Two students from our department got the opportunity from Overseas Community Affairs Council to join the “2018 Taiwan Youth and Overseas Expatriate Bridging Program.” One of the student went to Japan and the other one to USA, both students came back with amazing testimonies about their experiences. We got the privilege to talk with the senior student who went to Japan and she have shared her experience with us.
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IC IAD Senior, Chance:
"This overseas visit, which I was sent to Japan for nine days, was hosted by Overseas Community Affairs Council of R.O.C. The visit was to enlighten and educate us more about how foreign public sectors work, and how hard our ancestors have worked for Taiwan’s diplomacy.
I met a lot of overseas Chinese during these nine days in Japan, and I've really learnt a lot from them. Most of them migrated to Japan when they were just 20 years old. They moved there with the purpose to study, seek job opportunities, and to settle down and have their own families. During my stay, I learned a lot about communication skills, public speaking skills, and also how to interact with people from different backgrounds. Furthermore, I had my first opportunity to debate on political issues. We debated about the campaign for rectifying the name of Taiwan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and our ancestral-home identification. The topics discussed were very sensitive but I found it quite fascinating. It feels great to apply what I have learned in school and my daily life.
After I returned back home, somehow, I feel different than I used to. I was deeply influenced by them, not only because of their great perseverance but also their patriotic spirits. As a whole, we should indeed put our country into consideration in creating and making it better for the future.
The overseas visit really exceeded my expectations and became the best trip of my life."
Participant: Chen Hsi Chou (link is external)