After School

Charlene teacher brought me to Zhongli :) Zhongli is probably about 15 - 20 minutes minutes drive from Taoyuan/Neili. I reckon Zhongli is quite similar to Xi Men Ding. (Maybe a little bit smaller)

Charlene teacher's main mode of transport = scooter. In Taiwan, riding a scooter (smaller version of a motorbike) is very common.  It was my first time travelling on a scooter... I'm not a very adventurous person so I was actually very very very scared. There were so many scooters on the road and some parents had 2 children on their scooter...!! Amazing skills.

Charlene teacher brought me to at a very nice BBT cafe. I think it was a 10 minutes ride from Nei Ding Elementary School (內定國小) which is also 10 minutes away from Zhongli. I was glad we stopped halfway to grab a drink :)

After chatting and finishing up our BBT, we went to Zhongli. Shopping at Zhongli was awesome!!! The things there were quite similar to Xi Men Ding and they are cheaper too! In Taiwan (items with no price tag on), you have to haggle/bargain with the sales person. I was terrible at haggling because everything in Zhongli was already very cheap to me (as compared to things in Perth)... So Charlene teacher helped me to get a better deal haha. I bought 6 shoes on that day! I think it was less than AUD$10 for a pair?

Thank you Charlene teacher for shopping with me :)

Mr Lin (my host father) was going to pick me up from Neili train station at 9:30pm but I arrived at 10:30pm! Zhongli is only 1 train station from Neili but I took the wrong train and my train was going towards Hsin Chu. Glad that I got off in time. I was so tired the next morning tho... I have to wake up 6:30am every morning as school starts at 7:30am.

Next post; Jingle bells!

http://aiesecaustralia.org/curtin

Second week

The first week was an "introduction/induction" week. I conducted some basic English lessons on my second week of exchange (with the help of Charlene teacher)

Taught some Aussie slang such as G'day mate, no worries, see ya later etc.

"Aussie version of You're welcome = No worries"

As you can see from the picture below, I was actually quite nervous. hahaha

I'm glad that the kids were interested to listen to me... Thank you! :)

I needed to prepare two 20 minutes presentations. 

The topics were not difficult, they were Australia & Christmas Day.

I did some storytelling in the library. (Usually to the younger kids)

I helped out in Charlene teacher's English class too. I did not have to worry about what to teach. I followed the syllabus and Charlene teacher was very helpful so it wasn't stressful at all :)

The kids at Nei Ding Elementary School (內定國小)  LOVE Kpop. 
There's a lot of graffiti on their table... mainly about Korea and Kpop groups. 

I think they know more Korean songs that I do and they even know the dance moves. 
Look at how awesome they are! so jelly!!!!!!!

 '

They are all 12 years old; 6 Graders.


They performed at their graduation 2 months ago.
Damn, how I wish I could fly to Taiwan to see them before they graduate :(


The guys are good too...!! DAEBAK!



Next post; Shopping with Charlene Teacher!

http://aiesecaustralia.org/curtin

My first weekend in Taiwan!

I arrived in Taiwan on a Wednesday afternoon (5th of Dec 2012). I spent the next 2 days (Thursday and Friday) introducing myself and getting to know everyone at Nei Ding Elementary School (內定國小).

Nei Ding Elementary School (內定國小) is located in Neili/Zhongli... which is really close to Taoyuan Airport. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to Taipei Main Train Station by the normal train (台鐵） http://twtraffic.tra.gov.tw/twrail/English/e_index.aspx It takes about 15 to 20 minutes via the high speed rail/bullet train (高鐵)  http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/ However, it is very expensive... it cost around AUD $10 by bullet train (return tickets) whereas the normal train only cost around AUD $2 (return tickets).

Nei Li is really similar to where I am living now; Perth. Without a car, you cannot go anywhere because there's only a couple of public buses in Neili. So after school, I couldn't get to Xi Men Ding, Shi Lin Night Market etc as I had no public transport from Nei Ding Elementary School (內定國小). However, I guess that's why I miss my host families a lot because we spent a lot of time together.

If you are someone who wants to explore Taipei everyday and go clubbing on the weekends, it would be better if you choose a school that is located in New Taipei City; 新北市. If you are someone who wants to spend more time with your host families, choose Taiyuan/Hsin Chu. I was given a choice to choose but I didn't know the difference between these two areas ^^ Please take note that New Taipei City Area is huge too, you can use google map to check whether there's public transport from the school to Xi Men Ding.

My friend Adeline's host family house is only a 20 minutes bus ride away from Shilin Night Market! I wish I could go to Shilin Night Market everyday hahaha but luckily I did not (It takes me an hour and a half to get there from Nei Ding Elementary School)... If not, I will probably have 200kg of clothes to post back to Perth.

My first weekend in Taiwan was fun. On Saturday, Ming Chuan University's AIESECers planned an outing for us (interns). We went to Dan Shui. After Dan Shui, a few of us went to Xi Men Ding to shop :) I love shopping in Taiwan and Korea!

Group photo; AIESEC-ers

On Sunday, my host family brought me to Daxi Lao Jie. Daxi is famous for their Dried Tofu Dou Gan 豆干. There's a lot of old streets/markets that are famous in Taiwan. For example, Shen Keng Lao Jie is famous for their stinky tofu, Ying Ge Lao Jie is famous for ceramics. San Xia old street is famous for their bull horn crossiants etc.

The guy behind me is looking into the camera. haha

We went to a love story museum too. I enjoyed my day with my host family. 謝謝！

I hope this post is helpful to people who want to Taiwan for an AIESEC exchange.


This is unrelated to my AIESEC exchange...
Meet my new boss; Simon Leunig (Dean of Curtin International)
Change something today (Join Curtin University) and make tomorrow better :)

Next post; Second week; Teaching

http://aiesecaustralia.org/curtin

Meeting the Kids for the First Time!

I was actually very nervous on the first day, I had to introduce myself on the stage, in front of 500 kids; stage fright ^^ However, most of the kids were really friendly so it was alright~

Mr Lin and Charlene briefed me about my internship. The kids were told by them that I could only speak English... so that they wouldn't give up halfway and speak to me in Mandarin. Kids, if you are reading this... I actually understood whatever you were saying :P

Mr Lin came up with a lucky draw (摸獎券) idea to encourage the kids to be brave and speak English. They receive a raffle ticket if they try to make a conversation with me in English. Every 40 minutes, the kids get a 10 minutes break... Soooo, break time were my busiest time. haha. 

Break time!

I accompanied them (4, 5 & 6 graders) during Charlene teacher's English classes.

Jenny (Wang Li Pin Qing)'s English is so good! (The girl in pink)

6th graders.

Something random: I tried Jiang Mu Ya 姜母鸭. This dish is very famous in Taiwan (during winter)

Next post; My first weekend in Taiwan.

http://aiesecaustralia.org/curtin

My First Day!

Midnight flight from Perth to Hong Kong on 4th December. (7 hours)

Morning flight from Hong Kong to Taiwan on 5th December. (2 hours)

I love watching movies on airplanes and I love airplane food :)

When I arrived at Taipei (Taiwan) airport, I changed my Aussie dollars (AUD$$) to Taiwanese dollars (TWDSS) The exchange rate at Taipei's airport was good; $1AUD to $30TWD. I think it was only $1AUD to $24TWD in Perth. Amanda from AIESEC MCU came to pick me up. I was a little bit worried when I couldn't contact her. However, luckily we found each other~ 

I bought a prepaid SIM card from the airport. However, the prepaid SIM card that I bought did not include 3G internet data. I was so internet deprived because my first host family's house did not have wifi too. #firstworldproblems My host family brought me to another service provider shop but they didn't have 3G data too. When I was nearly done with my internship, I found out from my cousin which service provider's prepaid SIM card includes internet data :( For those of you who are going to Taiwan for an AIESEC exchange or a holiday, i recommend you to buy your preapid sim card from Taiwan Da Ge Da 台灣大哥大.  

Director Lin (小林主任) drove me to Nei Ding Elementary School (內定國小). When I arrived, the kids went home already. Charlene/Peiyun 老師 showed me her English classrooms. The new "coffee shop" is very pretty! This coffee shop is meant for the kids to practice their English via role play. Such an awesome idea! Thumbs up (Y)

Before heading home, Mr Lin drove me to Starbucks first to grab a drink. I love Starbucks Chocolate Cream Chip & Green Tea Frappe.There's no Starbucks in Perth :( This is my first Taiwanese dinner. It was simple yet very delicious! I had braised pork rice (滷肉飯) too, YUM!

My first host family is Director Lin (小林主任). Both Mr and Mrs Lin are very kind and nice. Mrs Lin makes the best home-made bread and both of them always buy food/drink that I like. We had stinky tofu and bubble tea for supper! Candy and Emily, 不要忘了我哦~ 姐姐好想你們！

Director Lin's family (小林主任的家庭)

I had 5 host families. It was a brilliant idea for me to move every 10 days. I get to experience and interact with different families. Since I was with different host families every week, the host families were eager to take me out on weekends #感動 However, I had to say goodbye every week :( 

Next post; Meeting the Kids for the First Time!

http://aiesecaustralia.org/curtin

5 Steps Process

The 5 steps process is really simple.

                                                                           Credits: AIESEC Curtin's website

Step 1: Apply though your University's AIESEC organisation. I applied through AIESEC Curtin in 2012. I was contracted to meet up for a coffee chat. This coffee chat that I went to was basically a chat to find out why I was interested to go on an AIESEC exchange. It also allowed me to know more about the process & it was an opportunity for me to ask questions.

Step 2: I was then contacted for an interview which is also known as the Member Review Board (MRB). I had a group interview as well as an individual interview. As long as you are well prepared for the interview and you have the right motivations to go on an AIESEC exchange, you should be fine :)  

Step 3: I passed the interview! After paying $600, I was listed as an Exchange Participant (EP) on myaiesec.net. I was taught how to search for projects on myaiesec.net 

Step 4: I had an exchange officer (AIESEC Curtin's member) who helped me throughout the "search" process. I was interested in teaching English in Taiwan. When I found a project that I like, I contacted my exchange officer. She helped me to apply and organize an interview with the AIESEC project manager (AIESEC member) in Taiwan. I had a 20 minutes Skype interview with the project manager. I talked about myself, my interests and my skills etc. I was told that it will take around 1 to 2 weeks for me to know an outcome. 

Step 5: I was successfully matched to a project. There was an exchange outgoing preparation seminar that I was meant to go to. However, I couldn't make it as I used to work on Saturdays. This outgoing preparation seminar will help EPs to be well prepared for their exchange program. I highly recommend you to go. You will meet other EPs and they might be going to the same country as you; buddy! ;)

Please note that you have to apply for VISA. 
(Different countries have different regulations)


Question: When should you apply? 

Answer: As soon as you can or at least 2 months in advance so that you can give yourself enough time to search for a project, book cheap air tickets etc. However, some projects are only listed 1 month before the project starts. Even though it's good to be open to different projects/countries, please do not rush into something that you are not interested in. 


Next post; My First Day in Taiwan

http://aiesecaustralia.org/curtin

Five Ws and one H

What

Question: What is AIESEC?

Answer: AIESEC is an international non for profit organisation that provides students with leadership training and internship opportunities at non-profit organizations. As of August 2012, the AIESEC network includes over 86,000 members in 113 countries and territories. It is the largest student run organisation in the world, being present in over 2,400 universities across the globe, provides more than 24,000 leadership experiences to its members and sends students and graduates on 20,000 international exchanges yearly to non profit organisations. AIESEC is supported by over 8,000 of partner organisations around the globe who look to AIESEC to support the development of youth and to access talented individuals keen on personal growth.
                                                                                          (Credits: AIESEC Curtin's website)

Question: What is AIESEC Go Volunteer Exchange Program?

Answer: The Go Volunteer program offers exchange opportunities in areas like raising awareness on HIV/AIDS and sex education, teaching English at summer camps and cultural projects among others. For students with knowledge in education, language, or other social science subjects, this program provides opportunities to create and facilitate seminars on subjects like entrepreneurship, culture education, and teamwork for youth abroad. The duration is usually between 6 to 8 weeks long. 
                                                                                          (Credits: AIESEC Curtin's website)

Why

Question: Why did I choose to go on an AIESEC exchange program?

Answer: I always wanted to go on an exchange but I never went on one until November last year (My 4th/last year in university) due to $$$ issues. Even though I live with my parents and I don't pay rent, I pay for all of my personal expenses such as university tuition fees, petrol, shopping, mobile phone bills etc. I worked as a casual barista since I was in my first year of university. Last year, I took up another casual job at Curtin International which increased my income :)

I went on a 2 weeks Japanese cultural exchange to Wakayama University in November. Then, I went on a 6 weeks AIESEC Go Volunteer exchange program in the following month. I wanted to do something meaningful for my grad trip and so, I chose something AIESEC Go Voluneteer exchange program. I was an English teacher's assistant. 

AIESEC Go Volunteer exchange program is not that expensive. The administrative fee is $600 (excluding air tickets) and my host families took care of my food and accommodation. In total, I paid $1800. $600 administrative fee+ $1200 Cathay return air tickets to Taiwan (Cheaper alternative = Budget airlines) As for shopping/spending money, it's up to you to decide. I think I brought along $1000 which was more than enough. 

Where

Question: Where did I go?

Answer: I went to Taiwan's Nei Ding Elementary School (內定國小) which is located in Neili, Taoyuan County (Taipei) http://163.30.144.90/deliver/ There are also many schools/projects located in Kaohsiung. I chose Taiwan because I wanted to improve my mandarin. Additionally  I love Taiwanese's accent and I love Taiwan's night markets.

When

Question: When did I go?

Answer: Australia's summer holiday! 6 weeks; 5th December 2012 to 18th January 2013. I spent my New Year's Eve at Taipei 101!!! :)

Who

Question: Who did I go with?

Answer: I went with my friend Adeline (met through AIESEC) Both of us wanted to go to Taiwan in December 2012. However, we went to different elementary school. You don't have to go with a friend but if you do, you have a buddy to hang out with :)

How

Question: How did I apply for AIESEC Go Volunteer Exchange Program?

Answer: I applied through AIESEC's Curtin website. There is a simple 5 steps process.

I will explain the steps in the next post.
For more info, please click on this link:
http://www.aiesecunsw.org/exchange-process.html


Next post; 5 steps process

http://aiesecaustralia.org/curtin/

                                                          

Do you know my name?

Before I begin, I'm going to do a short introduction about myself.

My name is Audrey Teo and I am 22 years old this year.

I was born in Singapore but my family migrated to Perth, Western Australia in late 2007.

I graduated from Curtin University in late 2012 with a double degree; 

Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and
Bachelor of Arts (Asian Languages; Mandarin/Japanese)

Question: Did my AIESEC exchange helped me to get a job?
Answer: Yes, it did; it's my Mandarin speaking skills that I gained in Taiwan. 6 weeks in Taiwan helped me to expand my Mandarin vocabulary and also, built up my confidence to converse in Mandarin with native speakers (When I promote Curtin University's courses to them on the phone or face to face)

I'm currently working at Curtin International as a Marketing Relations Officer.
Perth's economy is slow at the moment, so I feel really blessed to have a full time job now.

I will never regret going on an AIESEC exchange. Also, I'm forever grateful for the opportunity given to me by Lena/Isabella to work at Curtin International as a casual Overseas Student Health Cover Officer and also thankful for my colleagues/ managers who helped me along the way :)


Next post; Five Ws and one H 
Who, What, When, Where, Why & How

http://aiesecaustralia.org/curtin/

What's your name?

"Hi, what's your name?"

This is the first question that I asked everyone at Taiwan's Nei Ding Elementary School (內定國小)

I'm going to share my AIESEC Go Volunteer Internship experiences on this blog.

Hopefully, this blog will encourage you to go on an AIESEC exchange.

Trust me, it will change your life :)


Next post; Do you know my name?

 http://aiesecaustralia.org/curtin/