By Brigitta Schuchert
This summer I decided to complete in a nine-week intensive Mandarin course at the International Chinese Language Program in Taipei, Taiwan. After arriving in Taipei on June 1st I spent two weeks settling in, traveling around Taipei and Taiwan, and then started the language course on June 19th. The three weeks since starting have been pretty intensive! Four hours of class Monday through Friday, and then usually another four to five hours of preparation outside class. Although I worked in Shanghai for two years before starting at Georgetown, I had never studied Chinese in a formal setting and once I left China I forgot a fair amount of what I had learned…so saying I was little rusty is an understatement! In the past few weeks though it’s been exciting to start picking up characters (Taiwan uses traditional characters) and finding gradually easier to make small talk in the city.
Why did you choose this particular country?
Before starting at Georgetown last fall, I spent two years working abroad as a Writing Fellow with New York University in Shanghai. Although in Shanghai I could get around with some basic Mandarin, once I traveled outside of the city I mainly relied on pointing, charades, and finding someone who could help me translate. I loved traveling around China, but it was clear language was a major limitation. After leaving I decided that I did not want to return without a strong grasp of Mandarin. I choose Taiwan both because of the rigor of this particular program, and because I had never been before, but had a number of colleagues who had spent time in Taipei and loved it – turned out to be a great choice! I am interested in Asia-Pacific security issues and hoping to get as much in-country experience in the region as possible and build from the time I spent in Shanghai before.
How will this experience help you in your job search and career?
Before starting at SSP, I spent three years working abroad – one year in Abu Dhabi and two years in Shanghai. During that time, I realized that I loved working and living abroad, but that I wanted to have more of a foreign policy background and practical skills, which led me to SSP. My academic interests are focused on the Asia-Pacific region, and I hope having a language background will help support ongoing research and a future career in this region.
What are two interesting things about Taiwan that the average person doesn’t know?
Pack hiking shoes! Taiwan has amazing hiking and nine national parks; it’s really easy to get out of Taipei even just for a day trip – there’s a super convenient public transportation system and it doesn’t take too long to get anywhere. Second, 7/11 basically has everything you need…I have paid bills, made photocopies, and bought train tickets (as well as many snacks) at the 7/11 I live above.
Why did you choose this particular country?
Before starting at Georgetown last fall, I spent two years working abroad as a Writing Fellow with New York University in Shanghai. Although in Shanghai I could get around with some basic Mandarin, once I traveled outside of the city I mainly relied on pointing, charades, and finding someone who could help me translate. I loved traveling around China, but it was clear language was a major limitation. After leaving I decided that I did not want to return without a strong grasp of Mandarin. I choose Taiwan both because of the rigor of this particular program, and because I had never been before, but had a number of colleagues who had spent time in Taipei and loved it – turned out to be a great choice! I am interested in Asia-Pacific security issues and hoping to get as much in-country experience in the region as possible and build from the time I spent in Shanghai before.
How will this experience help you in your job search and career?
Before starting at SSP, I spent three years working abroad – one year in Abu Dhabi and two years in Shanghai. During that time, I realized that I loved working and living abroad, but that I wanted to have more of a foreign policy background and practical skills, which led me to SSP. My academic interests are focused on the Asia-Pacific region, and I hope having a language background will help support ongoing research and a future career in this region.
What are two interesting things about Taiwan that the average person doesn’t know?
Pack hiking shoes! Taiwan has amazing hiking and nine national parks; it’s really easy to get out of Taipei even just for a day trip – there’s a super convenient public transportation system and it doesn’t take too long to get anywhere. Second, 7/11 basically has everything you need…I have paid bills, made photocopies, and bought train tickets (as well as many snacks) at the 7/11 I live above.