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She changed the lives of the children by showing them her warm smile. AIESEC Planet team has brought you a story from this tough lady. Let's follow Michelle Wong, a student from Taylor's University, Malaysia who travelled to Taiwan to impact someone's life.
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For more information: Jimmy | [email protected]
TAIWAN
Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan’s Pingtung County in the August of 2009 and
caused massive floods which led to many displaced families in the county. This
program, Environmental Awareness on Flood, was organized to help the
children of a certain school in this county learn better after the disaster with
extra English teachers. I picked Taiwan and this particular project because I
have a passion for education and assisting the teachers there with English
teaching would be something I could do well.
Before I left Malaysia I did some research into the environment of the project
and where I’d be staying, but it wasn’t enough to prepare me for what was to
come. I did not land at Taipei, where the LC was. Instead I landed at Kaohsiung
where the Typhoon had the worst impact. An AIESEC-er picked me up and I
had a wonderful night staying in his hometown experiencing the local life
immediately. For the first few days though, I met the AIESEC-ers often as they
had come down to Pingtung County from Taipei to send the other EP. But
because the distance of the LC from the project site, we did not see them
much after that, which did not bother us much since we had been doing well
and had everything we needed.
For more information: Jimmy | [email protected]
Visa Application
Passport photo
Valid passport of at least 90 days
following departure
Forms obtainable from consulate
office
Printed application form from the
Taiwan embassy website
Documents from Taiwan:-
o Invitation Letter
o Traineeship Acceptance Note (TN
AN)
o Identity Card of TN Manager in
Taiwan
Visa fees: RM175
Taiwan Embassy in Malaysia:
Level 7, Menara Yayasan Tun Razak
200 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
603 2161 4439 & 603 2161 5508
Fax: 603 2161 7478
www.taiwanembassy.org/MY
Currency
New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)
Currency Code: TWD
1 USD = 29.3710 NT$
1 MYR = 9.59636 NT$
Weather
General
warm weather all year round
average temperature is at 22˚C
Lowest temperatures on the
lowlands generally ranging from
12˚C to 17˚C (54˚F -63˚F).
Snow is only found in mountain
areas
Seasons
Typhoons sometimes approach
or hit the country in summer at
least three to four typhoons
every year
Keep an eye on weather reports,
because weather conditions are
often severe and unpredictable
Winter is the prime season in
Taiwan for bird watching and
colored maple trees
March to May is raining season
Geographical Information
Population: 23,174,528 (2011)
Capital: Taipei
Major Cities: New Taipei,
Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei,
Tainan, Hsinchu, Keelung, Chiayi
Area: 35,801 km2 (13,822.8 sq m
i)
Highest Point: Yu Shan
Lowest Point: South China Sea
For more information: Jimmy | [email protected]
What to bring
passport
visa
airplane/train ticket
ID certificate
destination map
travel itinerary
address list
clothing: (depending on the
season)
money: traveler’s check, cash,
credit card
Do’s and Don’ts
Do take your shoes off when
you enter someone's home.
Do not wear sandals or "flip
flops" unless going to the
market to purchase the day's
fresh vegetables.
Do tap the table next to the
glass about three times with
your middle finger when
someone pours you a drink.
Do say “Ganbei!” when toasting
in Mandarin. It means “drain
your glass”
Do pour a drink or hold a door
open for a person of an older
generation.
Do not open gift(s) in front of
the person(s) who gave it to you
Do not leave your chopsticks
sticking up in the leftover rice at
the bottom of your bowl after
eating a meal. (This is what
people do at shrines when
offering a meal to their
ancestors' ghosts.)
Do not give an umbrella. It is a
bad omen that you will never
see each other again. (The
Chinese word for umbrella - san
- sounds like the word for "to
break apart.")
Do accept a coin as a token
payment if you accidentally give
an unlucky gift. The curse can be
set straight because then it
technically becomes a purchase
instead of a present.
For more information: Jimmy | [email protected]
Taiwanese Cuisines
The philosophy of Taiwan is eating often and eats well. The capital Taipei has
around 20 streets dedicated to snacking. Every time you think you've found the
best street side food, the most incredible stinky tofu stand or mind-blowing
beef noodle soup, there's always another one that surpasses it.
Taiwanese food is a mash-up of the
cuisines of Min Nan, Teochew and
Hokkien, as well as Japanese
cuisine. The results of these culinary
marriages are diversely delicious.
Recommended night market:
1. Raohe Street Night Market
2. Shilin Night Market
3. Keelung Miaokou Night Market
Not to be missed!!
1. Xiaolongbao (Shanghai Soup
Dumplings)
2. Shaved Ice
3. Beef Noodles
4. Bubble tea
5. Stinky tofu
6. Coffin Bread
7. Oyster omelettes
8. Pineapple cake
For more information: Jimmy | [email protected]
Taiwanese Culture
Taiwan has amazing culture and history. People from many places and
backgrounds have all played a role in Taiwan's development. While gradually
developing a new culture indigenous to Taiwan, Taiwanese have held on to
their respective customs and traditions. Now, you may even find traces left by
the Dutch and the Japanese when traveling in Taiwan.
The official language of Taiwan is
Mandarin Chinese, but because
many Taiwanese are of southern
Fujianese descent, Min-nan (the
Southern Min dialect, or Holo) is
also widely spoken. The smaller
groups of Hakka people and
aborigines have also preserved their
own languages.
Taiwan people share the same
Chinese traditional with the
mainland. They all regard the Spring
Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Qing-
Ming Festival, and Mid-Autumn Day
as their ceremonious festivals.
Recommended Local Taiwanese folk
events:
1. the Dajia Matzu Pilgrimage
2. the Goddess Matzu Making
Rounds of Inspection in Beigang
3. the City God Welcoming in Taipei
4. the Burning of the Plague God
Boat in Dongkang
For more information: Jimmy | [email protected]
Transportation
Rapid Transit
Includes both the subway and light rail.
There are currently 4 rapid transit lines in Taipei, offering transit services
from 06:00 to 24:00 daily.
The fares are currently ranging from NT$ 20 (RM 2.10) to NT$ 65 (RM
6.80), depending on the distance traveled).
EasyCard is also available on the subway or light rail. With a one day pass
of NT$150 (RM 15.70), passengers can conveniently take therapid transit
in Taipei for the day.
Public Bus
The cost ranges from NT$ 15 (RM 1.60) to NT$ 20 (RM 2.10).
An EasyCard is available on public buses with 80% discount for students.
Be wary that sometimes you pay when you get on and sometimes when
you get off. If you cross a zone you pay when you get on and again later
when you get off.
Taxi
Most taxis in Taiwan are equipped with a meter. The initial flat rate fee is
about NT$ 70 (RM 7.30) for the first 1.5 km. Following that, there will be a
distance surcharge of NT$ 5 (RM 0.50) per 300 meters is applied. An extra
fee, corresponding to 20 percent of the total price, shall be applied for an
overnight service (from 23:00 to 06:00).
Taxi service from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport to downtown
Taipei typically costs approximately NT$ 1,200 (RM 125.10) and the fare
from Kaohsiung International Airport to downtown Kaohsiung should run
around NT$ 300 (RM 31.30).
For more information: Jimmy | [email protected]
With me was another EP from Malaysian. In fact, it was with his help, that we
came up with a brilliant idea to make the children want to study harder! We
stayed with a very nice and warm family in Taiwan near to the school at which
we taught. They upheld their values with dignity and although they were not
very well-to-do, they still made my friend and me comfortable with everything
we could need. I had so much fun learning about their culture and their
lifestyle that there were no glitches with blending into life with them.
At the school, we assisted the only English teacher at teaching. Because the
classes were big and I could speak Mandarin, many of the children were
getting along well with us tutoring them. As part of the culture integration
planned, we printed some figurines of KLCCs and Sepak Takraws and put them
around the class. We even gave out little souvenirs as prizes to those who
learnt their lesson that day! This was the driving factor for the children as they
were all very curious and wanted to learn more and more about Malaysia and
the ‘weird’ things we do.
On Fridays, after wrapping up the
school, we’d take the very
convenient and efficient public
transport and visit the various
cities and towns of Taiwan around
the island. By doing so, we had
covered almost the whole of it by
the end of 7 weeks! I had
achieved a great personal achievement by successfully teaching the kids and
also travelling throughout Taiwan at the same time. This cultural integration
has been a very good experience on me and on the kids. I would go back to
meet the friends I’ve made sometime in the future!
Michelle Wong Ching Yee, Student Ambassador for Environmental Awareness on Flood Project in Taiwan