NSLI-Y Chinese

I'm Becca! I'm a two time NSLI-Y Chinese participant, and I plan on spending a good majority of my life abroad. This blog is to document my experiences but also to be a resource for anyone applying to NSLI-Y or interested in living/studying abroad. Feel free to ask questions!

[whereisbecca]

omg hello those who still follow this blog!

I am seriously so sorry about the way I generally dropped writing but my life in Taiwan is very busy and easily overwhelming so I ended up prioritizing sleep over writing and I regret it but that’s what it has come to :/ I’ll give a little brief list of the things I’ve been up!

- I went with my host mom and fellow NSLI-Y kids to Kending, a beautiful beach town in Pingdong County, right south of Kaohsiung and the southernmost tip of Taiwan

- The whole iEARN crew was invited to Thanksgiving dinner at the AIT director’s house and it was delicious and actually real Thanksgiving food 

- I attended Kaoshiung pride which was totally awesome to see! Same sex marriage is legal in the US, but it’s not in Taiwan, so it’s so awesome to be able to be here whlie watching all this change and peaceful protest to take place. Taiwan’s government is on its way to being the first Asian country to legalize same sex marriage

- CLC went on break for two weeks so our tutors taught us! It was a very chill and much needed two weeks

- I cut my hair! Why? I’m still not sure but I got bangs and I’m still trying to figure out how to handle them

- The crew went to Meinong (a Hakka village) and had a cool afternoon with an elementary school there. I learned a few words in Hakka, and I seriously appreciate how diverse Taiwan is! Came to learn Chinese, but have actually learned a little bit of three languages!

- My plant class ended :( I had an awesome nine weeks with that class, I am the proud mother of many plants. 

- I had a birthday party! It was a joint party with my host sister, Ziyun, so there were American friends and her Taiwanese friends together and it was fun!

- I had an actual birthday! I turned 19 and I feel like a grandma

- We went to Taipei! For 3 days! I was pretty sick the whole time (I had a nasty side effect to a medicine I was taking that caused me to being extremely dizzy and lightheaded) so it wasn’t as fun as it could have been but I still enjoyed my time! I saw pandas and the National Palace Museum AND managed to give a successful speech in Chinese when I wasn’t sure which way was up so it was good

- I went to Jiayi and Alishan with my host mom! My host uncle lives in Jiayi with his family so I got to meet him, his wife, and his two daughters who are about my sisters’ ages. They were super nice and we had a really nice time! Alishan is also SO BEAUTIFUL I’m super into trees

- We had our program Christmas party!!! It was just such a GOOD night, my family was having fun, my sisters were loving it, my friends were having a good time, just overall Good

- My family went to Taipei together to celebrate the New Year! We did a really fun stuff including watching the fireworks at the Taipei 101 (the Taiwanese equivalent to going to Times Square and watching the ball drop, big deal) and then we went to a volcano!! Also walked around Taiwan University

- My host mom and I went to Hualian! Hualian is known as the most beautiful place in Taiwan and wow it did not disappoint! It’s on the Northeastern coast of the island and is right on the edge of a tectonic plate so the ocean hits right up against gigantic cliffs oh it’s so beautiful! Taroko Gorge! OH MAN

- I got this weekend off so I can finally sleep! I’ve been super busy these last few weeks so it has been so nice to sleep!!!

I’m sorry that I haven’t been keeping up with this blog but trust that I am having a wonderful time and keeping myself busy! As always, if you have questions about my experiences definitely ask! Even though I don’t post often I do still check on it frequently enough. Alrighty see ya!

[potato-salad]

Hey I’m back with a fun thing and no life updates lol

Tonight was our program Christmas party, and we rewrote and performed 12 Days of Christmas but as 12 Days of Taiwan and here it is! 12 Days of Christmas

第一天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 一個美麗島(on the first day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me a one beautiful island)

第二天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 兩個夜市 (on the second day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me two night markets)

第三天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 三杯雞 (on the third day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me three cup chicken (a traditional Taiwanese dish))

第四天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 四天在醫院 (on the fourth day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me four days in the hospital)

第五天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 五杯奶茶 (on the fifth day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me five cups of milk tea)

第六天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 六顆QQ蛋 (on the sixth day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me six sweet potato balls)

第七天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 七 個紅豆餅 (on the seventh day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me seven red bean cakes)

第八天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 八 個NSLI-Y 學生 (on the eighth day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me eight NSLI-Y students)

第九天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 九 個接待家庭 (on the ninth day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me nine host families)

第十天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 十個鳳梨酥 (on the tenth day of Christmas Taiwan gave to me ten pineapple cakes)

第十一天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 十一 個小籠包 (on the eleventh day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me eleven soup dumplings)

第十二天的聖誕節，台灣送給我 十二生肖 (on the twelfth day of Christmas, Taiwan gave to me twelve zodiacs)

and that’s it! It was a super awesome night!

[whereisbecca]

Omg sorry I haven't posted in more than a month (???? what the heck becca) but I just thought I would talk about how cool my Chinese name (盛瑞昀 sheng4 rui4 yun2) is like it literally means abundant lucky sunshine and like the imagery is lots of fun especially when you consider that my last name, which means abundant, is most typically used to describe flowers blooming and like I'm all about flowers and sunshine tbh like that's my whole personality

[whereisbecca]

Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for, and I’m sorry we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country. But I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built together—this vast, diverse, creative, unruly, energized campaign. You represent the best of America, and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I know how disappointed you feel, because I feel it too. And so do tens of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this effort. This is painful, and it will be for a long time. But I want you to remember this: Our campaign was never about one person or even one election. It was about the country we love—and about building an America that’s hopeful, inclusive, and big-hearted. We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But I still believe in America—and I always will. And if you do, too, then we must accept this result—and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power, and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it. It also enshrines other things—the rule of law, the principle that we’re all equal in rights and dignity, and the freedom of worship and expression. We respect and cherish these things too—and we must defend them. And let me add: Our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time. So let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear: making our economy work for everyone, not just those at the top; protecting our country and protecting our planet; and breaking down all the barriers that hold anyone back from achieving their dreams. We’ve spent a year and a half bringing together millions of people from every corner of our country to say with one voice that we believe that the American Dream is big enough for everyone—for people of all races and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people, and people with disabilities. Our responsibility as citizens is to keep doing our part to build that better, stronger, fairer America we seek. And I know you will. I am so grateful to stand with all of you. I want to thank Tim Kaine and Anne Holton for being our partners on this journey. It gives me great hope and comfort to know that Tim will remain on the front-lines of our democracy, representing Virginia in the Senate. To Barack and Michelle Obama: Our country owes you an enormous debt of gratitude for your graceful, determined leadership, and so do I. To Bill, Chelsea, Marc, Charlotte, Aidan, our brothers, and our entire family, my love for you means more than I can ever express. You crisscrossed this country on my behalf and lifted me up when I needed it most—even 4-month-old Aidan traveling with his mom. I will always be grateful to the creative, talented, dedicated men and women at our headquarters in Brooklyn and across our country who poured their hearts into this campaign. For you veterans, this was a campaign after a campaign — for some of you, this was your first campaign ever. I want each of you to know that you were the best campaign anyone has had. To all the volunteers, community leaders, activists, and union organizers who knocked on doors, talked to neighbors, posted on Facebook—even in secret or in private: Thank you. To everyone who sent in contributions as small as $5 and kept us going, thank you. And to all the young people in particular, I want you to hear this. I’ve spent my entire adult life fighting for what I believe in. I’ve had successes and I’ve had setbacks—sometimes really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your careers. You will have successes and setbacks, too. This loss hurts. But please, please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it. It’s always worth it. And we need you keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives. To all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion. I know that we still have not shattered that highest glass ceiling. But some day someone will—hopefully sooner than we might think right now. And to all the little girls watching right now, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world. Finally, I am grateful to our country for all it has given me. I count my blessings every day that I am an American. And I still believe, as deeply as I ever have, that if we stand together and work together, with respect for our differences, strength in our convictions, and love for this nation—our best days are still ahead of us. You know I believe we are stronger together and will go forward together. And you should never be sorry that you fought for that. Scripture tells us: “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” My friends, let us have faith in each other. Let us not grow weary. Let us not lose heart. For there are more seasons to come and there is more work to do. I am incredibly honored and grateful to have had this chance to represent all of you in this consequential election. May God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

Hillary Clinton

These past few days have been really hard--a small group of eight, mostly progressive, vastly diverse students had to sit 6000 miles away as we watched the America we know and love be changed forever. My fellow NSLI-Y friends and I are all heartbroken, and we cried quite a bit, but Hillary handled this loss with such grace and composure. She didn’t end it on a negative note, instead looking to inspire future action. I suppose now is not the time for the first female president, but she’s out there somewhere, experiencing the heartbreak we all feel right now. I encourage you all, Democrat or Republican, to take this opportunity to keep pushing for positive change, and try your hardest to make this world and our country a more loving, inclusive place. Much love to you all <3

[teamtylerandkorey]

[shehasnoears]

pill-barista:

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

[whereisbecca]

In case you wanted more cute selfies, here’s one of me and Anthony while in Chishang this past weekend!

[whereisbecca]

11/4/16

Oh my gosh it’s been two whole weeks and I feel so behind! Sorry for missing so much :( I’ll do a little recap of my life.

I’m now a plant mother! My host mom and I are attending a plant class and I now have three entire plants that I care for, which are thriving to say the least.

The days were kind of a blur but Thursday night the Applied Chinese department did a play. So Mackenzie, Pablo, Mackenzie’s friend from Guangdong, China, and I went to eat noodles and condoms because we planned to do the condom challenge later that week. That was quiet an interesting experience. Then we went to the play, meeting up with Anthony. The played seemed interesting but it was at a Chinese level way too high so we had no idea what was going on.

On Friday, we went to Taidong! We left class a little bit early and took the slow train. We ate Subway sandwiches and dicked around and tbh what a fun three hours. When we got there, we went to our hotel which our room was BEATIFUL! I loved it. We went to the beach to ride bikes for a bit, took a few beach pics, and then headed to the night market where I ate lots of food and we played a few games. We returned to the hotel where we did the condom challenge (unfortunately could not get it to work) and then did face masks and talked. I’m IN LOVE with my group I couldn’t be happier.

The next morning, we headed to Chishang, a beautiful town on rice paddies with mountains oh it was so beautiful. We rode bikes, ate food, and went to an A Lin concert! A Lin is a very famous Taiwanese singer and we got to see her! How cool! We took the train back and I got home at about 10:30 and went the heck to bed.

On Sunday Xiaoyun, my host dad, and I went to Xiaoyun’s class barbecue. We played paintball which was super fun! I didn’t get hit at all and there was an actual game instead of open fire like my experiences in the US. Xiaoyun kind of ignored me but it was chill lol. Afterwards we met up with my host mom and Ziyun and then the three of us kids went to go see Dr. Strange which was decent.

The rest of the week wasn’t super eventful, just going to class, doing tingxies, and drinking zhenzhu. The usual. However, I do feel like I’m making more Taiwanese friends. I recognize people on campus and I say hi to lots of people as I walk to classes and even though not best friends it’s still nice to finally feel a part of Wenzao.

Today after class we drove to Tainan to visit an iEARN high school and it was so fun! WE made baozi, some that looked like pandas, did some games, and ate lots of food. Overall, it was a super nice time. Then we went to Mackenzie’s house for a bit and then I came home.

And that’s the last two weeks!  

Pictures include: on the train to Taidong, a few pictures on the beach in Taidong, Chishang rice paddies, me looking tough at paintball, and me at the high school in Tainan with a friend and with my panda baozi

[whereisbecca]

Major shoutout to myself for falling down the stairs at an Italian restaurant today

[whereisbecca]

Major shoutout to myself for falling down the stairs AGAIN this morning in my house and not only managing to pretty badly bruise my arms but also managing to smack the back of my head on the marble steps.

[whereisbecca]

Major shoutout to myself for falling down the stairs at an Italian restaurant today

[whereisbecca]

If you’re curious as to what happens when the group goes away for the weekend, now you know.

[whereisbecca]

My apologies for being behind on the posts, take a cute group picture in Taidong instead!

[whereisbecca]

Do you have a Snapchat or other social media?

I do! I only use Snapchat to talk with friends and rarely post on my story but my instagram is __beccabee and I do have a few Taiwan related posts if interested! Also I'm on facebook but don't use it frequently lol

[whereisbecca]

Can we all appreciate how cute this picture of me and Pablo is?

[whereisbecca]

10/21/16

Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s already end of October? What the heck.

Todays’ class was really chill because it was the day right after the test so very low pressure just moving through the vocab. It was a fun class.

For lunch, Anthony, Mackenzie, and I went to the jiaozi place because it’s chiller on Fridays and ate some bombass jiaozi. For dessert, we got wheel cakes with ice cream inside and those are DELICIOUS and I’ve found a new favorite snack.

We met up with Kripa, Maureen, Heather, and Jenny and headed to a local elementary school! Maureen, Anthony, and I are in one class. First we did a little intro powerpoint about ourselves, then all the students introduced themselves, then we played a game where you had cards with names and you had to find the person whose name it was and swap with them so it was pretty challenging.

We went out to recess for like ten minutes and I was invited to play badminton with a group of super cute girls. So friendly.

After recess the kids had PE so the NSLI-Y students had a little reception with the school’s principal where we drank tea and chatted and it was nice! We went back to the class, which had moved to the music room and we taught them the cupid shuffle. Then we played some music related games! Much fun.

Then we took the bus to Mackenzie’s house where she taught us how to play mahjong which is pretty complicated but I got the hang of it I think. Mackenzie’s mom bought us pizza (how sweet), and then we all headed to KTV near the arena!

KTV was lots of fun! It was Heather, Anthony, Maureen, Pablo, Mackenzie, and I. We were there for like 2.5 hours and the song choice kinda sucked but we had a lot of fun!

When I got home I ate chocolate cake with my host mom, and I guess next week my sisters have a school barbecue that involves paintball? Should be fun!

IT was a really, really nice day.

Pictures include: Mackenzie and I at KTV, Mackenzie, Anthony, and I with our glorious wheel cakes, and Anthony with his juice box while at the school

[whereisbecca]

10/20/16

Today was good! Very active.

Started off with Chinese class where we had da test that went really not bad at all, 95%! I could have done better too, it was a lot of small mistakes. Nevertheless, I’m proud! This class isn’t the hardest thing ever but I’m still doing work so it’s good.

For lunch, Mackenzie, Anthony, Pablo, and I went to the Japanese restaurant where I got curry noodles with chicken which was delicious as always. I wanted to get zhenzhu (again lol) but we just went to dance class quickly.

Dance was fun as always! I’m not good at it and it kind of hurts but overall the class is enjoyable so I don’t mind.

After class, Mackenzie and I met up with Pablo and Anthony again and we played badminton for an hour in the gym. I’m really bad at physical activity but I really appreciate the general Taiwanese attitude towards it—it’s not about doing it well as long as you’re doing it. I’ve been so much more active just because there’s no pressure for me to be any good at what I’m doing. I appreciate it.

At 4, Mackenzie and I had traditional dance club. Thankfully we learned more than last week but this dance is intense and fast and not everyone actually knows what they’re doing so it should be interesting.

We got zhenzhu on our walk to the bus stop and I headed home. After dinner, my mom, Ziyun, and I went to 9x9 (stationary store), the bakery, and then to the store so I could pick up some conditioner. Iit was nice to just walk and talk with them.

It was a really nice day!

[whereisbecca]

10/19/16

Happy birthday to my brother for life Erin Miller! Wish I was in the US to celebrate with you!

Today was fun! In class we went over our workbook because tomorrow is the test and not gonna lie my tones got me sweatin. I feel solid on grammar, but characters could be better. Oh well what can ya do.

For lunch I went with Mackenzie and Anthony to get chaomian which was yummy as always. I was going to get zhenzhu but lunch took longer than expected so we all had to get to tutoring.

Tutoring was decent! They helped me with some grammar and then helped edit my blog (which desperately needed editing tbh). Then for like 40 min watched a video about Taiwanese indigenous people which was chill because I think we were all pretty tired.

After tutoring I met up with Mackenzie and Pablo and we printed my ballot! Pablo and I then filled out our ballots on a picnic bench outside 66 Burger, a restaurant on campus. I then scanned mine, but Pablo had to mail his so after stopping for some much needed zhenzhu, we made our way to the post office. The angel lady at the counter was so patient with our horrible Chinese but it was so nice to not be condescended for once! Thanks post office lady! Pablo was pretty excited about his first vote and took pictures of the whole process. I’m just emailing mine!

I then headed home where I FINALLY caught up on my journal. We had shuijiao for dinner, and I talked to my host mom about a variety of topics including Grey’s Anatomy, China’s SARS outbreak in 02 and 03, college public vs private. I absolutely adore her, there’s always something to talk about and she’s so encouraging and patient.

Now I’m upstairs and will study for my tests as well as send in my ballot and finish up my blog! Night!

[whereisbecca]

10/18/16

Back to school!

But first to the doctor because my rash was off the hook. I went with Jenny and Kripa at about 9 am. Basically she just told me it’s an environmental allergy and gave me some pills and cream so hopefully that will help.

I returned to school where we had a tingxie that didn’t go horribly! Mackenzie was super hungry after class so went and got hella food at Sun Breakfast. I got hashbrowns and pasta and literally stuffed myself. So good.

I met up with Joey and we went to class where we watched a movie about Beijing opera. A little girl was going to be killed because she had six fingers so her mom chopped the other one off but she ran away from her mother and was taken in by the opera which at this point only boys could join so she pretended to be a boy and I guess as she grew up got confused on her gender because she was a boy but played girl roles and also the people who owned her company were super abusive and it was trippy movie and there’s still like an hour and a half left.

After school I stopped by McDonald’s to get fries because why not, and then I went home and took an hour nap. When I woke up we had dinner but I was still groggy from my nap so my host mom was all worried that my rash pills were making me groggy. What an angel.

She let me go upstairs early which is good because I had hella homework. I wrote my blog which took way too long, and then I had to finish my Chinese workbook since my test in on Thursday. Qiu laoshi is really getting after my tones which is hard but much needed and I can already hear the difference in my own speaking.

I finished hw and headed to bed!