At a short age, I was the type of boy who wanted to discover the world. I always gathered my friends together and went for “mini-expeditions” on vegetables fields near my home. As I walked through the fields, I felt like an archeologist or someone trying to discover a new frontier. I examined rocks that were interesting, birds of different colors flying, and always prayed for fishing a fish in a nearby canal. There were days that were humid and hot, others cold and dry, but I did not let this interfere with my learning. The expeditions kept on going, even now, I still expedition but at a different level.
I was always curious on how things worked around others and me. I was curious on the whole purpose of the moon and the stars, insects in our ecosystem, and chemical compositions of things. I know these ideas are extremely scientific, but we all go through this stage. For many of my questions, I found answers, but for the few I could not answer, I left it to professionals focused on their fields of study. I guess I just did not want to take their jobs away.
Meeting new friends and sharing culture has always has been one of my favorite hobbies. Most of my good friends come from different backgrounds. They were all mostly raised with different ideologies and religions. I guess I can consider myself and international man. I open my mind and heart to many ideas and beliefs. Why? Because I believe that by talking and sharing ideas, people understand each other very well.
When I decided to study in Taiwan, I considered myself a man with many ambitions and dreams. When I departed, I was excited of exploring a new world where I have never been. I needed to acquire and improve new language skills for communication, and also because I needed to eat. When I arrived, I did not know where to go. I did not know anyone, I felt lonely. I did not have communication for a few weeks with my family members for the reason that I did not know where to buy a phone card. After I become more and more familiar with the area, I discovered new stores where I bought my phone cards, and my internet access credits. Some nights I went to bed without eating because I was shy on using my Chinese. I was not confident because I believed my language skills were poor.
As I continued studying the language, I became more familiar with people. After one month, I felt capable of ordering food, having conversations, and even bargain at night markets. My self esteem started becoming gradually positive. I was happy. With my new friends, I learned many things about the culture, economy, religion, and friendship. Most of my dear friends are Taiwanese. When the time came to return home, I did not want to leave Taiwan. I had fallen in love with that small island. My friends started crying and begged me to stay longer. A few tears of melancholy could be seen falling from my face. I did not want to leave. I knew I had to return home and continue my education. My friends and the beautiful people from Taiwan meant a lot to me.
When I was in the airplane, I started thinking about what I had learned in that new world. As I thought more and more, I concluded that I had learned more about myself than anything else. I actually pushed myself to a new level where I had never been. I learned how to appreciate friends, family, knowledge, and life. At a short age, this may sound weird to many people my age. This experience made me more comprehensive and mature about new things. I am very grateful for what I learned from myself and everyone else in this trip. It is the best choice I have done in my life so far. Thanks to Elsa Ochoa and her staff for making this trip possible for me. I am truly grateful, it’s an experience that will last a lifetime.