NSLI-Y 2025 Taiwan – Week 1
After months of anticipation, the 2025 ACES NSLI-Y Taiwan cohort arrived at our Pre-Departure Orientation in Chicago! After landing at O’Hare, we all went to our first meeting, where we met each other as well as students from the ACES programs heading to Latvia and Türkiye. Following the meeting, we all headed back into our rooms. But, an unexpected fire alarm made us all rush outside. This incident caused our group, who up until this point had mostly kept to ourselves, to begin chatting and forming connections with one another. When we went back to the hotel, many of us gathered in the foyer and decided to play card games (thank you for the cards Leah and Rocio!). We all were able to bond over classic card games like Cambio, Capes and Cods, and I Doubt It.
Camila, Zara, Nat, Narayani, Leah, Rocio, Mike, David, Sonam, Marcela, Nishta and Kelly together at PDO.
The next day, we had several meetings with our cohort, playing a name game at the beginning of each meeting. For the game, we would stand in a circle and one person would say their name. Then, the next person would introduce themselves and then the previous people who introduced themselves. The last person had to introduce everyone. For the evening meeting, we played the game again, but with a twist! We all had to add an adjective in front of our name, which led to the creation of some pretty iconic nicknames (shoutout Kingsized Kelly)! After dinner, many of us continued to bond through conversation and more card games.
Stella, Nat, Narayani, Nishta, Kella, Marcela, Sonam, and Nan Laoshi in the Taiwan session PDO day 2.
We left Chicago early Thursday morning, and arrived at the San Francisco International Airport amidst a delayed layover, where many of us roamed around the large airport.
Marshall, Idhaant, Chinmay, Sam, Preston, and Mike waiting in San Francisco.
We finally boarded our flight across the Pacific early that evening. Countless naps and movies later, we made it to Taipei after over 24 hours of consecutive travel! Our group arrived late on Friday night and took a bus to Shih Chien University. There, we met our host families and set up our new Taiwanese phones. We all headed home around 12:30 AM, jet lagged but VERY excited for what was to come.
We spent our first weekend recovering from travel, exploring the city, adjusting to Taiwanese weather, and getting to know our host families. Our host families’ situations vary tremendously—some students have multiple siblings, while others only live with a single parent. In addition, while some of us live 10 minutes away from campus, others have to take buses and the MRT (Taipei’s transit system) to get to school. Despite these differences, everyone has had a relatively smooth time getting to know these individuals who have so kindly welcomed us into their homes. We are so grateful for their hospitality and can’t wait to get to know them better!
Our classes started on Monday, and everyone successfully navigated Taiwanese transit to make it to Shih Chien on our first day! After arriving, we immediately dove into intensive classes with our three language teachers who are part of Shih Chien’s Mandarin program. We split into levels based on proficiency. Each class has three hours of class in the morning taught mostly in Mandarin centered around grammar, vocabulary, and identifying Chinese characters. We also take a one hour conversation class with a different language teacher aimed at helping us apply what we learn. All classes use the same textbook, which teaches in both pinyin and Traditional Chinese (the character system used in Taiwan). We all have made great strides so far and are excited to continue learning!
Following our first day of class, we attended an informative opening ceremony and participated in a tour of Shih Chien led by the university’s staff who made this program possible. Our afternoon activities vary each day. Two days a week we have ‘language partners,’ one hour sessions with Shih Chien students as a form of cultural exchange. We speak to them mostly in Mandarin and they often assist us with our homework. Once a week we will have some sort of cultural activity, and the other two days are mostly free time for us to spend with our host family and/or see more of Taiwan. We also have office hours with our three amazing Resident Directors (Nan Laoshi, Pan Laoshi, and Li Laoshi) that allow us to practice and get a head start on our homework.
Mike, Valor, and Nitya in class.
Nitya, Li Laoshi, Maya, and Narayani in matching outfits.
Nishta, Stella, practicing writing Chinese characters with Li Laoshi.
Kelly, Tommy, and Pan Laoshi.
Ben, Marshall, and Sam working on homework.
In between classes, we would often head out into the community and practice our Mandarin by purchasing bubble tea or buying ice cream at the local convenience stores. Not only was it an amazing way to cool down from the humidity, it was also rewarding to apply the vocabulary learned in class when ordering.
Tommy and Kelly buying tea.
In our free time this week, we all went on adventures throughout Taipei with each other and our families. These included going to local stationary stores, trying the famous Din Tai Fung in Taipei 101, and visiting the Zhongshan district, known for its amazing thrifts. These are just a few examples of the many activities found throughout Taipei!
Nat, Stella, Nishta.
Students out and about together.
We interviewed a few of our classmates (Mike, Rohan, Sonam, and Camila) to hear about their first impression of the program and Taiwan. One thing that stood out to all of them was the convenience of the transportation system in Taipei. We also definitely noticed this, and have had super positive experiences on the clean and efficient transit found throughout the city.
In their interviews, both Mike and Sonam emphasized how struck they are by the respect demonstrated by the Taiwanese people they have met thus far. While Taiwanese culture seems to place a critical emphasis on order and cleanliness, this does not stem from a place of rigidity, but rather more from an understanding of one’s personal responsibility towards society.
Rohan and Camila each told us enthusiastically what they are looking forward to throughout the next five weeks. Camila, who highlighted her satisfaction with the pacing and instruction of her Mandarin class thus far, is especially excited about our upcoming out-of-town weekend trip. Rohan echoed similar sentiments, and he is also excited to continue challenging his comfort zone by gaining a more comprehensive understanding of what life is like in Taiwan. He hopes to grow as a person throughout the program, a goal that all of us hold.
We can’t wait to see what unfolds as we continue to explore the community and learn Mandarin and about Taiwanese culture in a college academic setting.