畢業於清奈SRM大學、獲頒臺灣獎學金、即將於本年9月間前往國立清華大學就讀碩士班的印度籍學生Steven Wang Zhi Min 8月15日致函駐清奈辦事處李朝成處長,感謝辦事處各方面的協助與鼓勵,在他前往臺灣參加交流活動之後,決心赴臺灣繼續深造。
他的來信如下:
I am a student of SRM Institute of Science and Technology and through the Taiwan Experience Education Program offered by the Ministry of Education I was offered an opportunity of a lifetime to do a short exchange of about 2 months in Kaohsiung, Taiwan at the National Kaohsiung Normal University. The program was managed by Ms. Tsou Woan-Yuh with the constant support of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Chennai, the entire procedure right from the planning to the visa procedures were carried out swiftly and efficiently without any complications as is without any surprise the wonderful Taiwanese work culture that I have read about so much and experienced first hand on reaching Taiwan.
My first impressions of Taiwan on Arrival was that the Taiwanese people are very sincere and genuinely eager to assist people in anyway for instance our Taxi driver who took us to the University insisted on dropping us off at the precise building within the huge University Campus as he did not want us to get lost in the campus, there are several other instances of such nature that occurred so frequently that I am convinced about the Sincerity and Helpful nature of the Taiwanese people that I had heard so much about.
Our program in Taiwan was very well thought out and kept the balance of Academics and Extra-Curricular activities at just the perfect consistency. We had first hand experience with Taiwanese Culture such as toys, art, indigenous tribes, food and much more and of course the wonderful Night markets in Taiwan, and in terms of Academics we emphasized on Basic Chinese phrases and words which we could apply in our daily communications with the locals aswell as the meticulous procedure of correctly writing Traditional Characters.
One of the long weekends when we did not have any classes Ms.Tsou Woan-Yuh had taken us the students of SRM on a tour around Taiwan covering key areas such as Hualien, Juifen, Taipei, New Taipei, giving us the opportunity to experience the “Real" Beauty of Taiwan through the amazing and scenic picturesque views of Taiwan from the Age old beauty of the Taroko Coach with vibrant colours all around contributed by the trees, rocks and mountains all culminating into a masterpiece painted by Nature to perhaps the most iconic building in Asia the Taipei 101, which we viewed from the best viewing point in Taipei “the Elephant Mountain”. Some of the highlights were the magical town of Juifen with its arrays of Red Lanterns lighting up with the entire town, the National Palace Musuem with its rich historical artefacts that are kept preserved and in pristine condition by the curators and several more.
On another weekend a couple of local friends and I decided to drive to the underrated county of Taichung through Kenting. The journey to Taichung was incredible and still one of the fondest memories that I have of Taiwan, the expressway was perfectly maintained which gave us the pleasure of a very enjoyable ride. In Taichung I had experienced the wonderful natural hot spring which are rich in sulphur and very nourishing for the skin aswell as just taking in all the wonderful views of the ocean and mountains which were facing and touching each other, the highlights for me though would be the Cherry Blossom farm which we visited and I was lucky to have gone at the right time as they were all blossoming
As an Ethnic Hakka I was overjoyed to have finally met people who spoke the same language as I did and experience Traditional Hakka culture at Meinong. It was very enlightening to learn about the history of the Hakkas in Taiwan, their hardships aswell as their prowess in agriculture. Another place that I intend to visit again would the Fo Guang San which is a Buddhist Monastery that is serene and beautiful that everyone must visit regardless of religion maybe just to marvel at the intricate architecture of the monastery.
I have too many fond memories of Taiwan that is simply impossible to pen them all down. As cliché as it may sound words cannot truly describe the unique and wonderful nature of the Taiwanese people and the beauty of Taiwan, one must simply visit and experience them first hand to full grasp it’s incredibility. I would have to thank the Ministry of Education, SRM and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Chennai for giving us this opportunity of a lifetime .