Nineteen young Americans teaching English in the remote counties of Nantou and Chiayi are providing rural farming communities with a solid backbone of English language and cultural learning.
All 19 teachers belong to the Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and are taking part in the King Car Education Foundation-funded (KCEF) English Schweitzer program, which is named after the German doctor Albert Schweitzer who dedicated his life to serving the people of Africa.
It's pioneering work for the Americans, who are teaching in the remote Nantou and Chiayi counties just as the government is looking to import more native English-speaking teachers to boost the nation's English ability.
The Nantou and Chiayi county governments have signed a six-month contract with the KCEF to take the teachers on board, and accommodation and living expenses have been paid for by both parties.
Many of them have previous experience teaching English in different countries, with some having taught in Russia, Mexico and South Africa and being proficient in at least two languages.
Since their arrival in Taiwan in February this year, the intrepid teachers, many of whom are university students affiliated with the IBLP, have become an indispensable part of their schools' English teaching force.
Ten of the 19 English teachers are based in the mountainous Nantou County, teaching at 14 different primary schools, while the other nine teach in Chiayi County.
The Nantou contingent lives together at the Yung-le Elementary School in Chung-liao Township, one of the worst hit areas during the Sept. 21 earthquake in 1999.
Teaching at the different schools scattered around the townships of Hsinyi, Renai, Puli, Tsaotun and Nantou requires at least a two-hour trip between schools and the teachers' dormitory in Yung-le.
Yet they enjoy it. Not only do they teach in classes, they also play with children in the fields, catch fish in mountain creeks and learn how to play games with the students.
"I love it," said Wesley Dudley, 21, from Michigan. "I was able to teach a little in America, but then doing it over here is so much different because English is [the students'] second language.
"Their response is much different than in the America. I really really like working with Taiwanese children," he said.
Rebecca Karram, from Florida, said, "I've always wanted to be a teacher and live in a different country. And now I have realized both of those goals. It's really cool."
Life adjustment has not been a problem for the teachers in Nantou, said Dudley, the group's leader.
"Everyone here has been very helpful in meeting our needs and giving us an appreciation of Taiwan," he said.
Though homesickness is an inevitable part of their life in Taiwan, the teachers have managed to keep each other entertained and spend most of their time with the children or learning Chinese.
Natasha Fox from Pennsylvania said, "Yes, I do get homesick sometimes. There are only 10 of us are here so we have to all work together and be each other's family.
"But the Taiwanese people are very friendly to us, so we love being here," she said.
Students at the tiny schools have been eager to learn from their foreign teachers.
"They are very open and enthusiastic to what I have to say, and tireless to learn which makes me more excited to teach because they want to learn," Dudley said. "My Chinese is bad, so I have to do lots of hands motions and try to find simple ways to say things. So far it's been great that they understand what I have to say."
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