Reflection                               1   2   Next

Tabitha Li

The summer was one of the best of my life.  Don’t get me wrong, only partially because of the program.  I would definitely recommend the experience to anyone who is ready for work and fun - simultaneously.  First of all, I was somewhat unsatisfied with the communication, preparation and general administration for the program.  I missed out on acceptance letters and emails, was misinformed about what to bring, and was given a lot of prep work in advance that turned out to be useless.  It is a testament to the program that I completely forgive all these misgivings because of the consequent month spent experiencing the program Assisting Individual with Disadvantages, Taiwan 2007.

 The program lasted from mid-July to mid-August.  The first week was training (the lectures boring, the material useful, the lesson plans discarded, the bonding fantastic).  The second and third were teaching (the students different, the work plentiful, the adults helpful, the friends unforgettable, the fun constant).  The third week was a tour (the places beautiful, the bus rides sleepy, the friends fabulous, the bonding the best).

          I’ve summed up the experience in four sentences but I hope it communicates this experience.  There are very little negative adjectives once the program started.  I will elaborate on adjusting to our living environment, only probably because it is the most commonly asked question.  We lived in Taichung, up in the mountains.  It was, as all other participating schools were, “remote”.  Nevertheless, there was two small eateries/bakeries, roads, schools (only one middle school where I taught), and two convenience shops that saved our lives (not 7-Eleven, though).  We encountered snakes, geckos, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and bugs of every kind.  There was dirt, occasional power and water outages, lack of hot water, heat and humidity.  Despite this stark contrast to North America, the four teachers at Hoping Middle School had a satisfying two weeks living in the principal’s dorm on the school campus.  We dealt with everything, with screams, laughs, jokes and fear.  Oh, and crazy conversations.

          All in all, it was terrific.

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