Huang Nan-huei (
"The average age of our veteran staffers in these technical missions is around 50. Although they are great experts in their area of expertise, they are relatively weak in the area of computer science," Huang said.
"Some of the young men are very good with computers, so they can help these teams set up their respective computer systems."
A member of the alternative diplomatic service has even set up an internal Web site that the 37 young recruits can communicate on.
Yeh Chao-fu (
"Because of our limited experience, we can do little for the technical mission. During the past two months, all we have done in the mornings has been to follow veteran technicians around to take a look at the mission's operations in the field," Yeh said.
Dispatched to remote lands a far cry from the comfortable surroundings of home, these young men in their 20s said they have all felt homesick from time to time, and some said they are still struggling to adjust to their new surroundings, including the African heat.
But many also said they were lucky to leave Taiwan as their experiences overseas have expanded their worldview.
"While many in Taiwan visit developed countries for the grand architecture and advanced transportation, I am glad I have had the opportunity to come to one of the least developed nations in the world," said Lucien Hsieh (
"Sometimes through the smiles and laughter of the locals who own virtually nothing materially speaking, I am also able to share their happiness. I've learned to be open-minded to shake off my gloomy mood," Hsieh said.
While the foreign ministry plans to embark on a field investigation in May to evaluate the pros and cons of the new program, many of the young recruits have already begun to share their experiences.
"When people write to me to ask about how I have been doing, I encourage them to come because it's indeed a hard opportunity to come by," Lien said.
"Perhaps after I [go home to Taiwan] I will write a book so I can tell everyone my stories here," he said.
RSS