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FEATURE: Military students meet challenges overseas

It was a hot summer morning in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Lee Chun-feng (李俊鋒) and Liao Kuei-yon (廖奎詠) stood out from the crowd in front of the City Hall partly because of the military uniforms they were wearing and partly because they were Asian.

Lee and Liao were members of the military honor guard waiting for President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to place a wreath to commemorate the founding father of Honduras, Francisco Morazan. Lee was the parade leader directing the ceremony.

Chen was in Honduras last last month for a summit with leaders of the nation's 12 diplomatic allies in Central America and the Caribbean.

Lee and Liao are the nation's only two military exchange students in Honduras. They have been studying at the Honduras Military Academy for three years and will graduate and return to Taiwan next year.

The Military Academy sends around 10 exchange students to diplomatic allies and foreign countries each year. The academy has sent 12 students to the Honduras Military Academy over the years, including Lee and Liao. They competed with some 20 hopefuls on written and oral tests to participate in the program.

In addition to Honduras, the academy sends cadets to Guatemala, Paraguay and El Salvador. One student studied at the Philippines Military Academy in the 1970s and 83 have studied or are studying in the US at the US Military Academy at West Point, the Virginia Military Institute, The Citadel and Norwich University.

The Naval Academy and Air Force Academy have similar exchange programs focused on sending students to the US.

Among the Honduras Military Academy's 200-odd students only a handful come from abroad. Lee and Liao are the only two Asians, with the others coming from Spanish-speaking countries.

Lee said he spoke very little Spanish when he arrived and had to carry a dictionary with him all the time. The most difficult part of his experience has been the loneliness that comes with having a language barrier, the 22-year-old said.

Both Lee and Liao endured the same hazing that local cadets are subjected to.

The first two years were the worst, he said. He was sneared at, bullied and sometimes hurt by senior classmates and officers. As a freshman, senior classmates forced him to do push-ups on hot tarmac.

Liao's has experienced the same difficulties and said he sometimes misses home. The 21-year-old remembered the first time he saw the school fly the Republic of China flag and play its national anthem during its international week, drawing tears from his eyes. Looking at Lee through the corner of his eyes, Liao said he saw Lee crying too.

Both also said foreign food was a major part of the culture shock.

Liao recalled his first three months at the training center, during which both men experienced a lot of stomach problems from all the refried beans. When they got a chance, they stuffed themselves with fried chicken and were sick for days.

But culture shock doesn't stop there, they said.

Lee said he found Latin Americans to be more individualistic and less careful about managing their money.

He remembered one of his friends had spread a rumor about him after Lee said he did not have money to lend him.

The past two-and-a-half years have been hard, Liao said, adding that he did not regret coming because he has learned a lot. Helping out at the summit was a once-in-a-life-time experience, he said.

Lee and Liao both said it was not easy convincing their parents to let them study in Honduras because of the country's crime rate.

Lee is the youngest among his siblings and the only son pursuing a military career. He joined the military to ease the family's financial difficulties, which fell on his mother's shoulders following his father's death.

Liao said it took some time to persuade his parents to let him participate in the program.

Both students have come home each year during Christmas break, but three weeks of the one-month break from classes are spent in additional military training.

When asked what advice he would give those interested in studying abroad, Liao said they should brace themselves for a rough ride and stand firm.

Liao said he hadn't expected many of the difficulties he has encountered studying abroad, but he has learned a lot.

Lee said students studying in military programs abroad need to be able to deal with pressure and tough it out.

Each time he looks at the Republic of China flag he sewed on the sleeve of his uniform, he feels uplifted and has the courage to face the foreign world again, Lee said.
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