Simonah Ferreira
Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia, Chinese Language Study Abroad
Introduction
你们好!
My name is Simonah, and I am completing a Mandarin course over the next six weeks at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.
I was born in India but have lived in New Zealand my whole life. Coming into the University of Auckland, an exchange program was the last thing I expected to be on. I have never flatted or lived outside my home before, so living in a new country seemed daunting… but here we are!
I have just completed my fourth year in an Engineering and Global Studies conjoint. Doing this language course in summer school will definitely free up some space for more Global papers next year. However, I am super nervous about how much content will be packed in over this summer, so wish me luck! 加油!! From all the upcoming hard work, I look forward to increasing my conversational and writing skills while making some new friends along the way.
Fun fact: Taiwan is the home of bubble tea, so you best bet my standards are high! I have heard so much about how delicious and well-priced the food is there, too. Will definitely need to invest in a gym membership if that’s the case.
I am super appreciative of having been given this opportunity and am excited to embrace it to the fullest! I hope you’re ready to follow a journey through a new lifestyle in a completely different study and daily living environment!
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Highs and Lows
During this trip, I kept a journal where I made a note of daily highs and lows. Here are a few that sum up some of my favorite memories from my program and some of the learning curbs I encountered. The most reoccurring high… FOOD Low: Large university workload Although I often mention all the…Continue…
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My first Christmas & New Years away from home
This was one part of my trip I both looked forward to and was worried about. I have always spent Christmas with family and New Year’s with close friends; I hoped that being in a totally new country with a new group of friends wasn’t going to make me too homesick! Christmas in the Park…Continue…