Rotary Exchange Student reflects on year in Taiwan
Experience of a lifetime for a student from Alaska!
Weekly Elixir – Rotary Club of Anguilla
…for the week of November 2, 2009
…by Stephen Knight - October 29, 2009 (http://www.petersburgpilot.com)
In preparation for his joint presentation, along with fellow exchange student Henrike Herbst of Germany, on the Rotary Exchange Program at a recent high school assembly, Bynum Jackson reflected on his experience in the program. He spent his junior year studying in Taiwan as an outbound student, departing his Petersburg home in August of 2008 and returning this past summer on the 4th of July.
Jackson had traveled overseas before, primarily on family vacations to Europe, but this was his first experience in Asia. When asked about his impressions of the people and culture of Taiwan, Jackson replied, “It’s pretty different. It’s unique because it’s not something I would normally get to see in the world. Taiwan is a place and a culture that most people don’t really know. You don’t see or hear much about it in the news.”
There was definitely a feeling of culture shock for Jackson. “It was quite a big change going from a community of 3,000 to a community of 2 million,” he said. Making friends was a priority and he had no difficulty there. While acknowledging he’d mostly befriended his fellow exchange students, largely because of their shared experiences and use of the English language, Jackson said he’d also made a lot of Taiwanese friends with whom he keeps in touch on a regular basis.
Like exchange students who’ve come to Petersburg, Jackson was hosted by three different families during his stay in Taiwan. The families were all centered around the school he attended in Taipei and each provided a different experience for him, especially with regard to the language barrier. “The first family I stayed with spoke perfect English,” he said. “They had done a lot of international travel and trading, so their English was really good. I sometimes tell people they spoke better English than I did,” he added with a laugh.
The second host family Jackson stayed with presented him with the opposite extreme: they spoke no English at all. “We would communicate by hand signals and stuff like that,” he explained. “I did try my best with the language, which I was learning as part of the program.” It also helped that the first two host families were friends, which allowed Jackson to call on the first family to play interpreter on a few occasions.
The third family he stayed with was a little better with the language but, more significantly, Jackson had improved on his own ability to speak the native tongue. “By the time I got to my third host family, I’d learned a lot more Chinese,” he explained. “I tried to speak with them mostly in Chinese and it worked out pretty well.”
Jackson worked hard to earn a language credit by immersing himself in the culture, and the family stays were crucial components of that learning. He also credits the Rotary Exchange District in Taipei for providing all of the foreign exchange students involved in the program with over 200 hours of Chinese language instruction during the course of their stay. “Without those classes, I don’t think I would’ve learned as much as I did,” he acknowledged.
For Jackson, his time in Taiwan was a real learning experience, as much about himself as his unfamiliar surroundings. “I think I learned more about my strong points than my weak points,” he explained. “Now that I’m back home, I know what I can do. I know my strengths. And with my weak points, I know there are some things I can’t do but I try my best.”
He also felt a greater sense of independence and maturity, largely because he had to rely upon himself more often. “I was over there by myself, mostly, without my parents or anyone like that,” he said. “I had to watch how much money I was spending and how much studying I was doing. I didn’t have anyone looking over my shoulder, telling me exactly what to do.” He paused a moment in reflection before adding, “I think it got me ready for what’s to come in the future.”
Jackson feels very grateful for the experience, expressly thanking the Rotary Club, his parents and others who helped facilitate the exchange program. “I really had a great year and I’m glad that I did it. I had a fun time there and met a lot of people. I loved it,” he said.
See print edition for complete local coverage. Content (C) 2009 Petersburg Pilot-Alaska
