EDITED BY TAIWAN NEWS VOL. 1.

WINTER 2005
3 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
Study in Taiwan
Mami Tamaru, a Japanese stu-
dent currently studying at the
Chinese Language Learning
Center, National Taiwan Normal
University:
"I chose to learn Mandarin
because I have had an interest it
the language ever since I was
young. However, I didn't get to
study Mandarin properly until I
first went China after graduating
from high school in Japan. I
stayed in China for five years and
basically learned Mandarin from
scratch. Following my time in
China, I came to Taiwan to
enhance my Mandarin skills fur-
ther. Like Taiwan, The books and
facilities in China were good,
however, there were way too
many Japanese people in China
and I felt I was not being
immersed in the Chinese
Language sufficiently. Thus, I
decided to come to Taiwan to
learn Mandarin. I've only been
here for seven months, but I have
already fallen in love with it here
and look forward to continuing
my studies. In the future, I would
like to stay in Taiwan and work."
Gahee Shin, a Korean student
currently studying the graduate
Chinese program at National
Taiwan Normal University:
"I wanted to learn Mandarin
because of its elegant tones and
accents. This is my fifth year of
learning Mandarin and I really
like it. In the future, I want to
teach Mandarin to other kids
back home in Korea. I would also
be very glad if I could find a job
here in Taiwan. Something that I
found interesting, and would like
to share with everyone is the fact
that I find Taiwan just gets nicer
and nicer the longer I stay here."
"In the beginning, when I first
got to Taiwan, I missed home so
much and I was quite sad to be
here. In fact, I even thought of
leaving and giving up learning
Mandarin. After my third year
here, however, I began to love it
just as much as I love my home
country. When I went back to my
home country, I actually really
missed Taiwan. There's just
something about this country
that makes people like it so
much after staying here. I can't
quite figure it out yet, but I
think, maybe it's the whole feel-
ing of Taiwan and it's people.
There's something special about
it. The people, places, and the
whole culture, when you just
know a little bit about it, or only
see it, you may not immediately
fall in love with it, but wait until
you know the place better, and
you'll start to fall in love. Taiwan,
is not superficial, it's more about
the "heart" and how "true" you
see it here, people are conscien-
tious, and I know I have so much
more to discover here - you will
too."
Nick Hawkins, An American
student currently studying the
international language program
at National Taiwan University
(ICLP):
"I liked Taiwan the first time I
visited here. I remember it was
2001 when I came to Taiwan as a
Missionary, which was also the
time when I had my first Chinese
lessons. However, after my mis-
sionary duty ended and I
returned home, I realized I liked
Taiwan so much that I wanted to
come back again. However,
before coming back to Taiwan, I
went to China to study politics,
as I thought it would be great to
experience a different kind of
Chinese society. Nonetheless, I
still prefer Taiwan, and that's
why I came back and decided to
study classical Chinese at ICLP.
At ICLP we get to choose what
we want to study and we get to
have open discussions with pro-
fessors all the time, which is
really great. Teachers are nice,
welcoming, and professional.
This is exactly what I need to
enhance my study of Chinese
Language and culture."
People in Taiwan
"I find Taiwanese people very
helpful toward foreigners and
really like and respect us. It is
very important to have friends
when studying aboard and I have
been able to meet so many great
people, so I am really enjoying
staying in Taiwan," says Tamaru.
"Something I really like about
Taiwan is the fact that it is such
a healthy place with nice people.
In Taiwan, I realized for the first
time in a long while that you can
do so many interesting things,
such as outdoor activities and
get a natural high without the
need for alcohol. Not that I like
to drink, but back home in
Korea, people are so involved in
the culture of alcohol that we all
forget how to have fun without
it. Coming here, I feel, for the
first time, that I am actually liv-
ing healthy and getting a lot of
fun from my friends. I really like
Taiwan, the more I explore the
more I like it each day."
Commented Shin, a student from
South Korea.
"People in Taiwan are nice,
polite, respectful, and open to
discuss any topics because they
respect freedom of speech.
International students generally
feel very welcome here and have
a good time focusing on the vari-
ety of subjects being offered
here." Said Danielsen, a student
from Canada.
"Well, you don't get to learn a
language efficiently if you don't
throw yourself into that environ-
ment, and that's why I am here.
I've stayed in Taiwan for one and
a half years, and I really like it
here. Prior to Taiwan, I was in
Xiamen, China. When you study
in Taiwan, you can have a much
higher quality if life and enjoy
many more freedoms than you
can in China. I think ICLP is good
in terms of its curriculum.
Students are able to focus heav-
ily on their studies without need-
ing to go through the traditional,
and often overwhelming, syntax
or memorization courses," says
Rodrigues, a student from
Toronto, Canada.
"Something I particularly like
about ICLP is that all the classes
are flexible - after we have
learnt the basics, we are able to
choose to more specific studies
and focus on the subjects we are
most interested in. The classes
are great too, we have four
classes each day and the biggest
class consists of two to four stu-
dents. There are even some
courses that are one-on-one.
Usually people feel tense with
one-on-one courses, as it sound-
ed scary because the pressure
seems enormous. However, it's
just not the same here, we have
easy relations with the teachers
here," Noted Mcsharry, a student
from Boston, MA.
"Taiwan teaches traditional
Chinese, and that is exactly what
I wanted. Some people learn
simplified Chinese because they
think it is easier, but I think the
other way - you can easily
understand simplified Chinese
when you have learnt traditional
Chinese. However, you may not
be able to understand traditional
Chinese if you're just learning
simplified Chinese. Thus, I came
to Taiwan to learn the correct
Chinese. Similarly, I like the way
Chinese is pronounced in Taiwan,
not too many high tones or to
much retroflexion," Said Nishino,
a student from Japan.
Fair Living Expenses
One often-made mistake
when considering study destina-
tions is that the cost of living in
a communist country is cheaper
than their counterparts. A quick
comparison of the cost of essen-
tials in Taiwan and China will
confirm that things are roughly
the same. According to the
Mercer Human Resources Global
Cost of Living survey, Beijing is
the 19th most expensive city in
the world to live in and Shanghai
is 30th. Taipei is ranked 29th in
the survey.
Students may also appreciate
the cultural openness that exists
in Taiwan. A quick glance at
Taipeis high streets will show
you that the island offers plenty
in terms of fashion and style
and has even created a little
style of its own - with the
area of Hsimen Ting being
regarded by many as an alter-
native Tokyos Shibuya district.
Up-market stores on Chung
Hsiao Road and in Xin Yi district
offer that little extra for those
who can afford it, or for those
who just want to do a little win-
dow-shopping.
In other words, Taiwan is
rightfully considered to be the
doorway to China from the
developed world. The country
speaks the same languages and
shares most of the same cul-
tures and rituals; while at the
same time offers levels of devel-
opment that is rarely seen in
China. Taiwan enjoys very close
business ties with China and
partly due to this, Taiwan is able
to see a continuation of the rel-
atively high economic growth
that has pushed it increasingly
closer to developed-world sta-
tus. Many in Taiwan can speak
English, and many of the shops
and brands that you know from
home can be seen on Taiwans
high streets. With this, however,
Taiwan also offers the exotic.
The island is steeped in tradi-
tional Chinese and aboriginal
cultures and offers a fascinating
experience to those who try.
Getting around
"I find Taiwan easy and conve-
nient to get around. There are so
many convenience stores and super-
markets around here so I can quick-
ly do my grocery shopping. I have
been able to get help from my
friends whenever I have needed
help, which has been a real support
for me. People in Taiwan like
Japanese people, and enthusiastical-
ly provide care for us regardless of
the history issues that exist between
Japan and Taiwan. I find this really
amazing and am so happy that peo-
ple like us here!" Noted Tamaru, a
student from Japan.
"I like Taiwan's culture, conve-
nience, and security, hence living
here is really nice for me. In contrast
with China, I find it really safe to live
in Taiwan, and I am also able to learn
more Chinese here because there are
less Koreans here than China so I am
forced to practice every day. I love
finding new TV programs that con-
stantly enhance my Mandarin listen-
ing skills. However, sometimes I have
a problem of distinguishing whether
the program is speaking Taiwanese or
Chinese. Nonetheless, I guess the
beauty of Taiwan is that it has so
many different languages and cul-
tures. Even though I'm not going to
learn Taiwanese or Hakka, it is always
nice to be surrounded by such cultur-
al variety while you learn,"remarked
by Shin, a student from South Korea.
BY, JAISA YANG
China and Taiwan display some fundamental dif-
ferences in terms of lifestyle, politics and free-
doms. Most foreign students in Taiwan who have
also been to China will be quick to point out that
Taiwan is more open to foreign culture, political
diversity and is in many ways has a more lively and
contemporary feel.
Despite the current financial reforms that are
taking place in China, there has been little political
or social reform to accompany it. Because of this
many from the West may feel uncomfortable with
certain attitudes that often prevail in China. For
example, Chinas history has led to a method of
rule that attempts to retrain individual freedoms,
freedom of speech in particular. This structure of
authority affects many aspects of life in China from
media to politics and from youth culture to educa-
tion. Thereof, courses in China are not only less
flexible with regards to which aspects of Chinese
language is taught, but also what topics are up for
discussion in classroom debate. Taiwans openness
is reflected in the courses on offer in the country;
the courses are more flexible and diverse, and the
taste for freedom of speech is highly visible in the
classroom.
Students who choose to study in Taiwan usually
have a deeper understanding of the Chinese cul-
ture. As one Canadian studying Mandarin in Taipei,
Taiwan noted, "You don't get to learn a language
efficiently if you don't throw yourself into that envi-
ronment, and that's why I am here.
"You don't get to learn a language efficiently if you don't throw
yourself into that environment, and that's why I am here."
BY, JAISA YANG
As the world turns its eyes towards the vast
and ever expanding Chinese market, we have
seen a huge increase, here in Taiwan, of for-
eigners studying Mandarin as well as other
Chinese languages, and, more amusingly to
some, learning how to use chopsticks to tackle
the local cuisine. Correspondingly, the main
countries that offer Chinese language courses
(Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong) are now
offering better and more numerous Chinese
Language learning programs. With so many
study destinations to choose from, we asked
local foreign students why they chose Taiwan
and what benefits they think the country offers
in terms of living here and studying Mandarin.
For more information, please visit http://www.studyintaiwan.org
COURTESY OF NTNU
COURTESY OF NTNU
COURTESY OF GARY CHEN
COURTESY OF JAISA YANG
COURTESY OF JAISA YANG COURTESY OF NTNU
Why students choose Taiwan?