Foreigner on education
As a foreigner who has spent a lot of time studying in Taiwan, my experiences are similar to some other students, but also unique in other ways.
I did not travel to Taiwan from my home country, the US, to study Mandarin or enter a university based on my education beginnings. I had already been living here for several years when I entered National Chengchi University’s doctoral program in English literature. I was comfortably ensconced, married and working in Taiwan rather than being a newcomer.
As my education began, I traversed schools and campuses — I had to take three additional classes at National Taiwan Normal University — completed assignments and took tests. Sometimes it was tough, but I liked the challenge. At Chengchi, I was involved in the program, although perhaps in a somewhat removed way. I interacted with students, teachers and the department, but my eyes were always on the doctorate, which would not arrive until six years after entering the program.
Foreign students ask about student life in their home country versus Taiwan. In found the pressure was about the same in both, with the normal burdens any student feels. More importantly, I found that Chengchi was modernizing and taking on international education standards.
In class, teachers (several Americans, and of course many Taiwanese) were for the most part employing these pedagogic methods, engaging with students, conversing and communicating openly, and providing challenging assignments, not simply droning from a lectern.
Much of what I experienced was my ever-evolving life and having to “be Taiwanese” during my interactions with students and teachers.
I have fully lived as a “foreigner” here, but I have continued to adapt into and out of local cultural attributes. My communication in Mandarin, although limited, has helped me. Learning the local language in a new county will lead to a better, more rewarding and linked life.
Not long after receiving my doctorate, I became an associate professor at National Taipei University of Business, where I was involved in student life at all levels. My life has taken on exciting new contours based on my education here.
I have experienced a cornucopia of richness and value during my life in Taiwan, and Taiwanese have always been right there by my side.
David Pendery
Taipei
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