Letters Home: Emerson students try college in Taiwan
by R. Becker
What draws an Emerson student to spend a semester in Taiwan? For Anna Yu ’08, a double major in marketing communication and writing, literature and publishing, it was “the thought of going to a small country that very few people know about, and learning about the people and culture.”
For the past four years, Emerson students have been spending semesters abroad at ‘sister’ college Shih Hsin University in Taipei, Taiwan. Shih Hsin was founded as a school of journalism and today concentrates on communications, including marketing, radio and television. “Shih Hsin is very similar to Emerson,” says David Griffin, assistant director of Emerson’s External Programs Office, who oversees the program.
This semester, nine Emerson students are in Taipei taking classes in subjects ranging from Mandarin to marketing. Several of them are also teaching English to their Asian classmates in a program called The English Corner.
Shih Hsin welcomes the presence of Emerson students because “the university is very outward-looking,” adds Griffin. “They want to forge connections to schools all over the world. They want their students to be able to work all over the world, so learning English is of high value there.”
First impressions 
Asia has always appealed to Alp Tekyildiz ’05. A recent graduate in new media, Tekyildiz said “it seemed like the best way for me to start living my dream” of living in Asia for a year.
Emerson students currently studying at Shih Hsin include Tiffany Allen ’09, a stage/production management major. “I had never been to Asia before. To be able to experience such a different culture firsthand, jumping right into it and immersing myself in the Chinese and Taiwanese languages was an amazing opportunity I could not miss.”
Upon arriving, the students’ impressions of Taiwan were mostly of awe.
Peter Roy ’06, a marketing communication major, recalls, “I don’t think any words could describe my feelings about Taiwan and Shih Hsin University. I had never flown before in my life, and I had never been outside the U.S. prior to this trip. When I finally got to the university it was like reaching the top of Mt. Everest. I had arrived!”
Alyssa Spellman ’06 recalls the warmth of the people she met. “I was greeted with open arms and open hearts. The people of Taiwan are extremely hospitable and supportive.” Spellman, a management communication and theater studies major, describes the campus as “a tropical haven, perched on the side of a mountain and surrounded by lush vegetation.” Her spare time has been spent exploring Taiwan. She admits that she “hasn’t tried the famous ‘stinky tofu’, although I have become accustomed to the pungent aroma.”
Allen recalls how she “couldn’t get over how intensely interesting and fascinating the city of Taipei is. One minute you’re in a beautiful, clean, grand cityscape, and the next minute you’re walking through a ‘night market’ with freshly butchered snakes and octopus for sale amongst the stray dogs and the stench of stinky tofu.”
Campus culture
Like many of the Emerson students, senior Roy has made many friends in Taiwan. “I don’t think there is a mean bone in anyone’s body here. The people bend over backward to make sure we’re happy.”
Taipei is a hub that draws people from all over Asia. Yu has befriended natives of Hong Kong, Macao and Malaysia. “The people here are extremely friendly and willing to help the American students. For instance, when we order food, if there’s no English menu, they help. The other students are very intent on practicing their English.”
There is never a shortage of activities in Taipei, says Yu. “I have gone to see Into the Woods produced by a local art university. Many movies come out at the same time as in America but are much cheaper here. ‘Night markets’ are very popular here. They are places where we can find our dinner, snacks, clothes, shoes, get our fortune told, or play video games.”
Allen views the campus culture as more conservative than she is accustomed to: “No girls in boys’ dorms, no boys in girls’ dorms. There’s a 12:30 a.m. curfew.”
Each Emerson student shares a small dormitory room with three Taiwanese roommates, so language barriers must be surmounted. “My roommates know ‘Hello’, ‘Sorry’, ‘I don’t know’, and ‘bye-bye,’” Allen says. But they will often try to help me with my Chinese homework. The doors are always kept shut, and it isn’t common to ‘hang out’ in other people’s rooms.”
Tekyildiz has met many locals. “What’s the best way to discover a culture other than through the people? They taught me a lot, and I’ve made some unique relationships here that I hope will last.” He admits that it’s easy for the American students to meet people because they are given ‘star treatment’. “We are some of the most popular people at school. Everyone wants to talk to us, take pictures with us. They really treat foreigners in a special way. They give us gifts, invite us to special events, give us VIP seats at the school concerts.”
Spellman has become close to one of her roommates, Louise, who invited Spellman to spend spring break with her family. “Louise, like many others here in Taiwan, has a multi-generational household. Her family members all seemed to be quite eager for our arrival.” Louise plans to visit the United States in August, reports Spellman. “Per her request, I am going to take her to DisneyWorld!”