NCCU in Taiwan

It's the student-run blog with the purpose of introducing NCCU in Taiwan to students around the world. http://nccuintaiwan.blog.co.uk/

[nccuintaiwan]

Nothing is impossible, impossible is nothing.

Story by Kelly Wang and Piece Lai

National Chengchi University’s (NCCU) doors are always open to all international students coming from different backgrounds. This year, the Office of International Cooperation (OIC) welcomes Ms. Geraldine Miranda from Georgetown University as an exchange student to study at the International Master's Programs in Asia-Pacific Studies (IMAS).

Always a fearless fighter, despite her parents’ worries about her health condition, Geraldine dreams to be a diplomat and was determined to come to Taiwan to study Politics in Asia. Suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Geraldine is a living proof that it is possible to exist without special nursing care and assistance. SMA is a rare hereditary disease characterized by general muscle wasting and progressive loss of movements. Overall muscle weakness has confined her to wheelchair and affected her mobility considerably. Even confronting with the difficulties SMA brings to her daily life, she believes ‘When one door closes, someone will always be there to help you open another.

Born in Texas and growing up in Arizona, with parents immigrating from Mexico, Geraldine has since young developed her interest in languages. In addition to Spanish, French and English, she spent six months in Korea to learn the language in 2012 and moved further her learning of Chinese since 2013.‘The Chinese words are more beautiful, and I especially love the intonations of Cantonese,’ which she is now self-studying, she praised. Certainly SMA did not stop Geraldine from continuing her studies in Taiwan. Earlier this June, she was advancing her Chinese in National Taiwan Normal University on Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, activities of daily living supported by Taiwan Disability-Free Association. Since she was accepted to NCCU, Ms. Melody Chang, Incoming Exchange Coordinator at OIC, has been in constant contact with her, making sure she has all the assistance needed.

Secretary Jen at OIC also recruited a group of 20 volunteer NCCU students to take shifts helping Geraldine with her daily care like grooming, bathing, toileting, dressing, wheelchair, etc. Geraldine admitted that she really appreciates OIC arrangement which is unprecedented for her.

During her stay in Korea, an organization conditioned the support given to her asking Geraldine to hire a helper from the United States, whom she would need to pay 16 hours per day.‘But I don’t need someone to take care me for 16 hours a day,’ she said. It is a lot more efficient to have students’ help based on her necessity, and it is also a great opportunity for her to meet new local friends and practice Chinese with them.

To speed up the training process of the volunteer students, Secretary Jen consulted Mrs. Cheng, wife of a NCCU janitor, for professional nursing advices. For two weeks in a row, Jen arrived at Geraldine’s as early as 6:00 a.m to personally make sure Geraldine had been receiving a proper care. Geraldine was also amazed when Jen, after Geraldine’s exhausting trip to Hong Kong for visa, paid a visit to her one evening bringing a lot of food with her. ‘Joyce (Secretary Jen) is really nice and humble! She takes care of me just like my mother.’ she shared.

In addition to the assistance provided by OIC, Geraldine also named a list of classmates from IMAS who help her borrow books from the library, print hand-outs, and run other errands. Director of IMAS, Prof Calvin Lin, who is paying close attention to this case, has also been regularly updated with Geraldine’s learning process and new life in Taiwan.

Touched by all the warm hearts she encountered at NCCU, Geraldine is not regretting the decision she made to explore Taiwan, even though it was difficult to adapt to the new environment at first. Geraldine’s positive attitude towards life and learning is a great example for other SMA friends, proving that everything is possible.

News from Silkroad - Nov/Dec 2014 NCCU OIC Newslette ISSUE.49

[nccuintaiwan]

Exotic atmosphere highlight of Culture Cup

By Anderson Shen, Campus Reporter

Songs delivered in various languages became the highlight of this year’s Culture Cup, held on Dec.6 at the National Chengchi University (NCCU).

During the annual choir competition, students of different academic departments competed for the top prize by trying to deliver their best singing performances.

The championship title went to the team from the Department of Business Administration, which chose the song “Balleilakka.” The song was sung in the Indian dialect of the Tamil language. Students from the department were all excited about winning the championship, getting on the stage after the award ceremony to celebrate their victory.

“The most important thing that I did was to develop everyone’s power,” said Jiang Sing-rong, the conductor of the singing team.

The Department of Public Finance, which was the champion last year, won the second prize this year. They sang a traditional Indian song called “Dwijavanthi” in the style of a cappella. Members of the team impressed the audiences with their clever use of human voices to mimic a variety of traditional Indian instruments.

The College of Communication’s undergraduate degree program secured the third place by singing an Indonesia folk song “Sinten Nunggang Sepur.” Students in the singing group used a lot of props to illustrate the image of transportation in Indonesia. With their creativity and a nice voice, the group won a big applause after they finished.

The Department of Law and the Department of International Business obtained the fourth and the fifth prizes, respectively. The former presented their songs in Japanese and the latter sang an aboriginal folk song from the Northern Europe.

The Department of Money And Banking sang “Kyrie” in Latin to pray for god’s blessing, which helped them win the sixth place. The team also won the award for the best piano accompanist.

The sixth-place winners also included the Department of Psychology, the Department of Chinese Literature, the Department of Sociology and the Department of Accounting.

The last performance in the Culture Cup was the special presentation from the choir of the elderly alumni of NCCU. Watching them perform on stage, many students took out their cameras to record the touching moment.

Psychology sophomore student Huang Wei-jie won the award for the best conductor.

“I was the conductor of Chien Kuo High School’s Marching Band, through which I built up many experiences of conducting. I consider that the conductor is not just a person who knows how to the count the beats, but someone who can inspire all the members to sing the song with feelings.”

NCCU Campus News

http://www.nccu.edu.tw/news?id=54913639a363364dce000005?category_id=4f9d8e0144f3e222ba0000cd

[nccuintaiwan]

Broadening student horizon top priority for new OIC D

By Karen Liu, Campus Reporter

Lin Yue-Yun, the new dean of Office of International Cooperation (OIC), said she hoped that students in National Chengchi University (NCCU) could realize that becoming a person with international perspective not only requires a strong English skill but also tolerance for different cultures.

“Every student should learn to broaden their horizons and show concern for what is happening around the world,” Lin said. “However, it is a pity that some students only focus on the development of the Chinese-language area. They are not sensitive enough to follow the trends in other parts of the world.”

Lin said it is difficult to expect every student to study abroad or attend activities in foreign countries because not all the families can afford trips overseas, adding that she hopes to turn the campus into an international environment.

“We made an English handbook introducing various extracurricular activities offered by different student clubs on campus to international students,” Lin said.

Lin further promised to increase more opportunities for NCCU students to interact with foreign students.

“They can try working together, such as holding social events or sport competitions. Hanging out together will be a great choice too,” she said.

“If possible, I plan to propose a new project, which provides opportunities for professors to interact with one another as well.”

Lin added that not only students but also professors in NCCU could participate in the overseas exchange program and experience different methods when teaching students from other countries. She said that OIC will also set up several teaching accounts for professors in other countries to set up curriculums in NCCU.

“NCCU could then gain more educational resources from overseas ,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lin proposed a more efficient way to utilize the university’s dormitories.

“Every summer vacation, the dorm rooms in the International House (I-House) will become vacant. I consider it a feasible idea to hold a summer school in the I-House. By doing so, we can not only make a better use of those vacant rooms but also create a space for NCCU students to learn how to organize a camp, ” Lin said.

Lin further encouraged those interested in being exchange students in foreign countries to find out what they want to pursue first, adding that they should also make sure that they are well-prepared and know the motivations of studying in other countries.

“For example, they should do a thorough and detailed research before they leave. They need to focus on not only learning the language but also learning the local customs. They then can have a deeper appreciation of the country,” Lin said.

Lin further suggested that students who plan to go on overseas exchange programs save more money in advance, adding that doing so allows them to have more opportunities to go traveling instead of staying at school all the time.

News from NCCU

http://www.nccu.edu.tw/news?id=549131e4a363364598000006?category_id=4f9d8dea44f3e222ba0000cb

[nccuintaiwan]

Language Cafe – An array of cultures and delicacies

On November 29th, IMBA students hosted a Language Cafe on campus, inviting all students to join in on this cultural exchange. The idea of a Language Cafe was inspired by a similar activity conducted at the annual IMBA Leadership and Team Building workshop earlier this year. Language Cafes have been set up all over the world and in different locations, whether that is on a university campus or a local restaurant. It takes language learning and culture sharing in an exciting direction.

  Students bought along dishes from their own countries and shared different aspects of their culture with one another. With lively music playing in the background, students bonding over great food, it was a truly successful event. The food ranged from Indian to Taiwanese to French to Thai, providing a great variety for attendees to enjoy. In the Language Cafe students shared cultural interests, practiced speaking other languages, and just simply socialized. Such Language Cafes can be found in real cafes, bookshops, and even online.

  Many students bought along their specialty dishes that they cooked, allowing everyone to get a taste of their home cooking. In addition to food, some students also dressed up in their traditional attire, which added another element onto the core elements of the Language Cafe. Not only did students get closer to one another, they also took away something about the different cultures making up the IMBA student body.

  The informal, multicultural environment allowed students from all walks of life to share their varied interests. Although this was the first time such an event took place, the rave reviews by students ensure a similar event can take place in the future.

News from NCCU IMBA

http://imba.nccu.edu.tw/node/3502

[nccuintaiwan]

National Chengchi University advances to Regional Finals of 6th Annual Hult Prize in response to President Bill Clinton’s Early Childhood Education Challenge

Taipei, December 9,2014: The Hult Prize has recently announced the winning team from National Chengchi University that has advanced to the 6th annual regional finals of the competition. The Hult Prize is a crowdsourcing platform for social good, named one of the top five ideas changing the world by President Bill Clinton and TIME Magazine. In partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative, the innovative crowdsourcing platform identifies and launches disruptive and catalytic social ventures that aim to solve the planets most pressing challenges. This year, the Hult Prize is focused around finding solutions for the millions of slum dwellers around the world that are affected by Early Childhood Education– a challenge selected by President Bill Clinton.

The winning team members from National Chengchi University include Juan Diego Prudot (Honduras), Andres Escobar (El Salvador), An-nung Chen (Taiwan) and Taylor Scobbie (Canada).

The team competed in the Hult Prize at National Chengchi University event on December 6,2014 and built a solution to this year challenge by President Bill Clinton around Early Childhood Education. Their solution is enables edu-preneurs to run ECE micro-schools in urban slums by providing micro-financing, training, technical support and a revenue model based on providing wireless internet services to the community..

The team will now move on to compete at the Hult Prize regional finals in March 2015, which are being hosted at one of Hult International Business School’s five campuses in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai and Shanghai. National Chengchi University will compete in Dubai city.

Ahmad Ashkar, CEO and Founder of the Hult Prize attributes the success of the competition to the global youth revolution and said, “We continue to be moved by the large number of students from around the world who are capitalizing on the opportunity to develop business models that target the bottom of the pyramid. We wish every team the best of luck and thank National Chengchi University for supporting this initiative.”

Following the regional finals, one winning team from each host city will move into a summer business incubator, where participants will receive mentorship, advisory and strategic planning as they create prototypes and set-up to launch their new social business. The final round of competition will be hosted at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in September, where CGI delegates will select the annual Hult Prize winner. None other than President Bill Clinton himself will award the USD 1,000,000 Prize to the winning team.

“The Hult Prize is a wonderful example of the creative cooperation needed to build a world with shared opportunity, shared responsibility, and shared prosperity, and each year I look forward to seeing the many outstanding ideas the competition produces.” – President Bill Clinton, Founder, William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States.

News from NCCU IMBA

http://imba.nccu.edu.tw/node/3584

[nccuintaiwan]

Juan Diego Prudot - a brief yet meaningful experience last Fall semester

Juan Diego Prudot

Degree student

Home country : Honduras

Language : Spanish

I had a brief yet meaningful experience last Fall semester in 2013 while participating in an entrepreneurship competition at NCCU. Throughout it, I got to interact with teams of professionals from all around the world, with varied cultural and social backgrounds, prompting a wide range of ideas and visions. Being part of the environment that offers opportunities as well as challenges, and that combines academic aspects with interpersonal growth, has made it easy for me to seamlessly and positively integrate NCCU experience with my current and future life.

Escuchaba “Wake me up,” de Avicci, mientras levantaba mis manos para gesticular como si bailara en un concierto. No era una canción con la cual me identificara o se relacionara con la situación. Es más, apenas dos días atrás había aprendido cómo se llamaba. La escuchaba en ese momento, en el baño del sexto piso de Commerce Building en NCCU, porque me provocaba buen ánimo: sentirme positivo, que en lo que sea que hiciera iba a destacar. Necesitaba esa motivación porque en unos minutos iba a realizar una presentación de un plan de negocios ante un destacado panel de jueces con amplia experiencia en el área. Tenía que vender una idea de negocios en menos de cinco minutos, ¡tan solo cinco minutos! Era algo que jamás había intentado. El evento se trataba de la primera competencia de planes de negocio organizado por estudiantes del programa IMBA de NCCU. Mis compañeros de equipo me escogieron a mí para hacer esta presentación. No estaba seguro por qué, de lo que si estaba seguro era que si ellos creían en mí, lo menos que podía hacer era unirme a esa hipótesis. En la primera etapa de la competencia nos separaron en tres divisiones, cada una con cuatro o cinco equipos y un panel de tres jueces. El mejor equipo de cada división pasaría a competir a la final, donde serían evaluados por los nueve jueces.

Vale la pena decir lo fuertes que eran los equipos en nuestra división. Hubo una propuesta orientada a escr i tores y dos aplicaciones para teléfonos móviles: una que se veía muy avanzada pues analizaba caracteres chinos y facilitaba el aprendizaje del mandarín y otra para que las mujeres puedan organizar su guardarropa, aparentemente un problema común. La que más me impresionó fue una que permitía hacer jugar juegos online, realizar apuestas y a la vez realizar compras. Su presentación era concisa, sin titubeos, se veía el tiempo que habían dedicado en desarrollar un modelo de negocios que fuese rentable y resultara atractivo a inversionistas. Después de ver a los demás equipos recordé lo que les dije a mis compañeros cuando nos inscribimos en la competencia: “Pase lo que pase, lo importante es la experiencia de participar. Ganemos o perdamos: ¡siempre ganamos!” Era cierto, pero siendo sincero con quien lee esto: no me conformaba con solo participar. En realidad confiaba en que nuestra propuesta de negocios - un servicio que entregaba platillos internacionales y tradicionales preparados en casa - era ganadora.

Cuando llegó mi momento de pasar el frente, no puedo mentir, trastabillé al inicio por los nervios, pero después todo fluyó; los reiterados ensayos de la presentación surtieron efecto. Después de la deliberación de los jueces que se sintió eterna, nos comunicaron que habíamos sido elegidos para pasar a la final. Había que sacudir de inmediato el pasmo, pues solo nos dieron quince minutos para analizar si haríamos pequeñas modificaciones y luego pasamos a la última etapa. Al final, quedamos en segundo lugar de un total de trece equipos; una gran emoción compartida.

Relato esta historia, pues ha sido la mejor experiencia que he tenido desde que en agosto llegué aquí procedente de mi país, Honduras. Además del aprendizaje que obtuve, las sensaciones nuevas y el proceso de desarrollar ideas de forma colectiva, esta experiencia comprende varias de las razones por las cuales decidí venir a estudiar en NCCU. Antes de inscribirme, cuando veía el panfleto promocional del IMBA de NCCU, me llamaba la atención (además de las acreditaciones del programa) el enfoque internacional que garantizaba el intercambio cultural del día a día. Taiwán, al ser una puerta de entrada al mercado de China, me permitiría encontrar profesionales ambiciosos, ávidos de CREAR. La competencia fue una pequeña muestra de esto. Hubo personas de todos los continentes, con distintas áreas de especialización, formas de pensamiento y expresión. El jurado estaba formado por empresarios exitosos, miembros de la facultad y reconocidos invitados con los cuales no tendría contacto en una institución sin renombre, y que con una sola pregunta podían poner a prueba la sostenibilidad de todo un plan de negocios. Lo cual me lleva a otra de mis razones: salir de mi zona de confort. Aunque mis estudios y experiencia laboral sean en Ingeniería y Tecnología respectivamente, busqué un programa que me presentase retos, me obligase a romper miedos, socializar, presentar en público y al final obtener riqueza al aprender de personas, además de aprender de los libros.

Aunque procure hacer actividades distintas para no caer en monotonía, he desarrollado algunos hábitos como estudiante de NCCU que he adoptado con toda naturalidad. El ambiente que incentiva relacionarse con todos sin prejuicios y reservas me hace desenvolverme socialmente con más facilidad. El viaje en bicicleta de ida y vuelta del campus ayuda mi salud. Y cada vez que quiero, salgo a correr al lado del río y hacer ejercicio al aire libre en las barras instaladas para ello. Al tener compañeros tan determinados, hay un ambiente que incentiva la auto-superación, el que va mejor marca el paso y nadie se puede quedar atrás. Esto último ha sido clave para no tirar la toalla con los estudios de mandarín que, frustrantes a veces, sé que representan una de las cosas más valiosas que me llevaré de aquí. Mis compañeros, el programa, la universidad y la ciudad, realmente todo me hace sentir estar en el lugar adecuado en el momento correcto. Me lleva a pensar, como dice la canción de Avicci: “No puedo decir dónde el viaje terminará. Pero sé dónde comienza.” En fin, parece que si me identifico un poco.

[nccuintaiwan]

Shirley Mak - over time I have grown to cherish each one of them...

Shirley Mak

Chinese Language Center student

Home country : USA

Language : English

The first time I saw NCCU, I was taken in by the campus' rustic beauty but also intimidated by the challenges that it represented, both physically and mentally. Climbing the hill every day to get to class on upper campus isn’t easy, similar to learning a new language, whose terrain is unfamiliar and a little scary. I chose to attend NCCU because the peaceful surroundings were tempting, but I soon realized that things are not always as easy as they seem. My journey at NCCU has had its share of challenges, but over time I have grown to cherish each one of them.

I remember the first time I stepped onto NCCU’s campus. I had landed in Taiwan the night before, in the midst of a heavy typhoon, the wind and rains slamming into the windows of my hostel like the fists of an angry child. Because of the ongoing bad weather, there were only a handful of students around, but one of them took a brief look at the wrinkled map I had in my hand and pointed ahead into the mountains.

I chose to study at NCCU because the campus, tucked away into one of the more rural areas of Taipei, promised peace and quiet. After living near Japan’s capital for the past year and half, with its neon lights and endless line of bars and clubs, I was hoping for some place to better focus on learning one of the world’s most difficult languages. There would be no better place to concentrate, I thought, than in an area surrounded by nature’s beauty.

As I made my way up the hill that day, I could feel beads of sweat dripping off my back. My only map had dissolved into unintelligible bits and pieces, and I still had no idea where the International Building was. All I saw while trudging along in my wet socks and dripping back were masses of trees and a sign that said: “Beware of snakes.” Was I at an actual university or alone in the wilderness somewhere?

The path along the hill seemed never-ending. After what felt like an hour, I was beginning to feel downtrodden for the first time since I had arrived. As I debated whether to move forward or head back, I spotted a lone man walking down in the opposite direction. He told me that I had taken a wrong path and needed to make my way back. Resigned, I resolved to come back another day.

A few months later, I entered to run a 10- kilometer race at NCCU with some friends. None of us knew the actual trail route until the day of the event, and we were shocked by how many hills we had to cross within the first half of the race. I found my calves burning as I pounded my way up what seemed like the tenth consecutive hill. As I slowed to a jog to catch my breath, I paused to take in the scenery for the first time. The trees, the gravelly trail, the overcast sky…I realized that I had seen it all before, that day I had taken a wrong turn in the rain and ended up far, far away from the International Building. I was back where I had started.

It turned out I had come to the right place after all, but perhaps not for the reasons I had originally thought. Over the past few months, my Chinese has progressed significantly since I had first landed, unable to ask a stranger even a coherent question regarding directions. Over time, character by character, I have somehow made some sense out of what seemed like a never ending path of indecipherable symbols and sounds. Now I could not only ask for directions in Chinese but give them as well, to incoming students as clueless as I once was. But the best part of it all was: I knew I still didn’t have all the answers. The more I learned – from my teachers, my classmates, and myself – the more I wanted to know.

Gradually, I realized that I originally came to NCCU for the peaceful surroundings, but in the end the peace I felt came primarily from within me and my willingness to adapt to the environment around me. Peace and knowledge, I realized, were not destinations but journeys. Perhaps the real lesson of attending a school atop a hill is that every day is a journey and therefore an opportunity, even for an action as simple as walking up the hill to your classroom. Some days are harder than others, but personal growth can come from even the smallest of challenges.

Thinking back on the past few months at NCCU, I couldn’t help but smile as I resumed running, feeling the faint trickle of a breeze tickling my back as I moved forward.

[nccuintaiwan]

María Olmedo Jimenez - learning Mandarin in such great location and environment

María Olmedo Jimenez

Exchange student Home country : Spain

Home university : Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)

Language : English

My name is Maria Olmedo. I am a 41 year-old mature student who came to Taiwan from Ireland to study at NCCU as part of a university exchange program. I chose a track that includes learning Mandarin, because Mandarin has become one of the most competitive languages in the world of business. After a visit of two OIC (Office of International Cooperation) representatives to my home university in 2012, I decided that I wanted to come to Taiwan, instead of going to China. My experience at NCCU and in Taiwan has been great so far. I consider myself privileged to be learning Mandarin in such great location and environment.

My name is Maria Olmedo. I am a 41 year old mature student, who came to Taiwan from Ireland to study Mandarin at NCCU as part of a university exchange program. I am Spanish, but I have lived in Ireland for the last 14 years.

My circumstances in Taiwan are a bit different from those of many other exchange students: I am not only twice their age, but I am also depending on the Irish government for financial aid to pay my way here. This academic year in Taiwan is part of a four year degree on Chinese and International Business, a degree that the Irish government is fully paying or because I became unemployed and was unable to find a new job for a long time.

I chose to study a degree that includes Mandarin courses because Mandarin has become one of the most competitive languages in the world of business. After becoming unemployed, I knew that I had to recycle myself. I had lost my competitive edge. My work experience was no longer enough to get me back in the game; education was the only way forward, and globalisation had made mastering several foreign languages a high priority for recruiting companies.

As a student in DIT university in Dublin, I had the option to study Mandarin through simplified or traditional characters. I chose to learn both from the start as I tried to get a competitive advantage over my fellow students, themselves already at an advantage point given their youth. Learning both sets of characters and getting good results in my exams allowed me to choose my destination for year three of our degree. There were two universities in mainland China, both in Beijing besides NCCU to choose from. Both universities in Beijing had good points about them. There were also advantages and disadvantages on choosing NCCU for my year abroad. NCCU has a very good reputation as a university, but Taipei is quite a westernised city, with a higher cost of living than some other Asian cities, and it is a place where speaking English becomes an “easy way out” far too often, so I remained undecided for a very long time.

Things changed in October 2012, when we received the visit of Caroline Tsai and Kelly Wang, from the Office of International Cooperation (OIC), NCCU, at our home university in Ireland. They prepared a very compelling presentation about Taiwan and NCCU, showing all the beautiful places and amazing food this country has to offer. It also introduced us to student life at NCCU, and I knew at that time that my choice was made--I was going to come to Taiwan.

My experience in NCCU has been simply wonderful so far. Everybody working both at the OIC and at the International Building office is incredibly helpful. Buddy Program allowed me to meet the most caring, dedicated Taiwanese girl I have ever known. Li Wen not only found me the best apartment to live in, she has also become a close friend, and I have been privileged enough to spend the Chinese New Year with her and her family.

Classes at NCCU are great. The Mandarin teachers I have had in these two semesters have been wonderful. They have always gone beyond their obligations as teachers, and have made sure that our learning is not only academic, but cultural at a deep level as well with them often spending their own free time with us. Their encouragement and support have seen me through all my frustrations not being able to master my tones in Chinese as quickly as I would have liked. I can blame no one but myself for that, though. I am too afraid of making mistakes and making a fool of myself. I must try to overcome this fear for the remaining of my stay here.

One of the good habits I picked up, encouraged by the teachers, is practicing with a language partner. We do a Spanish-Chinese exchange. It was a big surprise to me that so many NCCU students are learning Spanish as a third language. Our exchange is very relaxed, not at all academic, just two girls going out for dinner and a chat. It is great fun. Coincidentally, my partner's chosen Spanish name is Rosario, which happens to be my middle name, and we were both born on the same day. I certainly wasn't expecting that!

I also love the NCCU campus. I walk along the river every day, and then up the hill to the International Building. I enjoy every minute of that walk. The views are breathtaking, and I often come across all these elderly people doing physical exercise first thing in the morning. I love their vitality. One of my favourite pastimes, as I walk to and from university, is watching the local fauna. There are so many animals living around NCCU. I particularly love the herons and the gorgeous kingfisher, cleverly catching the silver fish swimming downstream.

Extracurricular activities have been great fun, too. Everything is either free or incredibly cheap, but very interesting and helpful towards making us practice our spoken Chinese more often. I have learnt Bopomofo, created lots of things in the Arts & Crafts Club, learnt about Taiwanese cuisine and I even tried out writing Chinese calligraphy with my left hand!

All of them, Taiwan, Taipei, and NCCU have made a big impact in my life. I have learnt a lot about the Taiwanese people in the past five months: about their patience, kindness and generosity towards foreigners. Every day in Taipei has the potential for a new adventure. Apart from visiting temples, attending exhibitions and musical performances, I have had the best time taking part, together with many other students from NCCU, in the LGTB Pride parade. I was also proud to represent my own university, DIT, at the Study Abroad Fair organised by OIC.

More recently, and thanks to my buddy at NCCU, I was part of the audience at the TV singing competition series “Super Star”. During the recording of the show, I was asked to comment in English on one of the performances. The whole thing is now uploaded on YouTube, so I guess I have had my “15 Minutes of Fame,” which was really fun.

In the last week, I have also met lots of new people outside NCCU circles because I have finally managed to start training with a local Dragon Boat team. This was my main goal other than learning the language and culture when I arrived in Taiwan. Training with a Taiwanese coach who doesn't speak English is challenging, but it helps me brush up my Chinese a lot. Hopefully the next four months are going be filled with a lot more learning, travelling, new adventures and of course, plenty of Dragon Boat paddling practice!

[nccuintaiwan]

Information about online application for overseas Chinese students and students from Hong Kong & Macau applying for admission to NCCU for fall 2015

1. Application period: The application is open from 09:00 (GMT +8) Wednesday, November 19, 2014 to 17:00 (GMT +8) Friday, December 19, 2014. (Late application will not be processed.)

2. Application procedure: The applicants have to complete the online application (Application system for overseas Chinese students: http://ocsexam.nccu.edu.tw/ocsexam/ ) firstly and then print the application documents and send them together with other required materials to NCCU.

3. Please find the important notification concerning online application

http://www.nccu.edu.tw/gridfs/assets/bulletin_file/file/546971bba3633604c0000008/ACApaper_104overseas_EN.pdf

[nccuintaiwan]

NCCU in Taiwan

[nccuintaiwan]

NCCU Admission brochure for overseas Chinese students and students from Hong Kong & Macau 2015

Full information:

http://aca.nccu.edu.tw/eng/p1-news_detail.asp?id=445

  Life at NCCU in Taiwan:

http://nccuintaiwan.blog.co.uk/

[nccuintaiwan]

Young voters key in the Indian General Election

By Oscar Ko, Campus Reporter

Securing the support from young voters was key in helping the opposition party in India win the General Election this year, an expert said in a conference at the National Chengchi University (NCCU) on Sept. 26.   The conference, held by India Research Center (IRC), allowed experts on Indian politics to present research papers regarding the general election in the South Asian country this year.   India-Taipei Association Director General Manish Chauhan attended the opening ceremony and wished that the participants could have a good discussion.   The democratic election, held from April 7 to May 12, was the biggest one in the world because it had about 800 million voters. More than 8,000 candidates competed for 543 seats of Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s parliament.   The final result showed that the challenger Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 282 seats, but incumbent Indian National Congress (INC) only got 44. Narenda Modi, the leader of BJP, became the Prime Minister in India. The INC lost power and faced its biggest failure in its history.   Cheng Tuan-yao, a former researcher of the NCCU’s Institute of International Relations (IIR), said that the crucial part of the election was 102 million young people and 3 million middle-class voters. He said that the younger generation wanted a more efficient government and they wanted to improve their life or job opportunities.   “Modi succeeded by understanding the young voters, who wanted the government to change and to innovate,” he said.   Cheng also said that young people have weaker feelings about the Gandhi family, which was the legacy of the ruling INC.   “The election in India could serve as a reference to the Taiwanese government,” he added. In the world full of challenges and competition, Cheng said that young people are worried about their future, adding that the political parties should heed the needs of the young voters.   Cheng also encouraged students in NCCU to monitor the issues in India, and taking Indian-related courses and attending a conference on the same subject are good ways to understand this emerging economy.   Ding Shu-fan, director of IIR, pointed out the value of this conference.   “In the past, we focused on the national security policies in India, but we did not emphasize its domestic policies,” he said.  Ding regarded the former as an extension of the latter, and he was glad to see the missing link being addressed.   Wu Der-yuan, an associate researcher in the institute, said that the results of the election did not mean that INC was out of the Indian politics.   His presentation showed that INC won 29 percent of the popular votes and BJP secured 18 percent in 2009. By 2014, BJP obtained 31 percent of the votes, but INC only won 19 percent.   Wu said that there was not a significant change in the percentages of the votes garnered by the ruling and opposition parties.   “Historically, the INC regained power in 1980 and 2004. The wisdom of the party’s leaders will determine the future of INC,” he said.

[nccuintaiwan]

Welcome Incoming Exchange Students to NCCU in Taiwan

[nccuintaiwan]

NCCU Orientation for International Students

http://nccuintaiwan.blog.co.uk/

NCCU OIC holds mandarin-speaking orientation for international students

By Winnie Tsai, NCCU Campus Reporter

The Office of International Cooperation (OIC) in the National Chengchi University (NCCU) held for the first time an orientation session in Mandarin Chinese for international students on Sept. 11 due to the increase in the number of incoming students from China.

A total of 120 Chinese-speaking international students attended the orientation. Most of the attendants came from NCCU’s partner universities in China, while the others were from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, etc.

During the session, the elements of Taiwanese popular cultures were used to introduce NCCU, which drew laughers among the attendants.

The office’s dean Chen Shu-heng encouraged the international students to seize the opportunity of interacting with different cultures and environments, since it is a good way to know one’s limitation and become a better person.

NCCU Pilot, a club specializing in offering campus guided tours, followed the format of the popular Chinese reality show “Where are we going, Dad?” to introduce the food, housing, transportation, education and entertainment facilities around the university.

NCCU Pilot also mentioned the NCCU alumni famous in China while introducing the academic departments at the university, such as the TV shows host Matilda Tao and lawyer Arthur Hsieh.

Tao and Hsieh are alumni of the journalism and law departments, respectively.

“Safety should also be an important issue for international students,” said Chiu Yu-lin, tutor of NCCU Gender Equity Education Committee.

“The concept of Gender Equity Education Act has not been introduced to the university campus in China,” Chiu said, adding that there are increasing cases of young people being sexually abused after they were drunk in the night clubs in Taiwan. She said that it is vital for international students to know how to protect themselves from sexual harassment and discrimination.

Exchange student from Japan, Ayaka Taniguchi, said that she is interested in the studies of the cross-strait relations, adding that she chose NCCU for its reputed China Studies program.

Chinese exchange student Wang Yin said that she came to Taiwan to study civil and commercial saws, since these two laws in China were stipulated by using the ones in Taiwan as a frame of reference.

Meanwhile, an orientation session in English was held at the Si-Wei Hall as well, attended by 400 exchange students from around the world. To greet the students, the hall was decorated with Taiwanese patterns and the Taiwanese delicacies were served as snacks.

[nccuintaiwan]

Emerging Markets Trainees Subsidy－ Emerging Markets Trade Pioneers Project

http://nccuintaiwan.blog.co.uk/

To assist Taiwanese enterprises in recruiting overseas sales specialists from the emerging markets, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has initiated the Emerging Markets Trade Pioneers Project. This project sponsored by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, MOEA, is aimed to facilitate trade communication between Taiwanese companies and non-English speaking buyers from the emerging markets.

Qualified candidates for overseas sales specialist position will be provided short-term intensive marketing training in Taiwan by the recruiting Taiwanese companies. The Taiwanese enterprises and their chosen trainees who have been approved for participation in the project may enjoy travel incentives offered by TAITRA, such as flight tickets (for emerging market trainees) and local transportation and accommodation allowances. Please check the attached file for more information.

The incentive program is offered to only those Taiwanese enterprises looking for overseas sales specialists in the following emerging economies: Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

To contact us overseas, please check online at http://www.taiwantrade.com.tw

  Local contact information: Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Ms. Sofia Lu Tel: [phone] ext.1518 Fax: [phone] Email: [email protected]

[nccuintaiwan]

12th International Symposium on Smart Graphics

http://nccuintaiwan.blog.co.uk/

International Symposium on Smart Graphics is the first time held in Taiwan. Dept of Computer Science, National Chengchi University is supportive for the Symposium. Besides 15 papers being announced, the professor from CS department, University of Tokyo, and the professor from Computer Science, University of Toronto are invited to share their speeches.

The event is held at National Chengchi University, Taiwan. It attracts more than 70 international students from America, France, Italy, Spain, India, China and Hong Kong.

ABOUT SMART GRAPHICS

The International Symposium on Smart Graphics will bring together researchers from Computer Graphics, Visualization, Art & Graphics Design, Cognitive Psychology and Artificial Intelligence, all working on different aspects of computer-generated graphics and the user experiences they enable. This year's meeting will be held in Taipei, Taiwan.

Advances in computer graphics have made visual media the heart of the user interface, and it is clear that graphics will play a dominant role in knowledge work, entertainment, and the home. Indeed, as computers become more and more pervasive, and display sizes both increase and decrease, new and challenging problems arise for the effective use and generation of computer graphics.

SCOPE

Smart Graphics is grounded in a deep understanding of human abilities, activities, and desires. This understanding arises through the integration of fields such as art, design, and the social, cognitive, and perceptual sciences. Insights are realized in the form of novel methods for producing and interacting with rich graphical displays often utilizing established techniques from Computer Graphics, Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Science in general.

Information from Smartgraphics.org

For full info- http://www.smartgraphics.org/sg14/#about

[nccuintaiwan]

2014 international conference on innovation studies

  http://nccuintaiwan.blog.co.uk/

“Innovation” has already entered the mainstream lexicon. At a time when every company and every country is actively pursuing innovation, what is it that allows innovation to create real value? Besides technological innovations, are there other forms of innovation that can improve human life? Where do the innovative ideas that have important social impacts come from? Can innovations be extended to create economic value? Does trans-disciplinary research bring new perspectives? These are the issues surrounding innovation theories and their social practice that are being actively explored around the world.

In a rapidly changing and highly competitive environment, new organizational patterns, new thoughts, new business models, new communications media, new forms of e-commerce, and newly decoded neuroscientific insights emerge daily. These are all expressions of innovation. Thus, this conference focuses on cross-disciplinary and cross-border interaction in order to stimulate innovative thinking. In addition, reflecting the importance of the social practices of innovation for creating real value, the main theme for this conference is Innovation Studies and Social Practices: Trans-disciplinary Dialogue. We sincerely invite scholars and experts from cognitive neuroscience, communications, information technology and service industries, future imagination, and cultural and creative industries to participate in this conference.

■ Important Dates • Abstract Submission Deadline: June 9, 2014 (Mon.) • Notification of Abstract Acceptance: June 30, 2014 (Mon.) • Early Bird Registration Deadline: August 31, 2014 (Sun.) • Registration Deadline for Accepted Presenters: September 14, 2014 (Sun.) • Full paper Submission Deadline: September 29, 2014 (Mon.) • Registration Payment Deadline: October 15, 2014 (Wed.) • Notification of Presentation Schedule: October 30, 2014 (Thur.) • Conference Dates: November 15-16, 2014 (Sat./Sun.)

Contact Email: [email protected]

Early Bird Registration （2014/07/15-2014/08/31） Regular Participant: NT$900 / US$35 Student: NT$500 / US$20

Note Cancellation of registration must be made before October 24th, 2014, by e-mailing to the conference secretariat ([email protected]). 50% of the registration payments will be refunded if a written cancellation is received by October 24th, 2014.

Registration Fee include: 1) Attendance to the conference. 2) Book of abstracts and proceedings. 3) Coffee breaks and lunches.

Regular Registration（2014/09/01-2014/10/15） Regular Participant: NT$1000 / US$40 Student: NT$600 / US$25

Note Cancellation of registration must be made before October 24th, 2014, by e-mailing to the conference secretariat ([email protected]). 50% of the registration payments will be refunded if a written cancellation is received by October 24th, 2014.

Registration Fee include: 1) Attendance to the conference. 2) Book of abstracts and proceedings. 3) Coffee breaks and lunches.

How to Registration Please use Telegraphic Transfer, remark "2014 International Conference on Innovation Studies," and inform the sender name([email protected]).

Bank Name: First Commercial Bank, MUH JAH BRANCH Swift Code: FCBKTWTPXXX Account Number: 16730106106 Account Name: NATIONAL CHENGCHI UNIVERSITY 401 dedicated account Address: NO.11, BAO YI ROAD, WENSHAN 116, TAIPEI, TAIWAN, R.O.C.

For more info- http://conference.nccu.edu.tw/actnews/index.php?Sn=97