With Just One Action – Learning Chinese through the arts
Coming to Taiwan, I knew that not only would I be able to conduct advanced cancer therapy research, but also I would have many opportunities to improve my Chinese. I didn’t realize how hard performing both of these tasks simultaneously was going to be. During my graduate studies, I took a break from studying Chinese so it was a little rusty upon my arrival, and I was relatively shy when prompted to speak. After a few weeks in Taiwan, my Chinese quickly rose to the level of comfortable conversation and problem solving, mostly as a result of the classes I was taking a few times a week. Everyone in my lab is required to speak English – and because finding time to do homework isn’t easy when I could be out enjoying Taipei’s rich culture, I’ve relied on some of my other interactions instead. Everyday life has afforded me plenty of practice; before long I could order coffee like a pro and crack jokes with the locals, but I was still looking for ways to improve my level. Luckily, I stumbled across some great opportunities that have transformed my stay in Taiwan, and given me the time to study Chinese
