Category: Chinese Language Study Abroad 2022-23

Landing in 台湾 and 星期一 shenanigans

00:52 AM, Tainan December 9th The last 24 hours have been a blur, to say the least. I woke up to my phone ringing with a reminder that I needed to start thinking about getting ready and soon sat down to have a last breakfast with my grandparents before the almost two-month adventure that awaited…Continue Reading Landing in 台湾 and 星期一 shenanigans

A new home? Maybe.

Yes…I will admit, even though it is the first week, I’ve already done a lot of shopping. I mean, how could I not? The prices here are amazing, and the store people are so lovely. I can already say that I love Tainan. There’s something about how different it is from New Zealand that really…Continue Reading A new home? Maybe.

Blog Post 1: A taste of Taiwan

Kia ora friends and whānau,  I have just completed my first week in Taiwan! While the books and locals may tell you that Tainan is a city of retirement due to its slow-paced and food-oriented culture, compared to New Zealand, it feels like a city of the hustle and bustle! In contrast to home, things…Continue Reading Blog Post 1: A taste of Taiwan

早上好 Taiwan!

Welcome one and all to your favourite Chilean Kiwi’s first Taiwan blog! This past week has been absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to share with you all what it has been like in this beautiful country. Let’s start with the arrival! After a long 11-hour flight, we finally arrived around 5 pm in Taoyuan…Continue Reading 早上好 Taiwan!

Tainan: the world’s busiest retirement village

Writing this blog is a bit like a metaphor for my first week here- I have a lot to say, but I’ve got to figure out how to say it first. Thankfully, I think my Chinese is improving, and hopefully, as I get through this post, I will figure out how to translate my experiences…Continue Reading Tainan: the world’s busiest retirement village

And so the journey begins…

A week of settling into Tainan 台南 Tainan: A city rich in culture, good food, and some of the nicest people I have ever met. Little did I know that this opportunity to study in a different country would teach me so much about myself and a little about a little city in the South of…Continue Reading And so the journey begins…

Our journey in Taiwan begins

你好!My name is Henry, and I’m a Law, Economics, and Chinese student at the University of Auckland (UoA). I have been fortunate enough to receive a Prime Minister’s Scholarship along with 14 other UoA students to study Mandarin Chinese this December and January in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan at National Cheng Kung University…Continue Reading Our journey in Taiwan begins

Arrival in Tainan

One of the first things we did in Taiwan was visit a Japanese department store called Hayashi. It’s one week on and I’m back here again, sitting in a café on the top floor, thinking about my time here so far. The hotel that we stayed in for the first week was right in the…Continue Reading Arrival in Tainan

Chapter One: 8,765 km

Part One: The Journey The toughest decision to make: what to pack and bring to Tainan, Taiwan? The first thing I did was check the weather, to which I was surprised to realise the beginning of winter in Tainan is like summer in NZ, sunny and reaching highs of 25°C. Naturally, I packed with that…Continue Reading Chapter One: 8,765 km

我愛臺南

As a New Zealander studying Chinese in Tainan, I am constantly reminded of the incredible cultural diversity in New Zealand. Tainan is such a different place, always bustling and full of life! Let me tell you what I have been up to this first week abroad. My experience in Tainan has been one of amazing…Continue Reading 我愛臺南