First Day of School!

Routine can help structure a person's life, but too much can cause life to slip away, which can lead to regret. No routine and only being spontaneous can lead to a life of wandering around without any purpose. Both sides are extreme, and you need a balance. I discovered this when college started in Taiwan. The first week of trying to figure out where my classes were, and my schedule was stressful. 

In Taiwan, students are given a week to create their schedules, this means attending classes they would like to join or dropping ones that do not fit. The first class I attended was a master's class in English on Confucianism. I thought it would be perfect, a culture class that would fulfill my second major's requirements, and it was in English. Perfect! My classmate from NAU, who was in the same program as me, attended the class with me. As soon as the professor came in, he announced that the course was, in fact, not taught in English but encouraged us to sit in on the first lesson. I can barely understand the principles of Confucianism in English, much less in Chinese. I sat there for two hours, wondering what in the world I was getting myself into. I could cross that class off my list. 

Eventually, my schedule was two online classes at NAU, Chinese movies and culture (completely in Chinese), children's literature (completely in Chinese), a speaking and listening Chinese language class, and another Chinese language class that was five days a week. My routine and new life in Taiwan were coming together. 

Arrival

 

Wheels down in Taiwan! Let the adventure begin! I spent the first week in Taiwan with Yin Laoshi, a professor/exchange student whom I met at NAU. I am so grateful that she opened her house and embraced me into her world. Being able to stay with her family for the week before classes instead of alone in a hotel helped me quickly immerse myself in the culture. I had Chinese spoken around me 24/7. I was able to get a glimpse of everyday life, whether that be visiting a hospital for a check-up or going grocery shopping. I could observe without the stress of classes. My approach to my new environment came from one of my professors who told me to treat a new place like a refrigerator. The metaphor is when you first go to someone’s house, you do not immediately make a beeline for their fridge, you get to know the person first, and then once you are friends, you are allowed to open their fridge. In class, we were talking about working for a corporation; however, I loosely applied a similar principle to my new environment by spending the first-week observing social norms and so on. My strategy of observing earned me a reputation in the household as being shy. I still chuckle a little to myself because that is the last word most people would describe me as. 

 

My friend had two little girls, so during the day, I would learn and help her around the house, and then at night, I would play with her daughters. I found that children are the best teachers, especially when learning a language. Some of the vocabulary they used I was familiar with, or they would repeat the same words enough times that I was able to pick up a little bit. At the end of the day, I would be mentally drained, and the best thing about children is you do not need language to know how to play.

 

Yin Laoshi was not the only person I knew in Taiwan. I also was able to meet up with Ginger, another Taiwanese exchange student whom I met at NAU. We got to catch up, and I was able to learn more about a student's perspective of Taiwan before becoming one myself. 

 

The whole first week still felt surreal. I enjoyed all my free time exploring, but I was ready to have a routine for Taiwan to feel more real. I was ready to dive headfirst into my life at National Central University. 

Pre-Departure Thoughts

People often talk about the process of packing and getting visas for studying abroad, but not a lot of people talk about their thoughts before arrival. There was a roller coaster of emotions and thoughts racing through my mind before even stepping foot on the plane. The whole time leading up to the departure date knowing I was going to Taiwan for a whole academic year was surreal. 

 

It will happen later. It isn't happening now. I still have lots of time. These are the thoughts that were circling in my head.

 

I was reminded of the time when I had tried to study abroad in high school and another time with a faculty-led program. Both of those trips I was supposed to go to China but unfortunately, they fell through. 

 

When it was time to choose between China and Taiwan as my country for my program. I chose Taiwan in hopes of being able to go. At first, I tried not to get my hopes high just in case the program was canceled due to COVID-19 or something else unexpected. However, this mindset got me nowhere. I was sick of not letting myself feel excited so I changed my point of view. Every day I wished, prayed, and worked hard to be able to go to Taiwan. I had a feeling this would not be like the other times I tried to study abroad; this time it really was going to happen. 

 

The weeks before leaving for Taiwan I was hit by many emotions. At night sadness would come over me. I would not be able to spend the holidays with my family or see my friends at college who were all on a four-year path to graduation. Sadness turned into nervousness. Am I really ready? I don’t think my Mandarin vocabulary is big enough. Nervousness turned into excitement. What will my roommates be like? What will the campus look like? I can’t wait to try the food and go places! After all those thoughts and emotions in the last few days, I just wanted to be in Taiwan. I was ready to hit the ground running. 

 

Finally, the day came, at the gate with my ticket in hand, going to Taiwan still felt surreal. Everything I had been working so hard towards and planning for years was finally about to happen. I settled into my seat for the 13-hour plane ride with thousands of thoughts jumbled in my head only one thought stood out, I am ready. 

 

Normal vs Abnormal

What is normal? Webster defines it as conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern. It can also be defined as a well-paved road many people have taken. On the other hand, you may be wondering what is the definition of abnormal? Me. I am the definition of abnormal. I had the choice to finish my college career in four years and jump into the real world. Instead, I jumped onto a plane to study for a year on the other side of the world in Taiwan. 

How did this happen? Why would anyone want to do that? Other people do that so you can’t really be abnormal. 

Let me start from the beginning. 

I came into this world as 郴小義 (chēn xiǎoyì) born in China with a line on my birth certificate that would change my life: birth parents unknown. Little did I know the world had something big in mind for me. I was adopted by two loving and amazing parents. I became who I am now Linzi Maddox. After that my life took off, and I became a big sister. My sister and I grew up on a sailboat, Catalina 440, learning how to trim sails and make new friends everywhere we anchored. Five years and 44+ countries later we landed in Washington State to make room for a little brother. The adventures continued on land from learning how to do long division to driving an excavator. A sailing trip around South America and a little thing called COVID-19 happened my senior year. Quarantine gave me pause to think about college.

While picking out colleges I was faced with two options: get my bachelor's in four years or get a dual degree in five years by joining the Interdisciplinary Global Program with one year of study/interning in a foreign country. Knowing my history I chose the latter without hesitation. 

In my fourth year of college, motivated by wanting to learn Mandarin to get back to my roots and make new friends I was off to Taiwan. This blog is to share my experiences and a digital journey for me to look back on when I am older. 

Anything can happen with the road ahead of me, but isn’t that the best part of living an abnormal life? If I am not abnormal,  I am definitely not normal. Perhaps, I am simply where I am meant to be.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Linzi Maddox, a student from Washington State. 

I'm pursuing Business Management and Comparative Culture Studies Dual Major, Marketing Certificate, and Chinese Minor at Northern Arizona University

I am in my fourth year at Northern Arizona University dual degree in Business Management and Comparative Culture Studies with an emphasis in Asia as well as a Marketing Certificate and a Chinese Minor. I am involved in Peer Jacks Mentor as a mentor and the Chinese Culture Club as the president. These experiences have helped me further develop my leadership, communication, and technical skills. I have always been passionate about teamwork, thinking outside of the box, and being hard-working. I aspire to combine my passion and my skills to be a business leader who is a bridge between the United States and other foreign countries.