by Dong Han “I feel that I have to study, but I don’t know why.”
“After having spent another semester in school, I still don’t feel that I’ve truly learned something.” Do these statements sound familiar to you? Today in Taiwan, graduates find themselves facing a big gap between what they’ve learned and what industry really needs. According to a survey conducted by a human resource company, YES 123, in 2013, seven hundred salarymen out of a thousand felt that what they learned had nothing to do with their current job.
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Story by Briana Leong. Alan Gregory (left) and Allie Wu (right).
Summer days in Taiwan are hot and humid, and many are not entertained by the idea of leaving their homes. But hidden in a small alley along Roosevelt Road Section Four is an apartment that will surely be a surprise visit for many. Decorated with soothing colors and lined with comfy furniture, the apartment known as The Common constantly smells like a blend of vanilla and coffee; it also gives off a cozy homey vibe, as if each individual who walks in is not a customer but a guest who has arrived at a warm and welcoming second home instead of yet another café in Taipei. By Jing Ren Yao Before I went to Netherlands, I knew nothing about the country. All I knew is that it had colonized Taiwan four hundred years ago, therefore I started to ask around about this mysterious country. Friends who had been there told me that their average height is among the tallest in Europe, and that I’d have to stand on tiptoe just to use the urinal. If I thought this first piece information already seemed daunting enough, the second was even more shocking. I was told that the wind and rain were so strong that you could barely stand still, yet alone hold an umbrella while trying to walk down the street. One guy even told me that when he tried to ride a bicycle on a rainy day, the wind blew him into an electricity pole. I am shorter and lighter than he is, so I just imagined being blown away like a balloon.
By Lesly Garces There are many things we underestimate in our lives. Sometimes those things are tangible and sometimes they are not. One of the things I have come to appreciate is the sense of security in a particular place.
This is something I learned when I started to live in Taipei. I am from Honduras, Central America. Most importantly, I was born in the city of San Pedro Sula, considered the “Murder Capital of the World” by some people. I grew up in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, which according to some world rankings is also among the ten most dangerous cities in the world. Some people might think my home is unlivable or too dangerous to live a normal life, yet for me this insecurity was something I was used to. By Ericka Valladares It’s 3:00 am. I have just drunk a sugar-overloaded coffee. I’m beyond stressed over a programming assignment that will probably not be finished before the deadline. So…why not take a break? I start scrolling through old pictures when I find a scanned image of an interview from a local newspaper from my country. Highlighted from the interview is a quote: “Don’t follow the majority, follow your dreams. Don’t study something because someone else says so. The point of is to follow your passion, because that’s the only way you can be truly happy: doing what you love.” Next to the quote there’s a picture of a girl with a huge smile, holding a color palette in one hand a brush in the other. That girl looks happy, truly happy. I grab a piece of paper and start writing to that girl: it’s the past me.
By Antoine PEBAYLE As an exchange student at National Taiwan University (NTU), I realised that my knowledge about my host institution was largely incomplete and very limited. When I was given the chance to move to Taiwan, I knew only that NTU was the #1 university on the island, well known not only in the Chinese world but throughout all of Asia. From the very beginning of the University during the last century to its growing reputation in the international scene today, it is time to learn more about NTU through its 87-year history. Taihoku Imperial University: the precursor of NTU during the Japanese era
An interview of Professor Samuel Wilson by Bastien Moal On a rainy Wednesday morning in Taipei, I was on my way to interview a former U.S. prosecutor, lawyer, and federal judge who recently began to teach U.S. Criminal Law at NTU. I was riding my bike, attempting to stay dry, when I started to question whether I had the capacity to interview someone who had so much experience in law and in life in general. But before I could doubt myself any longer, Professor Wilson invited me to enter his office.
By Enzo Rivera It is no secret that every Latino grows up surrounded by music. I remember listening to various beats wherever I went; in the supermarket, in the car, or at a family reunion, playing Latin American music was the norm. As I travelled and met new people from around the world, I noticed that almost everyone believes that Latinos know how to dance; it’s just a normal assumption. Although this statement is partly true and every party I attended as a teenager involved dancing until midnight, I also discovered that my dancing skills were very limited. For this reason, I decided to venture into learning to dance the Salsa; little did I know that I would eventually become a Salsero!
By Soyeon Kim Have any plans for summer vacation? During spring break I went to Hanoi for six days. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the country’s second largest city. While we were traveling the weather was perfect, the food was perfect, and the landscape was absolutely amazing. I want to introduce three restaurants that made me fall in love with Hanoi, and I am sure that after reading this post you will want to go there, too!
by Mélodie Huynh Did you ever wonder why once you wake up, you have a strange feeling of memory but cannot actually remember? You know it is there, you can still see images of a wonderful place where you felt so free. Our brain is the most mysterious part of the human body. It can create all kind of tricks to make you feel good, exited, scared. But what can gather all these feelings in one night? Dreams! An imaginary world where we go every night, let’s see how the mysterious mechanism of dreaming works!
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Authors
The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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