Moving to Taichung, Taiwan!

[PinYin55]

I know I am not a super active member here, but I've been around for a long time. As a small white America kid, I was for whatever reason fascinated with Chinese music, movies, language, etc. No reason to. I lived in the rural south with no Chinese influence whatsoever. I just loved it.

10 years later I was studying Mandarin at University.

Now, at age 25, I received a Fulbright award to Taiwan. I've never even been to Asia. I finally made it!

So, I am very very very excited. I will be moving to Taichung in July, and I will be there for 10-12 months. Can barely contain my excitement.

Considering it's time to brush up on my Chinese, I promise to spend a lot more time on these forums! Good to see you all again!

EDIT: Anyone live in the area? Any thoughts/tips/advice about moving to/living in Taichung? Thanks!

[Meng Lelan]

I am so jealous. What will you be doing for your Fulbright there?

[PinYin55]

It's an ETA award, so it differs a bit from the "standard" Fulbright. It still encompasses all of the cultural exchange/community/ambassadorial type roles, but additionally I will be teaching English in a public school, alongside a native, licensed teacher.

EDIT: When I say native, I mean native to Taiwan, just to be clear lol. The public schools aren't like private schools/cram schools where you can just get a TEFL certificate and bachelors degree and go to work. So, even though I have a bachelors degree/certifications, I can't teach alone in the public schools there.

[Olle Linge]

I'm living in Taipei and try to arrange Hacking Chinese meet-ups regularly (the next will be in May, before you arrive, though). I won't be in Taiwan during the summer, but I'll be back in the autumn and will definitely arrange some get-together then. That's a pretty good opportunity to get to know other serious (and some of them very advanced) learners. Finding foreigners is easy, finding the right foreigners to discuss learning isn't. If you have any questions before then, let me know!