My Worthy Experiences in Taiwan (Part 5)

There are many things to be grateful for. Be grateful and we will always be blessed. Feeling grateful helps me be more positive, appreciate more and complain less. In my last article about my worthy experiences in Taiwan, I would like to share about gratitude. Due to the increasing of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan, schools and universities are conducted online. I then had to join classes and final exams virtually for two weeks. I was quite sad not seeing my teachers and classmates in the end of the semesters so I thought of having appointment to meet my homeroom teacher and some classmates at the campus area after completing all exams and having farewell before my flight back to Indonesia.

I was thankful for the wonderful 7 months in Taiwan. What have I discovered about Taiwan? Taiwan is likely one of the safest places in the world to live. The people are genuinely helpful and kind. Based on my personal experiences, not so many Taiwanese people speak English, yet most locals are willing to help and welcome people. They also kindly respond and listen to me speaking very simple Chinese language. During learning Chinese language and culture for 6 months, I discovered that Chinese is so difficult but it is a beautiful language. Learning Chinese in Taiwan gives me chance to experience a different culture. For me, learning about Chinese literature includes beautiful writing system, deep meaning, and wisdom from the characters. After coming back to Indonesia, I would like to continue my Chinese learning journey and fortunately I have many Indonesian-Chinese students who are able to speak Chinese well so I can practice my Chinese with them. Another thing I discovered is food is a way for Taiwanese with family and friends enjoying conversations more. When starting the conversations, most Taiwanese will ask ‘have you eaten?’. We find lots of kinds of food and local cuisines in Taiwan and eating out is so convenient and inexpensive especially in Tainan. So, my times in Taiwan were also about eat, eat and eat.

We had lots of fun during my farewell at the IofC office in Taiwan; delicious meals, songs and wonderful conversations; unexpectedly received beautiful poem and lovely gifts from lovely people. I also shared a simple video about my times in Taiwan including short message from my mom and family saying thank you to my friends. Thank you for the beautiful memories we shared together! My prayer is with each one of them.

I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such kind-hearted and inspiring friends during my stay in Taiwan. I will miss my times and incredible people I met in Taiwan but it’s also times to come back to my hometown, gathering with family and continue my journey. A quote said, “Family is not an important thing. Family is everything.” I pray and wish to come back to Taiwan and keep the connections with the IofC friends and classmates. One friend asked, “What’s the first thing you will do when you arrive at home?” I had no idea and plan, yet I will surrender to God and prepare myself emotionally that my dad was not there to welcome me back home but trust that he watched from heaven. Finally, the more we thank life, the more life gives us to be thankful for. I thank God for giving me strength and sending the IofC friends in Taiwan into my life who treat me like family. I hope someday I will be back to Taiwan. 我希望我下次回來台灣.非常感謝你們。

Yofrina Octika Gultom