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
Chinese state-owned companies COSCO Shipping Corporation and China Merchants have a 30 percent stake in Kaohsiung Port’s Kao Ming Container Terminal (Terminal No. 6) and COSCO leases Berths 65 and 66. It is extremely dangerous to allow Chinese companies or state-owned companies to operate critical infrastructure. Deterrence theorists are familiar with the concepts of deterrence “by punishment” and “by denial.” Deterrence by punishment threatens an aggressor with prohibitive costs (like retaliation or sanctions) that outweigh the benefits of their action, while deterrence by denial aims to make an attack so difficult that it becomes pointless. Elbridge Colby, currently serving as the Under
Ho Ying-lu (何鷹鷺), a Chinese spouse who was a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Standing Committee, on Wednesday last week resigned from the KMT, accusing the party of failing to clarify its “one China” policy. In a video released in October, Ho, wearing a T-shirt featuring a portrait of Mao Zedong (毛澤東), said she hoped that Taiwan would “soon return to the embrace of the motherland” and “quickly unify — that is my purpose and my responsibility.” The KMT’s Disciplinary Committee on Nov. 19 announced that Ho had been suspended from her position on the committee, although she was
The Ministry of the Interior on Thursday last week said it ordered Internet service providers to block access to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (小紅書, also known as RedNote in English) for a year, citing security risks and more than 1,700 alleged fraud cases on the platform since last year. The order took effect immediately, abruptly affecting more than 3 million users in Taiwan, and sparked discussions among politicians, online influencers and the public. The platform is often described as China’s version of Instagram or Pinterest, combining visual social media with e-commerce, and its users are predominantly young urban women,
Honduras’ election has opened a diplomatic moment that Taiwan cannot afford to ignore. Tegucigalpa’s 2023 decision to switch recognition from Taiwan to Beijing was a setback, but it is not irreversible. The incoming government in Honduras faces the same stubborn challenges that made China’s sweeping promises appealing in the first place — migration pressures, energy insecurity and limited foreign investment. Taiwan has an opportunity to make a unique offer consisting of credit lines and export credit. The offer should be strategic, well-structured, and large enough to command the attention of Honduras and other nations in the Western hemisphere. Taiwan’s development assistance has
RSS