Student Experiences

My Time in Taiwan

By Amity Huang
(Attended in Spring 2022)

Imagine this; you’re on your way to the airport, feeling the anticipation of going abroad all on your own for the first time. From almost missing your layover flight to arriving at a quarantine hotel late into the night, you look forward to the first day of class with excitement tinged with a bit of anxiety. This will be the story of my experience as well as some tips as one of YouHuaYu BEST Program’s first recipients in collaboration with Hunter College, unveiling my life in Taiwan and what I had come to learn and realize along the way.

A Summer in Kaohsiung

By Atlas Robalino
(Attended in Summer 2023)

Up until I started college, I hardly went anywhere alone. The moment I landed at the airport, it still hadn't set in that I was in a country across the world from where I was born and raised, and everyone spoke the language I was trying to learn. I had known beforehand that chances were I was going to be noticed right away due to my foreign appearance, but my roommate had pointed it out before I realized it. It didn't faze me much, as we had plans to visit the Teresa Teng Memorial Park a few hours after we landed (I was too excited!) and went around complaining about the heat/humidity. My roommate (who took the plane with me) and I stayed in Taipei for a few days to sightsee until we had to leave for Kaohsiung for the semester. It was in the apartment in Kaohsiung when I realized that I was very far away from home. Oddly enough, besides already desperately missing my culture's cuisine, I felt somewhat calm and ready to start this mini chapter of my life.

Life in Kaohsiung

By Catalina Bedoya
(Attended in Spring 2022)

Upon arrival in Taiwan, I was hit with a shockwave of fear. I was in a new country alone with just a suitcase and a mind full of ambition. Determined to face anything in my way, yet so excited for the journey ahead.

I made my way to the south of Taiwan - Kaohsiung and underwent quarantine. During quarantine I would stare out the window for hours, planning in my head the places I want to visit, the food I want to eat, and the things I want to do. It felt so unreal to finally be in a place I’d worked hard for. When the quarantine was over, the first thing I did was locate a breakfast spot. I ordered 燒餅夾蛋(pancake egg)，油條(fried dough)， and soybean milk, a very traditional breakfast. It definitely lived up to the hype.

Summer in Taiwan

By Diego Pilay
(Attended in Summer 2024)

Before going to Taiwan, I had no idea what the country offered. The most I had was the fear factor from what I see on the news on tensions between Taiwan and China. On top of that, I could barely comprehend the local language. Thankfully, the trip as a whole turned out smoother than I anticipated.

Homesick

By Edison Santacruz
(Attended in Summer 2024)

My time in Taiwan was like nothing I’d experienced before. I arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on June 2nd. Stepping off the plane felt akin to stepping off a rocketship into a whole new world of pristine white flooring and walls. The airport was like a museum of sorts; decorated with technicolored picasso-esque statues as tall as I am, relics with bilingual explanations of what they were encased in glass, as well as a wall of orchids commemorating the 16th president and vice-president of Taiwan’s inauguration. My cheeks were undoubtedly sore from smiling so much, but soon came my first hurdle of the trip. I did not know how to get where I needed to go.

My Time in Taiwan

By Isobell Addo
(Attended in Summer 2024)

Now that I’m back in New York, people keep asking me, ‘How was Taiwan?’—honestly, trying to sum up such an amazing summer feels impossible! But I’m here to give you the best inside scoop on my time in Taiwan.

Learning Chinese in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

By Jasmine Yu
(Attended in Summer 2023)

31 hours later and I had finally arrived at Kaohsiung airport. First note of advice, because there are no direct flights to Kaohsiung from New York, do yourself a favor and just fly direct to Taipei and take the HSR (high speed rail) for 2-3 hours down to Kaohsiung, it will save your sanity! I was exhausted and starving! But I had to find my way to my apartment which my roommates (also Hunter students studying with me) were at. I took the MRT for 45 minutes and walked 15 mins and finally was able to settle down in our home for the next 3 months. Our first order of business though was to get food, because eating a full day worth of plane food was not ideal! So we headed to our first night market luckily a couple blocks from our place and enjoyed a great first meal!

Taiwan Experience

By Jennifer Martinez
(Attended in Summer 2023)

It was on June 2nd while standing in line to board my flight that I realized I was going to fly to another country. I don’t travel often, so I was very nervous about going on the plane by myself and staying in another country for 3 months without my parents. However, I was enthusiastic to see what Taiwan had to offer.

Summer in Taiwan

By Johanna Chan
(Attended in Summer 2023)

Truth be told, I didn’t expect to be accepted to this program. The closest to weather in Taiwan that I’ve experienced would probably be the suffocating heat of Cancun, but Taiwan still surpasses the latter by far. Fortunately, apartment hunting wasn’t too difficult, since a family member’s friend’s best friend introduced a place to me (yes, somehow all East Asians know each other). Settling into Kaohsiung was actually very easy. Being of Chinese descent, I could easily pass for a Taiwanese person, until I opened my mouth. For those concerned about finding their way around, the MRT, the equivalent of the MTA, includes English as well. However, you’ll have to download an app called Bus+ if you need to navigate areas in Kaohsiung using buses. Moreover, Google Maps is reliable in terms of reviews and directions, but don’t put too much trust in the approximate arrival and departure times of buses given by any app other than Bus+.

Studying in Taiwan

By Michelle Yu
(Attended in Spring 2023)

I landed in Taipei on a late March night. Exhausted from traveling for the past sixteen hours with two heavy suitcases in tow, I dreaded having to find my way home. However, I soon realized the transit system was shockingly intuitive — and English was everywhere: from the signs to the ticket machines to even the train announcer. Within a few minutes, I’d already found my way and settled in for my two-hour journey from Taipei to Kaohsiung. As the train started moving, I watched the trees and buildings zoom by outside my window, and the landscape of Taiwan unfolded before me. I felt myself smiling — my journey was finally starting.

Advices to My Past Self

By Selina Zheng
(Attended in Summer 2024)

No one can prepare you for the initial blast of homesickness you face the second you step out of the bus and onto Kaohsiung streets. “This is real.” The first meal I had at Seven-Eleven was my wake-up call. I was with my friend from Hunter, Atlas, whom I had coordinated to come on the same flight with. As I tried the famous Seven-Eleven’s tea eggs, pairing it with a low-fiber, low-sugar soy milk in a pretense to be healthy, I felt a sinking sensation at the bottom of my stomach, “I am in Taiwan.” For months, weeks, and even days before my flight to Taiwan, I did not process I was going to study abroad for 3 months until I was there. Physically there. What do I do now? Where do I go from here? Those were the questions I asked myself, and the same questions that engulfed me in dread for the coming days. I felt truly alone in this country, away from my friends and family, which is ironic because Atlas was quite literally sitting across from me.

My Second Home

By Susan Wang
(Attended in Summer 2024)

If you had asked me five months ago, back in May, I would have told you that I had never traveled outside of New York—or even envisioned myself traveling anywhere by myself before.

Now, standing here five months later in September, having checked off two places from my bucket list—Taiwan, of course, and also Thailand (I’ll touch on that briefly since our focus is on Taiwan after all)—I’m filled with countless stories of unforgettable experiences I can’t wait to share.

For those who don’t want to read through the entire thing - I included a TLDR at the end since there is a lot I covered. For more photos than the ones I included, you can check out my Taiwan highlights on my Instagram - @susssy_520 , you can also reach out to me if you have any questions! I would love to talk more about my experience abroad any day.