4 Month Report

December is finally coming to an end and as much as I hate to see time fly by so quickly, i'm happy. This month was probably the most difficult for me so far. Being away from my family during Christmas was heartbreaking. This is the first of sixteen years that I have not been with them during the holidays and I knew it would not be the highest point of my exchange. However, the month of December itself was absolutely incredible. Aside from Christmas I have had many exciting adventures in the past thirty days. I was able to go on a class trip to Southern Taiwan, travel to Taipei again with the Kinmen Senior High School Interact Club, sing with my class in an English song competition, and much more. I have also been able to practice my Chinese much more in my new home. My new host family includes a six year old boy who is constantly speaking Chinese with me. We watch little kid television shows in Chinese like Sponge Bob which helps so much. Because I already know the dialogue from watching the shows in America it is a great way to learn new words and phrases. I think my new host family is really motivated to help me learn Chinese which makes it a wonderful environment to be in. Although I am becoming more comfortable in my new home, Christmas was still a very lonely time. I skyped with parents, but that was it. Afterwards it was just a normal day in Taiwan. I went to school, came home, did my homework, and went to bed. What helped the most during Christmas was definitely the Christmas party in Taipei. Being around the other exchange students who were going through the same thing was comforting. We had our own celebration, I was with my second family. It truly is amazing how tightly bonds are between people sharing the same experience. I was so grateful for all the other exchange students this month. We made it through the hard part of exchange. Now that things are back to normal i'm much happier. I still love my island and my classmates and my life as an exchange student. I am so excited to see what new adventures await me this January!

Taipei!

This month I went to Taipei with the interact club at my high school! We went to an amusement park on the first day as well as a night market. The next day we went to the airport to meet with the Japanese interact club. It was really strange not being the only one that didn't understand what was being said. I was told it was at least an hour before any interaction took place. At night the other exchange student from kinmen and I went to the district Christmas party with all the other exchange students. It was a lot of fun with a sad ending because we had to say goodbye to the Australians. I'm so thankful that they were a part of my life and will miss them terribly. Overall a great weekend in Taipei!

Southern Taiwan

I went on a class graduation trip to Kaohsiung and Tainan! We had a great time at an amusement park and sitting on the beach.

Friends from Germany