NSLI-Y 2026 Taiwan – Week 3
Big Adventures Before The Storm
By: Seraphina, Cadence, and Eila
With week three coming to an end, we have officially reached the halfway point of the program! Time has flown by and we still have so much to look forward to. Throughout this past week, we have continued to strengthen our relationships with our host families, classmates, teachers, and language partners. Additionally, our daily routines become more familiar as we grow even more confident using Chinese in everyday life.
At the beginning of the week, both Brown Sugar Bubble Tea and Sea Salt Caramel Tea classes put their Chinese skills to the test with an energetic game of Chinese Telephone Charades. The first student selected a random set of vocabulary words and acted out a sentence using only gestures. The next student had to attempt to correctly interpret the message and pass it along through actions before the final student said the complete sentence aloud in Chinese. It was a fun, fast-paced way to practice new terms while sharing plenty of laughs with classmates. Tuesday’s classes also featured a lesson from 潘老師 (RD Pan), who introduced us to some of Taiwan’s fascinating historical events.
Amelia, Seraphina, Teacher Ye, Veena, Eila, Vivaan, and Alexia of The Sea Salt Caramel Tea Class posing for a very 可愛 (cute) photo.
The Brown Sugar Bubble Tea Class posing for a photo. Liam, John, Emelia, Arthur, Cameron holding the 薯条 (french fry), Cadence, and the wonderful 劉老師 (Teacher Liu).
On Wednesday, all three classes took a walk to a bubble tea shop, where we used our new language skills to order our drinks entirely in Chinese! Students ordered everything from delicious pomegranate juice with coconut jelly to classic milk bubble tea or refreshing fruit smoothies. While testing our Chinese outside of the classroom seemed nerve-wracking at first, it was incredibly rewarding to see how much our speaking skills have improved over the past few weeks. We are so grateful to our wonderful teachers for organizing this fun opportunity!
葉老師 (Teacher Ye), Vivaan, Elia, 南老師 (RD Nan), Veena, Alexia, Seraphina, and Amelia enjoy some Taiwanese bubble tea after ordering completely in Chinese.
Later in the week, we were honored to hear remarks from the Chairman and Vice President of Shih Chien University. Students from various global Chinese learning programs at Shih Chien attended the event. This made for a wonderful opportunity for us to meet new people, exchange experiences, and build connections with students from around the world.
Additionally, we also had the opportunity to celebrate two NSLI-Y student’s birthdays overseas, thanks to the help of Shih Chien’s wonderful teachers! 生日快樂 (Happy Birthday), Luis and Amelia!
Luis and Amelia celebrate their birthdays abroad as Shih Chien staff Mike presents their cake!
With greater freedoms granted as we get familiar with life in Taipei, many students took the opportunity to explore the city in new ways. Some ventured out to try authentic Taiwanese 包子 (dumplings) or enjoy hot pot with friends, while others visited familiar comforts like Burger King. A few students even laced up their skates for an afternoon of ice skating. There is no shortage of new experiences around every corner in Taiwan.
Liam enjoyed a delicious dinner out with his host family, sharing good food and even better company.
Cadence posing for a selfie with her host sister.
Luis celebrating his birthday with his host mother. That 蛋糕 (cake) looks 好吃 (delicious)!
Cameron, Eliza, Seraphina , John, and Amelia at an ice skating rink and enjoying dinner!
Arthur passing the baby holding test.
Anya enjoying some delicious dinner out with her host family.
Eliza playing a beautiful tune while Luis watches and Mike sings along.
Cadence feeding some curious alpacas.
As Friday’s Midterm OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) approached, students had been working diligently, reviewing vocabulary, practicing conversations, and preparing to demonstrate their improvements with Chinese. On Thursday evening, however, we learned that classes would be hosted online due to the approaching typhoon Bavi. Students each took the OPI that Friday morning and spent time working with their language partners on a special presentation we’ll be sharing next week. Many students spent their time during the typhoon enjoying rainy day activities at home, or exploring regardless of the storm.
NSLI-Y Students and teachers on their online class.
Arthur enjoying some hot pot with his host Dad. Not even a typhoon can stop a delicious Taiwanese meal!
Lincoln ventured out on Friday night to admire the city’s beautiful nighttime views, then again Sunday morning to the beach. He is so brave!
Seraphina and her host family making delicious 包子 (Bao Buns).
The 2026 NSLI-Y Taipei Cohort: John (仲恩), Rohin (浩仁), Avi (涅韋斯), Luis (律奕), Arthur (亞哲), Lincoln (思凯), Liam (立安), Vivaan (偉安), Cameron (凱榮), Elia (慧嵐), Amelia (莉雅), Lily (思琳), Veena (維哪), Alexia (雅曦), Anya ( 安妍), Emelia (涵雅) , Eliza (愛麗), Seraphina (菲娜), and Cadence (凱婷).
Week three brought new adventures, memorable experiences, and plenty of opportunities to continue growing both inside and outside the classroom. As we head into the second half of the program, we are excited to keep learning, exploring Taiwan, and making even more unforgettable memories together. 再見 (Goodbye)!