Taiwan-Day 1

I arrived at 5:30 am in Taipei (the capital of Taiwan) after a 12.5 hour flight. I slept surprisingly well on the flight, and felt well rested when I met my friends at the airport. My friends really have most of my stay here planned, which I am thankful for. The first thing I noticed about Taiwan was the heat and the humidity, I was dripping sweat by 8:00 am. Hopefully, I get use to that aspect. My friends took me to their university (Tamkang University) first. Here are some pictures of it.

It's a fairly big university, apparently the second largest in Taiwan.

After breakfast, my whole day was full of walking around and exploring. We walked around the campus area a lot where there is a lot of shops. Then, in the afternoon we went to the Tamsui River and visited the historical site called Fort San Domingo. Which is actually a military "castle" that was first built by the Spanish, then renovated by the Dutch, and eventually ended up with the Chinese. It was up on a hill where I got a great view of the river.

We went to some shops and don't worry they have Pringles and Lays.

You may not know that the main mode of transportation in Taipei is the scooter. There are literally more scooters than cars, and they drive where ever they please. Anyways, I got to go for my first scooter ride ever today (don't worry my friends are very good drivers).

Overall, today has felt like one of the longest days of my life. But, I have experienced so much already. I will leave you with a picture of the view from the dorm I am staying in.

Good night to me, and good morning to you!

Let the adventure begin!

The whole reason for this trip was to visit the friends I have gained these past 3 years while attending Winona State. I didn't expect there to be so many international students in Winona. I originally connected with them my freshmen year when both I and the international students were new to After getting to know more and more foreign exchange students, I realized how much I enjoy being friends with people of different cultures. So, my sophomore and junior years I got very involved with international services. I helped out with orientation, became an officer of international club, and even became a tutor for the English Learning Center. 

A majority of the students I have become involved with have been from Taiwan and Korea. Which, is why I am choosing to visit these two countries. I have always wanted to go on a trip to Asia, and now I finally took action and am going! I figured this is my last summer off before I graduate college, so I might as well fulfill my dream while I still have the opportunity. And I also thought this would be a more valuable experience than doing something more academic or career oriented. 

I have been full of emotions while waiting for June 4th to arrive. Excited, nervous, sad because I will miss everyone I left back home, but more importantly, I am happy that I get to see my old friends again.

It is hard to believe the time is already here!

Nevertheless, this shall be an adventure!

Sincerely,

Alix