlike any other. I've learned invaluable lessons about teaching, volunteering, and Taiwan culture, along with making lifelong friends. I've gotten to experience the reality of teaching alone in a classroom (very important to me since I'm an education major). My host family has also taken me to vacation spots all over Taiwan to let me experience this wonderful island. I don't believe I could effectively communicate in this reflection just how much the 3 weeks at AID have meant to me. Although I wasn't able to attend the tour at the end, I know will remember this experience forever.
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Ewbank, Mei-Ling (林梅凌)
After the last day of teaching I found myself outstretched on a miniature bike, pedaling furiously around the elementary school yard. My lanky legs were bent awkwardly to fit the rusted frame and my back was hunched forward so I could grab onto the tightly taped handle bars. As I finished another round, I heard the familiar chimes of the school bell and rolled to a stop. The chimes sounded odd. There would be no more students racing into the classroom yelling “Sorry, teacher I was late!” in response and there would be no more ridiculous chanting on cue for lunch, “TEACHER I AM HUNGRY!!!!” (These were just a few of the golden moments I enjoyed most.) I rolled off the bike and laughed as I gave it back to the chubby kid I had borrowed it from. Now, gazing at the empty schoolyard I took a moment to revisit the other moments which adored most and realize the impact this school had made on me.
This year I was assigned to Chung Wen Elementary School in the Ping Tung Province. Although I had already completed the AID Summer program two years ago, I found this year to be valuable in a different way. Two years ago when I completed the AID Summer program, every experience was novel, from drinking bubble tea to nervously trying stinky tofu. This time, I embraced these experiences as comforting reminders of Taiwan. I was also more confident in the classroom. As a result, I was more able to better enjoy my time in the classroom and connect with the kids.
Working with the kids in my class was an absolutely phenomenal experience. Two years ago I really loved my students, but this year I barely kept my composure during the closing ceremony as our students sang Justin Beiber’s “Baby”. One of our students in particular was a joy to watch learn in class. This student, Andy, was one of the kids I connected with the most. He lived very close to the school, so oftentimes he would visit my teaching partners and I during our leisure hours. Sometimes Andy would have quarrels with other kids in the school during break time and a poor attitude in class would ensue. He would threaten other kids, or pout in his seat. However, he was genuinely interested in learning English so when we would get into class activities, most of the time his moodiness would simply disappear. It was impossible to ignore his enthusiasm. When our class learned the song “Baby,” Andy was always the first to volunteer to sing a solo in front of the class. He was not shy about his English skills at all, which I believe helped encourage the other kids to participate. Each student, not just Andy, helped to make our class enjoyable. Peter was our artist, Nick was our ace, Jack was our clown, and Emory and Amy were our helpers. Some of our students even took us out to eat dinner as a thank you during the teaching weeks. It was shocking to me that their parents had such gratitude for the program and classes. During the closing ceremony their parents came to the school to watch the performance, and I hope they enjoyed watching their kids use English as much as we did!
In addition, my experience with the director of the school and the host family was fantastic as well. Both were welcoming and warm. They gave us fruit everyday afterschool and at night. We would use “fruit time” as a chance to bond. The staff at our school took us out to KTV on the weekends, to the night market, and to the baseball batting cages.
I guess my experience teaching year was like riding that goofy bike around the school yard. At times moving anywhere seemed nearly impossible (disciplining rowdy kids), but I always ended up pedaling on through. But most of all, like riding that bike, teaching was simply a joyful experience. Every moment had its own unique charms, and I wish the kids in my class and the teachers at my school could really understand how much they contributed to my extraordinary experiences this year.


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Nye, Michelle (倪卉)
During my time at aidsummer2013 I found my experience to be a challenging one. My children are not that well behaved and caused many problems in the class room. I had to deal with students who didn't participate to students who were trouble makers. I dealt with a lot of obstacles during my trip but it was an experience. Overall, I met some amazing people and feel like I made some life long friends. The tour was also really fun and I got to explore parts of Taiwan and find out where I came from. This was a rewarding but difficult experience for me and I am still thankful for it.
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Nye, Alex (倪磊)
My preconception of Mudan was that it was really hot and full of bugs. Other than that, I had no other thought. I just left my experience in the hands of the teachers at Mudan. I am very grateful for the amenities that the school has provided us. The use of the high speed rail was also really nice. From what teacher Yang told us, it saved us at least 8 hours compared to traveling by bus. The principle also provided us with this dormitory. This was really unexpected for me because I attended AID five years ago and I had to live in the music room of the school. The principle’s dormitory was really good. The amenities in the dorm were really luxurious comparing to what I had in mind. I had to hand-wash my clothes and wash my body using a sink five years ago. It was very relieving to know we would be sleeping comfortably.
My experience while teaching the 8th grade was very positive. My teaching philosophy probably differed from what a lot of the AID teachers. I believe that the short time AID teachers have to teach the students at their schools is too short to actually teach English. I believe that letting the children see the way we act as Americans would show the purpose of learning English. By experiencing a different culture, the children can realize that the world is not just in Mudan or Taiwan or Asia. English is a way of communicating with the world and expanding their opportunities.
While preparing for the lessons for the 8th grade class, I found the most challenging part was deciding if what we were teaching the students fit their level. Small schools have the problem of having students with extremely varied levels of English. In the end, we decided to just teach lessons based on themes and present dozens of vocabulary words. Some of the students knew what the words were already, but others did not. Some students did not participate in activities because of their inability to pronounce basic words which their grade should be able to. I can only guess as to why this problem exists. As I have grown older, I have begun to forget my experiences in primary school. I’m sure that some people just don’t want to learn because they don’t see the necessity for it. I was one of those students in the past, but I would do my work just because my parents would force me to. I guess that is where the problem lies with a lot of the students.
Mr. Huang’s tours were very informative. He took us to great sites and explained them very well. I’m not a person that really appreciates culture or history, but it was nice to listen to during his tours.
I am also grateful towards the teachers for taking care of me while I was sick. It gave me comfort knowing that I would not be left alone to suffer.
If I had to choose a favorite experience during my stay in Mudan, it would be the time spent with the children after school. It was fun getting to know them and talk about random topics.


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Shih, Phillip (施韋立)
AID has definitely been one of the most memorable experiences of my life so far. Although training week was a little dry at times, the chance it gave me to bond with my fellow teachers was invaluable. All I can say about my time teaching was that I got more than I expected. Coping with problems on the fly as they cropped up has definitely improved my lateral thinking skills. Overall, teaching was at the same time exhausting and fulfilling. And then the tour was lots of fun. I got to hang out with my now close friends and make some new ones at the same time.
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Chiang, Jessica (蔣淳佳)
AID Summer was both a challenge and a blessing. I came to Taiwan ten years ago, but at the time, I was just visiting my family. This year, I came with a different purpose, to teach English to disadvantaged children. However, I learned just as much as the students.

Staying in a classroom with no air conditioning for seven hours everyday was a complete change from my comfortable high school. Even though I battled infected mosquito bites and considerably little sleep, everything was worth it. I am so glad that I was able to inspire the children to study English. The program forced me to tap into my creativity as I invented new vocabulary games at night or created eye-catching PowerPoints. My organization skills were put to the test, but in the end, all my efforts were for a good cause. Now, my students feel the benefit and fun in learning the English language. And for me, I now know the power of determination. Even when the days seemed to grow longer and the children more restless, I was able to motivate myself to finish the job.

I have come to appreciated the work of teachers all over the world. I love all my students, and their hard work made my experience so amazing. I was able to see the lives of real Taiwanese people, and not the pseudo-lives portrayed on television. In fact, my stay in Taiwan has shown me that the best experiences do not come from anything material. Rather, they stem from a stuffy classroom, fifteen smiling faces, and a seventeen-year-old teacher who is over the moon with happiness.
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Jan, Jonathan (詹昀叡)
To start off, I definitely have to admit that AID Summer has been one of the best moments of my life and will always be in my memory. The program has changed the way I view Taiwan, the way I view others, the way I think, and the way I live.

For many years, I'd always been interested in helping and teaching others. Also, I'd always been interested in visiting areas of Taiwan I've never been to before. When I heard about the AID Summer program, I was immediately interested, since I've always been searching for the opportunity to be a teacher to others and to visit new places.

The day in which I received my acceptance letter was one of the happiest days of my life, since I was granted the rare opportunity of a lifetime. The day in which I received the letter, however, was also one of the scariest. My head kept popping up with questions and doubts. Was my Chinese good enough? What would my partners be like? What would the students be like? Would I get lost?

Without a doubt, the AID Summer program far exceeded my expectations. I met students who came from all parts the United States. I also encountered students who lived in Canada and the United Kingdom. I met all types of people and shared similar interests with many of them. At the end, I made many life-long friends.

During the second and third week, I lived a life in Taiwan that I had never lived before. In the past, I spent most of my time in Taiwan with people I knew in the cities. This time, however, I lived with people I never met before in the mountains of Changhua Country. There, I encountered the interconnectedness everyone had with each other. Everyone knew each other’s name and often played together. I lived with people who cared for the safety of those they had never encountered before. When I was sick for a few days, my host family was there and ensured a safe and quiet recovery.

Even though the students were of the rowdy type, they certainly illustrated an interest in the English language. At the same time, they also introduced me to the type of music they listened to, which included Taiwanese pop music and K-Pop. Each day, I felt a sense of gladness when the students greeted me as “Teacher Jon Jon.” As my teaching concluded at the end of the 2 weeks, I felt a sense of accomplishment as my students sang “Baby” by Justin Bieber, with pride, in front of their own parents. In conclusion, I felt satisfied and proud that I had introduced Taiwanese students to American culture introduce the students to the world’s de facto language, and for preparing the students for their future.

The last week, tour week, was another great adventure. This was the part in which I visited new places I had never been to before, such as the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village and the Fengjia Night Market. I also had the opportunity to spend more time with my friends and make new friends.

On the very last day, as I saw the slideshows of the activities that occurred over the past 4 weeks, I was sad. I had gone through so much in the past 4 weeks, doing the most I had ever done in Taiwan. I was also about to part ways with all the friends I had made. At the very beginning of the program, all of us were unsure and unenergetic towards the program. After 4 weeks, we had all changed so much. We were extremely spirited and didn’t want to leave. On the last night, I stayed up until 5 in the morning so I could see one of my friends leave on the shuttle bus to the airport. Since the time I left Jiantan, I’ve never regretted any of the things I had done before and during the program.

All in all, AID Summer was the best summer experience I've ever had. I've made lifelong friends from all over the world. I will never forget the experiences and lessons I've learned.

I would like to thank my parents for encouraging me to participate in the program. I would like to thank my host family for ensuring my safety and the safety of 3 of the members of my group. I would like to thank the school principal for her care and for opening our eyes to other places of Changhua County and Nantou County. I would like to thank my teaching assistants for their aid and for their care. I would like to thank the counselors who were with me for the first week and for tour week. I would like to thank my school teacher, Wen, for everything she did for us for the first 3 weeks of the program. At the end, I would like to thank everyone who had made the program possible, who had provided me with the opportunity of a lifetime, and who had given me the greatest summer experience I've ever had.

Also, to all Bus 4 people: Bus 4ever!
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Kan, Jeffrey (甘敬宣)
My time at AID Summer 2013 certainly had its ups and downs. First of all, training week was not very exciting. I felt like I was in prison the whole time and in the back of my mind, I was thinking, "There's really no point in planning because we don't know our kids yet." Once we got to our school (南和國中 in Miaoli), it all went downhill from there. Our kids were incredibly disrespectful and refused to participate most of the time. No matter how much we prepared, we would always end each day frustrated and tired. The one thing that kept me relaxed was "bonding time" with my group members. We grew close over so many different questions and it certainly helped us encourage each other while teaching in three separate classes. Over time, however, I did start to see progress in my students. Once they grew comfortable with our teaching methods, they started to participate and ask questions. Tour week was a welcome break from teaching and it also gave us time to make more friends outside of our teaching group. Overall, I enjoyed my time here in Taiwan and I hope this experience will help me as I learn how to be the best teacher possible.
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Chang, Christina (張雅筑)
I don’t think there is a better word to describe the entire AID experience than unforgettable. Indeed, there are many things that will be hard to forget such as the mosquitoes, the heat, and the hard floors that I slept on. Next, the many new sights and foods that I have experienced will definitely hold a spot in my memory. However, the things that truly made this AID experience better than I could have ever imagined are the people.

Ranging from the students to the teachers to the counselors to my beloved teaching partners, I don’t think my experience would have been so exhilarating and unique if it weren’t for them. We talked together, ate together, learned together, played together, and basically lived together. Granted, not every moment together was positive, but that only made every heartwarming moment even more precious.

There really isn't a simple way to describe the students. They were rambunctious, a bit mischievous, and didn't always listen to what we teachers had to say, but they also had a side that was curious, sweet, and even a little clingy. Sometimes, I couldn't really grasp what they were thinking. However, over the course of time, I had come to learn things about them both as a class and individually. When it came down to it, we as teachers had to learn how to adjust in order to maximize the amount we could teach. Basically, no matter how prepared we with game ideas or teaching plans beforehand, there was no way we could have been able to teach successfully without being able to think on the spot and adjust to their needs. Overall, the teaching experience was also a learning experience for me.

The friends that I had made through AID are definitely the highlight of the program. My teaching partners and I all came in not really knowing each other beyond a few interactions on Facebook. However, after a couple of days together at Chientan, we were all tight as can be. In fact, I am so glad to have been with the people that I was with. Once we traveled to the school, we became inevitably closer. Our bonding ranged from our lessons to our meals to even doing laundry. We collaborated in our different classes, had fun downtown during the weekends, trekked up a river, and shared our terror for the various bugs that crawled through our dorms. Perhaps there is an aspect of lacking privacy when you live together, but the great things that came out of the experience far outweigh that disadvantage.

The friends that I made weren't limited to fellow teachers though. The counselors we met were friendly, supportive, and certainly the best we could have asked for. It wasn't long before we started joking around with each other and treating each other like peers. Not only had the program been able to connect me with friends from the US, Canada, and the UK, but also Taiwan.

All in all, AID is a wonderful experience to be able to reach out to a culture that we may not be fully immersed in. However, the true takeaway from the entire experience for me is the relationships that I had built. I am grateful that AID has given me the chance to participate and I look forward to coming back in the future!

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Yau, Christina (姚詩婷)
I was very surprised by how close you get to your leaders, group members, students, and faculty at the school. I came to the Summer Aid Program not knowing anyone and left the program with close friendships and a great experience!! Some thing I learned is to always be open to other people and to not be afraid of making a fool of yourself in front of your students. You will meet so many different kinds of people from different countries and have fun teaching with your students! The students just want to be friends with you and will love you if you just spend time with them. I am extremely grateful for the supportive staff/faculty. The parents and staff at the school want to make your experience the best it can be! A couple things to be prepared for is the mosquitoes!!! There are a lot so bring bug spray and bring long pants. Also, it is really humid there so stay hydrated and bring thin clothes!
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Liu, Edward (劉瀚元)
AIDSummer 2013 has possibly been one of the best ways to spend my summer instead of what most of us frequently do, sleep in all day, do stuff on the computer and not do any of our summer homework. Even though there were many early morning and going to bed way past midnight. I had previously attended AIDSummer in 2012 and had such a great time and experience I decided it was worth it to apply again to see if I would get accepted and I did. This year I taught at a middle school instead of a elementary school last year and I feel like I had more fun this year than last year even though last year was also extremely fun. My kids at Rui-Shui Jr. High in Hualian County were quiet at first but quickly opened up and bonded with my teaching partner and I. Starting from the first week at Jiantain to the last week at tour, the friends what we have made along with the friendships made and memories created will last a lifetime. It is my dream that the English that I have taught my students will help them continue to be inspired to frequently practice and improve their English while at the same time, it has inspired me to continue to study Chinese and one day to hopefully be able to live in Taiwan. Looking back, I would have to say that this camp was one of the best possible ways to spend my summer.
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Leu, Josephine (呂家甑)
I really enjoyed AID. This was my very first time so I didn't really know what to expect. But, overall, I had a great time. Since I am an education major, I thought it was a good experience because it was basically teaching overseas so it was a good experience for me, something different than just teaching at the schools in college. I really loved Hualien (where my school was at). I normally stay in central/northern taiwan when I visit, so going to Hualien was my very first time this summer. It was a great place to visit and I had a lot of fun when the schools took us on the tour. I think AID has a good combination of us bringing our culture into Taiwan (teaching) and also us learning about Taiwan culture. I had a great time.
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Doong, Justin (董柏辰)
In contrast to many of the other participants in this program, I sort of knew what to expect coming into this program. My sister was a volunteer in this program a few years earlier and was actually assigned to the same location that I was (albeit a different school). Nevertheless, anything that my sister could tell me or any pictures that she could show me could never have shown me just how incredible this experience would be.
At first, during the training week, I felt a little bit on edge. Everyone had just met, and people weren't quite at the point where they would consider their new friends, well, actually good friends. In addition to that, the training lectures were long and exhausting, regardless of how much excitement and activity the teachers tried to include. However, towards the end of the week, I realized that I had actually made a few good friends, and I was sad to leave my roommates and tablemates.
The most incredible part of my experience was teaching at Matsu. As a small island, Matsu was a very unique environment to live and teach in. Frist off, the place itself is amazing, with beaches and mountains. In addition everyone there seemed to know each other, forming a community that we could immediately feel comfortable in. Teaching itself was wonderful for me as well. I was fortunate to teach older students who seemed genuinely interested in learning and applying the English language. Although occasionally they could appear dead and unreponsive, they were very well-behaved and were generally good students. What I loved most about teaching was seeing my students put together simple poems or series of sentences, using their creativity to add humor in their works despite their limitations with English. Outside the classroom, the faculty and staff at the school were never hesistant to try to make our experience as exciting as possible, even helping us have a full typhoon experience complete with instant ramen as we unnecessarily sheltered ourselves in the more secure office rather than our dorm rooms. From seeing the natural wonders of Matsu to the wonders our students created to just experiencing the wonderful community, my experience in Matsu was certainly the highlight of my summer.
Returning to the main island, we then went a tour that brought us to a few great attractions in Taiwan. While the places we visited were great, I really relished the opportunity to just relax and have fun with my teaching team and other friends.
More than anything, I will miss the friends that I made in this program. While the experiences I had while teaching and visiting places will remain important to me forever, more than anything, I am really happy that I had the opportunity to meet such wonderful people to spend four weeks with.

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Chang, Eric (張楷盟)

Going to a foreign country was pretty intimidating for me. I had been to Taiwan before, but this year, I traveled alone. Usually when I come back to Taiwan, I usually meet and greet my relatives. This time, I would meet the local people, an experience that I would never forget. But first, I needed to attend lectures Chien Tan for a week, which probably was my least favorite part of the trip.
For the first week, I sat in a white room with other purple shirt people. Being in a room with twenty other AID teaching groups and breathing the same air, it was hard to stay awake; it did not help that I still had jet-lag. If you zoned out, you weren’t alone. The lectures were informative, but a lectures were lectures, and sometimes they can be long….very long, like six hours of your day. However, I did enjoy one speaker: Chris. He enlightened us with humor to many problems that we may encounter. After a day’s worth of lectures, each teaching group would collaborate on their teaching plan.
At Chung Wen Elementary school, I taught third and fourth graders. They were a rowdy bunch, but nevertheless, I enjoyed being their teacher. At ChienTan, the one suggestion that I broke the first day was not speaking Chinese. I tried speaking only English for the first day. It became difficult to connect with the students. There was still a language barrier. Using Chinese not only facilitated my relationship with the students inside the classroom but also outside the classroom. Using Chinese did not necessarily mean that the students were unwilling to learn English. On the contrary, my students became more interested in learning English because they could make connections between their mother tongue and a foreign tongue. I enjoyed teaching. Even though I had to spend many hours trying to plan for the next day, it was fulfilling to see my students apply what they had learned in the classroom.
After teaching, our teaching group would hang out in the principal’s office. That was our bonding time. We watched scary movies and played basketball with students, residents, and even teachers. There was a lot of down time after school. At night, the male teachers would return to their classroom; actually they converted the classroom into our bedroom. My first reaction to the news that we would be sleeping at school was shock; would we be living in a sketchy, humid, and sticky environment? Now, I will take this time to thank the Director at the school and Little James for really making a classroom feel like home to me. They had installed air-conditioning and Wi-Fi for us. It was really neat and made living in PingTung an interesting experience. Both of them also made sure we were well-fed. I will say that the food we ate was fantastic. On the menu, we would have Taiwanese Beef noodles or Ramen (not instant). They would take us to 7-Eleven to snack up on some ice-cream and slushies.
When the two weeks at the camp were up, I honestly felt sad that I was leaving. I had already spent three weeks away from home. The students were adorable. It was sad to see my students cry. I did not want to believe it, but then I look back and think: I not only taught these children English, but I also played basketball and volleyball with them, pushed them on the swing set, sang to them, and took care of them… I will say Thank You to my students for teaching me about the local culture and being great students.
Eagle 1, Eagle 1, let’s all have some Eagle fun. Un unun unun un unun. That was our bus chant from Bus E. Tour week was my favorite week. I had the chance to chow down on some oyster pancakes and stinky tofu at Shi-Lin Night Market. We did a lot of sight seeing. Yehliu Geopark was gorgeous. The view of the blue sky with puffy clouds meeting seamlessly with the gentle ocean and waves poking the rocks was mesmerizing. I kept taking picture after picture. By the end of the trip, I took over 2000 pictures. The food was all right (I still am not used to eating porridge for breakfast). The hotels were decent, and I made many friends from across the continent. I really enjoyed the trip, and I thank OCAC and A.I.D for giving me the opportunity to know more about Taiwan.

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Ni, Amanda (倪令娜)
This summer was so rewarding that I wouldn't even be able to put it into words. I came in expecting it to be not much different than any summer camp and came out of it with new best friends (we still keep in touch!) and more teaching experience than I could have imagined. Not only was the first week very informative, but it enabled me to bond with my fellow teachers (which we definitely needed when planning courses together). I was also very pleased about the placement of people on my teaching team, including our teaching coach, Nelson Chen. Our personalities meshed extremely well and being the same age and from relatively the same area, there was no alienation. Our coach though was definitely the glue that kept us together though. Because he was so determined for both his students' and our experiences to be the best, he went out of his way to prepare us (contacting us 2 months in advance with everything we needed to know). Due to his dedication, we in turn made sure to try our hardest for his sake. I believe that in the future, groups should have teaching coaches of the same caliber! I think this is what makes the difference between an amazing experience and a mediocre one. The actual teaching weeks went by way too fast, I actually wish that it was longer! Our students were very sweet and eager to learn, and when it came to leave, there were many tears shed on both of our parts. The most heartbreaking was probably leaving our coach's family, they had legitimately taken us in as their family and treated us as one of them. Because of this, we were able to learn so much about Taiwanese culture and have an amazing time. The tour week was fun, although I wish that the talent show wasn't mandatory. It was a bit tiring to sit through.
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Fang, Kimberly (方逸)
AID Summer was an invaluable experience for me to have. Over the four weeks, I came to develop friendships that would last long after AID ended, met amazing people, and worked with some of the best students any teacher could ask for. There is no way to describe the kind of satisfaction that I felt at the end of each day, even though it meant waking up at 7 am and not going to bed until 1 am. My students truly made all the hard work worth it. I am not sure if two weeks is ever enough to teach a foreign language, but I do believe that the initial goal, opening their eyes up to a new culture, was definitely achieved. However, all of this would not have been possible without the support of my host family. They housed the six of us teachers at their own home, graciously providing us with food, a safe environment, and most of all, a loving family to come home to. Not only did I develop a relationship with the students, I also became really close with my host family. Most of all, this entire experience would have been exponentially empty if it weren't for my five sisters, who were with me at all times of the day for four weeks straight. I know that without them, this teaching experience would not have been as fun, as educational, as rewarding, as interesting, as painless. They were the ones who kept me motivated to keep working at 11 pm, the ones who listened to my crazy ideas and made them reality, the ones who did work when I was too tired to. All in all, I am thankful for this experience and I know that I will take what I have learned in this short amount of time and apply it to my future life and career paths.
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Wang, Michelle (王馨敏)
This year was my second year in AID Summer. Truthfully, when I first arrived I was a bit skeptical of whether or not I would enjoy the program again this year. From the moment I checked in at Chien Tan, I had already begun comparing everything to my experience last year. As I walked down the hallway and climbed up the stairs all I could think about were the great memories I made last year and my amazing teaching group. I half expected to see my old roommates in the room when I walked in! However it didn't take long for me to realize just how wrong I was. Yes, I had an amazing time last year but this year was a completely different experience. From my teaching group to my adorable students to the eye-opening tour, there is not one part of this program that I don't miss. Now that I have completed the program two years in a row, I'm not sure if I can do it again. After meeting all these amazing people from all corners of the world and having the opportunity to teach such wonderful children I don't think I could ever say another goodbye. It's really amazing just how easily and quickly I've come to know and love all the wonderful people I've met during this program as well as the beautiful country of Taiwan. The memories and friends I've made these past two summers will last me a lifetime. Thank you AID!
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