Study abroad programs for college and gap students
Photo Essay: CET Taiwan
Written by Victoria Hans, (Western Kentucky University) Student Correspondent CET Taiwan, Spring 2019
Our Chinese classes take place on National Taiwan University’s campus, which is a “green” campus full of palm trees and flowers. This is the long stretch of road from the library (seen in the distance) to Gongguan, which has many restaurants and stores that are popular amongst college students.
Xiangshan, which translates to Elephant Mountain in English, is one of the most popular hikes in Taipei. Although the hike is mostly stairs, it offers breathtaking views of the city scape, with Taipei 101 as the main focus.
Because of the Tomb Sweeping Holiday, which is a holiday spent with family and visits to ancestor’s graves, ICLP was closed for two days. Two friends and I decided to travel to Kenting in the southernmost point of Taiwan, which is known for its gorgeous beaches. Pictured here is the Kenting Lighthouse, which is a very popular landmark.
As stated previously, a key tourist attraction in Kenting is its beaches. This beach, known as Baisha, or White Sand, is very popular amongst tourists because of its fine sand and clear water.
Night markets in Taiwan are a vital part of Taiwanese culture; it is hard to not be too far from one. Pictured here is Raohe Night Market, which is a short twenty-minute subway ride away from our apartment. I frequently go here for cheap street food and watermelon milk throughout the week. Pictured here is one of my roommates, Finlay, and one of my classmates from Japan, Yoshimi, with fried milk on a stick.
As part of my internship, I spent one Sunday volunteering at the Museum of World Religion’s table at the Songkran Festival in New Taipei City. The Songkran Water Festival celebrates the Thai New Year, which occurs in April. People celebrate by soaking each other in water, whether that be by water guns or dumping buckets of water on one another. Pictured here is the center of the festival; festival-goers could pour water on top of the Buddha’s head.
Another component of the festival was the foam pit. The workers would change the foam out a few times during the day; when they did, they would change the color as well. Both adults and children alike were participating in the festival; everyone was having fun.
Taipei has about any kind of food you could possibly want. One of my roommates and I decided to try a Tibet Kitchen, which featured dishes from around that area. The restaurant offered many different kinds of curry and popular Indian cuisine. Pictured here is Chicken tikka and Nan bread; definitely one of my favorite meals I have had in Taiwan!
When it isn’t raining in Taipei, I have learned to take advantage of the weather and go outside. One of the biggest parks in Taipei, Da’an park, has around 64 acres of green space. Highlights of the park include a roller-skating rink, large playgrounds for children, adult exercise equipment, bird watching, and Taiqi/Qigong groups. Pictured here is one of the adult exercise machines; these are free to use. As we pedaled on the bike, the pipe would draw water up from the pond and spin the metal wheel; this was popular amongst both adults and children.
As mentioned in one of my previous photo essays, shaved ice in Taiwan is very popular. As my roommates and I were walking through Shilin Night Market, which is considered to be both the largest and most popular night market in Taiwan, we decided to grab some shaved ice at a shop called Caramel Park. Pictured here is the strawberry ice I ordered, which had condensed milk flavored ice, strawberry flavored ice, strawberry ice cream, and real strawberries in it.
