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Chen, Kelly (曾予寧)
My impression of Taiwanese people has always been a pleasant one. But coming to Taiwan this summer, I have grown even more in love with this country and its people. I have AID Summer 2014 to thank for much of that. This is the sixth time that I have travelled to Taiwan, but it’s only the third time that I can recall on my own. The first time was exactly ten years ago when my sister and I travelled here with our grandmother, whose English is not very good. That trip was hard because we were far away from our parents for some time, but thankfully, our relatives were all extremely hospitable and opened up their homes to us. I remember them bringing us to night markets, buying us lots of toys and clothing, and introducing us to the delicious Taiwanese cuisine such as Taiwanese beef noodle soup, oyster omelette, and bubble tea! The second time was four years ago when I travelled with my mother and sister, so at least this time we had our English-and-Chinese-speaking mom to guide us. Again, we ate more great foods, went to more night markets, and spent time with our welcoming relatives.
But I would have to say that it has been this trip that I have seen the cultural differences between Taiwan and America. For example, one thing that amazed me from the first day and continues to amaze me now is that the children are expected to clean and tidy up the school facilities before class starts every morning. This is very different than what is expected from kids in America, in which students are expected to simply study hard, make some friends, and stay out of trouble. I have learned so much from teaching these children that I feel like I have learned more from them than I have taught them. But I do think that this mutual learning interaction between myself and the students has been a rewarding experience. They have taught me to be more polite and respectful, especially with adults and people older than myself. I have always been told to greet people but seeing just how much of a difference it makes in someone’s day to simply say hello has helped me really appreciate this culture in which my parents grew up in and instilled in me from a young age. My students have reminded me that learning a new language should be a fun challenge rather than a forced burden. Their eagerness to expand their English vocabulary and understanding of American culture will always stay with me even when I return back to the states. I was also amazed at how much the students looked up to us even when we would occasionally get frustrated with them. I will forever treasure these past two weeks in my heart, and I would definitely like to come back to visit the students, teachers, faculty, and Taiwanese volunteers in the future!
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Kao, Yu-chieh (高育婕)
When I first learned I would be teaching middle school kids, I was both shocked and incredibly nervous. I have plenty of experience dealing with elementary school kids, but middle schoolers? Never. During training week I felt like I learned a lot about Taiwan and the classrooms there, and also repeated a lot of classroom activities and management I already knew. Through the hours and hours of learning, I felt overwhelmed and exhausted. I thought I would be able to do things perfectly once I started teaching. That's why I was so excited when Friday finally came for when we could leave for the school.
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Lo, Kimberly (羅翊君)
I initially joined AID Summer with its intended purpose in mind of teaching children english in remote areas. While I somehow and perhaps somewhat accomplished this, I also received unforgettable and valuable memories and experiences from this program. Planning lessons, preparing supplies and teaching a classroom of children was a unique and special challenge. They were cute and loud, not to mention full of boundless energy. I feel that the relationships we built with our students is a unique one- while they see us as teachers, as mentors and role models, they are only several years younger than us. Just as we are teenagers, they are too. While we may be their teachers and they our students, they have the potential to become our friends and companions. So many have already added me on Facebook so as to stay in touch and continue to talk with me. I am almost always caught off guard whenever a student tells me "Hello teacher" as I am not used to being addressed in such a manner or being regarded with such respect- one of many cultural differences I observed during my time here. Using my past experience as a teacher assistant in the United States, I feel that students in Taiwan pay much more respect towards their teachers than in the United States. Other cultural differences in the school environment, such as the method of trash disposal and collective school "goodbye" were very interesting to observe and experience.
There were many times where I had to step out of my comfort zone and try new things- learning to dance the Hoedown Throwdown and Gee certainly was different but I had much more fun with it than I initially expected. At AID, I developed not only as a teacher but as a person. Throughout the entire program I met and interacted with many wonderful and interesting people from all over the world. My friends from A3-2 miraculously managed to drag me from my introverted world and opened me to other perspectives. Their kind, fun, and unique personalities made my experiences all the more unforgettable and I cannot ever thank them enough for making this program the best it could be. They are truly irreplaceable not just as teammates but as friends. Our mentor, Kevin, became a lifetime friend. His heart is full of kindness, compassion and generosity. He offered advice and supported us throughout our journey. Like my students and friends, I will dearly miss him.
From the training week to the talent show, I find that this summer has been truly wonderful. I met many old and new people, those from Canada and across the United States to those living in the same city as me in Maryland. I hope to keep in touch with those I've met through this program. They've given me so much happiness that I would like to return double. The tour week gave me a chance to explore more of Taiwan and its unique culture and food. This summer was amazing and I would not trade such an experience for anything.
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Jean, Christine (簡有婕)
Saying that these past ten days has been an experience would be such the understatement. I’ve never felt so much love and warmth and kindness from complete strangers in my entire life, be it the teachers or the host family or my beloved kids.
So here is a big thank you letter to people who I am assuming will never read it:
When our AID teacher Ms. Liu first told my partner and me that the youngest, smallest class would be the hardest to deal with, both of us are a little bit unsure of what to expect. We had so many questions about their abilities, their English background and their general attitude. It turned out the kids were just as or even more scared than us. The first day, one skinny kid could only whisper his name. Most everyone balked at the full paragraph they had to read aloud on the post test.
Gradually, we were able to understand each student’s habits and skills and general attitude. While I still question the amount of English learned by these kids, in the end, I just wanted to instill a love for the language and culture and learning English, rather than a set list of vocabulary terms. They will have plenty of time to learn, but not much time to find a love for something that seems so foreign or useless.
Even if they failed the post test (which no one did) I would still have been the proudest teacher ever. Like I said during the closing ceremony, the school is lucky to have such happy learners.
Teacher Liu had to bear with us for three long weeks, including that first prison like experience week at Chientan. She balanced her family life and took out personal time so that we could make many trips to the grocery or craft store. She even had to endure the same boring lectures in that accursed Group C classroom. After so much effort, she better be getting some much needed rest and relaxation in Japan; if anyone deserves a break, it’s Ms. Liu.
Beyond the kids, I really need to thank my host family. That day in Kaohsiung, when the tour was about to begin, all of the Ligang AID teachers were depressed rather than ready to leave, as not only were we saying goodbye to our kids, we were also parting ways with some spectacular host families. It’s hard to take in complete strangers and love them like your own kids yet each family accomplished that and more. The feeling of a second home is really indescribable and unbelievable.
Slowly, we got to know each other. It took a week to settle in, two weeks to make a home, but forever to forget.
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Tsai, Alice (蔡承燕)
Over the past four weeks participating in AID Summer 2014, I have really enjoyed and learned a lot from this experience. The training week at Chientan was somewhat helpful in helping aid me and my group when we actually went to teach at Rui-Sui Junior High in Hualien. It also helped me get to know my group members better and figure out who I work better with. When we actually went to teach at Rui-Sui Junior High, it was a really interesting and new experience for me. For one, I have never gone to Hualien before so the whole area was a new place for me. I have also never went to a junior high in Taiwan before so that was also very interesting to see, as well as seeing and experiencing the schedule junior high students go through every day (apparently all the students have nap time after lunch every day until they graduate from high school). As an education major, teaching junior high students was a great experience for me. It was really great to see them having fun and learning new things. They all seemed to be enthusiastic to learn and come to class every single day. Inspiring them to want to learn English and to help them dare to speak English out loud was really heartwarming. Everyone at Rui-Sui Junior High was also really nice to us and really helped us out whenever we needed anything. The principal seemed to really care about us and wanted us to be as comfortable as possible. He even brought us to Hualien City on the last day so that we would not need to wake up as early to catch the train back to Taipei and to explore Hualien City. The two guys doing their volunteer service at the school in place of military service were also extremely accommodating and were always with us. When the typhoon came, they prepared food and water, always checked up on us in case we needed anything, and were always available to give advice on how we should set up our living area. The teachers at the schools were also really helpful whenever we had questions or problems about anything. The weekend trip that they planned out for us was also really fun and interesting! Since I have never been to Hualien, all the places were new to me and really fascinating. They took us to so many places and all of the places were really fun to go to. Living in the Rui-Sui Junior High teachers' dorms was an interesting experience though. The living conditions were certainly not the greatest, but definitely not the worst either. The tour week after teaching was alright. I have already been to a lot of the places but it was still fun to experience everything with new friends. All in all, I think I got pretty lucky in being able to experience all the things I experienced in this program and it really helped me realize how good it feels to help and inspire others.
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Yang, Mark (楊大中)
Without a doubt, this summer has been one of my most memorable thus far. From my experience in Taiwan before AID began to the last week of tour, these memories will remain for a while. To begin, the very first day our group meet for the first time, the ice was broken in a very unintentional way. As the week continued we got to know each other better. Of course, once we sent more time during the teaching week, we got to know one another even better. From spending time late at night to write lesson plans to having conversations about our beliefs, these experiences allowed me to greater appreciate the diversity and similarity of our team.
When our team first arrived at MuDan Junior High, I was very curious about the students and lifestyle of the area. Before teaching began, I was unsure about how to even approach teaching 9th graders, let alone teaching at all. Once teaching began, these uncertainties disappeared. The enthusiasm of some students made my day and even spending time with then outside of class playing basketball and talking allowed me to get to know them better as people. Even taking time to visit some of the students at their villages made me greater appreciate what I have that I often take for granted.
Of course none of these memories at MuDan would have been possible without the many friends we made there. The school staff and the students made me appreciate the hospitality and warmth of this unfamiliar part of Taiwan. Finally, praise God for opening the door for me to go to Taiwan and partake in this program. Masalu!!
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Lee, Joshua (李瑞亜)
I didn't expect very much coming into the AID program. I thought it would be a few short weeks teaching children and then I would be back to my home in America. What I didn't expect was becoming fast friends with the people I was grouped with, and growing to enjoy teaching the kids. Seeing them improve as we taught them about American culture and simple sentences every day, I was blown away by their eagerness and willingness to learn. Together with the other students, we bonded together to teach them and guide them in their journey through learning. My only wish was to spend more time with the children, I felt as if there wasn't enough time to play with them. Less time being lectured, more time teaching and touring Taiwan.
Every day, I would work very hard and try to make proper documents and slideshows for them. The teaching was hard and I lost my voice a few times. Luckily they understood and helped me to teach them better through gestures and the assistance of the other teacher. As we went, day after day after day of teaching, with barely any time to relax, the time we spent with them during the weekend was fantastic. I loved going to amusement parks and water parks with the kids, these memories are sure to last me a lifetime.
My favorite time was when we went on the tour together. Even though we felt rushed and there wasn't a lot of time to enjoy the scenery, the brief times we spent at the locations really helped me to further understand the island of Formosa. (Even though I had already been to a majority of the tour locations!)
I look forward to seeing the progress that the children we taught. The friendships, the memories, the times we created together, these are more than simple lessons and powerpoints. This trip blew my expectations out of the water and I am so thankful that I got to participate in AID 2014 Summer. I know that there's a rule that you cannot join multiple times - I hope they lift it next year so that we can all come again!
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Pi, Erica (皮安琪)
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. -Lao Tzu
On the first day of the AID summer prohram I was very nervous and scared about who I would meet, whether or not i would be fit to teach, and how I would be able to adapt to new environments and surroundings.
One of the highlights of training week was the Shilin night market. Although there was not a ton of time to go shopping, it was fun to experience the culture and eat lots of taiwanese food.
I thought that training week was longer than it could have been but the first week was actually very important to have. i learned many different techniques about teaching students in Taiwan. It was very helpful to receive insight from teachers in Taiwan and peers. Most importantly, training week was necessary to get to know my teammates. By getting to know them a week before teaching instead of meeting the day of teaching, i was able to have an idea of my teammate's characteristics, skills, and weaknesses and be comfortable with them. This made the next two weeks easier because I knew how to communicate with the new friends rather than communicating with complete strangers.
At the end of the first week I had conquered half of my fears - meeting everyone and getting to know them. I was excited to get to know my new friends better and meet the students. When I first got to our location I did not think I would get used to sleeping on hard wood floors and teaching in long pants and no air condition.
On the first day of teaching at Bali elementary school, the kids were shy because they did not know us; however, they kept an open mind and were respectful, curious, and motivated. The best combination of a group with high potential.
The staff at Bali elementary school
were very welcoming, organized, and friendly. It is a very well rounded school. The teachers and staff took us to a lot of different places such as night markets and Yilan and gave us many opportunities to do DIY projects.
As each days passed, each and every student became more familiar with us and participated responsibly. It was great to see them open up and try their best with the english language
even though the majority only knew the basics such as the ABCs. Not only were the kids becoming more familiar with us, but also I became more familiar with them. I got to know them as a student and on a more personal level.
After classes, we had debriefs on what and how to improve what our classes. This was a good way to get and give feedback. By doing so, I was able to improve and better our class efficiently and effectively.
The end of the 2 week teaching portion was very bittersweet. The kids were great students and great friends to me. I hope to visit them again in the near future!
Overall, this experience was priceless and a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have made friends, learned from my students and peers, and learned about the local culture. Last but not least I have learned to appreciate the things I have and treasure those who I have met.
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Lee, Rachel (李頡亞)
I’m extremely grateful and happy I was given the opportunity to attend the AID Summer Program. Not only was I able to give back to a community of my heritage, but I was given a chance to be impactful on a student’s life; it’s not every day you get to be an integral part of a student’s growth in education. To be completely honest, I had no real expectation of what this program was going to be like. I had heard stories from friends, but none of which were impressionable.
The training week was surprisingly helpful despite the fact it was useful information disguised in boring PowerPoints. It actually made me realize that I didn’t want to teach my class using PowerPoints. My initial idea of teaching was to have certain words and phrases on the screen and teach the students that way. But after the week at the training program with hours upon hours of staring at the screen, it dawned on me that I didn’t want my kids falling asleep on me. If trained high schoolers and college students where dozing at these PowerPoints, to the younger students it might was well be called “nap time.” So I emailed the English teacher at the school I was assigned and questioned about how I should maintain the attention of elementary schoolers. I was given a two page long reply that basically told me one thing: games. The class had to be engaging and interactive so the students didn’t feel like they were actually learning.
So on the very first day of class, my team and I decided that we were going to play at minimum of three games a day. We ended up exhausting our brainstorming powers by day two. The students went through five games just on day one. Not only was it surprisingly difficult to get all the students to participate in the games we wanted them to play, when we wanted them to play it, but there was also a large language barrier. Our teachers specifically told us to speak as little Chinese as possible as it was an English learning summer camp. But the level of English competency in our class varied so drastically it was impossible for it to be purely English speaking camp. We had students who understood the directions and instructions we were given, and we also had students who only knew basic English such as their name and the alphabet.
The large gap amongst the students proved to be a challenge for my team but it also helped us understand the difficulties the children had growing up in their less fortunate neighborhoods, but by meeting my team and having us empower their passion to learn the English language and American culture, the children became more active and curious during the lessons. My time at Taiwan taught me the part of my culture that I could not truly interact with in America, and the children taught me the joy of teaching and showing my personal culture to others. The time I spent in the AID Summer Program will always stay with me and I hope that by having this experience I can further my giving back in the future and help more Taiwanese children understand the importance of cultural understanding and diffusion in this era.
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Kuo, Andy (郭奕宸)
I still remember the moment I checked into Chian Tan only four short weeks ago. Little did I know what kind of adventure awaited me. Only four short weeks ago, I thought I came to Taiwan to teach elementary school children English and that’s about it. Little did I know that the children would teach me as well.
I remember when I could fit everything into one suitcase. But for some reason, only after one week, I could not fit anything anymore, even with the extra bag that the program provided us. Even though my luggage was filled with dirty clothing as well as gifts for my family and friends and other people, my knowledge of teaching English was not. In a short one week at Chian Tan, I learned so much about teaching young, Taiwanese children in rural areas. Because of the lectures given by the extremely qualified English teachers in Taiwan, I was able to create an efficient and interesting lesson plan for my children in TaiTung.
The lectures on different aspects of teaching, for example grammar, classroom management, activities, simple phrases, and vocabularies helped shape my teaching plan. The best example of how the lectures on activities helped me is when my students in TaiTung finished the assignment faster than I expected. If it was not for the lectures in Chian Tan, I would not have known about the many exciting and fun games that I can play with the students.
After one week, I flew to TaiTung to teach the elementary school students. Once I reached TaiTung, the caring teachers showed us to our hotel as well as to the different shops around town that we would probably go to. One day after I reached TaiTung, our group went to the elementary school to meet our students. After only one day, I fell in love with my students. Instead of feeling forced to teach the students English, I realized that I wanted to teach my students. Even though these students have a fluent English speaking teacher, these students did not seem like they had the drive to successfully understand English. Within two short weeks, I helped to fuel the flame inside every child to learn more English with exciting stories of America as well as fun activities to change their view of English from being a boring class that they need to take every week to an exciting class. But it was not all work at TaiTung. The caring teachers made sure that we had fun during our stay at TaiTung. Not only did they provide us excellent food, they also went out of their way by taking us to fun places in TaiTung.
Now that I am almost finished with the program, I can look back and feel proud of myself because I know that I have inspired my students to learn more English. In addition to helping the students, the program has shown me what Taiwan has to offer with the one week tour of Taiwan. I look forward to coming back to Taiwan to visit my students in the near future.
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Han, Sydney (韓歆翎)
My experience at AID has truly been a rewarding one. Although I was apprehensive at first about joining this program, I am really glad that I did.
As an education major in college, I thought this program would be a perfect opportunity for me. Aside from gaining experience in the field, I also gained a whole new network of friends from around the world.
My first week in Jiantan was an intensive and challenging training week, I never expected to be as exhausted as I was. There were so much information to absorb each day and so much planning to do for the upcoming two weeks. With all the work that I was assigned to do, I was really overwhelmed by all the lesson and curriculum planning that was required of me. Despite the fact that it took a lot of endurance to get over training week, I was very thankful for all the valuable things I learned in just two short weeks.
After training week, I was stationed at BiTan Elementary School in Chayi. I have never been in that area of Taiwan so it was really exciting. Even though I got bit by a lot of mosquitos, it was all worth it because of the people at the school. The faculty there were such gracious hosts and wonderful role models to learn from. Teaching overall became second nature to my partner, Sean and I and we seemed to be able to run class efficiently. The only trouble that we faced was that it was hard to gage what they knew and what they didn’t know. For instance, for animal vocabulary they seemed to know a great deal of the terms, even the advanced ones we prepared but for clothing day, they did not know even basic vocabulary, like shirt and shorts. Furthermore, they even seemed to have trouble just grasping that vocabulary. Essentially, it was just a lot of planning and preparing back up plans for classes that was the most difficult challenge we faced. As a result, sometimes we would run out of material before the 6hrs of teaching time was over which forced us to quickly think on our feet and plan for activities, or on the other hand, we would have too little time to teach what we had planned to. Things became easier and easier as the week progressed. It honestly just took time to get used to the natural flow of things.
On the weekend we spent in Chayi, we went to JianFu San amusement park, an old historical street, the beach, and a big mall, all in Tainan. I thoroughly enjoyed myself on these outings; however, the best part of these trips was that it was with familiar faces from school. Even though at school I was teacher Sydney, outside on the weekends I was Sister Sydney. It was a great feeling to be able to have gotten as close to the people of Bi Tan Elementary School as I did.
I am truly thankful for this AID experience and have regreted nothing. This program exposed me to my culture in rich ways and helped me grow and decide that I am and will be moving on to my second year in college as an elementary school major with a minor in English as a second language.
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Lo, Jonathan (樂家銘)
I am extremely glad and thankful I got the opportunity to take part in AID this year. I heard about this program through a friend who did AID two years ago and decided to apply because I heard it is a lot of fun and because I needed something to do during my visit to Taiwan. I saw AID as an opportunity to help people out, to gain experience teaching, learn more about Taiwanese culture and meet a bunch of new people from all around the world. Because I volunteered as a teaching assistant at my Chinese school, I knew that I have what it takes to run a class. Although teaching a group of elementary school students English may be challenging and requires great leadership skills, enthusiasm and patience, it proved to be one of the most rewarding two weeks I've ever had.
I taught at Shanlin Elementary School in Kaohsiung. The 52 students were already split into three classes based on their varying levels of English. My teaching partner (Jessica) and I were assigned to the highest level class. The students' ages ranged from 10-12. They were more well behaved than the other classes and were more motivated to learn. They were so energetic and adorable and were extremely nice. I remember walking out of my dorm on the first day and and I saw several children sweeping the areas around the school. I was shocked as this is basically unheard of in America! Making the lesson plans every day was one of my favorite parts of teaching. We had the freedom to do anything we wanted and we often times made our decisions based on what the kids wanted to do. As a result, we played dodgeball during second period every day and watched several movies including frozen and despicable me 2. Our two weeks of teaching quickly went by and before we knew it it was the last day. It was extremely difficult leaving as we had grown so attached to each and every one of them. During the closing ceremony several of our students made a poster and drew all six of us on it. That was really a testament to how much they enjoyed our presence.
AID summer has been one of the best experiences of my life. I will miss teaching all the students at Shanlin, the teachers Sam, Peter and Xiao Pan who took us out almost every night, bonding with my teaching group, and all the friends I have met at AID over the past four weeks. AID is such an unforgettable experience and I hope that I will get the opportunity to participate in something like this again. Apply, you won't regret it!
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Ang, Jei-Si (洪潔詩)
These past four weeks have been surreal. The last time I visited Taiwan was when I was two years old, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I tried really hard to remember what Taiwan was like, trying to picture Taiwan 16 years ago when I first visited. I guess I just don’t have a good memory haha. The week at Chien Tan was very structured, with daily back-to-back lectures and meals stuffed in between. But some of the lectures were helpful, offering different ways to approach teaching elementary school students. My group was also very fortunate to have an amazing teacher, Sophia. She entertained us with a myriad of stories (including stand-up comedy during one of the large group sessions) and humored us with some of the funniest jokes I’ve ever heard. She also helped us every step of the way in Yilan, encouraging us, offering great ideas, making sure we had everything we needed, and being an overall amazing teacher and person.
When we left Chien Tan that Friday afternoon, I had no idea what Yilan was going to be like. After spending what feels like the shortest two weeks in history, I can honestly say that I felt like I was home. The deans and teachers of Yi-Ming Elementary brought us to countless new places, including cold and “no-clothes” hot springs – probably the most “new” experience I had in Taiwan. I also had some of the most amazing food I’ve ever had in my life in Yilan – some of which include sashimi, pumpkin, lobster, oysters, crab, fish, a variety of soups, noodles, and the best shaved ice in the world. I’m so grateful to have been able to live in such a beautiful place with incredibly kind and friendly local residents for two weeks. It’s also crazy how close a group of eight people can get in such a short amount of time, and I made really great friends with my group during the program.
Teaching was difficult but rewarding at the same time. We had to cut back when there was too much material and improvise when there wasn’t enough. But the students were all so sweet. Even though they were really shy at first, throughout the two weeks – including classroom lessons, a trip to the Yilan Science Fair, pumpkin ice cream, making vanilla ice cream and volcanoes, riding bicycles, singing and dancing, cold springs, and playing on a huge stone slide – we became really close. I definitely had fun and I hope they did too.
There were some negatives throughout the program. Many people thought Chien Tan was equivalent to a prison. There was definitely a lack of freedom in many aspects of our time there. At the time, I think a lot of us were really frustrated by the strictness of the authority figures. But in retrospect, the rules make more sense and sound more reasonable. They were looking out for our safety, and it’s hard to keep track of 425 people without strict guidelines.
The last week of the program was an incredible experience in itself. I was surprised at how much energy I had, considering the lack of sleep I had over the past few weeks. But I think it was because I was so excited to visit countless areas of Taiwan. In between visiting all of the disparate places, we made new friends and new roommates, bonding on the long and short bus rides. I even watched Frozen for the first time on one of the bus rides. The day at the aboriginal theme park and the aboriginal dancing was probably the best day of summer 2014. But I was literally so happy everywhere we went for that entire week. I’d also like to thank all of the counselors for everything they did for us – especially Hubert, Chia Sin, Ryan, Sophie, Catherine, and Theresa.
Sure, there were ups and downs throughout the entire month, but in the end, I think it’s about the people I met, the places I went, and the memories I made in between. Thank you for such a surreal and unforgettable experience.
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Hung, Jessica (洪怡平)
This was an amazing opportunity to learn about the culture in Taiwan as well as explore the possibilities that you might not have thought about before. For one, I didn't think that getting hit by a typhoon was a thing - just kidding. I just didn't think it was going to happen while we were here. Let me start at the beginning.
The first week in Taiwan - at least if you come right off the plane to start with everyone at AID - is horrendous. It's abysmal, ridiculous. Not that bad, actually. The rooms aren't bad at Chientan are decent, even with six people in the room. Most likely, they'll be the ones that you'll get to know the best for the next few weeks. And trust me, you'll need these people, big time. They're going to be there for all your complaints and inspirations, and definitely shoulders to lean on when you're staying up late to make the next day somewhat decent. I got to Taiwan two weeks earlier, and it was still like the exhaustion hit me. The first two days, my entire room woke up around 5:30-6:00. The last day that we were in Chientan, the entire room got up at 5:00. That probably won't happen to your group, but jet lag is killer. What is even more of a downer is that Chientan is like a jail. The punishments are extreme, make sure your "name tag" is on your neck at all times, or risk being docked off points even if it is in the general vicinity of your table. It's not worth writing 300 characters in Chinese when you can't read it, much less write it (no google translate or computers allowed). Hungry? That's also a thing at Chientan even with a convenience store. One note before I go on, keep in mind that the things that they teach you at Chientan is NOTHING like the real thing. NOTHING. So if you sleep through the lessons, or preoccupy yourself with drawing team flags, you're not really missing much (just kidding. But seriously, if you can't stay awake or they can't keep your attention, just pay attention to the games and the demonstrations at the very end of the week. Those help a bit). While Chientan doesn't sound all that appealing, there aren't many bugs, and it is quality time to get to know your group mates.
Chientan sounds pretty iffy, but once you get out of there, the real fun begins. My group was stationed at Shanlin Elementary School in Kaohsiung. If anything the teachers and military guys (who sit in the back of the class and help you keep the class in order) are past the sky and unlimited in terms of amazing and helpfulness. At Shanlin Elementary, Sam, Peter, and a few others helped us whenever we needed something, took us out to see sights, and suggested things that they knew their kids would enjoy when it came to prizes (I'll get to that in a minute). The kids on the other hand? They can be monsters (in class), frozen mice, or polite participators. More than 99% of the time, it's going to be a combination of the three, in all of your kids. To make up for it though, they're cute. I got to teach Class A, which is lucky enough to be the most well behaved. At the same time, problems that my partner and I encountered were kids not sitting down, kids not raising their hands, profanity (not that much, our kids knew some restraint), and most of all, not paying attention. The things that you find out in Chientan won't really help you out. Definitely introducing the reward system with candy or whatnot is the best thing ever. Seriously. Reward them every day (or with something similar and simple so that they can get something everyday) it's easier that way and gives them motivation to try more and participate more.
You might be pretty annoyed with your kids by the end of two weeks. They never unattach from your arms, and some of your classrooms might not have AC (three things you need AC, Water, and WiFi. We didn't have mattresses, so we slept on the floor. *AC+WiFI>bed*). Don't be afraid to raise your voice to get their attention or clapping. That works and it gets their attention. Another downside, is the number of bugs. If it wasn't for a member in our group who brought a ton of bug spray and other repellants, I'm sure I would have been 10x more miserable and itchy than I was. The students are really helpful once you get to know them, from the shy-quiet ones to the ones who are making the most noise in the back of the class.
The tour on the other hand is more of a hit or miss. I thought it was okay at some parts, but other times, the accommodations were a little less than standard (heard about a toilet overflowing). It does allow you to get to know the culture in Taiwan a little bit more and forces you to pay attention to things that you wouldn't. The amusement park was fun - the water park looked like it was fun. However, tour week/the first week of Chientan was when the most people got sick. The counselors are a lot more lenient and accommodating during the tour week, so if you let them know you weren't feeling well, things turned out pretty well in the end.
It's more fun and entertaining and much more eyeopening than I thought it would be.
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Lee, Talia (李佳凌)
These past few weeks have been a very special experience. First of all, I felt that teaching week was very helpful and educational in helping prepare us to become better teachers. However, the lectures after lectures became pretty difficult to sit through. I think that the most important things that I learned from the first week were the games to help students learn vocabulary. My only complaint is that the teachers made it seem that the elementary school students barely knew English. As a result, our lesson plans were too easy for our students and we went through vocabulary faster than we meant to. Also, it was hard to determine how much more difficult to make the vocabulary and sentence patterns because we did not know what words they had or had not learned.
During the two teaching weeks, I felt that we were able to make learning English fun, even if they would not remember all of the vocabulary after a few weeks. I was pretty nervous the first day, but I feel that it went well because everyone was able to learn each other’s names. The first icebreaker did not work very well because the students said their name so quietly that nobody else could hear. The second icebreaker was much more fun for them because it involved moving around. The kids enjoyed it so much that they learned everyone’s names and would even play the game during free time.
My students were very well-behaved except for two boys. Everyone would be willing to play the games and were very good at listening and following instructions. However, there was one boy who would always want to sleep and refused to participate in activities. His behavior prompted the other boy to do the same. We generally had no way of getting them to participate because being stern or nice did not work. In the end, we let them sit out. I feel that the sticker reward system was not as effective as we had hoped because they were not that enthusiastic to win prizes. My partner and I also became more relaxed when it came to speaking more English than Chinese during class. I tried to remind my partner to speak English when teaching vocabulary and explaining things to the class.
Tour week was neither bad nor very fun. It could have been better if my group had not already visited most of the places during tour week last weekend. We even ate at the same restaurants which had the same food. I think that the southern tour seemed much more fun. I think that the talent show was the most fun of all. Overall, I am glad to say I have made many special friendships at AID and I have gained a new understanding of teaching. I now respect teachers of all kind much more because of their hard work and effort they must put into teaching. It is an incredibly difficult job and is definitely not as recognized as it should. I will definitely keep and share the memories I have made.
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Chen, Jeffrey (陳承漢)
The first week at the Youth Center, teachers and counselors gave several seminars on how to efficiently teach elementary school kids English. They put emphasis on the learning processes of a foreign language, how to focus first on vocabulary then move onto abstract vocabulary and diction into simple sentence structures. The speakers taught us how to maintain an organized classroom environment while introducing exciting and creative activities to the classroom. The main goal that I felt the Youth Center had for us was to get each individual out of their tense bubbles, make us dance and interact by through games and activities so that we would be ready to approach the kids we eventually would meet who communicate through games and dancing.
Every day we had group time in which we planned out our lesson plans for the next two weeks. Although we had no idea what level of English the kids were at, our teacher volunteer who came from the school was able to give us all a general idea on where their levels were at. She answered questions we had about the behavior of students, the school and the environment we would be in. Planning our lesson plans out for each day was very helpful. It forced us to be organized and to not procrastinate. Also, practicing teaching in front of our peers was very helpful, we were able to receive constructive criticism and also observe other groups and how they would teach the kids.
When the week was over, we departed for the school. We each had expected the worse as the program gave us an intuition that we would have to live in a very “countryside” environment where there would be several things that would make us uncomfortable. The weather, living conditions and insects we’ve never encountered before. Very first day, we were introduced to the school’s military volunteer. He was an interpreter, a tour guide and a very good friend. He helped us transition into our new environment as smoothly as possible. He taught us many things about Taiwan culture and the place we were in.
Class had started; the kids were so excited to meet us. Although I was exhausted at the end of each day, I was satisfied because I know that I am doing a good thing and hopefully influencing the lives of many people. Not only did I teach them a lot about American culture and English, they also taught me a great about in Taiwanese culture and Mandarin.
After class each day, we would have group meetings in which we discussed each day and our difficulties and problems and brainstorm together for a solution. Our volunteer teacher Fanny was very knowledgeable in how to deal with any problems that arose. I have newfound respect for elementary school teachers.
Some nights, we would be treated by the families of our students to Taiwanese cuisine. Other nights, we were learning about the Chinese culture of tea making or calligraphy from our school principal. Over the weekend, the school took us to go kayaking, tea leaf picking, paintballing and snorkeling. It was amazing.
The last week of the program, they took us around Taiwan to see several main attractions of Taiwan. Bonding with people from all over the world and teaching English to these students and feeling like I can make a difference in their lives; this program is truly a program to experience for anyone thinking about joining in the future. Go Taiwan!
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Chang, Yayuan (張雅媛)
The AID program is more than I could have ever imagined it to be. I came into the program on the first day quite skeptical of what I could offer to the kids in two weeks. I was even more cynical about what I would gain from this. At the moment, it seemed like all that would be apparent was homesickness.
It turned out to be much more than that. Although training week started off slow, it quickly picked up speed and I found myself sad to leave. The team competitions really intensified the lessons; and it also gave me ideas on how to enhance my own teaching. The guest teachers offered simple yet ingenious ideas on how to control kids and reward them for their hard work. The people I met at during the first week were even more incredible than the lessons we learned. During the free time after lunch and after our group time at night, I either roamed the hallways meeting new people or stayed in my dorm room with my roommates and had some hard-core bonding time. I even became super close to my amazing counselor, Sherry, who is not only beautiful but acted as a friend instead of just a counselor. She kept us all on track but also chatted with us and made us feel special. Chientan definitely grew on me. Just when I started to love it, it was over.
My school (Dong Guang Elementary School in Keelung), though, was a whole different story. During training week, I met the most amazing teacher, Sophia, who really guided me to be the best teacher that I could be both for myself and for the school. She encouraged me and supported me all the time, and would always be not only just a teacher, but also a friend. I spent every day seeing her at least once, and she would bring us food and drinks and made sure we were all doing okay. What was even more special about our school was the 阿兵哥. They quickly became my brothers away from home, and made life seem more like a fun camp than a teaching job. The administrators of the school were also extremely helpful and hospitable. They made sure we had everything we needed and made our stay as comfortable as they were able to provide for. But, of course, the most important part was the teaching, and even more important: the kids.
Teaching is definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be. Taiwanese kids (in comparison to American kids) are much shyer. They never want really participate in activities, and I got the feeling that a in their normal school times, they did their work only because their teachers told them to (and they were scared of their teachers), and not because they found it fun and interesting and truly wanted to learn. However, after a few days with the kids, they went crazy. They completely opened up, drawing me pictures and writing me letters and making me bracelets. They essentially became different people; more outgoing and loving. It was sort of scary to be admired so much by the children. I found it really hard to say no to the kids, and to enforce my rules and, at times, even discipline them. They saw me as a surrogate sister, and I had so much fun teaching them and being their 大姐姐. I quickly became close to my kids, and problems with classroom management as well as teaching soon began to disappear as I started to understand each one of them and their backstories. I learned how to deal with the unruly ones, figuring out what they responded to and what they completely ignored. They also began to respect me as a teacher, and would talk to me if they thought something was too hard or too boring instead of giving me blank stares and 臭臉. On the last day, I did what I told myself I wouldn't do. I cried. A lot. I couldn't stop. At our closing ceremony, our principal asked each of us to speak. I was the first. When I looked down at my students faces, I just broke down. I love them so much, and it was horrible to think that I was leaving them--likely forever. I could not stop and after a couple of failed attempts at a useful speech, the principal quickly took the microphone away. Some of the kids even ran up to hug me, which only made me cry harder. It was awful leaving the kids, and even worse to leave the school and our amazing faculty.
The AID Summer Program, honest to God, taught me so much about myself and people all around the world. I learned how to be patient, how to deal with both kids and people my age and older, how to function on three hours of sleep, how to live away from home, how to survive a room full of spiders bigger than my head and flying cockroaches, and most importantly, how to be a better me.
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Wei, Abigail (魏渝文)
My experience with AID Summer has been one of the best of my life. I applied to the program because I wanted to help disadvantaged kids and get a taste of real volunteer experience. I expected to be touched by the kids but I didn’t know that I would leave a piece of my heart with each of them when I left Sandi Elementary School. I fell in love with the kids from the first day of teaching. They showed so much respect towards my teaching partner and I, and were very willing to learn English. They understood that the main purpose of the camp was not to have fun, but to become more familiar with a foreign language. We had to come up with completely new teaching plans every day, because we had no idea what the academic condition was at the school. The first week of training at Chientan was not very helpful, not because the lecturers and teachers weren’t great, but because all of us were going to such different schools with students who had a wide variety of English knowledge. I think the first week would have been better spent training at the school with the teachers there.
Once we got to the school, though, we got used to the children’s English abilities and were able to cater our original teaching plan around their needs. Preparing for each day was a lot more work than I expected. As soon as school let out every day, we had a meeting with fellow staff members in the school and then went straight back to our rooms to prepare for the next day. Every day would be divided between playing with kids after school and preparing for the next teaching day. These past couple weeks helped me truly appreciate the effort of my previous teachers and opened my eyes to the many difficulties and blessings teaching presented. Although my partner would often go late into the night creating homework, quizzes, and PowerPoints, when we saw the bright, eager faces ready to learn the next day, all the effort from the previous day became worth it. I LOVED the kids that I taught; they were so sweet to my partner and I, daily giving us little gifts and letters, and they often expressed their love towards us through their words and actions. The kids often wished to play with us during break and grew very attached to us. My partner and I also came to love our kids very much, and the last day parting was very tearful and emotional. I miss the kids a lot, and pray for them every day. Although I don’t know how much their English improved during this short time of teaching, I do think that they grew to love English more and have a greater interest in learning my native language. The staff at the school was absolutely amazing and, they really cared for our needs and brought us to really interesting places. I can tell that the staff really love the kids there, and they showed the greatest amount of hospitality to us. This has been a wonderful experience, not only because of the friendships I’ve made and the kids I met, but also because of the newfound love I have for teaching. This teaching experience has shown me that I love helping kids, and has given me a direction for the future. Thank you for this opportunity!
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Yen, Eric (嚴祥旭)
When I first heard of the AID program, I was but a 10-year-old child who looked up to every single relative I had for support. It would be eight years before I would apply for this program. Since this program stands for Assisting Individuals with Disadvantages, I mentally prepared myself to live in the dirtiest place in Taiwan teaching children in makeshift schools alongside strangers I have never met before. Never was I so wrong and so right at the same time.
When my mom urged me to apply to the program, I realized what was at stake: my only chance and excuse to go to Taiwan and Taiwanese food. My sister had an internship in North Carolina and my dad had work. As a result, I was overjoyed when I found myself accepted into the AID program after waiting for a long time in the waitlist.
Before this whole program, I was a Teacher’s Assistant for a second grade class in my Chinese school. As a result, I thought that the experience would be a little familiar. However, there are some extremely large differences. First, due to the fact that speaking Chinese in class would be detrimental, there is a massive language barrier due to the class’s relatively low knowledge on the English language. However, pantomime and slow speaking are both good ways to get past the barrier.
When I arrived at the place, it was much better than I anticipated. Unfortunately, there was still the price of privacy. I was prepared for a life-changing experience, but going through a typhoon that cancelled a day of school was much more. It forced us to cover every single little detail of education in the teachers’ perspectives, from the level of difficulty to cancelling lessons due to weather. It was troublesome, but extremely rewarding in the end. I can state with absolute confidence that every single people, including the troublesome ones, had a lot of fun in the end.
Sleeping in a temple has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that the hosts and visitors are kind and that you can pray anytime you want while the temple was open. However, the accommodations were obviously very simple, the urinals stank, and there were four cockroaches in total that we waged war with. Despite that, living in a temple clearly was a unique experience I would never want to forget.
From teaching kind students to dealing with teammates you simply could not form good relationships with, it was all a totally new experience. I am very sure that this will help me in college and beyond. Cherish these moments, since they will be dear memories for decades to come.
My experience was a great one for me. Not only did I do new things and go to places I never went before, but I also tried new things and got to love new things. From bubble milk tea to going to an aboriginal themed theme park, every day was a totally new day for everyone. I do not regret going through so many hardships to go through so many wonders.
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Chen, Jing-Ting (陳靖婷)
At the very beginning with the orientation at Chien Tan, I had no idea what to expect. My brother had done this program last year, and had thoroughly enjoyed it, so I hoped that I would have a similar experience.
When we finally did get around to teaching actual students, it was quite honestly quite difficult. From planning what we would teach the next day to actually preparing the necessary materials for the next lesson, my co-teacher and I would find ourselves working on creating worksheets or game materials at night while relaxing in the afternoon. As for the students, most of them were very polite and kind to us, but had a really short attention span, as expected of elementary school age kids. A few of the students seemed to not pay attention at all during class, and would show a rather exasperated or tired expression when we would tell them that we would select one of them to talk in front of the entire class or participate in an activity. Thankfully, all of the students were very cooperative for the closing ceremony, though those that wanted to sing a song refused to sing the song we had originally picked for them (they eventually agreed to another song, as the section they were to sing was short, and would follow up with a song they had wanted to sing.) Even so, my co-teacher and I considered the closing ceremony a success, having consisted of a short skit and 2 songs, one full and one a portion of an entire song.
The entire camp experience I had is very likely similar to that my brother had last year. It was an entertaining and enjoyable experience, and while it is unlikely that I will ever see the people I had met at this camp again, I hope that if I ever visit the places that these people are from, I will be able to finally meet up with them again. Even if it is difficult parting with the students you had gotten to know at the school, many of them will try to keep in contact with you, so it isn’t too impossible trying to keep in contact.
Teaching English to overseas students with little to no knowledge about the language was slightly more difficult than I had imagined. Like all kids, the students would get bored after too many lectures, and we would have to find some way to capture their attention again, whether through a game or activity. There were times when I would find the kids to be one of the most annoying things on Earth, and other times where I saw them as one of the cutest things ever. All in all, the experience itself was difficult, having to decide what we wanted to do for the coming week and making the necessary materials were prepared ahead of time, but the entire two weeks was a time I will likely not forget. Through keeping in contact with the people I had gotten to know from this program, whether they be students or other volunteers, I hope to be able to continue to remember the time I had spent here in Taiwan.
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Pan, Justin (潘聖達)
This AID summer camp has allowed me to learn more about myself and refine the many character traits that make up who I am. When I first started the camp at Chientan, I had no idea how I was going to be able to teach, maintain, and befriend my students at TungShih Elementary School. However, I found that I learned more about teaching while teaching than at Chientan, highlighting the importance of having first-hand experience. I used to be a person who likes to plan things ahead and have everything well-rehearsed, but the dynamic classroom setting proved to thwart this methodical approach, allowing me to adapt a more flexible approach. For example, when the kids did not enjoy a classroom activity, I had to come up with something else in order to keep them busy and happy. On the other hand, I had instances in which I prepared too much material for one class, forcing me to pick and choose the most effective games to play during that limited amount of time. I also discovered the importance of gaining the student’s respect by being a role model. Although it is okay to be nice to the kids, I had to stay consistent so that students would not complain and lose their respect for me. Similarly, the students would grab ahold of me during breaks, preventing me from resting so I had to make sure the students gave me some personal space.
I acquired an entire new set of skills through this camp, including cooperation and leadership. Having to cooperate with three other teachers to teach a class of twenty five, I found that it was extremely difficult to work with people coming from different places and cultures from different places. Difficulties ranged from area-specific slang, different work ethnics, and different ideas about educating the children. I was eventually able to cooperate with them by first getting to know them better, establishing effective communication, and being willing to compromise. I honed my skills of leadership daily, from inside the classroom to preparation for the opening/closing ceremony. Leadership was required to ensure the success of teaching and facilitate effective practice sessions.
By having to prepare for an opening ceremony, closing ceremony, and talent show, I gained priceless experiences of performing onstage. Across these three events, I had to sing, dance, play piano and perform Chinese yoyo. These performances have allowed me to become more comfortable on stage and improve my dancing and singing skills.
One of the main things that I have gained from this whole experience is speaking to both the adults and children here in Taiwan and exchanging knowledge. For instance, one student in my class taught me how to play a Chinese flute and a former teacher at the school taught me some new Chinese yoyo tricks that defied the regular rules of Chinese yoyo. One day, I even got the dance to visit a Chinese yoyo team at a nearby elementary school. Although their level was above mine, I still knew some Chinese yoyo tricks that they did not know. In that short forty minute period, everyone learned so much. I thought that it was interesting to see how something I love can manifest itself in a team in Taiwan.
The tour and weekend trip was both fun and interesting for me because I had the chance to experience Taiwan without my family. There was a lot of freedom in terms of where we went after the bus stops so I was able to see things that I was interested in. The tour and trip have both taught me so much about Taiwan life because those are the places that Taiwanese people go to in their free time. When I went to the waterpark, I noticed that everyone had to wear a swim cap and that the style of swim trunks were different. It was definitely entertaining to go to all the streets and night markets because those are the places where people our age spend their time. I was able to see an authentic picture of Taiwan and appreciate its beauty.
Most importantly, the people that I have met throughout this whole trip have had a personal impact on me. From the students, I was able to experience the true joy in service and helping out those in need. From the adults at the school, I was able to see the unique things about me that all the kids love. From the counselors, I learned the importance of have rules to prevent dangerous things from happening. Lastly, the fellow volunteer teachers that I met have all become my lifelong friends now and I will never forget them. Thank you AID for this wonderful experience!
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Huang, Howard (黄清華)
AID Summer was one of the most unforgettable and incredible experiences in my life. I came from a family that spoke mostly Cantonese, so I was a little nervous that I would not be able to keep up with the Mandarin. I was also nervous because I was not sure what to expect. I flew to Taiwan feeling woefully unprepared to teach children. However, all of my fears were soon put to ease. The training week and lectures gave me many, many ideas on how to teach children as well as confidence that I could actually educate them. The counselors and teachers were also very kind and supportive; they did everything they could to make sure that I had the best experience possible.
The actual teaching of the kids was also very rewarding. I taught mostly first and second graders, and they were always very happy, playful, and enthusiastic. Though at first they talked very little, soon the students and us teachers became the best of friends. I loved watching the kids that I thought would be very shy and quiet open up and interact with us.
I think that the kids really enjoyed coming to school to learn English, maybe because of the many fun games we did with them. The kids were very smart, and almost every day I wished I had prepared a little more material since the students could work though our lessons so quickly. I have heard about other schools where the students were unwilling to participate, and I am very grateful that my students were always willing to participate.
I am also very thankful for the many people at my school, Bali Elementary, who took care of us, including the teachers, principal, TA's, host family, and everyone else who worked very hard to ensure that we would always be safe, comfortable, and having fun. They took us many places around the school so we could see more Taiwanese culture, including night markets, a mall, and fancy restaurants, as well as giving us fun activities such as bracelet and figurine making. They also provided us with amazing food. Based on the kind of food that we got at Chientan, I thought I would lose weight at Taiwan, though now I would be surprised if I gained weight.
On the very last day, we were all very, very sad to leave the school and all of the amazing people we had met. I truly miss them and all that they have done for us.
One of the best parts of AID Summer is my group and the friends I have made in the camp. Spending four weeks straight with people really lets you get to know them and become the best of friends. I know that I will be in contact with them long after I fly home from Taiwan.
AID Summer turned out to be one of the most incredible experiences that I have had. There were many aspects to the program that made it truly memorable, including the counselors, teachers, children, other volunteers, and the beautiful country of Taiwan. I will never forget this summer.
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