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Chen, Steven (陳思齊)
Going into the AID Summer Volunteer program, I have to say I had no idea of what to expect, nor did I have any indication of what satisfaction I would experience during the four weeks in Taiwan with the other AID volunteers. The central goal of my trip was to establish my first memories of the country my parents are from, and I must say these memories are ones that will stay with me forever.
Right from the beginning, I was greeted with a chorus of friendly, enthusiastic, and helpful 小桃紅 – counselors designed to guide us during our four weeks in Taiwan. They would engage me in various icebreaking activities designed to get us to know the other participants of the camp and lead all of us volunteers in the daily lectures during the first week. (Yes, it does sound boring but it is worth it.) It was these lectures that provided me with many ideas during our two teaching weeks; their engaging activities gave structure, direction, and consistency to our future lesson plans.
Upon arriving at Yi Sheng Elementary (義盛國小) in Tao Yuan (桃園) County, I was amazed at the grandeur and beauty of the surroundings. Yi Sheng was located high up in the mountains, in the midst of a small but welcoming village of Atayal students and their families. (To truly understand how remote the school is, it must be said that the nearest 7/11 was a 30 minutes’ drive away.) But I must say I am glad that we were so isolated from the rest of society. The separation between what we were experiencing and what we were used to allowed us, as teachers, not only to spend more time with our fellow AID teachers and the school staff, but also with the students as well. Every day, I would see students roam around before and after school – their actions reflecting their enthusiastic, ready-to-learn-and-play attitudes. Every day, I would hear their loud “Good morning Teacher Steve” when I greeted them and talked about our games and activities for the day. Every day, I would look out and see the many cute faces full of energy, and every day they would enthusiastically take in all that I taught them, from just basic vocabulary to exciting and complex games. Thus, it thrilled me to find out how much they improved over the mere two weeks we were with them. Throughout that time period, they learned how to say simple words, follow commands, and in general – speak English. They were immersed in an English-speaking world – while at the same time remaining in their Taiwanese homeland, a dichotomy that can rarely be found in Taiwan. It was then that I truly understood the purpose of my visit to Taiwan – it was a learning experience for all.
So, to any and all prospective applicants to this program, you will like this program. It brings together people from around the world, seemingly diverse but all with the same purpose – a desire to experience something new.
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Tseng, Christina (曾筱晴)
The few minutes before our first class started, I freaked out. What was I doing here? I didn't know how to teach English! I was only 18, for heavens sake. What could a fresh high school graduate do in terms of teaching a class, managing students, and inspiring them to learn? I walked into the classroom for the first time, eager to see the kids. Hearing my footsteps, the little kids ran towards me saying, "姊姊,這個糖果給你!". As they clutched my arms as we walked to the gym, I felt a sense of relief, starting to believe that maybe I could get along with the kids.
As I and the 5 other volunteer teachers faced a whole gym of kids, the worries and anxieties were starting to resurface. I took a breath and stepped to the front, addressing them and explaining what we would be doing for the next two weeks. I was amazed at how easily this came to me. My years of being the 小老師 for martial art and folk dance classes were starting to pay off, as I seamlessly organized the children into preparation for a group game.
After that first day, I no longer paid attention to the fact that I was an 18 year old attempting to teach, I focused on the matters like "Did the kids like the class?", "What did the kids respond more to?". Everyday was exhausting, and took a huge chunk of energy from me, but nevertheless, I loved every minute of it. Seeing the smiles on the kids' faces, having a child recall the correct answer, there is no better feeling.
Teaching gave me a sense of accomplishment, and the feeling that I was needed. As I look back on my days at 小烏來 in 桃園 county, I remember a simpler landscape, with fresh air and breathtaking scenery, and goals that were honest and pure. I dealt with kids that were good and lively.
It must have been the second day of teaching, when I laid on a study table at lunch time, completely wiped out and exhausted from teaching. My voice was hoarse and my back was aching. But I most remember smiling to myself as I started to consider getting a teaching certificate in college.
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Chen, Jing-Shuan (陳靖軒)
I really enjoyed the experience. My time with the kids were very well spent and I will remember each and every one of them for the rest of this life. I also became very close with my fellow teachers at the school, the 8 of us spent 4 weeks together. And for 2 of those weeks we were actually with each other almost 24 hours a day. The memories I made this summer will be with me for the rest of my life and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone involved in the program who made it possible.
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Wu, Regan (吳帥芸)
I first heard of AID from a friend living in California. After talking to her about the program, I was more than determined to get accepted and become a 2013 AID summer volunteer. When the time came around and I found out I was accepted, I was full of excitement and worries. Would the students like me? What would the living conditions be like? In the end, AID was a great experience where my worries were no where to be found. Through this program I met so many talented and amazing people from all over the world. Jane, my host teacher during my two weeks stay at Taidong, was so helpful and caring, and served as a mother to all the volunteers at her school. The kids that we taught at RenAiGoXiao picked up our lessons quickly and were so fun to play with. AID is an experience I will never forget. The eight of us at RenAi bonded as a team and balanced each other out well. This was an experience of a lifetime and I feel so grateful to have gotten this amazing opportunity to teach English overseas.
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Wang, Jesse (王子萱)
I can't think of a way to begin this that isn't kind of lame and insincere and not real - but give me 5 minutes of your time, and maybe you won't walk away from what could be an experience of a lifetime and something you will treasure forever. Because this is what it has become for me, and I know at the beginning I was hesitant about all of this. It was intimidating, in a way that I wasn't confident I would really enjoy the community - I was doubtful I would fit in, make friends, and be happy for a month without anyone I knew.
But in that month, I not only grew as a person, but I also found a best friend for life. Taiwan holds a special place in my heart, and while absence sometimes makes me forget that, every time I come back I remember. It is a great island.
So no matter what type of person you are before you come to AID, I promise that you will leave with memories of youth that will last when you're old and wrinkled, with stories to tell your friends and your family. I mean, let's step away from AID from a moment, because I've never been a big follow-the-program type of person; I'm kind of an independent soul, a free spirit who relishes freedom above all else. And in Taiwan, I ultimately found freedom.
Freedom, and opportunity. This is what I believe AID is about. You spend a week getting to know the people you are going to be with about a month - we call this "training week." This week could suck at first because you know basically no one at first and it's always awkward when you're meeting new people. The important thing- understand that this will happen and it's totally OK! You don't need to make a new best friend or even find a group of friends within that first week. Just take care of yourself, talk to friends at home if it makes you feel better, and slowly get to know others on your own accord.
The best part is when you actually leave for the school you'll be teaching at. Get ready for two weeks of personal growth and discovery, fun, and bonding between your teaching mates. You have soldier boys you work with, and these people can become your closet older "brothers" - they will be the ones taking you out to late night food or bubble tea and showing you around the area. It's fantastic. You'll experience so much of the life in your region, and do a lot of fun things. Here, you become adult. Make your own decisions and learn - I know this could sound a bit scary to anyone who hasn't done AID yet, but I want to assure as someone who was once in your position that you shouldn't be scared. No one will pressure you into doing things, but you WILL have a lot of fun - the hosts and soldier boys work so hard to make your stay comfortable and fun. Our soldier boys took us to the amusement park and movies, and were always check in with us on our needs.
I wish I could share a video of my memories with you to make you understand but all I have are words. So if you're still thinking about whether to do this, or how to feel about AID going in, here's the summary broken down:
1) Acknowledge your fears and then know that you're over-thinking this. I was in your shoes, but it would be the biggest regret in my life if I decided not to go. Expect to have fun - expect to learn new things, expect to have freedom and independence, expect awesomeness. AID will not disappoint. If you are disappointed, I will be shocked. To help anyone who is still anxious about this though, calm down. You get your freedom, and no one will ever punish you or ostracize you if you decide you want to do your own thing and have some personal time. People here are totally cool with that and would still love to get to know you (at your own pace) anyway!
2) Teaching in Taiwan is amazing because you get the culture dosage as well as experience with teaching and handling kids. This is pretty valuable in job interviews (just putting that out there because now I've been in a few and I find that this is pretty helpful to pull out when they ask for work/volunteer experience!) Kids are cute (mostly) and hey, let's just say it's a good and useful experience.
3) You're treated like an adult. Best part, hands down. Welcome to Real Life.
(and you also get really close with your counselor buddies! They speak mostly chinese to you, but they're really cute and awesome :D)
I know it's hard to trust a stranger's words, but if you're here you're obviously qualified. What I am trying to do is convince you to make the decision to follow through, because I KNOW you won't regret it and I would hate for anyone to miss out on this.
For everyone else who's already decided on coming, here's a few tips:
1) YOU NEED THE LONG PANTS. Bring at least 3 pairs (you have to do your own laundry, and it sucks to do that too often). The mosquitoes in some areas are particularly vicious (especially if you get a country region school), you will be thankful to have the long pants soon enough. If you have tiger palm, bring that too.
2) Don't prepare teaching supplies, the schools will give you the opportunity to go get them on the school's budget. I would advise to start thinking about ways to rewards kids for good behavior (like candy) and maybe even presents for the end of the teaching period! You grow to love them and they grow to love you, and since you want them to enjoy learning English and have a desire to visit America someday, a present would be pretty encouraging!
3) Bring a camera, PLEASE BRING A CAMERA. You'll see some awesome sights and you definitely want to be able to capture even a vague impression of that memory.
4) Wifi at Jian Tan (the place you stay at during training week) is pretty crappy so don't expect much. Still bring your laptop though, you'll need it to work on lesson plans and stuff! Most likely you'll have good internet at the school (if not, they'll work out for you I think) so yeah.
5) Don't worry too much about bedding; the school prepares that. Do have bathroom stuff though.
6) At the beginning, AID gives you a duffel bag, cap, water container, and umbrella. Most of these items are pretty useful - the duffel bag is great for tour week when you'll have to put just what you need (like clothes, money, and toiletries) in that bag to travel. Umbrella serves the double purpose of blocking the sun and the rain. CRITICAL: Drink lots of water!
7) Exchange your money from USD to NT at the airport if you can; track spending accordingly. You can shop during tour week so make sure you don't spend it all before then! (Save some for the nightmarket too!)
8) It's possible to find a boyfriend/girlfriend here. But be careful, long distance can be hard...
9) You will be making lesson plans during training week with your partner, so you don't actually need to have that prepped. It will be hard anyway since you don't know what your partner wants to do. However, if you can contact someone you want to be partnered with before time and talk over that, do that. If not, just have a few ideas in the back of your mind (or write them down, that works too). It will make making the deadline for lesson plans to be turned in so much easier to meet and you'll just have a lot less work.
10) Kids like games. Brainstorm some teaching games while you can to fit that into your daily schedule. Also, remember recess and nap time. Repetition and review of a topic is crucial.
I could tell you more, but I think this is pretty long and I've probably used up more than 5 min of your time. And so, I'll end here, but I sincerely hope, from stranger to stranger, that you do this program. I believe it will be a fantastic memory you will be grateful to have done, and soon you'll be in my position trying to convince some other curious, hesitant kid to actually do it. So do it!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at jw48@rice.edu. I am currently an undergrad at Rice University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Business. My name is Skye Wang and I'm Taiwanese and proud of it! :)
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Chang, Michael (張展瑋)
I feel that AID Summer has given me an amazing chance to both visit Taiwan and also help out Taiwanese students. AID Summer was a once in a lifetime opportunity with unforgettable memories. In AID Summer, I was able to build everlasting bonds with complete strangers over the course of 4 weeks and have an amazing friendship. I feel that the connections and friends I have made through this program will always be with me and help me in my future.
During the first week of AID Summer, I had no idea who anyone was and I was in this foreign country. However, everyone in AID Summer was extremely nice and it was very easy to make friends and fit in. Over the course of AID summer, there was definitely hardships in planning lessons and teaching the kids, but it was worth it. During teaching week, it was awesome that I could visit and teach at an actually Taiwanese elementary school. It gave me a chance to see another part of Taiwan.
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