3 Ways To Get Involved

Do you remember what it was like to be a freshman in college? A new environment, having to make new friends, and learning where you belong in all of the craziness. Being at NCU, I felt like a freshman again. Luckily, this was not my first rodeo but back at NAU I was a mentor for incoming freshmen. From my own experience and helping others, I had three ways to help me get immersed in a Taiwanese college campus. 

1. Live in the dorms:

Living in the dorms not only helped me save money, but it was where I met most of my friends. I lived in the girls-only dorm on the 11th floor out of 12 floors. There was an Aunty on the first floor who watched us 24/7 to make sure none of the male species went into the living area without her permission. 

My dorm consisted of one room with four beds with desks underneath on both sides of the room, lots of places for storage, and a private bathroom. For four people, it was surprisingly spacious. My roommates were two girls from Japan and a girl from Malaysia. We had many nights where we would stay up and talk. 

I also met more girls on my floor and on other floors who I would spend most of my time with. 

     

2. Go to campus events:

I went to events that the Student Ambassadors, a buddy system where Taiwanese students were matched to exchange students, and NCU hosted to meet new people. We went on trips around Taiwan from Yehliu in the North to Tainan in the South. There were also several cultural events ranging from the Mid-Autum Festival to the Dragon Boat Festival.

3. Join a club:

Joining a club is an easy way to get to know Taiwanese students outside of the classroom while having fun and having something in common to talk about. NCU, in the fall, had a huge club fair where every single club on campus came out and had people interact with them to encourage students to join their club. The fire-throwing club had students try to spin their torches (without fire, of course), or the music club had students jam out on different instruments. There were so many clubs and people it was a bit overwhelming. 

My roommate, a friend from Singapore and German, and I joined the dance club. The dances were choreographed and taught by the older members. In the girl-style unit, I was able to meet a lot of Taiwanese girls who I could say hello to if I saw them out and about. On the less flamboyant side, I joined the art club with my friend from France. The club met once a week. The art instructor was very sweet and patient with us. We worked with several different medians. In the fall, I was unable to attend most of the meetings due to dance taking up the majority of my time. Both clubs were taught only in Chinese, which reinforced the idea that art and dance can connect us even with a language barrier.

In no time these three ways helped me not only find friends and a place where I belong on campus but also challen
ged me to get out of my comfort zone to make the most of my time abroad.