Final thoughts from Taiwan

Hey all, this is my final blog post from Taiwan. I have now been in Tainan, Taiwan for eight weeks; I wish that I didn't have to leave so soon! I have grown quite accustomed to the pace of life here and, more importantly, I will be sad to part with my amazing teachers and classmates. My experience in Taiwan has been overwhelmingly positive.

A view of Taipei from Jiantan mountain.

Looking back, it is satisfying to think about just how much my Chinese has improved. When I first arrived, I struggled to hold even basic conversations with my teachers and local friends. These days, I can easily chat about a wide range of topics -- albeit with the occasional English word peppered in for the sake of fluency. I sometimes even catch myself having to translate Chinese thoughts into English sentences and, when I am texting/messaging non-Chinese speakers, I have to remind myself to not type in Chinese -- my natural instinct.

My program -- the American Councils Taiwan Intensive Summer Language Program at National Cheng Kung University -- advertised that we would learn one year's worth of Chinese in eight weeks. I feel as if I have improved so much that I would be unsurprised to find out that I learned more than a year's worth of Chinese!

A field on the outskirts of Taipei.

Moreover, as someone interested in cross-strait relations, spending my summer in Taiwan was invaluable. Though I lived in China for three years while growing up, I am comfortable admitting that prior to my time in Taiwan, my understanding of the cross-strait issue was flawed. I now firmly believe that experience living in both the mainland and Taiwan is essential for the development of a nuanced perspective.

I am excited to take all that I have learned in Taiwan and apply it to my studies, internship, research, and of course, my job at the Sigur Center!

Zachary Haver is a Sigur Center 2017 Asian Language Fellow. A rising sophomore studying at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, Zachary is majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Asia and minoring in Mandarin Chinese.