From Jonathan - May 4

Today was a very exciting day in our Taiwan experience. It was the first day of class. We were introduced to all of the people that we will have contact with as it relates to our educational experience. Everyone was very welcoming and nice which made me feel much more relaxed. Our teachers were willing to answer any questions we had about Taiwan and its people. I discovered that most of the people here, including our teachers, are just as interested in our way of life in America as we are in theirs. They also spoke Mandarin Chinese the majority of the class even though they were fluent in English. This allowed me to enhance my listening skills, and after one day my listening has improved dramatically but it still takes time to understand people sometimes because each region has its own dialect just like in America. Matter of fact, Taiwan has its own language although Mandarin Chinese is its official language. I am enjoying my experience tremendously and can't wait to see what the next few weeks have in store.