2010_04_Larry Robinson

* Full Name: Larry Robinson 
* University/ Institute: UCLA
* Nationality: U.S. 

            During my junior and senior year of undergraduate studies in the US, I wanted to enroll in Chinese language courses at my college, but scheduling conflicts prevented me from attending formal classes. By listening to popular Taiwanese artists like Jay Chou and Rainie Yang, and watching Taiwanese television shows with English subtitles, I did my best to enjoy Taiwanese culture without understanding much Chinese. After being accepted into the M.A./Ph.D. Program in the Department of Ethnomusicology at UCLA where I study Chinese music, I was granted a scholarship to study abroad before starting graduate studies. With this scholarship, I attended NCCU during the 2010 summer and I enjoyed a summer of learning Mandarin and about culture, politics, and economics in Taiwan. Once more ridden with scheduling conflicts at my new university during the regular academic semester, I had to postpone my formal study of Chinese.

Larry in Taipei 101

During the 2011 summer I attended UCLA's summer intensive Chinese program, and I was subsequently able to continuously study Chinese throughout the following academic year. I look forward to applying to NCCU's summer Chinese Language program for 2012 and visiting Taiwan for a third time because I found that the intensity and quality of the education offered at NCCU was very comparable to my home university. In addition, because of NCCU's great program, I was able to see Taiwan's countryside, and visit Taipei's Museum of Religions and the Lin Liu-hsin Puppet Theater Museum on class excursions provided by ISS. With the help of NCCU student ambassadors, I was able to visit Danshui in New Taipei to discuss and experience how Taiwanese people spend their leisure time, which all made for a most pleasant stay in Taiwan.

Larry & Fellow NCCU Int'l Summer School Students (2010)

2010_02_ Brent Bondehagen

* Full Name: Brent Russell Bondehagen
* University/ Institute: University of Kentucky
* Nationality: U.S.

I attended the National Chengchi University (NCCU) International Summer School in Taipei during the months of July and August. NCCU is one of Taiwan’s most prestigious universities and is known for its social sciences, business and liberal arts programs. It is located in southern Taipei and is surrounded with beautiful scenery as well as having several hiking trails within the school grounds. The location is convenient with many busses passing by and a train station that is a short bus ride away from campus.

The NCCU summer program makes it easy for students who do not have the time or financial support to study abroad for an extended period of time but would like to experience Taiwan and learn Mandarin. Students have an option to study for one month (either July or August) or both. The NCCU summer program has two classes: a morning class for Taiwanese and Chinese culture, economics and politics that lasts two hours as well a language class for Mandarin Chinese that is in the afternoon for three hours. There are also Taiwanese students that volunteer to help the new foreign students. I was assigned a “student buddy” who I soon became friends with. He helped me settle in, took me around Taiwan, helped me retrieve my lost luggage and even invited me to his family’s house for a weekend.

I am studying Engineering and did not want to push back my graduation so I chose to study in Taiwan during my summer break. I have an interest in Asia as well as a desire to travel but I thought week or two in Taiwan would be too short to make the long trip. Also, the easy internet application process made the study abroad application process very simple as multiple documents did not need to be printed and sent internationally. All documents were scanned and uploaded to the NCCU website and I received a confirmation and acceptance email soon after. The Summer School also accepts students whose university is not affiliated with NCCU. The NCCU Summer School as well as its reasonable tuition was perfect for me.

I took the two classes offered by the Summer School. On the weekdays during the morning I had the culture class from 10am to 12pm. This was seminar style and visiting professors would lecture on a certain topic. This class covered a lot different topics on things such art, history, politics, economics, business, religion, medicine, etc. I really enjoyed thelectures on Cross-Strait relations, religion in Taiwan, and Chinese medicine. Also every weekend we had field trips to supplement the material learned in class. This class taught me a lot about Taiwan and it was really useful for understanding what I was seeing in Taiwan as well as its people. On weekdays in the afternoon from 1pm to 4pm I had Mandarin Chinese class. Three hours of Mandarin everyday while in a Mandarin speaking country really does help and I found myself improving at a rapid rate. The class sizes were small (about 8 people) and NCCU has quality enthusiastic Mandarin teachers that make learning fun and really care about their students. I felt like my teacher was my friend and that I could be open, ask questions and make mistakes without being embarrassed.

My Mandarin Class at NCCU

The students for the Summer Class are housed in dorms on top of the hill in the upper campus. Although it is possible to walk up and down campus, it is especially hard in the summer heat so there was a bus that came every 20 minutes and took us to the lower campus and the restaurants and shops around it. The dorms are nothing fancy. I shared my dorm room with three of my classmates and had my own bunk bed with my desk below. Toilets and showers were just down the hall. Because there is no central air conditioning in the dorm, the windows are kept open and the dorm is surrounded by nature so it not uncommon for bugs and insects to come in the dorm areas. My air-conditioned room however only had the occasional mosquito because the door was kept closed. If you have never been camping before, are terrified of insects and are a clean freak, then I do not recommend you come to NCCU, otherwise, the price of the dorm is unbeatable and you will soon get used to the little dirt and insects.

I would highly recommend studying abroad at the National Chengchi University in Taipei. The NCCU teachers and staff are very helpful, organized and want you to love Taiwan. Taiwan is a beautiful country with a huge variety of delicious foods and friendly, honest and hardworking people. I will never forget the great memories and friends I made at NCCU.

The author and his Taiwanese friend eating Stinky Tofu

2010_01_Chantal Taing

* Full Name: Chantal Taing 陳 慧 
* University/ Institute: Coventry University
* Nationality: France

     J’ai participé au programme  Summer school de l’université national de Chengchi  pendant un mois à Taipei. Ma décision de participer à ce programme fut le réel vœu d’améliorer mon chinois. Mon choix s’est dirigé vers l’université de Chengchi car c’est une des universités qui nous propose un autre cour qui est plus axé sur la culture et la politique en Asie et plus particulièrement sur la République de Chine  (Taiwan). Je pense que le cour « Asia-Pacific Culture and Economic Development »  est un plus dans ce  programme parce que dans l’éducation européenne nous avons peu d’opportunité d’apprendre l’histoire de l’Asie en détails. La participation de ce summer school fut pour moi  l’une des meilleures expériences de vie et d’apprentissage que j’aurai connu.

1.Les cours

Le summer school de l’université de Chengchi nous propose deux sortes de cour:

(1)Asia-Pacific Culture and Economic Development: c’est un cour sur la culture asiatique comme par exemple l’art chinois mais aussi ce cours traite d’économie et de politique de Taiwan.

La classe de chinois

(2)Le cour de chinois: les élèves sont divisés en petit groupes de 10 environs pour plus d’interactivités en cour. Personnellement j’ai adoré mes cours de chinois, nous avons eu un apprentissage dans une bonne ambiance et d’humeur aussi. A part les deux cours « principaux » proposés, nous pouvions en fonction de notre envie participé à des extra-activités comme la classe de calligraphie ou bien la classe de yo-yo.

Classe de yo-yo 

Classe de calligraphie

2. Les voyages

     Dans le programme, l’université nous donner l’opportunité de faire des visites dans Taipei dans des musées et une excursion aussi. Mais l’accessibilité des transports est assez facile et très pratique à Taipei donc durant les week-ends nous avons pu explorer un peu plus Taiwan et les magnifiques endroit que cette île peut nous offrir comme par exemple le parc national de Taroko. Les différentes visites ou excursions que j’ai pu faire m’ont vraiment émerveillé et beaucoup appris.

Danshui  

Le temple de Longsheng

Taroko

La vue panoramique du Maokong sur tout taipei

3.Les rencontres

     Malgré mon chinois qui est de niveau débutant basique, grâce au summer school de l’université de Chengchi j’ai pu faire de belles rencontres. Tout d’abord mes autres camarades du programme summer school, la plupart des étudiants sont venu de divers sphère, tant bien qu’au niveau des nationalités mais aussi de parcours universitaire. J’ai pu rencontré durant ce programme des  personnes venus des quatre coin du monde comme des Etats unis , de l’Europe ( Pologne, République tchèque, Autriche, Italie… etc.), mais aussi de l’Australie, de Singapour, ses différentes  rencontre fut un grand enrichissement pour moi . L’université propose aussi un « buddy program » des étudiants locaux qui nous aident et suivent durant ce séjour. Mais les citoyens locaux sont très amicaux et chaleureux.