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Xu, Jacqueline (许安忆)
When I first applied for the AID Summer program, I didn’t realize how much hard work and attention it would take. In all honesty, I thought we would be assistant teachers, and not actually have total control over our own classroom! The first day I got to the Youth Center, I was nervous. I didn’t know any of these people, and I honestly had no idea what to expect out of this program. But my fears were quickly dispelled after a few hours. I immediately became close friends with my group, A1-1, and after a few classes, I got into the swing of things. My group and I became an ohana – a family – that would become inseperable for the rest of the trip.
Once I arrived at Yude Elementary School, I was nervous. I had never taught kids before, nevertheless teach them English! What if I was a bad teacher? What if the kids didn’t understand me? What if I didn’t understand the kids? The first day was awkward and nerve-wracking. The kids didn’t know who we were, and we didn’t know who the kids were. But as the week went on and my teaching partner Cynthia and I began teaching, we got into the hang of things, and teaching – a once impossible task – became easy. Cynthia and I not only became great teaching partners, we also became great friends.
After two weeks of teaching elementary school kids, you start to realize how much you learn from teaching. I finally understood why my past teachers would assign certain rules and why they would get frustrated when we wouldn’t study. I also learned a lot from the kids themselves. Not only did they teach me new words in Chinese, but they also taught me how to try and accept new traditions and cultures. I had never experienced anything like Taiwanese school culture, and as different as it is from American school culture, I learned to have accept and have fun with it. One of my favorite times was eating lunch together with the kids – they would talk to us, ask us about our homes, and even teach us to try the new foods that the school served us.
Even though I thought teaching would be the most difficult thing in the world at the beginning of the program, it turned out to be one of the most fun and rewarding things in the world. I have to admit, teaching was hard at times; sometimes the kids wouldn’t listen, or they just wouldn’t retain the information. But together, Cynthia, the class and I persevered and became our own little family, and I don’t regret any minute spent in Taiwan.
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Wong, Allen (黄聖欽)
This two weeks have been some of the most interesting two of my entire life. There have been many, many ups and downs, and unlike other groups, I have seen a lot. Our group, C1-7 or, as we named ourselves, "the FireBees" were unique and quite different from all the other groups. Instead of being stationary at one school to teach English to children, we went to several locations and taught for 2-3 days, then moved on to somewhere else. Our group became the pioneers for this group, almost all by ourselves. This type of teaching, as I'm aware of, was never tried before in the AID program.
The approach that we took onto teaching was quite different from the things that were taught from our week at Chian Tan. At every new location, our group had to be extremely adaptive to our environment. We would often have an opening ceremony and a lesson following the opening, and that lesson would be very important, because we would usually have only that time and the next day to teach them. Because of our short stay, it was also more difficult to bond with our students and get to know their individual needs. It often felt like we were lost in our teaching, because we had to teach the same lesson over and over, but it was usually worth it, because there were always kids who were extremely willing and happy to be learning English. For the members in our group, having this type of teaching was extremely exhausting. We had meeting almost every night to discuss problems that we faced from this day in teaching or that we believe will happen and solve them. This would not be a big problem if we were at a regular school, because we could use a couple days to see how the students were at a school, but for us, we had to create several backup-plans and discuss meticulously the details of our plans. Even so, our traveling meant that we got to meet a lot of people. From different indigenous peoples to many, many students, we met many people who welcomed us with open arms. It was a very heartwarming experience.
Lodging for us was a very mixed experience. When we first arrived at our host school, Yu Shan Theology College and Seminary, the school did not meet our expectations. There was no air conditioning, but that was only a minor imperfection in comparison to the larger problem that I had: cleanliness. The dorms at the school are lined with spiders webs and different insects. The bathrooms had a weird odor and the toilets/showers weren't very clean. We stayed at the dorms for two nights until we moved onto the first church/teaching location, which had nice accommodations. When we returned to Yu Shan, three days later, we were moved to the guest estate where the accommodations were much cleaner. We stayed also at two other places that were provided to us by the places we went to. One place we stayed at was the house of a church member. Also the house was nice, it wasn't very clean either. The next was a Bed in Breakfast/ house operated by the tribe (I believe); this place was nice and well-kept.
My personal experience during these two weeks was possibly move tiring than others. The others in my group all visited Taiwan regularly (at least once a year) while I have only been here 6-7 times in my life. I have almost no immunity to bug bites, and I was bitten many, many times. In total, I had to go to the hospital three times to get my bug bites checked out because I was having allergic reactions. My body itself is littered with smaller bug bites and because my body has to fight them, I am often tired.
The picture that I chose is the view from Yu Shan. The school is on a mountain and is quite far from HuaLien city. Apart from a small tourist destination below, the area is very quite, and is very beautiful. Our group had the chance to travel to beautiful places like this, dug into the mountains to teach and meet wonderful people in Taiwan.
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Goebel , William (高威廉)
These past few weeks have been an absolutely incredible experience - from learning about useful and applicable teaching techniques at Chinetan, to teaching at Youmu Elementary, to finally being able to see the natural and urban beauties of Taiwan. Not only have I been able to truly experience the country, I have also been able to build close relationships and friendships with some truly dedicated, passionate, and unique individuals.
Teaching at Youmu Elementary was the experience of a lifetime. For two full weeks, I was able to bond with my students as well as teach them and encourage them to expand their English education in the coming years. Even though the time of the program was very short, I still feel that I was able to develop a close bond with many students. Going into the program, I had the feeling that it would be a considerable amount of time - yet it still felt like it went by in a breeze. I miss my students dearly, but I am confident that my teaching partner and I were able to encourage the students to learn and develop their English skills, and I am very proud of the progress they made displayed in the pretest and post-test.
I will treasure the memories made here this past month - especially the ones made at our school. Youmu is located in the mountains at very high elevation - it rained especially often, but that did not damper the fun activities we and the students were able to engage in. We played sports ranging from badminton to frisbee to soccer, and we even lost power for 24 hours during an unforeseen typhoon (which was interesting to say the least). Actually living in the place where we taught - using the facilities, interacting with teaching staff, and building bonds with individuals completing their mandatory Taiwanese military service - all of these factors heightened the experience and added to the unique experience that this program has to offer.
Although our time at Youmu was great, my teaching partner and I faced many unique obstacles in spite of our successes. Some students were incredibly apprehensive about learning English, and some were unwilling to participate in classroom activities. In order to encourage these students to join in our class activities, we utilized a point system that we felt was incredibly effective. By rewarding students, not only were we able to coax these students into interacting with the class, but we were also able to build a classroom experience where students were rewarded with good behavior and a dedicated attitude.
The program in all has been absolutely incredible. I am immensely grateful to have had such a unique opportunity to interact with elementary school students in Taiwan, and I truly feel as if I have had a holistic and unique experience. My peers, students, teaching staff, and counselors have all helped me on this journey and realize that this experience, while built around teaching English to those in need, has helped me more than I yet realize.
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Tu, Vicky (涂珈倢)
“Teacher, teacher!”
I look up, and see a sea of tiny eager arms flailing in the air, desperately trying to catch the teachers’ attention.
Something DID catch my attention: that shy aboriginal boy in the corner of the classroom was actually holding his hand up.
I smiled. “Albert, why don’t you answer the question?”
He nodded and slowly but surely, one after another English word emitted from his mouth in a slightly shaky voice. His enunciation was far from perfect, but by simply answering this one question, he was one step closer to perfect English pronunciation.
The two weeks spent at Dong Guan Elementary School teaching kids English have completely changed my five senses.
My ears have grown accustomed to the children’s whining, laughing, and singing. Yes, they whine when I assign classwork, they whine when they catch their classmates cheating in a game, and they whine when the heat and humidity are too much for them to handle. But the truth is, they also smile when I give them stars for doing excellent jobs on their work, they laugh as they learn English while playing games such as “fly swatter” and “back to back”, and they sing “Let it Go” during break time to beat the heat. Their words, their laughs, their voices are music to my ears.
I feel the chalk in my fingers as I jot down vocabulary terms and sentence structures on the blackboard. I feel the sweat beads on my arms as I give piggy back rides to the kids during break. I feel the papers as I collect the worksheets from the children. But most importantly, I feel the energy the kids bring with them every day to the classroom, to learn, to play, to grow.
My taste buds are tingling now as I think back to the seafood I endeavored in Keelung. I had been to Taiwan so many times, even lived there for a couple of years, but never have I been to Keelung. This AID program gave me the opportunity to experience the infamous seafood Keelung Harbor has to offer. My mouth, which had tasted everything from stinky tofu to pig’s blood, from mango shaved ice to oyster omelet, has now traveled a meter more and experienced the delicious fresh seafood of Keelung.
I smell the bian dong that is given to me every day at lunch. It smells delicious after a morning of hard work and sweat.
The children have opened my eyes. They exposed me to a world in which some have to walk 30-40 minutes to get home, in which they must learn at school with limited resources. They showed me that despite their limitations, they will never give up. The school’s teachers told us our goal is to inspire the kids. However, through this teaching experience, I have actually been inspired by the children. Their desire to learn English is heartwarming and they are just as eager as city children, and that’s actually the key to mastering English.
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Duan, Alice (段語芝)
I didn't expect to get into the program when I applied and I didn't really want to come even if I did because I would be missing a lot of things back home if I came to Taiwan for a month. But unfortunately I got in and it wasn't even an option at that point and my parents sort of assumed I was going to attend. I flew out right after getting home from another country and I was exhausted and annoyed and scared because I had never travelled alone before. Then we were stuck at Chientan for a week, 9 hours of class/planning a day and meat with sprinkles and porridge every day for breakfast and the whole time I was tired and hungry and grumpy and I really truly hated my time there. But when we got shipped off to our schools and we met the kids and taught them and got to know them it sounds cheesy but it was all worth it because the kids are all so sweet and willing to learn and smart. I really enjoyed teaching and I loved all my kids except for one and I also liked the food that the lunch ladies cooked. There were three girls who were really behind in terms of English level and they couldn’t understand anything we said, even the question “do you understand?” but during break time and lunch time they would talk to us in Chinese and even though it was frustrating in class and frustrating to teach them, we still got to know them pretty well. The living conditions were stressful because there was not enough toilet paper and too many spiders bigger than my face but the people at the school were very helpful and accommodating to make sure that our stay was comfortable. Both at Chientan and at my school I met a bunch of really cool people who shared my hatred of bugs and they all made everything a lot better too. So overall I had a good experience with AID and I'm glad my parents bought that plane ticket without discussing it with me, and the kids were so great to be around that I may or may not have teared up when it came time to say goodbye. And I look forward to the tour week because the beds at the Youth Activity Centers are really great. Also I really hated the counselors during training week because they were unreasonably strict and really rude. I got yelled at and points taken off because "my ankles were showing and it violated dress code because it was unprofessional" but there were people wearing flare jeans with new balance sneakers and that was so professional. During the tour week though they were so much nicer and sociable which probably means they were caught up in the whole system. So basically the system sucks and AID was a pretty poorly planned program but it was still enjoyable because of the people and the experiences that it brings.
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Lin, Naomi (林子卉)
Naomi Lin
C1-4
Reflection
I have not been at any English teaching program or any overseas program for a month before; therefore this experience was an eye opener. I absolutely loved teaching and traveling all over Taiwan with my new friends. Most importantly, I will treasure all the memories I’ve made this past summer, especially the relationships that I formed with the people.
The first week at Chientan was not what I expected at all. The opening ceremony and ice breaking activities were great. The dorm and laundry situation were amazing as well. However, some lectures were quite pointless and they didn’t really apply to the things we needed to know about teaching. In addition, college kids were treated like little kids with such extremity of implementation of the rules. We understand the rules and more freedom should be allowed for the college students, especially for those over the age of eighteen. On the other hand, I loved the lectures that Eric taught. He made it very interactive and had interesting activities and games to inspire our teaching plans. He was an excellent lecturer and teacher. After training it was a melancholy experience to part with those that we bonded with but I was very ready and excited to go to the countryside to teach.
It has been my greatest pleasure to be a volunteer teacher in Chung Der Middle School these past two weeks. Prior to these two weeks, I have looked forward to being an English teacher in Yunlin. However, I did not realize how much I would love teaching these kids. Their enthusiasm and smiling faces brightened my mornings. I was deeply touched by my student’s interest in learning and their respect for us. They always participated in all the games and attempted to use English to communicate with us, though they sometimes struggled to express their thoughts. I will never forget playing soccer, kickball, and the numerous other sports along side the students. I treasure the moments we bonded through small talks outside of class, talking about their favorite sports, music, and other miscellaneous topics. I would like to thank Principal Lin, Doris, and Joy from the bottom of my heart. Principal Lin has such a wonderful school and I thank her so much for having us. Joy has been with us ever since we were in Taipei, teaching us how to be teachers. Doris was like our mother. She bought us meals, got specific food orders for each person, got teaching supplies and medication for us when we were sick. Lastly, my students in Class A, were the best class any teacher can have. I will miss them so much!
The last week of touring was very lovely. I loved my counselors, Vicky, Henry, and Mina. They were great and so was my tour group! However, I wish we got to spend more time bonding with everyone and not just our group. Since I befriended people in the central tour and I was in the southern tour, it was quite sad that I didn’t really get to see them until much later.
In the end, I’ve made friends that I will treasure forever, memories that I’ll never forget, and an experience of a lifetime. Thanks so much to everyone who made AID possible!
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Chen, Tiffany (陳芬妮)
What a journey! Four remarkable and memorable four weeks that is one to remember. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect coming to AID. Upon arrival, I was very shy and had negative thoughts such as “what if I made the wrong decision?” I looked forward to making new friends, making the most of my teaching experiences with the adorable children, and enjoy what Taiwan has to offer.
As one of the few oldest volunteers in AID and most experienced teaching experience, I have learned a lot about the Taiwanese Education System, the students, and the environment throughout the two weeks at the elementary school that I have taught at. The connection that I have gained during the teaching weeks is indescribable. The children that I taught were all eager to learn, ready for class, showing positive attitude and behavior, and most of all having fun learning English! I feel even more confident with a different perspective of Teaching Abroad! I have already had two full years and a lot of volunteer teaching hours of training to become a teacher in my previous schooling, however; teaching in remote areas of another country is like no other. I have always dreamed of teaching Taiwanese children English either at an elementary school or opening up my own tutoring center. I will definitely utilize all the resources provided by AID and make the most of it in my future career. Not only did AID help me find out my abilities but also confirm my strength and weaknesses. The school principal gave us some souvenirs which included a quote "To the world you may be one person, but to someone you may be the world."
AID was definitely not what I pictured upon coming to this program. I did not imagine so many well known rural school teachers would be helping us volunteers prepare for our teaching weeks. I pictured training week being very boring, working with our teammates, preparing for our lesson plan. Despite what many AID volunteer members think of the extremely long lectures to guide us in becoming teachers, the presentations were beyond helpful. The games, activities, sharing of prior experiences, and background information are all beneficial information for successful teaching. There was much manipulation needed in our teaching plans, but in the end everything worked out. In addition to my impression of teaching, I had also imagined making more friends, however, I actually did not make as many because the ones that I encountered had far different personalities that I could not bond with. But, I did build an extremely close connection with my roommates and teaching partners. They have became my best friends and build a special connection with each of them.
From the first day at Chien Tan, to meeting our roommates, to visiting my school, to meeting our students, and meeting all these wonderful friends from all over the world has truly been one of the greatest experiences ever. I have now figured out why AID program is so popular. I am so grateful to have such opportunity to come to Taiwan and be a part of AID. It has been an unbelievable summer to forget. I already miss my students, teachers, and friends. We are all family.
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Song, Andrew (宋俊賢)
AID Summer will be an experience I'll never forget. I can still remember my friend telling me on and on about each day she had her school last year. Even as I was writing and submitting my application, I was super hesitant. How was I supposed to teach kids a subject that I've never taught before? But after coming to Taiwan, I was surprised at the generous support, not only from the teachers and staff members, but from the fellow volunteers who had come with me. We all worked hard to create lesson plans and games for the students to truly gain a love of learning of the English language. After weeks of screaming kids and late nights, I've come to understand what my friend had gone through. I've made new friends both young and old. From the young first graders, to the volunteers to even the counselor and the helpful teachers, I'll always treasure each and every connection I've made through the program. Although I'll be sad to leave soon, I'll be happier because of the happy memories I've made with the people here.
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Tai, Diana (戴維萱)
Teaching at Matsu has been an amazing experience. I learned not only how to interact and teach students from completely different upbringings but also about the local traditions and cultures of Matsu. The teachers and staff were all very kind and I felt their compassion and enthusiasm through all the little things they did for us. At Renai Elementary, I taught the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. These students were at first very shy and reluctant to speak English, but as we spent more and more time together, I was able watch them open up and understand their potential. One thing I learned about the teaching plans and working journals is that it doesn’t really help to plan everything at one time. Even though my partner and I had completed the teaching plans and journals during our time at Chientan, when we actually got to our school and had the chance to understand the students, we had to completely rewrite them. I found that it was most efficient to write the plans and journals right after class each day. AID has made one of the most memorable and rewarding summers. I am grateful for all the new experiences and friendships I made.
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Chang, Maggie (張琦)
Having to live away from home in different youth centers and sleeping in a rural school for a month has been tough.
The amount of mosquitoes, spiders, beetles, moths and the countless other bugs out there made me wish that it would end right away. When I first arrived at the school I was teaching at, I was anxious about the following two weeks to come. I was met with spiders larger than the size of my hands and giant cockroaches. After the first day of teaching, I was slightly stressed with the amount of changes I would have to make with my teaching plans because of the difference of levels of English I expected the students to know. The students were completely knew to the English language. Few knew how to read basic words and most only knew the alphabet. I was exhausted by the first day of teaching and was not looking forward to altering my teaching plans and daily lesson plans. However, the excitement of the students to learn English motivated me to prepare detailed lesson plans that would educate them as thoroughly as possible. This allowed me to appreciate the education that I receive in the United States and often take for granted. At the end of the two weeks of teaching, I was very sad about having to leave the students and the school. I was not aware of how much I enjoyed teaching the students until the time was over. Even though staying at the school was not the most comfortable living situation with constant mosquitoes, giant spiders, cockroaches and more, I was able to make it as a home for two weeks. Everything was worth it at the end.
Along with all the fun experiences and opportunities that AID Summer has provided, there were some things that I did not particularly enjoy. The training week did not provide a great introduction to the program. It made me feel like the entire program would be strict and not as enjoyable as it seemed. Some of the courses were definitely longer than it should have been. Topics that could have been covered in one hour were three hours, which tired out all the volunteers. The meetings late at night with the teaching partners and teacher should have been earlier as well. After a long exhausting day, I am sure that most volunteers were not alert enough to create detailed lesson plans.
Even though the conditions were not as favorable as I wished, it could have been, I am glad I took part of this program. Knowing that I had some type of influence on the students to learn to love the English language makes the entire experience worth it. AID Summer has given me the opportunity to become friends with many great people. This program has given me the opportunity to go to other parts of Taiwan that I would have never traveled too. It allowed me to appreciate all the opportunities that I come by. The tour allowed time to bond even more with my teaching partners. It also provided the opportunity of seeing so much of Taiwan. Even though these two weeks of teaching have been exhausting, it was an amazing and rewarding experience that I would never forget.
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Hang, Jacqueline (韓佳伶)
At first I was reluctant and unmotivated to be apart of this program because my parents forced me to join AID Taiwan. They wanted me to learn more Chinese and understand Taiwanese culture but I wanted to relax and spend my summer with my friends back at home. However, that was until I met my team. On the first day, we quickly bonded and had a blast together the whole four weeks in Taiwan. From shopping and dining to exploring night markets and scenic places, my newfound friends made my journey exciting and fulfilling! I am glad that I was paired up with them. For the first week of the program, we stayed at the Jiantan Youth Activity Center. My stay was a comfortable one but their WIFI is just awful. Unless you have data on your phone, you will not be getting any internet here. The program is quite strict which is understandable because many of the volunteers are not 21. However, as a college student who has had the taste of freedom, the rules were definitely a let down for me. There is curfew, a timed schedule, and other restrictions that are very much enforced. Either way, my friends compensated for the rules so I still had a great time.
As an aspiring teacher, having the opportunity to teach the middle school students of Beipu, Taiwan gave me valuable skills and unforgettable experiences. When I first walked into the classroom with my AID Taiwan team, the whole class stood, bowed, and saluted to us. I would be lying if I said that I disliked how much respect they gave their teachers! Although my team and I were lenient on our class rules, the students were generally polite children and there were hardly any behavioral issues. A few things that I realized about being a good teacher are that you must be creative with what you have to present and you must be passionate about what you will be teaching them. For instance, if you are passionate about Psychology and you are teaching your students about emotions, you will naturally construct creative ways of presenting your information and you will show a more animated demeanor. When you are excited about something, your students will be excited as well! Furthermore, you have to be confident and be a good role model. The students in Taiwan will immediately respect you but they will take advantage of you if you let them. I had to remind myself from time to time that I had the authority. Regardless of how attached I became with the children in class, I still had to represent the boundary between teacher and student. When the two weeks of teaching was over, many of my students wanted photos and gave me little notes. My team and I have never received so many Facebook friend requests at one time before this trip! I think my students appreciated me because I treated them with respect, I demanded respect, and because I was passionate about teaching.
All in all, I am grateful that my parents pushed me to join this program. I would have never been able to receive valuable teaching experience and I would have never met my new friends!
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Mak, Jacqueline (麥嘉韻)
The meerkat group, the six silly, completely individual students that I will never forget. I taught C Class, the group deemed the least advanced in English. My partner and I immediately changed the class name to Team Donut. We were also warned that this class was filled with hyper trouble-makers.
From the first meeting, I could feel that the students were testing the waters, seeing how far they could push the limits in class. I set a serious tone, and we planted the white lie that we teachers did not understand Mandarin. At first, the students continued refusing to speak English and kept causing trouble. I found that cutting off their trouble-making with a stern remark was not as effective as a whole-hearted agreement or a reversal on their silly remarks.
Learning wise, the class was split. Some students were not willing to learn, some were unable to learn, and some completely excelled what we were teaching. I found that the ring leaders of the meerkat group were some of the brightest students and became embarrassed but secretly proud when I praised their knowledge. I felt that a lot of these supposed problem-students actually knew a lot, but their willingness to show their smarts are dampened because of their image as the cool group. I praised them. All of them. They heard “You are a very smart student,” every day.
Some students needed a lot more one-on-one teaching, and some flourished in the group setting where they became competitive in spelling games. The students were extremely physical, and we teachers had to have serious talks with the class about bullying.
Slowly, the all the students started to open up and participate. Every morning, the students would say “Good morning Teacher Jackie!” It was cool learning about the Teacher Jackie’s Californian culture, and it was cool to parrot teacher Jackie’s words to make fun of her. I was fine with that and spoke in some of the silliest tones.
My students told me that they could not stop speaking English at home either, because they had English ingrained in their minds from class. I have learned a lot of Chinese and some Taiwanese from the kids myself. Being immersed in the culture was so fun for me. And sharing my culture was really fun as well. Li ja ba bwe. I will never forget my students yelling Teacher Jackie during my farewell speech.
I would have wished to have a longer time teaching and less time for the training and touring. I think that the training was effective, but getting to know the class and accustoming myself to their learning style was a lot more important to my teaching. This was my first visit to Taiwan, one that I will never forget. The food was delicious, and most importantly, the people that I have met were all extremely welcoming and open. The hustle and bustle of the city, the scenic greenery of the tropical forests, and the amazing tea will be with me forever.
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Chiou, Hellen (邱眃)
7.29.2014
To my future self:
I hope that when you find this reflection sometime in the future and read it, all the memories will come flooding back to you, as clear and sharp as they are for me now…
There are so many people whom I would like to thank for filling my summer with lifelong memories. You all have a place in my heart now. These past four weeks have been very busy and at times exhausting, but it was absolutely worthwhile. I am so very grateful for this chance to meet my fantastic teaching partners, my hardworking students, my new foster family, and all the wonderful counselors. This is only my second visit to Taiwan even though half of my family resides here. It has been ten years since my first visit, and I do not remember much of it. Therefore most of my impressions of Taiwan were newly made during this program. And I can confidently say that all of my feelings are positive. Even the mosquitoes have not been terrible; I have only been bitten twice during the twenty-two days so far. So I guess I just want to address each of you, those who were an integral part of my life here, as I reflect on my experience and share my feelings and gratitude in return for all that things you have shared with me.
To my most fantastic teaching partners Laura, Sarina, Emily, Sabrina, and Rachel,
I was in Canada when Coach Chen emailed us about our team and Jhongyun Junior High. And I remember the immediate excitement and then panic because I had not yet finished my lesson plans. And although we all joined the Facebook group, me being not so comfortable with social networking, we didn’t really communicate before meeting each other at Chientan. Yet I feel that the six of us bonded quickly when we shared the room together, had class together, and ate meals together. We learned each other’s likes and dislikes, and this friendship only solidified when we moved to Jhongyun, to the point that we could not bear the thought of being separated from each other during tour week. I will never forget our early morning fruit breakfasts or late night teaching preparations. The way we watched movies, carpooled to the restaurant, had after-breakfast naps, played Contact around the dinner table, or visited each other’s classrooms during breaks and lunch. I feel very fortunate that we all got along so well. I can’t believe the end is coming so soon. I can only hope that we will see each other again on our promised Disneyland reunion and whenever we travel nearby.
To my students,
Class A3, you guys are the best students any teacher could ask for. To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled of the idea of teaching middle school kids, only because I didn’t want to be reminded of that time in my life. But you guys were different. I was surprised to learn that most of you were here because you wanted to be, that you yourselves were curious and excited to learn English. I am so glad that you broke through your initial shyness to open up to me and ask me questions about me life and interests. And that way, I could learn about each of you too. I learned that all of you can be loud when you want to be, and when we sang our song for the closing ceremony, I could not have been more proud of every single one of you. Thank you for teaching me how to be young again, how to let go sometimes, and how to adjust and adapt. You all inspired me each day with your curiosity and your creativity. But I didn’t realize that you felt as strongly about me as I do for all of you until the last few days when we began taking pictures in class and sending Facebook friend requests. It was so hard to say goodbye on the last day, and I was touched by all your emotions. I can only say that this is not goodbye, but I see you in the future. I promise that when I come back to Kaohsiung, I will visit you all again. And I welcome you all to visit me in the U.S. We can exchange being tour guides for each other.
To my foster family,
I call you my foster family, because I do feel that I have gained a second family in our two weeks together. You are father, mother, brother, and sister to me. To Eric and Doris, thank you for all the help you gave us and for watching over us. To Auntie, you made me immediately feel like your own daughter with the way you took care of all of us so well. I want to thank you for spending your nights with us at the school even though it was probably hard for you to sleep well on the floor and especially when we stayed up so late finishing our teaching plans. And for waking up so early to do laundry for us and cut fruit for breakfast. To Coach Chen, you are the best teaching coach in all of AID. I cannot imagine anyone more welcoming or hardworking than you. You made our teaching conditions so comfortable and fluid. (I have developed a true appreciation for teachers. I now realize the magnitude of work that teachers must invest, along with the constant improvisation to adapt to your students’ needs, and I find it a difficult yet rewarding job). Thank you for taking your own time to take us on those weekend field trips. I know that doing so many activities must be tiring for you as well, and you had to drive us while we could rest in the van. I respect and admire you greatly as someone who is incredibly selfless and considerate. I hope that this is not the last of our time together, and I can promise that whenever I come back to Taiwan, I will always visit you all, you are family after all.
And finally to all the counselors in their little grey shirts,
This program starts and ends with you guys, from training week to tour week, you who work harder than the rest of us put together. Sometimes I don’t think we truly recognize all that you do for us, and I think we should voice our appreciation and gratitude more often. I thought we volunteers had long nights, but you guys are up later than us after bed check, planning for tomorrow and having meetings to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. Lydia, Maya, Hui Ye, and Sophia: I love you all so much. Thanks for putting up with our constant teasing even if we think it’s all in good fun, for putting up with our endless questions, and for being there to talk when we need you. This program would fall apart without you all to hold us together and keep us in line (haha, maybe two lines). Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will miss all of you greatly as the big sisters I never had.
So future me, I hope this was a good read, and that it will remind you of my once-in-a-lifetime experience here, of the new friends I’ve made, even in tour week. I cannot possibly record everything that has happened, but I hope this is a trigger to let other memories surface. I am happy right now.
Signing off in Taichung,
Hellen
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Huang, Evan (黃世庭)
I thought the overall trip was terrific. I have only been here once about 10 years ago, for only five days, and much has changed, such as the development of the MRT. I arrived a week earlier before the AID program started and I had personal time to spend with family and explore Taipei. The city is amazing and I was able to use the MRT for convenient transportation. I spent many days with family members and they helped me introduce the culture and food. After I arrived to the program, I learned more about teaching and which techniques would be most efficient. The experience at the training camp was satisfactory. The food and living conditions were good. After a week of training we went to our elementary school in Miao Li.
I thought it was a great experience being able to teach in such secluded from the city life. It is not like the city where you wake up to horns and sirens. In the mountain we were able to wake up to the sounds of frogs and cicadas. The teachers are really friendly and kind and would have to say the kindest people I have met in my life. The kids were also really friendly and obedient. (My partner and I taught first through fourth grade, lower level English). Throughout the week, the kids got to know us much better and we were not just educators but we also became their friends and role model. We were able to teach them English with them to successfully learn, and also many different American games and activities, such as ultimate football, capture the flag, and American dodge ball. Living conditions were expected. There was no air conditioning, beds, nor hot water. Food was wonderful, either delicious take out or the traditional Taiwanese food the teachers and staff cooked for us. However the nature and fresh air made up for it. The mountains were much cooler than the city. The two weeks was a great, but yet a different experience. I really enjoyed meeting these new kids and staff. Some students added us on Facebook and other social media. We all hope to keep in contact and continue teaching them English through social media. I really enjoyed teaching and if I had an opportunity to teach again I would definitely do so.
The short weekend tour between the two weeks of teaching was enjoyable being able to enjoy the different country sides and get back together with other friends met at the training camp. The main tour after the two weeks of teaching was also good. We were able to experience all the different sides of Taiwan. The round island tour was very fun and social. We were able to meet new friends. However, I think we rushed way too much, waking up way too early and did not have the energy to do much during the day. Also, changing hotels every night became a hassle, and I believe that not being able to wear sandals or flip-flops was just absurd without prior notice, because of this I had to buy more socks on the spot spending more money than I have hoped. It said “students may choose what to wear” but did not specify on tanks or foot wear. Please let students know much more clearly ahead of time for what to expect. Overall however, I enjoyed the different food and locations we went to on the tour.
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Loh, Alexander (陸逸塵)
It’s hard to put into words how much AID Summer Program has influenced me and exceeded my expectations. I almost underestimated everything; from the people I would meet to the counselors that helped me and the program schedule itself, everything about AID truly exceeded my expectations. Four weeks have truly gone by so quickly, and I’ve learned so much from AID that I’m overwhelmed by how inspiring and motivating this program is. I would like to share some of my reflections on my experience at AID.
From the first week at Chiantan Youth Activity Center, I already knew that AID was going to be a much more enlightening program than I expected. I do not consider myself to be a social butterfly, so I originally thought that being a volunteer would mean, for me, working hard and not really communicating or socializing much with the other volunteers. However, I quickly realized that it was so much easier to talk to my companions, roommates, and group members, not only because we had similar backgrounds (American-born-Chinese environments) but also because we were engaged in a new yet comfortable environment filled with struggles and aspirations. I also had originally thought that our counselors and teachers would be stricter and assume the role of the discipliner. Yet my counselor and teacher (and all the others) were so nice and helpful in answering the questions I had and accommodating to my requests. I also found it quite easy to talk to people outside of my group; switching lunch tables helped to change the group dynamic and meet new people.
When teaching, I met a very big struggle. I was teaching first and second graders, and prior to teaching, I had no idea that they would be so unruly and undisciplined. Much of my class time was spent teaching them to have good study habits and listen to instructions rather than learning actual English vocabulary. Yet despite their wild behavior, I grew to love most, if not all, of the kids. As annoying as they may seem at times, they were all generally interested in learning about American culture and where I came from. I enjoyed telling them stories of America and how different life was compared to in Taiwan. At the end of two weeks of teaching, I was exhausted and, to be honest, a little bit relieved that the endeavor was over, but this feeling was mitigated and overcome by the prospect of never seeing these kids ever again. I learned through teaching that of course in two weeks’ time, it is impossible to really teach them anything. However, what we can teach them is the desire to learn and absorb information, to explore beyond their personal comfort zones. As I realized this, I became much more aware that I was making a difference in their lives, an impact that no one except time can tell.
As I write this reflection during the final days of the fourth and final tour week in AID, I can only regret that I have but this one last chance to participate in AID. If the choice were mine, I would go through it all again; teaching and giving back to the next generation has made me realize that it is not the life I lead that is important, but the legacy that I leave behind.
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Lin, Allen (林育寬)
During the beginning program of AID Summer 2014, I did not know what to expect from all the people attending. Did I forget anything? Was I prepared enough to come with the knowledge of knowing how to teach? Can I accomplish my task as a volunteer teacher? These were the things that ran inside my head as I arrived at Taiwan’s Tao Yuan International Airport.
The beginning week of training was nowhere short of a warm welcome and a friendly atmosphere. My clichéd idea of meeting “socially-awkward” people was nowhere in sight. Instead, it was the close bond between friends around the country, around the globe, that was present in our gathering here in Taiwan. I will never forget what AID Summer has given me. My everlasting friendship with volunteers, teachers, and students will continue to transform into a close-knit, caring family.
My mission was not to be chosen by AID Summer and be sent off to teach children in a rural area. My mission was to promote the fun of English learning to children who might have feared English communication. I could not have asked for a greater teacher, teaching partner, teaching assistant, and a wonderful staff at Da Hu Elementary in Changhua County. The friendly gestures of the staff and the persisting excitement of the students made Taiwan feel like home. Students not only want to participate in the classroom activities but also were eager to come to school early the next day just to find out what they will be learning next.
Outside of the classroom, I had the experience and opportunity to bond emotionally with five amazing volunteers from across the United States. Thanks to our wonderful teacher and Director of Education, our group visited temples and learned about the cultural aspects of why many people come to visit and pray to the gods for happiness, prosperity, and peace. We also visited traditional bustling night markets filled with the aroma of seafood, meats, and fruits. The food tasted better in Taiwan than in America because of the knowledge of knowing food was made on the spot, ready to eat. Other than the stereotypical aspects of my four-week journey in Taiwan, I had to chance to visit landmarks, historical museums, and cultural parks to find out what Taiwan truly has to offer.
I want to thank AID summer’s supervising staffs and instructional teachers for helping me boost my interpersonal skills and guiding us to be the best volunteer teachers we can be. I personally want to thank Teacher Kevin from Da Hu Elementary for always being there for the group and I, through times both thick and thin. There is no better person of great generosity and enthusiasm like Teacher Kevin, an individual who goes above and beyond his duty. I would also like to give a big thank you to Director Tony for providing meals and transportation to ensure our stay at Changhua County enjoyable and pleasant.
For those who will be joining next year in creating a lasting memory for the students and teachers in Taiwan, know that this program is not to make teaching English your first priority but to make learning English fun. Be prepared to share what you know and get ready to experience the cultural significance of Taiwan in a whole new light!
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Tang, Yea whei (湯雅慧)
As I am typing this at 3 A.M. on the third day of the tour, I realize that I want to go home. But despite this homesickness, I am bringing back dozens of memories that I made through these past weeks. I've learned how to teach children, understood the limits of my Chinese, made new friendships, and figured out a little more about myself. There are experiences even I cannot describe to my friends and will forever be in my memories.
The first time I got to the Youth Activity Center, I didn't want my dad to leave. After the first week, I was used to being alone and on my own. That's practice for the next month of the program. I demoed my own teaching plan and surprisingly, many people liked it. Just like writing, teaching plans allow you to use your own ideas and shape them into fun, innovative ways to teach children. I was kind of disappointed and angry when I typed my teaching plan and I found out that we didn’t even use it in the actual teaching week. I realized that, after the first week, the program was filled with super passionate counselors that really cared if our teaching plan was good for the students. My teaching partner and I tried to modify our teaching plan in order to accommodate to the student’s intelligence level.
After we toured the school, my nerves about teaching increased nearly ten fold because I found out that the principal was extremely famous and the students were the top ten of the school. Not only were they intelligent, but they have been taught English before! The first day was filled with awkward tension. Despite their unwillingness to speak, the students finally opened up after awhile.
I noticed many cultural differences in the classroom while teaching. The boys and girls were completely distant from each other and when we taught a handshake that required them to touch hands, they were physically unable to.
Overall, I think I learned that the Taiwanese students really look up to having American teachers. I really tried to be a good role model for the students. I learned that I had to be conscious of my actions, which would affect how students see each other.
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Lee, Irene (李曼嘉)
This experience was absolutely incredible. Having the opportunity to teach only further solidified my desire to pursue a field in education. The staff and figures that took care of us were amazingly friendly and always cooperative. They made sure to attend to our every need, even if we were being picky at times. I am thankful beyond words I got to spend time with such lovely people like me as well as visit the beautiful island of Matsu. I am also so appreciative of the wonderful class I taught. They completely blew me away during the closing ceremony and I only felt the most immense amount of pride and accomplishment. I am ready to go on the tour and spend more time with the friends I have made here.
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Yeh, Ashley (葉容辰)
In the short span of a month, the AID program has made a significant and unforgettable mark. The first week, which was training, was admittedly tiresome; however, each class had its purpose and guided me during the teaching weeks.
Unfortunately, no matter how much training the actual teaching cannot be replicated. As a result, the two teaching weeks were filled with numerous unexpected challenges. The majority of my third grade students had almost no comprehension of english, so I had to speak in chinese to communicate with them. This was a huge struggle with my novice chinese level. Fortunately, my class assistant, Amy, was very helpful in translating. Not only did she help me teach, but she also became a good friend. Amy introduced me to the daily life of a Taiwanese student. In addition, there were a couple of students who had english levels drastically better than the rest of the class. The varied levels made teaching the class as a whole very difficult. Some students would finish worksheets within minutes, while others would struggle to even complete it. Ultimately, the best resolution was to give the less advanced kids extra help from the assistant. Because of their young age, behavior was also an issue. Their attention span can be measured within the matter of minutes. Consequently, I had to plan countless activities for each day to keep them entertained. Despite these obstacles, teaching the children was a irreplaceable and rewarding experience. I may never have the opportunity to see the children again, but I hope I made a lasting impression and gave them the initiative to learn and utilize english in the future.
Another thing that will make a lasting impression on me is the other volunteer teachers who were assigned to the same school as me. When I first met them I was a little unsure about living for two weeks with seven other complete strangers and I didn’t know if I could deal with them for that long. But as the training week went on I got to know them better and I grew to like them all, especially my teaching partner Maggie. We were actually really lucky to get assigned together because we all got along really well, and some of our faults were others’ strengths so we complemented each other really well. In addition to the other girls, we had two more people who stayed by our side at the school who helped us get through those two weeks, Ben and Ray. Ben was the teacher assigned to our school and he was awkward at first but after he warmed up to us he was actually a great mentor. Ray was the soldier who was serving at our school and he killed bugs, set up wi-fi, and made us feel safe at the school. I can’t thank them enough and I will never forget them.
The tour week was fun, but I hated having to practice for the talent show after a long day of touring.
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Su, Erin (蘇慧文)
I didn't expect AID to be so much fun. At first, I did it to try to make new experiences, to experiment, and to make the most of being young. When I actually got in, I was initially excited, then I was terrified of meeting new people and being completely independent. But in reality, being with the people in my group, working, arguing, playing, and bonding with each other in the AID experience, pushed me to mature more than any other experience I've ever had before involving other people and social interaction. I sort of learned how to deal with feelings and with others and with teaching. It was in this trip that I learned that living only for oneself means leading a life that is tasteless, and all-consuming in pressures and unnecessary stress. It is also devoid of much real meaning. I learned that life should be lived for oneself and for new experiences, sure. But a much larger portion should be contributed to making a difference in the world and helping others. It's rewarding, but more importantly, channeling energy into some other outlet rather than yourself makes you work harder, makes you feel like if you suddenly couldn't go on living anymore and you died the next day, your life was for something, that you would be missed for making the world a better place and leaving it more beautiful when you left than when you came into it. It was when we were at A-Li Shan that I thought about all my insignificant struggles with my insecurities, with other people or situations in the past, and I thought how inconsequential all those are outside of my personal sphere and bubble. I thought about making an impact, making a move and not hesitating because of fears, and plunging face first into the unknown to just dare to do it. My reasoning? What is stopping us? It is ourselves and our comfort zones, and our mindset. I confronted some of my worst fears and memories here, side by side with people I came to care so deeply about, all around me. Now that AID is coming to a close, I don't want to leave. I don't want an end to this chapter, and I will miss the clarity this experience provided, and the friendships I developed along the way. Because though we may forget the things we said to each other, to our students, to our team, we may forget the exact things we did for each other, both good and bad, we will never forget how we made each other feel. And we live for emotion, because when rationality dies, our hearts are what’s left and beating. It is what drives us towards empathy, and it is what drives us towards love and bravery, even with the smallest of acts that will be forgotten. But the sentiments developed along the way, of becoming an adult, of leaving our childhood behind with these first stumbling steps, we will never really forget how much we came to learn, how much we came to love, how much we came to live.
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Chung, Nicholas ()
These past few weeks in Taiwan have given me a wealth of memorable experiences. Althought the weeks weren't filled with the finest Taiwanese cuisine or the best lodging, I can happily say that the people who surrounded me molded my AID experience to what has become.
Looking back at training week, I remember being the first to step into the Chietan Youth Center, knowing that my futile efforts before the plane flight to flag down other AID participants were in vain. Nevertheless, the training week allowed me to acquaint myself with my other group members. As for the days' activities, the lectures proved to be a series of hurdles that could be cleared by sleeping. A small handful of the talks were humorous and/or useful; in addition, I admire the lecturers' tenacity and spirit to keep us awake and active. However, very little of what was taught had any bearing on my teaching experience at Gan-Yuan Middle School. Much of the training week pushed my expectations downwards, reducing vocabulary to extremely simple words that middle school students would already know if we add a brief translation. Furthermore, there were no hints on how to incorporate sentence structures in games. As such, training week failed to prepare us for the hectic but exciting two weeks to come.
Upon arrival (after a short 40 minute drive), I found myself at a better-than-expected school and teacher's house. Living accommodations comfortably fit the six of us and the security guard, who lived with us due to previous incidents of theft. Although he was labeled as a security guard, he quickly became our guardian and friend who accompanied us during our weekend expeditions of eating food, sightseeing, and enjoying amusement parks. Due to his past experience of teaching and helping out with the school, the security guard also got along with a majority of the students, which made his occasional clerical visits to our classrooms a quick breather from the activity at hand. Visits aside, classroom activities went well. The first two days drew by slowly because the students were fairly reserved, and, throughout the two weeks, a major challenge was improving students' verbal communication skills. But, games quickly broke the ice, and the daily Just Dance after their lunch nap helped get the blood moving. Most of all, activities that involved hilarity and motion were what lit the classroom up. In the end, I think we teachers learned much from the students, from their overflowing tenacity and desire to learn.
During the tour, I had the opportunity to talk some of the other volunteer teachers as well as the volunteer counselors. From a few conversations, I could tell that my group was very fortunate: our group members got along well, the house we lived in was decent and safe, and our students were kind. Beyond our situation, the grey-shirt counselors' experience had me realize how much work they put in behind the scenes and on the foreground every day, from putting up with adolescent complaints to working long and menial hours. During my illness, I witnessed first-hand their patience and kindness as they continually asked of my well-being.
Overall, I hope that everyone willing to teach English can get to experience this program. Aside from the lack of Wi-Fi and occasional bug in the room, the program provided me with an array of knowledge and insight that I will be able to take into the future.
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Tsao, Justin (曹傑)
This summer was very fun. I learned a lot of new things from the kids and the people who hosted us. One thing I learned was from a student named Tim, he taught me how to laugh in every situation and always see the funny side in things even in scary movies. The kids were smart and quiet but also noisy and rowdy. They enjoyed out teaching as much as we enjoyed teaching them. Although we did not get to discuss philosophy and the meaning of life, I know that they will ponder these questions in another time of their lives. Free things taken fro granted is something that our society always feels today. In this age of entitlement, we ourselves are the people who feel that they deserve something when in all actuality we do not. The students embodied a very conservative style of learning as they just would take notes and listen to a teacher speak. This is not the way to actually learn a language which involves interaction with the teacher in that language. However, even though the students are smart, I would have preferred it if they actually took more risks to learn a language and make mistakes. Since we only can learn from mistakes and get better the next time it comes around. Taiwan's defunct way of learning needs to seriously be reconsidered to allow more hands on activity that resembles real life. As the world changes from an agrarian culture to one in a creative, industrial age, we must also adapt our education system to reflect this change. Although the students in Taiwan have lots of book knowledge in their heads, they do not actually understand the material since they have not interacted with it in the real world. Consequently, they are losing a chance to really immerse themselves into whatever they are learning. Looked upon as more of a chore and not actually a fun experience, learning is something that is taught to be routine and mundane. Even though the topic may be interesting, students are swayed away by the apparent lack of enthusiasm from teachers. The conservative way works to get things done but not in the best manner possible. The purpose of education should be the pursuit of knowledge and education. I feel that we can instill upon these children a sense of what it means to combine fun and learning. Even the counselor's were a bit restrictive but that may be their culture. They fear opening up and actually sharing in the all aspects of life. Fear is a big motivator when it should be respect and reverence. Held in a captives cage, Taiwan's students have no other choice but to play the system and try to beat it. However much they win in the game f schooling, they will not be used to the other beast called life. Since they are afraid of being different, they just end up being a faceless bunch of people following orders from a higher power. The point of life is not to become an individual, but to side with the insane.
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Lin, Erika (林宜玟)
During my time here serving at AID, I felt emotions that have been buried away for a long time. Just before this program, most of us were preparing for college applications or studying for a bunch of tests. But the moment I landed in Taiwan, a wave of excitement replaced dull feelings testing and homework. During my stay at Chien Tan, I felt like the lectures were too long. Although the teachers stand up there and tell us not to lecture, it was exactly what they were doing! All bitterness aside, I was super grateful to be put with 3 other amazing roomates. Also, our teacher was the best out of all the teachers at AID. We were assigned to You Mu Elementary; a school in the mountains of San Xia. We were all so excited to begin teaching and spent hours preparing for the first day of teaching. But the first day posed as a challenge to all of us. We made so many adjustments to our teaching plans that eventually we mixed up all the days we originally planned for it. But, teaching began to get easier and easier as we got to know our students better . Also, all the assistants we had at school were extremely cool. Every day, when our teacher was too busy, these three awesome assistants would keep us company throughout the day. We even stayed up really late playing a bunch of games and just talking and joking in general. The last day at You Mu came as a wave, and we were all so upset that we had to leave. Overall, this experience has truly been unforgettable and exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed my time here in Taiwan and would recommend anyone to join!
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Fang, Olivia (方毓平)
These past three weeks have been very memorable. I have learned a lot and have met so many new people.
I am not the most social of people, so the first two days were a little awkward. The first week of training was a little intense, and sometimes the lectures dragged on a little too long. The lectures and mock teaching performances did give me important information and creative ideas. Getting to know the people in my group was fun, and we got along well.
I was worried about teaching junior high school students because I would only be about four years older than them. We were also unprepared for our class's English level. Some of our students could even translate our directions into Chinese so the other students could understand. We seriously underestimated our students' English level, and we finished the PowerPoint we had made rather quickly. We also had to come up with games on the spot so the students didn't always have to listen to us lecture. The first day only had three teaching periods, so we also needed to include more material everyday. After the first day, we all swapped stories and it seemed that all the classes were very intelligent.
Everyday our group had to stay up and make PowerPoints for each of our classes. Also some of our group, including myself, got sick. Thankfully, I wasn't sick for very long. Most of the time the students have a lot of energy, except for the period right after lunch. (Since they just took their afternoon nap.) The staff at the school were very kind to us, and they even made us dinner Monday through Friday.
Everyday was a cycle of lecturing and activities. I regret that I didn't really do that many dialogue activities with my students, since they probably need the most help in speaking. Some games we had our class play was flyswatter (but the students had to tap the word on the blackboard), pictionary, and hangman. It was really amusing to see the students contemplating so much over hangman. We also made some review packets and you could really tell how differently the boys and the girls approached it. During class periods where we went over the review packets, the girls would write down the Chinese translation next to the word and the boys would repeat the words loudly after me.
The closing ceremony performances were very rushed because of the typhoon. We lost a day of class to prepare for it. It was a good thing we started teaching our students the cup song much earlier, but the students only had a day to learn Call Me Maybe. The last day went by very quickly, and my students would ask me for my Facebook and wrote on a balloon for me to take home. I didn't think I meant that much to them,since I was only there for two weeks, but my students definitely thought differently.
Overall, I had a lot of fun teaching and I learned a lot. I've taken away a lot from this program and I really enjoyed this experience.
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Wu, Elaine (吳意家)
I did not come into the program with high expectations, but AID has been one of the best experiences in my life thus far. I have made countless irreplaceable friendships and had the opportunity to build relationships with my counselors, mentor, and students. Originally I joined the program for selfish reasons, to gain experience and make friends for my own benefit. But I realized that teaching requires a kind of selflessness not easily obtained. Withholding frustration and having patience requires having a heart for student learning, a love that perhaps transcends that we humans can give.
One thing that surprised me about the program was how much Chinese we had to use. The program did not have a strict requirement but when I was teaching, most of my students have little to no English ability. It was impossible to teach without heavily relying on Chinese to communicate with our students. Discouragement and disappointment were high as the students were quite unmotivated but the most important thing I learned was to not give up. After all, we are entrusting the future to our youth, so if we give up what is there to hope for? At the end of the teaching portion I was so happy to see just a little improvement and hope that the students learned something valuable.
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Wu, Juliana (吳維妮)
The moment I took step into Jientan on Sunday, July 6th, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What would the other 7 teachers in my group think of me? How would I survive by myself for an entire month with people that I have never met before? Yet at the same time, I was filled with excitement of finally being able to go to Taiwan again after 3 years. My brain was buzzing.
Flash forward a week, after hours of lectures and long nights of planning, the other 7 girls and I have grown closer than ever. We bonded over similar interests, personalities, and overall just wanting to have a memorable experience in Taiwan this summer and make a difference in these kids’ lives. Going from Jientan, in the middle of the city, to BiTan Primary School in the rural countryside with the nearest 7-11 five kilometers away. I felt unsure of what was to come, how the kids would be like, how living the school would be like, and so on.
The first day I taught, I was amazed by how hardworking my students are. Just seven or eight years old, they were translating and taking notes without even having me telling them to do so. I felt so awed how these young children are so self-motivated to learn English. I feel that over the two weeks of teaching, despite having times when they lose concentration, the students have taught me more than what I have taught them. Seeing the children, who many have only 3 shirts to wear, work so hard with having so little, drives me to appreciate all of the opportunities I typically take for granted and also pushes me to be a better person.
“Teacher, you have to remember me!”
“Don’t forget us!”
On the day before we left for Kaoshiung, I was so reluctant to leave the school. The past two weeks at Chiayi were certainly two of the most memorable weeks of my life. The thought that I had the chance to make a difference in a child’s life, typically children who weren’t in a position to control their life circumstances, makes me happy that I was able to something meaningful. I am upset that I probably don’t have chance to visit my students and all the wonderful people I’ve met during the past week. However, I’m glad that I was able to participate in this program and take this experience dear to heart.
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Chu, Emily (朱家欣 )
AID Summer 2014 Reflection
With all the wonderful memories, friends, and experiences I have made through the 2014 AID Summer program, I have had so much more fun than I had initially expected. During the beginning of the program, I was a little bit hesitant about how much I would enjoy this experience. With our schedules jam packed with long lectures and constant planning, my summer seemed too closely to resemble summer school. However, as I became more and more familiar with my group, I became more and more excited about the upcoming adventures. The week we spent at the Chientan Activity Center in Taipei City was a great time to get to know others and to plan activities. However, it wasn’t until we started our teaching that I really began to experience the impact this program had on me. Our group, which included the fabulous Jocelyn Kuo, the very funny Jason Chu, the mini JJ Lin Roger Cheng, the spectacular Tiffany Huang, the quiet yet ingenious Yi Tuan, the sweet and thoughtful Naomi Chien, and the wonderful Wendy Hsei, was the only group that needed to teach at two different schools over the course of two weeks. For the first week of teaching, we taught fifth and sixth graders at Zhongtan Elementary school in Meinong, Kaoshiung. We (excluding Jason) stayed at the lovely family owned Home Inn (Hu Mei Yin) in Meinong. The inn was wonderful because of its location, hospitality, and convenience. Our drive to Zhongtan Elementary was only about five minutes, if we weren’t being held up by the ladies (Roger and Yi). The first day of teaching at the new elementary was a little hectic because we had to perform our opening ceremony dance, which was a similar version of “We’re All in This Together” from High School Musical. Over the course of a few days, my partner, Wendy and I, realized that although we had spent hours preparing our teaching plan, things don’t always work out the way you expect them to. In reality, we ended up having to add many more activities and games for the kids to do because they were such fast learners. We taught the kids different types of weather and how to identify family members through many fun games and vocabulary PowerPoints. The process of teaching weather was rather easy because the kids had already known much of the vocabulary. To teach the family members, we introduced them through the history of the Hakka Oil Paper Umbrella, which represents a united and peaceful family. Therefore, one of the activities we had the kids do was design a small paper umbrella with their own designs and drawings. Then, the kids drew, colored, and cut out small versions of their family members and strung them from their umbrella. They then used this umbrella as a prop for our closing ceremony performance. By the end of the week when we taught them the choreography to “Umbrella” by Rhianna, the entire class had already become good friends (Some of them had come from different schools.) so everybody had a great time together. The hardest time during the mere week was probably saying our goodbyes because the kids were such unique and hilarious individuals. For the second week of teaching, we taught at Guangsing Elementary School, also in Meinong, Kaoshiung. At Guangsing Elementary School, we taught the same topics but we were much more organized and efficient with our teaching skills. After our long days of teaching in the very hot and humid conditions, our amazing counselors, Jocelyn and Jason, would take us on epic adventures to eat delicious Taiwanese Hakka food, to visit local night markets, and to have heavenly sing-alongs to David Tao with our extraordinarily angelic voices during car rides. Although it was pretty exhausting to have taught children for thirteen consecutive days, it was well worth it because of all the memories we created as group A1-8. This trip to Taiwan was a trip I will never forget. Thank you AID Summer 2014 for this fantastic experience.
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Tsang, Crystal (曾潔瑩)
When I first heard about the AID summer program in Taiwan, I was extremely skeptical and I had low expectations. I didn't think the program sounded fun, nor did I think I would even be admitted to the program after hearing how selective the application process was. To my surprise, I was admitted and became more excited as time went on. This was going to be the first time I went to a different country, a country I had no relatives in, alone. I had also never been away from home for such a long period time.
When I first arrived at the airport, I found the pickup efficient and comforting. I didn't feel scared or uneasy at all mostly because I was with my friend who had also been admitted to the program and also because I was confident in my own abilities. Even though I got to Chien-tan late, at 2 am, I remember meeting my roommate, Katrina, for the first time and feeling so welcomed and comfortable. Katrina and I became friends quickly.
My stay at Chien-tan was filled with laughs, competition, and some boredom. Every day we had a full schedule of classes and lectured we had to attend that honestly would have been very boring if it weren't for my team, A 3-3. Our team dominated all the competitions. we were always enthusiastic and being around my new family made me feel extremely at home. Our teacher, Burgess, was so friendly, funny, and supportive; he became our new father figure. I liked how we were able to visit the Shilin night market and how teams that did well during the competitions were rewarded with an extra hour at Shilin. I wasn't used to the meals simply because I don't normally eat Chinese food so often back at home but I thought the food was decent. I didn't like how the people who sat at our tables changed every day but I knew it was set up this way with good intentions.
I think my favorite part of this entire experience was my stay at my elementary school with my amazing A 3-3 family and my teacher, Burgess. Teaching the children was very rewarding and I was sad to leave. My teaching partners were very helpful and while we had a few hiccups, teaching overall went very smoothly. Most importantly, I think I bonded so much with the people with my group, the teachers, Burgess, and the 2 security guards. We truly grew to become a family and I couldn't help but cry when I had to say goodbye to the security guards, Jimbo and Rossi, Burgess, and "my kids".
This final tour week seems like it's more tiring and stressful than my two teaching weeks. I didn't like the nonstop schedule, with late hours and long bus rides. By the end of the day, I was so exhausted that I barely had energy to bond with the friends I'd have to leave soon. Tour week was also a bad experience for me because I was sick for the majority of it. I had a fever and a cough that lasted a week and because of that, I had to miss the talent show. I found that the procedures that were conducted for those who needed to see a doctor were inefficient and disorganized. The counselors, at times, seemed just as clueless as me. In the end, I managed to get the medicine I needed with the help of a few extremely kind counselors.
A few things I would change about the program: increase communication between counselors and establish prompt procedures for those in need of medical attention, schedule less destinations but offer more time and thorough exploration of those destination so that students can actually enjoy themselves, and finally offer more rest time and free time (wake up later and offer more time to settle in hotels before curfew so students can bond).
Overall, I found my experience extremely rewarding and fun. Despite the few problems I experienced with my own health and the tour, I managed to have fun because of the people I had met. The program itself is not especially amazing, but the counselors, teachers, and other volunteers are. During the month I spent here, I made friendships and connections that will last a lifetime; that's truly the thing that made my experience in Taiwan an unforgettable one.
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Tung, Rhys (童元亨)
This is a new experience for me. I am really glad that I joined this AID Summer Program 2014. I made a lot of friends, I met people from all around the world, and I have new experiences.
Before I come to AID, I felt scared, that I would meet new people and have to teach English in Taiwan. I was afraid I would not be good enough, and singled out. But when I got to AID, all my worries are gone. I felt very comfortable. I felt more confident.
I was assigned to 有木国小, it is in the mountains. The place is very beautiful and the air there is very refreshing. I have a very nice teacher to guide me and met three friendly mandatory military service at 有木.
I learned a lot through out this program. I improved my socializing skills, i learned how to teach English, and I made a lot of friends. Teaching English is actually harder than I thought. English is my second language, so I know how hard it is to learn English as second language. But this is a completely different situation. The kids do not practice English at home because their parents do not know English at all. So it is really hard for them to practice or to remember English. But we still tried our best to practice and teach English in the two weeks that were provided, and the students also tried their best to pay attention and to participate in class. In this two weeks we accomplished a lot. Our kids learn a lot of sentence structures and vocabularies. We all had a nice time.
This program is one exciting and fun experience for me. I only hoped the program is longer. I would be glad to come back again.
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Wang, Jocelyn (王嘉瑩)
Being a part of AID Summer Taiwan 2014 is truly special and unique. Everything happens so fast and there are so many people from different places. I still can not believe that we are given the opportunity to be a part of Taiwanese society by being leaders to children. It is an amazing feeling to have a class of 25 children look up to you and listen to your words. I really have enjoyed being with these children and will never forget their faces. Just thinking about their eager expressions and happy voices gives me the best feeling ever. Our teacher has been extremely amazing and helpful in the preparation process and I would describe our two weeks of teaching as a success. Not only did our teacher direct our teaching plans but answered all of our questions and took care of the classroom as well. I became really comfortable talking with her and appreciate her so much. On the first day of actual teaching, our class happened to be extremely excited and raised their hand for every question or game. We were very happy that they were so excited instead of being too shy. The girls in my group instantly asked me a bunch of questions about my life and they actually listened to my answers with genuine interest. I was happy to answer questions about the United States but I wanted them to remember that growing up in Taiwan is such a special privilege and to appreciate the beautiful island. It is bittersweet to say goodbye to the kids because I will definitely miss them but I know they will grow up to be amazing people. It is a little difficult for me to describe the AID Summer experience in words but I know that I will look back on this summer with the best feelings of warmth and love. What I learned the most about myself is that I love kids more than I ever thought I would. They were so kind and innocent and treated me so well. I remember each one individually and truly wish them the best for their future. Now that teaching is over and I no longer get to see the kids, I feel like I have lost a little ambition in me because I miss them so much. I also especially miss our elementary school staff for taking such good care of us, every morning through night. Dinners every night and weekend outings were just as memorable as the teaching. Thank you AID Summer 2014 for the unforgettable memories and representing Taiwan with the full love it deserves. Taiwan is the most special place in the world and the people, kids, and teachers will always be in my heart. I know for a fact that I will be returning to Taiwan as much as possible and that it was a great opportunity to spend this summer being a teacher. The people of Taiwan have a special effect on me and made the experience so special and great.
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Lin, Emily (林欣縈)
I learned a lot through AID volunteer teaching. With my partner Diana Tai, we set out to teach the children about American culture and of English. We taught the children about idioms and pop culture. We taught them literary devices. The children least liked the literary devices day. The children were also very reluctant to participate in the closing ceremony. The children most liked learning about the pop culture. Some students did not like learning about food. I enjoyed teaching the children. Some of the children were very good at English and I was impressed with their ability. However, it was hard because some students were significantly lower. It was hard to teach the class when people were on so many different levels. Additionally, the children were older and did not care much about candy, so we could not use candy as incentives. Many children were unmotivated. However, through time, I was impressed that the children were so welcoming to us. The children would come up and talk with Diana and I during the break. We learned about each child, not just academically, but also about his or her own personal life. Through time, we were able to develop a close relationship with the children. I found that the weekly schedule that we previously created was not helpful. We previously did not know the student’s ability and the weekly schedule we created was far too easy for their ability. However, overall, I had a fantastic experience through AID.
During the AID trip I also was able to meet a lot of new people. All of my group members were very kind and nice. I learned about the different places and different cultures that they came from. Everyone was different, but we all came together to accomplish this one task. Day after day, we met together and worked to prepare our best presentation tomorrow. We spent the days together, traveling around Matsu and learning about this new culture. During the trip I met many new people. I learned teamwork and cooperation skills. It is hard to get a group of eight people to cooperate on one single thing. As a result, I had to learn to compromise. I had to learn how to work with other people. For example, I had to cooperate on what topic to teach for our lesson plan. I also had to learn how to work with another person when we were teaching. Diana and I had to have a fair balance of teaching and working with the children to make our lessons best.
I was also surprised about the living conditions of Matsu. Rather than the usual comfortable bed, I had to sleep on the floor. Every night I worried continuously about two-inch cock roaches in my sleeping bag. There was not the regular city life and conveniences that I was used to. Through time, however, I learned how to adapt to such conditions, and I eventually became reluctant to leave Matsu. Through AID summer I have come to learn a great deal from its rural living conditions to teaching methods. I have come to develop and mature as a person and understand myself better.
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Lyu, Michelle (吕可柔)
AID Summer has been such a humbling opportunity. I'm going to be honest, there were so many things I loved about the program, but there were also many things I didn't love about it. The first week was a bit boring, but if you are a future AIDer reading this: don't take this week for granted!!! This was the week I met the most and best people. My big issue with the system for the first week, however, was that although we rotated meal tables every few days or so, besides that, there was no situation that promoted mingling with other groups. You really have to branch out during breaks and down time to meet new people (DO IT!!!). Like I said, I met really amazing people the first week that I wouldn't have met if I didn't make an effort to. The first week is extremely tiring (as are all the weeks), but don't waste it lounging in your room all day. Some of my best memories from my first week include playing intense games of Mafia with a floor of strangers, mad dashing around as we played Intense Spoons, and playing What Are the Chances at every meal.
The second week flew by; days were both super long and super short. I really can't sum up how much these two weeks meant to me with justice. I had mostly 5th graders, and although many of them were wild and trouble-makers, they were all so sweet at heart. It was so humbling to see this aspect of Taiwanese culture that isn't a part of American culture. At the end of the day, the students were all respectful and genuinely altruistic. The first day, I stumbled into the classroom knowing neither how to turn on the projector nor how to use the chalkboard-water system. Like I said, event though some of my 11 students were wild children (I called them delinquents), I knew that they respected me and listened to what I had to say.
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Chiang, Addison (姜柏軒)
This past summer has been one of the most fruitful and heart-warming experiences of my life. I was able to make new friends, teach English, and enjoy Taiwanese food. The kids at Jin Shan Elementary school were so adorable. They listened to everything we asked them to do and followed all of our instructions. Whenever the teachers asked them to help move tables or clean, they would follow without complaint.
I am so glad to have been sent to 景山國小in Miaoli County. When I first saw what school I was placed at, I was nervous and afraid. Afraid that I would be placed in an extremely rural area, where there were no convenience stores nearby. And to my fear, that was exactly where I was placed. Up on a mountain, where there were no stores, and the closest convenience store was a twenty minute drive away. But after meeting the teachers and seeing the place where I was going to stay at, all my anxiety and fear washed away. Every night, one of the teachers, out of the eleven teachers that were partaking in the program, would stay with us until 9:00 PM. Some of the teachers would cook for us during dinner, and every night we would eat something different, there were no meals with the same food. All of the teachers at 景山 would always ask us if we were okay living at the dorms and if we needed anything to help us get used to the lifestyle in Taiwan. The teachers at 景山 were truly helpful; they made it easier for us to teach the kids, live in the dorms, and fed us with all sorts of Hakka and Taiwanese food.
The children at 景山 Elementary school were the most behaved children I have ever seen. They were also some of the cutest and most adorable children I have met. When we were teaching them about school supplies, and I took out my calculator, a TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition, to show as an example, they were all like, "WOW, 好帅!" So I tried to use a simpler calculator, a TI-30Xa, because I thought they would be able to recognize it, but it did not do anything because they still said, "WOW, 好帅!" Whenever they thought something was cool they would say, "好帅" and place their finger under their chin in a shape of a gun. Another phrase they really liked to say was "好 KAWAII!" which means so cute. They were very enthusiastic about learning English, and unlike the children I heard about from friends that were placed at other schools, none of my kids cussed or said anything bad.
I was really blessed with being able to meet and teach the children at 景山 elementary school. If I could participate again next year, I would definitely partake in this wonderful experience again. If I get the chance to come to Taiwan next year, I will definitely visit the kids and teachers at 景山國小.
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Chiang, Erin (蔣舒宣)
When I first heard about the AID program, I was really excited to do it. It was only when I realized that it would literally take up 75% of my summer that I was reluctant to apply. Nonetheless, I'm glad my mom pressured me to fill out the application and send it in. When I was accepted, I was surprised to find myself a lot more overjoyed than I'd expected.
On the first day of training, I was so upset to leave my mom since four weeks would be the longest time I was ever gonna be away from her, and I was even more upset when my mom asked if she could drop me off early because she didn't want to wait for me. I was the first one in my room, but the minute my first roommate walked in, we got to talking and the slight nervousness I felt vanished. Throughout the week, I met so many new and interesting people and created strong bonds and relationships with not only the girls in my group but a lot of other AID members as well. When it came time to leave Chientan, I found myself tearing up as the bus pulled out.
Of course, as one story ends, another begins. Bi Tan Primary School was a lot larger, cleaner, and cuter than I'd envisioned. The principal was nice, the army people were nice, the directors were nice--- basically, everyone was so kind and welcomed us with open arms. On our first night at Bi Tan, my group and I made many new friends and memories with the bugs in our shower. Nonetheless, the school itself grew on me. From the people who took us out and fed us to the children we taught, the two weeks blew by like nothing. I came to love the kids that I taught and even the ones I didn't teach. The principal and directors fed us like we were little piggies. The army guys became our best friends. And our students became our little angels. I found myself taking a liking to two specific trouble kids, and when I heard their two contrasting backgrounds, I realized just how different country life was than city life. We went to amusement parks and night markets and out on random adventures, and when we walked at night outside, it was so calming and peaceful and lovely. The last day was one of the most difficult days ever. I'd already cried on Friday, but when the children came to send us out Saturday morning, I forced the tears back in order to at least show I was strong.
I was not looking forward to leaving Bi Tan people and reuniting with other AID people, but I found that the minute I got on the bus, I was excited for yet another adventure. So far this tour has been amazing and so memorable, although I do wish that we had time to rest.
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Hu, Jamie (胡之美)
If I wanted to paint the perfect image of myself as a teacher, I would say that this has been a very smooth ride and a very fulfilling and exciting experience. Unfortunately though, I am not a perfect teacher, and I would thus like to avoid characterizing myself as such.
I have to admit that the first two days of teaching were terribly exhausting and stressful. I did not expect my students to be as young and easily distracted as they were, and it jarred and annoyed me when they refused to listen to us and treat us like proper teachers. I was also thrown off guard when my students openly disliked the activities that we had planned for them, and seemed to get a huge kick out of making fun of us for things that we did wrong. My week of perfectly planned lesson schedules flew completely out the window as I realized that I had greatly overestimated my students. They knew how to speak very little english and understood even less, which reduced me to speaking in broken chinese that they often did not understand or made fun of me for. I learned very quickly that it is very hard to be assertive when you are scrambling for words in a foreign language.
I have always been a quiet person, and am not used to having to yell and be strict to get people to listen to me. Usually all I have to do is drop my smile and make some vibrant hand gestures to get my point across. Thus, I was a bit unsure with my commands, and the students saw right through me. They found out very quickly that we were far less strict than the teachers that they were used to, and immediately took advantage of it. They grabbed at my arms, got too close for comfort while shaking me and asking for things, refused to listen when I asked them to sit down, and constantly groaned about being bored to death. I was stunned, confused, and generally clueless on how to deal with a bunch of kids who didn’t even speak my language. I felt humilated and helpless, and found that my uncertainty was seeping into my teaching.
Eventually, I solved enough of my problems to feel slightly more comfortable with dealing with children for six long hours. We tried a bunch of different games in an attempt to find one that wouldn’t be called out as boring, and ended up with a surprising group. Our students adore bingo, and can play it in almost any way, shape, or form. They also love pictionary, esepecially when the teachers re doing the drawing and they the guessing, and word searches. I was especially surprised about that, since I thought they would be way too difficult, but the children love them (maybe because candy was involved). We also enforced our preconceived rules more strictly and reminded them that we are teachers, not friends or siblings.
In the end, I think we did fairly well considering the capabilities of our students and we definitely learned from our mistakes.
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Sun, Steven (孫自彤)
I love the kids. I won’t waste time talking of anxiety attacks, hypothetical incompetence, or fear of the kids’ dislike. Nor will I dillydally with tales of my initial hatred blossoming into affection, or slowly garnering the children’s love through a long, arduous 2 week constant struggle for acceptance. The moment I stepped into the classroom, I loved the children. Perhaps the feeling was not reciprocated, after all, it is summer vacation and they probably had more fun activities planned in mind than sitting in class learning English for 6 hours a day, but I still loved them. Not for their dedication, but their skepticism; eyes, constantly asking, “Who is this foreigner and who does he think he is?” I fell in love with the cynicism, yet, beneath their bored and apathetic countenance, I saw a glimpse of the people they truly were.
It barely took a day for the students to love us back. By the second day, they had a nickname for me in Taiwanese (sorry I don’t speak Taiwanese so I’m unsure how to spell it). They would chant my name, all clamoring for me to sing and dance with them. They drew pictures of us and decorated them with vivid colors, each image clearly captioned “Class A 愛你” and with every decorated picture of me, there was “Steven 帥哥” underneath. They would approach us, giggling and abashed, and ask us silly, yet cute questions about our interests. And even though I became friends with the students, they still maintained a high level of respect. Every morning I would be greeted by a clamor of “Good morning, teacher!” and every afternoon they would respectfully wave goodbye and shout out, “Bye-bye teacher!” When waiting for water, they would always say, “老師先, 老師先.” When waiting in the lunch line, the same line was repeated. I respectfully declined every time, letting them go first , but their consideration touched my heart and again, I loved them.
Who are we really tricking here? Despite all the peppy talks and lessons at Jiantan, you’re not here to teach English. Honestly, 2 weeks to teach English? There’s barely enough time to properly administer the material and don’t even mention repetition or testing to gauge the student’s retention level. It is absurd to think for a moment that any of us are here to teach English. We aren’t even here to show the children how interesting learning English can me. Trust me, these kids are smart; at the end of the day, they know they’re sitting in a classroom for 6 hours. Our true purpose here is to establish a positive relationship with the students, to have them associate learning English with their relationship with us. And if we can be their friends, then we are truly successful in our mission of having them accept English into their lifestyles. I said it before and I’ll say it again: I love these kids. There was no power struggle or game of tug of war in the classroom. I love them and I can honestly say they loved me too. They are the sweetest, kindest, most caring people anyone could ever meet and it has genuinely been a privilege to serve them.
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Wu, Jacqueline (吳昀潔)
When I first found out that I had been accepted into the 2014 AID Summer program, I was excited, but also a little nervous. Two weeks in the classroom teaching for about six hours a day seemed daunting. At Chientan, when I found out that I would be teaching the class with the youngest students of the school, I worried about a lot of things--how I would communicate with them, whether or not they would listen to me. But after I arrived at Hot Spring Elementary School, I realized that there was nothing to really worry about. The kids were adorable and unlike any kids I had interacted with back home, and I fell in love with them at first sight. Truth be told, I am still not sure whether or not my little first and third graders learned any substantial amount of English at all. However, I do know that these students had a lot of fun dabbling in English these past two weeks. I am so proud of their progress, and it gives me a lot of encouragement to know that I made a little mark on their lives. They were always enthusiastic, and they were the reason that the hours flew by in the classroom. These two weeks have truly been an unbelievable experience!
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Feng, Catherine (溤凱玲)
I was astonished by the numerous blue shirts around me that first day at Chientan. I had not realized the importance of having been one of the chosen 400 applicants to be a part of the AID summer program. Of course, the feeling faded quickly once the lectures began. Instead of practicing teaching methods, we were essentially just being talked at. Just sitting there for hours killed any feeling of excitement of being a part of the program. After the week was over, I was relieved to get out of Chientan and away from those life draining lectures. To me, Chientan felt like a prison for that whole week.
During my teaching stay at Shanlin, I realized I was not fit to be a teacher. It seemed as if everything I said went through one ear and out the other. My students refused to actively participate and seemed determined to keep as silent as possible. In the end, my co teacher and I could not overcome that hurdle. In addition to the silence, one of the students seemed determined to break every single rule we had. He refused to participate, to listen, to even attend classes. Every attempt to curb his misbehavior only encouraged him. I ignored his rude comments about my weight, trying to discourage any further comments, but that failed miserably. Finally, I just concentrated on getting the other students to participate. Our class shrunk daily. If it was not cram school, it was swim class or basketball. From a class of eight, the barn owls became a class of four on some days. Only one student really tried throughout the program, and for that I am grateful to have had that one student. Her genuine enthusiasm for English pulled me through those two weeks. I hope in the future she will go to France as she has always wanted. On the last day, she showed up to send C3-5 off. I cried as I waved good bye to the teacher aides who helped me and guided us through the night markets.
On a different topic, the tour opened my eyes to the different facets of Taiwan. One of my fellow teachers and I really bonded over the weeks in Chientan and Shanlin, so we were excited to see Taiwan’s sights. The Aboriginal Formosan Amusement Park was really special. From going on the different thrill rides to hiking painfully up the hill towards the meeting place, I will never forget the extreme happiness in the beginning to extreme fatigue in the end. In fact, when everyone went to watch the aboriginal show, I literally fell asleep. Fortunately for me, we took the cable cars down to Sun Moon Lake. I did not get the chance to really see the lake, but the glimpses I did see satisfied my desire. I hated having to switch hotels every night and carry the blue duffel bags to and from the charter bus. I understood the need to wake up early, but it did not mean I had to like it. The whole experience of different hotels every night tired me out. By the third day, I was just done. Every time I had a chance, I slept like the dead. I am glad I became closer to the bus counselors, but going from a decent hotel room to an eight person cabin made me homesick.
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Wang, Iris (王少艾)
AID Summer has been an new and eye opening experience for me. The first week of training at Gentan Activity Center was a bit repetitive and boring for someone like me who lived in Taiwan for 13 years before moving to the US. However I do understand how a volunteer who has never been to Taiwan could find the workshops useful and helpful. One workshop that was really interesting was the one that the teacher taught us many new games to play with the kids. My partner and I adopted many of the games we learned and incorporated them into our lessons. The lesson plannings at night with our individual teachers were very useful as well. Our teacher, Rebecca, told us many things that the kids at our elementary school would like and we made sure to make a lesson plan that is the best for our students. While the week at Gentan went by very slowly, I feel like the two weeks at Bai-Ji elementary school went by too quickly. My partner and I got class A, the kids who know the least English, but at the same time the youngest and cutest ones. Not all the kids in class were super eager to learn English but they were all very nice to us and made me feel welcome at the school. They would come up to us during break, play with us, show us their art works, take us to go see insects around the school, and by the last day they made us so many presents and cards. I realized that rather than them learning a lot of English, it is more important that the kids have fun at this camp so their love for English for grow even more. My partner and I decorated our classrooms with the different teaching materials we made and the crafts of the kids that we did in class. We tried our best to make our classroom an open and exciting learning space for all the kids. I am so proud of the kids for all they have learned and remembered for the past two weeks. We practiced for the closing ceremony everyday and they all tried to hard to memorize the dances and lyrics WILLINGLY. More importantly, I can see from their smiles that they actually enjoyed practicing. Their performance was of course fantastic. It is sad to leave these kids but I really hope that I have made an impact in their live and in their path of learning English.
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Chang, Psalm (張新詩)
Falling in love with Lishan wasn’t hard. Though the four-hour trek up the mountain via a bumpy bus that made me carsick was unpleasant, the moment the vast mountains shrouded by clouds were unveiled, I was sold. During the weekend before teaching at the elementary school, I was able to meet some of the kids of the village- they lived so simply, yet all I could see on their faces were bliss and gratitude. I was beyond excited to meet our students- I prepared immensely in order to give the kids the most valuable two weeks that they’d have that summer.
Day One: sixteen curious faces stared up at us like we were celebrities. Pairs of eyes monitored our every move and lips shadowed whatever words came out of our mouths. It was then that I realized that my detailed preparations, although important, were not essential for giving the children a long-lasting, memorable time. My goal from then on was to instill a desire of learning English and U.S. culture in the children’s hearts, and I was going to do whatever I could in order to achieve that aspiration.
Each day consisted of a novel aspect of American lifestyle. I never knew that making s’mores with the children as we went “camping” in the classroom would light up their eyes and inspire them to go home and try it themselves. Baking chocolate chip cookies allowed me to see that their knowledge of life outside their village was limited, and I was glad to be able to provide them with different experiences. Of course, not everything was food related, although our class was definitely stood out as having to wash the most cooking appliances. My favorite moment of the two weeks with the children was during the fostering of the children’s imagination and creativity. After we provided rolls of toilet paper, the kids put on a toilet paper fashion show, in which I saw the wheels in the fashion designers’ minds produce unique creations to display on their models. Not to mention, they had a fantastic time strutting down the runway!
The arrival of Typhoon Matmo in the middle of the second week meant unexpected goodbyes. I did not expect to become so emotionally attached to the children; hugs and waves and thank yous were not enough to express how much I would miss them. Though we have parted, the memories are still engrained in my heart. During the AID Summer teaching program, I wasn’t just a teacher. I was learning. Learning from my own actions, students, fellow volunteers, faculty, village people, and Taiwan as a whole. As cliché as it sounds, I am forever grateful for this life-changing opportunity and lessons AID has taught me.
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Wang, Hank (王承瀚)
When my mom first told me about this program, I wasn't too excited to apply. I mean, why should I spend my summer teaching English to kids? After all, I've already been to Taiwan multiple times. However, the more I looked into the program and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to apply. I would be able to meet new people, discover new experiences, and visit parts of Taiwan I have never been to. Once I found that I got accepted, I immediately accepted. As it would turn out, choosing to participate in AID would become one of the best decisions I have ever made. The friendships that I have made and the experiences that I have been through are irreplaceable. When I first arrived at Chientan, I didn't know what to expect. How would I get along with the people in my group? How do i teach little kids English? Did I make the right decision to participate in this program? All sorts of questions arose in my head. But after the first day, I knew that I had made the right decision. Everyone in my group instantly got along, and by the second day, it was like we had known each other our entire lives. The lessons we received on how to teach got rid of my fears for teaching and the first week flew by. Before I knew it, it was time for everyone to leave to their schools and become teachers. Just like the previous week, the next two weeks spent teaching went by even faster. Just as I was beginning to enjoy teaching, it was time to leave. I will never forget my students and the joy of seeing them smile as they learn new english words and phrases. On top of teaching, the moments I had with my group members after school brought us even closer. We became a family, friends for lifetime. I can honestly say that participating in AID Summer is one of the best choices I have ever made. AID has made the program a fun and memorable experience. If I had the opportunity to join the program again, I would not hesitate to do so.
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Ko, Michelle (柯昱瑤)
Humans by nature are curious. Whether you’re a shy, timid child or a bold, mature adult, like it or not you are human. You are curious. You seek knowledge. You seek to conquer and understand the unknown. Curiosity may have killed the cat but curiosity simultaneously led humans to develop and prosper; The discovery of the human cell, Shakespeare’s exploration into the inner workings of human psyche, the creation of the first manmade insulin were all products of human curiosity. In short, curiosity is necessary for any type of growth. The past month with AID Summer 2014 undoubtedly piqued my curiosity and thirst to chase the unknown, both academically and personally.
The first thing I must admit is that these four weeks have been fun: Plainly, simply, and for lack of a better word, fun. Although my group and I started the program as a bunch of strangers from California schlepped together in a somewhat academic/ classroom setting for those long yet useful hours of training week, we came out of the program as what I expect to be lifelong friends. Cheesy, I know but true. They were all there for many of my firsts – my first time seeing “Frozen,” my first time on a jet ski, my first time on an inflatable hot dog (banana boat?) pulled by a jet ski, my first time leading a class with my very own lesson plan. They were there too laugh with me on my good days and comfort me on my bad. They were even there when I was lying sick in bed—relentlessly asking me if I needed anything or if I was ok. My group taught me the meaning of true (and unconventional) friendship.
AID Summer 2014 helped me to open my eyes to new perspectives. In all cheesiness, I believe AID Summer 2014 helped me with my transition from childhood to adulthood, letting me ride a plane by myself for the first time, live an entire month away from my parents, and develop some sense of independence—a great preparation for this year when I will be a freshman in college. I met a number of people from different states and countries. My peers in the AID Summer 2014 program were eager to share with me their popular culture from their region. Moreover, my group and I taught on Penghu, an island off of Taiwan.
Teaching is a two-way street. Although I was sent to teach English to a handful of students on Penghu, my students actually taught me so much more than I could have asked for. In the most literal sense, my students taught me quite a number of Penghu cultural aspects—such as the deliciousness that is the brown sugar cake and the musical awesomeness that is JJ Lin. I absolutely enjoyed my time in the classroom. Although teaching a class of very excited and enthusiastic children can be quite exhausting at times, I wouldn’t have changed the experience for anything. As a student in college myself, I learned a lot from the children and their work ethic. First and foremost, I learned of the grave importance of motivation, hard work, and resilience. I learned that the best students studied at home without being asked to and concentrated in class with intrinsic rather than external motivations—the pursuit of knowledge rather than the pursuit of stamps. Until the students discover how fun learning can be, though, stamps don’t really hurt the learning process either. My students taught me a lot about myself and my necessity for patience. Having students encouraged me to take responsibility for my actions, take charge, and try to be the best role model that I can be. More importantly, teaching with a teaching partner taught me many things about teamwork. I learned that the most important part of being in a team is about listening to partners and about communication and compromise. Sometimes, being a leader means knowing when to step down and let other people have a chance to lead.
In the end, the teaching experience was so enjoyable that it didn’t necessarily feel like “work” in the traditional sense, but more like an incredibly fun and rewarding activity and process. In the end, our students did not necessarily become the next Shakespeare poets or the next Charles Dickens, but hopefully they did become a bit more inspired to learning English with a passion. I know that I’ve been inspired by the work ethic and the passion of the students themselves. I’ve also been incredibly inspired by the tour at the end of the program. As a Taiwanese-American, it’s been absolutely fantastic and touching for me to have gotten to know my parents’ home country better. My biggest wish is that I could have left some little lasting mark in Taiwan because Taiwan and AID Summer 2014 has certainly made a huge, inspiring, wonderful mark in my heart that will last me a lifetime.
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Wang, Vivian (王庭芳)
As cliché as it may sound, my summer spent in Taiwan with the AID program has been one of the most productive, challenging, enlightening and humbling experiences I’ve had. No words can describe the anxiety laced with excitement I had felt when starting the program and through it all, I can honestly say it has been one heck of a journey. Moments such as travelling alone for the first time, meeting people from all different places and if I may add- hoping I leave a good first impression were all contributing factors to the growth I have endured this summer. I was so blessed to have spent most of my time in Taiwan serving and teaching English with five amazing, talented and inspiring individuals; Jeffrey Chen, Crystal Cheng, Ting Mao, Mandy Che and Jacky Yang. GO A1-3! GINGER ALE BABES! Through all of our memories such as showering with the croaks of the frogs outside our window, late nights preparing our lessons for the children the next morning, occasional disagreements, a typhoon teaching break, our unique day to day habits and most of all our combined sweat and laughter to provide the children with the best of our ability has given me a new perspective on how to cherish everyone in my life and to be thankful for all the special moments I share with the people that had once been strangers to me but nonetheless have become dear to my heart. They will be my friends forever no matter where in the world we may be. Before arriving at HePing Elementary School, I had expected a very rural environment with very limited resources but upon arriving, I was extremely surprised because HePing Elementary School was nothing like I had imagined it to be. The school was furnished with technology and was spacious and provided a very friendly learning environment for the students as well as the teachers. There were air conditioning units in each of the classrooms we taught in- thank God! The response the children provided the six of us as a group of volunteer teachers were tremendous in the way that the children warmed up to us almost instantaneously. Teaching the brilliant students gave each one of us complete joy in our hearts. The children were so cute and so curious about all the places around the world. Though we had decided the partners as well as the level of teaching depending on our individual mandarin skills, I felt that fate had been intertwined in our decision so that each one of us could learn something precious from our partners. I cannot speak for the others but I can testify for the lessons that I have learned from my teaching partner through our complex discussions and planning in teaching English. Challenging the advanced English class in HePing Elementary has given me more than I could have imagined. Everyone assumes that I ventured to Taiwan to bring something extraordinary but in reality I feel like I have taken away more something more spectacular and unforgettable than I could have ever provided. I am truly glad to have had the chance to foster the curiosity of the children at HePing Elementary School and I hope that I can experience more programs such as AID Summer in the future. Taiwan is truly a beautiful island and a nation to be proud to be a part of. A massive thank you to everyone who made this program possible!
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Chang, Crystal (张家瑗)
• The Calm Before the Typhoon
After an unusually sweaty afternoon filled with luggage lugging and being debriefed via Chinese by all the gray outfitted counselors, I was only more discouraged to find that I was rooming with seven other girls, all of whom seemed incompatible with myself. I surprised myself when I took the initiative in speaking to them. From that day on, through common struggles and close living proximities, I grew to be extremely comfortable with them. Through daily five hour lectures, a depressing absence of free wifi, and group work sessions that dragged out late into the night, all of us toiled to finish our teaching plans and grasp what it truly meant to teach a new language without actually teaching it. At least for me, the cheerful chatter at mealtimes concealed an inner stress and struggle of trying the scale a vertical wall made up of feigning teaching experience. To make matters worse, I came down with a respiratory tract infection that would later develop into a strong virus that drained my strength while I taught. With the help of my volunteer teacher and the knowledge gleamed from the lectures, my teaching partner and I managed to be-- in theory-- ready to teach the Level 3 kids at Bi Tan Primary School.
• Hanging By the Seat of My Pants
On the twelfth of July, I was deposited at quaint little Bi Tan Primary School. The school itself was located in ChiaYi Xian and flanked by rice paddies and tiny one-story apartments on respective opposing sides. The bus ride's gradual change of scenery helped ease me into the environment I'd be residing in for the next two weeks but did little to mentally prepare me for the wild roller coaster ride I'd experience whilst teaching. On the first day my teaching partner and I found that we had greatly overestimated our kids English abilities. Our teaching plan was rendered obsolete and thus we began every morning rapidly preparing worksheets and brainstorming games to keep them occupied and active. Even during the ten minute breaks between each period, I would be quickly drafting new worksheets to better suit the level of knowledge my kids were at. After switching doctors four times and taking twenty-three pills everyday, I surprised myself yet again when I still managed to teach my full portion of the daily six hours. By the fourth day of teaching, my teaching partner and I had worked out the vast differences in our teaching styles-- hers being more review and drill oriented while mine was more teaching focused-- and each day got easier and easier. Our worksheets lost their typos and our review games became more approachable. We no longer spent our mornings toiling in the hot musty copy room eliminating flash cards and our point/reward system was much more fair. I can't say our kids loved us for all that we crammed into each period but I will never forget the glorious moment when one of the least outgoing kids in my class mumbled that each period seemed to pass "好快哦＂or too quickly. To me, it meant that they were so engaged in the classroom activity that they lost track of time-- a compliment I savored and cannot enjoy without thanking my teaching partner for covering me during my especially terrible bouts of sickness. Even though we streamlined our teaching process, getting through ten days of instruction took it out of us and by the last day I was overcome with more exhaustion than sense of achievement.
• Liberated, But Not Free
Tour week began and it all felt like a surreal dream. For the first three days, I was unable to shake the constant stress of needing to prepare the next day's teaching material. After being able to reunite with some of my other AID friends though, I was able to fully enjoy and soak in sides of Taiwan that I never had seen before. I am still recovering from my sickness, thanks to my incredibly accommodating bus' counselors, at a much faster rate. Although some parts of my post reflection may sound like I found things very disagreeable, I can honestly pledge that if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would. I learned infinitely more than I taught... not only about what it means to be a teacher but also about independence, communication, and adaptability.
Thank you AID for an inspiring, learning experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
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Liu, Annika (劉芯)
Everything that I imagined would be perfect, except the fact that the beginning always started our rough. Teaching for the first day was crazy and stressful at Lishan elementary and junior high school. I felt discouraged and like a failure after not teaching successfully for the first day. I didn't know how to continue the teaching, since I felt that I wasn't going to be able to teach anything correctly. As I went into the classroom for the second day, the smiles and enthusiasm of the 18 children motivated me to continue this adventure. I was thankful that I maintained a positive attitude, because I grew a special feeling for the students, teaching members, and the school. During school hours, I went out to play with the kids during every break, and helped the children with the best of my ability to teach English. When I was no longer teaching, every night, I laid on the basketball court with one of my teaching partners until 11 at night, watching the stars, talking about my stress and realizing everything isn’t perfect and I had to embrace it. When I wasn’t watching the stars, I found connections with everyone else in my teaching group. We would watch movies with one of the best teachers Kaleb. We would all go hyper and laugh like maniacs over the simplest things. With my group and experiences, I cried because of both sadness and happiness. at the end of these two weeks, I found it so difficult to say goodbye to all the children, teachers, and my wonderful teaching group. I realized that special feeling that I grew for everything around me was love. It was so hard to say goodbye to all of my students and all of my teaching partners that I grew so close with.Now that these two weeks are coming to a close, tears will spill and we will all be going our separate ways, I learned to never give up on anything, and that I can really do anything as long as I believe. This experience has taught me about the benefits of giving back and love for even the simplest things in life. Thank you AID Summer for such a heartwarming experience.
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Hsueh, Karen (薛巧欣)
AID summer was a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience that I won't forget. Matsu is a place where I would never imagine going, but after these past two weeks, I would definitely come back to visit. The teaching was alright--it started off undoubtedly chaotic but ended up very bittersweet. As my students and I got to know each other, they not only learned from me, but I from them. At first, I was very skeptical about the location and school, but a fondness of Matsu quickly developed as I fell in love with the food, sea, and 7-11. Thank you, AID, for the last--and greatest--summer of my high school career.
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Fry, Nicola (傅鶯)
Before coming to AID summer I had no idea what to expect. Judging from the malfunctioning website and disorganization of who to contact when I had a question, I was nervous to say the least. I had never been to Taiwan, but had heard of the great food and friendly people. What I heard turned out to be true. From the moment I stepped off the plane, Melody was waiting to greet me. Despite the disorganized website, it was easy to find Melody at the airport and throughout the program transportation to and from sites has been very good. It is a tough job to organize 425 people, but somehow, the tour ran smoothly.
The first week of learning how to teach was a little boring, but had some useful points. The games and how to control a classroom lectures were the most helpful. However, when I went to my school to teach, the level of English the students possessed far exceeded the level at which we were told to expect. The students knew every vocabulary word and quickly completed our first lesson plan for the day. I guess one thing to be improved is to split up kids who are teaching A class and B class and C class before the program, so we know what level of English to expect. Additionally, while staying at Jiantan, it would be nice if the college aged students had more freedom after dinner hours. It would be much nicer if college students were allotted privileges of more free time to explore Taiwan on their own during certain hours.
My time at the school was the best part of the program. The students were awesome and I am still keeping in touch with them. I loved teaching them and they even came to school on a typhoon day just to see us. Even after the tour, they came to jiantan to see us and hang out with us. They were truly special students that cared about their teachers. The faculty at the school was so welcoming and took us around Taiwan on the weekend. Their hospitality and warm heartedness I will never forget. Also, we befriended the teaching assistants. They are so cute and we are now corresponding on facebook.
The tour was a whole new adventure. I cannot say that I have ever been on a 425 person tour before. The tour was well organized but very tiring. I would suggest eliminating the talent show and night activities from the program so that instead we can rest. Maybe bedcheck could be pushed up to 9:30 instead of 10:30. Overall, things were packed in everyday and that left me very tired. I am happy with the experience, but the best part was definitely the teaching. In the future, I would reduce the training camp time, increase the teaching time and maybe only have 2 days of touring.
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Yuan, Connie (袁雅潔)
During the month-long stay in Taiwan as an AID volunteer teacher, I can confidently say that I have gained meaningful experiences and met a group of not merely highly motivated but interesting and unique individuals who I can say now qualify as my good friends. My primary intention in participating in the program was that as an American-born Taiwanese/Chinese, I have never had the opportunity to visit the country. I saw AID as a valuable chance to immerse myself in my own culture while extending my own knowledge to Taiwanese students of English gained from the opportunity that my parents have given to me.
In the duration of my teaching experience, I have learned that teaching is not only about conveying new topics to students in an understandable way but also about instilling a confidence in speaking a second language in a place where students have not been exposed to the colloquial banter of native English speakers. Living in a country where mostly secondhand English is spoken and taught, English is difficult to properly learn where students do not have the resources to learn how to speak the language in a casual flowing process. As speaking is the prime way of communication, it is of utmost importance to be able to do so to prime students to be able to learn more English. Without this foundation to competently communicate with simple English, it is unlikely that students will stay motivated and interested in learning English.
Having native English speakers such as us AID volunteers teach the language helps in a number of areas that could not be done otherwise in the traditional second-language classroom. The greatest and most convenient of these is that since we are still young volunteers and the content is, you can say, a piece of cake to us, our teaching Taiwanese students takes away much of the anxiety and apprehension that they may have in learning English. Games keep a light mood and competition in games for winning stickers or treats keeps the students wanting to learn. After just two weeks I can say with confidence that their pronunciation of English words has improved noticeably.
Besides the advantages Taiwanese students have in learning from volunteers, I have gained quite a few lessons and outlooks in teaching Taiwanese students and traveling across Taiwan. There are major regional differences socially, culturally, and politically that I have come to see myself first hand on this trip. Being an American-born Chinese/Taiwanese, this was an eye-opening experience where I have learned where much of the habits and quirks that my parents have are rooted in their home countries. It gives me respect for those who travel to foreign countries to stay abroad or set a home. It has taught me to love my home country's vibrant culture and respect the differences I may find in my parents' traditions. All in all, the opportunity of participating in AID has given me an experience worthwhile of my summer and will affect me in the future years to come, with a new outlook on the Eastern countries and a place I can now say I have come to appreciate immensely.
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Hsia, Adam (夏敬宣)
The AID Summer Program was an unforgettable experience. When I joined, I was dreading having to teach little kids, but after spending these two weeks with my students, I can honestly say that my expectations were completely wrong. These kids are truly amazing and show a passion for learning like no other. They loved to play and were always active in class. Not only have I taught little kids more about the English language, but they have also taught me how to be a better teacher and how to communicate better as well. My biggest regret about this program is that I didn't properly prepare my kids. Sometimes my lessons were too difficult, and sometimes too easy. This lead to a lot of sleepless nights re-writing my lesson plans for the next day. Ultimately, this program is an unbelievably valuable and life-changing experience. I believe that everyone should have a chance to experience something like it.
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Hsia, Eva (夏敬安)
I did not know what to expect when I first signed up for this program. I had seen my friends join similar programs in the past where they go back to Taiwan and teach English to kids and it seemed so fun! I love kids and I had always wanted to do something like this but did not have the chance to before due to school and extracurricular activities. Back in the states I am a dance teacher at the Hacienda Heights Chinese School and have been teaching for the past three years. I have also been a teacher’s assistants for a kindergarten Chinese school class for the past 8 years. With my experience working with children and I thought this program would be something I would extremely enjoy participating in. To be able to get to work with kids and to teach them would be a great learning experience for me and the children I work with.
When I arrived at Chien Tan that first week, I was scared and worried about what was ahead. Little did I know how many great friendships I would make and what a wonderful experience these few weeks would be. The first day as we were meeting everyone I was apprehensive about meeting my group mates. I arrived early and went through the chaotic checks ins to get to the room first. As I waited for the rest of my roommates to come, I told myself these are the girls you’ll be spending the next month with. One by one as they arrived I discovered that my group was awesome! All the girls were extremely friendly, beautiful, and smart. For the rest of the week at training we all bonded while we worked together to form a great lesson plan and become great friends.
Having already had teaching experience you would think I wouldn’t be nervous at all when it came to going to the school I was assigned to and teaching at. But it was quite the opposite. After a week of training and preparations I was so nervous the night before our first day of class. A million things were running through my head. Would the kids like me? Will they be able to understand me? What if they don’t know a single thing I’m saying? Or what if the words we prepared were too hard or too easy? There were so many small things I was worried about. Little did I know I had nothing to be worried over. As the first day of school came around we went into our classrooms and met the kids. I wonder what they must have thought about two very energetic American girls walking into their classroom speaking a strange language!
The kids at first were not very responsive to us in class because they were shy. However after our opening ceremony the next day where we introduced ourselves, the kids became more open and willing to talk to us. Through the next two weeks, we taught the kids, played with the kids, and learned English together. Two weeks was too short of a time with these kids. At the closing ceremony, all us 8 of us teachers had fallen in love with our students. Seeing their hard work and determination in learning a new language was really touching. They would take time out of their summer to come to a camp to learn a new language! That was dedication. As we all cried rivers of tears at the closing ceremony, it wasn’t the end. It was the start of a new chapter of our lives. The two weeks of teaching really changed us all for the better. We learned so much though the teachers at our school, the principal, the students, and most importantly from each other. As we lived together for this past month, I can say that all 8 of us girls have formed friendships that will last us a lifetime and more.
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Wu, Shiaw-Jiin (吳孝謹)
When my mom first told me about the Aid Summer program a surge of excitement and anxiety overcame me. Since I was young I had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. I had practiced for it when I was still in elementary school by giving my younger brother handmade homework and worksheets to do over the summer (that of course he would never do). However, even though this was the perfect opportunity to be one step closer to realizing my dream, questions resounded in my mind: was I ready? Could I do it? This mass of eagerness and nervousness continued to plague me as I arrived in Taiwan and finished the week of training at Chien Tan. Finally I arrived at Li Shan Elementary and Junior High School and unsurprisingly, my jumble of emotions just further intensified. I sighed in relief that I still had a weekend before school began. But Monday morning soon came and the Opening Ceremony seemed to have ended as soon as it began. It was now time for the very first day of teaching. I took a deep, deep breath and walked in, trying my best to put on my most confident face.
I will be honest and say that the first few days of teaching were rough. My teaching partner and I had problems controlling the students and keeping them involved and interested. However, I am also being completely honest when I say that every day of the program had its wonderful moments--even the very first days and definitely in the remaining days. Although the children of Li Shan Elementary were at times a little too energetic during class, it was without a doubt that everyone here was born kindhearted. Meeting such great people and children and receiving the opportunity to work with them has shown me how fortunate I am. As I look back at how anxious I was to participate in this program, I laugh. It is without question that this is a summer I will never forget.
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Chen, Karen (陳懿珈)
I had a lot of fun on this trip. I made a lot of new friends and was able to connect with all of my students. One thing I would change would be having teachers assign teaching partners because I got paired up with someone that was the complete opposite of me and I ended up planning every activity and lesson while he just slept or hung out with the kids. He had no respect for me so it was very difficult working with them. I really enjoyed my counselors during orientation week and tour week. They were all very helpful and nice. I wish that I was able to spend more time with the kids. I would be willing to give up tour week for and extra week teaching.
During orientation week, it was very hard to focus because I felt like I was being treated like a 10 year old, not an adult. I also found that most lectures were unhelpful. They were focused more on younger children even though the speakers claimed they were for middle school children. The ticket system was also very flawed because the same people in the same area of the room kept getting called on, while some other groups were never called on.
Teaching week was awesome, besides having to work with someone I did not get along with. My class had 8 girls and 1 guy. They were very quiet the first day but by the end of the third day, they were very comfortable and opened up a lot. It was cool because I ended up not only becoming a teacher with the kids but also becoming a friend. I connected with them so much so that the girls cried the last day, which, of course, made me cry. It was very tiring teaching from 8:20-4:00 every day, but the school did a good job by adding group activities in the last two periods of each day.
Tour week wasn’t great. I thought most of the places we went to were very uneventful and boring. Of course I know that it was because the budget is very limited for AID. Like I said earlier, I would rather spend an extra week with the kids then go on tour with everyone. I definitely enjoyed tour week more when it was just the central tour and not central and southern tour combined because it was less crowded and focused on less people.
The biggest problem I had during these four weeks would probably be the food and water quality, not because I thought it was “bad” but because it caused me to have stomachaches every single day. It was definitely hard teaching while my stomach was in pain. This problem is probably only related to me and my body though, so it has nothing to do with the program; it just caused me a lot of problems.
If I could to the program again, I definitely would. I know that this year, AID didn’t accept any returners, hopefully this will change because I would definitely like to come back to Taiwan and teach.
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Schluper, Patrick (羅德偉)
When I came to AID Summer, I really had no idea what to expect. I was unsure of my ability to teach Chinese at all as well as my ability to be able to fit in with everyone else at the program. However, my worries were all put to rest soon enough. This program was an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. While it definitely wasn’t perfect-the heat and humidity formed a particularly nasty combination and the almost complete lack of downtime became tiring after a while- the feeling of seeing the children you taught actually being able to succeed at the activities you give just overwhelms the negatives in my memory. The people I met during this program were all very nice and I won’t be forgetting them anytime soon either. During the tour week we were taken to so many beautiful and fun places that it’s hard to remember them all. I would recommend keeping a journal of some sort so you can actually remember all the things you did. All in all, AID Summer was an unforgettable experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
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Wang, Lynn (王琦雯)
What is AID Summer? If you're looking for the technical definition, a simple Google search would be sufficient. AID Summer: Assisting Individuals with Disadvantages. But if you're looking for a deeper definition, a different approach is needed.
This program blends together the elements of teaching, of learning, of receiving, of giving. Four hundred students come as teachers and volunteers to give back to their home country, but return home with the gifts of a newly heightened awareness of the different corners of the world as well as greater appreciation for the the resources that we have.
The first week of AID was training week. I arrived at Chientan Youth Center with extreme nerves. I was afraid that my level of Chinese would hinder my ability to bond with other AID-ers. I could not have been more wrong. Within moments our group members became friends and found harmony within our team. Through several of the lectures were rather slow, the anticipation of actual teaching (as well as the potential for a night market trip) kept enthusiasm high. As we built up our teamwork, our members became closer and closer. We became not only a group but a team. Though the practical tips of our lessons became useful, the bonding time our group had was just as, if not more important.
Arriving at the school was a new and strange experience. While the school was beautiful, it became clear that many resources that I take for granted at my school in California were counted with care at Jen-Shin Elementary. Nothing was wasted, and everything found a use. Faulty printed papers were used as scratch paper. Old drink cups were used time and time again for countless refills. Worn basketballs were the treasures of the students. Such care for every resource helped open my awareness to the different circumstances that are the reality of many in the world.
While the setting was different, the students had the same bright faces of any child around the world. Eager and mischievous, the students brought our 2-D lesson plans to life. Though teaching was tiring, the students' enthusiasm kept us continually wanting to improve every lesson, every day. As one of the teachers of Class C, the most advanced class in our school, I wanted to challenge them to comprehend not only vocabulary but also sentences. Many of the students were very strong in vocabulary, but had difficulties in comprehending even very simple sentences. Thus, I gave most of my instruction in English, while my partner teacher helped translate the more difficult portions. This feature of our lessons I believe helped bolster the intensity of the lessons, as well as stimulate the minds of the students as they had to concentrate to understand the material. However, it would be impossible to teach completely in English; lessons would take too long and students would eventually become frustrated. Thus, my partner and I blended English and Chinese to create a stimulated, yet comprehendable classroom.
With every new day came new challenges and new solutions. Though my partner and I attempted to prepare for the following days, improvisation was inevitable. We found that the most efficient method of preparation was to create a list of potential activities and conduct the class according to the natural flow of the classroom. Through this method, we could maintain a structured, yet flexible classroom.
The tour was a wonderful experience. Though I would have liked to spend more time at the tourist spots, it was well worth it to visit so many places. The past three weeks further enhanced the tour, as I held a greater appreciation for what Taiwan has to offer.
With AID Summer, one not only receives an unforgettable experience but also a new perspective on the world. I have found the importance of teamwork, of adaptability, of resources, of passion. Thus, by being part of AID Summer, I believe that I, along with my fellow AID-ers, have become more prepared for the life ahead of us and the responsibilities of the future.
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Hwang, Nicholas (黃華恩)
AID Summer 2014 was not only was an opportunity to travel to Taiwan, but was also an experience that definitely exceeded my initial expectations. Although I have come to Taiwan in the past years, never have I ever been exposed to such a diverse range of cultures, foods, and people. As a person of Hakka-Taiwanese decent, I must say that this experience has taught me life skills that simply cannot be taught in a classroom or lecture hall. While I have visiting Taiwan many times, I have only been to Taipei and Keelung before, so going to so many places ranging from Kenting to Nantou to the 921 Earthquake Museum to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village would not be possible without the help of AID.
Before the first week at Jian Tan, I was filled with both anxiety to excitement. I thought it would be great to meet new people and experience new things. Yet I have never travelled to a foreign country by myself and wondered how I would pull through with the daunting task of mentoring children. But much to my surprise, never would I have thought I would meet such welcoming people who not only become great teachers, but ultimately great friends of mine. But to be honest, the training was quite stressful at first. I have not woken up before 12 PM in the past two years. I have also never shared a room with five other people before. Throughout the trip, I really think that my previous experiences in college helped with me cope with the struggles that many other volunteers faced. This trip really was an extension of my college life into becoming a more independent adult.
I thought it was a great experience being able to teach in such a secluded place from the city. I have never seen flying cockroaches and so many frogs before in my life. And I have never been exposed to what is known as “Chinese School Etiquette” and squatting toilets. I have also never done morning exercises, or cleaned classrooms, or made pottery before. Yet here they all were, in a remote elementary school known as Jing San Guo Xiao. In this quaint school of 45 students, I would teach 4th and 5th graders for the next two weeks.
On the first day, my partner and I were greeted with the shy faces of 15 students. They looked at us strangely and judged our clothing and inability to speak Chinese. Throughout the two weeks, the students little by little came out of their shell and are now much more confident with speaking English. I feel that I was not only an English teacher and mentor to them, but a friend. I would also like to thank the teachers who helped my entire group throughout the two weeks, especially all the mosquito repellent and apple cider that they bought for us. We really couldn’t have don’t it without them. I would also like to thank the principal of the school. She is doing a great job with raising these kids and I really will miss them.
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Chang, Allison (張永欣)
“我一開始參加這個AID program 的時候不曉得這兩個禮拜會不會過的順利。（我也怕我不會喜歡我的隊員）。我本身不是一個很優秀，很活潑的人。雖然我們有在劍潭準備了很多課程上需要用的materials，我從來沒教過，所以第一天來到碧潭國小的時候還是很緊張。我們的小朋友們應該看得出來吧，哈哈。但坦白說，這幾天陪這他們一起上課，吃飯真的很開心。經過了那兩個星期，我有好好的認識我們level 2的小朋友，也認識了其他的小朋友。我不知道是不是他們，或是我們，可是他們每天努力上課，帶著他們的精神跟微笑來聽我這個不太會講中文的老師上課。（謝謝碧潭國小的校長，老師們，也謝謝每天照顧我們的阿媽，叔叔，盛州和立浯。）我們離開前的兩天我哭到臉紅。我從來沒想過我會真麼想一群頑皮，搗蛋（可是超可愛）的小朋友。可是這個月的紀念不只是在教課程上。在那兩個禮拜的時間，我有好好的認識我的隊員。我們這些每個晚上一起熬夜（吃泡麵）做完課程的女生發現我們在這個program外都是很不同的人，喜歡做的事都完全不一樣。可是因為這個AID的program，我們變成一對很不可思議的隊。我這幾個禮拜也交了很多無可忘掉的新朋友，也認識了很多AID的小恢恢。在這裡，雖然過的很痛苦因為蚊子不停的咬我，我找出了我另一個家。每天跟400幾個人一起吃好吃的飯，聊天，急忙的把需要交的事交。這個很不很優秀，很活潑的人找到一個很捨不得離開的家。這些難忘的記憶會永遠陪著我一起成長。In the end, if I could have the choice to become an AID volunteer once again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Because “有多少痛苦，有你和我一起度過，一起承受。“
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Jan, Eric (詹子寬)
Before I came to Taitung to teach and was at Chientan, I was quite hesitant and scared of teaching. I would often feel unsure and was worried how I would ever be able to teach others English and last two full weeks when I could barely make it through two weeks of sitting in school back in America. It always seemed that my teacher's jobs were extremely difficult as they had to plan everything beforehand. I was sure that I had not put in as much work as they had in preparing and was almost certain I would just awkwardly stand at the front of the classroom for about twenty minutes every class just doing nothing. But when I got here and actually began teaching, I found that the key was just to relax and actually interact with the kids. On the first day, me and my partner were very uptight and serious, afraid of the kids at first. Within our first few minutes of teaching, one student decided to hit another student, retaliating for an insult. We were terrified that we would be unable to control our kids and teach. But it this phenomenon was only present during the first day; the second day, the kids became more accustomed to us and seemed to understand that although we wanted to be their friends, we would have to maintain some order and act as teachers. They messed around until our class began playing games. What me and my partner thought would be the most hectic part of the day actually turned into the most orderly. The students respected one another during games and filtered their joking or disparaging comments and encouraged one another. Games, I found, would keep order.
From what I was told by the AID lecturers, I was scared that I would not have enough content to fill the entire day. We found that kids loved word-searches; one day, they even sacrificed their ten minute break to complete their word-searches. Teaching vocabulary took significantly less time that I had predicted as the kids already knew most of the vocab. Those words were really easy to teach, but the few they had never heard of seemed impossible to teach at first. It was once again our games that saved us. The flyswatter game really helped them remember new vocabulary as did the scatter game for quizlet. These friendly competitions motivated the kids to try their hardest to learn the vocab.
I had never thought I would bond with the kids as I did. They were afraid of me in the beginning, but the opened up right when we began playing dodgeball or swimming or going hiking together. They taught me a lot about their culture and all of the wildlife, primarily bugs and lizards, that were present in Taitung. Although I was the teacher and they were the students, it often seemed as if our roles were switched. I know that it will be very hard for me to forget all of the fun times I had with my kids and I am sure that they had fun and are now much more excited and ready to learn English.
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Wang, Derek (王承啟)
When I first heard about AID, I absolutely did not want to have to spend a month in Taiwan. However, after spending a week making friends and learning how to teach English and then another two weeks teaching some wonderful students, I find myself regretting that this program is nearing its end. My students were sixteen extremely bright and very well behaved middle schoolers from Chung Der Junior High, and I can honestly say that teaching them has changed my life and hopefully I've also changed theirs. Teaching a class of sixteen has not only given me insight on valuable life skills such as preparation and planning, but has also helped me further my leadership abilities. Even though I had been in various leadership positions before, I was still overwhelmed at first leading a class of sixteen. However, after the first day, everything started falling into place and began to run smoothly. The friends I've made here are definitely the most important thing I've gained from this experience. From students, teachers, co-teachers, to counselors, many of the people I've met here are some of the nicest, most caring, and most unforgettable people I could have hoped to become friends with, and I hope that we will be able to continue our friendships after AID. I was also able to receive an adult impression of Taiwan, the island where my parents are originally from, as it has been twelve years since I have visited, and I do not remember much from my last visit. Since being here, I have learned that even though it is hot and humid and the weather is absolutely unbearable at times, the people and the food make up for it. The Taiwanese people I've met are the absolute friendliest, kindest people I have ever met, even the strangers on the street. Shopkeepers and food stall owners have told me about other places or things of interest that I need to try around their area and I have yet to have a dissatisfying food recommendation when visiting a food stall. The food here is also some of the best I've ever had. There is a reason Taiwan is famous for its food and people tend to gain weight after visiting; it is a very well deserved reputation! I was also able to witness a typhoon for the first time, even though it was relatively tame where I was compared to other parts of Taiwan. This experience is comprised of many firsts for me, and it is definitely something that I will never forget. Though I do not plan on pursuing a teaching career in the future, the life skills and lessons I've learned from my participation in AID will definitely help me in other aspects of my life, from learning how to interact with various individuals of different personalities and backgrounds to preparing every single minute of each day's lesson plan. There is no way for me to express the love and gratitude I have for the AID program coordinators, the volunteer teachers, and the counselors that have taken care of us and molded us into teachers over the past few weeks.
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