For more information: Jimmy | jimmy.kho@aiesec.net

TAIWAN

Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan’s Pingtung County in the August of 2009 and

caused massive floods which led to many displaced families in the county. This

program, Environmental Awareness on Flood, was organized to help the

children of a certain school in this county learn better after the disaster with

extra English teachers. I picked Taiwan and this particular project because I

have a passion for education and assisting the teachers there with English

teaching would be something I could do well.

Before I left Malaysia I did some research into the environment of the project

and where I’d be staying, but it wasn’t enough to prepare me for what was to

come. I did not land at Taipei, where the LC was. Instead I landed at Kaohsiung

where the Typhoon had the worst impact. An AIESEC-er picked me up and I

had a wonderful night staying in his hometown experiencing the local life

immediately. For the first few days though, I met the AIESEC-ers often as they

had come down to Pingtung County from Taipei to send the other EP. But

because the distance of the LC from the project site, we did not see them

much after that, which did not bother us much since we had been doing well

and had everything we needed.

For more information: Jimmy | jimmy.kho@aiesec.net

Visa Application

Passport photo

Valid passport of at least 90 days

following departure

Forms obtainable from consulate

office

Printed application form from the

Taiwan embassy website

Documents from Taiwan:-

o Invitation Letter

o Traineeship Acceptance Note (TN

AN)

o Identity Card of TN Manager in

Taiwan

Visa fees: RM175

Taiwan Embassy in Malaysia:

Level 7, Menara Yayasan Tun Razak

200 Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

603 2161 4439 & 603 2161 5508

Fax: 603 2161 7478

teco@po.jaring.my

www.taiwanembassy.org/MY

Currency

New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

Currency Code: TWD

1 USD = 29.3710 NT$

1 MYR = 9.59636 NT$

Weather

General

warm weather all year round

average temperature is at 22˚C

Lowest temperatures on the

lowlands generally ranging from

12˚C to 17˚C (54˚F -63˚F).

Snow is only found in mountain

areas

Seasons

Typhoons sometimes approach

or hit the country in summer at

least three to four typhoons

every year

Keep an eye on weather reports,

because weather conditions are

often severe and unpredictable

Winter is the prime season in

Taiwan for bird watching and

colored maple trees

March to May is raining season

Geographical Information

Population: 23,174,528 (2011)

Capital: Taipei

Major Cities: New Taipei,

Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei,

Tainan, Hsinchu, Keelung, Chiayi

Area: 35,801 km2 (13,822.8 sq m

i)

Highest Point: Yu Shan

Lowest Point: South China Sea

For more information: Jimmy | jimmy.kho@aiesec.net

What to bring

passport

visa

airplane/train ticket

ID certificate

destination map

travel itinerary

address list

clothing: (depending on the

season)

money: traveler’s check, cash,

credit card

Do’s and Don’ts

Do take your shoes off when

you enter someone's home.

Do not wear sandals or "flip

flops" unless going to the

market to purchase the day's

fresh vegetables.

Do tap the table next to the

glass about three times with

your middle finger when

someone pours you a drink.

Do say “Ganbei!” when toasting

in Mandarin. It means “drain

your glass”

Do pour a drink or hold a door

open for a person of an older

generation.

Do not open gift(s) in front of

the person(s) who gave it to you

Do not leave your chopsticks

sticking up in the leftover rice at

the bottom of your bowl after

eating a meal. (This is what

people do at shrines when

offering a meal to their

ancestors' ghosts.)

Do not give an umbrella. It is a

bad omen that you will never

see each other again. (The

Chinese word for umbrella - san

- sounds like the word for "to

break apart.")

Do accept a coin as a token

payment if you accidentally give

an unlucky gift. The curse can be

set straight because then it

technically becomes a purchase

instead of a present.

For more information: Jimmy | jimmy.kho@aiesec.net

Taiwanese Cuisines

The philosophy of Taiwan is eating often and eats well. The capital Taipei has

around 20 streets dedicated to snacking. Every time you think you've found the

best street side food, the most incredible stinky tofu stand or mind-blowing

beef noodle soup, there's always another one that surpasses it.

Taiwanese food is a mash-up of the

cuisines of Min Nan, Teochew and

Hokkien, as well as Japanese

cuisine. The results of these culinary

marriages are diversely delicious.

Recommended night market:

1. Raohe Street Night Market

2. Shilin Night Market

3. Keelung Miaokou Night Market

Not to be missed!!

1. Xiaolongbao (Shanghai Soup

Dumplings)

2. Shaved Ice

3. Beef Noodles

4. Bubble tea

5. Stinky tofu

6. Coffin Bread

7. Oyster omelettes

8. Pineapple cake

For more information: Jimmy | jimmy.kho@aiesec.net

Taiwanese Culture

Taiwan has amazing culture and history. People from many places and

backgrounds have all played a role in Taiwan's development. While gradually

developing a new culture indigenous to Taiwan, Taiwanese have held on to

their respective customs and traditions. Now, you may even find traces left by

the Dutch and the Japanese when traveling in Taiwan.

The official language of Taiwan is

Mandarin Chinese, but because

many Taiwanese are of southern

Fujianese descent, Min-nan (the

Southern Min dialect, or Holo) is

also widely spoken. The smaller

groups of Hakka people and

aborigines have also preserved their

own languages.

Taiwan people share the same

Chinese traditional with the

mainland. They all regard the Spring

Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Qing-

Ming Festival, and Mid-Autumn Day

as their ceremonious festivals.

Recommended Local Taiwanese folk

events:

1. the Dajia Matzu Pilgrimage

2. the Goddess Matzu Making

Rounds of Inspection in Beigang

3. the City God Welcoming in Taipei

4. the Burning of the Plague God

Boat in Dongkang

For more information: Jimmy | jimmy.kho@aiesec.net

Transportation

Rapid Transit

Includes both the subway and light rail.

There are currently 4 rapid transit lines in Taipei, offering transit services

from 06:00 to 24:00 daily.

The fares are currently ranging from NT$ 20 (RM 2.10) to NT$ 65 (RM

6.80), depending on the distance traveled).

EasyCard is also available on the subway or light rail. With a one day pass

of NT$150 (RM 15.70), passengers can conveniently take therapid transit

in Taipei for the day.

Public Bus

The cost ranges from NT$ 15 (RM 1.60) to NT$ 20 (RM 2.10).

An EasyCard is available on public buses with 80% discount for students.

Be wary that sometimes you pay when you get on and sometimes when

you get off. If you cross a zone you pay when you get on and again later

when you get off.

Taxi

Most taxis in Taiwan are equipped with a meter. The initial flat rate fee is

about NT$ 70 (RM 7.30) for the first 1.5 km. Following that, there will be a

distance surcharge of NT$ 5 (RM 0.50) per 300 meters is applied. An extra

fee, corresponding to 20 percent of the total price, shall be applied for an

overnight service (from 23:00 to 06:00).

Taxi service from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport to downtown

Taipei typically costs approximately NT$ 1,200 (RM 125.10) and the fare

from Kaohsiung International Airport to downtown Kaohsiung should run

around NT$ 300 (RM 31.30).

For more information: Jimmy | jimmy.kho@aiesec.net

With me was another EP from Malaysian. In fact, it was with his help, that we

came up with a brilliant idea to make the children want to study harder! We

stayed with a very nice and warm family in Taiwan near to the school at which

we taught. They upheld their values with dignity and although they were not

very well-to-do, they still made my friend and me comfortable with everything

we could need. I had so much fun learning about their culture and their

lifestyle that there were no glitches with blending into life with them.

At the school, we assisted the only English teacher at teaching. Because the

classes were big and I could speak Mandarin, many of the children were

getting along well with us tutoring them. As part of the culture integration

planned, we printed some figurines of KLCCs and Sepak Takraws and put them

around the class. We even gave out little souvenirs as prizes to those who

learnt their lesson that day! This was the driving factor for the children as they

were all very curious and wanted to learn more and more about Malaysia and

the ‘weird’ things we do.

On Fridays, after wrapping up the

school, we’d take the very

convenient and efficient public

transport and visit the various

cities and towns of Taiwan around

the island. By doing so, we had

covered almost the whole of it by

the end of 7 weeks! I had

achieved a great personal achievement by successfully teaching the kids and

also travelling throughout Taiwan at the same time. This cultural integration

has been a very good experience on me and on the kids. I would go back to

meet the friends I’ve made sometime in the future!

Michelle Wong Ching Yee, Student Ambassador for Environmental Awareness on Flood Project in Taiwan