By Hannah Frazier

   Standing on the 89th floor of the 10th tallest building in the world, senior Catherine Ross was feeling on top of the world this summer. 

   Catherine spent seven weeks at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan studying Mandarin Chinese through a U.S. State Department program called the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, or NSLI-Y. She stayed at the university dorms for most of her trip, but also spent three weekends with her host family. 

   During her program, Catherine not only studied Chinese, but also learned about Taiwan’s  culture and history. On one cultural excursion, she visited Taipei 101, the 10th tallest building in the world, and went up to the eight-ninth floor to see the scenery. She describes another excursion: “We (also) traveled to Sun Moon Lake which is located in the middle of Taiwan. Here, we traveled to different islands on the lake and got to explore different types of food and culture.” 

   When visiting a new country, there are sure to be several differences in the look and feel. For example, Catherine was surprised to discover that Taiwan doesn’t have many sidewalks and she frequently walked in the road. Many people use mopeds and Catherine says, “During orientation, the number one rule we were told to follow was to not get hit by a moped.”

   Catherine enjoyed this opportunity to immerse herself in Chinese language and culture while improving her speaking and listening skills. She says, “I gained so many amazing friends and experiences.”

   Catherine says she would highly recommend foreign-exchange programs to TPA students. For her program, applications opened in September and were due in early November. In December, she received an email letting her know she was a semifinalist. She then interviewed for a finalist position and eventually was accepted. Some programs do not require any prior knowledge of the language and students get a chance to experience different cultures while meeting new people. Catherine says, “I had a fantastic time studying abroad and I hope others will be able to do it too.”