Wu, Tsung-han of Soochow University in Taiwan spent the spring 2008 semester at The Christian University of Thailand.

Lots of Taiwanese students like to exchange to Western countries, such as United States of America, United Kingdom, or France, to name but a few. But I have a different idea with them. If wanting to devote myself in travel industry, I have to get the experience from an Asian country instead of an American or European country. That’s why I chose Thailand.

 Tsung-han was able to have a rewarding experience and brings a unique quality to his university life, a dynamic that is missing in students who pursue a more conventional path.

In Thailand, the school provided lots of activities and field trips for students; they want their students to learn from the process, not only from lectures. That is an extremely big difference between Thailand and Taiwan.

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Shih Chia-hui, also a native of Taiwan and student at Tunghai University, chose to study at Jeonju University in Korea. Chiah-hui was able to experience life in Korea without the aid of the Korean language.

The first night, my roommate and I talked to each other in simple English; we shared the reason why we came here to study Korean. We chatted more and more. Although there were still some communication obstacles between us, our smiling face always got rid of the embarrassment…… Every time when I went abroad, I felt myself just a small part of the world. Because the world is like a big book, there are always many things I have to learn.

For some students the experience can provide much needed hands on experience in their field, and the opportunity to understand the workings of global business. Dewi, a student at the University of Atma Jaya in Indonesia, had a specific interest in business

 I mentioned before in my application form “the reason why I’m interested to study abroad was because I think this exchange would guide me to become more meaningful person and I really get it….. . In Contemporary Issues of Finance, Business and Economics subject I learned some issues of Taiwan’s business for example about Taiwan Semi Conductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) which is well known as a chip maker for leading American manufacturers like Dell Computer and HP and current issues in world’s economy.

  Cha Ga Young (Florencha), a student at Keimyung University, spent a semester at Ateneo De Manila University in the Philippines. Ga Young encountered a number of initial obstacles, but was to overcome them and have a truly rewarding experience, thanks to the help of the Ateneo Student Exchange Council.

Everything was a challenge for me in the Philippine. I had to speak, listen, read and write in English, clean my own room and wash my own clothes, For a few weeks I felt isolated, but this feeling was not to last long. 

Through the ASEC (Ateneo Student Exchange Council) general assembly, I met a lot of exchange students from various countries and I became friends with them.

Every exchange students has a one on one Filipino buddy from ASEC. My buddy was an exchange student who stayed in Korea. She could share a lot of Korean memories with me.

ASEC also had plenty of programs for us. They celebrated exchange student’s birthday, brought us to nice sightseeing places such as Tagaytay , La Union and Sagada. They explained information sincerely about these places. After sightseeing, we tried traditional Filipino dishes altogether. I could understand Filipino culture much easier.

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